Out of Bounds

OUT OF BOUNDS

SIMON DUKE

Copyright 2014 Simon Duke

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved.

All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cover design by Bertrand Raes

Front cover image Copyright Oscar Sánchez Fotografía

Back cover image Copyright Kaytee Fisher

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is also available in print.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Acknowledgements

About the Author

But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.

Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea (1952)

Chapter 1

I opened my eyes. Dazzling white filled the dark sky for no more than a second, illuminating the street. Rain was thick and machine-gunning the ground. Passers-by were on a quest for shelter, dashing from one place to another. Helluva night.

Sitting there, in the van, in the rain storm, I was waiting for my turn to be part of this crowd. Couldn’t get myself to open the door. I clutched the handle but couldn’t pull away, just couldn’t focus.

Reason was, I was scared shitless, dreading the unknown. There was a man in Sloppy Joe’s bar across the street waiting for me. Couldn’t get myself to move, face the music, sort the situation out. I felt raw, in need of a stiff drink, something, anything to get some sort of temporary relief. Maybe a Xanax? It had been a while since my last pill.

I switched off the radio. The music was useless anyway, couldn’t distract me, help put my mind on more pleasant things. I pulled up the zip of my jacket, tilted my neck until I heard it crack, breathed slowly. Just a few more seconds to gather some will-power, some cojones. I needed to get it over with. The black night called my name.

Lightning struck again as I opened the door, locked the van and crossed the road. Traffic was not so much of a bitch in the bad weather. Guess I was the only soul in the dark town stupid enough to be leaving a shelter. I scurried across the street. Another white illumination was cast on the street as I pushed Sloppy Joe’s door open.

Music playing was indecipherable. Five patrons at the counter, another four seated in booths. Asylum seekers, brothers in arms. Sloppy Joe’s ain’t exactly your trendy joint.

My man was sitting at the back of the bar, a bottle of Jack in front of him, and two glasses. If he wasn’t six foot, two hundred and forty pounds, with a mean-looking scar on his forehead and a history of violence, maybe, just maybe, the scene would have been a little more welcoming. I slowly made my way to his table, acknowledged the bartender’s gaze in passing. My man poured a glass, smiling, real happy to see me again, ready to toast the occasion.

‘Where the fuck you been?’ the guy muttered, studying my face with fierce eyes.

I plucked up some courage from God knows where. ‘You seen the weather? Gotta be dumb to leave home tonight… Howdya get here?’

‘Loosen up Kyle. Start that drink. Learn to chill. That’s no way to start socializing.’

I grabbed the glass and sipped quickly. The sensation of fluid blooming in my chest felt good, kind of liberating. I gave myself a few seconds and put the glass down. The man waited patiently, still looking at me.

‘Seems like you needed that. You anxious, Kyle?’

‘No, Ray. It’s always a pleasure to be in your warm company. It’s kind of like Disneyworld with the human touch.’

‘Cut the sarcasm, will ya, Kyle. This ain’t the way you should be talking to a friend.’

‘What the fuck do you want, Ray? I left my house, my girlfriend, my kids, even my fuckin’ TV for Chrisake, to be with you tonight. You can’t expect smiles too.’

‘Look here, Kyle. You know why you’re here. You put yourself into this shit, you doofus. So don’t play this home sweet home crap on me. I don’t give a fuck. You understand?’

‘Okay. I’ll be Mr. Nice Guy. Just let me finish this drink.’

Ray nodded, looked away for the first time. The man had drunk a third of the bottle of Jack already and I was not seeing any signs of merriness. I guessed party time was over.

As the final drop oozed down my throat, I looked back at him, knees shaking, fingers trembling, like some cowboy ready to pull out his gun in a main street shootout.

‘Ray, I got a good idea about who you are and what you do. This shit is not mine. I’m sure this has nothing to do with me.’

‘You got some balls to talk to me like that. You know? Let me tell you something. I’m not here to listen to your whining. Boss sent me here to deal with you, not sweet talk you. I’m not your shrink, so don’t fuck around with me.’

‘I already told you everything I know. Swear to God I have. I don’t get why you want me over here.’

‘Reckoned a face-to-face civilized discussion might do us some good. Phones ain’t so convenient for that. Besides with you here, being polite and all, you can’t just chicken out on me. No excuses.’

‘Sure. But that doesn’t change the fact I know jack shit. You’ve got the wrong guy. How many times do I have to repeat myself to make you understand?’

He paused. ‘Yeah, you’ve told me that like a million times and I still don’t buy it, neither does Mr. Hector… You know, Mr. Hector is real disappointed. He sees bullshit from a mile away and he reckons you are full of it. Gotta sort your game out, Kyle. Now is the perfect time to deliver, grant us some fuckin’ peace of mind. See what I mean?’

‘Mr. Hector needn’t worry about me. Tell him that. I owe him nothing. You’re looking at the wrong man. Guy you’re interested in must have left the city a long time ago and I reckon he won’t be sending a post card… Thanks for the drink, Ray, I gotta go.’

I got up, mechanically brushed fake dust off my jacket, and looked down at Ray with as much self-assurance as possible. I hated the guy.

‘Sit down, Kyle. I’m serious,’ shouted Ray.

Customers stared at us briefly, quickly returned to their own business, didn’t want to be involved. Nothing worse than attracting strangers’ shit on you. Couldn’t blame them either.

‘What’s this crap you’re pullin’ on me? You don’t move now. If it weren’t for these folks around us, I’d be hitting you in the face. You understand? If a drink and a few kind words ain’t gonna work, well I might just have to call my buddies and ask them to pay a visit to the Kyle Hunt residence, see if they can shake some sense into your cute little loved ones. Shit, Kyle, you know you are just one phone call away from that happening. What time is it? Must be like one in the morning. I guess Pilar and the kids are sound asleep and the sandman’s working his magic. Gonna be one helluva surprise when they wake up.’

Swallowing hard, I raised my hand, motioned in objection.

‘Ray, please. Leave them out of this. We can work this out together. Please.’

Ray looked at me with a smile on his ugly face. Guess he knew he had gotten me where he wanted.

‘Now that’s better. We’re getting somewhere. You think I enjoy threatening your family love nest? You’re a dumb schmuck wasting my motherfuckin’ time like that… Can we just discuss the matter like adults now?

I sat down again, aware Ray had the upper-hand. The man had been dealing with Mr. Hector’s private matters for years. His experience in repair of low-life screw-ups just glowed on him. I pictured Ray to be anywhere between forty-five and fifty-five. Made in a tough bastard mould, Ray saw life in black and white. No room for gray.

I was trapped. My entire existence seemed to be in his grip. Past, present and future all blended into one and thrown at me like a curveball. I gulped. It was Sloppy Joe’s, the bad booze, Ray’s threatening grins, and me in the middle of it all. Time had stopped, must have had plans for me.

*

Life can change in one second. Everything you love and cherish can be taken away from you without you realizing what’s happened. I’m not a man who believes in fate, luck, karma, whatever you want to call it. I think we live our lives based on one decision after another. Sure, outside influences have their part to play, but if you take a look at the bare bones of your existence so far, you can’t say that all that has happened to you was unfair or unlucky. You get made redundant. Sure, it’s the boss’ fault, but then you applied for the job and you chose to stay and accept the responsibilities that go with it. Or you cross the street, get run over by a bus. But it was you who chose to cross that street and get yourself killed – it’s just you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You make your own luck, good or bad. That’s the way it is, always was, and always will be. You’re fucked, just a question of how you want it to pan out. It’s that simple.

Wrong place, wrong time… kind of sums up why I was involved in some serious shit. Innocent as I was, I’m the one who chose to work for Hector and I guess I should have been sharper, not so blind. Hindsight has always been a cruel and unforgiving advisor.

I’m Kyle Hunt, thirty-three, and installing safe doors, alarms and home security systems was what I did for a living. The company I used to work for, OCEANIA Security, was downsizing. I may just have been next on the list of departures. My pay was a joke, my benefits inexistent. My sweetheart Pilar, was at home taking care of our new baby daughter. She relied, on what I could bring home, which was getting smaller by the week. Landlord had been chain-phoning us for weeks, had to sell Pilar’s car… We were living from day to day, so I was all ears when easy-money opportunities came my way.

Chapter 2

It was a few weeks back, early October 2011, the fourth to be precise. I was drinking coffee at a customer’s place when the call came in. Mrs. Barnes had asked OCEANIA to install a triple-lock front door. It was my shift and my sector. Unloading the door from the van, the prep work and installation took me less time than I thought. I was expected back at the office in forty five minutes, which gave me plenty of time to sit down and drink the coffee Mrs. Barnes had insisted I have. She said it was Honduran and hard to get. I acknowledged with a nod suggesting I was on the same wavelength. As we sat there in the kitchen and talked about the shape of her neighborhood and delinquency being no better, my personal cell phone buzzed. I excused myself as politely as I could, half expecting the office or Pilar to be on the other end of the line. The call was brief but nothing I could have anticipated.

‘Kyle Hunt? Is this Kyle Hunt?’ the voice said.

It was a soft yet commanding man’s voice. No background noise.

‘Yup,’ I replied. ‘This is Hunt… Who’s calling?’

‘I have a question for you Kyle. Are you interested in a five-figure paycheck for a few hours of your time?’

I paused, looked at Mrs. Barnes and she looked back at me with an expression in her eyes sensing that I was dealing with something important. I excused myself and walked into the corridor outside the kitchen.

‘Sorry, I wasn’t alone,’ I told the voice. ‘Hello?’

‘Still here, Kyle, still here. I need you to fit in a security camera and get it to transmit footage to a hard drive and to some computers. Is that up your alley?’

‘Sounds like routine to me. You gotta name and address?’

‘Depends on whether or not I can trust you, Kyle’

Surprised by the comment, I hesitated. ‘Look here, I don’t know if you’re kidding with me here, but it isn’t funny. Who gave you this number?’

‘Kyle, I couldn’t be more serious. This is as serious as it gets… If you are not interested, I can hang up and call another guy with the same skills, make his day. If you see what I mean.’

All of a sudden, I realized the call could be from some wise-ass guy at work putting me to the test, seeing how far I’d go to breach my contract for some quick cash.

‘I don’t work black market. Got principles, you see’ I replied.

The voice said, ‘Well, it seems like I cannot trust you after all, Kyle. One minute you’re listening to what I have to say and the next you pull this bullshit on me. Hell, I’m gonna give the twenty grand to the next schmuck on my list.’

I kind of had the impression that whoever was on the other end of the line was not the kind to mess around with. His voice was one of determination and experience. I felt awkward, uneasy, yet intrigued. Twenty thousand bucks was a lot of money, and I desperately needed it.

‘I’m all ears,’ I continued. ‘You’ve got my attention, Mr… What can I call you?’

‘No names now, Kyle. I’m glad I’ve got you hooked and we can do business together.’

‘It’s my pleasure,’ I said.

‘Right, you know the deli down by the corner of Wentworth and Meeting Street?’

‘Sure do. Great pastrami, maybe the best in Charleston. Do we meet up now?’

‘No next year... Of course, we need to meet up now. Get your ass down there as soon as you can. Friend of mine called Ray will be waiting for you.’

‘How will I recognize him?’

‘Shit Kyle, everybody knows Ray. Ray’s a fucking institution in this town. He’ll be the dude with the great big fucking scar on his face, looks like a fucking retired wrestler. Besides, he knows what you look like.’

‘Well that’s reassuring. I’ll go see Ray then.’

I explained I had to get a few papers signed by my customer and that it’d take me no more than twenty minutes to reach downtown. The voice waited patiently and then suddenly hung up. I then quickly looked at the incoming number stored in my phone’s memory. Might be useful.

I remember calling Pilar at home to let her know I was running late but didn’t tell her why. Pilar as always was understanding and said she’d wait for me for dinner. She said she was going to put our baby daughter Beverly to bed and our eldest daughter, Maryse, soon after. I said I’d do my best to get home and kiss them good night after a bedtime story. Pilar wasn’t convinced. I was inventing her a bedtime story. Guess I wasn’t convinced myself.

The ride downtown in the OCEANIA van was uneventful and quiet. I recall parking further down Meeting Street and walking a few blocks to the deli as night was falling. The deli was packed but I reckoned there would be a seat for me. Just seemed that the voice on the phone and his friend I was about to meet would be sharp enough to have considered that eventuality.

The smell of red wine and pasta hit me as I walked into the deli. The place was buzzing, waiters waltzing between tables, loud conversations, bursts of laughter. An overall good vibe for rush hour dinner time.

The first time I saw Ray, he was getting up from his table, wiping his mouth with a napkin and beginning to put his jacket on. He glanced at me and looked down while searching through a pocket. He pulled out his wallet and dropped several dollar bills on the table without giving a second thought. He made his way to greet me at the door before any of the deli’s staff could ask me if I wanted to stay and eat. Close up, Ray was impressive, solid build, surely due to a lot of iron pumping, big and overpowering. He wasn’t there to mess around.

‘Follow me,’ he said, walking by me on his way out. I followed him - a yard or two behind.

In the street, we walked without uttering a single word for a few minutes. Then he leaned against a wall and produced a pack of Lucky Strikes from his shirt pocket. He took a smoke and looked me in the eye to check if I wanted one too.

‘No thanks,’ I replied.

He shrugged his shoulders, seemed to suggest I was a freak, lit his smoke and puffed a few times before redirecting his attention to me.

‘Hunt, the name’s Ray. The man you talked to earlier this evening is Mr. Hector. I work for Mr. Hector and make sure things happen the way Mr. Hector wants them to happen. I sort out stuff, straighten stuff up, finish off unfinished work. Basically, my job is to iron out the doubts and uncertainties Mr. Hector may or may not have. Provide the man with a peace of mind, some comfort in this fucked up world. You Hunt, Kyle… I’ll stick to Kyle. Kyle, this is where you come in. Mr. Hector likes to work in a secure environment, he focuses better that way. Figured a guy like you could be useful, lend a hand, and get this situation fixed for him. Now I know he’s given you a price. It’s a generous offer and we know you need the cash. Besides, we understand a guy like you ain’t gonna shout out from the rooftops what a great job he has just landed. We guess you’re the more discreet type, the one that does the job, takes the money and asks no questions. Am I right?’

These guys already knew a whole lot about me and my financial worries. I tried to reply as casually as possible. ‘Yeah sure. I’m a real professional.’

‘Okay that’s good’

We walked a bit more and got to a street corner when he pulled out some car keys and hit the unlock button. I saw the lights blink on a silver Chrysler Sebring parked just ahead of us. He got in the driver’s seat and told me to hop aboard.

‘Let’s get this over with,’ he said. ‘Mr. Hector is waiting.’

Hit by some last minute hesitation, I didn’t want to get in his car. ‘Look Ray, I gotta get going. It’s late and I’ll try and do the camera work for Mr. Hector as soon as possible. I’ll make it a priority. I promise.’

I knew my explanation was not good enough even before I had ended it. Ray did not seem the kind of guy who would just let me go. I sensed then I had exhausted the little patience he had left for me.

‘Get in the fucking car, you moron,’ he shouted, looking at me with a smile which gave me the impression he was not the submissive type. He’d been through some way more serious bullshit before.

‘Ray. I ain’t got my tools, the cameras and all the dozens of pieces of material required to install what Mr. Hector wants. You gotta be kidding.’

‘We got all that shit already. The twenty thousand is for your services only and it’s tax-free. Do you believe it? Now stop jerking around and get in the car. You do this tonight, it can’t wait. When you finish, I’ll drive you back here. Then you go home.’

I looked at my watch. Time was half eight. Reckoned Pilar was reading the bedtime story to Maryse and she’d soon be watching TV, waiting for me to come home. I decided not to call her out of worry that Ray would fire up again. I weighed my options, which were vanishing by the second. This was it, I thought to myself. Get in the car. Let Ray take you to some uncertain future. Or belt it. Get as far away as possible. Obviously, these are guys you cannot trust. You dash back home, get Pilar and the girls out of there, take them someplace safe. I reckoned Mr. Hector and his goons had done their homework and would know what to do, immediately, if ever I decided to call it a day. I opened the passenger door.

Ray clutched the wheel and drove off as I fastened my seat belt. Radio was on, ironically playing Frank Sinatra’s Come Fly with Me. Ray kept silent, seemed like his tirade a few minutes ago and his eagerness to get me into his Sebring was his part of the package. He was not going to embark on small talk with me. I could deal with that.

As the song came to an end, Ray had already made good progress in beating some of that night traffic and headed westwards away from downtown and the sea front. A few minutes later we crossed Ashley River and slowly made our way south to James Island. The island is mainly residential and, approaching nine o’clock, most folks are home, washing the dishes, getting ready for a movie, or whatever else suburbanites do at that time at night. I was familiar with the neighborhood having come here many times for OCEANIA. We drove even further south. Houses were getting bigger, manicured gardens too, more imposing, wealth more apparent as we approached the waterfront again. I think we got to the very far side of Ocean View Road when Ray stopped and cut the headlights.

The house, or mansion I should say, was illuminated from all angles. Light was also shining on the English garden, dotted with a fountain, bushes, palm trees, and a variety of ornaments. The garden path reflected the moonlight. The sea breeze made the shadows flutter. We reached the front door porch. Ray pressed the doorbell, releasing an echoing sound of chiming church bells. We stood there, agitated but empty of conversation. No need to talk really. I was sucking all of this in. It was like being invited to Jay Gatsby’s.

I don’t know why, but standing there with Ray, having been more or less abducted to carry out a job for the mobster who was about to open the door, I began thinking of Pilar. I remembered a wonderful evening we spent together shortly after we first met, the giggles we had during the movie, her laughter at the restaurant. I walked her back to her place. Her smile was languorous. She was dressed smart. She was beautiful. Her charm lingered on even after she closed the door to her apartment. It had been a night of fun and togetherness. Seemed like a million miles away.

Chapter 3

The first time I saw Pilar, it was in early 2006. I was on a working lunch break, resting in the shade of a tree in Hampton Park. I was reading a paperback and munching a baked ham and cheese sandwich. I liked to go there, that same spot when the sun was out. It felt like a refuge for me. The mornings were pretty busy at OCEANIA and management liked putting people like me to the test and giving out orders. Afternoons were more or less the same. So lunch breaks were crucial for my own freedom and sanity. I remember I was getting nowhere with the novel, reading the same paragraph over and over again. Just couldn’t concentrate. I was thinking about what was in store for me in the afternoon and was looking forward to going home, crashing out on the sofa, downing a barley pop, watching TV, falling asleep.

That’s when I looked up and saw this pretty girl sitting cross-legged several feet away in the sun. Her hair was long, thick and black. She tilted her head backwards slightly. She closed her eyes, took in the autumn heat. Her arms were stretched behind her, fondling the grass beneath. She wore a green dress, simple yet pretty, seemed to suit her so well. She tilted her head sideways. By doing so, she caught me staring at her. Her fleeting glance froze me on the spot. My heart was beating fast like a sixteen-year-old. She smiled at me. It was pure, natural. Intimidated, I glanced down at my book. Then I looked up. She was still smiling at me. She had me hooked, struggling to breathe, trapped in a medley of inner heart-pounding and outer paralysis. I had an urge at that very moment to get up and approach her. Her skin was tanned, fresh, in harmony with the sunlight and the blurred park life. She seemed very young, yet mesmerizing and in control of what seemed to be happening between us. Maybe this was all in my mind and she just happened to be looking in my direction? Perhaps I was just a fool fantasizing on a beautiful girl, brightening my day?

I hardly moved for the next few minutes. Eventually she got up and walked away. She looked down at the ground. I pretended to study the paperback in my hands. She looked further on in the direction she was going, back turned to me. I looked at her. She walked on. I maintained my gaze. She kept on walking. She headed towards a park exit. I began to realize I might never see her again. Still, I did not lose sight of her. As looked away, about to give up, she suddenly turned around to look back at me. She had caught me again. Her next motion was again that perfect smile. I was conquered.

The next day, same time, I went to sit under the tree, hoping she’d return. I knew I was acting stupid and that the chances of her feeling what I felt were practically non-existent. Sitting and waiting there, I was getting increasingly convinced I was expecting the unexpected, a dream that couldn’t materialize - fantasy in world of harsh reality. I pulled out the novel from my satchel and resumed reading. Resigned to the fact that I was a daydreaming fool and the kind of love I was imagining could only happen in movies, I managed to plunge into my book further and became oblivious to the park life.

‘I really enjoyed that book,’ a gentle and feminine voice said all of a sudden.

Surprised and caught off-guard, I looked up from the book and saw her. It was her all right, the lovely girl from the day before. She was standing right in front of me, smiling. She was younger than I thought and even more beautiful than I had imagined. Her hair was black as a raven, a little curly and dropped to her shoulders. Her skin was warm chocolate and looked so soft. She was wearing another plain but wonderful dress, which – I don’t know why I thought this – seemed perfect on her and perfect on her only. I did not know what to say. She stood there patiently and replied on my behalf.

‘I think it’s one of Ernest Hemingway’s best stories. What part are you at?’

Still emotionally touched, I could not muster enough courage to reply. I was in a state of total subjugation, a coma I wanted to continue and keep forever.

‘You Okay?’ she said.

Maybe be she was trying to resurrect the love-struck zombie I had become..

I managed to half pull myself together and eventually mumbled, ‘Euh, just started… seems promising.’

She continued to look at me and then pursued, ‘The Old Man and the Sea’s great. I loved it. I’ve got a copy at home on my bookshelf and I sometimes think about old Santiago the fisherman and his solo quest, his story as a common man.’

This girl was obviously into this novel. I was really pleased to have picked it up from Barnes & Noble. I tried to say something witty. No luck. Instead I hesitantly gave her a paraphrased edition of what I had read on the back cover.

‘I don’t want to spoil it for you, but hang on and you’ll appreciate it. I’m sure,’ she replied sensing I wasn’t at ease with the subject.

‘Hey thanks. So, you into books?’

She smiled again before answering. ‘Yeah I guess so. My friends don’t get it. They don’t see the point of reading books. They tell me that it’s just for lonely people.’

‘Guess those friends are more familiar with Facebook and gossip magazines than with Hemingway.’

She paused. ‘You know, you might be right… you enjoy movies?’

‘Well I guess that depends on the movie.’

‘Okay, but what are you? More a non-stop action-packed roller coaster movie buff or you into slow-mo thrills?’

‘I have no idea what you are on about,’ I laughed.

At that point she realized she was maybe overdoing it on the geek language.

‘I didn’t mean to bore you. It just seems that with those savvy looks of yours you might be more of a fan of carefully-scripted films, with real stories and in-depth characters. The kind of stuff you don’t get in the action, shoot-em-up superhero flicks they keep on churning out these days.’

‘I suppose I’m a slow-mo guy then.’

‘I knew it. Reckoned a guy reading The Old Man and the Sea might be the kind of guy who’d go and see a movie with a solid plot and some good acting.’

‘What, you mean like Catwoman?’ I said.

She frowned and then laughed. And that just plain and simply conquered me. Her face was lit up with unique emotion. Her cheekbones seemed more visible. Her light brown eyes were glowing stronger as she giggled. I think she liked my humor and was delighted at her reaction. I had to cash in on the opportunity. So I gathered Herculean courage and stood up. As she stopped laughing, I noticed she was blushing. I’d aimed right. That’s when I asked her if she wanted to go catch a movie.

‘Look I’m on my lunch break, but if you want to, we can meet here, euh… let’s say at seven o’clock, and we can go see a movie together.’

She instantly bounced back by saying ‘Yeah, I’d really like to go and see something with you. I need to call my flat mate and tell her I’ll be late in.’

‘That’s cool. Look, I can give you a ride back if you want.’

‘I’d appreciate that… So what are we going to see?’

‘I don’t know. I haven’t been to the movies for a long time. But we can improvise and choose when we get there.’

‘Sounds good to me. So see you at seven?

‘Yeah I’m looking forward to it.’

‘Me too,’ she answered looking at me and still blushing.

She started to walk away. I was left there speechless, in the clouds, not realizing what I had just managed to do. I had a date with the most beautiful girl I had ever laid my eyes on and, on top of that, I had a feeling she wasn’t indifferent to me. She was absolutely fantastic. Seemed like the rest of the world was no longer important. Only she mattered.

I realized I still didn’t know her name and she didn’t know mine. I called out to her.

‘By the way I’m Kyle. What is your name?’

‘You can call me Pilar.’

And with that she headed off and disappeared from my sight. Alone again, I dropped into a dream-like state of admiration. It was only moments later that my heart stopped pounding like a teenager with a crush.

The movie theater that night was packed and people were queuing all the way into the street. As we were still undecided on what we wanted to watch and not wanting to miss the start of a movie, we opted for an evening walk instead.

We walked close to each other and slowly. We talked, learnt to know each other. Her magical spell had not worn off. We sometimes stopped to pursue our conversation, as if staying put reinforced the importance of what was being said. We were both oblivious to the nightlife growing in downtown Charleston. In fact, I cannot really recall the paths we took or the places we stopped. All I remember is Pilar putting her finger tip into the palm of my hand as we strolled down King Street’s sidewalk.

Her simple touch sent an electric wave through my body. I was stunned, felt strange as I tried to get to grips with what was happening. The sensation was pure but disturbing. And I was sure she felt the same. As she began to withdraw the tip of her finger, I slightly caressed it. This body language somehow worked and she put her finger back in my hand. I wanted it to last forever, so with my palm I invited the rest of her fingers to nest there, feel the warmth growing in me. Finally after a few moments, we held hands and slowed our pace even more in order to fully take in this rare and beautiful moment, which I believed would mark me forever.

Lit-up shop windows went by. Cars flashed down King Street with their headlights catching the odd palm tree or lamp post. It all seemed like a carousel of anonymous ghosts trying to grab some spotlight attention from the both of us. I remember stopping for bagels and soda at Bruegger’s. I cannot, however, recall the taste of the food, or even eating the food. I was under her spell. We sat at a table near the window, looking at each other with passion in our eyes, studying each other’s faces, personal gestures and held hands in between bites of bagels.

I think it was at that point she told me she was seventeen. I said I was twenty-eight, but, I comforted her in saying that the age difference didn’t matter. Truth was – she may have been fifteen or fifty, whatever, she had created feelings in me I had never experienced before and I was not going to let her go for statistical reasons.

Chapter 4

My fond and romantic dreaming came to a sudden end as the front door to the Ocean View Road mansion opened. A tall, slim, and middle-aged man appeared. He wore a white Gucci shirt and black matching trousers. He had a welcoming smile and his stare expressed eagerness and determination. He pushed the door further back and stepped out on to the porch to greet us. Seemed like we were buddies invited to a house party. He nodded at Ray and extended his right arm in my direction to shake my hand.

‘Nice to meet you Kyle, I’m Hector. I’ve been looking forward to this moment.’

I wasn’t quite sure what to reply. I think I just stood