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Money Money

Adam and Aurora were at the bank's main office; she said their trip was necessary for paying him later. The moment they entered the bank, a man in a maroon jacket approached them. His name tag read Lloyd.

"Thank you for coming, Mrs. Jordahl."

"Hello, Hloyd."

Lloyd led them to his office on the third floor. The bank had a division that catered to premium clients. These client accounts were assigned to specific officers, who knew all the ins and outs of the account and the preferences of the account holder.

Lloyd was in his late twenties. He was dressed in the bank's standard uniform with a jacket that seemed two sizes too big for him. While the regular officers wore navy blue jackets, officers in the premium client department wore maroon jackets. In the formal atmosphere of the bank, Lloyd stood out. His hair was cut in a mohawk fashion and braided into neat dreadlocks, which snaked down his head to his back. His light brown eyes gleamed energetically from behind a pair of rectangle glasses, and his teeth shone like diamonds against the backdrop of his dark skin.

"Your email stated that you wanted to add another party to the dormant account."

"Yes. My son, Adam."

"Nice to meet you, Adam." Lloyd said as he reached across the desk to shake hands. "Do you also want a separate card for him?"

"Yes."

Llyod nodded as his fingers hammered away at the keyboard.

"When I was your age, my mother added me to her account, just like her father had done and his father before him. Now it's your turn." Aurora said, smiling at Adam.

Something rose in the pit of Adam's stomach and travelled to his chest. It left him feeling hot and cold at the same time. The heat spread to his head and burned his eyes, while the cold sapped his hands of feeling. Adam quickly brushed his hands against his eyes.

"The withdrawal limit is set to the default of $300."

"Set it for $200."

Again, Lloyd nodded as he swung and clicked the mouse.

Alright, Adam, I'll need to add your signature. Kindly write your signature on this device." Llyod pointed to a digital pad with a pen.

Adam wrote his signature just as he had spent the last week practising. Adam Jordahl. The lines were a bit shaky, but he'd written his name naturally without any mistakes. Aurora smiled as she gently brushed a hand through his hair and held his neck.

"Thank you. When were you born?"

"May 12th, 2004"

"Alright. Now I need you to make a password," Lloyd stated, handing over a small box with a keypad. "It has to be 4 to 6 numbers long. Be special to you. It can be a word or a name, but it has to be something you won't forget. And you should keep it secret, even from your mother.

Adam looked to his mother, who reassured him with a smile and nod. He thought hard before laughing and punching in the password. Adam knew he'd never forget this one.

"Alright, he's been added to the account; now we just need to wait for the machine to print the new card. Just a heads up: once he's of legal age, he'll have to come back with his ID so we can update his details. If you don't, the system will automatically block him from the account."

Aurora nodded, "Got it."

Once the ATM card was printed, Lloyd led the mother-son pair to one of the machines in the lobby for Adam to get acquainted with using the machine. Lloyd walked Adam through the errors and warned him not to try the incorrect pin more than two times in a day. He also showed the boy the menus of the machine and how to navigate them.

The ATM was a surprising experience. But even more surprising was the amount of money on the account. Adam had never seen so many figures in front of the decimal with real-world money before. He checked the figures twice. Forty-seven thousand dollars was just sitting in a bank account. And he had access to that account.