“Excuse me,” said the young man on his bike, a blue restaurant delivery bag slung over his shoulders. “I’m looking for 4421. I’ve got this meal to deliver, and if I don’t get it there in the next 2 minutes, it’s going to be free…”.
I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Maybe it’s that one over there, with all the vines.”
He looked over at it and shuddered “That’s a pretty scary place; I’m not sure I want to go there.”
He looked uneasy, and me being retired with nothing better to do, I asked him, “Is it your first day on the job?”
“Yeah, does it show?”
“Well, you do seem picky about where you want to deliver.”
“I really don’t want this job, but my wife says I have to contribute and bring home some money, but there probably are safer jobs than this. You know, the guy before me, he just up and quit last night, in the middle of his shift. That’s how I got the job.”
“You know what is really strange,” he continued “this was the last house he delivered to, before he quit.” He thought for a moment and then shuddered: “When you look at the place from this angle, it looks like a monster with dark eyes; and the tendrils hanging down over the doorway look like wicked fangs.”
“What? You think that’s the ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and Audrey II is growing on the outside?” I said alluding to the old 80’s movie musical. He was young, and I could tell by his puzzled look that the reference went over his head.
Since that joke bombed, I tried to lighten the mood and said, “Maybe they gave him such a big tip, he didn’t have to work anymore…” This connected and we both chuckled.
“You know you still have a minute before the deadline; you really should just buck up and do it.” I encouraged.
He still seemed hesitant. I felt sorry for him; and since I had nothing better to do, I said; “I’ll tell you what; I am sure they are nice people. So, you go deliver, and I’ll wait out here for you. If you don’t come back, I’ll call the cops.”
“Thanks,” he said without enthusiasm, “That won’t help much if I’m dead.”
He thought for a moment and said, “OK. Wait here will ya; and hold my bike. By the way, my name is Rick, Rick Moranis.”
He then crossed the street, went up the stairs and rang the doorbell. I couldn’t see him once he was on the porch, all those vines blocked my view. I waited as I had promised, but it was taking forever. I was just about to cross the street and investigate when I saw him come out.
As he crossed the street, I saw a relieved look on his face. “I see you’re still alive,” I said.
“I guess I just freaked out,” he said. “She was a nice old lady, but a little strange. She asked about my predecessor and then smiled when I told her he had quit yesterday mid-shift. She then paid me with the exact change, but instead of giving me a tip, she gave me this lotto scratch card and said, I hope you’ll be lucky too.”
Clever, clever &more clever!