I Never Told

I have a secret. I did it. I am the cause for the turmoil that rocked the city. And it all started when I received a package well over 2 months ago. When Mike, the delivery guy, bought in the packages, I just signed for them as usual. He was such a handsome guy, I never really paid attention to what was being delivered. He knew it too. He would just say, “Sign here”. Shoot, I didn’t care. I honestly wasn’t paid enough to pay attention. Luckily for me though, Mike cared about his job, or so I thought. But I always seemed to receive all the packages that appeared on the bill of lading and if for some reason I didn’t, he made sure to deliver it the next day. In the year that he was delivering to us, we never had a problem until then.

There was a little package that caught my eye. Each package Mike delivered this particular day was accounted for, even that little package that was wrapped in brown paper. To the “Average Joe”, it looked like a normal package and considering I worked for a factory, this was a bit off. I lifted the box expecting for it to have a little weight to it but it seemed the weight was all in the box itself. I heard no ticking or after slightly shaking it, I heard no rattling either, so I thought to myself, OK it doesn’t seem like it’s a bomb, so we are good. The weird thing was that there was no address from the sender or to the receiver. Was this Mike’s funny way of trying to ask me out on a date? Highly unlikely but maybe. By this time, I was now curious to find out what was in that box. Who sent it? Who was supposed to receive it? I figured that maybe the label just fell off in transit, so I would just ask Mike about it the next day, but coincidently, he never came back.

I asked every single driver we had after that day where he was. No one seemed to know who I was talking about. One of the drivers even told me that he had been there for 15 years and never knew a Mike. I told him that Mike had been delivering packages to us for about a year so he had to work there. I described Mike in detail. The driver told me that a pretty boy like that would be easily recognizable and there was no one that worked there for them that fit that build. At that point, I was so confused yet still curious as to who this package belonged to. By this time, the package had been sitting on my desk for three weeks after it was received by the mystery Mike. I was waiting for someone to come claim it. More time passed, and in the end, I asked the seasoned driver what I should do with the package. In his opinion – take it home since no one had claimed it in all this time.

Stupid me, I did just that and took it home. I slipped it in my bag and left for the day. I felt so guilty. It felt like I was stealing. My curiosity had got the best of me. I just had to know what was in it. Now, it had been over 6 weeks and not a word. I walked in the apartment and set the bag on the hallway table. I looked over at the flowers that were wilting. I need to water them. I pulled out the package and set it on the table. I picked up the wilting flowers and head to the kitchen to give them a little TLC. The soil was super dry. I prune away the dying parts and let the water trickle over the soil. Consumed over this package – I walk back over to it and turn on the news.

This is when I say all hell breaks loose! The top story was about a package that the authorities were looking for. We were being told to check all packages and do not sign for any unknown packages which included any packages with no labels. I looked at the package in my hand. My GOD! I already did. What the hell? I can’t believe I did that. Thanks mystery Mike if that’s your real name. I trembled at the thought of what could happen next. All these questions started racing through my mind…. Should I contact the authorities? I was certain we had his picture on camera because there were cameras at every door and entrance way. If I told them I signed for the package, will I get fired?

So, I decided not to say anything. I set the package down and suddenly I felt the need to wash my hands. I scrubbed them for what seemed like forever. What if it was a biochemical? What if I inadvertently started a pandemic? I rushed to call Tara, my BFF, to get her opinion. As quickly as I dialed her number – I hung up. No one can know I had this package. What if they think I was in cahoots with Mike? I was in full panic mode. I wanted to call my mom and just cry. She always seemed to have the best answers to life’s problems. I felt so alone. After all of that, I decided not to tell a soul.

The weeks were passing by. I was totally lost. I would just go through the day and the motions. Everyone kept asking me if I was okay. I wanted to scream out “NO”! The news was still telling everyone to check their packages before signing for them. In fact, they had begun requiring shippers to email the receivers telling them what should be in the shipments. Most were doing that any way, but now it was mandated. If we did not have the email – we did not sign for it. Drivers were irritated with me as I checked every single delivery before I signed for it. One driver said that he was sick of the “BS” and just wished the package would show up already. People were rejecting shipments even though they ordered items online. Most people now would just pick up their orders at the store. This caused delivery drivers to be laid off or lose hours. I really should’ve confessed that I had the package. All the while, I still don’t know what was in it.

I wish I could say that this was the only thing that happened. It became much worse. People would no longer shake hands, for instance, or come out in public out of fear that the package may be a bomb. The panic that ensued just crippled me. Why couldn’t I just confess? What was stopping me from telling? Well, because so much time had gone by, I’d be fired for sure. Maybe even arrested. I had the package for well over 2 months at this point. There was me signing for it. Then there was me stealing it. Ultimately, I allowed someone to ruin my life and cripple a city. Should I even blame him? I should have just done my job.

The conspiracy doesn’t just stop there. It was now getting nationwide attention. Shouldn’t it be simple to track the package? It had to start somewhere, right? GOD! I was so tempted to throw it away and just be done with it. The problem was if they found it – my DNA and fingerprints would be all over it. What should I do? I really should open it. It’s caused so many issues. Why not know what’s inside of it? I pulled it out of the closet. The sick feeling came over me again. I put it back inside the other box that I had put it in to hide it. I decided to just move on and not think of it anymore. I would wait to see what the authorities would say. The end. I was over it until now as to why I’m talking about it today….