Routine

This was my life, nothing exciting. I was sitting at my desk counting down the last few minutes of work until I could clock out while chatting on a thread that I had joined about people living boring lives, wanting something different. We complained about our lives but never did anything to actually change them. 5PM, time to go home, feed my cat, microwave my dinner, sleep and repeat. Walking to my car I noticed there was something on my windshield. A little, black, leather notebook. Confused, I grabbed it and looked around, I was alone in the parking lot. The cover of the black notebook read “Hello Jupiter.” I was intrigued and rushed into my old but reliable, rusty SUV and cranked it on. Winters in Chicago can be deadly cold. I opened the book to the first page and read:

I hear you need some adventure in your life. If you’re ready, drive to the corner of Clark and Eugenie. You will find a payphone there that will ring at 5:35PM. More importantly, answer it.

I glanced over to the clock and it read 5:10PM. Out of curiosity I pulled out my phone and searched Clark and Eugenie. A 15 min drive. Just enough time left over to change my mind if I chickened out. As I pulled out onto Clark Street I kept wondering if this was a bad idea. I saw a gas station as I approached and I parked the car right next to the pay-phone. I was surprised there still were any working pay-phones in the city.

5:31PM…I could turn back now and go home, feed my cat and go to sleep, my boring, routine. 5:33PM…it's now or never Jupiter. 5:34PM… just leave. 5:35PM…ring, ring, ring. Damnit, what do I do?

I walk to the phone and put my hand on the receiver. Ring, ring, ring…I’m so stupid.

“Hello…?” I answered. I looked around, and saw some kids leave the gas station, get into their car and drive off.

“Hello Jupiter, so happy to hear you’ve accepted my invitation.” The voice didn’t sound familiar.

“
Umm.. uhh, ye..yeah. Why not right?” I chuckled nervously.

“Good, good. Now if I know you Jupiter, you didn’t even bother to look at the rest of the notebook..”

Damn! I hadn’t read the other pages. Why didn’t I do that? How did the voice know I wouldn’t?!

“Well Jupiter, we are going on an adventure. All the information you need is in that notebook.You will find yourself renewed. More importantly, I promise you excitement and spontaneity. That is exactly what you wanted right? No more routine.”

It is what I wanted.
“Yes! I left the notebook in the car though, I’ll go grab it give me a minute.” Before I could drop the receiver the voice said

“No need to get it, you and I are done here. Have fun” . The line goes dead.

The call was over. I walked back to my car and looked at the time, 5:37PM. 2 minutes?! It seemed like forever but we were only on the phone for 2 minutes?! I grabbed the notebook, turned to the next page and kept reading.

Head over to the 7-11 on Clark and Wrightwood. Buy a lottery ticket. More importantly, pick these numbers for the ticket 4-9-12-27-36.

I start driving to Clark and Wrightwood. I pull into the 7-11 parking lot and walk inside. I notice a couple of girls buying some snacks. I pretend to look for cat food. When the girls leave, I walk up to the counter and ask the cashier for a lottery ticket.

He looks at me and says,

“Lucky Day Lotto or Powerball?”

What the hell? I am 33 years old and have never played the lottery before today. How am I suppose to know.

“Uhm, which one is tonight?”

“Lucky Day Lotto” says the cashier

“Okay lets go with that one.”

“Okay, what numbers?” Asks the cashier

I open the notebook and read off the numbers. I get the ticket and walk back to my car to read the next set of instructions.

Drive to the ice rink on Clark and Addison, get close, but more importantly take a picture of the rink.

That seems odd, but harmless right?

I drive to the rink. I park my car and walk over to the ticket counter. I buy one ticket, put the ticket in my pocket and walk over to the rink. The ticket guy calls out to me,

“Sir, you have to grab your skates over there” he’s pointing to another counter.

“Oh no, I don’t need skates.” I say and headed straight to the rink. There were some girls skating around the rink but nothing out of the ordinary. As I take my phone out to snap the picture, one of the girls notices and smiles. I smile back at her and quickly walk back to my car.

I grab the black notebook and turn the page to the next set of instructions, I notice a small envelope in between the next two pages. The instructions on the page behind the envelope reads:

Take this envelope out but more importantly, deliver to 4123 W Wellington Ave

Should I open the envelope? Shouldn’t I know what I’m putting in someones mailbox? Is that against the rules? I think about it and figure what the hell, everything else has been pretty innocent, so I leave the envelope sealed.

In this the wealthier part of the city, my car sticks out like a sore thumb, I find the address but there is no parking in front of the house. I have to leave my car parked about a block away. I brace myself for the freezing cold and walk towards the house. When I reach the house I feel very intimated by the over sized floor to ceiling windows and a front door that seems to be made for giants. I walk up the steps and pull the envelope out of my pocket. The mailbox is attached to the house and in the shape of a golden lion head, I slide the envelope inside. My heart starts pounding, my palms sweaty, my adrenaline kicks in. All I did was deliver an envelope! I race down the stairs and hear the faint sound of sirens. As I am walking back to my car, the sirens get closer and louder. Police cars come barreling down the street. A few of the cars stop in front of the house where I had just delivered the letter. The rest of the cars seem to spread around the neighborhood.

A bright light from one of the police cars begins shinning on my face.

“STOP! TAKE YOUR HANDS OUT YOUR POCKETS SLOWLY AND PUT THEM IN THE AIR”

I squint trying to see who it is they are yelling at.

“TAKE YOUR HANDS OUT OF YOUR POCKETS SLOWLY AND PUT THEM IN THE AIR NOW!”

They are talking to me! I quickly take my hands out and hold them above my head. A few officers come running towards me, guns drawn. one officer grabs my hand and swings it behind my back and forces me to my knees. They start handcuffing me.

“officers…officers! What is going on?!? What have I done?!?”

“Shut up!” Is all I get as I am thrown into the back of the squad car.

I am handcuffed in a room waiting for someone to come in and tell me what the hell is going on. The door opens and two detectives walk in.

“Jupiter, is it? Want to tell us what you were doing tonight?” They ask as they sit down.

“wha..what? Nothing, work. Why am I here?!?” I can feel my heart beating out of my chest.

“We know what you’ve been up too Jupiter. We know all about the kidnapping, just tell us where the girl is!”

“KIDNAPPING!?! I DIDN’T KIDNAP ANYONE!!!” I yell as I instinctively shoot out of my seat.

They force me back down.

“16 year old Diana Miller was kidnapped today from the ice skating rink on Clark and Addison. We have you following her, from the gas station on Clark and Eugenie, then to the 7-11 on Clark and Wrightwood, finally to the ice skating rink on Clark and Addison. Then we find you a half block away from Diana’s house on Wellington. Now tell us, Jupiter why were you at that gas station? Why were you at the 7-11? Why go to the rink if you weren’t going to skate? Why were you on her street!?”

“I..I..uhh..I…” my mind is racing. “I found this little black notebook on my car..” I start to explain the whole situation to the detectives. As I am explaining, they look at me like I am crazy. I begin to realize how insane I sound to follow a voice, a notebook! They don’t know my life. They don’t know me! They don’t know how badly I needed something not routine!

The detectives leave to check out my story and get the notebook from my car. Sitting and waiting for what feels like an eternity, I can faintly hear the TV on the other side of the door. Some officers are watching the news, and I hear, suspect caught for earlier kidnapping and murder… My mind goes blank, my body is numb and I feel a black hole forming inside of me. Then I hear the TV again, winning numbers are 4,9,12,27,36. Before I can even process anything the detectives walk back in.

“There’s no notebook in your car! The payphone on Clark and Eugenie doesn’t even work. Hasn’t worked in years. We checked your phone and you have a picture of Diana at the skating rink! We also have the ransom letter you left in the Miller’s mailbox. Now start telling us the truth!”

Frantically, I begin telling them they are wrong. There should be a notebook in my car! The phone was working! It had rang just hours ago! I was instructed to take a photo of the rink. I didn’t even know who Diana was! And I know for damn sure I didn’t write a ransom letter because I didn't kidnap anyone! This goes on for hours. There is a knock on the door. The two detectives get up and walk out. When they come back in they tell me I am being charged with murder and kidnapping. They found Diana’s body in my apartment. I end up in a cell at county jail, it all becomes a blur from there.

My lawyer arrives the next morning. Lawyer? I don't have a lawyer, I never needed a lawyer. I walk into a little room. There is a woman sitting down. I sit across from her.

“Are you from the Public Defenders office?” I’ve seen on TV shows, you always get someone from the Public Defenders office.

“No, I was called to represent you. My name is Katie Rogers.”

“This must be a mistake, I can’t afford an attorney.”

“Mr. Andrews, you won the lottery last night. $20,000 to be exact. Thats enough to start our process.”
“Wait.. what? How do you know I won the lottery?!”

“That doesn’t matter right now Mr. Andrews. What matters is that I am here to represent you and more importantly I know you didn’t do this.”