Green eyed Boy Part 14
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I had to stare a bit in surprise. Logan could not be serious, could he? It was his `nan's shop and they were just offering it all to me because I said I liked ceramics class ages ago? I was suddenly rather uncertain. "No, If... If I use anything here, I'm paying something for its Logan. I can't just take it all. I'm not a charity case." "I didn't mean it that way Patrick, really. I mean... damnit... it's just sitting here rotting. Neither dad nor I know the first thing about all this. She had a shop in the front and the studios the back half and really that's all I know. She had a shop in Ashville too down in the River Arts district too but when she passed they just moved it all up here into her shop. We always meant to go through it and just never did." Logan scuffed his boot on the leaf littered stone and eyed the key in his hand, shoulders slumped, and head drooped. I could not help but feel like I had just kicked him or something. I took his hand and the key. Leaning in and putting my forehead to his. "Thank you, Logan. I'm sorry. I'm such a mess and I just keep messing things up, but I don't want to be a rescue or someone's charity case either. If I can use any of it I... I don't know, if I make and sell something I'll give your dad part of the proceeds or something okay?" He nodded slightly and kissed me briefly before murmuring. "You are not charity, or a pet project Pat. But I do want to help you, I don't want you to hurt anymore... and I'll talk to dad about the proceed stuff. Hell, we may get in here and discover the roofs collapsed and it's all trashed after all, or skunks have moved in or chipmunks ate the wiring, who knows?" I had to smile at his ramblings of `what if' and put the key in the lock. The door was glass upper but had faded curtains blocking any view not to mention fifteen years' worth of dirt and water stains. Max and Ruby came bounding up the steps and started snuffling at the door, Ruby sneezing once and looking up at me as I paused. I swore the dog was asking what I was waiting for. "Come on you two, move a sec, the doors jammed." I was a bit worried they would get hurt with the downed gutter nearby as there were likely nails or screws on the ground as well and who knew what inside the shop. I turned the key and heard the deadbolt k-chunk in its slot and then put the key in the other slot and turned it again. the handle felt oddly loose in my hand and I pushed the door, but it did not budge. Logan pushing it above me as I shouldered it slightly. Finally, it gave and so did the door handle which came apart and clattered to the floor where Max sniffed at it. Ruby leaped back and started barking furiously at the dark shadows of the shop. Max taking a cue from his partner in crime and backed out barking as well at a large dark mass in a corner. Both big fierce ferocious rottweilers turned their nubby tails and bolted for all they were worth back towards the stables and house as something moved. Logans flashlight flickering to life and the beam focusing on the chipmunk that was sitting up staring at us in the middle of the floor before it scampered off chittering. I could not help but laugh and so did Logan. "Some guard dogs. Damn near had me spooked a minute there. I thought it was someone in here!" "Me too Logan. Damn. Just a chipmunk. Do you think there's still power out here? Or is it even safe to try and turn it on? " It was dark, dusty, cobwebbed and extremely creepy. Logan shone the light around over several boxes and shelves until he found a switch next to the door and flipped it. Nothing happened. He handed me the flashlight and silently headed back down the stairs and around the back of the house. I heard him doing something and dragging a branch before there came a loud snap and low electronic hum as the overhead florescent lights sang themselves to life. I yelped in surprise at that and Logan just raised a silently eloquent brow at me with a grin. "What? It startled me." "That reminds me Pat, Gabe and Pete asked us to go to a movie with them next week sometime." "I'll have to think about it." I was busy right now. There were a good twenty or more cardboard boxes stacked at random on the floor, a few had fallen over at some point and paper wrapped objects poked through. The shelves of the shop half of the building were lined with mugs, tankards, character jugs, piggybanks, and dishes of all sorts from something I recognized as a soup tureen of the style mom use to have for holidays to odd tiny little cups with tiny little spoons beside them. I picked one up and gave Logan a baffled look. Thankfully, he understood. "Egg cup. You soft boil an egg, break the top off and put the whole egg in the cup. Never liked them that way." "Yuck. Me either. I really don't like runny eggs. Some of these are neat. Did she ever do sculpture?" "Maybe? I was just a kid when she passed. Maybe eight? If even that old." I was a bit afraid to poke into the boxes too much. The spider webs reminded me of stories of black widows and brown recluse, among other creepy crawlies, and gloves or not, I did not want to get bitten. Logan was poking into things as well with his flashlight though he looked into the boxes as he was braver than I was on that front. I had a curious twinge as I spotted the cash register sitting on the counter. It was an old timey antique sort as if plucked from a 60's t.v. western and I could not resist as it was well painted beneath the dust. "This is neat. Replica?" "You got me. Anything in it?" I shrugged and hit a few lever buttons experimentally. The signs popped up in the glass on front and finally I must have pushed or pulled something right as the drawer came flying out. A large dead spider took up one coin well and I grimaced, pushing it away and eyeing the coins inside the till, a few motheaten bills as well. I really was shocked no one had bothered to clean the register out. "Umm... Logan? There is money in here. Some of these coins are collectables, I've seen enough roadshows to know that. You have a couple of Morgan's; Eisenhower's, and I think that's a steel penny and a bunch of other change. Handful of two-dollar bills too. Your grandmother collected odd money maybe?" "I really have no idea." Logan came scampering over, vaulting a box, and nearly bouncing the whole room when he did so, reminding me of his comment about soft floors as some displays rattled. He peered over my shoulder and picked a few of the coins up, using the flashlight to see the dates better. "Loggey be careful, like you said, soft floors and all remember?" "Yea sorry. I don't know enough about coins Pat. This one copper. 1943. That one theres steel though." I had pulled my phone out as 1943 sounded familiar. Eyeing a few coins and googling that. I could feel the blood drain from my face as I managed to squeak. "Do you have a magnet?" "Yea? You okay?" He turned to a wall behind me and handed me a small tourist magnet that was stuck on a metal picture frame. I picked up the penny and touched it to the magnet. Nothing happened. I stuck the magnet against the metal strip on the counter and it stuck. Tried the penny again. Nothing. "Logan... look at my phone." Logan read aloud. "The 1943 copper-alloy cent is one of the most enigmatic coins in American numismatics, what the hecks that word? as only 40 of the coins are known to exist Their collection value makes 1943 copper pennies a prime target for counterfeiters: fakes are often made by coating steel cents with copper or altering the dates of 1945, 1948 and 1949 cents. How can you tell if your 1943 copper penny is real? Use a magnet. If the penny sticks, it's not copper... the first 1943 copper cent was sold in 1958 for more than $40,000. In 1996, another went for a whopping $82,500. How did Nan's get her hands on one of these?!" Logan just stared, looking at the phone then the penny which I had put back in the drawer. It had the slight patina of old brass which I knew would hurt resale value likely but even so. A portion of 82,500 was still a good sum of money. I started looking around for something to put it in that it would not become lost. Moving things around a bit under the register and pausing as I found a fireproof carry safe bolted to the floor. "Logan?" "It's bolted to wood, see if you can pry it up. Sorry Nan." I suppose he was apologizing for us wrecking her shop. I kept feeling like we were robbing the place, and any second the owner was going to come barging in demanding our arrest. I managed to get a grip on the handle of the carry safe and braced my feet on either side. The wood floor cracked and groaned. Refusing to give up I pulled harder and Logan offered to help. "No, you had surgery not even a month ago. I got it." I readjusted and tried pulling a different direction then back again, finally something splintered and one corner came free. That was enough for me to work the case backwards and finally lift it to the countertop. It felt relatively light though something was rattling around inside it. I found a piece of paper, folded it around the penny and tucked it into the back of my phones protective case. I figured that was one place it would not be lost. Logan was busy trying to figure out the lock on the firebox. "Need a long thin something or other." "Ceramics tools." I headed into the back section of the shop, fumbling for the light switch and had to go wide eyed at the studio. Two large octagon shaped kilns. A smaller `testing' kiln. Two large racks full of glazes. A marble worktable with drawers beneath, one of which was tilted outwards and full of powder, each drawer had a card on the front. I knew a mix of those powders would create a different type of clay by hand. There was a large mixing machine, extruder, foot powered potter's wheel and a smaller electric one as well. A myriad of tools lay in various states of use on one table along with a half-finished piece of pottery. I searched through a few of the tools and hurried back with some dental picks that were often used for detail carvings and patterns. Logan gave them a funny look before he set to work on the box. It only took a moment longer before the lock popped loose and I had to lean over his shoulder. "Loggey? Man, of my dreams? Where did you learn to pick locks?" Logan just grinned and tapped his nose wordlessly before opening the box. It seemed to be mostly papers in fairly good shape though the cursive handwriting was a bit hard to read. Logan paused and pulled out an envelope with bank information on the front. "I think dad needs to see all this. Grab the change, let's hit the lights and cut the power and go home. We've gotta head back to school soon anyhow." "This is true. Make sure I give your dad that penny and he better get it appraised and stuff. I know it may not be real or what I think it is, but it might buy another bale of hay for the horses right?" "Or a lot of bales." Logan grinned and stood so quickly he nearly knocked his shoulder into my nose, but I backed up. It did not take long for us to cut the lights, power, and lock the building back up. I would not feel better until that penny was somewhere safer than my cellphone case. We made it back to the cabin in time to find Pops eating lunch inside and filled him in on everything. He looked the penny over and shrugged. "It's a penny and a couple of bucks. You boys keep it. You'll need it for college. As for the papers, if you want them Logan, keep it. Your mom was an only child so everything went to her and then me and you anyhow. As for this" He tapped the bank envelope. "She didn't use them. Used someone else. I don't know who those folks are. But grab the keys, use that change to snag a burger on the way to class or something alright?" I could only stare as he dismissed the article on the cell and Logan just sighed, grabbing the keys off the wall. "Alright dad. We'll see you for fall break okay?" He hugged his dad and I felt a bit awkward. I really could not remember the last time I had done more than shake my dad's hand and that had been forced. He had demanded I `man up' and not have a dead fish handshake all while screaming at me. Pops stood and extended a hand to me; I took it and was suddenly wrapped in his arms tight against his chest. He felt warm and smelled of old hay, horses and sweat. I felt my throat tighten but managed not to have another breakdown as he spoke up. "You, you take care of my boy alright? I'll see you here for fall break Pat. Maybe we'll get you up on one of the horses." "Thanks Pop" My voice cracked in surprise and Logan and I grabbed the box and headed out. The f-150 was a bit rough. Extended cab and lined truck bed that was scratched to hell and back. I had to help him lug a saddle and few other things out of the back seat, tossing them into another older truck before climbing in. It was manual and the bench front seat was split only by the armrest with its built in cupholders. Once in the comfort of the dusty cab with the heat on low to counter the slight nip in the air Logan spoke up. "Do you really think those coins, and such are worth something, Pat?" "Yea, my gut says it's something more than face value at least. I may ask Gabe." Logan threw me an odd look as he got the rumbling truck into gear and headed for Torrand. I knew he wanted me to explain so I did. "Gabes family owns a pawn shop. I met them last year. Gabe's doing financing and such. Investment advisor I think is what he said. If any of its actually worth something maybe we should see about him helping us invest it for your dad? It wouldn't be fair to take it after all." "We could. Dads serious though. If he says something is yours he means it. I tried to give him something back once and he got real pissed about it. " ~~~~Logan~~~~ The rest of the trip back to the dorms was a lot of `what if' and wishful thinking. Neither of us really wanted to get our hopes up and even if it was worth something it would only be worth what someone was willing to pay for it. We put the coins and cash in the lockbox, and I had Pat slip it in a locking drawer of his loft bed desk. Gabe was waiting for us with both our roomies when we returned, and Pat filled them in on the farm though I really did not think it was that big a deal. Though when the topic of the coin came up Gabe looked skeptical. "Let me take a look at it tomorrow. If I think there is something to it I'll call Joseph, my brother. He's at some auction house in New York working there but may have time to skype a look I guess. Don't go getting your hopes up though. Might just be a ten-buck penny. You two going with me and Pete to see `The Next Big Hero Movie' this weekend?" I had heard about it; it was meant to spoof all the blockbuster superheroes that were out lately. I just looked to Patrick on that one. "Sounds good to me. Did we figure out the switching roomies things?" Pat questioning a little hesitantly there. I supposed he did not want to piss off Neil or Pete. Neil just shrugged. "I can be moved in with Pete tomorrow. Figure it's easier than moving the loft and desk." "You really don't mind?" "On one condition, Can I fifth wheel at the movie? I've been wanting to see this one for a while with my girl but... she found someone better at her college." Neil huffed and Pat frowned, putting an arm around Neil from one side and I went to the other and did the same. "There are much better ladies out there Neil. Or guys if you want to give that a shot!" I could not resist the tease and Pat laid a scolding look on me, but Neil grabbed a pillow and walloped me with it. "Sorry, Nahuh. Nothing against you two, or you two cuddle bugs over there but I don't do dick." Neil's protesting had Patrick laughing and I just shielded myself from the pillow before tossing it away. By the time we all crashed out it was well past midnight, fast food wrappers were piled in the trashcan and I reluctantly went to my own bed for the night with promises to move rooms the next day. Pat was disappointed and so was I. It was ridiculously difficult to sleep without him against me. I missed the smell of his hair, the feel of him breathing against my arms and chest. All of it. With classes the next day we spent the morning moving me one room over and getting all of Neil's computer stuff transferred to my old room. Pat promising Gabe we would come up for air on occasion and Pete making me utter the same promise. There would be no ditching our friends and classwork just to vanish together. Gabe did take a look at the coins and contents of the box but only said he'd call his brother and talk to him about it later. Soon enough the box was forgotten as we buckled into study. We woke up in each other's arms, showered, walked in the morning with our friends and went to class. Met up with everyone for lunch, more classes. Then homework and more studying. One night we all studied together and another it was just the two of us. It was finally the weekend and Neil bounded through the jack bath whooping and startling me awake. Patrick nearly falling off his chair as he had been neck-deep in Excel homework. Neil waving a handful of tickets in the air and the portly gamer was more hyped up than I think I had ever seen him before as he all but shouted. "Movie time! Come on! I got us the matinees!"