The Choice is Yours

The vibration of his phone brought his consciousness back to reality on that sunny Saturday morning. He never sets the alarm for the weekend, so he knew it was either a text or a phone call. In which case, why this person disturbed him while he was catching up on some much-needed sleep was beyond him.

The notification said 1 New Message, but it was a number he didn’t recognize. Curiosity overcame him, so he unlocked his phone and read the message.

The package is on your doorstep.

Confused, he scrunched his face, wondering what package he should be expecting. He hadn’t made any Amazon purchases recently, and none of his friends mentioned sending any gifts. For obvious reasons, his family wouldn’t surprise him with anything either; they hardly spoke anymore.

Eric did what he could to make himself presentable enough to leave his apartment, knowing there was a chance he’d run into Amber on her way back from her morning jog.

He threw on some clothes and sneakers before grabbing his keys to make sure he didn’t lock himself out. After making it to the lower level to the mailboxes, he searched for the mysterious package. At first, he looked outside by the entrance; there was no way a stranger could come inside without a key. But he noticed the package leaning against the wall of mailboxes in brown wrapping held together by a string.

A note written on the outside read: Do as instructed, and everything in your life will fall into place.

Eric’s heart rate quickened as he looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Who left this mysterious package? And what would he be instructed to do?

He ran back up the stairs to his apartment to open the package in private. There was no telling if anyone was watching or what could happen when he opened it, and he felt safe inside.

He placed the package on his kitchen counter but struggled to gain the courage to open it.

“Just do it, you big baby.” He said to himself while pacing back and forth. “It’s just a package. A bomb would’ve activated by now, right?” With shaky hands, Eric slowly untied the string.

There was a flash of black and white, making him realize that the package was just a notebook. With a sigh of relief, he unwrapped the rest of it, revealing a little black book. It had worn edges and tarnished pages from what he assumed were because of time and use.

He quickly flipped through, only seeing blank pages, until he found instructions written on the very last page.

Go to the bank on the corner of Bismarck Ave and Jefferson Dr. Request access to account number 8964235568. There will be security questions. All of the answers to the questions pertain to your life: birthday, mother’s maiden name, favorite childhood pet, and most importantly, your dead name.

Eric froze when he finished the last bit of the note. The only people who knew about his dead name won’t speak to him anymore. Ever since coming out to his family, they cut ties, stopped communicating, and wanted nothing to do with him. None of his new friends knew who he was before.

After mustering up the courage to continue, he finished reading the instructions written in this black book.

The account has $20,000 for you and only you. But there is one small catch that will be revealed once you’ve made it to the bank. The teller is expecting you at 12:00 pm on the dot. Don’t be late, or you’ll never have a chance like this again.

Eric looked up and saw his clock read 10:17 am and was relieved that he still had time to get ready.

Within twenty minutes, Eric showered and threw on a casual outfit to make his way to the bank. The hardest part was putting on the binder without damaging anything in the process. Countless days of wearing it made it easier to put on, but no matter how quick he was about it, the struggle was still prevalent.

Hurrying out of his apartment, he ran down the steps while looking at his phone, preventing him from noticing Amber as she was entering the building.

“Oof!” she cried out, colliding with Eric.

“Oh! I—I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you. I was—”

“Distracted by your phone?” she smiled, looking down at the phone in his hands.

Eric could feel his face getting warmer, which made the nerves from earlier return. He laughed nervously before responding, “Yeah. This thing always distracts me.”

“No worries. It happens to me, too.”

Silence overcame both of them, resulting in uncomfortably long eye contact before Amber continued their brief conversation. “You’re Eric, right? You live in 10C?”

“Yeah!” He said a little too eagerly. Trying to act more confident, he cleared his throat before continuing. “Th—that’s right.” He said in his attempt at a deeper male voice. “And you’re Amber?”

“That’s what they call me!” She smiled while moving a strand of loose hair behind her right ear. Eric thought it was the cutest thing and couldn’t help but smile in adoration. “Well, I should be going. I just finished my run, and I probably smell terrible.”

“Oh, I don’t mind.” Amber laughed, making Eric realize how awkward that comment was. “I mean!”

“It’s ok,” she smiled, “I know what you meant. It was nice running into you, Eric.”

He smiled, ruffling his hair with nervousness. “It was nice running into you, too, Amber.”

She moved past him to make her way upstairs, but a rush of courage coursed through him before she was too far away. “Hey, Amber!”

“Yes?”

“Would you want to get lunch with me sometime? Not like a date or anything, but just, like, we can hang, and talk or whatever. No pressure.”

Amber smiled, looked down, and Eric noticed the blush rushing to her cheeks. “I would love to.”

“Great.” He replied, not as nervous as before. “Does tomorrow work? We can meet down here at 11:30?”

“Tomorrow at 11:30 works perfectly.” She smiled and disappeared up the stairs.

Caught up in the rush of emotions, he nearly forgot his deadline to make it to the bank. He checked his phone, which now read 11:30 am, and his heart quickened. He was traveling by foot, and his map said the bank was twenty-five minutes from his apartment. He was out of time to be careless.

With only three minutes to spare, Eric made it inside the bank. Unfortunately, there was a line, and no one seemed to be in much of a hurry,

He looked at his phone that now read 11:59 am, and started sweating profusely. I need this money. He thought.

“Attention, bank patrons, the bank is now closing. We will reopen again on Monday at 9 am. Thank you.”

Eric’s pulse quickened. The note never said anything about the bank closing at noon. How could they do that if he was supposed to be there at a specific time? He decided to leave the line to find someone in charge. Maybe if he showed them the note, they could help him.

“Excuse me,” he said nervously to the first bank teller he could find. “The note said to be here by noon to access an account.”

The teller looked at him with a bored expression. “I’m sorry, but the bank is closing. If this matter is pressing, arrive first thing Monday morning to—"

“You don’t understand,” he said, cutting her off. “If I don’t access it right now, I will never be able to access it. My name is Eric Elsberry. Can anyone else help—"

“Janice, let me handle this.” Another woman approached Eric and Janice and stepped in to help the now fear-stricken Eric. “Eric, if you would please follow me.” Eric hesitated but listened and followed the strange woman hoping he didn’t miss his chance.

The woman led him to an office towards the back of the bank. He didn’t even realize banks had offices in the back; he only saw the ones towards the front where people opened new accounts or worked out other account issues.

“I assume you received the package?” She wasn’t wasting time, so Eric decided not to either.

“Yes. I need access to account number 8964235568.”

The woman began typing quickly on her keyboard, and within a matter of seconds, she started asking more questions.

“Date of birth?”

“October nineteenth, nineteen ninety.”

“Your mother’s maiden name?”

“Frankford.”

“Favorite childhood pet?”

“Lizard.”

“I need the name.”

“Oh, uh, its name was Steve.”

“That’s an odd name for a lizard.” The woman mocked, and Eric thought he saw a small smile stretch across her cold face. “The last question,” she continued, “what is your dead name?”

Eric felt his face get warm even though he knew this question was coming. Since running away and starting a new life, no one knew what his dead name was; and he liked it that way.

“If you don’t answer, we cannot proceed to access the account.”

“Right, I know. I just haven’t said it or heard it in over a year.”

“You can take your time, but if you don’t respond in a couple of minutes, the system will lock up, preventing you from access anything.”

He shifted in his seat, making himself more comfortable before responding, “Amelia.”

“Thank you.” The woman began typing again, slower than a few moments ago. She grabbed a notepad and began scribbling down some words, writing a lot more than he anticipated. He expected her to be writing down the contents of the account, but after recalling what the little black book had written inside, he knew it was the catch.

She slid the paper to him, and with shaky hands, he lifted it and began reading.

Account Number 8964235568 has $20,000 to be handed over to Eric Elsberry on this day, October 13, 2017. He must make a choice. Take the money, and start a new life, leaving everyone and everything behind. If you don’t, you will continue living life as you have been. Nothing will change. The choice is yours.

Eric set the paper down, placing his hands on the table, and looked down. He knew what this money meant to him. He could make the full transition that his parents told him they would never support. He could live his life the way he wanted – be the man he wanted to be. No more binders. No more contouring his face to be more masculine. He would be free.

But he loves the new life he created since leaving home. The friends he has made are the most supportive people in his life. He’s built his own family, one that loves him for him and calls him ‘Eric’ without scrunching their nose.

“When do I have to make the decision?” He asked the woman.

She looked at her watch before responding. “The time is 12:28 pm; you have until 12:30.”

“Two minutes?!” he exclaimed.

“The client doesn’t like wasting time.”

Two minutes to decide the rest of his life. Two minutes.

Deep down, he knew how he would respond. He knew what the money meant to him and his future, but starting a new life without the people who have been so supportive and who saved him held no contest.

“I need an answer. What will it be?”

Without saying a word, Eric stood up and ran from the bank as fast as he could. At twenty-seven years old, he waited this long to live life the way he wanted. What did it matter if he had to do it for just a little longer while he saved up more money?

There’s no time for making impulsive life decisions. Besides, he has a date tomorrow.