Young is Fun

The whistle blows. It's the end of the shift. The men slowly shift about and out of the factory. A younger man wearing his overalls, same colour as everyone else a drab grey, seems to want to continue working. The conveyor belt stopped already, so there is nothing he can do. Restlessly he heads to an older looking man, with a bushy beard and bushy eyebrows. He pleads to him, he needs the money, can he not give him more work? The older man shakes his head, that's all for today. Ask around, maybe someone else can help. The young man nods, full of hope and heads towards the exit. He asks the clusters of men on their way out if they'd have something he could do. They shake their heads, or ignore him, or shrug. There is not a lot of work for many people out there.

As he is about to give up and is heading towards the main gate, a young man his age comes up alongside him. He speaks to him and is friendly, he has a clear shaven face and his hair is poised upwards with mousse. Not a lot, but just enough that his hair differentiates from the drab, unstyled hair of the rest of the workers. The young man, his overalls hanging around his hips, smiles with delight. Yes! He would love to get some work, he needs the money. You see his mother - the other interrupts him. He doesn't want to know about it. He is in a rush so he offers to meet him at the local worker's union pub. Most men gathered there after work, there was not a lot much else to do. The stylish man got on his bicycle and then sped off. The young man stared at the fancy-haired man as he biked away and smiled to himself.

He arrived at the apartment block where he lived with his mother, two sisters, and a cat. Their father was working as a sailor and was currently out to sea for some exercises. When he got home his mother was where she always was, bedridden and enjoying whatever was on the television. He sat next to her and chatted to her about work. He did not mention the stylish man. Instead he enjoyed watching the movie with her and commenting on the people. There was a new movie from the West on the TV. Ever since the fall of the wall they've been able to watch all kinds of things and whenever he could, he would take his sisters out to the movies. There was also a friend of his who had a VCR and every once in a while they'd go there and watch a movie that the friend had purchased.

The movie they were watching had men in suits, gangsters, pointing guns at one another. His mother commented how the suit did not fit one of the men and they laughed. They pointed guns at each other and started shooting. He admired how they were dressed sharply and throughout parts of the movie their wealth and status was apparent to see. He smiled and imagined having a nice house and car, so he could help his mother and sisters. Just then one of his sisters arrived home. He got up and greeted her, she was the youngest. She had come from a friend's place and had just finished homework. He gave her a hug and all three of them talked throughout the apartment, shouting things at their mother whenever it fit, and rolling their eyes at some of her old people comments as well. Today they would be eating spaghetti, it was easy and quick to make. They did not have money for anything much more complicated than that anyway. He asks if she ate at school, she says yes, her friend shared a sandwich with her. He smiled but he was sad. He remembered the stylish man and told his mother he was going out for a job opportunity later. She clapped her hands and thanked her god. The navy was slow on payments, their father always said, but she knew he was gambling it away in some port far away.

It was getting late so he set out, they hadn't agreed on a time to meet at the worker's pub. So he figured he would get there early, to make sure he would meet him. He had been there a few times with his friends who liked to drink. One of them liked to drink too much and was there every night. The drunkard he met there and they spoke a bit of life. His father was working as an electrician and he was one as well. They fixed TVs as well as doing general electrician work. Did you know that the satellite installation business is going to die soon? He heard of a thing called the internet, it was going to change so much. He was trying to get some internet but did not know how yet. Internet is expensive, the young man asked the drunkard? It is very expensive! Too expensive for you. The young man nodded, indeed it would be. Though he honestly did not believe what the drunkard was talking about anyway. Inter-net? Sounded ridiculous.

Time went on and the drunkard was already barely standing by sunset, having a nap by the counter. Everyone knew him and sometimes would fill him up quicker so he would sleep and leave them alone. One days where he actually had to work he would be tired, and today was one of those days. The young man nursed a single beer as time went on and finally the stylish man arrived, by bicycle. He locked it up and gave a short nod to the young man, he nodded back. He wanted to be cool like the stylish man. Did he do a cool nod? He wondered if it was cool, like the gangsters on the movie. He remembered another movie he had saw with his mother that was about a bunch of Italian gangsters. They were called mafia. He looked down at his jeans and plaid shirt and noticed he had the plaid shirt tucked in. He pulled it out and popped his collar, trying to look at himself without someone noticing in a window. He took a quick glance and messed up his hair a bit. Yes, that's better. Cool.

He entered the pub and noticed the stylish man was at the bar. He took a seat up next to the stylish man and he commented that he was looking cool. Affirmation! Very nice. They shared a bit of small talk before the young man asked about the job opportunity. The stylish man smiled and nodded as he stared into his drink. Oh yes, it's a good job. A bit risky, but if he can pull it off, his family will be set for a while. It would be worth one thousand Lats. He was so excited he hid it by breathing loudly then taking a drink. He was in, he would do it. He felt like a mafia guy. The stylish man nodded and said he would go out for a cigarette and they'd go around the back, he would tell him the rest. The young man nodded and smiled.

The stylish man headed out and the young man waited a bit before he finished his drink and headed out. As he pushed his glass forward on the bar the bartender gave him a small shake of the head. Watch out, he told him, don't play with fire unless you want to get burned. The young man shrugged. Fire was exciting! He headed out and took his time heading to the back of the bar. There the stylish man was waiting with two other men, burly and large men. One uglier than the other. They were talking calmly and turned silent and frowned at the young man. The stylish man calmed the ugly brutes down. He is the courier, he told the men who had large foreheads, looking even larger with their bald heads. The stylish man waved a thumb to one of the brutes and the young man approached. He handed him a suitcase and told him to not open it, no matter what. The young man nodded. The suitcase seemed a bit heavier than a normal suitcase. What was he supposed to do with it? The stylish man smiled and said the young, gullible, man would have to take it across the border and come back.

The young man was confused. He didn't have a car. The stylish man frowned and asked if his father didn't have one. The young man remembered, yes. His father had a car indeed. But he hid the key and wasn't allowed to drive it. The stylish man laughed and the brutes followed the laughter mindlessly. The stylish man shook his head and told the young man that he would have to find the key and get the car, or else he would not get one thousand Lats. The brute that handed him over the suitcase motioned for him to pass it back with a hand but he clutched it further. The money would be worth half a year of medication for his mother. Maybe five months and a video cassette player. He would do it, he emphasized. Where did he have to go, he asked and frowned with determination.

Across the border and out at the second village, there someone would help take the suitcase from his hands and he would get the money from the person who would take the suitcase. He would have to leave tomorrow. A work day. How could he take a day off from work? He would tell his older sister to call work. She would understand. The stylish man shrugged and headed off back to the pub. The brutes followed him like dogs and left the young man. He hurried back home as quick as he could. He wondered what could be in the suitcase. Diamonds? Guns? Drugs? A bomb? Why would it be a bomb? He panicked slightly at the thought of it being a bomb. He decided he would not tell his sister after all. And definitely not mother, she would be worried sick. He headed to the garage where is father's car was. He tried to remember, as he walked there, where the key was hidden. He knew his father took the key with him on his deployments, but he knew from his mother that he had an extra key if she ever needed the car. He just did not want his son to know where the key was.

He realized he could not go home with the suitcase and found a bush near the garage where he hid the suitcase. He covered it with two branches with some leaves and then headed home. He arrived shortly before midnight, the light from the TV still shining into the room where his mother lay, she was fast asleep however. Snoring loudly he saw his two sisters watching TV and having popcorn. His older sister gave him a wave and he waved back as the younger was entranced in the show. He headed to the kitchen and decided to check under tins and cans. It only took him to the second tin of coffee, which he detested, to find the key under it. Only their father drank coffee and he was disappointed his father hid it so easily. He pondered the situation. Perhaps he could drive out now, and bring the suitcase across the border and be back in time for work the next day. It would be exhausting, but he could do it. Thrilled by the thought and the rush of adrenaline, he headed out. His sister wanted to ask him where he was going, but stifled her cry to not wake their mother. She smiled to herself and shrugged, figuring that he would know what he is doing.

He almost jogged on the way back to the garage and was elated with the idea. One thousand Lats in a night! What a great deal! He smiled to himself as he almost danced to the garage. It was already dark and the streets were lit only by the sparse street lights and the moon had not gone up yet. Even if it did, it wasn't even halfway full. He found the bush where he hid the suitcase and looked around for it. He clutched at the ground for it. He spread his feet around the spot. It was gone. Panic began to set in. Adrenaline surged through his body yet again and he began to sweat. Someone stole the suitcase? He was ruined. This part was not in any of the movies.