Today morning felt different. It didn't hearten me. Even, the daylight sensed intruding.
I couldn't sleep last night. My mind continued brawling with our debt trouble. It was either vexing or dire.
I woke up twenty minutes earlier. I took a hot shower and pondered everything in the bathroom. As usual, I went downstairs after tidying up. However, the problematical thought haunted me every time I moved.
I met Amanda in the kitchen. She looked unruffled now. Jimmy was also here. He apparently stayed in this house last night. They're preparing omelets as breakfast together.
I took a seat while reading a fresh newspaper. It had a lot of boring topics. Somehow, my eyes kept staring at that. All of its letterings slowly gathered and transformed into a big 'D' letter with a dollar symbol attached to that. It turned bigger and bigger. The newspaper caught fire instantly.
"Hey, Richard!" Amanda patted my left shoulder repetitively. "Are you okay?"
I was shocked. The fire disappeared from my sight. The letter and dollar symbol vanished from the newspaper of a sudden. It changed back into words and some photos.
"Richard, are you okay?" she repeated.
Not only Amanda, but also Jimmy watched me.
I looked at her. "Yeah. I'm okay."
"Your hands kept shaking. And, I called you so many times. What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Really?"
"Yes, uh, I mean... yeah."
"But, you don't look so. Just tell me what happened."
"I'm just... lack of sleep. You know, I couldn't sleep last night."
"Why? Don't tell me it's because of Dockerney."
"Well, I guess you're right. It's stressing. Don't you feel the same?"
Amanda didn't respond. She took a deep breath and continued making breakfast.
I apologized, "Sorry, didn't mean—"
"It's okay," she interrupted.
Jimmy just listened to us. He remained silent while helping Amanda cooking.
The omelet was ready. Ryu and the others, including Uncle Steven, came to this room. Everyone had a seat and enjoyed breakfast.
The ambience was contradictory. It felt so chilly. We all just stared at our own food. No one was talking or sharing any jokes.
Everybody finished breakfast in less than ten minutes. It was very out of routine.
"You can go to school now," Amanda talked to Lucy and Will.
"It's still early," Will declined.
"Yeah. It's still early," Lucy agreed.
"Okay then," said Amanda. "You can help me with the laundry first."
"Ah, I forgot! I have an appointment with my friend at school," Lucy reasoned. "Let's go, Will!"
That was a good excuse to dodge the order, though everyone knew it was a lie.
She got ready and walked out. Ryu and Will followed her. They left this place at 6.45 am.
Amanda and Jimmy removed all dishes from the table. They placed those in the sink. Jimmy and I did the dishes meanwhile Amanda did the laundry. Everyone looked busy, except Uncle Steven who was reading the newspaper.
The plates were done. Amanda was still moving the dirty clothes into the washing machine. Today's laundry turned out to be quite a lot. Jimmy and I helped her.
The bell door rang. It startled us suddenly.
"Now what?" she mumbled.
Amanda stopped. She left me and walked to the front door.
I felt bad about this. I told Uncle Steven and Jimmy to gather on my position. We hid behind the wall. It was a perfect point because I could watch and hear everything happened at the front door.
Amanda put her right eye on the peephole. She just opened the door without any fear.
Two men stood in front of her. Both were tall. The first guy looked old with white hair on his head and chin. He wore glasses and black formal clothes. The other looked younger. He had thick eyebrows and great body muscles that created pugnacity in his appearance. He wore a blue T-shirt and black trousers. He was holding a black laptop bag.
"Good morning!" the old guy greeted.
"Good morning!" Amanda replied. "Who are you guys?"
"I'm Hilbert Flinter," the old guy introduced. "And, this is Victor Wollsen. We're the deputies of Dockerney Company."
"Well, how can I help you?"
"We're here to remind that Mr. Steven Cavergon must pay the loan. The deadline is tomorrow."
"We've known that."
"Well then." Hilbert took out an envelope from the bag and gave it to Amanda. "I resend this letter, just to make sure you know all the details."
Amanda took the envelope. She began to look nervy.
"We'll return tomorrow," Hilbert continued. "Please make sure the money is well-prepared. Otherwise, you won't like the consequences. Thank you and see you soon!"
Those guys left Amanda. They went to their black car that had Dockerney logo on its hood. However, they didn't start its engine. They just sat inside the car. They seemed to be waiting for something. It could be noticed through Hilbert who was holding a book and a pen while Victor was smoking.
It was clear now. Uncle Steven, Jimmy, and I stopped hiding. They took a seat while I approached Amanda. She looked depressed after closing the door.
Amanda opened the envelope. She took out a paper from inside. It was the same letter as the one we received yesterday. She flung it to the sofa and stomped to the kitchen.
I walked back to the dining room and observed Amanda. Her left hand pulled a knife out of the blue and darted to Uncle Steven. It bemused everyone.
"What're you doing?!" Jimmy scolded her.
Amanda looked so brutal. Her eyes were only on Uncle Steven. I froze suddenly. Jimmy moved and clasped her left wrist with both of his hands. She tried to discharge her hand. It was atrocious because she kept shifting the knife. Luckily, Jimmy could evade it.
"Oh, girl!" Uncle Steven smirked. "I'm your father. You can't kill me."
"Shut up, you damn Old Man!" she snapped.
"Hold on, Dear!" Jimmy commanded. "Put down the knife."
Amanda refused. She waved her left hand though it was impractical. Jimmy had locked her movement.
"Calm down, okay?" Jimmy demanded.
"No, it's not okay!" she refuted. "I'm supposed to kill him!"
Jimmy used his right palm to hold its blade. He pulled the knife from her grip. He gave up his injured hand instead of having to let his lover act stupid.
"Give me back the knife!" Amanda bellowed. "I have to kill him! Give it back!"
Her words walloped my mind. It created a bright vision, a great crazy idea, by chance.
"That's it!" I gushed. "Kill him!"
"What?" Jimmy asked.
"See? We have to kill him!" Amanda yelled.
"Wait, Richard," said Jimmy. "What're you talking about?"
"He should die," I murmured.
"Did you hear that?" she insisted. "We must kill him! Give me the knife!"
"No. You both are insane!" Jimmy rebuked. "I'll never let you guys do that! Never!"
I went to the living room. I took the letter from the sofa and examined its every word. I brought the paper and showed it to them.
"Look at the last 'T and C'!" I explained. "The IOU is considered paid in full if the debtor has passed away."
Everyone was silent. We all changed this room into a hollow for a moment.
"That's why most of their clients choose to suicide," Jimmy added with low volume.
"So, we just need to kill my dad, right?" Amanda suggested.
"We'll not do that," I disagreed.
"Then, what should we do?" she asked
"We can't kill Steven. But, we can make him look as if he's dead."
"Hey! I don't like your idea, Richard!" said Uncle Steven.
We didn't respond to him. His opinion didn't work in our discussion right now.
"How are we gonna do it?" Amanda inquired.
"Well, we must gather everyone here first, including Caroline and Eddie," I replied. "I'll explain the plan tonight."
Jimmy and Amanda nodded. They're in line.
"Follow me!" I commanded.
My feet moved to the living room. Amanda and Jimmy walked behind me. We stood near the front door. I placed my left eye on the lens of peephole.
"Those guys are still there," I said. "They haven't even started the car yet."
I stopped snooping and took a deep breath. It felt like every second turned into a very vital without warning.
"Jim, do me a favor," I demanded. "Can you track them for a half day?"
"You can count on me," he said. "Stay away!"
"No. You should use the back door. Make it as a spy job."
"Oh, okay then."
We walked away from the front door and ambled to the dining room.
"This's gonna be very easy later," I argued while moving.
"Uh, I don't... think so," Jimmy opposed.
"Oh, no!" Amanda and I spoke at the same time.
We stood in the dining room. The vanishing of Uncle Steven surprised us. The opened back door stated he'd escaped. This wouldn't be easy anymore.
"What should we do?" Jimmy asked.
"You better track those guys now," I said. "They'll be gone soon."
"I got it."
He went out through the back door. He got in his silver sedan parked behind this house. He drove away leaving this place. His car disappeared from our sight after a few seconds.
"Now what?" Amanda questioned.
"Don't worry. Steven won't run away. He'll be back. Or else, we'll find him."
She agreed. She walked to the washing machine and continued doing the laundry.
"It's time to work!" I exclaimed. "See you later!"
"Bye!" she replied.
I went out through the back door. I closed it and strode to the front yard.
The black car wasn't here anymore. Those guys had left.
I kept moving and began running after I reached the main street. My stress petered out in sudden. I felt stimulated as something pushed me to move at high speed, even though it was still early.
I arrived at Pearson's Mart at 7.40 am. My entrance surprised Pearson.
"Why so early?" he asked.
"I just... maybe, I'm just so excited."
"You don't look good today. What happened?"
"Nothing happened. Everything's good."
"Are you sure? I see you have something to talk about, don't you?"
"Well, I just want to ask if I may take a day off tomorrow."
"May I know your reason?"
"It's family business actually. If you don't mind—"
"You can take it," he interposed.
"Really?"
"Yeah. No need to worry. I can handle these all if it's just for one day."
"Thank you so much, Pearson."
"Don't mention it."
"Well, can I go to the store now?"
"Sure. Just take your time. It's even early."
I sauntered to the storeroom. I took a seat for several minutes. I reconsidered my previous plan before starting my job. I didn't want it to interfere with my work later.
My watch showed eight o'clock. I wore the red apron and began my tasks. It had many things to do at present. A lot of racks looked vacant and needed to be restocked. Today's duty felt harder since I had to go back and forth to the warehouse so many times.
Time kept running. My job was done. I left Pearson's Mart at 5.05 pm and dashed home. The weather's getting cold. Some lanes were filthy. However, it didn't put a stop to my vim.
I came home at 5.40 pm. Everyone had been here. Ryu, Lucy, and Will sat on the carpet. Jimmy took a seat next to Amanda on the sofa. Caroline and Eddie were seated on the other side. They left me a space on the couch.
"How could you guys return early?" I asked Ryu.
"I just asked permission," he answered. "It's simple."
"Is Steven here?"
"No. He hasn't come back," Amanda replied.
It was essentially nailed to my conjecture. Steven wouldn't exist in this kind of situation.
I walked to the couch and had a seat. All of them kept staring at me.
"So, what's the plan?" Lucy questioned.
"Well, this's what we're gonna do tomorrow," I elucidated. "First of all, we need Steven. He's the main point of this plan. Ryu, you're looking for Steven and bringing him here tomorrow."
"Why me?"
"Because, I believe you can do it. Your instinct amazes us every time. Take Will with you. Bring a rope and bind Steven. Make sure he's not escaping."
"Then, how shall I go to school?" Will queried.
"Ah, I forgot to tell you this. Ryu, Lucy, and Will, you guys must take a day off tomorrow."
"It means no school for tomorrow?"
"Yes. Exactly."
Will smiled. He looked happy after I said that.
"Lucy, you're going to Mrs. Potlin's laundry place," I continued. "Borrow a black suit and the shoes, you know, how people dress a dead man. We'll put that on Steven."
"What size?" she asked.
"Just borrow an average size. He's not a big guy."
"Okay."
"For Amanda, I want you to do makeup on Steven. Make him look cold or chill, like a dead body."
Amanda nodded. She clearly understood my simple instruction.
"Anyway, Jim, have you gotten any info about those guys?" I enquired.
"They're stopping by a bar tomorrow before coming here," he retorted. "The bar also has the same kind of trouble."
"The Pack-In Bar?"
"No, it's not. I've never seen that bar before and... I didn't notice its name. Sorry."
"It's okay. But, you know where it is actually, don't you?"
"Yeah, it's quite far from here."
"Well, it gives an extra score in this plan. I need you to buy funeral flowers and a standard coffin, Jim. Amanda will give you the money."
"Me? I have no more money!" Amanda refused.
"It's okay," said Jimmy. "I can use my own money. Don't worry."
"Okay then. Thank you so much," I mentioned. "But, there's one more thing, Jim. You have to break their car's engine while they're in that bar tomorrow."
"What?" he spoke in uncertainty. "Why should I do that?"
"Because it'll slow them down from arriving here. When that happens, they'll definitely call an Uber. And this's gonna be your part, Eddie.
"I want you to be around the bar tomorrow. It's a about time challenge, so you have to get ready at anytime. Make sure you're being their driver tomorrow. Drive slowly, be a different person for one day. To create perfection, you must share a story about the death of Steven. Ask them if they're going to join the wake."
"Okay," Eddie said. "But, I think they'll ask how Steven can die."
"You can answer them 'it's because he was poisoned, he drank the insecticide' or maybe you can improvise to make it sound more convincing."
"I got it. You can count on me."
"And, the last is about myself." I turned my face to Caroline. "Will Dr. Pomit be at his clinic tomorrow?"
"Yes, he will," she replied. "He's always there on weekdays."
"Then, I will join you going there tomorrow."
"Actually, I don't have any duty for tomorrow."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But, we still can meet him as long as we have a good reason."
"Well, of course I have. And, I believe he'll be so happy."
"Okay then. Let's go there tomorrow."
Those were all I could explain to them. My plan sounded insane. But, it had a high possibility to rescue this family. Moreover, everyone was a good player in here.
I got up from the couch. I stretched my right hand forward to the middle of surroundings and turned my back palm upwards.
"Cavergon must survive," I said.
Everyone looked at me. They stood up and approached me. Ryu stretched his right hand and placed his palm on my hand. Amanda did the same as him. Lucy and Will put their right palms on Amanda's hand at the same time. Jimmy followed them. Caroline and Eddie also placed their hands, till my right palm felt very heavy.
They exclaimed in sync, "Cavergon must survive!"
These simple words increased our confidence. It removed my restlessness all of a sudden.
We took our hands back. Everybody looked so excited, though the plan hadn't started.
My stomach rumbled at full volume. It showed how starved I was.
"Do you still save the dinner for me?" I asked Amanda.
"We've not even had dinner yet," she replied. "More precisely, the dinner hadn't yet been prepared."
"Seriously?"
Everyone laughed, although it wasn't a joke. Amanda didn't lie at all.
"C'mon everyone!" she demanded. "Some of you can help me."
We all moved to the back. Ryu, Lucy, Will, and Eddie took a seat in the dining room. Amanda, Jimmy, Caroline, and I prepared dinner together in the kitchen. We just cooked as was, there were even no other ingredients besides potatoes and beans in the fridge.
The dinner was ready at 7.10 pm. Everyone enjoyed it. We shared some jokes and reminded every part of the plan I told before. We finished dinner in half hour.
Jimmy, Caroline, and Eddie went home after they helped us do the dishes. We all took an early bed this night. It was just to certify we were ready to engage in battle with boundless verve tomorrow. No fear, no concernment, only bravery stayed on all of us at this moment.