Opportunity of a Lifetime!

Running into Trouble

I just sat sort of gaping at the mystery man and his date. Joe was eyeing me up from the opposite side of the table. I was beginning to get worried about the surprise arrivals. I didn't know a small Italian place could get so much service.

"Are you sure your okay Jess?" Joe asked again from across the table. I nodded again sceptically and continued to keep my eyes on Sharon and the mystery man.

Right, all I had to do was get through it. Surely I could do that. Couldn't I?

The waiter came over with the menus for our main dishes. I took one from him and began to read through. After a minute of an indecisive decision Joe faced me. "Jess, what are you going to order?"

"Erm, order for me Joe. I'll be right back, I'm just going to the restroom...."

I wandered across the room and trotted through the wooden door leading into the ladies restrooms. Once I was inside I was about to hide myself in a cubicle to just get a moment of peace when a woman faced me. It was the mystery man's date. The older woman wearing a tight black dress. She had large facial features that stood out against her tanned face. Infact, I don't even think it was natural. She basically looked bright orange. Like an oompa loompa.

She looked at me in disgust and began to walk around me in circles. Confused by her odd approach I turned to walk back out when she spoke.

"I saw you eyeing up my date!" She exclaimed rather angrily. She sounded like a jealous ex-wife.

"Erm, I wasn't" I told her "I just thought he was someone I knew. It turns out I was wrong after all." I giggled faintly to try and lighten the mood but that just made her even more frustrated.

Her face went red and before I knew it she had stormed out. I was sort of taken back by her reaction so I opened the cubicle and locked myself in. I sat on the top of the seat and curled my legs up to my body trying to warm myself up. I didn't know if it was the air conditioning or the natural breeze but something was making me freezing.

I waited a moment until I heard the door open and the sound of a familiar voice.

"I don't want Melanie any more, I want you to find a replacement for her!" The voice exclaimed. After a few seconds I realised it was the one and only Sharon Sharline. She sounded like she was speaking through a phone line. I didn't know if it was because of my luck or my clumsiness that I kept running into people the whole night. It was oddly coincidental.

Wait. What did she mean she wanted to get rid of Melanie? Surely I would be the first to go. Why wouldn't she fire me instead of Melanie?

"I'm firing her because her father did not agree to our deal. I can't have people that are not concentrated for part of this little scam."

Little scam?

Then a bell went off in my head. That was why she wanted to talk to my father. To reel him into some sort of scam. I needed to phone him straight away. But if he doesn't agree I'll lose my job. I couldn't tell him but at the same time I couldn't not tell him. I needed time to think. I needed to speak to whoever would listen and tell them everything.

Before I knew it, the door opened back up and the clacker of her high heels left the room. I stood up slowly, struggling as I tried to regain my balance.

Once I was back in the restaurant I knew I had no other choice but to sort things out straight away. I needed  to call dad, Melanie and speak to Joe in private about this 'deal' he made with Sharon. I pulled the sick card so that Joe would take me outside to his car. I decided I would ask him then.

Once we were settled in his vehicle I turned to Joe.

"Joe" I began "I know you don't want to talk about it but I really need to know what that 'unfinished business' was that you and Sharon were discussing. I really have to know, its important!"

Joe sighed and sat back. "Look Jess, I can't tell you. It's just too risky. You have to understand my point of view."

"I do" I replied "it's just, I really need to know about this... I have a feeling Sharon is plotting some sort of scam."

He froze. His face turned red and he grabbed my arm with one of his hands. "How do y-you know about our scam?"

'Our scam'? Was he a part of this?

"What do you mean 'our' scam?" I asked, totally unaware that he was part of this ridiculous plan.

"Just tell me how you know about it and no-one gets hurt!" His attempt at acting all hard and frightening was backfiring. He wasn't scaring me the least bit. He was only making me even more curious about the scam.

"I- I heard Sharon talking about it in the restrooms..." I admitted. For some odd reason I was struggling to get my words out. Perhaps I was scared. Just a tiny bit.

"Didn't she know you were in there?" He asked confusedly. I preferred his look of confusion to his look of anger and annoyance.

"I was- I was hiding. Joe, we're getting off point. What is this damn scam about?" I felt slightly like a secret agent from an action movie.

He let go of my hand and locked the doors with a click of a button. He rolled the roof of the car back on and turned to me. "I'm taking you somewhere" he said with a hint of regret on his face "I'm taking you somewhere important, then you'll know about the damn scam!"

"Joe.... your scaring me a little..." I admitted feeling rather foolish for getting in the car in the first place.

"You should be scared" he finished. Was he for real?