Julia, My Julia - Part 2: The Answer

I returned home a few hours later. I lived in a small apartment next to the old cliché landrail tracks. My wife was pregnant, but she was making do. I felt so miserable. I couldn’t give her what she had wanted. I couldn’t do anything right, but she stuck in there for me.  I didn’t know why though. I walked up the creaky stairs and into my kitchen, she was there waiting loyally, nursing a hot drink.
“How did it go?” The first words to come out of her mouth. I didn’t know what to tell her.
“I... Not too well.” Her facial expression turned to a sympathetic one. “Oh.” Was her only response.
I snapped. “Oh?! What does that mean? Oh, here he comes again, ‘the failure’, no money no food.”
She was obviously scared. The pressure was too much.
“What, no, I didn’t sa-” I cut her off before she could finish.
“You think I don’t care? You think that I go up there and enjoy being booed off the stage?”
I turned around and saw her face. She was worried and very upset. More in a shocked and still way, rather than overt crying. I realised what I had done. I fell to my knees and placed my head into her lap.
“I’m so sorry, you deserve more. I just can’t give you that.” I began to sob, she looked as if she didn’t know how to console me. I stood up, walked to the window and sighed.
“Just a few hundred dollars, that would get us clear. There are girls down in the docks that get more money than I do, and they don’t even have to be funny.”
She began to giggle. I smiled, it was nice to hear her laugh.
“Even if you can’t get this job through, at least you can always make me laugh.”
I pulled out a seat to our rickety table. We began to talk. Things seemed on the up. Maybe I was just making things too hard for myself to bear.

The next day I was sat in the bar, drowning my sorrows with loving scotch. I was lost in a sea of troubles. I sat quietly in the corner, waiting for my next performance to creep around. I didn’t know what to do with myself. After the 4th drink, a man approached me and sat down at my table. He wore a trilby hat with thin framed glasses. His suit was fine cut and slim. He smelt like expensive aftershave. There was something about him I didn’t trust.
“You look like a man who needs help.”
He had only said eight words and I was already offended. I gave him the look of offence. He did nothing but smile.
“I don’t mean that in a bad way. I simply mean you look like you could use a few extra dollars to your name.”
He caught my attention. Unfortunately I gave out a look that he had as well. I immediately receded and nursed my whiskey.
“So what if I am?” I asked, enclosed within my own way.
“Well, if you are, maybe I can help. I have a job.”
I grew suspicious. I was worried.
“Is it… illegal?” I looked at him. His facial expression didn’t change.
“It’s not 100% legal” I went to grab my coat and leave, but then he said something that caught my attention once again.
“It’s not 100%, but I can guarantee you could earn ten thousand dollars from it.”
I sat back down with a mixed look of happiness and shock on my face.
“What is this job?” I questioned in the calmest voice possible.
“I know you. You used to be the security consultant for Grand Chemicals before they laid you off. You decided to take time off to become a comedian.”
My face dropped.
“How did you know that?”
“I have my sources. All we need you to do is ‘guide’ a few of our guys to the office in the back, then ‘guide’ them out again. A simply 15 minutes worth of work and after it, if anyone asks, we never saw you and you never saw us.”
The job was tempting, I’d give him that. But I had doubts. He knew I did. He could see it on my face.
“Look, I ain’t asking you to kill anyone. We need a guy we don’t know. We’re going to make a sweet million from this, I won’t lie to ya’, so we’re giving you ten grand to keep away when we’re done. Imagine what ten grand can do for your wife and child.”
I was unnerved. Making a million from something so ‘easy’ couldn’t be legal in the slightest. But with the amount of money they were offering, I would be able to treat my love to the life she deserves. I could have a kick start to make my family something.
“So… you’re saying all I have to do is walk your guys into the abandoned plant, to the office, then walk them out and I get ten grand and no funny business afterwards?”
He nodded.
“I can assure you, that you have my word.”
For the first time in a long time, I finally felt as if there was an escape plan. I felt like there was a light at the end of my tunnel. It wasn’t legal, but I can do good things by committing it. I nodded back and shook his hand. There was a huge grin on my face.