UNDERCOVER The Secret of Luck

by James Kipling

  “What had happened?” asked John, curiously.

  “Despite my job changing persona, I was very dedicated to this girl in my life. She was fairly patient with me, but when I changed my final job after less than three months of service, she just lost it. She said that I was a worthless piece of human being who could not be trusted with any responsibility. She left me, John. Just like that.” said Mint.

  “I am sorry to hear that, Mr. Mint.” said John, not wanting to advise about life experiences to a person who was at least twenty years older than him.

  “Thank you, John. Then, I had a bit of a revelation. I realized that I should figure something out. I had to fix myself. That was when I landed this job. You would not believe it, John, but I had a serious discussion with my then manager about how I had lived. He agreed to give me the job on one condition. You want to guess what that was?” asked Mint.

  “He wanted you to get a new girlfriend and settle down. That’s my guess.” said John, half believing what he just said.

  “Funny. No John, that wasn’t the condition he placed. He said that he would give me a job, if I agreed to work according to his rules and with a salary that was deferred for the next six months.” said Mint.

  “Wow! That seems really tough. Is that even fair?” asked John, really feeling for the guy who was chatting in front of him.

  “That was my reaction when he made that announcement. I went on a rage and threw the first thing I grabbed from the table in front of me. I thought he would kick me out right there and then. Fortunately, he did not do anything like that. He waited patiently for me to calm down. Believe it or not, John, it took me about thirty minutes to calm down. I calmed down mainly because I was tired more than anything else. That was probably what he planned all along. He just waited it out till I got dead tired. Then, when I collapsed on the chair in his office, he started speaking. He did not speak much. He asked me if I wanted a glass of juice.” said Mint.

  John laughed. He laughed like he did when he went on that surprise date with his old college friend, Nancy.

  “That was what I did, and that was the last time I got angry with him. You are probably wondering why I am boring you with this story?” asked Mint, picking up the bottle and pouring another drink for himself and John.

  “Mr. Mint, I have the highest respect for you. Partly because of the way my parents have spoken about you. Partly because you are offering me a job. No, Mr. Mint, I don’t think you are boring. On the contrary, I am very interested to find out how this story is going to conclude.” said John, picking up his glass.

  “Thank you, John. You are a nice young man, and I should have given you more credit than I did before I met you. I was under the impression that you would be a reckless man, who would refuse to listen to anybody. Looks like I should stop judging people on appearance and age alone. Returning to the topic I was coming to, you know why I feel that you are just like me? Perhaps not an identical copy, but someone similar. Would you agree with me, detective?” asked Mint.

  John nodded.

  “If so, you should remember that you will find it very difficult to work at my company. This is not to imply that our company has a hostile work environment. Far from it, in fact. On multiple employee surveys, our organization ranks among the top employers. My concern is the major difference between your present work environment and the type of workplace that awaits you, if you join us.” said Mint, waiting for John’s reaction to this.

  “I don’t quite get you, Mr. Mint.” said John.

  “I suspected as much. Let’s look at your current work situation, John. You are your own Boss. You own this office, and you have an assistant who does most of the things for you. You choose your clients and decide which cases to work on. You have authority and power in everything you do. If I am not wrong, you are either consciously aware of this, and chose to be in this business because of this. Or, you just don’t know it, but enjoy it anyway.” said Mint.

  John nodded, and Mint took that as a signal to continue.

  “Once you join an office like ours, you will notice that much of this freedom is gone. Since you will be starting at a relatively junior position, you will not have an assistant working for you. I have been in the company for almost fifteen years and even I don’t have a fulltime assistant to help me. That is how it works there. You may not like to admit this, but you are going to miss your assistant.” said Mint.

  “I understand what you are saying, Mr. Mint.” said John, nodding along.

  “That is not even the hard part, John. It would be okay if you were just coming out of college. Then you would have had an easier time getting into things, forming new work habits. However, since you have been operating this business for almost two years now, you will find it harder to adjust, since you will no longer be your own boss.”

  “I think I am getting the hang of what you are saying, sir. I have to admit and accept what you are saying. I don’t get one thing though. It seems like I have the skills for the job, but not the experience. Are you sure you want to hire me? I know you have already made up your mind to employ me. I don’t quite get why you are sure that I would do a good job.” said John.

  “The reason is a simple one, John. Fifteen years ago, a manager gave me an opportunity. I was down in the dumps and I needed someone to pick me up. I am only returning the favor, shifting the roles. I would not say that you are down in the dumps. Technically speaking, I don’t think you are in any sort of dump right now. You have only been in one job. Your Dad is a successful businessman. You have excellent references from your past clients. But if things are not fixed soon enough, you might end up where I was twenty years ago. I don’t want that to happen. I have been carrying this load on my shoulders for so many years. I want to put that off my shoulder and place it on your shoulders. Maybe ten or twenty years later, you can do this favor for another guy who is in a similar position.” said Mint.

  “I understand completely, Mr. Mint” said John.

  “Well then, that takes care of business. Hope you will take up my offer, John. Have a good day.” said Mr. Mint, shaking hands as he left John’s office.

  John got out of bed. For once, in a really long time, he did not experience the recurring nightmares. There was a simple explanation for this. He did not get any sleep all night. It was nearly four in the morning. John walked to his apartment window. John’s apartment was all the way outside the city, a good five kilometers from the last metro station of the city of Primer. When John finished college and returned to Primer, the first thing he did was find an apartment that was away from the city but still within reach of all the modern amenities.

  As he stood there looking out of the window, John saw a clear sky with twinkling stars. At a distance, he could see the skyline of the City of Primer, lit up like it was important to be lit up all night. John thought about all the people who were working all night, and was grateful that he wasn’t one of them. Then he looked towards the residential areas of the city to note that most of the lights were out. He felt a little jealous, thinking of all those thousands of residents sleeping, without a care in the world.

  John thought of going back to bed. He had been trying to sleep since 10pm but had not succeeded yet. After some thought, he gave up on trying to get back to bed and headed to the balcony. He sat on the reclining chair and thought of the day ahead of him in the context of all that transpired over the previous 24 hours or so.

  Sitting on a seat on the balcony, John decided to let go of the past and to focus on the future. As if trying to help him think clearly, a gentle and cool breeze was caressing him. After that meeting with the insurance manager who wanted to hire him, John had called up Rod. Rod was already on his way out, on a date perhaps, John assumed. John asked Rod to meet him at his office later in the day. John would like to brief Rod about his consultation with the shrink. He also wants to get a second opinion on the new job offer that
he was seriously considering. John did not have many friends. The only friends he had were the people who worked with him and those included his former assistant Sheila and Rod. John was feeling blessed to have such supportive friends.

  As John kept thinking about the many things that could go wrong or right, he noticed that the sun was slowly rising above the mountains. Dawn was breaking. John decided to try one last time to get some sleep. He returned to his bed and laid down. As the morning sun rays streamed across the horizon, peaceful sleep took over John.

  Some hours later...

  John’s phone was ringing for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. The phone display was showing Rod’s name and the time was about eleven o’ clock. The phone stopped ringing; ten minutes passed, and it started ringing again. The sixth ring finally woke John up from his sleep.

  “Um...Hello?” said John, still trying to wake up.

  “John. Are you up yet?” said the voice on the other end.

  “Who is this?” asked John, still half asleep.

  “This is Rod. Where are you? You told me to be at your office at ten. I am here and the office is locked. The janitor let me into the building. Should I come to your place?” Rod asked, sounding a little concerned.

  “Rod. Yes, please, come over, if that won’t be too much of a problem. I slept after sunrise, so I slept through my alarm. I will be ready by the time you come here.” said John, ending the phone call.

  An hour later, John and Rod were seated in the living room. John had a mug of coffee in his hand, and Rod was holding a cold beer.

  “It’s come to this then. You will have to give up on some of the things you have worked hard for over the last six years. That sucks.” said Rod, taking another sip of beer.

  “That is what makes me upset. I am so confused that I could not fall asleep throughout the night. Hence I could not wake up in time to meet you at my office at ten o’ clock. Once again, sorry for asking you to drive all the way out of the city, Rod.” said John.

  “Don’t worry about the driving, John. I like coming to your place. It is so quiet here.” said Rod.

  “You know what bothers me?” asked John.

  “What?” replied Rod, with another question.

  “We live in a big city. I mean, Primer is a huge city with a population of eight million. According to media reports, all kinds of crime happens in the city on almost a daily basis. In spite of this, no one seems to need the services of a private detective who has the necessary skills. I cannot believe this city has nothing to offer!” said John in exasperation.

  Rod put a hand on John’s shoulder.

  “John, calm down. It’s okay. You told me that your Mother is willing to lend you some money. You can buy some more time. Wait and see if this detective business goes somewhere. If you are not comfortable about borrowing from your parents, I can lend you some money too.”

  “I don’t want your money, Rod. You are here, and that is good enough for me. I am just upset that things aren’t working out. I have the skills. I have the talent. I just want to work on assignments that provide justice to my skills. Is that too much to ask from this city, Rod?” asked John, imploring at his friend.

  “John, I don’t have all the answers. I know how you feel. I really am sorry about this. I wish that it were a little better for you,” said Rod.

  “Have you made a decision, John? Are you going to take the job offer? Are you going to ask your Mom for money? Do you want me to give you the money? What is it going to be John? It’s about time you made up your mind, buddy. Time is running out,” said Rod, summing up the scenario for John.

  “Maybe I should accept the job offer.” said John, looking down and shaking his head.

  “You really want to do that? Are you sure?” asked Rod, with a twinkle in one of his eyes.

  “What do you mean by that look, Rod? Come on. Lay it on me. What are you implying?” asked John.

  “Do you fully comprehend the extent to which your life will change when you start working for a public company? Neither of us has any experience working for such an organization. However, you should hear the kind of stories my friends who work in such organizations have to tell. They have to get up very early every work day and hit the busy traffic. They are required to log their work to certify the minimum number of hours worked each week. Their lunch break is not very flexible, since they need to get back to office to log-in again. They finish work just in time to join the evening rush hour traffic on the way home. I don’t think you will survive that, John.” said Rod, summarizing the life of an office worker.

  “Is it really that dull and monotonous? I think I can handle it, Rod.” said John.

  “Really? You? The guy who is having nightmares about dungeons and crawlies every night? You have got to be kidding me, John.” said Rod.

  “You are probably right, Rod. I won’t survive a week in that kind of environment. I will just have to figure out another option. Life can be so tough. I had no idea that it would get this tough.” said John, more to himself than to Rod. Rod simply nodded his head.

  “You know what, Rod? Let me go to the office. Spend some time there and think about the job, the money, and whatever else comes to mind. I will have to make a decision by this evening. I will do it. If today is the last day I will be sitting in my office, then I might as well spend my last few hours as a private detective in the office itself.” said John.

  “Sounds like a plan to me. I have to drive to the city as it is. I will drop you on the way.” said Rod.

  “Sure, why not.” said John.

  The two friends picked up their stuff, locked the apartment, and walked to Rod’s car in the basement car park of the building. As the car drove toward Primer city, they talked about their college life and how far they had come. An hour later, John was dropped in front of his office building. He took the elevator, entered his office, and sat down on his usual sofa.

  John knew that he could not take up that job. That would mean surrendering to fate. Something that John Russo did not believe in. That was not what his old man taught him while raising him. His old man taught him to fight and only accept defeat when there were no other options available. Right now, John Russo was willing to wait before he gave up. All he needed was some money to wait until the right client hired him. Borrowing money was not something that made him happy. It hurt his ego and everything else he believed about himself.

  Stop being such an ego maniac John told himself. He told himself that asking ones parents for some help was not as bad as it sounded. Parents were the ones who raised you. The debt that children owed to their parents could never be cleared. Thus, asking for help was just another part of that debt. There was no shame in that. John Russo reasoned with himself that maybe taking a small loan from his loving parents wasn’t such a bad idea. He would use that money to buy another six months. Something might turn up in that time. If nothing turned up, then he could give up, admit defeat, get a blue collar job, and run with it. He could also use the additional six months to adequately prepare himself for the eventual lifestyle. He would be better prepared mentally.

  John Russo got up from the couch, and picked up the receiver from the desk. He dialled his parent’s number. The phone rang twice before it was picked up by his Mother.

  “Mom, it’s me, John.” he said, his voice a little shaken.

  His Mother sensed his tone right away. She had heard the same shaken voice so many times. Each time her son had to make a difficult decision, something he wasn’t happy about, he had that tone. Mothers can always read their son’s thoughts. Depending on the situation, it could be a good thing or a bad thing.

  “John, tell me.” she said, hiding the fact that she recognized her son’s shaky voice.

  “Mom, I need to ask you a favor.” he said. His mind wanted to say that he wanted some money. His heart, though, was hesitating. He did not realize th
at it could be so tough.

  “Go on, son. What do you want?” her Mother implored, on the other side of the phone. Mrs. Russo did not wish to make her son even more uncomfortable than he already was. She knew that he was about to ask her for help.

  “I want you to ask Dad to come to my office right away. Tell him to bring...”

  Russo stopped speaking. There was movement outside the office. In the lobby, someone had just entered. By the sound of the footsteps, he could tell that it was a woman who was wearing moderately high heeled footwear.

  “Just a minute, Mom. I am putting the call on hold” he said to his Mom, pressing the hold button on his landline phone. He crossed his office quickly, grabbing the coat as he reached the office door. He stepped into his lobby and found a woman sitting. She was dressed casually, and her face was filled with a worry that completely overshadowed her smile as Russo entered the waiting room. She was dressed like a person who might be out shopping, and definitely not like an office-going person. She was possibly in her early thirties, although she could have been younger. Her darkened eyes, probably because she hadn’t slept well in the last week, made her look older.

  “Hello. I am John Russo. Private Detective. May I help you?”

  “Yes. I am Rita Luck. My brother is missing. I found your office from the classifieds, which said that you can help. Can you?” she asked in a slightly hoarse voice. John Russo thought that she might have been crying recently. Way too much crying, he thought.

  “I can. Give me a moment, please.” he said, rushing back to the phone. He picked up the receiver, removed it from hold, and spoke to his Mother.

  “Mom, I want you to tell Dad to come to my office right way. Tell him to bring his car. Mine is in the garage.” lied John Russo. He wanted to ask him to bring money with him. Luck was on his side today. Ms. Luck could probably be the turning point of his life, he thought.