Debt Collector

Change of Fate

Gazing out the large picture window, Jeff Donaldson soon finds that the bright sunny morning has transformed into a soggy afternoon. The way the rain is hammering on the windowsill, he figures this won't change any time soon. Especially not in time for the baseball game he has planned for tonight.

He's watching the steam rise off the hot pavement when someone knocks on his office door. Thinking it's his boss, he quickly straightens his tie. I bet he's come to congratulate me for my successful ad campaign. His ideas brought in substantial revenue for them and their client. Pleased with himself, Jeff smiles as he turns around. "What brings..." he begins. Seeing a stranger in the doorway, he stops in mid-sentence.

Jeff first notices the man's long curly hair and his dark close-set eyes. He then realizes his guest's expensive suit fits him a little snug, especially around the middle. His pants hit him mid-calf showing off his thick hairy legs. White socks, brown pants and black shoes, he's not the sharpest dresser in the world, Jeff concludes. "Can I help you?"

"How you been, Jeffy baby?" the stranger asks, tromping into the room.

"Do I know you?" Jeff asks, trying to recall the face.

"Try and remember back to your college days." He looks vaguely familiar, but Jeff can't seem to place him. "Let me give you a hint, school loan."

Jeff thinks back, but nothing comes to mind. "I'm sorry, but that doesn't ring a bell."

"You borrowed a large sum of money from a loan shark by the name of Bruno Bambini. You said you needed it to buy a house for you and your bride, Julie."

The memory suddenly hit him. "I paid the debt off," Jeff exclaims. Jumping up, he closes his office door. He doesn't want everyone to hear his business, especially when it pertains to shady characters like Bambini and his goon Luigi Ricci.

"Not according to his records, you didn't."

Jeff runs to his bar and pours himself a scotch. Guzzling the stout liquor, he pours another; Luigi grabs hold of his arm. "Do you want one?" His hand starts shaking as he moves his glass towards the goon.

The guy smacks his cup away. The tumbler flies across the room, shattering against the wall. I can only imagine what Luigi could do to me, Jeff thinks, anxiously glancing at the brawny beast. "I'm not here on a social visit, I'm here to talk business. According to Bambini's records, you owe over ninety thousand."

"I only borrowed thirty thou," he nervously replies.

"The rest is interest."

"Three hundred percent?"

"That's the term you agreed to." Holding up a signed document, he points to Jeff's signature at the bottom. "I think he should charge you more for all we had to go through to find you, but he's the boss and what he says goes."

"I don't have ninety thousand lying around, not with a wife and two kids to support."

"I saw your beautiful girls playing in the yard last weekend. Fortunately for them, they look like her and not you."

"You leave my family alone." Feeling unsteady on his feet, Jeff plops down on his couch. His thoughts start running a mile a minute as his stomach rumbles with fury.

"Pay up and we will, don't and well, you know..." He runs his finger across his neck. Jeff's face turns a powdery white. "I'd say you get the gist." Luigi chuckles. "Oh, by the way, your mom sends her love. She baked a tin of cookies, but I got hungry on the way back. Oregon is a distance you know."

"What did you do to my mom?"

"Nothing yet." He chuckles.

Luigi's eerie laugh makes him shiver. He paces back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. I can go to the police, tell them he's blackmailing me, but I'll need some sort of proof. Would a recorded conversation be enough?