New Beginnings

Steph sighed deeply, as she felt the sea breeze caress her cheek. The familiar taste of salt was in the air as she bent down to pick up a stone. It had been two years since they had moved here, two years of always looking over her shoulder, of trying to keep their identity secret. Marco had a lot to account for. It was thanks to him, and his involvement with drugs, that they had needed to go on the run - a ‘simple’ job gone wrong when the package had been lost. Now she had to pay the price, she and their beautiful daughter Mia. Steph turned back to the sea one final time, and tossed the stone into it; watching it disappear beneath the waves. Reaching up to tie up her brown curly hair, she used her teeth to pull a hairband down her arm, looking listlessly at the deep groove it left in the skin. She bent down to pick up her coat, slung it carelessly over her arm, and headed back to the apartment.

It was dark inside, and as she stepped in, Steph’s nose wrinkled in response to the damp odour that hit her. It was always worse when the windows and doors had been shut. She flicked on the light switch, blinking in the bright light. Tossing her coat onto the sofa, she picked up a pair of pants left on the floor, silently cursing Marco as she did so. She could almost hear his voice, calling her 'Petal' and making a joke of it. A deep breath (in through the nose, out through the mouth - that would fix things, right?), and she headed into the tiny bedroom. Steph made to drop the pants into the laundry basket, missing her target, instead dropping them down the side - next to the old brown bureau that the basket was against. Steph sighed again and knelt down to pick them up. She moved the basket slightly to make space, and froze as she did so. She knew every nook and cranny of this place, after all, it was she that tried to make it a home for them. It was she that dealt with the effects of Marco the whirlwind. There was a box, stuffed under the bureau. As Steph reached down and pulled the box from beneath, she absent-mindedly dropped the pants once again. The box contained money. A frantic count later, and she could confirm that the box held $20,000. Steph felt her heart thumping in her chest, and such a range of emotions. So here she was, struggling daily, and HE had all this money stashed away? And what happened to being honest? But that aside, could this not be the answer to her problems? She knew what she could do now.

Back once again on the beach, Steph felt differently to how she had done that morning. A gentle smile played on her lips as she anxiously patted the bulge in her coat pocket - the $20,000. She licked her lips and tasted the salt, feeling hopeful as looked around in an anticipatory manner. He was coming, she could see him in the distance. Walking with a slight limp, he was tall and had dark hair spilling from underneath his woollen hat. She couldn’t see much of his face, as it was mostly covered by a thick scarf. A stranger to her, but a recommendation from her father; she hoped that he could be trusted to get the job done. He walked straight towards her. It was only the two of them on the beach, and she had explained that she would be wearing a bright red hat.

“Got it?” He asked gruffly.

“It’s all here” Steph handed the package to ‘Nameless’. This, she had decided earlier, would be his name.

“I’ll tell you when it’s done. Any last words for him?” The man said. He pulled out a little black book from his pocket, which was bent at the corners and clearly well used. Attached to it by an elastic hoop was a small pencil, and he jotted something down inside it.

“Just...that’s what happens when you mess with my family.” Steph said firmly. Nameless nodded, continued to scribble, then placed the little black book back in his pocket. He turned and walked away with big, loping strides.

Steph stared for a moment, was it really that easy? A wide smile appeared on her face, and she chuckled out loud to herself in glee.

As she turned and started walking back to the apartment, she thought of how she had called the man back, just before he had left.

"One more thing.." She had said, puffing slightly after her part-run, part-jog after him. "Add a name at the end, love from Petal". That would teach him for messing with her family