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Opportunities
This incident, phonomenum, adventure or whatever you‘d see fit to
call it-although, adventure...doesn’t seem quite the right word, began with
what I thought at the time, was a freak accident.
Today, I know better.
For the record, theirs, mine, yours-I don’t really care. Maybe...it’s more
or less for Hollie’s benefit. In any event, I am Todd Delvain. And this is the
story of how I came to encounter Knight Heart.
It was 2001. A time when mankind was supposed to be experiencing the
so-called space age revolution. Living in robotozized homes and taking
sightseeing trips to Mars. What a joke that vision was.
Today just trying to keep up with the cost of living or not breaking the bank
trying to fill a car’s gas tank, has become a major effort. Households praying
that the company, business or whomever they worked for wouldn’t go under
and subsequently causing them to be tossed out of their homes and into the
streets. These days it’s almost a necessity to have two jobs. With the price of
energy skyrocketing into no-man’s land, it’s become next to impossible for an
average single parent family to pay the bills.
And yeah, I’m a single parent if you were wondering. I have a little girl
named Hollie. 12 years old, great kid, apple of the eye and all that. And the
dearest munchkin in the world to me.
And yeah, I did the two jobs a day fiasco to. It was kind of tough on the kid
having to leave her with my parents more than half her life. She was getting to
know them better than she knew me.
To my good fortune I eventually came upon a job that paid so well that the
need for two was no longer an issue. I have mixed feelings about that
supposed good fortune now.
For a lack of interest to explain the details, let’s just say I’m a
specialized freelance courier. I deliver somewhat unusual and oft times
dangerous packages that are for the most part picked up and delivered with
no questions asked.
I came by way of the job in the typical round about fashion, through a friend
of a friend, etc,. He had suggested that, if I ever needed a lot of cash quick
and easy, this was my best bet, provided the packages were delivered without
incident. But if they weren’t...
I wondered that he never finished that sentence, although not long after
learning what these special couriers got paid, pending a successful delivery.
I threw caution to the wind. A rash decision no doubt, but I knew I’d be more
than able to support Hollie and myself making that kind of figure in a weeks
time. It didn’t matter what I had to do, short of hurting someone or anything
idiotic like that.
Oddly, I have to say, it never registered that you didn’t have to hurt anyone
in order to get into a whole lot of trouble. Why I couldn’t see that far I have
no idea-except for...Hollie. When it came to that little girl, I always seemed to
have this problem thinking straight. All I could see, was that this chance
would make her life a lot better than it was now. So I took the job-you bet I
did.
Suffice it to say my new profession put an end to a lot of
headaches-including my first job and paid the bills. And that was all that
mattered, that it paid the bills. But most importantly, it also allowed me to
have breakfast in the morning with my daughter for the first time in a long
time. I even had the time to drive her to school. Never did that before. I
usually just waited with her for the school bus. Not any more.
Hollie and I weren’t hurting for money now and living far better than week
to week as we once did. And yet, as fate would have it, all good things come
to an end-no exceptions. To be honest, it was probably for the best, for my
sake and Hollie’ s. I’m not saying that what I did was crooked, but a person
could get hurt in this line of work if they didn’t understand the rules. I mean
really understand the rules. Accidents...happen. Whether they’re accidents or
not.
And so, all too soon following four years, came the termination of my
services. Although I’d have to say I didn’t see it happening quite this way.
It was about mid-winter, late January. Pretty cold compared to past winters,
that I'd been notified through registered letter about a package, that needed to
be delivered to a certain place. I won't that place here for security reasons and
my own personal safety.
In this letter I was told that I’d been chosen (having proven myself reliable
on many an occasion) in lieu of a former courier that had not been reliable, to
deliver a very important package. I grimaced, remembering what could
happen to a courier if a package wasn’t delivered as specified.
The letter mentioned that it would be appreciated if I would accept the job
and went on to list a hefty payment incentive, should agree to take the task.
I thought it a typo. I read further down and saw the figure again. Naturally I
wondered what was in this particular package. It sparked a bit of concern to
say the least. Something was odd here.
My eyes lingered over the figure while a tiny voice told me, I'd have to be
a fool to pass up such an opportunity. It’s amazing how greed can turn a
sensible man into an absolute pigeon. I blew off common sense as ridiculous
paranoia and decided to take the job.A moment later I was dialing the number
listed at the bottom of the page. I informed a husky throated person on the
other end that I’d make the run.
“You asked for it.” came a sarcastic answer. “You’ll receive the map and
instructions first thing tomorrow morning. Don’t screw it up.”
I heard a click, then the dial tone. I stood there receiver in my hand, confused.
Usually when I accepted a job I would be given further details over the phone,
not through the mail. Nothing I'd ever delivered before needed such security
measures. Not to mention that the person on the other end would be easier to
stomach too.
“Morning, sweet heart!” I called to Hollie as I walked into the pantry.
All set for breakfast, she had toast, beacon and eggs on both plates and was
leaving the pantry, on her way towards the rather quaint dinning room table.
“Ohayoo gozaimasu, chichi!” she smiled at me over her shoulder, placing the
dishes on the table.
She’d said, “Good morning, father.” in Japanese-I think One of the foreign
language classes she was taking in school. So of course like any enthusiastic,
good student, she was always practicing...on me.
I smiled whenever she used japanese, because for the most part, I hadn’t the
slightest idea what she was saying. She could have been calling me a doofus
for all I knew. You know I’m kidding though, Hollie wouldn’t do that. She
was a good kid.
It was then that I thought that it might be a good idea to leave her with my
parents again while I handled this next run. Perhaps it was a hunch...intuition,
who knows? I’m just glad now that I paid attention to it.
“Papa?” Hollie called, returning to the pantry.
I half heard her while lost in my train of thought and filling my coffee cup from
a rather worn out Mr. Coffee Machine.
“A strange man dropped this off for you about half an hour ago.”
“Speak of the devil.” I muttered.
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