Meeting
I looked down at my
watch for what seemed to be the hundredth time. This meeting was taking too
long. I don’t get breaks often, and this year they’ve granted us most of spring
break to be spent with our families. My family was at Disneyworld, in Florida,
waiting for me. I just had to complete this one meeting and my cuffs would be
loosened.
I already was briefed on this
assignment days ago, It didn’t have to be done until after this week. Maybe it
was so they could keep reminding me of what I do to keep my family safe while
I’m with them this week, one last slap on the back before I flew off to the
happiest place on earth, or so they say.
Job was simple, what he had to say didn’t mean anything to me.
I looked back at him, I
wondered if he even knew I wasn’t listening to a word he said. He was a normal
looking Joe. He had slicked jet black hair, a well trimmed beard and dark blue
eyes that seemed gray when he tilted his head to talk on a new subject. His
entire suit was as black as his hair, all except for his tie, which was a
bright pink. It was an unusual thing for a man in our business to wear, too
flashy, too noticeable.
He was reading from a page
probably telling him what exactly to say. All of a sudden he snapped his
fingers, waking me out of my trance. The snap was loud enough that it made some
people in the café we were having this meeting in look up from their coffee.
“Yes, hello there Mr.
Henry,” he said delightfully giving me a little wave. I tried to look as if I
had been listening to him. “I understand you didn’t need to hear anything I
just said, this thing is so scripted its almost emotionless.”
“Um, I suppose it is,” I
replied suspiciously.
“Oh, excuse me,” he
grinned, “you must be confused on why I’m going off script. You see, the man
who was supposed to read this drabble to you is in one of the bathroom stalls
dead.”
I immediately put my hand
around my gun ready to pull it out. He looked down to where my hand holding my
gun under the table was and then back at me with a laugh.
“Oh, there’s no need for
that Mr. Henry, it’s not like he was real,” he said taking a sip of coffee.
“Why did you kill that man,
of course he was real,” I told him in a hushed angry voice, “why shouldn’t I
shoot you right here?”
“Well you wouldn’t want to
be unprofessional and scare all these nice people, would you?” he gestured at
the people sitting in the café. I loosened the grip on my gun and folded my
arms against my chest.
“Goody, now if you let me
just say what I have to say I’ll be out of your hair as soon as possible,” he
looked at his watch.
“Alright, what do you want,”
I said taking a sip of my coffee.
“I’m sorry to say this Mr.
Henry, but some people have scheduled your termination for this coming
Saturday, approximately four days from now.” He said strangely staring at the
ceiling.
I chuckled, “you’re telling
me that I’m going to be dead in four days?”
“You have my condolences,” he
answered sympathetically.
“Why should I believe you,” I
asked, smiling at him.
He smiled back, “Have faith,
Mr. Henry.”
“Excuse me?” My smile was
getting harder to maintain.
“Have faith that I’m trying to
protect you, and that it is in our best interest that you do not die,” he said
as he started putting papers back into his briefcase.
“Ok, I was going to humor you, but I don’t
have time to deal with crazy people and dead guys in the bathroom, I just want
to be…”
“With your loving family in
Florida, we know,” he looked outside.
I was in shock. How did he
know where my family is, or who they even were? That’s barely even known by the
people I work for, so I played it cool. “Who are you? And who’s we?” I said
trying to wipe the panic of my face.
“You’ll know in due time,” he
stood up and adjusted his tie, “now I want you to do two things for me.”
“And what would those be?” I
asked. He looked outside again.
“First, I want you to ride the
carousel”, he looked back to me,” and second, I want you to wake up daddy.”
“What?” I frowned.
“Wake up daddy!” he yelled
again in a child’s voice.
I woke up to my kids bouncing
on the hotel bed that my wife and I were sleeping in. I was in Disneyworld.
