A Fortune is Waiting

She was nothing but ordinary. Her long dark hair was always kept up. She grew up in the 'burbs, and had always wanted to be an actress, but in real life she worked at a bank; a credit union to be exact. She was very good with money, and had saved quite a bit of it by her 25th birthday. However, although she wasn't greedy, she knew that with money came independence.

Today was her bank's day for their weekly meeting and Helen, we'll call her H for short, was late. She stumbled as she entered the room and thought of her boyfriend who was very clumsy. They didn't talk much anymore though because H was too boring for him. She went to bed nightly at nine o'clock. She always brushed her teeth twice a day, and she was just too predictable. He hated that.

After work, H decided to have a drink at the bar down the block and around the corner. She drank rum - dark rum with cola and fresh lime. She didn't do this often, but when she did it felt oh so good. It gave her a sense of wildness and she felt like she was breaking the rules somehow, even though she really wasn't. H overheard two strangers at the booth behind her, and it got to be a very juicy conversation.

"Twenty thousand large" and "contract" were mentioned and she started to take interest. What could they be talking about that was so lucrative for one days worth of work. She wondered if she could snag a gig like that and what it would take to do so. H wasn't satisfied with her job, and she really wanted a trip to Europe so she could do some soul searching and see Paris.

Without thinking twice she stood up and walked confidently over to the other booth. She sized up the two at the table and took a gander at who had made the $20,000 offer. It was a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a Van Dyke - which is both a mustache and a goatee. He was sipping a Malbec and smoking a stogie. She knew what to do, and then simply placed her business card in front of the suited gentleman.

A week later H received a call to her direct extension, she was a loan teller and wasn't busy at the moment. It was the man.

"Howdy little lady, I believe you have an interest in my offer."

"Um, yes, I do not really have experience with..." She waited for him to interrupt.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Meet me at Lorraine's in one hour. He hung up the phone.

H had to make an excuse so she could leave work early. She told her manager that she was feeling ill and he let her go home for the day. Her heart was racing as her heels clunked on the linoleum tile of the bar floor. She was back, only this time she ordered a martini with green olives. She really didn't know what she was doing. This was all new to her.

The same man appeared at the same booth as before. Nothing was different but his tie was a different color, this time green with a paisley design. She was nervous but the thought of $20,000 excited her. She knew exactly what this job would entail. She would have to be careful not to get caught. She would wear gloves. She would keep quiet. And she would tell no one. Not a soul would know anything had happened at all, until after the fact, until she was long gone.

The man passed H a folder, which she hesitated to open. She looked up at him for the signal. He nodded slightly and she opened the folder quickly. As she expected there were photographs and a cover sheet detailing the mark. Her palms were sweaty, but she couldn't control her urge to say "I'm in." She was about to be in a whole new world, and not just because of the money.

She scoured the contents of the folder, memorizing the details. "Strong cologne", "short and stocky," and "a tendency to yell." She could tell that this person wasn't what you would call nice. He had messed something up, and real bad too because now there was a contract. He was in for it. And H was going to be the one to do it. Snubbed out, wiped away, removed from existence; the words ran through her head.

The day of the job came and she was as ready as could be. She didn't need a library book to tell her how to do the job, and she certainly wasn't looking it up online, so she implored her employer for the equipment she needed. Once finished she would receive a wire transfer to a chosen bank account - probably off shore. She was taking a step into the unknown, but she was prepared.

She was afforded the things she needed to do the job, including a black Cadillac Escalade for her transportation. She tied her hair back, put on her leather gloves, and sought out the highway for the job was a ways away. When she arrived it was just about four o'clock in the morning. Just enough time to do the job and get out before morning.

You would think she was nervous like before. You would think she would stumble like before. You would think she wouldn't be ready, but you would be wrong. She parked on the street in front of the next door house. She wore all black, and found her way in through the kitchen window in the back of the house. She wore a wig to keep her hair back and to disguise herself in case of camera footage.

She found the wrongful man in bed asleep. She woke him and the fear in his eyes told her that he knew why she was there.

"Do you know why I am here?" H said in a stern yet calm voice.

"Please don't hurt me," he begged.

"What you have done is irreconcilable and you have to pay."

"No, no," he said. "I can fix it. I can make it better."

"You know what," she said. "This isn't about money. It's about what's right and what's wrong."

"Please, I'll do anything," he pleaded like a pig.

It was close to five o'clock in the morning.

"It's five o'clock," she said. "Time to clock out."

The money was in her account by nine.

"Why are you so happy today," asked her manager on Monday morning.

"I'm here to put my two weeks in," said Helen. "I've come into some money and I don't need to be here anymore." And that was that. She sold her cats, packed her bags, and took of on a fifteen hour long flight to Paris - and the trip was well deserved. She saw the Eiffel Tower and sunbathed in the South of France. She was as happy as could be, and her life was far from boring.

While she was shopping at a little gift shop she came across a little black notebook. "This is perfect," she thought. She paid for the book and went on her way. A fortune was awaiting her lazy return.