Do You Really Need A 100 Cars?

Aron had been a billionaire for an hour. He bought mansions and old hotels to provide accommodation for the homeless and invested in many local businesses across Iceland and neighboring countries. He had been adopted by an Icelandic couple that lived in a barn. Now he felt it was time to give back to the country that raised him.

He had been invited for a drink in London with his friend, Todd. Online forums used to call him, Silver-Spoon and Instatodd for lavish lifestyle. With big money comes power, and great power comes with responsibility. Todd always struggled with responsibility.

With the news that beer and chocolate was no longer considered junk food: it was worth celebrating.

A slice of chocolate cake sat between two beer glasses and two forks. The entire slice was only 70 calories. The two beers that belonged to Todd and Aron had been fortified with vitimins and antioxidants.

Aron admired the London Eye and Westminster Abbey and beyond the balcony. Ten years ago, it would have been impossible for him to be here. Only celebrities and the elite were allowed to dine in the Royal Floating Bars.

The news declared racism is dead, but it lived in monkey emojis, pouted lips and African memes. In the so-called-racism-is-dead-elistist-bar, Todd could only see white men in grey suits. The staff were all wore bikinis and skateboards. Aron could tell the difference between the human and robotic staff by their torsos. The robots were skinny with humongous chests. He hoped the owner gave them all living wage.

“You look down,” Aron said to Todd. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know what to do.” Todd had scrolled through his phone and frowned. “I really want to get this car so I’ve got 100. The stocks are bad this week. Apparently I owe the taxman £2 million pounds, and I don’t know why I’ve got to pay child support: they don’t let me see my kids. My dad is the MP for Nottingham, maybe I can get him to talk to the prime minister and get the tax written off.”

Aron gasped. For a moment, he thought his ears were on fire. Shaking his head, he took a sip of beer. “Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds? Just pay your taxes and child support, and you’ll be fine.”

“I’ve got lots of bills, projects and car insurance for a 100 cars I need to pay.”

“There’s gotta be a way to cut the bills down!” Aron said, thinking of what he would do if he had Todd’s money. Todd had been born and bred by a rich family and celeb life only made his decisions worse. “You get a free crate of beer a month with your American citizenship, so you don’t need to buy beer. Just drink one can a day, and it will last.”

“Aron…I don’t want to be a pauper anymore.”

“Think about it, Todd! Do you really need a 100 cars?”

“You know what, Aron?” Todd laid his head on the table and sighed. “It sucks to be poor and oppressed.”

In a normal situation, Aron would agree with his friend. Instead, his eyes widened as he laughed. “You spent your money quick!”

“My dad just texted me to say he can’t help me anymore.”

“That’s because you’ve got your own money. And how the hell are you oppressed?”

“What am I going to do?” Todd grunted as he downed his pint. “Sook-Jo won’t let me see them.”

“You know where they live, just get on your iBroom and ride there!”

“You can’t ride your iBroom between two continents. She’s in Korea and we’re in Europe.”

“You can!” Aron exclaimed. “I’ve done it loads of times. You just need to set your iBroom’s country to Russia and it will let you travel between Europe and Asia.”

“It’s stupid that’s called an iBroom when it’s really just a flying bike.” Aron allowed Todd to take whole cake. Todd had changed. Not in a physical sense, he had always been a bulky guy ever since they met, but the humour within him was gone. Todd always had a spark in his eye and a passion for life. When Sook-Jon returned to Korea, she took everything with her from the sheep to the kids. Todd had depended on everybody. His reluctance to spend his own money on essentials like groceries and bills was Todd Patrick’s biggest problem.

“Well iBike was already trademarked in 2022.”

“How do you know that?”

Aron closed his eyes. He wished Todd wouldn’t talk with his mouth full of cake. “Because I went to school.”

“That’s mean.”

“I can help you with some ideas. Why don’t you sell one of your villas?” Aron suggested, sipping on his beer. “You could rent some of them out.”

“That’s temping…”

“How much are you spending a month?”

“2.5 million.”

“That’s…” Although Aron was one of the richest guys in Iceland, big spenders like Todd always surprised him. As a kid, Aron was the only black kid in class. The teachers told him that he had to work twice as hard as everyone else. “So how much do you earn a month?And be honest.”

“Only 8 million. Last year I was on 20 million.”

“Well, if I was in your shoes, I’d pay the tax and child support now and then enjoy the rest of the money.”

Todd placed his clean fork on the plate. He didn’t leave a single crumb. “I guess you’re right. Now I feel like a right twat.”

“Yes, you are!”

“Okay, it’s all been paid. I guess the drinks are still on me.”