The Little Black Book

The Little Black Book

It was a late summer evening out a couple of weeks before fall. The sun had begun to set over the city. The sky was a bright magenta hue that spread across Albuquerque. The civic plaza downtown was a buzz with life. People had gathered around to listen to a local mariachi band playing traditional Mexican music which they danced to. They mingled about the dozen or so food trucks teasing their taste buds with great food that they chased down with whatever drink they could find. A young woman on her way to work mulled about the plaza in a daze to the music, dancing, and all-around cheerfulness under the magnificent sunset. For the moment, her mind was on her problems. "How am I going to pay for my last year of college," she thought to herself? She went by the name of Italia Germain. She was early to work so she decided to hangout in the nearby alley. Italia stumbled over something while walking down the alley. As she caught herself, she spotted a dingy backpack.

Italia rummaged through hoping to find some money, but with her luck she doubted it. All she saw was worn out clothing and dingy mangled little black book. She went on to work her shift at the convenience store. After her shift was over, she caught the bus back to the campus of the University of New Mexico. Italia glanced at it again. She opened the little black book where she saw an address "320 1st St. SW" written in it with a key taped to the backside of the same page. The key had a number carved into it.

"What can it be? Maybe nothing! No! Maybe it is to a locker with cash stashed inside!" her mind was running amuck. She sat at her desk where a note was left on it “Ms. Germain please come see me at the financial aid office;” it was signed Ms. Leipheimer. Italia waltzed across campus to the financial aid office where she sat outside Leipheimer’s office waiting her turn; she still could not stop thinking about that book.

“Ms. Germain come in have a seat,” she said. Italia did as she was instructed knowing exactly what was about to come her way. She studied the woman as she typed away on the keyboard. “I see, you have an outstanding balance Ms. Germain. How do you plan to take care of it?” the woman said with an unpleasant smile.

“I am working on it; Ms. Leipheimer I promise!” she replied.

The woman studied her for a long second then looked back at her computer screen. “This is what I can do for you,” she said looking back at her. “What can you pay by the end of the month?” she asked.

Italia wanted to say something but could not find the words she wanted except for “I hope to be able to pay a portion of it by then!” she said.

She sat studying Italia for a minute “Okay Ms. Germain if you can do that, I’ll go to bat for you,” Ms. Leipheimer added.

“Thank you, Ms. Leipheimer,” she said as she left her office; she returned to her dorm studied a while then went to bed. Morning came she woke up went to the rec center to work out before having breakfast. While there she thought about other avenues of getting money but ruled them all out quickly for, she did not want to end up in jail, or worse, dead. Italia returned to her dorm got ready for work then left she grabbed the dingy little black book on her way out. After deboarding the bus Italia strolled along to work. As she made her way to work, she saw the address on the outside of Alvarado Transit Center.

It was the same address written in the little black book. She went inside and saw a row of lockers off to one side. She found the locker with the same number, but it had a key in it, so she walked over to the Amtrak station side after inquiring with the security guard on duty. Italia made her way over to the row of lockers, she looked around, taking notice of the people. Italia walked up to the locker with the same number as that on the key. She glanced at her watch “oh shit!” she muttered. Then ran off to work.

"I will return after work," she thought to herself. The store was sometimes busy, other times, dead, which gave her time to finish her homework when she finished her work assignments. There were times she thought about what was in the locker at the bus station. Was it a shit load of money? Or nothing? Maybe some more dingy clothing? She would soon find out as her relief arrived a few minutes late. Italia finished checking out before making a mad dash for the exit. This time when she entered the station Italia took notice of any cameras and people lingering around the area of the lockers. Most importantly she looked for security or police. Two were nearby. She sat across from the lockers pulled out the black book and glanced through it. Looking for any signs as to who it might belong to…"nothing".

After a few minutes she moved towards the locker when some guy stepped in front of her. He was trying to ascertain her name and other information that she did not want to give to him. When it was apparent that he was not going to leave her alone, Italia left. "I will come back later maybe this asshole will be gone," she thought “merde, fuck”. Italia did not get to far as she saw the idiot harass someone else, so she returned and collected the item from the locker. Italia ran over to the Alvarado Center to catch her bus back to UNM. She took a quick glance inside of it as her eyes got big as quarters. She ran in and out of buildings on campus making sure no one was following her to her dorm. Once inside she went to the restroom where Italia caught her breathe while staring at the money. She counted it repeatedly several times "twenty thousand dollars!" As her roommate entered the room.

"I can pay my tuition now she thought out loud but does this money belong to someone. Maybe I will wait a few days or weeks to see if anyone lays claim to it." Days went by; no one claimed it. Italia went to the financial aid office and paid her tuition. She thought about depositing the rest into her bank account each pay day to keep from answering questions about it. Instead, she decided to deposit the entire amount, thinking "if they ask it’s a student loan." Italia promised herself not to do what she did the last time and blow all the money. She would invest the remaining amount in the stock market hoping to turn the remaining amount into a nice little nest egg. On her way to work she unknowingly lost the little black book while running through the same alley. Italia did not notice.

When she got to work a man came into the store asking about it. He was a tall stocky and slightly overweight man with a homicidal look about him that frightened Italia. "Oh my God," she thought to herself as she listened to the man ask his questions about the backpack, she found a few days ago.

When he left, she rushed to the break room investigated the contents of her backpack trying to find the book…"where is it?" The man returned “I found it in the alley,” he yelled out to her. Italia studied the man closely hoping his awkward mannerism would give away any details, but he didn’t. As he left, she breathed a sigh of relief. Italia stood by the window watching as the man entered the train station. A few minutes later he exited the building looking frustrated. "He must have found out something, she thought, as he got into a car that sped off. Did I miss something? Was there a video camera that captured me by the locker that I didn’t see? What should I do now, should I gather my belongings and the remaining money and run? No, I will not, I will not be chased off by him!"

As she walked back to her dorm, she noticed the same man following her as she made her way across campus. Italia took off running hoping she could outrun the overweight man. “I saw you on the video taking what doesn’t belong to you, you little bitch,” the man yelled. She saw a campus police officer. She ran up to him told him that a strange man was following her. She pointed off in the direction she had come from. Italia stayed by his vehicle watching as he made his way to where she directed him. He didn’t see the man at first but caught a glimpse of a figure running out the corner of his eye. He gave chase, catching up just before he could reach Italia. The police officer tackled him to the ground as she watched the man bounce off it. Other police officers arrived to assist him. Italia saw the vehicle the man got into drive off in a distance.

She was taken to the campus station where she was grilled for a couple of hours as to how a known felon was chasing her. “I don’t know why he was chasing me. I thought he was trying to harm me,” she replied. "I will not mention the money I found. I don’t think he will either. According to them he is wanted by Albuquerque police." They let her go. Italia returned to her dorm crawled into her bed and fell asleep.

A year later Italia left the US to live on the French island of Corsica and work in Marseilles. She cashed out her Game Stop stocks in the mad rush when the value of it hit its high mark. Italia now roams the beaches along southern Europe enjoying her life.