Authors: S. W. Frank
Alfonzo’s
home was completely
monitored with every security
device imaginable,
even fucking Drones. That shit bugged him out. He thought they were real birds flying overhead but they weren’t. The
small surveillance equipment captured an aerial view of the property in real time. After what happened
,
h
is boss went all out
to protect his family
and he didn’t blame him.
Currently,
things were uneventful
. The Diaz’
were
in New York for the summer and the house was quiet, except for the occasional shenanigans
by co-workers. Overall, he remained
mindful,
any day holy hell might break loose.
The job was
definitely an occupational hazard but hey, the excitement and pay were well worth the risks.
After passing the campus sign he pulled
in front of t
he entryway and called Jessica’s cell phone.
“I’m outside the gate.”
“I’m coming now.”
He disconnected and leaned against the head rest waiting patiently. He’d gone through this before and Jessica’s
‘be
out in a minute
,
’
always came
closer to an hour
or more
. W
hat the hell took women so long, anyway? H
e
shrugged, he wasn’t in any hurry.
He swiveled
his head
to
absorb the beautiful scenery
.
He
considered
going to college but
passed on it
when he got this job
.
The
exceptional
pay
and opportunity to
utilize his m
echanic skills
were enticing benefits. Anyway, having a college education didn’t
guarantee
a good paying job. Take what’s going on in the
economy;
highly educated people are out of work and losing everything.
He got his mechanic’s license at a technical school and
got paid a great salary.
A c
ollege
education
is nice but not the singular pathway to success. F
inding your niche,
being good at it
and smart financial planning
is.
So far, he managed to save a nice chunk of money
by taking his boss’ suggestion to invest a portion
of his salary
in
stocks
. The ambiguous future
appeared much brighter
, at least financially.
He owed Mr. Diaz a debt of gratitude
.
In the span of three years
,
h
e’d gone from
doing odd jobs for
Mr. Diaz
’
to
lead mechanic. He was
responsible for
repairs and
maintenance
on his custom designed vehicles and loved it!
“Hey!” Jessica waved running toward the car.
Emilio slid up in his seat. Jessica’s exuberant personality was infectious. He
smiled;
his boss’ cousin was also very
pretty
.
She was
modelesque with sun-kissed skin and long brown hair
which
highlighted
a perfect
oval face.
She climbed in the front seat throwing her backpack in the
rear
then buckled her seatbelt. “Thanks for picking me up Emilio. I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there after my exam.”
“Have you called your mom to let her know you’re coming home?”
Jessica’s brown eyes flashed mischief, “I didn’t say I was going home.”
Emilio frowned. He didn’t like where this was going. What game was she playing? One thing for sure, he didn’t
want to be in the middle of it. “Listen,
I’m not taking you anywhere except to the airport and putting you on a flight home.”
She leaned against the seat pouting and folded her arms, “Emilio come on, everyone’s on summer break
and
I got stuck here, the least you can do is help
a chica
out.”
“Maybe, if you hadn’t fucked around and did you
r assignments you wouldn’t be taki
ng the professor’s summer class, did
you think about that?”
Frustrated, h
e grit his teeth
,
“Besides
, I’ve
helped you out
too
many times.
”
She made a face, “
Yeah, I know but I swear
I’ll pay you back, soon.”
“Yeah
,
when
?”
Her small white teeth flashed a smile, “Maybe we can work out some type of installment agreement.”
“
Hell no, I’ll be ninety when it’s paid off.
Forget
it,
c
all it a gift
,
mami
.
”
“C’mon lighten up, you act
so damn
old. How old are you anyway, twenty-six…seven
-
ish
?”
Actually, he was
only
twenty-
four
.
“What difference does it make
, I’m older than you
?”
“You should understand where I’m coming from. I’
ll be twenty
-one in four months. All I want to do is have some goddamn fun but my mom keeps treating me like a kid,
tú
sabe
?”
Her lip tugged down at the corner
contemplating how to phrase the next part. “I was
thinki
ng…”
He rolled his eyes. Th
e
girl was going to get him in serious trouble. He felt it. “Jessica
,
whatever it is the answer is no!”
Then she did it. She smiled flirtatiously
, hoping to influence his decision with her feminine
charms, “I
thought
maybe you’d
come with me to Miami. I’m supposed to meet
my
f
riends
tomorrow.” She put her hands together pleading, “
A week
, that’s all then I’ll go home for the remainder of the summer.”
“
Who
’s the friends
?”
He asked like a concerned parent.
“Beth, Vicky and some more girls from the sorority.
They’re down in Miami for Summerfest.”
Oh yeah, he met Beth.
T
he wild one.
Vicky
, now she was
nice, a bit quiet, but nice.
“
Absolutely not.”
“Come on….please…please…please.”
“No.”
She changed tactics, “Okay, well then I guess you’ll have to explain to Alfonzo how I dipped out on you
because I’m going
anyway
.”
His eyes twinkled, “Yeah, how
, y
ou
’re broke, remember?
”
This drew an exasperated sigh, “Ah come on. Damn,
Emilio
cut me a break!”
He chuckled, “I can swing a plane ticket to New York
and nothing else. No more IOU’s
.”
She unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for her backpack, “No thanks
old man
, I’ll stay in
my
dorm.
Peace!
”
He wasn’t buying it. He felt bad for
her
but his hands were tied
.
“You better not leave the campus. I’m serious!”
“Whatever
shit-head
, you’re not my father
!”
She was out the car and rushing toward the campus grounds. He
fumed
, “God
d
ammit!”
He called his boss. Alfonzo came on the line, “What’s up?”
“Your cousin wants to go to Miami to meet up with
her
friends
instead of going home
.
W
hat do you want me to do?”
“Let me talk to her.”
“She
’s gone to her dorm room
.”
“
Stay put, I’ll call you in five.”
Five minutes went past then another five before his cell rang and he answered, “Yes, Mr. Diaz?”
“Okay, use the company card. Escort her to Miami
a
nd
keep an eye on her. I called Lou,
everything’s covered.
Consider it a paid working vacation.
” There was a pause followed by, “Nothing better happen to my cousin while she’s there, you feel me?”
“Si, yes
,
Mr. Diaz.”
“Alright, I expect
a
call ever
y day. If a day goes by and I don’t hear from you,
your ass
better be
dead!”
The call ended and Emilio released the air from his lungs wondering what the fuck he
’d
gotten into, now!