It Was Just Business

Merlin looked at the clear blue sky. This was as good as place as any to pray for a miracle. There were no clouds to be seen, just a bright sun, him, the vast open desert and the fine people who brought him there. Merlin's new friends were giving him a much needed intervention. You see Merlin had a small gambling problem, a few hours before he bet everything he had. His house, his car, his wife's car and his kid's college funds. Merlin had a hot hand, and couldn't be beat. Wouldn't be beat. All he had to do was let the suckers think they had won, and like in a movie, slam his hand down on the table and walk away a hero, no, a legend! He should've folded.

Merlin put that behind him, it was over. He had to deal with the now. Merlin lowered his eyes and gazed into Joe's hazel eyes. Joe's hair, eyebrows and mustache completely white, with bags under his eyes and his wrinkled suit -as if he had bought it 20 years ago and never dry cleaned it-  completed his haggard look making him seem like he was also having a rough day. Joe put on his sunglasses and leaned against the Oldsmobile cutlass supreme and spoke.

"Hope you're enjoying the scenery," Joe said with a smirk, picking up a briefcase and putting it on the trunk. He squinted at Merlin, then pointed at the briefcase. "This is yours, and you can keep it," Joe glanced at the desert "But if you take it, you walk back and you don't come back, understood?"

Merlin knew that option was suicide he had been driven into the deep desert. All he could see in every direction was tumbleweeds staring at back at him.

"My other option?" Merlin said, apprehension in his voice. He didn't want to die of thirst in a dry hot desert. He felt certain that it would be a very, very slow and painful death. But Merlin also wanted to keep the briefcase. If it was what he thought it was, his life also depended on it.

"Easy, you give us this," Joe motioned to the briefcase with an evil grin, his brow furrowing. "And you get a lift to the next town." Joe's smile turned into a small frown, his face wrinkling and eyes slightly narrowing. "And again, you don't come back."

"What about *MY* money?!" Merlin shot back.  Without a word Joe turned, threw the briefcase on the hot desert ground and climbed into the Oldsmobile with his two hired guns. Merlin stood in shocked silence not knowing what to do or say. "WAIT, WAIT! Ok, ok." Merlin said running towards the Oldsmobile. Joe started the car, rolled up the windows and left.

Merlin was dead.

He didn't even know what was in the briefcase or the combination to it. It could've been Joe's lunch for all he knew.

"SHIT!" Merlin screamed watching the Oldsmobile, his only lifeline to society shrink into the distance. Merlin took a deep breath of hot desert air, reached down and picked up the briefcase, holding it above his head with both arms to block the sun. He was already thirsty. He glimpsed into the distance, then started to walk the path the Oldsmobile had taken. Merlin wondered how long it would be before someone found his body. Days, months, years?

"No," Merlin said to himself. He had to make things right with his family again before he died. All he  needed to do was get back into another casino, maybe borrow some cash from his friends if the briefcase really was in fact empty. His luck had to change after this...

Merlin came to a small ditch filled with tumbleweeds. It had already been hours and he needed to lay down and rest. "make a small home out of tumbleweeds..." Merlin thought before he collapsed. He was so tired. Merlin crumpled into a fetal position and prepared for his slow painful demise. "Sorry." He said softly into the ground crying before closing his eyes one last time...

Cool water began splashing on his hot sand caked face, shocked by the fact it raining Merlin opened his eyes again and found the clear blue sky still hovering above him with one slight change. A familiar face now leered down at him also.

"Get your sorry ass up," Merlin shot back up to his feet. It was Joe.
"You done being stupid?" Joe said, the hot desert had done nothing for his temperament either.

Merlin picked up the briefcase and threw it to Joe without an argument."Good, glad to see some people can be taught," Joe said with a faint grin. "Get in," he said with a snap. Merlin climbed into the Oldsmobile and sat between the hired goons.

"Was anything even inside that briefcase?" Merlin had to know. Joe tossed the briefcase from the passenger seat to one of his goons and told him to open it. The hired gun opened the briefcase and showed Merlin its contents. Merlin's eyes opened, his mouth followed but finding no words again, soon shut.

"Oh, and it's probably best if you don't mention your little ordeal to anyone, y'know for your health and theirs," Joe warned.

Merlin wiped his sandy wet face as the Oldsmobile drove to back to civilization. Merlin was fine with that. He knew it wasn't personal, it was just business.