“Rod. Yes, please, come over, if that won’t be too much of a problem. I slept after sunrise, so I slept through my alarm. I will be ready by the time you come here.” said John, ending the phone call.
An hour later, John and Rod were seated in the living room. John had a mug of coffee in his hand, and Rod was holding a cold beer.
“It’s come to this then. You will have to give up on some of the things you have worked hard for over the last six years. That sucks.” said Rod, taking another sip of beer.
“That is what makes me upset. I am so confused that I could not fall asleep throughout the night. Hence I could not wake up in time to meet you at my office at ten o’ clock. Once again, sorry for asking you to drive all the way out of the city, Rod.” said John.
“Don’t worry about the driving, John. I like coming to your place. It is so quiet here.” said Rod.
“You know what bothers me?” asked John.
“What?” replied Rod, with another question.
“We live in a big city. I mean, Primer is a huge city with a population of eight million. According to media reports, all kinds of crime happens in the city on almost a daily basis. In spite of this, no one seems to need the services of a private detective who has the necessary skills. I cannot believe this city has nothing to offer!” said John in exasperation.
Rod put a hand on John’s shoulder.
“John, calm down. It’s okay. You told me that your Mother is willing to lend you some money. You can buy some more time. Wait and see if this detective business goes somewhere. If you are not comfortable about borrowing from your parents, I can lend you some money too.”
“I don’t want your money, Rod. You are here, and that is good enough for me. I am just upset that things aren’t working out. I have the skills. I have the talent. I just want to work on assignments that provide justice to my skills. Is that too much to ask from this city, Rod?” asked John, imploring at his friend.
“John, I don’t have all the answers. I know how you feel. I really am sorry about this. I wish that it were a little better for you,” said Rod.
“Have you made a decision, John? Are you going to take the job offer? Are you going to ask your Mom for money? Do you want me to give you the money? What is it going to be John? It’s about time you made up your mind, buddy. Time is running out,” said Rod, summing up the scenario for John.
“Maybe I should accept the job offer.” said John, looking down and shaking his head.
“You really want to do that? Are you sure?” asked Rod, with a twinkle in one of his eyes.
“What do you mean by that look, Rod? Come on. Lay it on me. What are you implying?” asked John.
“Do you fully comprehend the extent to which your life will change when you start working for a public company? Neither of us has any experience working for such an organization. However, you should hear the kind of stories my friends who work in such organizations have to tell. They have to get up very early every work day and hit the busy traffic. They are required to log their work to certify the minimum number of hours worked each week. Their lunch break is not very flexible, since they need to get back to office to log-in again. They finish work just in time to join the evening rush hour traffic on the way home. I don’t think you will survive that, John.” said Rod, summarizing the life of an office worker.
“Is it really that dull and monotonous? I think I can handle it, Rod.” said John.
“Really? You? The guy who is having nightmares about dungeons and crawlies every night? You have got to be kidding me, John.” said Rod.
“You are probably right, Rod. I won’t survive a week in that kind of environment. I will just have to figure out another option. Life can be so tough. I had no idea that it would get this tough.” said John, more to himself than to Rod. Rod simply nodded his head.
“You know what, Rod? Let me go to the office. Spend some time there and think about the job, the money, and whatever else comes to mind. I will have to make a decision by this evening. I will do it. If today is the last day I will be sitting in my office, then I might as well spend my last few hours as a private detective in the office itself.” said John.
“Sounds like a plan to me. I have to drive to the city as it is. I will drop you on the way.” said Rod.
“Sure, why not.” said John.
The two friends picked up their stuff, locked the apartment, and walked to Rod’s car in the basement car park of the building. As the car drove toward Primer city, they talked about their college life and how far they had come. An hour later, John was dropped in front of his office building. He took the elevator, entered his office, and sat down on his usual sofa.
John knew that he could not take up that job. That would mean surrendering to fate. Something that John Russo did not believe in. That was not what his old man taught him while raising him. His old man taught him to fight and only accept defeat when there were no other options available. Right now, John Russo was willing to wait before he gave up. All he needed was some money to wait until the right client hired him. Borrowing money was not something that made him happy. It hurt his ego and everything else he believed about himself.
Stop being such an ego maniac John told himself. He told himself that asking ones parents for some help was not as bad as it sounded. Parents were the ones who raised you. The debt that children owed to their parents could never be cleared. Thus, asking for help was just another part of that debt. There was no shame in that. John Russo reasoned with himself that maybe taking a small loan from his loving parents wasn’t such a bad idea. He would use that money to buy another six months. Something might turn up in that time. If nothing turned up, then he could give up, admit defeat, get a blue collar job, and run with it. He could also use the additional six months to adequately prepare himself for the eventual lifestyle. He would be better prepared mentally.
John Russo got up from the couch, and picked up the receiver from the desk. He dialled his parent’s number. The phone rang twice before it was picked up by his Mother.
“Mom, it’s me, John.” he said, his voice a little shaken.
His Mother sensed his tone right away. She had heard the same shaken voice so many times. Each time her son had to make a difficult decision, something he wasn’t happy about, he had that tone. Mothers can always read their son’s thoughts. Depending on the situation, it could be a good thing or a bad thing.
“John, tell me.” she said, hiding the fact that she recognized her son’s shaky voice.
“Mom, I need to ask you a favor.” he said. His mind wanted to say that he wanted some money. His heart, though, was hesitating. He did not realize that it could be so tough.
“Go on, son. What do you want?” her Mother implored, on the other side of the phone. Mrs. Russo did not wish to make her son even more uncomfortable than he already was. She knew that he was about to ask her for help.
“I want you to ask Dad to come to my office right away. Tell him to bring...”
Russo stopped speaking. There was movement outside the office. In the lobby, someone had just entered. By the sound of the footsteps, he could tell that it was a woman who was wearing moderately high heeled footwear.
“Just a minute, Mom. I am putting the call on hold” he said to his Mom, pressing the hold button on his landline phone. He crossed his office quickly, grabbing the coat as he reached the office door. He stepped into his lobby and found a woman sitting. She was dressed casually, and her face was filled with a worry that completely overshadowed her smile as Russo entered the waiting room. She was dressed like a person who might be out shopping, and definitely not like an office-going person. She was possibly in her early thirties, although she could have been younger. Her darkened eyes, probably because she hadn’t slept well in the last week, made her look older.
“Hello. I am John Russo. Private Detective. May I help you?”
“Yes. I am Rita Luck. My brother is missing. I found your office from the classifieds, which said that you can help. Can you?” she asked in a slightly hoarse voice. John Russo thought that she might have been crying recently. Way too much crying, he thought.
“I can. Give me a moment, please.” he said, rushing back to the phone. He picked up the receiver, removed it from hold, and spoke to his Mother.
“Mom, I want you to tell Dad to come to my office right way. Tell him to bring his car. Mine is in the garage.” lied John Russo. He wanted to ask him to bring money with him. Luck was on his side today. Ms. Luck could probably be the turning point of his life, he thought.
“Oh! Okay, son, I will tell your Father to do that.” replied Mrs. Russo. She was slightly taken aback by this sudden change of tone and words. His tone was different. All the shaking was gone. She knew that something good had just happened. She thanked God, for whatever it was, and ended the call. On the other side of the phone, John returned the phone to its holding place. He rushed back to the door and asked his client to step into his office.
John Russo returned to his desk and took his chair. For the first time in six months, he had an actual reason to sit on that chair. He felt good about the day, about this client. Suddenly, the rush hour traffic outside was no longer bothering him. He thought the sun was pleasant, and the day itself was looking better. He was happy. Deep inside, his mind kept cautioning him not to get too carried away with this sudden turn of events. He would not listen though. He kept blocking out those negative thoughts. Even if this was a false hope, he deserved a little joy. It was a tiny reward for his six months of waiting.
Before he took his chair, he motioned Ms. Luck to the visitor’s chair. She took the seat. John Russo moved a glass of water toward her. She looked at it, and seemed to think for a few seconds before gulping it down.
“Thank you, detective.”
“You are welcome. Ms. or Mrs. Luck?”
“I am Ms. Luck. I was told by a friend of mine that you are a good detective. Do you recall June Little? She was here a few months ago. You helped her out with her cheating husband.”
John Russo did not recall that name. He quickly ran a search on his tablet. June Little’s file showed up. The notes talked about her husband who was having an affair with her cousin. The case was slightly more complicated because June did not wish her cousin to be implicated. John Russo figured out a simple solution. The former Mrs. Little paid a handsome bonus for managing all of it pretty well.
“Yes, I remember helping her.” he said, putting his tablet away and looking back at her.
“She also said that you no longer work on divorce cases anymore. She did mention about the clarity with which you worked. I am her friend, who was with her during those difficult times. I was very impressed with your work, Mr. Russo.” she said, grabbing a tissue from the table. She wiped her tears away, dropped the tissue in the nearby waste basket, and grabbed another.
“Thank you, Ms. Luck. Now that I know how you found out about me, why don’t you tell me how I can help you? You are not married, which obviously means you are not here to make me go back to spying on your spouse or some such.” said Russo, containing his excitement. Finally, an actual criminal investigation was coming his way. If he was a young boy, he would have run down the hallway that connected his office to the elevator, screaming words of joy, and perhaps some profanity as well. He told himself that he could not do that, although he did think about it a few times. He had half a mind to call up Rod and tell him to come over with some champagne. That would have to wait for a while, John said a voice inside his head.
In response to his question, Ms. Luck dug into her handbag. The handbag was just like her, simple, and a little dull. It had a single green ornament on the opening flap, but otherwise, it looked completely ordinary. She pulled out a large photo which was folded twice. She opened it and handed it over to the detective. John noticed that the photo was crumpled, as if it was held in her hands for the last few days. He also saw traces of dried tears.
“This is my brother, Todd Luck. He lives in this city. I think something might have happened to him.” she said, dabbing her tears with another leaf of tissue. John noticed that the tissue box was at the end of its life. He got up and walked to the cabinet of his office. He grabbed a new box of tissues, and placed it next to the old one. He then returned to his chair, all the while focusing on the picture and the man in the picture. The man in the picture bore no resemblance to the lady here. He looked to be about twenty five years old, with that youthful appearance in his face. He was clean shaven, and his eyebrows seemed like they were trimmed. John thought that was odd, but some guys did go the extra length to make themselves look good. The man was wearing a red and blue checked shirt. Odd choice for a shirt, John thought. He looked a lot happier than his sister was right now. At the back of the picture, a date was printed, indicating that the photo was snapped three years ago. It was an old picture.
“What makes you think that he is missing?” asked John Russo, returning the photo to the crying client.
“He worked in this city. I am not from around here. I don’t know where he worked, or what his job was all about. He would call me once a week. It’s been ten days now, and he hasn’t called.” she said. She had stopped crying now. Perhaps she thought that this detective might be able to help her. As she spoke, John looked at her closely. She seemed a lot older than the guy in the photo. John assumed that he must be her younger brother. She was a wearing blue top that that had slight wavy patterns on the right side. Her pants were a darker blue shade, and she had a gold wrist watch on her right arm. John noticed that the watch did not really fit her, as if it was a gift from someone else. John ventured a guess that the watch might have been a gift from her brother. Her hair was held together by a single band in a ponytail. Her eyes, the only thing that would relate to the person in the photo, were blue, and they were pleasant to look at. She had an ordinary face.
“Did you call him?” asked the detective, trying to understand more about the situation.