May's Workshop Stories

Bolt from the Blue

When my friend first suggested showing the guy we barely knew around our city, I wasn't really sure if that was the best idea. Maybe I should have listened to my instincts. That way, I would have avoided quite a bit of trouble.

"Eri, the poor guy doesn't know a word of our language. He'll be completely lost without us," Aggie said with that pure honesty of hers that could win over anyone's heart.

"Aggie, I am not about to be a babysitter to a guy I don't even know. If my job has taught me one thing, that's that we, women, should be more careful than ever," I said, remembering all the horrible cases that came to my desk in the last few years. "Besides, I am sure that there is someone besides us who can speak English and help him out."

"I know, I know, but he really seems like a decent guy, and I did promise that I would be his tour guide," she said with a determination I didn't like.

"You are way too nice for your own good," I said, meaning it more than she would ever know. "Where do you even meet these guys?"

"He is my Facebook friend. We've been chatting for a while now. He has been helping me improve my English skills, and when he said he would be visiting our country, I felt like I should return the favor and show him around," she said.

I wanted to scream at her about her naivety, to explain how much more she was doing for the guy than he did for her, but I could already see it was pointless. Her heart of gold had already decided that she would show the guy around with me or without me.

"Alright, we'll meet him tomorrow, show him some of the most popular sites, and we'll see from there," I said.

She didn't need to know that I had hidden reasons for choosing public spots. If the guy was some type of predator, I was sure I could handle him. However, with my friend there, I didn't want to take any risks so, I chose the places where he would be unlikely to do anything, places with too many eyes looking.

"Really?" Aggie said, beaming at me the way only she could. "You are the best!"

Her words are followed by a bone-crushing hug, and I can't help but wonder how an adult can act so childishly. On the other hand, that might be why she chose to be a primary school teacher or why the job chose her. She was far too naive and innocent for this cruel world.

"I'll swing by your house at around 6. We can take the guy on a long walk so he can see the sights before we take him to the carnival," I said, already mapping out the most crowded areas of the city in my head.

"That sounds great!" Aggie said excitedly. "Thank you so much for doing this."

"Sure thing, what are best friends for?" I said, hurrying to my house as I had a few more things to finish up before joining my friend.

The stolen weapons that my informant told me about were rumored to reach our city soon didn't leave my mind as I started getting ready for what was bound to be a weird night. I was over my head in work and potential work, and that was the last thing I needed, another protection detail on my careless friend. Yet, I knew better than to leave her on her own. That's how the whole Jack ordeal happened in the first place.

Aggie was punctual as usual, and we went to the local Starbucks to meet the guy. Luckily, his back was to us when we reached the place, and the moment Aggie pointed him out in the crowd, I took some time to observe him.

I took in the regular-looking clothing, the hair that seemed messed up from sleeping in the bus, and the lost look that I could see in the mirror he was facing. It surprised me how normal he looked as I expected some weirdo who preyed on innocent women.

Looking at him sitting there, shifting uncomfortably, I realized that he might just be what he seemed, a regular guy in an unfamiliar country. The moment his piercing blue eyes caught my dark brown ones in the mirror, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, I didn't get the serial killer vibe from him, and no warning bells were going off in my head.