Simple Request

Twenty thousand dollars to follow what is written in the small black notebook. Such a simple and curious instruction from his client. Kind of odd, but the check cleared so he didn’t complain much even though it was an odd order for his job, but hey, money is money. He opened the small black notebook as soon as he stepped outside to start this journey.

Turn left and go into the Metro.

He grabbed the rail as he quickly descended the tiled stairs. Not the best lit platform but it was safe enough to go through with a minimal amount of attention. He barely felt the notebook in his hand. For a well-worn notebook, it was remarkably comfortable to hold, but it was still always in the back of his mind. It was almost like it was too much work not to pay attention to what was written. He opened it at the last step.

Take the green door on the right. Then take the third door down the hall.

Wouldn’t it have been easier if he was given a map? He could have followed a map easily. He knew he was complaining about an easy twenty grand, but stepping around a hall wondering why he was following a book to whatever end point was making him more curious than he should be. Then again, no overnight stakeouts tonight with cheap food and a caffeinated drink. It would be nice to have a relaxing night watching TV on his well-used and comfortable couch. A nice cold drink and some actual food would be great as well. He flipped to the next page as he went through the door.

Go to row four and sit down in the tenth chair.

Kind of anticlimactic. A slight frown formed on his face. This may take longer than he thought. A very unsubtle creak sounded out as he sat down. He looked around, embarrassed only to realize that the population was rather sparse around here. I hope this isn’t a setup he thought. But it was a little too late to make a difference. He felt a little out of place just sitting with the small black book hanging limply in his left hand. He flipped the book open impatiently after a few minutes.

Please be patient.

What an eye rolling statement to write down. It seemed it was almost mocking him. Unfortunately, there was nobody nearby to talk to fight his boredom. It was like being punished in school. His leg began to shake in time of the tick on his watch, counting the seconds he seemed to be wasting. He became immediately distracted by the clank of a metal door. A teenage boy began walking across the station and his attention was suddenly drawn to the notebook.

Give him the book. Be nonchalant about it.

Sighing, he closed the pages and started an elevated pace towards the teen. within a handful of seconds, he was behind him and gave the boy a slight tap on his shoulder. “Sorry to bother you, but you dropped this.” With a nervous and quick turnaround, the teen spied the outstretched notebook, with wide eyes he grabbed it with a quick, courteous bow and left quickly out of sight.

With a short smile and a small sense of accomplishment, he turned around to head back to work and close shop for the day. As soon as he did, something brushed against his leg and looked down. A small, torn, partial page lay next to him. He picked it up, and with two words, he knew he was done for today.

Thank you.