Domo Arigatou Bitcoin Boy

Charene was stuck in traffic and getting more irate by the minute. She'd had the usual over the top busy day at work and all she wanted to do was get home to her apartment, cook dinner and collapse on the couch with a glass of wine. She didn't know if her teenage son Ethan would be home - lately he stayed out more often than in and even though he was only 14 there was little she could do about it. Ethan's father was not on the scene, after leaving Charene earlier that year for "the Skinny Bitch" as Charene called her. And to make matters worth her beloved brother Eric had recently died of pancreatic cancer, which was a blow she was still reeling from. When Richard left her after 24 years it was a shock, but when Eric died it was a visceral blow that still at times left her gasping for breath with the pain of knowing she'd never see him again.

The traffics lights turned green but the car in front of Charene's stayed stationary - she furiously honked her horn and then managed to duck into a gap in the next lane's traffic and pull onto the ramp at the freeway entrance. She was relieved that she would be home in less than 10 minutes now.

Later that night Charene nursed a glass of pinot noir and wondered where her son was. It was 9.45pm and there was no sign of him. She'd given up trying to ring or text him as he never answered her - unless he wanted something like money or a lift. She just hoped he wasn't with the two drop kick friends he had made recently, and who had already involved him in a stolen car incident which to her humiliation had brought the police knocking at her door. She didn't want her neighbours to think she had failed as a single mother.

She thought back to twelve months ago, and how different her life was then. Richard was still here - distant, but here. Eric was alive but starting to exhibit some symptoms of the dreadful disease which took his life. But he didn't have a diagnosis then and everyone thought he'd get over whatever was causing him stomach pains and lack of appetite. Ethan was enrolled at St James School, the finest private boy's school in Leeds and he was a totally different boy to what he was like now. He excelled in maths and science, played soccer, and had a great time on the school trip to Scotland. Charene and Richard were so proud of him, and Richard always hoped Ethan would follow in his footsteps and become a mathematics academic.

Richard was a Professor in Mathematics and Computer Modelling at University of Leeds, and Eric was a Professor in Economics (though his knowledge of Mathematics and Economic Modelling was almost as comprehensive as Richard's). Charene, Richard and Eric's lives had been intertwined for the last quarter century, from the time they had all met as undergraduate students at Leeds University. Richard and Eric immediately became best friends, and as soon as Eric introduced his sister to Richard it was love at first sight between the two of them. Charene sighed and shook her head remembering those carefree, optimistic days when a bright and shining future lay before them. "It's all gone to shit" she thought, and wished she'd never given up smoking. She could really kill a cigarette right now.

The front door unbolted and Ethan shuffled into the room. He never seemed to pick his feet up these days. "Any dinner Mum?" (no hi, hello or how are you). Charene was used to his monosyllabic conversations and gestured towards the kitchen - "It's in the fridge - the plate with the blue cover."

She settled herself on the couch and flicked the TV on. One of the few TV programs she liked was coming on now and she needed some escapism from the dreary reality of her life. She was trying not to think of the email she'd reveived from Richard earlier today, demanding to know when she would make a decision about the property settlement. Richard was determined they should sell the apartment Charene and Ethan lived in, as he and his lady love were eying an expensive boutique development near the trendy riverside quarter, and he needed the extra cash to seal the deal on a penthouse apartment there. Charene on the other hand had no desire to move - she had lived in the apartment for more than 20 years, she loved the neighbourhood, her neighbours were nice and the bottom line was, if they sold the apartment she would never be able to afford to buy another place in such a nice area. She was an administrative assistant at a large insurance company, and her wage hadn't changed in the last five years. There was also whispers of a restructure happening so she didn't know how secure her job actually was.

Ethan brought his dinner to the loungeroom and slumped on the couch. Charene said to him "Are you going to school tomorrow?" "No" he muttered. She knew that would be the answer but she asked anyway.

"Well" she said. "If you're not busy tomorrow can you please do what I asked you last week and sort through the boxes of stuff belonging to Uncle Eric?" There was silence at the mention of his name. "Why" asked Ethan? Charene wondered whether to tell him about the email. "Well Ethan, your Dad contacted me today and he wants to put our apartment on the market. We may need to pack up and be out of here at short notice". Ethan's face clouded with fury. "That tosser, why does he want to do that?"

Charene said "Please don't talk about your father that way" (though she secretly agreed with him). "He wants to buy a new expensive place with Skinny Bitch and we have no option but to start looking for somewhere else to live." Ethan jumped up off the couch and stormed out of the room. Charene knew better than to chase after him, and she knew he'd go upstairs to his room, play violent computer games until 2am and then collapse fully dressed on his bed. Where was the bright, funny, brilliant boy with the curious mind, prodigious talent for anything mathematical and loving, caring nature. Charene realised that the day Richard walked out was the day she lost her son to something dark and soul destroying. She didn't know how to save him.

The next morning before Charene left for work she tiptoed up to Ethan's room, and there true to form he was asleep fully dressed. She gently pulled his sneakers off his feet, and covered him with the doona. When he was asleep she could still catch glimpses of her baby boy - his plump cheeks betrayed his age, the baby fat reminiscent of the old Ethan.

When Charene got home that night, to her surprise Ethan was sitting at the dining room table fiddling with a notebook and pen. "It's a nice surprise to see you here. What gives?" Ethan actually smiled at her, which immediately threw her. "What's going on?" Charene said?

"I was going through Uncle Eric's stuff and found the draft version of an unpublished paper he was working on before he died. It was about cryptocurrencies". "Crypto what?" said Charene. "A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend." said Ethan. "Of course it is" Charene said. How could this child know such things at his age. "Anyway" Ethan continued "I've decided to get a job to help you out so we can afford to buy Dad out for his share of the apartment."

Charene smiled at her son and said "Ethan, that's the loveliest thing I've heard in a long time. But honey delivering papers and washing cars is not going to pay the mortgage off". Ethan was still smiling at her, and she was beginning to find it unnerving. "Why are you looking so happy?" she said.

“Because the job I’ve got pays well – really well Mum. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but Uncle Eric did and he left those papers for me because he knew I’d know what to do with them”. “Job you’ve got?” said Charene. Ethan laughed and said “Well I should say self-employed”. “Are you doing something illegal” Charene asked, with visions of an international drug ring operating from her son’s bedroom.

“It’s not illegal Mum, but it would blow your mind. Our world, and the world, will; never be the same again.” Charene shook her head and said “Love have you been smoking something?”.

He replied "No Mum, that’s not it. I felt really close to Uncle Eric today, and I have a good feeling things are going to be much better for us soon, that’s all". Charene was puzzled as to where this conversation was going. "OK love, I appreciate your optimism. But I'm feeling hungry and too tired to cook so I might grab us some takeaway. Do you feel like sushi". "Yeh" Ethan said, sushi is good". As Charene went to walk out the door she called out to him 'Which sushi do you like - from the place near the train station or the new one with the name I can't pronounce?" Ethan laughed and said "Definitely the new one, it's much better - and the name is Satoshi Nakamoto".