Almost Doesn't Count [Short Story]

Almost Doesn't Count.

Nellie took a deep breath and hit call. After three lengthy rings, Harris answered.

"Harris. I'm going broke," she confessed.

She was too ashamed to admit to others what she could admit to Harris.

She braced for his reaction as she continued to vent about her failed return home and the misleading job offer she had accepted. Her decisions were beginning to lead her life astray again. "I'm just not making enough anymore to keep my house," she explained.

Harris patiently listened, and she felt understood. "Well from what you've let me see, I know you're a fighter. And not a failure," he started. "Nellie, what can I do to help?"

Nellie giggled nervously. "Harris, I never ask anyone for help... I don't even know how to ask for it," she admitted.

"I can tell," Harris admonished gently. "But I want to help... if you'll let me."

Nellie blushed on the other end of the phone and chewed her lip uncertainly. She had always been fiercely independent and hated asking for anything.

"At least let me make you an offer," Harris persisted. "I've got some savings I could loan you until you get back on your feet. And you can take as much time as you need to pay me back."

She hesitated.

Harris paused to search for ways to navigate Nellie's stonewall. He offered, "Let's talk it over at dinner... tonight"

"Tonight?!" Nellie cracked.

"Sit tight, Nellie. I'll bring the cash and take you out for a nice dinner. You don't have to ask, you just have to accept."

Nellie's pulse quickened. "Harris, you really don't have to —"

"Do you accept?" he interjected.

She pushed through her butterflies to accept his invitation. "I accept," she replied.

"See you soon Nellie."

Harris ended the call before she could protest further. Nellie sat looking at her silent phone for a minute, shaking her head in wonder. She lit a candle and unearthed a slinky dress from her closet — ready to finally meet eyes with the past months' mystery man.

... ... ...

Harris let out a heavy sigh, relaxing back into the driver's seat. The dark night sky enveloped his car as he faced the open road. The dashboard lights cast an eerie glow on Harris's determination as he stared straight ahead into the darkness. He had two hours of travel between him and Nellie. He rolled his shoulders to ease the pulsing suspense. This deal needed to go smooth to deliver on his promise. While he anticipated his first sight of Nellie's face, he wanted this part of the night to be over already.

He glanced at the passenger seat where the duffel bag rested, filled with stacks of bills and a sealed package to deliver to his first destination.

Some days the deliveries would fill Harris with unease, as he gambled with life or death. Some days he lived for the thrill of smooth or sideways. The former excitement of imagining the contents of whatever illicit packages he'd moved to the next city under the cover of night had mostly faded. This was just another day's job for tonight.

"I found a drop for you near your destination," the middleman confirmed as Harris made plans to visit Nellie. He received his marching orders and ended the call before the messenger could say anything more.

The city lights finally appeared on the horizon and Harris inhaled anticipation. He had almost arrived. The opportunity illuminated beyond his dashboard as a beacon of hope and an indicator of what was to come.