The Notebook

The Notebook

By Shaun Michael O'Neal

I did not start out with the idea of being homeless.

That was a something I could not see coming.

It was supposed to be my big promotion. A new job with more money and a new town.

Granted it was a smaller town than Los Angeles. What am I saying? L.A. is of the biggest cities there is.

On the west coast that is. No, I took this new position in Douglas Arizona. Right on the border with Mexico. Douglas, It’s small alright. Just a little over a mile wide. Not the place I would have put a five-star hotel. But the Hotel conglomerate I worked for did. Probably because the Town in Mexico was so much bigger and there is a push to build a car plant just over the border.

So, I took the position as general manager. I move there on January 28, 2020.

It was my big chance. Then it hit. COVID-19. The world went into a tailspin. The auto plant? They stopped all construction. This town was a not a fancy destination. Just a small working town. The hotel shut down. Hell, most of the town did. I found myself without a job or a place to live. I was staying in the hotel itself. I was stuck, and now I found myself on the street. I found it was easier to live on the Mexico side of the border. But my money ran out there. I was on the street. Sleeping wherever I could.

I fell into a bad place, I got low. I didn’t care if I lived or died. The streets will do that to man.

I started working for an exporter - if you will allow me that term. I knew he was moving drugs inside the cheap ceramic lamps. But it was enough for me to eat and find an all be it, cheap one room flat. I kept my eyes open. I saw what was going on. A cartel came in. I managed to survive. I saw my boss gunned down. I was walking toward the building and, Bang! I heard the gun go off. I went to the office window and peeked it. My boss was alive and on his knees. In his hand was a small black book. It must have been what the cartel was there for. He held it up like a shield. They shot him right through the book. I turned and ran for my life. I saw them leave. I waited an hour and went back to the office. The body was laying in the middle of the floor. I went in. I hate to say I went to see if there was any money I could take. Like I said I was in a really bad way. I rolled him over and the only thing there was the black book. I recognized that it was of high quality. The leather was so fine it must have been Italian - like his shoes. He liked flaunting his money.

There was a hole in it, but I could still read some of the ledger entries in it. One was for a blind, “dead drop” the kind, if you know where it is, you just go pick it up after a certain time. In my job I was tasked with making a drop from time to time. There were two different drop-off points. I’m guessing that it was also a pickup point as well. Although I never made a pickup. The time in the book said 8:00 and there was the bullet hole. I did not know if it was for A.M. or P.M. I was now out of another job. Granted this one was nothing I would ever put on a job resume. I had no choice I had to chance it. I would try and pick up whatever it was. I decided to go to the second drop off location that I had made a drop to (the first one) earlier this week. The second point was always at night. So, I would try that. I went to the location. A hole in the wall behind a strip joint and bar. I waited outside and down the alley. It was almost 9 P.M. I had not seen anyone come to make a pickup - just one hooker and she came out and meet a guy and they left. I had to look. I went to the wall and removed a brick. There was an envelope. I took it and ran. I went back to my room and locked the door. I sat on the bed and opened it. There was nothing but a key to a bus station locker in Douglas. I decided to go to that bus station and see what was in that locker. Whatever it was it had to be important. I would leave in the morning. I went to bed. I thought to myself. What could be there? Money, drugs, a fluffy bunny doll? My mined raced. I woke up with the sun coming in the small, cracked window. It was time to go.

I cleaned up best I could. I made it across the border and found the station. I sat and watched the people come and go for a while. I did not look as if anyone was watching the locker. With key in hand, I went to the locker. I opened it and looked inside. There was a card. It said, Marcus Hayden, DEA. It’s right then that I was grabbed by four men and taken to a back room. There was a table and chair, and I was told to sit. They left and locked the door. I sat for over an hour. The door opened and a man walked in he sat down. He places a black leather book on the table. He opened it. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the black book I had. They were a match other than the bullet hole in the one I brought.

I found out he was DEA and the man I worked for was his deep cover partner. There were a thousand questions from him. I did my best to answer them all. We were in that little room for over ten hours. At the end, he took out a knife and cut the back of the black book I had had. There was a small chip, a Micro-USB. I asked if I was going to jail. He said no, not now. He reached into his jacket and pulled out another envelope and tossed it to me. In it was the name of a witness protection officer and a bundle of money. He said to me, This chip will bring down the cartel. You will never be safe here again. This is a name of a witness protection officer who you will need to contact in three days. The $20,000 is for you to run and hide with. I can’t take you into custody. You would be dead in a day. The Gaucho cartel has too many of my men on their payroll. So, you will have to hide yourself. The officer and number will make sure you have the cash you need to hide. Remember from now on never use anything but cash. Never stay in the same place more than a day or two and keep an extremely low profile. A man came up with a hypodermic needle. He tells me to roll up my sleeve. He tells me it a vaccine for COVID-19. With that, he let me go.

Am I better off now? Maybe. I will be on the run for I not sure how long. At least I will be paid to do it.