Page 29A short word

I had to think fast. It was easy for them to see me and it was fairly certain the owner already had. But, I was quite sure that the guy in the store hadn't seen me last night. It was very, extremely unlikely that he would recognize or even look at me. Well, aside from the normal looks I might get.

There are many things you can say about me, but a coward I'm not. Even if I'm a bit reckless now and then.

In I went.

The two men hardly looked up at me, though I did see a glint of recognition in eyes of the owner. I decided to stay away from them and just let them finish their conversation. They talked in very soft tones, but it was fairly easy for me to hear. Not that it was much use, it appeared to be the end of a conversation.

The owner. "Anyway, I can have it done by Thursday."

"I'll be a week without! Can't you do it faster?"

"You're not my only customer, Thursday afternoon it'll be done. You know it has to be done right."

The guy sighed. "I suppose. I'll be back then." And then with a more normal voice. "See you later, Jack."

The owner shrugged. "It's still not Jack. So, what can I help you with, nosy lady?"

I blushed a little bit. "Well, I was hoping you could help me understand these things."

He smiled. "They're not really for people like you."

And here would come the hard part, showing him I was worthy of being taught. But how could I do that without betraying my affliction. First words, then deeds. It had to be a shot in the dark though.

"Well, getting to doors is easy, but opening them is a different matter."

He looked a little surprised, looked at me again and the backpack I bought. Something must have clicked. "Like climbing, do you?" It was only then I noticed he had a faint English accent. Cute, actually.

"Quite a bit. But I need... Well... Let's just say I'd like to be able to take care of myself."

He frowned. "And what would you want of me, exactly?"

"Well, I see many useful things here, but I wouldn't know how to use them."

"And you were expecting to get them, or instructions, for free?"

A wild idea popped into my head. "No, I was going to offer helping out in the night shift in the store."

He looked very closely at me. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen." Technically... It would have been slightly more honest to answer eighteen, but I doubted we needed the extra complexity on this issue.

He smiled a little. "Show me what you've used your backpack for."

A little hesitant, I pulled it off my shoulders and showed it to him, he took the book out and leafed through it but not reading it. I had a feeling he'd be slightly off put by the idea of a diary. But, there were simple ways to not tell lies but still hide the truth. I was hoping he'd be satisfied with my answer.

"A pen and what looks like a diary. Explain?"

I simply smiled. "I'm a writer of sorts."

"Fair enough. At least it's not pink." He put it back, not looking further. "No, you're quite intelligent and a little to self-secure to come here without knowledge. You looked a lot more surprised yesterday."

Damn, he paid really good attention. But I guess that came with the territory. "Yes, someone hinted at what you could possibly do."

He laughed a little. "Subtle. And I suppose you'd like to keep that person's anonymity?"

"Yes."

"I won't help you unless you tell me."

It was an obvious test. His eyes were looking at me too casually, with his mind registering my every move. "Then I'll go."

"Good, you really are clever, but it's all words. I need a little more convincing." He made it sound very suggestive. Perhaps another test or just him trying to get his way.

Not something I was going to go along with. Perhaps there was something else I could do. I looked around, there was no one else in the store or out on the street. The racks were mostly both fixed to the floor and the ceiling as far as I could tell. But if they would be able to hold my weight, I didn't know. Of course I could always go around back and show him some climbing there, but I'd prefer to keep myself clean.

I grabbed the supporting bar of one of the racks and pulled myself up with one hand. I made it look like I actually did some effort, but at least it should look acceptable enough that I had at least some climbing prowess. After I let myself down I looked him directly in the eyes.

"Need to see more?"

He frowned. "Yes, and I'm kind of impressed you're not using your body to get what you want. Or at least sexually." He smiled at the last words.

"It wouldn't prove that I would be any good otherwise."

He nodded. "A fair point. Now, come with me, I want to see what you can really do."

He walked to the front door, locked it and turned the "Open" sign around. It was a very blank sign, fitting with the store. He left the lights on as we headed through some doors to the backyard behind the building. There was plenty of stuff to climb on, but all accidental. Pallets stacked high, small cranes and rain-pipe. It was a little gloomy because of the lighting, but fairly well kept. It looked like an area often used to move stuff off the back of cars into the warehouse of the store.

"Alright." He said. "Show me what you can do."

Things are about to change.