The Silver Bracelet

The never ending, tiring and heated mixture of shouting, bargaining and drumming of the fast African rhythms came in as a quiet echo into the room through an open window. Marcus could see the even roofs and symmetrical, white walls of Rabat houses and the changing color of the sky, indicating that the sun was setting. It was getting purple and orange far in the horizon, near the Hassan Tower. He was tired, so tired. He looked longing behind the tower, far into the ocean, as if to see his way back home. You would think that life in New York has prepared him for such surroundings and in a certain way - it did. He spent only a few days in Morocco and he felt already physically repulsed by the atmosphere. Although it wasn’t only the atmosphere, it was also that unbearable feeling of guilt that every decent businessman had now and then, while being forced to see the poor. The unexplainable guilt of being rich and successful. And God, the heat made it so much worse.

Marcus shifted slowly in his chair at the desk, trying to detach his soaked in sweat shirt from his back, only to feel it back on his skin a few seconds after. He threw another longing look at the window and then he rejoined in the same conversation as he always had to - convincing rich men and women to invest in his father’s company. Today’s target was Nabil Rakir, local oil magnate. Nabil looked like a noble and humble man, which was just an illusion, Marcus was sure of that. He was seated at a massive wooden table, to the right of his father, Liam Rowley, the so called genius of innovative technology of the last century. Marcus glazed at him and tried to calm down his growing rage. It really didn’t take a genius to drive a needle to your vein and ruin a family. Not now, one more day and you will never have to see him again. It seemed as if Liam and Nabil have slowly come to an end of this meeting. Nabil smiled at Marcus:

“Mr. Rowley, I am a man of my word, I hope that you can say the same about yourself.”

Spare me that false local pride. Marcus had no idea about what he was talking, but he smiled in the nicest way possible, considering the fact that he could have opened a free pool under his business suit and responded:

“I never make promises that I cannot keep. But I also don’t like to lie, that’s disrespectful.”

“So you wouldn’t mind if I asked you a few questions about your father’s company before we finish?”

He didn’t understand where he was going with it, but to be honest, there wasn’t much of a choice left for him other than to play any stupid game this African old goat wants him to play. So he put another fake smile on his bright face that Nabil seemed to like and prepared himself for another round of pure lies.

“Most certainly not. After all, as a vice president of the company, that is why I am here for - to answer any of your questions.”

“Excellent!” Nabil rejoiced. “Is your father the best business partner that I could find?”

No, he most definitely is not. He’s an imbecile, a thief that stole his partner’s life work and made a living out of it, he’s a drug addict, alcoholic, waste of space and oxygen, arrogant and impulsive old man that he wouldn’t even spare a bullet on.

“I dare to say yes, he is. I have been a part of our enterprises for most of my life, I saw him starting from nothing and making it to the top. Maybe my view is biased as every son’s view can be biased while looking up to their father, but as a person from outside of our family, I would be honored to work with Liam Rowley.”

There, I said it. I nearly threw myself up a little.

“And why did you insist on coming to our meeting today? I had an understanding that your participation wasn’t necessary.”

Oh, but it was. I only came to make sure he won’t blow the deal. Five hours before the meeting I found him in a brothel, licking the cocaine from the dirty floor that some naked girl accidentally pushed from the night table. Liam was licking the floor, already drunk and intoxicated, looking for a cure for his soul, but all he found were smithereens of the plate, cutting his tongue. With this mental image he looked at his future business partner.

“It was not, that much is true. Although I admire my father’s working methods and his dedication to the company, I do have my own duties that my father is not responsible for. For instance, I could provide information about our rankings, other partners and guarantees, which we will be offering before we sign the contract. Those are my fields in the company and even though my father is familiar with such information, I think it would be a shame for me not to come and tell it for myself. Besides, I have never been in Morocco and it seemed as a great opportunity to satisfy my inner traveler.”

I need to get the hell out of this place. Marcus looked at Liam, wondering if he even had a clue where they were and what they were doing.

“And does your whole family share your admiration for your father and his company?”

Oh, sure. My mother, who had to live with this lunatic and go to the psychiatrist every second day and my sister who is married to our biggest investor were absolutely into the family business.

“My mother and my sister are not working in the company, but the impact of both of them is recognizable there. My mother was my father’s support and the love of his life. And what about my sister? She is still our biggest motivator.”

Marcus smiled, but he felt empty inside. He was sorry for his family, but the blood bonds haven’t been that important for him for a long time now. Loral lived in London and had two beautiful sons. The last time he saw his mother was in December, when he walked on her cheating on his father with some random guy, working at their mansion. He didn’t blame her, but that didn’t mean that he was proud of her.

Then he wandered through his thoughts, through all the pesky and needy faces that surrounded him every day since he has started to work for his father, till he pictured her in his mind. A flash of warmth and longing overwhelmed him and he looked at the ocean once again. One more day and it’ll be over.

“I see. I hope both of you gentleman will understand that I need time to consider your offer. Let’s meet tomorrow at 8 for breakfast, Arno will prepare something delightful for us and we will talk about the business.”

Marcus smiled and spread his hands open in a friendly way.

“Whatever pleases you, Mr. Rakir, we wouldn’t dare to insult Arno by not showing up.”

“Oh, my brother would never forgive you.” Nabil laughed and stood up from his massive chair.

“Thank you for your precious time, Mr. Rakir, I love to have breakfast while hearing good news.” Liam smiled. There was a certain feeling of security in his voice.

Really? This was the best time to make drunk remarks?

“As I told you before, I’m a man of my word, therefore I will not make any promises tonight.” Nabil was smiling, but it was clear he didn’t like Liam’s confidence. Then he turned to Marcus:  ”Do you have any plans for the evening? Rabat has so much to offer for a tourist’s eye.”

“Actually, I was going to the famous market, I want to pick a small gift for my fiancé Margo.”

“Ah, the Medina of Rabat, great choice, my friend. Are you looking for something in specific?”

“Yes, I was told that the silver market was exquisite here, so I’ll keep an eye open for a bracelet, she loves wearing them.”

“You look like you can handle yourself, but you stand out.” Nabil shot his eyes to Marcus’ blond hair. “Allow me to ask my friend Fahd to accompany you. The market is not as dangerous as back in the day, but a native by a side is a warning sign for the smugglers. I insist, Mr. Rowley, we might be partners soon and I do care for my partners.”

Marcus let out a small chuckle and nodded. A local by his side meant only one thing for him - getting faster to the market, probably spending less time on bargaining and getting as fast as possible back to the hotel. There was no way he will decline that.

“If you insist, I wouldn’t even dare to object. But won’t it be too much trouble for Fahd?”

Nice job on remembering that name.

“Nonsense! Fahd is fond of foreigners, he will do it happily.” Then he pushed a button on the phone on his desk and said something rapidly in Arabic.

A few seconds later, a young gentleman came into Nabil’s office and politely nodded towards Liam and Marcus. He was quite tall and muscular, even taller than Marcus. Nabil walked to him and explained that he wanted him to walk Marcus to the market and then back to his hotel. Fahd smiled and looked at him.

“Jewelry for the lady, of course, we’ll be at the hotel in an hour.”

“Excellent!”

“Well then, Mr. Rowley,” Rakir shook Liam’s hand and then turned to Marcus and smiled” and Mr. Rowley too, I am most thankful for your visit and your offer. I expect to see you tomorrow and tell you my decision.”

“Thank you, for your time, Mr. Rakir, we are already looking forward.”

Marcus shook his hand and he knew that he got him. Even though Liam was a burden in every business meeting, today he was quiet most of the time and didn’t ruin anything that Marcus’ looks and charm couldn’t fix. Nabil was fond of him, he loved his youthful enthusiasm and thoughtfulness and Marcus was fully aware of this fact.

Fahd held the door open for both of the men and then followed them in the hallway. Marcus felt an urge to say something to his father about that confident remark, but he couldn’t because Fahd was right next to them and he was surely watching them. So he turned his head to Liam and smiled in order to play his role and asked him:

“Are you going to join us?”

“No, I’m quite tired, I think I will head straight to the hotel.”

Sure you are, you weren’t sober for the past three days, you did more drugs than a local dealer sold in a month and you probably got a genital disease. At least an infection, please, let it be anything, just to irritate him for the next few weeks.

“Must be the weather.” Marcus said while stepping into the elevator.

“Yes, probably.”

The three men stepped out on the ground floor and went directly through the Nabil’s lobby and walked out into the heat of Rabat. Liam politely said his goodbyes and went to their hotel. Marcus hoped that he was going straight back to the hotel, the evening before signing the contract wasn’t the perfect time for another scene. Fahd lingered next to him, not being sure if Marcus was following.

“Silver market?”

“Yes.”

Fahd nodded and showed him the way through the maze of the streets. He didn’t talk much, which was nice. They walked in silence, surrounded by the city, which seemed to be vibrating around them. The people were standing in the streets, talking loudly and openly, laughing, smoking water pipes and looking at him. Nabil was right, he did stand out in the crowd. Some of the vendors tried to pull him by the hand and offer him their goods. Fahd quickly yelled at them in Arabic and they let go of him. Then they kept on walking without discussing it, but Marcus felt the same guilt again for not buying anything.

He shooed such thoughts away and concentrated on what bracelet he will buy for Margo. He imagined her face when she will receive it, how she will give him a smile, that beautiful smile of hers and wrap her hands around his neck, pulling him to her, feeling him near her body, and after that she will kiss him, softly at first and then suddenly eager, realizing he was back home with her. He shook his head at the thought, it was too painfully far away from him.

But not too far away in time. Tomorrow after the meeting with Nabil, which will be a success, Marcus was sure of it, he will fly directly to New York. Margo said on the phone that she found a nice apartment and he was going to take a look at it with her. They were going to move in together and in September they will be married. There was only one job left before doing that - making sure that his parents had enough money to keep themselves above the surface of their debts. Nabil was this job. It was the deal that had to secure their finances for the next five years. And Marcus felt confident about leaving the company on Monday. He has already received an offer from Logan, his good friend from college, to work in his new company. He did his duty to his family, he suffered them enough, he took care of their future, they were even. Marcus thought about Nabil and smiled. He won’t be happy to hear I quit.

Marcus looked at Fahd who still hasn’t said much and asked him:

“Are we near the market?”

“Just behind the corner.”

“Great.”

They were walking in a dark and quite narrow alley. Fahd politely offered Marcus to go first, because both of them didn’t fit in the passage. Marcus walked sideways, but he kept the pace fast. He was just about to step into the main street and he thought that he saw the lights of the market in front of him, when something pulled him to the left by his jacket. As a reflex, his hands went to the sides, looking for something to grab and hold on to. Now he looked down and saw a pale hand pulling him into a house through an opened door. He couldn’t see anything else, since it was so dark not only in the alley, but also inside of the house. Marcus pulled away from the hand not only with his hands, but also with his feet now, but he felt a hard punch to his back, then to his neck and finally Fahd’s dark hands smashed his arms from above to his elbow joints and he lost his strongest stand of resistance. The second hand grabbed him by the other lapel of his jacket and pulled him in.

“Who are you?!” Marcus shouted. “Let me go!”

But there was no answer. It was dark inside, he couldn’t see a thing, there was only mumbling and suddenly someone held him by the arms from behind. He heard a sound of a roll of duct tape being pulled and then the third person caught both of his legs, which was not an easy thing to do, since he was moving restlessly like a fish on the shore. The one with the duct tape rolled it around his feet and his wrists. Finally, there was a peace of it on his mouth to keep him shut from screaming. That didn’t stop Marcus from desperate attempts to shout for help. No one would help anyways. No one would even hear him through the busy rhythms of the city.

“Oh, will you knock it off, you behave like a child, Marcus.”

Marcus froze. No. That couldn’t be true. A string of lightbulb was pulled and the room went bright. He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the lightning and then he looked at the man standing in front of him.

“What? Didn’t expect to see your daddy?”

Liam stood there, looking at him, not a sign of shame or anything else, just the same confident look as before in Nabil’s office.

“You think I didn’t know you were hopping around town looking for a new job? You think I haven’t noticed how you look at me when there are just the two of us, no business partners, no workers around? You think I haven’t realized you are going to abandon me - ME, your only father, the one that gave everything to you, that raised you, send you to the collage, made a millionaire out of you?! Now that’s a little disrespectful, don’t you think? And for what? To start a mediocre business with that dumbhead Logan and hump that pretty bunny of yours till your brains pop out?!”

At this point he was shouting at Marcus face. If not for the duct tape, Marcus would have had some snappy responses, but the best that he could do was give him a death stare and wait for what next he had to say. Liam turned to Fahd:

“Bring him to the car.”

Fahd and the other man that Marcus did not know, lifted him up and started to move outside. Liam was just behind them.

“I do admit that I have my flaws. I’m a drug addict and a drunk. And that leads to mistakes. Like today, in the brothel, Fahd informed me that Nabil was aware of that. And even your charms would not have fixed that. So I needed a plan B. A good businessman always has a plan B. Now where is yours, Marcus? You’re just a needy child that needs a punishment. You blame me for my addictions. But you’re an addict, too. However, your addiction to morals and love is self-destructive. Mine are just off-putting.”

Fahd opened the car’s trunk and threw Marcus in it. Liam walked slowly towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Marcus pulled away at once and started to move, trying to escape again.

“I don’t want you to misinterpret my actions. I am not doing this just because you’re a spoiled child, which, truth to be told, is my fault. I realize that Nabil is my only one chance to not go bankrupt. I need him to survive. And after that little misunderstanding this afternoon, it wasn’t possible to get the contract with him. But how could he decline it if the only one precious son of his partner went missing? No, not missing, he was kidnapped, while one of his best men was supposed to take care of him? And then his own man was seen in the airport, leaving for the States? Could he decline it? Could he? And what would that tell any other possible partner of his about how he chooses people around him? Oh, no. He has to accept the deal. But don’t be too sad, if everything goes as planned and you’ll behave, I’ll let you go as soon as possible.”

Marcus was trying to scream, shout, jump out of the car but a silent realization came to his mind - it was over. Fahd pushed him to the bottom of the trunk. Liam pointed to Fahd:

“I paid him 100000$ for the job. From your account, may I add. I paid great money to hack into them, but that was a good investment. So if you think about telling someone about the whole thing when I let you out, forget it. One word about it in public and I’ll make you as poor as the poor you despise so much.”

He gave a sign to the other two men to close the trunk. When it was already shut, he tapped the top of it and chuckled:

“I’ll give your love to Margo. Do you think she’s into older men? She’s quite pretty. You got my taste, son.”

After a few minutes, when the car hit the road, Marcus stopped moving and gave up. That much of a silver bracelet, huh?