Chapter 1
Brendan O’Neal
“When am I getting grandchildren, Brendan? You are not getting younger, and neither am I,” my mother, Colleen, says. For what feels like the hundredth time, I remove my glasses and rub my temples. This woman is certifiable. At least once a week, she comes to my office in the meatpacking district, where the rent is a steal. When I was just a start-up, every dime saved helped in the beginning. Even though I can afford to move now, I do not think I will until I expand. I love the place. I can’t believe she schlepps all this way just to berate me about children. She sits across from me in the leather chairs opposite my desk and berates me for still being single at twenty-nine. Like twenty-nine is old—it is tiring. The only thing I have ever been able to make a decision on is to focus on school instead of women. Besides, since I’m a virgin, it isn’t like I am out there trolling for a woman. So far, it has worked out well for me.
“Ma, please. I do not have time for this,” I say exasperatedly. This is the exact same conversation I have had with her a million times since I turned eighteen. She is diabolical really. “Will you let it go?” I ask, putting my glasses back on, though I know it is pointless even to ask her that.
“No, Brendan, I absolutely will not. It is my right. You are my only child. It is your duty to give me grandchildren,” she continues. I have heard it all from her before. Her Irish accent gets thick when she gets on a roll, but I truly do not have time for this. By the time I had finished my master’s degree in software engineering and video game design in three short years and moved back home to Massachusetts, I had already begun the design phase of my game. The game is called Gettysburg, and it’s the number one downloaded historical game on both iTunes and Google. Teens love it for several reasons but the main one is that it has a social media tie-in that is unparalleled to any game on the market. Parents love it because it’s a historically accurate interactive learning game that doesn’t seem like learning. It’s the best of both worlds. I am nearing the end of a multi-billion-dollar deal with Lazlo Gaming. They really want it, so they are offering me things no other entity can, including the opportunity to design several future games with them. I have eaten, slept, and breathed this game and this deal for months now. The finish line is just ahead. I can’t wait to move on to other things.
“No, Mom. It is not my duty to provide you with grandchildren. What if I can’t even have them or my wife can’t?” I ask jokingly.
“Then you can get a new, capable wife,” she says casually.
“You’re joking, right?” I question, more than a little shocked that she would say something like that.
“Of course, I am, Brendan, but your younger cousin is getting married before you. My ridiculous sister, your Aunt Rachel, is lording it over my head. You have got to do something. She is unbearable,” she whines. That’s the pot calling the kettle black for sure.
“Mom. I have too much going on right now. I will be all done with this deal on Tuesday, and Sam’s bachelor party is next weekend. I promise after that I will find a wife and knock her up immediately. Will that be acceptable for you?” I ask wryly. She stands up and grabs her giant purse, all huffy. Thank fuck my father, James, will be the one that has to deal with that. They live in Brooklyn, whereas I live in Manhattan at the famed high rise located at 425 Madison Ave in Central Midtown. I recently came into my trust fund from my father’s parents and bought an apartment on the twenty-seventh floor. There was some bad blood between my father and grandfather from before I was born. Having no other children, they left everything to me in a trust I could not touch until I was twenty-five. I used the money to buy my apartment and start my company, Immortality Gaming Studio. My goal is to be the largest game design firm on the East Coast. I still have a long way to go, but I will get there.
“I know you are just trying to get rid of me, Brendan Michael O’Neal, but I am going to hold you to that. Make your little deal, and I see you for dinner on Saturday,” she says, breezing out like she was never even here.
I have been so busy with work and this deal that I have barely slept, let alone even thought about a woman. Where the fuck am I supposed to meet a nice girl? One I can’t live without at that? Shaking my head, I clear my mind of that foolishness. I can’t deal with it right now.