Greg clutched the five dollar bill and felt a surge of triumph.
He had money.
He could find Dustin now.
Finding Dustin was easy.
Greg thought of him, stepped through a door, and emerged in the parking lot of a budget motel off the highway.
His instinctsled him to Room 107.
Taking a deep breath, Greg straightened his tie and checked that the five dollar bill was secure in his pocket.
Then he approached the door and knocked.
A few seconds later, the door swung open.
Dustin stood in the doorway, wearing sweatpants and a faded t-shirt, hair damp like he'd just showered. First he seemed annoyed to be seeing Greg, then he just looked exasperated. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I got money.” Greg pulled the five dollar bill from his pocket and held it up. “I can pay for dinner this time.”
“Dinner?” Dustin stared at the bill, then at Greg. “What dinner? You think—” He shook his head. “That’s five dollars, Greg. Were you gonna treat me to vending machine food?”
“Vending machine food?”
Dustin pinched the bridge of his nose. “How much do you think a meal costs?”
“I...” Greg faltered. He hadn't actually researched this part. “Several dollars?”
“Several dollars.”
“The woman gave me five. She seemed to think it was sufficient.”
“What woman?”
“A kind old woman outside the library. I asked her how to find money and she gave me this.”
Dustin was quiet for a long moment. His jaw worked like he was working through many thoughts in his head and didn’t know where to start voicing them. “You asked a random old lady for money,” he said finally.
“Yes.”
“And she just gave it to you.”
“She was very generous. I was moved.”
Dustin leaned against the doorframe, studying Gregonce more. “Okay. I have to ask. What were you doing at a library?”
“Research.” Greg straightened slightly, regaining his footing. “I was investigating methods of acquiring currency. The internet suggested several options, but most of them required documentation I don't possess.”
“What kind of options?”
“Selling plasma. Driving for Uber. Creating content on FansOnly.”
Dustin choked.
“Are you alright?” Greg asked.
“You learned about FansOnly?”
