Second Chance Cafe

There it was, just sitting there. Looking deceivingly innocuous and innocent. He should have known better than to give in to his curiosity. But the distinguished looking little black book beckoned to him. Calling to him, sitting pretty on the stained yellowing Formica cafe counter, refusing to be ignored. Stopping dead in his tracks, he took a quick glance around. No one was paying him or the little black book any attention. Without sparing another thought to the other patrons, he grabbed the book in a quick swipe and hid it under the raincoat slung over his arm. He had no idea why he would give in to an impulse to steal someone else's property. It was out of character and against his usually mundane existence.

As he walked along the cracked sidewalk he could feel the electricity charging through the air. Something was shifting, he could feel it in his skin. It was one of those moments you just knew was looming on the horizon. The first domino to be toppled on the ever changing shift of life. Always unsure which way the wind was going to blow. Positive or negative? Good times or Bad? His usual foreboding was absent this time.

He sprinted up the stone stairs of his apartment building and through the door, barely stopping as he made his way through his living room into the kitchen. He threw his raincoat over the back of an old wooden chair and stared at the little black book in his hands. What had he been thinking? This belonged to some one else. He set the book on the worn wooden table and took a seat in his chair. What was there to do? He would not be able to take it back to the rundown café. There would be no way to explain waltzing out with it by mistake.

Perhaps a quick peek? He would have to look at some point. If not, why else would he take the damned thing? He tentatively reached his hand out towards it, fingers inches from the black cover, he stopped and lowered his hand. What the hell was wrong with him? It was a harmless little black book. But that was the problem, without even opening it, he knew it would not be harmless. He felt frozen in indecision. Unable to move forward from the fear crushing him. A metal band tight around his ribs, squeezing his breath out.

He sat back and averted his eyes, instead taking in his small apartment and the peeling wallpaper, the rust lining the floor grates. The never ending cycle of dishes and eating and breathing. Constantly working to make the money to feed the cycle. Always waiting to be caught up. Always waiting to tick things off his list. Always waiting to live. Always waiting. He felt exhaustion settle over him. Tired of the fear, tired of the mundane, not this time. He reached out and flipped the cover back of the little black book. Releasing a breath he mentally chided himself for overreacting. As he looked down to the worn lined page, the hair on the back of his neck rose, goosebumps erupted all over his skin.

A dark pair of eyes, so like his own but not, stared back at him from the lined page. Drawn crudely in pencil, the sketch of the face was eerie in its similarity to him. He felt beads of perspiration starting to form above his upper lip. What is this? How could this be? The drawing could be him, except for the eyes. Those eyes were haunted, like a trapped animal.

He turned the smooth page and could feel cold seep into his finger tip. The next smooth lined page contained one paragraph, hand written in pencil. The unusual spacing and lettering consuming the entirety of the page.

$20,000 Can be a game changer, but you have to PLAY to win. No more sitting on the sidelines. Good and Bad can be found by choice. Be wary of the consequences. Be sure the fortune you seek, is the fortune that you need...

He reached out his hand to turn another page, it contained the same awkward script he noted from the previous page. It appeared to be dates and names. What was unusual was the first line contained today's date, a time of 7PM and the words Sweet Pea. Immediately below it was the identical date, but the time of 9PM and the words Game Changer.

He now felt he was on a schedule, but for what, he had no idea. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. And yes, $20,000 would definitely be a game changer, but what about the rest of it? It sounded too similar to the "monkey paw" urban legend. Be careful what you wish for. But that kind of money could change a persons life and direction. He could finally be caught up and that would give him a chance to finally live. Something he felt he had always been waiting for. That thought gave him pause, never had he fully realized what he had been doing his whole adult life, waiting to live. Well, not anymore. He did not know what this was. But it was something. Possibly an elaborate prank of some sort? But he did not think so, he could feel it in his body, this was something different. But what did it mean?

Lacking any idea what the writing could relate to, he did what any millennial would do and decided to try the internet. He typed SweetPea and Game Changer in the search bar. Immediately articles pertaining to website for horse races came up. Huh. He sat back, releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. Shakily he looked up the schedule for today. There it was, under the 7PM time slot. He felt a small surge of adrenalin course through his system. The horses on the card for the evening races, leading with Buttercup, on to Trigger, followed by Sweet Pea and then Gemini, Sugar and Dirty Bandit. He looked at his watch-6:37pm.

What the hell? This could not be for real...right? His brain was seizing up on him. What if this was legit and he somehow had access to the winning animals? Could he really make a bet to change everything? How and why could this be possible? And why him? He looked back down at his watch 6:39pm. Twenty minutes. He decided to jump in the shower real quick to burn some time. He went into his small bathroom, started the shower, quickly undressed and hopped in.

As he started to lather and rinse he let his mind wander to what he would do with a large sum of money? First thing he would pay off his shit. What would it be like to have that cloud of debt not following him everywhere? Would he finally be able to breathe and start focusing on anything else, but getting ahead on bills.

He was surprised nothing was springing to mind. Maybe travel? What kind of things would he want? As he considered questions, an empty sadness filled his stomach. He had nothing. There had to be more to him than working. How had he got so wrapped up in the day to day struggle, that he had lost sight of what it was all for? The last couple of years had been nothing but working and the monotonous daily grind.

He always thought after college life would just start to happen. Then he graduated. The harsh reality was he needed money to survive and to pay back school loans. If he could get caught up and good on money, then he could relax and enjoy life. Yeah. Right. It had been YEARS. What had he been doing? Wasting away his life? Preparing himself to live?

He had been so consumed by his thoughts that he had forgotten the time. He grabbed for his watch off his bedside table. 7:23pm. His heart stuttered. It was time. What would he find? He strode to the laptop and hit refresh on the racing site. He knew in his heart, even before the words loaded onto the page. SweetPea had won first place. Every hair on the back of his neck raised. He slammed the lid down, resisting the urge to throw the damned thing!

His mind was spinning. Images running through his head, here was his chance. One good placed bet. He could get caught up, maybe get a car, buy some music gear, take a trip, throw a party for his friends. He stopped cold. When was the last time he had even seen or made time for anything but his job? He couldn't remember. He was drawing a blank. What the hell had happened to his life? He couldn't believe how out of touch with experiencing life he had become. Living and going through the motions, but not being a part of it. Not ANYMORE. It was so clear, this wasn't about money, not to him. Because of the most unlikely of circumstances, he felt he was given a second chance. He had a clear picture of his life and where he would end up had he not just made some realizations. But could he bring himself to make the bet? He was not sure. Could he really take both gifts? It felt wrong, dirty somehow?

Knowing what he had to do, he threw on his gear and grabbed the little black book from the table. Rushing into the rain, he ran without stopping and didn't slow until he saw the lights at the end of block. Second Chance Cafe. Funny, the name of the place had never really registered to him before now. Without giving himself the chance to change his mind, he opened the heavy glass and iron door and tossed the book on the end of the counter. He wasn't sure how, but he was certain that using the information in the book for winning money was not the point. The actual gift he had received had been far more valuable than any amount he could conceive of. For what he was certain of with every fiber of his being, is that sketch of the man with the haunted empty eyes could have been him. And would have been him. Had he stayed in the cocoon of grey. Instead his eyes were open with the endless possibilities ahead of him, no longer would he put his life on hold. He felt a lightness for the first time in ages. He was Awake and finally saw the all the world had to offer.

The rain poured as he made his way back to his place, he did not even notice. He was wondering if he would ever regret not placing the bet, when he had the chance? A smile spread across his face. He was going to rush towards life from now on instead of putting it off. As he reached his door, he noticed the corner of an envelope sticking out from under. He turned around and stared into the rain, not seeing anyone. He hadn't been gone long. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, unsure of what he would find. He picked up the large cream envelope and saw his name in scrolling script across the front with no return address. Holding his breath, he pryed open the flap with shakey hands.

Inside a single small sheet of paper, identical to the little black book's was nestled inside with another paper.

Good Game! No more sitting on the sidelines for you! You chose your fortune to seek. This is to help you on your way...

When he pulled out the paper, He felt his his heart constrict in his chest....Inside was a cashiers check made out to him for $20,000.00

The End