Prophet C

Book of Prophet C

You don’t know what you don’t know but you know what you know. There isn’t a way to explain it any better. That hunch, your gut feeling, you just know; all are viable expressions for it. Most every one of us share this strange phenomenon at one point or another in our personal lives. Just as sure as sure can be there are other peculiarities that are commonly acknowledged by those open-minded souls such as you who are reading this.

Take for instance the much maligned ‘black book’. Well, more commonly and affectionately referred to as the ‘little black book or lil black book’, it implies always to contain some form of secretive information. Andy’s redemption from Shawshank was due to the ‘black book’, or it could be some bachelor’s bible with a bevy of beauties for the courting… Sometimes it has a nefarious association with gangsters and a hit list or duplicate copy of criminal activity… It always infers the owner prizes its value and it’s anonymity.

Though I did state there are many peculiarities I’ll constrain myself to this last note on how we all learn our station in life and we learn it young. The rich are getting richer – ever hear that? There is also; born poor, die poor; only the poor die young; silver spoon in their mouth, laws for the rich only… You get the hint… Great Expectations doesn’t exist; there is NO Mr. Magwich coming to the rescue. The ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ are well versed in their entitlement too. We have government lotteries because they are aware of it you can be rest assured. Yes, the Lottery; incubator to the ‘faux rich’. It is often called the dumb tax and serves as the government’s insurance to keep the villagers quiet in their dreams.

Now all of these seemingly random items or peculiarities are isolated and that remains true but I refer you to my first point in question, I know what I know. I knew it from the minute I woke up that morning. I felt it! I didn’t know what IT was yet but I just knew… I felt it in my guts. My energy was pushing me through the wake-up game and the grog wasn’t a factor pulling me back to the start line. My optimism was bounding and I had to slow it down from taking the steps two at a time. I felt like Harry Potter rufied me with the lucky potion he was awarded.

The great thing about being broke is that there is no stress unless you’re trying to be rich and usually that stress is put on you from others such as your family or friends, well acquaintances, or your significant other. The upside of waking up without a job is that there is no hurry up to your day. The dog will get walked, food will happen and everything just kinda falls into it’s own rhythm. The coffee pot performed with precision as I stared out into the dawning sky with the aromas wafting into my wake-up sensors. Bemused with the ponderance of what the rich people were doing my drifting was snapped short by the sound of car doors closing. More than one car door closing.

I was somewhat startled when I watched the scene outside and the suits and gowns turn into my walkway intently. Like a scene from a movie, I got a little rattled by the doorbell even though I saw the outstretched hand of the black suited G-man at the door. Again, I jumped when the dog snapped out a bark and ran past me to the door.

“Hello, can I help you?” I asked from my side of the glass of the screen door.

“Mr. Ball?” was the jovial reply. “Mr. Rolland Ball?” he elucidated.

“I am he; that is me. Can I help you? Actually, who are you?” I asked him as I looked at the other three faces flanking him with the same goofy, excited smile. The toothy smiles were almost unsettling but it did serve to calm him and reassure him this was right – part of it whatever IT was that he was feeling this morning.

“I’m Robin Meade of the Meade and Brooks Legal Offices and Judiciaries. We are here to confirm your participation in the transaction between both contract parties and serve as executors. We know it is early but would you mind if we came in to discuss matters with you?”

“Uhm, I still don’t know why you are here.” His confusion showed as he intended.

“Mr. Ball, I’d like to explain that to you. I assure you this is good news. We are very excited. This is something spectacular and none of us have ever experienced anything like this. You may want to sit down for this.” The happy bobbing heads with excited saucer eyes had a smile start spreading across his face as he turned the lever and opened the door to them.

Just as he turned to lead them into the living room he noted the posh looking black book the lead man held clutched into his suit jacket. The indiscernible gold leaf lettering gleamed in the day’s first light and the embossed gold clad latch and key accentuated the antique looking leather of the book. “Wow”, he thought, “wonder if I’m a wizard?”

He was still smiling at their eager faces as they sat three on the couch with the lead G-man gesturing if it was OK to sit on the arm of the couch directly facing the armchair he was in. “Go ahead man. Does anyone want a coffee?” he offered.

No’s were uttered in a disjointed unison. They were all eager to conduct the business at hand. “Mr. Ball, I’m a senior partner at my firm and this is the most exciting thing that has happened in our company ever. It seems you have been selected by an unnamed benefactor as the recipient for funds deposited to a specific checking and savings account registered in your name.”

“In my account?” I asked. “There is only $13 and change in my account.”

“Not that account Mr. Ball. This is one of a series of accounts all consecutively numbered and each with a different recipient. Each account is for a different sum of money and each recipient is seemingly unaware of its existence. None of the recipients are aware of or related to any of the others. We’ve been charged with matching the accounts with the recipients and we have been well paid to dispatch the orders of the document. You are the last person on our list. The other recipients have received life these altering amounts… yours…” he tapered off. “ and yours is slightly different. ONLY your account had associated with it this,” he offered the black book still clutched to his chest slowly extending his arms toward me, “little black book as it were.”

As I reached for the offering clad in leather that looked centuries old I asked in a broken gasp just how much life altering meant.

“Well therein lies our bewilderment Mr. Ball,” replied Robin. “Yours is by far the most extravagant of the accounts. Each of the other individual accounts total the funds in your individual account.”

“So how much did each of them get?” That seemed the logical question to me.

“Well,” said the lawyer, “they varied individually but each account ranged from one to three million dollars.”

The echoing of empty pressure froze my brain for a few seconds. “ARE YOU TELLING ME I HAVE OVER A MILLION DOLLARS?” I shouted to the chittering grins sitting across from me in my living room.

As the laughter and chatter subsided Mr. Meade reached over and put his hand on my shoulder. “You have LOTS of millions of dollars.”

“I , I don’t get it. This can’t be right. This isn’t real. I don’t even know anyone with millions of dollars.” I stated in disbelief. “Are you sure?” I asked in need of confirmation.

“You aren’t dreaming sir. You are in shock maybe but believe me, this is legal and binding. You have accepted the book and if you sign this paper that my wife Christine has for you all our duties are fulfilled and we will provide you with your new account credentials. Before I get you to sign I should caution you that YOUR amount is, as I said, equal to the total of all the other recipient accounts we mentioned. This is a very shocking amount. Are you prepared to conclude this transaction Mr. Ball? Rolland” he offered softly to my stunned demeanour.

“Ya, sure.” I blindly stated not even able to think in numbers in the millions. I watched the contract get handed from wife to husband and then to me. The pressure pushed the blood to the back of my eyeballs, and I had to draw an exaggerated breath to clear the black fuzz balls from my vision. Even seeing the numbers I couldn’t pronounce the amount out loud. I had to count the number of places to make the number real and audible.

“$52 000 000.00 Dollars,” I gasped as I saw the cheque amount written below the numerical row. The paper beneath had me sign the X line, the Accept line and the non-disclosure line. Then Robin took back the document leaving me with the cheque and dropped jaw.

“There were 18 recipients. We were all very curious as to who the benefactor is and what the contents of that book are but that is yours now.” Mr. Meade stated matter-of-factly as he proceeded to sign the Witness line of the contract paper handed back to him and then stand up. “And that seal has never been broken on that key. This is very much a mystery and this money comes from some of the oldest wealth on this planet Mr. Ball. We don’t know any more than that.”

The group moved in behind the handshake to their boss and happy hugs were passed along to me with enthusiastic well wishes. As quickly as it all started, I watched the fab four get back into their town cars and all that gleaming chrome and drive away from my stunned waving body at the porch door. That's when I felt the cramp in my cheeks and realized I was grinning ear to ear the whole time. "HOLY CRAP!"

He ran upstairs to change out of his scrubs and throw on his best jeans and a clean shirt. The book was still in his hands with the cheque clenched to it. He slid the cheque into his front pocket and tossed the book on his bed. As he flipped his hair and pushed the comb through to DE clump for his hat. Just as his arm came down he noticed the light through the window hit the letting on the book gleam as though it beckoned him. The excitement couldn't contain him as he bolted out the door and took the stairs two at a time. He didn't slow down till he got to the bank.