The first strike
1499 Words
The First Strike:
George didn’t sleep. He sat in his penthouse and stared at the bloodstains on the rug.
TWO DAYS LATER
6:00 AM: FlixBus Depot, Köln
Kwame Bricks finished his shift. Köln to Frankfurt, then Frankfurt to Köln. He did it six nights a week. He got home at 6:30 AM, slept until 2:00 PM, ate with Abena, and left again at 8:00 PM. Same route for three years.
He was checking his mailbox at the depot before going home. The company gave drivers a small box for pay slips and notices.
There was a letter. White envelope. No stamp. Just his name typed: KWAME BRICKS, DRIVER 447.
He opened it.
From: FlixBus Operations Department.
Date: Current Date
Subject: Mandatory Route Reassignment, Effective Immediately
Dear Mr. Bricks
Due to operational restructuring, your regular route Köln-Frankfurt-Köln is being reassigned. Your new mandatory route is as follows:
Monday: Köln to Stuttgart, Depart 20:00, Arrive 01:30
Tuesday: Stuttgart to Munich, Depart 3:00, arrive 06:30
Tuesday Night: Munich to Stuttgart, Depart 21:00, Arrive 00:30
Wednesday: Stuttgart to Köln, Depart 02:00, Arrive 06:00
Thursday: Köln to Stuttgart, Depart 20:00, Arrive 01:30
Friday: Stuttgart to Munich, Depart 03:00, Arrive 06:30
Saturday: Munich to Stuttgart, Depart 21:00, Arrive 00:30
Sunday: Stuttgart to Köln, Depart 02:00, Arrive 06:00
One rest day: Wednesday 06:00 to Thursday 20:00.
Failure to comply will result in immediate termination.
Regards,
Operations
Kwame read it twice. Then three times.
Stuttgart to Munich. Munich to Stuttgart. Back to Köln. Then do it again.
He did the math in his head. He would be driving sixteen hours out of twenty-four. He would sleep in the bus station in Stuttgart for one hour between shifts. He would sleep in Munich for two hours.
He would not go home.
Not Monday. Not Tuesday. Not Thursday. Not Friday. Not Saturday.
He would go home Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM and leave again Thursday at 8:00 PM. Thirty-eight hours at home per week.
Before, he was home every morning. Six days a week.
Now, one day.
He sat on the bench in the depot. His hands were shaking. He had driven nights for eleven years so he could see Lisa every day. So he could see Sophia on weekends when she came from Bonn.
He called Lisa.
“Your route?” she asked when he told her.
“Changed,” he said. “I won’t be home. Maybe one day a week.”
She was quiet. Then she said, “Sophia’s exams are next month. She needs you.”
“I know,” Kwame said. “I know.”
He didn’t tell her he already felt tired just reading the letter.
DAY 1: 10:00 AM Bonn Wochen market, Münsterplatz
Lisa Bricks opened her stall at 8:00 AM every day. She sold fabrics. She had Stall 14 B for eight years.
At 10:00 AM, the first letter came. A man in a city jacket. No smile. " Lisa Bricks?” He handed her an envelope. City of Bonn Market Authority.
She opened it.
Subject: New Market Regulation Fee (Code 47 - B)
Effective Date: Tomorrow
All fabric stalls must now pay a “Textile Safety Inspection Fee” of €150 per month. This is separate from your stall rent. Payment due before the 5th of each month. Non-payment results in immediate suspension of license.
€150. Her stall rent was €400. Her profit on a good month was €600. This was extra.
“Since when?” Lisa asked the man.
“Since today,” he said. “Council vote last night.” He walked away.
Lisa put the letter in her bag. Her hands were not shaking yet.
At 11:30 AM, the second person came. A woman from the Health Department.
She gave Lisa another letter.
Subject: New Health Code (Code H - 22)
All stalls selling imported textiles must now have a “Fiber Particle Filtration Certificate.” Inspection cost: €80. The certificate must be renewed weekly. First inspection: Tomorrow at 9:00 AM. The stall must be closed during inspection, 2-3 hours.
Weekly. €80 every week. Close the stall for three hours every week.
“Weekly?” Lisa said. “But I sell clothes, not food.”
“New code,” the woman said. “Council says fabric dust is a health risk.”
She left.
Lisa sat down. Two letters. €150 per month. €80 per week. That was €470 extra per month. Her rent was €500 for their flat in Tannenbusch.
At 2:00 PM, the third person came. A man from Fire Department.
Another letter.
Subject: Fire Safety Code (Code F - 99)
Distance between fabric rolls and stall edges must now be 2 meters. Your current setup is 1.2 meters. Fine: €200. Or, purchase city-approved “Fire Barrier Screens” at €300 per set. Required by next Monday.
€200 fine. Or €300 screens.
Lisa sold little Fabrice because she couldn't concentrate.
THE NEXT DAY
Kwame started the new route. Köln to Stuttgart. He left at 20:00.
He arrived Stuttgart 01:30. He had one hour before he had to leave for Munich. He slept on the bench in the drivers’ room and then drove to Munich. Arrived 06:30. His eyes were burning. He slept two hours inside the bus.
He drove back to Stuttgart. Arrived 00:30. He slept one hour.
He drove to Köln. Arrived 06:00.
He got home Wednesday morning. Lisa was at the kitchen table. The three letters were in front of her. Plus two more that came today.
“Code D - 14," she said. Display Fee. €50 per week if your fabric is above eye level.
“Code L-9,” she said. “Lighting Fee. €70 per month because your stall is "under city lighting"
Kwame sat down. He hadn’t slept for more than six hours in three days.
“How much?” he asked.
“With rent, new fees, new codes, new screens,” Lisa said, “we need €1,290 next month. We have €340 in savings. My stall made €90 yesterday before I closed.”
Kwame put his head in his hands. “I got paid on Friday. €1,100. After tax, I was left with €820.”
“I won’t be home again until Wednesday" he said. “This route… I can’t…”
Lisa touched his hand. It was shaking.
Bonn:
Sophia got the call from her mother at 7:00 PM.
“Mum?”
“Sophia, don’t come home this weekend,” Lisa said. Her voice was flat. “Your father is not here. The stall is closed. We… we have letters.”
“What letters?” Sophia asked
“Fees. Codes. Every day a new person. A new code. A new fee. Your father’s route changed. He sleeps one day a week. We can’t pay rent next month.”
Sophia was in the library. She stood up immediately “Who? Who is sending them?”
“I don’t know,” Lisa said. “But yesterday a woman came. No uniform. She had a ring. Silver. Black stone. It has a letter ‘D’ on it. She said, "Shame is what happens to clever girls when their mothers can’t pay rent?"
On hearing this,Sophia stopped breathing. She knew who was behind this, he had called her earlier, saying she should expect his wrath.
She thought it had ended that day.
“Mum, pack a bag,” . “Go to Auntie Dora Tonight.”
“Sophia, what did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Sophia said. “He did.”
" But whatever it was, I'd rather fight back than allow him hurt anyone around me." She said after ending the call.
Frankfurt :
George got the report.
Marco: Her Father completed first full cycle. Arrived home Wednesday 06:00. Left Thursday 20:00. Reported exhaustion to depot medic. Still driving.
Mother received 5 code violations. Total new fees: €470 monthly + €200 fine + €300 screen requirement. Stall closed since Day 2. She left Bonn, destination Siegburg.
George read it. He was waiting to feel good. To feel like the king again. But something was missing.
“ What about the girl,” George said. “Is she scared yet?”
Marco was quiet. Then: “Sir… her parents are scared. Her father is breaking. Her mother left the city.”
“That’s not what I asked,” George said. “Is she scared?”
Marco said, “She went to the police sir, but couldn't file any complaint against you due to your influence. Then she bought a prepaid phone and called a lawyer. Not a university lawyer. A criminal lawyer from Frankfurt".
"A criminal lawyer"? He laughed.
"A low life will always remain one. I will deal with her until she cries for death".
But Sophia Bricks wasn’t flinching.
She was fighting and that meant the first strike wasn’t over.
It was just the beginning.
- Writer
