THE GIRL, THE GOLD VASE, AND THE DINNER PARTY
Darius Powell
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2010 Darius Powell
“Hello,” answered Joshua. He was in a bit of a rush. “Hey, honey, do me a favor and call back on my office phone. My cell phone charger is not working for some reason and I’m losing power by the minute.” His wife called back. “Hey honey, what’s up?...I’m looking at a late night; we’re putting the finishing touches on the Edison deal……What? I know that I said I’d try to start getting home earlier, but this deal is crucial. If I nail this one, I’ll become a partner…….Impossible! I thought the party wasn’t until next week. Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?...Okay, okay, I know how important it is to you; I’ll see what I can do...All right! I promise I’ll be home in time for the dinner party and I’ll have the gold vase...Yeah, love you too.”
What did I just do? He asked himself. I’m in the middle of the biggest deal of my career and Noreen has this dinner party. Getting home in time for the party is one thing, but I also have to get that blasted gold vase. I can’t afford to get behind on this Edison deal considering everything else I’m working on. If I delay my reports, I’m sure Johnson will sweep in like the shark he is and pick up the pieces, then Mr. Moore will give me my walking papers. I’ll have to arrange for a courier to pick it up and deliver it to the house.
Joshua called the art gallery to arrange for loan of the vase for one night. The gallery took his order, but cautioned him that in order to get the vase today, he’d have to pick it up no later than 5pm. No problem, he thought.
Joshua stepped out of his office. “Sandy, get A-1 Express on the phone. I need a courier to pick up a package for me.”
After a few minutes Sandy came back. “Mr. Butler, all of A-1’s couriers are on jobs that will take them through the end of the day.”
“Well, Sandy, please try someone else.”
To Joshua’s chagrin, Sandy came back five more times with the same response from other couriers.
“I guess I’ll have to do this myself, Sandy.”
“What will you have to do by yourself, Josh?” asked Mr. Moore, who had just walked by.
“Sir, how are you? Joshua scrambled to answer Mr. Moore’s question. “I was just telling Sandy that I have to do a little more research on the Edison deal all by myself in order to put a personal touch on the details.”
“Good man, Josh. You know, our firm could use partners with your style of dedication. This Edison deal is of vital importance to the company; ensure that no stone is left uncovered.”
“Yes, sir; I won’t let you down.”
Mr. Moore walked away.
“Sandy, I’ve got to get going. If Mr. Moore should return, tell him that I stepped out for an emergency and will be back later tonight. Also tell him that I’m still on schedule to deliver my portion of the project by tomorrow.
“Are you sure about this sir? Its 3:30 and I heard on the radio that the heavy rains have caused a lot of accidents on the highway.”
“Thanks for your concern, Sandy, but Cincinnati’s not that big a city. Mason is a mere 20 miles away. Even with moderate traffic, I’ll be able to pick up the vase and make it home for Noreen’s dinner party with time to spare.”
“Sir, I also noticed that you didn’t eat anything today. You seem stressed and considering the weather, I’m concerned about your insulin levels.”
“Sandy, you’re an angel, but I keep my insulin pack with me at all times. I’ll grab something to eat along the way.”
“All right, sir. Is there anything more I can do for you?”
“Nah! Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle this one.”
Joshua left the office in a snap, got on the elevator, exited and ran to the parking garage. He jumped in his BMW750i and raced away. Sandy’s forecast came true as soon as Joshua hit the on ramp for interstate 71. It was a heavy rain storm and he was immediately immersed in bumper to bumper traffic. I have to get off of this highway if I’m ever going to make it, he thought. Twenty minutes later and after traveling only two miles, Joshua was able to exit the interstate in a seemingly peaceful neighborhood.
He panicked some, thinking about the project, the vase, and the dinner party. He decided to make some calls; one to the store and one to his boss. Damn this cell phone, he said to himself. Battery life gets shorter with every new model. I need to find a phone. Joshua continued to drive down the street looking from side to side to locate someplace to make a call. He drove in front of the Hour Glass Bar and decided to park his car and go inside.
The bar was nothing special. It was dimly lit with some tables and booths, and a lot of beer paraphernalia. A few patrons were spread throughout; some people drinking, some eating, some playing pool, and all talking. Joshua was quick to spot a telephone at the end of the bar towards the rear. Along the way, he noticed a ravishing red headed girl, no more than 22 years old, sitting close to the phone and smoking a cigarette. She was dressed in a body hugging black dress with high heel shoes to match. As he passed the girl to get to the phone, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
“Excuse me sir, can I help you?”
Joshua turned red. “No ma’am. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to stare.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re not the first and definitely won’t be the last.”
Joshua took off his overcoat and laid it on a nearby table then motioned to the bartender and asked to use the phone. As Joshua began to use the phone, two men entered the bar. The girl in the black dress saw them and knelt down immediately crawling towards Joshua’s overcoat and hiding behind it.
“What are you doing?” whispered Joshua.
“Those guys are after me, they work for my ex. I wouldn’t be surprised if they started shooting up the place to make a point. Just continue to make your calls and act normal.”
Joshua paid attention to the men and monitored their every move. They walked further into the room and up to the bar. Joshua listened closely to what they were saying. The men pulled out a picture of the girl and asked the bartender if he had seen her.
“Let me get a better look at the picture,” said the bartender. He carefully looked at the picture turning it sideways and bringing it really close to his face. “Nah, I haven’t seen her in here before.” The bartender smiled. “I’d like to, she’s a looker.”
“You sure you haven’t seen her?” asked one of the men.
“Not one iota!” said the bartender.
The two men thanked the bartender and left. Once they were out the door, Joshua decided to leave as well. He was uncomfortable with the past few minutes and figured that he’d make his calls from a safer location. He grabbed his coat and swiftly walked out of the bar. In his haste, Joshua’s insulin pack fell out of his overcoat.
The girl rose to her feet and followed Joshua. She grabbed her coat and picked up his insulin. Joshua had started the ignition and was about to pull into the street. The girl jumped into his car.
“What are you doing?” asked Joshua.
“I need your help,” said the girl.
“No way, I need get home. I don’t have time to get caught up in your problems. If I’m not at the Mason Museum of the Arts by 5 I’m dead meat. It’s already 4 and the traffic is horrendous.”
“Mister, I really need your help.”
“Why, why should I help you?”
“Do you remember the two men who entered the bar?”
“Yeah, those two hoods? By the way, they’re looking for you.”
“I know they are. They work for my ex-boyfriend, whose father one of the biggest crime leaders in the city. They saw you and will eventually find out that I was here. They’ll get you and your family either now or later. You’re in this one way or the other.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Dana, and you?”
“Dana, my name is Joshua, and considering everything that I have going on right now, I’m sorry but I cannot help you.”
“What about Jake and Sully?”