Another Saturday at the Rice Room

You arrive at the Rice Room without much adieu, except for the regular and persistent thoughts of how you cheated on your wife only a few minutes ago, and worse, how you have no regrets for doing it. You push those thoughts away alongside the front door of the building and make your way to the back, entering the room to find Ivan there, waiting.

“Lev, great to see you, my boy! Ready for another day of work?” he asks you, a broad grin on his face.

“Hey Uncle – yes, let’s get to work. But first, I need to talk to you about something.”

He motions to a chair in front of his desk, and you sit down. When you resolved yourself to spending more time with your family, using the app in any way necessary, and doing whatever you needed to do, you meant it. And Uncle Ivan is the one person that could help you make the most of that.

“Uncle, I realized something recently. Family – it is one of the most important things in this world. And I have been working too much between all of my jobs to spend any time with mine. But I don’t have any choice. The debts pile up, and someone has to pay them. I have been working multiple jobs for years now, trying to keep up, but it has finally become too much for me to handle.”

The words spill out of you, formulating the innermost truth of your heart before you realize it, laying yourself bare to your uncle.

“What are you saying, Lev?” he asks, a worried look in his eyes.

“I want to do more. With you. With the organization. I need to make more money and escape this loop I am in. I know I told you in the past that I was unwilling to do more than I am now, but I must. My dinner with Karina taught me that. I had dinner with my eighteen-year-old daughter and realized that I know almost nothing about her. Because I was never there for her. I can’t let that continue. So, I am asking you, are there any jobs I can do? Anything. Anything, at all.”

Ivan leans back into his high-backed chair, stroking his chin in thought.

“Well, Lev, I always thought this day would come, but I did not expect it to be today. Yes, of course. I have some jobs you can do to make some extra money. What can you do?”

“You know I’m good with computers. I have access to private company information at SlidingDoor. I can fight fairly well, and I used to be a good driver.”

Ivan nods sagely, taking in the information you are sharing with him.

“Let’s start with something easy. Ana is supposed to pick up a new shipment of booze from my contact at the port. Go with her and make sure she stays safe.”

He opens the drawer of his desk and reaches inside, returning his hand to the surface with a white-cloth wrapped object within his grasp. The cloth falls away, revealing a 1911 pistol of some make: gunmetal gray finish, etched chestnut grips, aftermarket glowing sights.

“You’ll need this, just in case,” he finishes. He slides the gun across the desk, and you take it with a nod, sliding it into your waistband.

“Thank you, Uncle. When do we leave?”

“Ana should be here soon – in the meantime, why don’t you start working the numbers over there? It’s much less cash than last time, but it needs to be done.”

You nod and move to your usual working area – piles of money already on your desk and waiting to be counted. The ticking noise of the money counter soon fills the room, until the boxes grow empty. Just as you finish the last box and hand the number sheet to Ivan, Ana walks through the door.

“Ana – Lev will go with you to the port. He is taking on larger jobs, now. He will protect you.”

She turns to you with a raised eyebrow.

“Really? Why?”

“**** times call for **** measures. I am trying to spend less time working and more time at home.”

“Well, good luck with that,” she says, with an eye roll.

You chuckle at your cousin and follow her out of the room, around the corner, and through the back door of the bar. Your eyes are drawn to her as she walks, taking in her fine curves. She is wearing dark blue jeans that hug her form, a fitted t-shirt, and black sneakers. Her hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail. Dressed to work.

She leads you into a side alley, where an old box truck waits between two walls of faded brick. Before getting in, she turns to you and raises her hand to stop.

“Lev, really, tell me why you’re doing this.”

“I told you, Ana. I realized I barely spend any time with my family, and I want to change that. I never see them. I work all of the time. Hell, the only reason I get to see you is that we work together. Otherwise, I’d never see that beautiful face.”

A faint blush spreads on her cheeks, but her words remain sharp as she walks around the truck to face you.

“You could get arrested or killed, Lev! Think Karina will visit you at the cemetery?”

You shrug your shoulders – what can you say? Ana stands there, tapping her sneaker against the uneven asphalt within the alley until she sighs and wraps her arms through yours in a tight hug.

“Don’t let my dad corrupt you, Lev. You’re a good guy. I know you’re family, but he’ll still chew you up and spit you out alongside the others.”

You caress her hair as you hug her back, a glimpse of uncertainty already fading away.

“It’s okay, Ana. I know what I’m doing. I have to do this. For myself, for Karina. For Nadia. For you. Besides, you don't know that your dad is the one who will be doing the corrupting.”

Ana looks up at you, her face only inches from yours, your warm breath mixing with hers, and you suddenly feel very nervous – your anxiety is broken though, when she pulls away and looks towards the end of the alley, wiping a finger across her eye.

“I don’t accept that.. and quit being so lame, Lev,” she murmurs, before jumping into the truck and cranking the engine. You follow her lead, climbing into the passenger seat – carefully, so as to prevent the pistol in your waistband from falling out.