Chapter Text
The last thing Paul expected was to be getting a call from the bank during school hours. A sub was quickly ushered in for him as he took the moment to step into the hall and answer the phone that rapidly vibrated in his coat pocket.
"Hello, this is Paul Blofis speaking. How may I assist you?" He made sure to use a cheery tone, despite the inner annoyance he was feeling because of the disruption. Literature was a very important subject, and his students only had so long until the next bell rang to dismiss them. "Yes, this is the Housing and Inheritance firm; I am Miranda. We would like to schedule a meeting with you and your spouse regarding your late cousin's will. Please call us back at 000-000-000 as soon as possible. Good day, Mr. Blofis.
The call ended before he could get a word in; he stared briefly at the ending message before returning to his class lesson about Edgar Allan Poe. The students' chatter died down as he picked up where he left off with the presentation. Tired eyes looked back at him in disinterest, others intently listened in on the poem being read aloud, and the rest were talking quietly amongst themselves in a low tone, leaving whispers in ears nearby. This was going to be a long, long day.
The poetry continued for what felt like hours until the bell rang at last; the students almost shook with joy at their freedom, embracing the upcoming weekend with relieved sighs. At least it was Friday. Paul left the empty classroom with a quiet sigh and a gentle click of the door closing behind him. Finally, it was time to go home at last.His engine revved as he started up his car, the gas meter was low and his radio was bbroken.As he drove, cars rushed by next to him, the cracked window let in a nice breeze, his phone was propped up and loudly playing one of his favorite songs.
His phone abruptly stopped playing music, the silence catching him off guard before it was replaced with his obnoxious ringtone he had lovingly chosen for his wife.
"Hey Sally, almost home. What's up?"
"Percy asked if he could stay for the next 2 weeks, he's on break after the rebuilding that's being done at camp. Do you have any plans? I figured we could go do something together!" If he had any plans, he would immediately cancel them all to see her happy. He didn't have any I'm the first place, spending time with Percy was always pleasant. He could talk about greek tragedies all day with the kid. Suddenly he remembered the call from earlier.
"Hey, about that..I got a call from the bank. Apparently my cousin and her husband recently passed, so the inheritance firm wanted to schedule an appointment to discuss things we may have earned from the will."
Sally let out a gasp, clearly unexpected of the sudden information bomb he dropped on her. Paul imagined her shocked face when she finds what she they were..
"Dear, that's terrible! We could schedule an appointment for tomorrow, we both know I certainly need a day off from work.
"I agree. Make sure to tell Percy we won't be home when he gets there, don't want him getting worried. Oh! Is he brining Annabeth with him?" Paul pulled into the drive-thru to his favorite coffee shop as he finished speaking, craving the boost of caffein.
"He didn't let me know if she was tagging along but It's always lovely to see her, I know you two get along well with your interests." She answered.
"I would love to have her here!"
He nearly forgot he was at the cafe before he heard a voice speaking through the intercom. "Welcome to Daisy's what can I get for you?" The barista sounded tired based off of her voice, she didn't want to be working today. He quickly rolled down his window all the way as he continued to order, "I'll have an iced coffee with a shot of caramel. Thanks." Caramel was perfect with coffee, adding just the right amount of sweetness the bitter drink needed. Sally began humming, reminding Paul that he was still on a phone call with her. (He's been very forgetful lately)
"Just a minute dear, picking up my coffee. Today was a long lecture." He apologized. She quickly responded, "It's alright Paul, I'll see you when you get home, Love you." He smiled as the call ended, the screen coming up with his recent contacts.
His cousins death was very strange, he'd tried to look into it before the day ended, but didn't have enough time to finish the article he had opened up before he pulled into his apartments parking lot.
Paul surveyed his surroundings, children were playing on the nearby swingset, a dog was running after a squirrel, an old woman was carrying in groceries. He jogged up to the womanhe recognized as his downstairs neighbor, careful not to drop his cup, and greeted her with a smile.
"Good afternoon, Mary! Need any help with that?" He was greeted with a kind smile back that reminded him of his mother.
"That would be lovely dear, you're such a gentlemen! Your wife must be very lucky."
Paul gave a slight chuckle and nodded his head. "Yes, I am lucky to have her with me as well." He grabbed the groceries for her in his other hand as they both walked inside the building, chatting about recent events and making small talk.
The elevator was packed, as usual for this time of day. There was just enough room to fit himself and the small, older woman. Luckily her floor was only the second, his was the third. They both got off when the metal doors slid open, Paul clutched the bags of groceries tighter as they strolled down the long corridor.
"Ah, this is my stop. Thank you young man for the help, I appreciate it very much!"
He left with a smile and a wave goodbye as he went back down the way they had came. When Paul got to the elevator again, he had to wait 2 cycles until it had enough room to fit him inside. (Rush hour was the busiest part of the day inside and out of the building.)
At last the doors opened to his floor, welcoming him home to his small two- bedroom apartment.
"I'm home!" He shouted out to whoever was there at the moment. "Hello dear, hope you had a nice day?" Sally gave him a peck on the lips as he set his coffee down on the kitchen table. "It was slow, but overall not the worst lesson I've taught to these kids."
"Well that's nice to hear, did you want to talk about that call with the inheritance firm?"
"Yea, we should probably call them back." He grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed the number that was given to him.