Zach’s eyes followed the people passing by his window. The documents belonged to an upcoming project that he needed to review. As an intern, he was to look for errors before sorting them. 

Truth be told, he came to work on autopilot today. Yesterday was his sixty-sixth birthday. His children and wife threw a party, congratulating him when he had a heart attack. He clutched his chest as all the members of his family watched him dying. They didn’t call the paramedics or try to help. 

His daughter’s words still echoed in his head. “Dad, don’t hate us too much. If you think about it, it is your fault.”

He scrubbed his face, letting out a hollow laugh. Zach knew what she was talking about. Their entire family often discussed it, but he put his foot down, sticking to his beliefs. He didn’t expect them to murder him instead of respecting his decision.  

Money. It all boiled down to money. The family he lovingly cared for killed him for the money he slaved to make. 

Could it be wrong to set up a charity and donate a part of his fortune? 

He fed, housed, and clothed them. Was it wrong for him to ask that they get a career?

Was it wrong to set up a trust fund for his children? They could only access it at age thirty.

Zach remembered his mother. Her back, standing in the kitchen, was a familiar figure. She was a hard-working woman. 

During his entire childhood, she worked two jobs. His grandmother pitched in to watch him occasionally. He didn’t know that their life was lacking. Zach always had what to eat. 

Later, he realized that his mother often skipped meals to feed him. She was always busy doing something. He didn’t remember her taking time for herself. 

Later, Zach followed a similar path. He got his first job when he was fourteen and never stopped working.

Was it wrong for him to try teaching those values to his children? 

His wife. His beautiful, charming wife. He gave her everything. He would have cut out his heart if she asked. 

Zach opened the draw; he looked at the lottery ticket that changed his life. It led to a roller coaster ride from heaven to hell. 

Today, he is nineteen, again. 

An entire lifetime passed. 

That ticket was both reassuring and terrifying. 

He would like to say that he spent the money wisely. That wasn’t the truth. It was his first lesson on how money changed people. He didn’t expect to learn the second one from his family. 

In his excitement, he told his friends. He even showed his face when he went to collect his winnings. 

He took out the ticket, placing it in his pocket.  

The only benefit this money brought him was that he purchased a house for his mother and gave her enough that she could retire. 

Later, she gave him the money back when he was in debt. She’d hid the fact that she only quit one of her jobs.

A phone ringing brought his mind back to reality. 

It didn’t matter if this was a dream or what. 

He has a second chance at life. 

He sneered at his phone, looking at the name on the screen. 

A memory popped into his head. He’d told Ryan about winning the lottery on this call. Maybe. After fifty years, he couldn’t remember everything. 

He remembered Ryan was one of the first people he told. This good friend spread the news for him. Family and friends, he didn’t know he had, popped up out of nowhere. 

Poor advice, trusting the wrong people, and guilt meant he lost most of the money before he was twenty-five.  

He answered the call. “Hey, Ry.”

“Hey, man! Are you coming to the party later?” There is a lot of noise in the background, making it hard to hear.

Zach couldn’t remember what the party was for. “I’m not sure.” He shuffled the papers on the desk, but nothing came to mind. 

“Man, you are always working. Crystal is going to be pissed if you don’t show up. You can’t miss your girlfriend’s birthday party.”

It took everything for him not to laugh. Now he remembered. Crystal. There is a lot of nostalgia when he thinks of that girl. Most of it wasn’t good. 

He didn’t go to the party because it conflicted with his second job. At the time, he didn’t realize he was going to win millions. They fought about it. He remembered thinking that it was the worst thing that would ever happen to him. 

They fought about a lot of things. However, that was the last straw for her. They broke up shortly after. When he won the lottery, she came back, and like an idiot, he started dating her again. 

“Sounds like the party has already started.” He heard the music over the phone.

“Yeah. You are totally missing out, man. Guys, shout to let Z understand what he is missing.” There is a loud chorus and the sound of things breaking.

Zach laughed at the absurdity. The funny thing about college was that there was a mix of people. That is how he, a kid from a low-income household, ended up friends with people who thought partying all day on a yacht for your nineteenth birthday was normal behavior.

Crystal was slumming it. Or he was a project. He wasn’t saying that people with wealth disparities couldn’t have a healthy relationship, but for teenagers, it is impossible. 

He needed to work to eat. The person he was dating didn’t care about that. He was thrilled that she gave him the time of day. 

“I’ll be there.” He wouldn’t break up with her today. He wouldn’t do it over the phone, but things were already over between them. 

“You sure, man. I know how the work situation is.”

So, why were you pressuring me in the first place? You know I have to work at night. He didn’t ask that out loud. “I applied to another job and got accepted. I quit that one.” He knew he was on speakerphone, and he knew Crystal would hear him. 

It was petty and small-minded, but let her think he quit his job for her. The company would call him next week to let him know he got the job. 

“That is dedication, man. Kris, you got to be happy.” He shouted to the people beside him.

The excessive use of the word man was getting to him. “I’m at my internship. Got to go.” 

“Later, man.”

Zach started organizing the papers. He could continue as he was making changes to his life. That would be the best plan, but it wasn’t feasible. He wasn’t sure how to act his age. The people around him might not notice, but he didn’t want to take the chance.

His mother might notice. He planned to attribute it to winning seven hundred million in the lottery. That was sure to change anyone’s personality.

There was nothing left for them in Eve city. He would ask his mother to choose between Jell City and Pe city.  They had the best housing markets in R country. The land there would triple in value in the next three years. 

He would like to move to S country, but that would come later. 

He finished out his day at work. He planned to act as normal as possible before ghosting everyone.  

 

***

 

Zach looked in the mirror. There were no wrinkles. 

There was a scar through his left eyebrow. His blue eyes were bright. Full lips and tan skin.  

His hair was black and pulled back in a short ponytail. He didn’t have grey hair at his temples. He wasn’t experiencing thinning. 

He was too thin. His body was willow and in need of thirty pounds and some muscle. 

Black shirt and jeans. It was the only thing in his wardrobe he would wear. Everything was too bright or had too many holes. Why did he like neon? He was pretending everything that had animal prints didn’t exist. 

He was swamped with nostalgia as he walked through the two-bedroom apartment. He’d hated this place. Last time, he couldn’t wait to leave. 

Now, he saw the door jam where his mother measured his height. The scuff marks his skateboard left on the floor. He was glad to be back here. 

Getting in his car, he drove the long way to the marina. He would miss this city. He made a lot of mistakes, but there were good times. Everything he knew about the future happened here. 

 

***

 

The music was too loud. 

The flashing lights were too bright. 

The alcohol was cheap and too sweet. 

He wanted to put his feet up and read a book. It seemed that the only thing to change was his age. He was old at heart. 

Zach headed to the top deck. As he passed a room, he saw Ryan and Crystal making out. He knew they hooked up at this party in his past life. 

So, it didn’t matter if he attended the party or not. They would still cheat. Which meant they were cheating before this.

He didn’t look twice, continuing up to the deck. 

The air was sharp and cold. Couples dotted the deck and were making out. Walking to the railing, he leans against it, watching the ocean.

Despite getting what he wanted, he should not have come. 

The videos on his phone showed underage drinking and drug use. Ryan’s face was clearly showing. Along with other people who used him. He couldn’t remember some of their names, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take revenge. 

His back was even showing in one of the photos. That way, they wouldn’t think he was the one who sold them out. He was sure they wouldn’t rat him out, but even if they did. It wouldn’t matter. 

It could even be an excuse as to why he dropped out of school and was moving. 

Still, he shouldn’t have come.

It would have been as simple as calling the police to get his revenge. He could hack into their devices. 

He didn’t have to torture himself like this. 

“Hey,” a small voice called. 

A guy was standing beside him. He didn’t realize when he came close. He didn’t recognize him either, but that wasn’t saying much. He didn’t know most of the people here.

“Hello,” Zach said.

“Are you Crystal’s boyfriend?” He asked.

Raising an eyebrow, he spoke. “That’s me. Why?” Zach could guess. Crystal and Ryan were both too drunk to notice that people could see them. 

The boy hesitated. “You should know…,” His words trailed off. He nervously wrung his hands. 

He didn’t know who this boy was. He went to ask till he noticed the burn mark on his arm. This boy was Crystal’s younger half-brother. 

Zach couldn’t tell if he was acting. Something could have changed to affect his personality. He was neck-deep in debt and suffering at the time, but he heard that this boy sent his stepmother to prison. A video of his sister having sex with multiple men also surfaced. 

He also heard that this boy pulled his father’s company that was about to go bankrupt out of debt. 

He was no longer part of that circle, so he didn’t have access to relevant information. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. 

“I should know what?” Zach asked.

“My sister and Ryan, they are. You know…,” He looked up before lowering his head. 

It was only for a second, but Zach saw a flash of hatred in the boy’s eyes. Zach planned to clean up Crystal, but he didn’t want to be a borrowed knife. 

He decided to use a different line of attack. He would use the video as an accompaniment instead of the main dish.

This boy wanted him to do his dirty work. “Kid, I don’t know what you are talking about.” He wouldn’t confront his ‘friends’. That way, he would be the last person suspected when things started to go wrong. “Are you old enough to be here?” 

His face got red with anger. “You know what I am talking about.”  he clenched his hands.

It took less time than he thought for the boy to lose his cool. Zach took another sip of his beer. It was hot now. It was time for him to leave this place.

“You’re too young. Too obvious. Too angry. If you are not careful, someone will deal with you first.”  

Zach looked around. These people were a tight-knit group. He was sure people were keeping an eye on both of them. Lifting his hand, he ruffled the boy’s head. “Smile. Act annoyed and then push away my hand.”

The boy listened to him. The anger changed to fear. He probably also realized that someone would tell his sister that they were talking. 

“When your sister asks, tell her you asked me why I was with someone like her. She won’t believe you if you say you didn’t say anything mean, but you don’t want it to be too bad as to incur her wrath. Then, tell her I was a stupid drunk and didn’t understand what you meant.” Zach turned and lost his balance, reaching out to use the railing to steady himself. 

“She is beautiful! The best thing to ever happen to me!” His words slurred. Retching, he turned back around and slumped over the railing. “Be careful. You want to achieve your goals, but not make yourself a target.” 

Zach staggered off. He really shouldn’t have come.