Jayseen scanned the crowd a third time, her legs straddling the briefcase
with her equipment, in case some thief was tempted to take it. One had to be
cautious in this business. It had been a long trip and this job was supposed to be
a quick one.
A movement caught her eye...false alarm; it wasn’t him.
The heat and humidity of the tropical afternoon validated her decision to
dress lightly; even though, she had to use three thin airline blankets during the
flight from LAX to ward off permafrost. Her body was quickly thawing; the blue-
green veins in her Bowflexed arms had reappeared.
She moved away from the loudspeaker and stood near the exit where happy
reunions occurred, hugging, kissing, and the casual handshakes between the
estranged or perhaps the unfamiliar.
Outside, Macaws squawked, cab doors slammed, and jet engines whined.
Along the curb, soldiers with machine guns kept cars from overstaying their
welcome.
Where is he? She had emailed him her flight information and had insisted
that he be prompt. She had a connecting flight to catch. Damn. She should have
peed on the plane. She could go, if he’d just get here and give her the diamonds
she needed to grade and certify.
There. There he is. She’d never wave. He’d know the color of her white
dress and red wig, but he’d been overly generous about his paunchy
appearance.
She offered her hand, but he gave her a soggy South American embrace.
She was glad he held her tightly; his ripeness may have otherwise knocked her
out. Too bad the Japanese didn’t smuggle diamonds, she mused.
He seemed too friendly. He lingered, double parked in her loading zone.
What are you doing?” She didn’t care if she drew attention; she had to push
away. He was suffocating her.
“I was followed.” He whined.
“You were?” Jayseen stopped pushing and retreated back into his embrace.
She snuggled her cheek next to his prickly beard. Her keen senses switched to
high alert, as she turned him in a slow dance step, scanning the diminishing
crowd.
God, with a Masters in Economics and after five years of OJT in her father’s
Jewelry Mart chain, she was finally on her own, making her own hours, traveling
to exotic places, and living an exciting life. But, now, she really had to pee and
this guy’s black-bean gut pressed on her bladder.
“Ah, Senorita, you smell so good.”
What? This son-of-a-bitch! She took her right hand, grabbed, and clamped
his huevos. “Were you followed?” She demanded in a loving whisper.
“No, no, please release me, I am sorry.”
One last Bowflex crimp, and she push away as friends might. “Give me my
present.” His light brown eyes spoke of pain that was difficult to conceal.
He stood straight, reached in his trouser pocket, and offered her a silver
wrapped box, the size of a pack of cigarettes.
She did her best imitation of surprise, hugged him, and darted off to the
ladies room with her briefcase in hand. There were no toilet seat liners. It took a
painful bladder-damming minute to scallop the surface with single translucent
sheets that dispensed one at a time.
“Ah…”
She placed her briefcase on her bare thighs, opened it, and arranged her
diamond-grading equipment. She moved the silver box to the middle of her brief
case. Something was wrong. She shook the box—it was too light. She
unwrapped and opened the cotton filled box.
That sleazy courier had stolen the samples. She removed the cotton. It was
empty, except for a folded note. A thank-you note, no doubt.
Jayseen unfolded it. It was her father’s small, neat, and squared letters.
More Precious than Diamonds
(2007) (Unpublished)
A Short Story by Russell Traughber
|
The restroom windows had bars on them. Jacky removed her wig, allowed her
blond hair to tumble to her shoulders, stood, and slipped out of her dress. From
the fold of her brief case, she removed a yellow tube top, black spandex shorts,
and sandals. She hid her brief case behind the stool, after she had removed her
hand purse.
At the mirror she inserted the silver tongue stud and her nose ring.
She shook her hair and said, “Oh daddy, you have no sense of adventure, but I
still love you.”
The End
Dearest Jacky,
You’re more precious than all my diamonds. Please stop this
foolishness. I would give you the riches of my business, if it were
only wealth you desired. You yearn for more than this, so I have
arranged for some men and a policeman, or two, to meet you
outside the ladies room. Take your time. Perhaps, several weeks in
a Brazilian jail will temper your misguided need for adventure.
Your loving father,