The Coat Man

On the subway, I see the usual people on my commute; the man that wears the same black coat who carries the same briefcase. He is probably about 50ish, still has a full head of hair and I would imagine that he still attracts a lot of attention. Today he wore a bright red scarf. He seems very solemn, so I like to think about how that choice played out this morning for him.

He always stands holding the subway railing and usually looking at his phone, probably checking emails before he gets to his office. There was the girl who usually had a mishmash of colourful clothing who sits across from the businessman; today a sweater, yellow, and a brown skirt dotted with little hearts paired with green tights. She had some hair clips in her fiery red hair; one yellow and one red. Today she was reading a fairly thick novel; I tried to take a peek at what she was reading but I didn’t want it to be so obvious as I cocked my head to the side to read what it was. Usually to the right of me, sits a girl who I really want to ask out; she has long brown hair, brown eyes, petite, and has beautiful high cheekbones that become prominent when she flashes her melt-my-heart smile with her perfectly cherry stained lips. I didn’t see her today - I figure she must work in an office based on how she dresses and I assume her office is closer to downtown since she doesn’t get off at my stop. Instead, in her spot, was a fairly thin man, probably early 30’s, who had headphones on and just stared straight ahead. I’m gonna guess that he works in I.T. He has those Converse sneakers that everyone has and 100% probably has a white dress shirt and sweater combo under his jacket. I see they haven’t changed any of the ads in the subway car yet - maybe by Monday. I look to my left, and scan down the crowd of people, observing colours, faces - me, just observing the crowd. I look to the right and see; Him. I’ve seen him, who I call the Coat Man, a lot in the last couple of weeks. He is a tall man, really tall and has a wider build. Even though he has on a trench coat, you can tell he probably has a very athletic build. His physical presence is that of almost a giant; Tall and undoubtedly fit. He wears a hat, but I’m pretty sure he is bald. His eyes are pretty dark, and he always stands in the same spot, not close enough for me to see the colour of his eyes. He carries no suitcase and he wears what look like expensive Italian leather shoes on. He is also staring at me. Is he for sure staring at me? I look to my left to make sure that it's not someone else. Everyone else is pretty distracted in their own little world though. I look back to the right. He is still looking at me. His face is very serious. He is maybe in his late 40’s or early 50’s, his skin looks beyond white. I mean - he really looks like the sun has never touched his skin, but has almost what I would describe as a poreless complexion. His skin is so flawlessly pale, it’s like a crisp linen sheet that would be hung up on one of those old clothes lines you see in old pictures. He is not breaking his stare at all and I can begin to feel my hand get a little sweaty as I grip the subway rail as the car screeches to a halt and the bell chimes letting me know that I’ve reached my stop. Something about the intensity of his stare makes me feel..uncomfortable. I look to my left as people start moving and again to see if the Coat Man is still there, but he is gone. I make my exit off the car, and standing in the station I quickly look around for the man, but where did he go? Had I just imagined him? I start moving with the crowd up the stairs and then out of the corner of my eye, I see him. He is a little behind me now moving up the staircase. I get to the top and because he completely gave me the creeps today, I quickly get across the street and head the opposite direction of my usual way home, just in case. It’ll take me 10 minutes longer, but in case this dude was following me it’s not a total inconvenience.

I look behind me and the Coat Man isn't there so maybe he wasn’t following me, but I picked up the pace anyway. Waiting for the light to change, I look at the crowd of people on the opposite side of the street and then I see him. I decide to turn around and go back the other way. I start to do more than a quick walk. He saw me looking at him, I know for sure something is up with this guy, my gut is telling me something is off. I do a quick look behind me, trying my best to avoid running into people and doing my best to see where the Coat Man is. I can see him moving towards me, this man is SPRINTING in my direction. What the hell!! I start booking it down the street, he is for sure following me! Not just following me, he is running in his expensive Italian shoes and trench coat! I cross the street, nearly missing a car with their horn blaring at me making me feel like everyone is now paying attention to me scrambling to get away from the perceived lunatic in a coat chasing me, probably looking absolutely crazy as I frantically try to apologise to the driver. If I can get closer to downtown, maybe he will lose me in the crowd, or at least, if he is about to STAB ME I would have enough witnesses around. I am by no means a weak guy, I feel pretty fit, but oh Lord, I do not want this gigantic psycho to catch up to me! Oh God my legs are already burning, I’m at least a couple of blocks from downtown. I look over my shoulder to see if he is still behind me, he is definitely keeping up. His expression looks unchanged, he is serious with whatever mission he is on. How can he not already be tired?! What the hell! “Oh God - Sorry! Sorry!” I’m trying to force out while I am desperately dodging people on the sidewalk and I am already tired not just from running, but my heart feels like it is beating out of my chest. It feels like it’s going to explode. Getting closer to downtown now, I’m looking down the back alleys, filled with garbage, the road damp with the waste from neighbouring businesses, some people doing whatever people do in broad daylight in an alley. Do I dare duck into one? Would he find me? Then what? That seems like a bad idea, getting stabbed in an ally. “Fuck - sorry!!” as I bump into a woman and startling her as I turn the corner. I’m so out of breath already, I need to rest - but I’m now heading down the sidewalk that is flooded with people, and this crowd will move a little slower than me doing a marathon jog. My shirt feels damp with sweat, and if I would have known I was being hunted by some nut job, then I would not have worn these shoes - my feet feel like they are aching from running. Downtown on any day is packed with people; going to work, leaving work, meeting their friends for brunch, busy people making their stops and shopping. I’m making my way through the crowd, trying so hard to either find a huge crowd I can mix with and make an escape across the street unnoticed by the Coat Man. I check to see if he is still there and my heart drops a bit as I see his mammoth figure come around the corner. He spots me and almost as if attached to me like a fishing line, he is on me. Oh fuck fuck fuck, I gotta get away from him but how has he followed me this far? I gotta get into a crowd, and I can’t move nearly as fast, hopefully he will be slowed down too until I can entirely disappear among the crowd. I see more and more people pouring out of buildings; men and women in more business attire allowing for a sea of beige and black, pops of reds and purple, and me hopefully engulfed in a sea of colour and faces. I pull my hood over my head, thinking it might conceal my identity somehow. I don’t dare look behind me and I keep going as I move within my protective crowd. I am still out of breath, but this is a little slower. There is a coffee shop across the street; I can duck in there for a bit, and maybe call someone. Although, that might not be believable to any of my friends that there is a huge man who I call the Coat Man now chasing me downtown.

The crowd moves across the street and I quickly slip into the shop as someone else opens the door, praying that it was seemingly unnoticed. I head right to the bathroom - I can at least hide in there for a moment. I lock the door behind me. The shop was busy so I could hear the espresso machine spitting out a customer's next order. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee is wafting under the door. I look at my face in the mirror and pull my hood down. I am red and sweaty, exhausted from being chased. Maybe I need to do way more cardio at the gym. Splashing some water on my face, I wipe it off with a scratchy paper towel as the dispenser shrieks. Jesus, what the hell?! Who IS that guy? I begin to panic as I pat myself down for my phone - thankful that I have it. My black notebook!! I touch my other pocket and sigh a sigh of relief; still there, close to my chest. I open the bathroom door and start to head out of the coffee shop when I stop; the Coat Man. Standing at the till with two coffees in his hands. I’m face to face with him. I can’t run and I can’t go back into the bathroom. “Let’s have a seat” he says and it almost felt as if the noise in the coffee shop had stopped at his words and was silent. We sat near the window. “Who are you?” I asked, my voice dry and audibly shaking. “You definitely give a good chase” the coat man spoke. His voice is deep and has an accent that I cannot place. I looked at my coffee now wondering if it had been poisoned. Is he a spy, sent to kill a single mid-thirties man that works in sales in a boring white walled office? “You can drink it; I’m not interested in killing you” he says immediately knowing what is running through my head, This is obviously not the first time that he has appeared in someone's life unannounced. “What do you want and why were you following me?”

“I know a lot about you. I know you work in sales on 45th street, I know you live alone and have a cat named James. I know you visit the pizza place below your apartment way too often” he smirked. I can see his perfectly straight teeth, except for one that was chipped, as his grin slowly spread across his face. “I want that black notebook you have” and he taps his chest pocket, the same side and location that I keep it. “Why do you want this?” I say as I pull it out of my pocket and hold it in my hand feeling the aged smooth leather it was encased in. “I don’t expect you to part with it very easily” he states. “I will make it worth it for you to part with..” as he takes an envelope out of his coat pocket and places it on the table. I can see his eyes; they are a dark brown, so deep that they are almost void of any brightness and so dark they resemble pools of spilled ink. “Why though,” I continue “Why do you want this? It’s old and it was my grandfathers - it’s just an old notebook”

“Then this should be an easy transaction for you” He folds his hands together and tips his head slightly to the right, as if he is confident that I will take the envelope.

I turn the notebook over in my hands. I quickly flip the pages. All it has are some equations I never understood scribbled on various pages throughout. I wasn’t using it for anything, but I felt it was a keepsake. I felt it meant something to me because my grandfather always kept it on him. My dad didn’t want it, but I did. I felt it had symbolism to me and I kept it with me because I didn’t have much from my grandfather, but he always kept this with him. I remember seeing it ever since I was young; my Grandfather always kept this little black notebook with him, in the pocket near his chest. It didn’t matter what he was wearing, that notebook was always right there.

“Trust me; I know that what is in that notebook will be of no use to you other than...sentimental” The pause gripped the air as I ran the offer over in my head.

I put the notebook on the counter, my finger tips resting on it’s smooth worn cover. “I could run,” I thought. “But he might just catch up to me again. Do I really need this notebook? I don’t use it for anything other than a trinket that I carry around.” The Coat Man, looks at me as if he can directly peer into my head and see what I’m thinking. His expression shifts as if to say he could wait all day here for me to make my decision. He hasn’t gotten anyone else to chase today I guess. I slide the notebook over to the Coat Man. He delicately picks it up, “Thank You,” He says as he breaks the silence “I hope to not have to do business with you in the future. You almost gave me a run for my money. If you leave in 10 minutes, you’ll be able to catch the subway to get you home right as your neighbour, Gladys, is getting back from taking her dogs out.” I watch as the Coat Man leaves the coffee shop, glancing at me as he goes out the door. He drops his head as I see him put the black notebook in his coat pocket, exits and slips back into the busy downtown street disappearing as if in an instant, almost if he never existed, swallowed up by the city. I looked out the window trying to see if I could see him. His large figure moving amongst the crowds. Nothing. He really just dematerialized into the air. I looked down at the envelope he gave me. I open it. Shocked, there must be at least thousands of dollars in here! I quickly tucked it into the space where the notebook took up room and I drank the last of my coffee, watching the people moving and going about their lives; going home, getting to their late night jobs, the crowds were dwindling. If I leave right now, I would be able to make it home..probably right as Gladys is getting back with her dogs.