How Much a Dollar Really Costs” by Mike Posner

“This is an odd place, isn’t it, Jake?”.

Obviously, he didn’t listen to me. He has never really been the attentive type. I had to try again.

“Jake? What's is wrong with you?” -1 said in an angry, almost furious manner.

“What? Oh, I’m sorry, buddy. That homeless guy over there is really pissing me off. - he replied, as he was screwing his eyes.

He definitely had something on his mind. I was quite surprised at the fact that he was paying attention to his surroundings.

“I don’t even want to ask, why this dirty hairy homeless man is dividing your attention... anyway, I asked you for a 100 hryvnyas, if we want to be driving all night, we need gas. Jake... Jake!” -1 screamed as I was actually getting furious and irritated.

“Yes, I’m sorry Mike. You got me."

We took the pump, fuelled up the car, and drove out to the right lane of the road to continue our adventure to nowhere.

That night, we didn’t do anything particularly interesting. We were just driving around our hometown, went to the outskirts to spend some time on nature under the full moon. I love the fact that there are so many beautiful places around. I knew this area like myself and my route was always exciting for people. I enjoyed driving around when I was 19, so I had a great chance to explore all the comers of the state.

The only thing I’ve noticed is that Jake looked like he saw John Lennon himself. His puzzled face made me furious, puzzled, and excited at the same time.

“I mean, Jake, look at yourself. For once, I’m seeing you thinking!" -1 said as I immediately realized that that was quite rude.

He didn’t reply.

“What is wrong with you, dude? Did you see Jesus or something?"

He jumped up and said, “No, but there’s something about that homeless man... as if he has something inside that I need to have or know. Not that I want to rob him, it’s definitely not a materialistic thing. He looks like he holds a thought".

I thought he was too stressed from all the work and responsibilities that he’s had and I said, “It’s best if you ease your mind. It’s been a rough Spring, Jake. I know it myself. I’ve been having weeks where I had 3 hours of sleep every myself. But don't be so dramatic, just relax, you're home now”

“I know... can we go back to that gas station later? Tomorrow?” - he replied.

“Well, right now, I’m taking you to the beach, let’s go for a quick night swim, I have some blankets in my trunk" -1 said in a relaxed manner.

We had a full tank and the whole night ahead of us... The first night back at home. We both live in Kyiv, but we always return to the city of Akkerman in the Summer. It’s our hometown and it appears to be the greatest place for us to meet up and spend some time together.

We pulled up to this great place that I found out about years ago. Tourists never really reached here, thus it was dean and chill. We went for a swim then.

“So, what are you thinking? We’re about to have two months off, no calls, no e-mails, no office, and, most importantly, no Andrew with his stupid complaints" -1 said, while we were swimming.

“I’m definitely about to read a few books. I feel like work takes away a lot from me. I need to read more, I want to... Do you have any good books for me?" - Jake replied.

The only thing that mattered for me at that point is that he was replying. At least, I didn’t have to repeat twice.

“Sure. “How much a dollar really costs" by K. Lamar. A great thing to read, trust me. Simple and puzzling at the same time. Thought-provoking and life-changing" -1 was replying in what would sound like a sarcastic manner, though it wasn’t.

We then spent some more time at the beach, drove around, and went back home at around 5 in the morning. I wouldn’t say I was extremely surprised by Jake’s behavior at the gas station and his words, but something seemed off. I know this man for a long time, and we work at the same company. He never pays attention to what people wear, what they eat, and he definitely never notices how they look. I was always the type to forget the things that mean less easily, so I quickly fell asleep. I was tired from driving the whole night anyway.

The next day, I woke up, did some house chores, and never opened my laptop. “What a great way to start a day... no e-mails. Finally!" -1 thought excitedly. I stared at my bookshelf and the first book that I saw was “How much a dollar really costs". “Well, oddly enough. Guess we’ll have ourselves a reading noon".

I finished reading at around six. That’s when Jake called me.

“Hey, Mike".

“Hi, Jake. What’s up? Wanna go for a ride?”

“Sure, let’s do it. By the way, been reading this book you recommended to me".

“That’s great, I actually was reading it today as well. I saw it on my bookshelf, and I’ve decided to give it another go".

“Which page are you currently at, Mike?"

“Ugh, let me see... I’m on page 123. You?"

“What? Me too. That's funny.”

“Nah, you’re either lying or the world is playing tricks on us... Alright, look, I’ll be at your house in 20 minutes. Get ready".

“Alright, chill. See you".

I hung up the phone. “Funny” -1 thought. 123, huh... Well, I’d better get going.

Jake was standing right near his house when I pulled over.

“I’m hungry, Mike!" was the first thing he said.

“That’s a nice way to say “Hi". Never heard that one before... is that a dialect, or something?” -1 said as we both started laughing and greeted each other.

We went to this cafe. When the lady asked us what we wanted to order, we both said “Big BBQ pizza” in one voice. We looked at each other.

“Huh? How’s that possible?” -1 said while being surprised.

“BBQ pizza never lies" - Jake laughed it off.

We ate our pizza and left the cafe. When I started the engine of the car, I’ve noticed that it only had around 15 litters of gas left.

“Are we going to fuel up at the same gas station?” - Jake asked.

“Well, I mean, why not” -1 said. At first, I was surprised why he asked that but then I realized what he meant by that.

“What is it about that man? He won't even be there, Jake. Knock it off'.

“I don’t know. Anyways..." - he continued, as I remembered I had a present for him “Wait, I’ve got something for you" -1 opened the drawer of the car and grabbed the iPhone case that he told me about a month ago. It was a black phone case with a nice ring in the middle that let the phone spin. It was a nice case, and, quite frankly, I would buy it for my phone as well.

“Remember you told me about that phone case that we saw at Gulliver around a month ago? Well, here you go. It’s yours now".

“Wow! Thanks, that’s really nice of you!"

We pulled over at the gas station and took the pump. I've left Jake for a second to go grab some sweets and some water. When I came out of the comer store, I saw him talking to the homeless guy. I came up to them and their conversation put me into dread.

“...so what is it then? What can you tell me about myself that I don't know?" - said Jake. That was the part when I came up to them.

“Young man, come talk to me. What is on your mind? Is it the price of a bill? A dollar?" -he asked me. My eyes became bigger and my heart started jumping quicker.

“Did you tell him about the book, Jake? Jake?” -1 asked him. He didn't reply. He definitely looked scared.

“No, I didn’t” - he replied.

“You, young men, are dying of thirst. There are 123 reasons you too are dying of thirst. Stop it. Accept the fact that a dollar is inevitable. How much a dollar really cost? Dollar costs your sense of humanity. Your humbleness. Your belief in “better”. Your actions. Not your words. Your place in heaven. The human race has continuously been tested over the centuries and it’s a very well-known fact that we make everything different when we’re under the pressure of others. When we know our goal, we go exactly for it, not thinking about other stuff. Basically, being “at the moment”. Being tested is certainly great because it proves your success and knowledge, not only in ordinary subjects we've all been okay with for years. You know, history, maths. No. It could be pretty much anything".

“How do you know? No, I don’t understand! How do you know? Jake! Jake, say something!” -1 screamed while breathing heavily.

“It’s a nice life that you guys are living. Be humble and enjoy it, you’re going to shine. Trust me” - the old homeless man replied while standing up.

He silently walked away, while pointing his head at the sun. I tried to chase him down, but when I came up, he closed my eyes with his hands and when I opened them, he was gone.

I am not sure what happened that day and I have no explanation for that whatsoever. But I will always remember his words.