It's the end of your shift, and you find yourself in the car, driving to the address gave you. You know you shouldn't be doing this, but the thought of 's lovely face, her sweet smile... you feel absurdly protective of her. As cars flash past you on the streets, you find yourself caught in idle fantasies of , of raising a child with her, of starting a family. It's something you've always wanted to do, but it's just never seemed right before. You've been holding out for the right person, and now it seems as though you've finally found her. If only things weren't so complicated!
It's evening when you reach the address written on the piece of paper; the sun is low in the sky, only barely visible above the rooftops of the houses nearby. The street looks quiet, one of those idyllic suburban streets you see so often on TV shows and movies. The ones that always seem to hide dark secrets and strange obsessions behind a peaceful facade.
You get out of the car and walk up the driveway of the house, thinking about how you want to play this. You're in plain clothes, of course -- should you pretend to be just another buyer, unrelated to ? There's a risk that you'll be turned away, but then if you mention , there's a risk that this whole thing could be traced back to you at some point in the future.
These thoughts carry you up to the porch. Taking a deep breath, you press the doorbell. After a few seconds the door opens, and a pasty white face peers out from the darkness. "Yeah?"
Another deep breath. "Hi, I'm ," you say. Immediately you curse yourself for using your real name, but it slipped out before you could stop yourself. Oh well, there's no taking it back now. " sent me."
The face regards you suspiciously. "Yeah? What's she want?"
Suspicion trusts suspicion, you think, and you make a show of looking around cautiously. "I'm supposed to bring her a... present from you."
Watery blue eyes glance up and down, taking in your clothes and posture. "Wait here."
The door closes. You glance around again, seeing nothing. You feel exposed, and suddenly cold, standing out here on the porch. You hunch your shoulders and shiver slightly.
The door opens, and a small packet is thrust into your hand. You stare incredulously down at it. Seeing your confusion, the face cracks a smile. "Relax. She's good for it, I know. But make sure you tell her, she owes me."
And the door closes again. Just like that, you think as you walk back to the car. It's done. No going back now. The small packet in your pocket feels like it's full of lead. |