Chapter 2-1
638 Words
Chapter 2
Whaaa???
Nia stared at the receipt. She added the numbers up repetitively. The amount of the bill: $132.56. She read the small word, “Tip” and skated her eyes back and forth from the amount. $1000.-- was written in blue ink. Amount total: $1132.56. A suave signature read, “J. Carlton.”
Nia grasped the table while she lifted herself from the chair. The man gave me a thousand dollars for bringing him steak and water. She stumbled through the empty restaurant to where Brie was clearing a table.
“Brie. Read this, and tell me I’m not crazy.” Nia held up the receipt to eye level.
“Aghhhhh. Oh my…” Brie opened her eyes bigger and snatched the receipt. She looked flabbergasted. “Lord have mercy, you done hit the jackpot. What’d you do? Serve that steak up with a fresh piece of p***y?”
“This makes no sense whatsoever. It must be a mistake.” Nia collected the receipt and walked away. I know one thing and one thing only: I’m gonna return this money to its rightful owner. He must think I’m a charity case or something.
She clawed through her purse for her car keys. What a night. The old Camaro’s engine slowly turned over and over, hesitating until it came to a full rumble. She belted out of the parking lot and began her commute home.
She grasped her house key and headed straight for the door. Bassy rap music echoed through the streets. She clutched her purse tighter, while she slid inside the house. She bolted the door, headed straight for the kitchen, and threw her purse on the table. She stood and stared at the black bag. Then she unzipped it and laid out the loose cash. Trembling hands counted $1213. She counted it again. She held her hand up to her head. What am I going to do? This guy…I can’t…
She caught reflection of herself in a living room mirror. Her dark ebony skin glowed, despite her tiredness. But she looked as exhausted as she felt. At 29, she still looked as young as she did when she was 21. But tonight she looked as though years had crept up without warning. She moved some stands of hair away from her eyes. What was he looking at when he stared at me? What did he see?
She scooped up the money and stashed it away in an envelope. She placed it between “The Bluest Eye” and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” on the bookshelf. She sat back down and opened her laptop. She keyed in “Jake Carlton” and looked at her Google results.
Carlton Son Takes Over Family Business. Carlton Industries Strikes a Deal. How Jake Made His First Billion. She looked at the images on the page. That’s him. She leaned forward and closed her eyes. Blood rushed to her pelvis. She clicked on the company website. She clicked on a small tab that read, “Founders.” She copied the address and pasted it into a new message.
Sender: Nia Jones
Recipient: Jake Carlton
Date: June 12, 2015
Subject: (None)
Dear Mr. Carlton,
I hope this letter finds you well. Thank you for dining with us at Arnie’s Steakhouse tonight. I’m afraid you may have mistakenly wrote $1000 on the receipt. Surely you meant to write $10.00 and mistakenly placed the decimal point at the end instead of the middle. Please let me know how to return the money to you.
Regards,
Nia
Surely, the man would soon look at his American Express statement soon, and see the outrageous charge, if he didn’t get her e-mail first. She showered the day’s events from her face and body, and turned in to bed, exhausted.
- Writer
