The Book!

She sat in the dark alley, her tears blending with the pouring rain. People walked past her, pulling up their collars, or turning their heads away from the pelting drops. No one noticed the petite girl with the sad eyes sitting beside the dumpster. That was until the black limo stopped in front of her. The window cracked and smoke billowed out. “Get in.” A deep husky voice commanded. This was the icing on the cake, she thought as she stood up. Her wet hair was plastered to her forehead and neck. Her hoodie had provided very little protection and now was just heavy from the water. The door opened and without another moment, she slipped in. A burly man with a black goatee and a charcoal suit sat across from her. He didn’t say anything, just made a small gesture which signaled the driver to go.

She sat across from the big man. Neither of them talked. She relished in the heat. The rain had chilled her to the bone. She sat looking out the window, watching the city pass by. It was hard to believe that just a week ago, she was just an ordinary girl, or so she thought. Her parents lived normal lives, or so she thought. It wasn’t until she came home from college one night that she realized her whole life had been a violent lie, and that her ‘perfect’ life was going to change drastically. There had been a black car in the driveway that she didn’t recognize. She walked through the door and was horrified by the sight that welcomed her. Her parents were tied up, and a group of men surrounded them. Before she could even think, the men grabbed her. Tears began to stream down her face. She had never been this afraid of anything in her whole life, not even that particularly nasty biology test she had failed. Her father was saying something about if they would give him a little more time. He never got to finish his sentence because one of the goons hit him in the head. His head went slack against his chest. Her heart was breaking, and there was literally nothing she could do about it. One of the other men grabbed her mother by her hair and looked her dead in the face. “You have one week.” That was all they said. They then packed up and headed out the door. The ones holding her were the last to leave. Once they were gone, she ran over to her parents. Her mother was crying but her father was motionless. She feared that he might not be alive but then she saw the slow rise of his chest. She quickly untied her mother and fumbled with her cell phone to call an ambulance.

The next several hours were filled with endless police questions and a cold hospital waiting room. Finally, the police had taken enough statements. It was when they were alone waiting for the prognosis of her father that she asked her mother what was going on and what did that guy mean by they had one week. The story her mother told her was far different than the one the police were given. She told her of how they had asked for help in a very unusual place, the biggest mob boss in Chicago. Unfortunately, the time for payment had come and gone, and now they were faced with an impossible task of repaying the money. Her jaw wasn’t properly hinged when her mother told her how much they owed. It was by far more than they were paying for her to go to college. The doctor came out and told them how her father had suffered a traumatic brain injury, and only time would tell if he would recover. Her mother insisted on staying by his side. She felt hopeless as she decided she should go home. The nurses had given the impression that only one could stay although they never came out and said it.

She drove home. Her house used to be a warm home filled with love but now it was cold and empty. She opened the door, and the déjà vu of the earlier situation made her nauseous. She almost expected to see the guy knock her father out. It took a minute for her to realize that there was no one there but her. She looked around, not really sure what she was looking for. And that’s when she saw it. A little black book lying under the chair her father had been sitting in. She picked it up with hands that weren’t quite steady. She flipped through the pages, but there didn’t seem to be any useful information. It was a book of numbers. She wasn’t exactly sure what it was but she decided she should hold onto it. It might be worth something to the right people.

Over the next few days, she spent endless hours searching for a way to get out of this mess mixed in with watching hopelessly at her dad who wasn’t waking up. He was breathing on his own but wasn’t following commands or waking up. Her mother had given up or at least it seemed that way. She just sat at her dad’s bedside and cried. The week deadline was approaching fast, and the closer it got, the more her hands were tied.

The day of the deadline was a cold stormy day. She was walking from the hospital when she lost her nerves and found herself in the big black car with the burly man. They stopped at a very nice building in the middle of a not so nice neighborhood. A man rushed to open the door. She followed the burly man out of the car and into the very nice building. She noticed that there were three men flanking them. She found herself sitting in front of a huge oak desk. Her stomach dropped, and she knew that this could be her last day alive. A man with greying hair, a black suit, and a Russian accent came in and sat across from her. He looked at her with piercing eyes. It was several minutes before he said anything. Perhaps, he thought he could scare her into blabbering why she was there. Truth be told she wasn’t truly sure why she was there. She had no doubt that it had to do with her parent’s overwhelming debt. “You have something of mine.” His voice was thick with the Russian accent. She was almost puzzled until she remembered the little black book. “I want it back.” She still didn’t say anything, as she was thinking of a way to get out of this mess. She knew she was walking a very thin line, and this plan she was developing was either going to work or she was going to die. “What’s it worth to you?” She said in a quiet voice. She was trying not to show her fear. He looked pissed. That’s it, she was dead. “It’s worth more than you’ll ever imagine.” His voice had changed but his facial expression was still extremely angry. “What do you want?” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “One hundred and fifty thousand dollars, the best medical care for my father, and for you to forget that my family and I exist.” She was trying to be fearless. She wasn’t sure if it was working until he spoke in Russian. “If I refuse?” He asked quizzically. He was at least interested in her proposal. “I guess I might have to set fire to the book and we’ll see who has the last laugh.” He put a hand over his eyes, as if he was trying to ease a headache. She figured at this point she really had nothing left to lose. “Where is the book?” She had locked it up in her safe under her bed but she wasn’t going to let him know that. “Write the check and get the medical attention to my father and then you can have it.” He sucked in a deep breath and then snapped his fingers. In an instant, a goon dressed in a nice suit rushed in with a book. After a minute, he signed the check and tore it out of his book. He got on his phone and began speaking in Russian. He hung up, and slid the piece of paper across the table. “Jerome will accompany you to retrieve the book. Your father will be given the best medical care there is. If you do anything to that book in between now and cashing that check, I will personally kill you with the upmost pleasure.” There on the desk was a check for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and in her mind, all she could think was that she wasn’t going to mess this up. She nodded as she stood up. The burly man who she had ridden with in the limo also stood up. The men escorted her back to the limo.

They pulled into her driveway. He followed her inside but waited just inside the door. She bounded up the stairs and darted into her room. She got the safe out from under her bed. Withing thirty seconds, she was back down stairs. Jerome’s face never changed as she handed him the book. As stoic as a statue, he tucked it into his jacket, and without another word, he turned and left her house. She truly prayed that this would be the last they would ever hear from the mob. She grabbed her dad’s keys and went out to his car.

She could hardly stand still as she rode the elevator to her dad’s floor. She couldn’t wait to tell her mom the good news. Her mom was sitting in the waiting room, sipping a coffee. She ran over to her, pulled her in a great big hug, and explained what had happened. The smile on her mom’s face was more precious than that check. At that time, the doctor came out to tell them that her father was being transferred to the most elite hospital in the country. Her heart actually jumped against her rib cage. They gathered up their belongings and went to see her father off. Their plan was to arrive just shortly after he did. They went home and packed a few things. Her mom took a long shower, but knowing that she hadn’t had one all week, she didn’t say anything. On their way out, they stopped by the bank and deposited the check. She half expected it to be a fraud, but it went through.

Her father began to recover, although he would never be able to be on his own, he did start moving, and with the help of extensive therapy, he was able to walk on his own. Eventually, he could feed himself. His speech was very similar to a child’s speech, but she was just glad that he was still alive and that he didn’t have to go into a nursing home. They were able to take care of him at their house with home services.

She would never forget that this was because of a black book.