Log-line: An insecure girl followers her alleged
adulterous boyfriend and gets a rude awakening.
It was Friday, date night, and I always looked
forward to the first Friday of every month. Usually my colleagues could see me
sitting on the edge of my chair tucked in my cubicle smiling like a school
girl. I can still hear them joking about my eagerness. That’s not the case this
Friday because for weeks now Alex has been a tad bit distant. I’ve been trying
to convince myself that he’s overworked and that’s why he’s so stressed out. I
was thrilled to be having date night, it was just what we needed to restore our
relationship. Today I curled my hair and
actually put on makeup. I ended my shift with high hopes of change.
Despite our rough patch he maintained his
chivalry. I could irritate him to the point of no return and he would still
treat me like a princess. That’s what I loved about him most, his forgiveness.
While we waited for our meal to be served there was an awkward silence between
us. The muteness made my mind race and I had to break it. He was sitting right
across from me but I could tell his mind was somewhere else. In the midst of
forcing casual conversation I had to try alternatives. I tried to look at him
in the eyes a little harder. I stared as if the more intense I searched his
eyes I could bring his mind back to me. My attempt failed just like the
conversation. After so many pauses in
our minuscule verbal exchange we reached a mutual agreement. Once that
understanding was grasped he picked up the phone. I usually don’t mind him on
his phone but not at the dinner table. Throughout the rest of the evening he
couldn’t keep his phone out of his hands. Naturally this attachment made me
question his fidelity. Every notification he received sent vibrations that
shook the ground we occupied like an earthquake.
“Who are you talking to?” An irritated inquiry
expecting a direct answer without coaxing.
“No one really.” His cavalier attitude further
frustrated me.
“Well what does that mean?”
“Nothing”
“Could you at least attempt to be more thrilled
about having dinner with me tonight?” I plead in an effort to enjoy what was
once my favorite time of the month.
He played with his phone for a couple more
minutes taking breaks to look at me. I’m pretty sure he could feel how
intensely I was staring at him. I grew so anxious for him to just acknowledge
how much effort I put into my appearance and this night.
Occasionally during the drive home I would glance
at him with disgust. Not only was he ignoring me he was also texting while
driving or just at stop lights he says. “So what’s so intriguing about your
phone Alex?” he quickly glared at me with a smirk and just before he could part
his lips with a slick reply I intervened. “Your face irritates me shut up!”
Silently we performed our nightly routines and
prepared for bed. His hand still wrapped around his phone that emitted a light
brighter than the sun at its peak. Surely our neighbors could see this beam of
a light and easily assume that we have opened up a portal to a parallel
universe. As I rested beside him I caught him smiling at his phone like he was
enjoying a conversation without me. I rolled over snatching the duvet from over
his body. In an attempt to fight my curiosity I tucked the cover under my body
forming a cocoon providing a shield for my eyes from the light. I just don’t
understand why his phone needed so much attention, more attention than he has
been giving me the whole day. I drifted in and out of sleep with full
intentions of investigating this situation.
I was Nancy Drew following the trail of leads
he carelessly poured into the newsfeeds of family, friends and even strangers. A
combination of peculiar tweets he released into the cyber world were so
conveniently accompanied by his exact location. He was more interactive in his
social media presence than he was with real people. His obsession gave me an
advantage on his actions and whereabouts. His friendliness on various internet
sites fueled this whole investigation. How fortunate was I to notice which cafe
he was at with a simple snap. Immediately I was in the bushes directly across from
him daring any female to sit across from him as if this outing was a date. He
was looking rather urbane dressed from head to toe in all black. He looked like
he smelled good and that made me want to jump out of the bushes to strangle
him. He looked down at his phone, stood up and started walking down the street.
I leaped out of the bushes leaving fragments of my clothes tangled in the
fingers of the shrubbery. For some reason I received the strangest looks after
leaving my hiding space. I ignored their opinionated faces that didn’t faze me
I was on a mission.
The luxurious Sunset drive was thick with
tourist pedestrians aimlessly roaming around. They were making it hard for me
to keep up with Alex. Blue shirts blending in with red blouses. What color was he wearing again? After
following him for a while he ended his foot journey in the warehouse district. What is he doing at a warehouse? 4 black
Mercedes sedans set parallel alongside the building. There was a fat man
sitting by the loading dock with a clipboard. Alex walked up the dock and was
easily granted entry. I waited from a far to figure out how to get past the
doorman. Higher ground was the only way I would be able to see what was going
on. I saw a ladder alongside the glass building. I found a spot right next to
an open window. Every man in the transparent structure was dressed in all black
like Alex. They all stood around a desk chatting.
“Did Antonio complete the drop?” A brown man
with a thick Cuban accent asked.
“The cargo is at Dixie 7, senor.”
“I expect no mistakes this time.”
“Si senor no problema, lo siento.” Alex replied
to the Cuban man. The drop, a cargo what
the hell is going on here? When did Alex start speaking Spanish?
“La policia stopped Marco on the greyhound
Monday. Como?”
“We are trying to find the leak sir.” A younger
man replied.
The Cuban man seemed unimpressed. He raised up
out of his chair and all 5 men paid close attention to him as if he was a
teacher and they were students eager to learn. I scanned the room a little more
and saw tables with white powder carelessly spread about the table. Behind the
desk of the Cuban man rested two money counting machines. He made his way
towards the tables and said “Ven a qui.” Young girls in nothing but panties
flocked to him. He pointed to them like they were objects in a demonstration.
“Does anyone know why they are naked?” They all stood there in silence. “They
can’t wear wires. Only the people in this room knows where and when drops are
made.” He paused for a long time and the uneasiness settled in. Hell I was scared for them. His head hung
low as if someone had let him down and deceived him. Alex seemed awkwardly
comfortable, like he knew it wasn’t him and he was immune to whatever
consequence the Cuban man was going to unleash. The room was silent and
everyone just stared at each other like their eyes could point out traitors.
I looked down by the loading dock and saw dread
headed Haitians running into the warehouse. Pushing past the doorman leaving
him on the ground paralyzed. The girls in the room all shrieked in fear
tripping over one another. The men flipped the table throwing the cocaine into
the air. For a second it reminded me of the first snowfall of the season making
the concrete floor sparkle. They took cover behind it exchanging fire. It was
just like a movie scene. Then all of a sudden I was in the room with them
hiding next to the girls. All while being scared trying to hide from stray
bullets I also wanted to see everything unfold. Bullets flying all over the
place as if the men behind assault rifles had no training. A girl right beside
me was hit from a ricochet bullet. She began to cry and I grew irritated with
her whimpers. The bullet grazed her leaving a miniscule scratch on her
shoulder. It was do or die at that moment and the bullets flying across the
room had no direct targets. Once the bullets left the barrel they were like
sperm whose whole purpose is to burrow into flesh. I could have easily been in
that girls position with a war wound. At that moment I was determined to not
become a victim of Alex’s trivial endeavors.
Mentally I had to pause the activities ensuing
before me, scanning the room for Alex first. Where is he? I spotted him with his back against the steel table
trying to reload his gun. Seeing him struggling to recoup put a fear in my
heart for him. The girls and I were huddled next to a tall filing cabinet, I
made my way to the door of the cabinet still ducked down trying not to be seen.
I caught a glimpse of an Ak-47 rifle hanging in the cabinet so I swung the
doors open and grabbed two pistols. Idiotically I ran towards Alex by the table
I couldn’t just stand by and let him die. Throwing myself to the ground out of
the path of gun fire I landed a few feet away from Alex.
“AL, here take this!” I yelled over the rhythm
of the blast coming from the Haitians weapons. He looked back at me in utter
surprise.
“What are you doing here Ashley?” He angrily
asked me.
“I’m sorry babe, I followed you.”
The Cuban man looked at us with a what the fuck are you doing expression. I
told Alex I’ll go get a car and the Cuban man threw a set of keys towards me. I
kissed Alex as if I knew it was goodbye. I dashed for the side door of the warehouse
and pressed the unlock button on the car remote. The chirp went off and what
followed was an explosion that threw me back into the cold bricks of the
warehouse. As the Haitians blasted their guns with no care to have any aim one
of them hit a case of ether and the whole building went up into a vicious
flame.
No comments:
Post a Comment