Mara’s POV
“I thought you wouldn’t come?” Keren came out from her car to meet me.
“And why would you think that!” I was beginning to be suspicious of her.
“Never mind, get inside the car. It would be better if we talk inside” Keren suggested and that only raised my suspicion the more.
“And what is wrong with us leaning in the car and talking like normal human beings?” I asked.
“Nothing except for the fact that the sun is scorching and I’m afraid it might set us both on fire. ” She folded her lips in a manner that showed sarcasm and I felt like I had no other choice than to do as she had instructed me.
“So what is this whole trafficking thing about?” I slammed the car door too roughly and I earned a stern look from her, it was more like a warning without words.
“Sorry, but still you have to answer my question” I apologized.
“There is no trafficking. I just wanted to play along with the rubbish you were saying but anyways the main business is that I deal on makeup accessories and other lady products like pads and tampons and perfumes.
I will need you to help me deliver those products to different locations” she was explaining and I could tell that something was off with the way she spoke.
For instance, she wasn’t looking at me, she just kept adjusting one thing or the other with her left hand in the car while her right hand rested on the driving wheel.
“I don’t believe you. Why aren’t you looking at me? And why one earth would you pay me such a huge amount of money just to deliver lady products for you, it just doesn’t make any sense” I tried to be logical
“Making money isn’t as hard as you think.
Yes they might be lady products but they are very expensive and require utmost care” she finally looked at my face when she talked to me.
“Okay so when and where would I be delivering these products of yours?” I chose to ignore all the negative signs that I was seeing.
“Soon… any time I get an order you will go for deliveries. As a matter of fact I do have a pending order but I am not sure you are ready to handle it so I might as well just..” Keren was saying.
“No, I am ready. In Fact I told my mum that I had gotten a job so I am ready to do as you say. Just to deliver lady products right? It’s not a big deal” I had begun to panic.
“Okay if you say so then” she stretched her hand towards the backseat of the car to grab a backpack that was resting on the backseat.
“Now you see this backpack” she unzipped it and it contained a lot of sanitary pads, she started to bring them out one after the other to show them to me.
“These aren’t just ordinary pads, they are special pads for women who have sensitive skin. You will have to deliver this products to the address that I have written down for you before 5pm.
A man would be there to take it from you” Keren was giving me instructions but what I really didn’t understand was why would a man want sanitary pads, like what was he going to use them for?.
“I think you made a mistake. You mean a woman would be there to take them right?” I tried to correct her.
” I know what I said and I’m sure of what I said. A man will be the one to take it” Keren brought out her phone and began scrolling, she was searching for something and she found it.
“Look at his face very well. He will be the one to take it from you, apart from this man, do not give this bag to someone else” Keren was warning me but the way she said it was as if my life depended on it.
“Yes ma’am” I rolled my eyes and she stretched her hand once again towards the back seat of the car to bring out something. It was a brand new phone and it was still in its pack.
“Wow!” I was amazed when she handed it over to me.
“This is coming out from my pay right?” I asked with the hopes that I will get a no as an answer.
“Yes actually,” keren had crushed all my hopes with just two words.
“Well… it depends on how well you carry out your first task. If it goes as planned then you can consider this as a gift from me to you but if it doesn’t then..” Keren took a pause.
I couldn’t help myself but wonder why she would think that something could go wrong just by delivering ordinary sanitary pads.
“You have to hurry up now. ” She looked at her watch and handed me some money. I guessed it was to take a taxi.
“So I don’t get like a driver or something?” I raised an eyebrow.
“And why would I get you a driver?” Keren asked rhetorically but I still chose to answer her question anyway.
“Because jobs like this normally come with delivery vans and a driver actually drives them” I broke it down as if I was explaining things to a child and that seemed to amuse Keren as she gave a gentle laugh.
“Well this is different like I said earlier before. Just hurry up and complete your task” she reminded me that I was running out of time.
I quickly grabbed the phone and hung the back pack as I made my way out of her car.
Getting to the location she gave me was a chore on its own, it was so far from where we met and I almost spent half of the money she gave me just on my transportation to the place. I waited at the exact spot she had asked me to but I couldn’t see any trace of the man. I brought out my phone to call her.
“Hello” I spoke just to ensure she was still with me.
“Hello, is the job done?” She replied me from the other end of the line and she sounded very anxious over the phone.
“No, the job isn’t done because I haven’t seen any signs of the man yet. I don’t think he is going to come, maybe he just..” I was reporting when I sighted him from a distance walking towards me.
“Never mind, he is here” I hung up on her immediately.
“You are very late Mr.” I handed him over the bag and was scolding him while he kept on scanning the area.
“What are you looking for? I am talking to you so I would appreciate it if you look at me” I scolded him once more and he scoffed before gearing his attention towards me.
“I am sorry, I got delayed by some things. Now run off little girl” he hung the bag and ran across the road before he got into a taxi.
He was such a weird man, he looked so musculine and yet he made use of sanitary pads or maybe he was just a marketer or something.