It was a Thursday, fall of 1985. Lassitude overcame my will to keep working on the financials. I leaned back in my seat, taking in the view of Vermont at midnight. City lights glittered on the horizon through the large window pane and dazzled the spotless beige walls of my strip mall office. Great origins always began in humble places. That’s what dad said anyway.
He’d immigrated to America from Romania and started his life in the hills of Vermont. He thought himself Hephaestus, a Greek god who worked tirelessly in forges. His love of Greek mythology inspired my name, Hermes. One look in my eyes and he knew I was going to revolutionize trade between countries. What that eerily specific dream looks like, I have no idea.
The door opened. Aris knocked as a courtesy, but stepped in. His name was based on a Greek god too. Ares, but our mother refused to give him that exact name. The compromise was a letter.
He raked his dirty blond locks with grimy fingers, dark eyes unsurprised. “Burning the midnight oil again.”
I rubbed my sore eyes. “Building a business takes time. More than what’s allotted in a normal day. Besides, other countries are up now. I can try to get some more clients.”
Aris perched on my desk, glancing at the neat stacks of forms and charts. “Speaking of clients, I may have a couple high-paying customers who need expedited transport.”
My aching body whirred to life. “How high?”
My little brother smiled, dimples pinching his plump cheeks. “Enough to get out of this strip mall.”
Everything seemed brighter, my dream more alive. “Get the official orders and we’ll start shipping.”
“I’ve already taken care of it.”
I paused, eyeing my brother. Something wasn’t right. He never acted without my apporval.
Before I could speak, he said, “These men were going to everyone. If I didn’t take the money when they offered it, they’d be gone.”
My exhaustion got the better of me. Or perhaps excitement. I left Aris with a “good job” and went home. Slept for the first time in a week. Everything was right in the world. Until it wasn’t.