A Friend Lost In Time

It all started with a simple small black notebook filled only with locations, dates, and times. It was inconspicuous enough but it would change my life forever.

*

It was a mild spring afternoon. The sun was out and the trees were starting to bloom.

The afternoon bell had let us out of class only ten minutes earlier and since my mother is almost as absent minded as an Alzheimer’s patient I had to walk home all by myself. The city is bigger but I had found my own secret route back home that was safe. My mother was hardly ever home and when she was her mind wasn’t always there. I’ve learned over the years to adapt.

I pushed the broken fence panel to the side and snuck through. I was still smaller than most teenagers my age but this was a feat I’ve managed to do a thousand times before. This time it felt off. It felt different. My heart started to beat faster as I pushed my body through the opening. I paused as I pushed the fence post back in to place. I looked to the left and to the right of me seeing if I could spot anybody. The city was full of gangs and a young girl all alone had to be careful. There was not a soul around me so I had let out a sigh of relief. Something still felt off, but I couldn’t put my finger on the source. Slowly moving forward down the alley I spotted something in the corner of my eye. It was a little black book. I walked up to it thinking maybe it was someone’s from school. I never really seen anyone else take this route but I was never all that attentive.

Kneeling down I picked up the book and flipped it around in my hands. I couldn’t see a name on either the front or the back of the book. It was smaller, about the size of a paperback novel, but there was no distinguishing features on it. There had to be an answer in the book somewhere.

I was wrong. There was nothing in the notebook except for locations, dates, and times. I jumped and the black book nearly fell from my hands. This was not normal. It had to be connected with some sort of illegal activity because who keeps a book around with only locations, dates, and times. There were hundreds of locations and times crossed off on the first few pages but the entire book was filled with different entries. I fluttered through the the first few crinkled pages and got to a page that had locations that weren’t crossed off yet. The first entry was for Wilshire park in about thirty minutes. This was my chance to possibly find the owner of the notebook. Maybe this secret rendezvous could help me find the owner or it could very well be the end of me. I wasn’t sure if it was just curiosity or doing what I knew had to be the right thing. I moved forward.

If I took the next alleyway I would hit the Main Street, which was right by the park. Pulling my hood up I ran towards the turnoff. I didn’t want to be seen. If this notebook was gang affiliated I didn’t need them to know who I was or they could possibly come after my family because I knew too much already. I’ve seen those movies where if you knew too much they nixed you and I couldn’t take that chance. This situation was sending my anxiety through the roof. I slowed my body down as I stepped out on to the main drag. Running would bring further attention in my direction and right now I didn’t need that.

I looked up spotting the Wilshire clock tower. If there was any type of secret meeting going down it would probably be held at the aged clock tower. I mean that’s the type of locations that movies feature all of the time. I walked across the busy city street making sure to keep my head down at all times. I didn’t have any weapons and who knew what I was walking in to. I kept telling myself that it was for my own protection but I didn’t know what was waiting for me at the other end of this meeting.

Wilshire park was about the greenest location in this city of smog. The sense, deep green, trees were aged and shown had dedicated the city was to keeping the dream alive. It was more of a walking park and it didn’t feature a single playground for children. No distractions, and no extra casualties. This was not going to end well.

I clutched the notebook to my chest as I approached the aged clock tower. It was built in the early 1900’s but it still worked like a charm. I only had five more minutes before the time was up. My breathing got harder as the minutes passed by. I sat down on one of the country chic benches in front of the tower and waited.

What was I doing!? I could get killed. My brain started running through all of the different possibilities all of which included a hired hit, bank robbery, human trafficking, and my brains personal favorite a drug cartel.

30 seconds to go....

10 seconds to go....

I braved myself for whatever was going to happen next. I had to see this through because I was the one that found the notebook. It was too late for me the second that I had found it because someone somewhere was going to be looking for it.

I looked up at the clock tower. The time had already went over what was written down in the notebook. I let out a huge sigh of relief knowing that I wasn’t going to die just yet. I started to stand up as I was getting ready to leave when an older woman sat down next to me on the bench, crying hysterically. My life wasn’t going to end so I might as well stay for a few minutes.

“Ma’am, are you okay? Is there anything I can do?” I asked the woman trying to show some form of concern.

The woman glanced up at me and then back down at the ground, still crying. She pulled out a handkerchief and blew her nose. “Dearie, I don’t think you could possibly help me.”

“I may not be able to help, but I can still lend an ear. I have no where else to be right now.”

The woman let out a cry, but then seemed to calm down. “Well, it’s about my grandchildren. They want to buy me out of my own business. They told me they would never speak to me again if I didn’t hand it over.”

I took a deep breath. This was blackmail and business was not my specialty. What I did know was how families were supposed to work. “Family would never do that to someone they love. That’s a business that you have devoted your time and energy into. Is this a passion of yours?”

The woman nodded.

“Do you want to stop?”

The woman shook her head.

“Then don’t. If they want in try to find them something to do but never give up on your dreams. I know that I don’t know you at all but I’m glad that I got the chance to meet you.”

The woman didn’t move nor did she continue to cry. It was a very awkward few minutes.

“What’s your name, dearie?”

“It’s Emilee Drake. It was nice to meet you but it is getting fairly late. I’m sure my mother is home by now. I hope that you figure out what to do with your grandchildren,” I said to the older woman as I gave her a hug. Today was a bust because I never did find the owner of the notebook but I did get to meet this wonderful person.

“I think I figured it out but run along home before your momma starts to worry.”

I smiled at her as I grabbed my book bag. I don’t think my mother ever worried about me.

*

Supper was about as bland as it gets. It was the normal canned green beans and whatever the mystery meat of the day was. It was usually just my mother and I because my father was hardly ever home. I put my fork down and got up from the table. There was never any dessert so I had stopped asking years ago.

The doorbell rang and my mother glared in my direction. “That must be your father. Head up to your room.”

I did as I was told. I knew my mother never wanted me around. I heard mumbled talking as I closed the door to my room. It didn’t sound like father.

“Miss Emilee Drake get down here now! Did you get in to trouble at school? There is someone here to talk to you,” my mother yelled up to me from the bottom of the steps.

My brain went through the entire day. I had did nothing wrong. Who was here to talk to me? I left my room and bounded down the steps two at a time. Standing right there in the front doorway was the woman I had talked to earlier in the park. Was was she here in my front door?

“Step outside with me, dearie. I would like to speak with you,” the old woman said as she ushered me outside. The first thing I noticed was a glistening Rolls-Royce. Who was this woman?

“I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier but my name is Elizabeth Gardner. I run a chain of coffee shops that span nationwide. I have to thank you for helping me to understand things today. I was really close to giving up.”

I was shocked. I did nothing but talk to her. “Honestly, Mrs. Gardner, it was not a problem at all. You were crying and I’m human,” I told her as I wondered how she found me.

“Either way you stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life. You were a bit hard to track down, but I needed to give you this. YOU changed my life and obviously you deserve this and so much more,” Elizabeth said as she looked around the shambles of my home. She handed me an envelope.

I was confused about this whole situation but I opened the envelope anyways. There was a handwritten note but that was not the most surprising thing in the envelope. Inside was hundreds of hundred dollar bills, $20,000 to be exact. I audibly gasped.

“I can’t possibly take this.”

“You deserve this. You were the one there for me at the right moment when I needed someone the most. Spend it or save it up for schooling. I have to get back to the business but you deserved that and more. It was nice to meet you Emilee.”

I stood there still in shock as Elizabeth was ushered back in to her car by her driver. How did something like this even happen?

It was the notebook! Maybe it wasn’t drug drop off times but maybe I was meant to be at those locations at certain times for reasons bigger than myself. I put the envelope stuffed with cash down my shirt and ran back upstairs.

I reached on to the bed and grabbed the notebook. This situation was unbelievable. This was going to be the start of a long journey that was going to be bigger than I was. This little black notebook was going to change hundreds of people’s lives one day at a time and it was my responsibility to follow this through to the end, one page at a time.