The man turned to leave but before he disappeared into the shadows completely, I found my voice and called out, “Wait.I…”
“Yessssss?”He drew out the ‘s’ like a snake hissing at its prey.
“I… what do I do when I’m ready to quit?”I asked, shaking nervously.
"Quit?"The word hung in the air, heavy with tension.
"I...I can't do this anymore," I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper."I just needed enough to get away from here.I won’t say anything to anyone.I don’t even know enough to say if I wanted to."
For a long, quiet moment, the man just stared at me and for the first time, I was scared for my life.I was sure he was going to pull another gun out and shoot me right there.Just because he could.And no one would ever find me, I’d never see Ellie or my mom again.I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for a response.
“I’m not done with you just yet, kid.I’ll send word through your contact when you can be cut loose.”Then he reached into his coat and pulled out a wad of cash, tossing the money at my feet."Take this as my token of appreciation for your loyalty."he said, then turned on his heel and left me alone in the empty room.
I knelt down and scooped up the cash with trembling hands and thoughts whirling in my mind about how I just narrowly got out of this one.
Fuck, this is crazy.I need to get out of this before it consumes me.
Two more weeks of the easier dirty jobs and I had more than enough money to buy my plane ticketandset myself up with an apartment and food to get by for several months on my own in Virginia.
I met the old man at the corner store again.I handed him the pager, thanked him for getting me clean and told him I was out.He shook his head at me and leaned in with one hand on my shoulder, “That ain’t how this works, man.The big man will tell you when you’re out.Says you make him bank.And he ain’t done with you just yet.”
“You told me I could quit whenever I wanted.I did the big job and I waited it out two more weeks.I can’t do this anymore.”I looked at him, hoping I could talk my way out of this situation before it got worse.
“I like you, man, you a good kid.You want my suggestion?”he leans in even closer and tells me as quietly as he can, the stink of decay blowing in my face, “Run.Get your shit together and get outta here.ThatBig Bossain’t letting you go.Get you somewhere they ain’t ever gonna be able to find you.Else you end up like me when you old.”He pushed me on my way, shooing me across the road, and I kept walking until I couldn’t see him anymore.
I got in my truck and took myself home, laid in my bed and couldn’t sleep.I wasn’t sure if I should fill my mom in on the type of trouble I had gotten into or keep it to myself but the anxiety over the situation was keeping me awake.I paced my room and tried to put together all the possibilities of things that could go wrong after tonight.I finally fell asleep, I don’t even know what time it was, but I passed out from pure exhaustion and when I woke up, I had decided that I would go on with my plan and see how the day turned out.
That morning, I went to work at my construction job and put in my notice.I told them I was moving on in two weeks and would be leaving the area.
“Good for you, Lee.Where are you headed?”my manager asked while we took our lunch break for the day.
“I’ve got a special someone that I need to find and make things right with.”I told him, smiling as the thought of Ellie returned to my mind.
“Oh, is this the young lady I met last summer at the company party?”He asked, taking a bite out of his sub.
“Yeah, that’s her.”
“Pretty gal, don’t let that one get away.”He swallowed.“I remember the way you two looked at each other and even told my wife that she must be something special.”
“She is.She definitely is.”I finished my sub and tossed the wrapper in the dumpster and got back to work.Two weeks couldn’t come by soon enough,I thought.
The rest of the day was uneventful; hot and miserable, but at least it was uneventful.I avoided the downtown area on my way home, taking the long route in case anyone recognized me or my truck.
When I got home that evening, Mom shot up from the couch in the living room, ran over to me and inspected me like I was hurt.“What’s going on Mom?”I asked her, stopping her search for injuries, “I’m fine, I’m fine.What’s wrong?”I looked over at my dad, questioning him with my eyes.
“What have you gotten yourself into this time, Lee?”Dad came over and stood in front of me, next to Mom.“We had a visitor this afternoon.Came banging on the door like he was going to bust it down.They said someone namedBig Bosswas looking for you and wouldn’t be happy if you didn’t show up for the drop tonight.”
“Shit.”My hand went to the back of my neck, trying to release the pressure that built up there.I needed to tell them.“I’m in trouble, Dad.I didn’t realize it would bebigtrouble.”We sat at the table, and I told them what I had been doing to earn extra cash.“I just wanted to make enough to get me to Ellie.I guess I didn’t know who I was really dealing with.”I looked to Dad for help.“What do I do?”
Dad took a deep breath.
Mom started crying.
“Here’s what you’re going to do, son.”Dad started laying out my next steps, telling me to remember the details.He had been a big presence in my life since he and Mom got back together, taking on his role of Dad with the utmost importance.He had gotten into plenty of trouble in his day and turned himself around, so I took his advice seriously.
He told me to pack a duffle bag, only take the necessities.Make sure I had my cash, my plane ticket, my ID.He told me to go to my spot, “You know, the one that you didn’t think I knew about.Only I knew about it, and I wanted you to have that spot as your own.It’s private, it’s quiet.No one will look for you there.Lay low overnight.Keep away from the parking area, go into the woods, closer to the beach where you can build a small fire and anyone who notices will think you’re just a bum.Get yourself to the airport as early as you can and go find Ellie.I want you to call us as soon as you’re safe in Virginia.”He hugs me, and this is a hug of finality, I can feel it.
I ran upstairs, packed my bag and I was gone before any further damage could be done to my family.I did exactly as Dad told me to do, keeping quiet and taking myself deep into the woods where I could hear the waves crashing on the beach but couldn’t see them.I fell into a light sleep next to my campfire and woke with a start at the sound of leaves crunching behind me.My eyes blinked open and it felt like I had swallowed my heart; the surge of fear that ran through my chest hurt and I winced, frozen and unable to move a muscle.
