Diamond State

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room.

It proved to be the best place in the entire house to survey the bleakness of the landscape. She got it in the divorce, but never hesitated to enter her ex-husband’s study and peer at the goings-on exterior to the house. Besides, it was technically her room now anyway.

In the middle of the night, Diamante Bank chief information officer, Holly Barini took hold of a single box. Her face was ebony with a Nubian nose. Her hair looked like black silk. She was about five feet ten inches and could work some heels. Now, a project presented itself to her.

In order for a group of businessmen and women to be satisfied in the morning, she had to deliver the flawless diamond worth two and a half billion dollars.

She hopped into her car and told her driver, Princeton Dovetail, a light skinned man with a long nose and hazel eyes, to take her from her home in Lewes, Delaware to Wilmington, Delaware.

He pulled off into the night and they both witnessed the wreckage afoot on all sides. Cars burned like wood in barrels with people warming their hands.

It was a spring night, but the temperatures had dropped to the upper thirties. The ride was smooth but she felt the pelting of rocks and other debris ricochet off of the car.

“Prince, can we go in any faster?”

“I’ll try, ma’am,” he replied. He sped even more. A swirl of people in sackcloth and pajamas whooshed by in stunning detail. Dovetail then showed signs of stroke. He slammed on the brakes and the car plunged into a short ditch. The engine was shot.

“Princeton!” Holly leapt into the front passenger seat. She undid her belt then his and tried to give him consciousness. He still had a pulse, though. She put a call out to the paramedics to pick up a stroke victim along the highway. She gave details about the location of the vehicle and then waited until they came. They loaded him on a stretcher to take him to the hospital. After the ambulance rolled away, Holly still had business on her platter.

She kept going until she found a different car. She fought against the wind and kept herself warm with her coat. She found an abandoned vehicle. The doors remained locked. She found a large rock and smashed the driver’s side window. As the alarm sounded and glass fell like hail, she noticed that the driver had left their keys in the vehicle. Holly employed the keyless start and then proceeded back on her journey.

In a matter of a few miles, she saw someone she recognized. A neighbor named Delta Bessimer hopped into the car. She was squat with pleasant features: glowing eyes, a simple nose, and a tiny chin. She possessed alabaster white skin.

“Thanks for picking me up. I just have to get to the gas station,” Delta mentioned. “What are you doing in this car?”

“You know how it is out here.”

“Oh, I understand. Are you on some kind of fiscal mission?”

“You can say that.”

“Are you headed into Wilmington?”

“I am.”

Delta gasped as if she just snorted ether.

“Why, you can’t do that. What about these people? What about me? You just think of yourself. I mean you’re beautiful and successful and all of that but you never consider the people. That window is making it cold here. What’s with the shattered glass?”

“I picked you up, didn’t I?”

“I thank you for that but you’ve got to stay local until these people find stability.”

Holly pulled over the car.

“I think this is where you get out, now.”

“But—”

“The station is less than a mile away. You’ll be alright.” Holly signaled for the front passenger door to open and out Delta went. Holly put the car in drive and barreled down the highway.

She shook her head at the deplorable words that Delta expressed. She wondered about Dovetail’s family. She would pay for it all if necessary. She had no qualms about him. He was such a dedicated servant to her. Only the best would be in line for his family and him.

Holly kept keen on the road. It looked dusty, dingy. It was like a gray mist had covered the roadway. Still, she moved forward with every ounce of her being. In the distance, the pinkness of the sun just began to mix with the blue hue of the sky.

She discovered someone else she knew.

It was Brockton Wolitzer. He had a strong jawline, large protruding cheekbones and the nose of an intellectual. He worked on special projects at Diamante.

“Get in, Brock,” Holly said.

“Thank you for this. I’m just trying to get back to my house.”

“Where do you live?”

“Just a few miles up the road.”

“I see you have the window down on your side. Isn't it kind of cold?”

“I don’t mind it.”

“And what’s all this glass everywhere?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Holly retorted flatly.

“Anyway. We shouldn’t be out here. You shouldn’t be out here.”

“Who else would pick you up?”

“I’m just saying. You’re not going to the bank, are you?”

“I am.”

“Holly, you’re much too bright to be galavanting at this time of the morning.”

“It’s just business.”

“I don’t believe it. You spend your whole life clawing to be in the c-suite and you turn yourself into an errand girl.”

“It’s more than that. I’m delivering something before the bank opens so that some business people will be happy to see it and happy to transact further with the bank.”

“You’re crazy.”

Holly pulled over to the shoulder.

“And you’re no longer my passenger.”

She skidded off leaving dirt and pebbles jumping up to Wolitzer’s face.

Holly crossed the county line. Wilmington was about forty minutes away, now. She refused to pick up another soul, recognizable or not. As she sprinted closer and closer to her goal, she felt the pangs of the night’s events. Dovetail's stroke, Delta’s and Wolitzer’s insolence, and the overall atmosphere disturbed her mind. The spirituality of her mind, the very essence of her soul rested on rejecting all of that and at least ensuring that this diamond made its way to the proper safe deposit box.

She passed the line marking where Wilmington started. Her soul felt refueled. Like a yoke had been lifted from her shoulders, there seemed to be a sense of levity creeping into her consciousness.

In time, she scaled the steps to the bank. A security guard stood at his post. Holly attempted to use her ID card to get into the bank. It was rejected.

“Ma’am, may I see that please?” Carrol Hanes asked.

“Of course,” Holly replied.

“Ma’am this card should work during normal business hours.”

“Yes, but I’m supposed to deliver a package before operating hours,” Holly explained. “Didn’t get a word?”

“No. you might know—”

“Fredrick.”

“Yes, Frederick. He knows more than I about this matter.”

“Could you call him? Or could you just open the door?” Holly asked.

“You’re way above my paygrade so I’m going to do this one thing for you.”

“You won’t regret it. If you’re at all reprimanded, I will fight on your behalf,” Holly reassured.

Hanes shrugged. He passed the retina scan and allowed Holly entry.

“You’re not going to regret this!” Holly exclaimed. She found her way to the vault and removed from her purse the flawless diamond. She kept it in a velvet case and opened one last time to make sure it still dazzled in the light. It did. She used the facial recognition software to open up the safe deposit box to place the mineral in its rightful place. She left the bank and savored the idea of never having to go through all of that again.