Valentine's Day Candy

It was a bright sunny day at Benson's Park. Thankfully, the bench I was sitting on was in the shade of the trees. It was nice and cool and there was even a slight breeze. I sat for over twenty minutes smoking cigarettes and reading the paper waiting for my contact to show up.

A handsome older guy eventually arrived in an expensive looking gray suit. He had white hair that was mostly concealed by the Fedora hat he had on. He was tall with a slender bulid. Probably in his late fifties or early sixties, I'd guess. He looked like he jumped right out of a suit catalog. He sat on the bench next to me and pulled a cigarette from his shirt pocket. He started padding himself down as if he were looking for something.

"Ahh shit. I forget my god-damned lighter again! For Chrissakes. Hey pal, could I trouble you for a light?" He smiled with one side of his mouth.

I pulled out my lighter and lit his cigarette. He nodded a thanks. I went back to my paper. This guy was obviously not my contact. We both sat there for a couple of minutes more and then I glanced up for a second and noticed the large red heart shaped box on his lap. How'd I not see that earlier I'm not certain. It looked like a box of Valentine's day candy. I accidentally snickered a bit.

"Sorry. I just realized the box of candy. It's a little late for Valentine's Day isn't it? It's May 31st."

He looked over at me like I had just insulted his grandmother. Then a slight smile cracked on his face.

"What's the good word?" he asked.

"Absynth."

He passed the heart shaped box over to me.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I have no idea. My job is done."

He flicked his cigarette down on the ground. He stood up straight and walked away.

Great. What am I supposed to do with a box of Valentine's Day candy...eight and a half months from Valentine's Day? I can't believe the shit I get myself into. Maybe this ought to be my last mission. Nothing made sense anymore anyway. I wasn't even sure why I was still doing this kind of work.

"You're not going to eat that all by yourself are you?"

I looked up to see a slight, petite woman with short blonde hair was standing over me with a bright, white grin. Her blue eyes flashed in the sun that occasionally broke through the tree leaves.

"Actually I was just leaving."

"I love chocolate. Would you mind sharing?"

Her smile was almost blinding. But it wasn't genuine either. A little creepy actually when I thought about it.

"I'm already late. I'm sorry."

She walked up so closely that if I stood up I would've knocked her backwards.

"Well I guess I wasn't very clear. I'm not letting you leave here until you share a piece of chocolate with me. I prefer the ones with nuts, or caramel, or both."

There's that phoney smile again.

"Look. I don't know you."

"That's fine. You don't need to know me. I know you."

"I'm sorry. What is this?"

I had no idea who this woman was or why she wanted my chocolate.

"Well, if you'd been briefed properly you would know. I'm the one you're supposed to meet up with."

"Then who was the guy who left me this box of candy?"

"I didn't see anyone else. I thought you brought it with you."

"Why the hell would I bring a box of months old Valentine's Day candy?"

"I don't know. So I'd know you were the one I was supposed to meet?"

"Yeah. Okay. So...uh what's the good word then?"

"Absynth."

I looked down at the box. I assumed, perhaps wrongly, it was as it appeared to be. A box of chocolates. But perhaps it was something else.

"To be honest, I have no idea who I was supposed to meet. I was told to come here and await the transaction. I didn't realize I'd be meeting up with two people and that I'd have this box on my lap. Maybe it's full of chocolates. Maybe it's something else. I don't even know if it's safe to open it."

"Hmmm. I think we should open it up and see." She looked at me with stern impatience.

The idea of opening this thing I'd received from a complete stranger was somewhat terrifying. There was no way to know what was actually inside and even shaking it seemed dangerous.

"But what if there's an explosive inside?"

"Don't be silly. Why would someone hand you something like that without telling you to be careful with it? They didn't did they?"

"Well no. Neither did The Organization. But would they? Maybe they sent me out here just in case it was and if I were killed they'd have one less Courier."

"Don't be ridiculous. They wouldn't do something like that. Would they?" She had a puzzled look on her face that didn't go well with her otherwise bright smile.

"Well, our little exchange didn't exactly move the needle on my worry meter. Maybe I should just give this to you and be on my way?"

"Since you put it that way, I don't know if I want it. I have a birthday coming up soon and I'm not interested in being blown to smithereens before then. What are we going to do?" She seemed a bit more nervous now.

I pondered her words for a moment. She was young and attractive. She obviously had her whole life in front of her. I was going to be sixty-two in October. But I had a wife and three grown children and several grandchildren. When I thought about that it made me question my decision to do this kind of work. It was risky and I had a lot to lose. In spite of all that, I thought I ought to check things out. Just in case.

"Okay, go stand over there behind that large oak tree. I'm going to check this thing for explosives. At least you can tell someone what happened. There's no sense in both of us being blown to bits."

"Are you sure? I could just take it and be on my way as instructed."

"I'd feel better knowing I wasn't responsible for your demise." Somehow my saying that put my mind at ease. Weird. "Okay. I'm going to set this down on the bench. You take cover."

"Oh. Please be careful." She sounded sincere at least.

I nodded. The young lady took her position behind the massive oak tree. I knelt down and slowly lifted the lid. I could smell the chocolate. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think we're okay. Nothing but chocolates here. No wires, timers or explosives in the bunch. It's safe to come out."

"Well that was my excitement for the week. Glad that's over. I might have to try one of those chocolates now though. My nerves are still a bit frazzled."

Why was she frazzled? I'm the one who took the risks. It was the right thing to do though. I looked at the insert in the lid with the diagram of the contents of the assorted chocolates. Quite a good selection. But I was watching my diet.

"According to the pictures on the box insert, the one in center bottom of the heart has nuts and caramel. Sounds like one you'd enjoy."

"Mmmm. That does sound good. I've always loved chocolate with nuts even as a little girl."

"Well, they're all yours now. Seems a little odd though. I mean, what did they need me for? The guy who gave this to me could have just as easily given this to you."

"True. That is strange. I hadn't thought of that. Maybe you were here to protect me?"

She was a lovely young lady and her smile was quite endearing. I held out the open box of chocolates for her to take one. She grabbed the one at the bottom center.

"Well, I want to thank you for being so brave and looking out for me. I'm glad it worked out the way it did."

"Me too."

She popped the entire piece of candy into her mouth. As she started chewing she completely vanished. What just happened? Did she become invisible?

"Ma'am? Are you still here?"

Nothing. I could hear the wind blowing gently through the trees. There were even birds chirping somewhere up on the trees. I looked around. She was gone. Like she'd never been there. I had no idea who she was. This was the most insane thing I'd ever experienced. I looked down at the open box of chocolates and just stared at them. Was I supposed to eat one too? Go after her? But to where? I sat back down on the bench and closed the lid on the box of Valentine's Day candies. I had a decision to make.