Benjamin, a night-time taxi driver, was having a little break during work. He discovered that there was something under the drivers’ seat. He picked up what’s under his seat, and his decision leads him into a journey he never imagined.
When Benjamin opened his eyes, he saw a beam of orange sunlight shining through the big window above his head. Lying on his bed, Benjamin could hear the noise of mosquitos and flies flying around him, or the sound of water droplets falling from the water tap to the kitchen sink. He could neither hear the noise of people yelling, nor the noise of grumpy drivers pressing the horn, getting stuck in a traffic jam.
In this pleasant and solemn dusk, Benjamin felt a sense of absurdity. There’s no way a city would be that quiet?
He closed his eyes for a quick repose. When he opened his eyes again, the orange sunlight has already gone. It was replaced by white billboard light made by the billboard across the street. I know I am not dreaming, he thought.
He raised his head to have a look at the clock. 7:30 pm already. He immediately woke up, got himself ready for another day of work, and ran downstairs to take the bus that would bring him to work. While the bus was travelling around, and looking at the scenery outside, something he never imagined he would witness came up, and along with it, past experiences.
It happened a few years ago. Back then, he was one of the many soldiers who has been fighting in a city covered with dust and sand. As the army was travelling through the alleys and streets, he stood in the middle of the queue. Consequences of war lay all around – bullet holes on the walls, dead bodies lying on the ground, civilians hiding behind thin wood boards and concrete walls.
The bus turned through a tight corner, and reached the end of a narrow street filled with three-stories high buildings. Something which he tried to (but never got to) forget fluttered up. Following the footsteps of soldiers upfront, a turn through the corner of an alley, and the end of a narrow street filled with buildings that were three-stories high. Dead bodies lay on the side of the road. Sounds of gunshots coming from his back. He turned around. A fellow soldier was shooting at civilians, hiding behind wood boards covering the entrance of the shop, and dying on the side of the road. He turned to look at those who were just being shot to death. No one held any guns or grenades in their hands. He turned around again. One of his fellow soldiers, holding a machine gun in his hand, had a grin on his face, as if he was satisfied by what he saw. That soldier pulled the trigger and killed another civilian who was lying on the side of the road, waiting for his death.
Benjamin reported what he witnessed on that street to his leader. He never got to know if that soldier was punished or not. Some said that the military refused to admit the occurrence of such a ridiculous incident. Others claimed that the soldier, allegedly the son of a high-ranking official, was being pardoned for his war crimes. Plagued by insomnia, and an inner distress, Benjamin quietly left the army, returned to his city, and became a night-time taxi driver.
When Benjamin stepped off the bus, Donald was standing beside the entrance of the service station, a long cigarette in his right hand. ‘Watch your step, you prick… fucking sick of these fuckers… Stupid git. Hey Benjamin! Where have you been, pal?’ Donald yelled. ‘I was not feeling well. So I stayed at home, had some rest, let the tablets take control of my body, and see if I would feel better,’ Benjamin murmured. ‘Must be difficult to experience that sort of thing again. Anyway, good to see you returning like a Superman! It’s so boring out there. Business was getting much worse than before, ‘ Donald said. He remained silent for a brief moment. ‘Hey, free to have a beer after work?’ he asked. ‘I have nothing to do after work… ok, no problem.’ Benjamin said. ‘See ya after work then! Hell yeah! Oh yes, you weren’t here yesterday… Yesterday, the motherfucker said there was a customer who lost something in one of our taxis. He searched some of the cabs this morning but nothing came out. He said that it could be in anyone’s car, and he said that there would be a reward for the driver who found it.’ Donald whispered into Benjamin’s ear, ‘You know I don’t like that douchebag. Just… be careful with what that douchebag is on…’ ‘Thanks for the update. I have to go and grab a cup of coffee. See you after work!’ Benjamin said.
Benjamin walked into the staff lounge. Peter was sitting on the long, brown plastic couch, swiping the screen of his smartphone with his thumbs. ‘Come on, just load the files… bloody hell… Hey, Benji. Haven’t seen you for a long time!’ ‘Yes, sir. I took a few days off because I did not feel well,’ Benjamin said. ‘That’s ok, Benji. As long as you can find someone who is willing to be your replacement, you may to take your sick leave, annual leave, paternity leave, whatever. You can even leave forever if you want to, hahaha!’ Peter giggled. Benjamin chose his poker face. ‘Sir, is there anything else you would like to talk about? I think I should go out and start working,’ Benjamin asked. ‘Let me see, Ah, yes, Benji. I don’t know whether you have already heard anything about this, but ahh yesterday, there was a customer who told us that he had lost something in one of our taxis.’ ‘Yes, sir. Donald told me a little bit about that.’ Benjamin replied. ‘OK then. Let me get straight to the point. If you find anything mysterious or suspicious in your cab, please come back and tell me immediately. If you can discover the lost item for us, there will be a reward for you.’ He added, ‘Remember, don’t think that you are smart enough to cheat. If you do anything other than returning the lost item, there will be consequences.’ A cunning smile was hanging above his double-layered chin. ‘I got it, sir. I shall go back to work now. Have a nice day, sir.’ Benjamin took a cup of coffee from the coffee machine, took a glance at the duty list, and left the lounge.
Benjamin’s business was not going well. It was another day when there were few people hanging around the streets at night. He could do nothing other than drive around and see the things he had seen a thousand times. Drunks who could not find their way back home, lunatics shouting as they ran around the street, beggars who have no choice but to sleep in McDonald’s.
He took a little break, and stopped his car at a gas station. Sitting in the driver’s seat, he suddenly put his right hand under his seat. His hand was scrambling the air. He stretched his arm to reach the floor. Something that felt like an envelope. He grabbed it up. It was a big brown envelope, with a thin string tying its flap with the envelope.
Benjamin flipped the envelope around. He looked at both sides of the envelope. Nothing there, about the sender or the recipient. What Donald and Peter had said to him receded. He carefully untied the string and opens the envelope and looked into the envelope. There was some cash, and photos, in the envelope. The grotesque photos showed everybody completely naked. Tears in the eyes of young teenagers were being tortured by fat, bold elderlies. The molesters were putting smiles on their face. They seemed to enjoy watching themselves, molesting others for fun.
He was shocked. He has seen crazy things happening in his life, but he never expected a shocker in circumstances like this. He threw the photos back into the envelope, tied the flap with the envelope, and put the envelope under his seat. You never saw those photos, not a single one of them, he told himself. Here’s what you should do: give the envelope to Peter, and tell him. I just noticed there’s an envelope under my seat, and I did not do anything at all.
Benjamin took long breaths. He fired up the engine, and slowly drove his cab back to the station. He grabbed the envelope and went into Peter’s office. ‘Good morning, boss.’ ‘Hey Benjy, take a seat! How’s our business?’ ‘Not so good, sir.’ ‘That’s not good news then. I can see that you have brought something with you. Can I know what that is?’ Peter asked. ‘Oh yes, Sir. I found a big envelope under my seat. I think it might be related to the case you mentioned earlier. So I’m delivering it to you immediately.’ ‘Hmm did you open the envelope?’ Peter asked, putting a grin on his face. ‘No, I didn’t,’ Benjamin said. He avoided eye contact with Peter. ‘Really? What’s with your eyes then?’ Peter asked Benjamin. ‘Sir, I am just feeling a bit tense.’ ‘A bit tense? That means you have done something with this mysterious envelope?’ ‘No, I… I wanna know whether this is the thing that you are looking for?’ ‘Interesting answer, Benjy. I need to make some calls right now. Wait for me, I will come back to you very soon.’
Peter picked up his phone and left the room. Sitting on his chair, Benjamin felt relieved. Maybe he had successfully deceived Peter.
Five minutes later, Peter came back. ‘Benjy, congratulations!’ Peter shouted. ‘You solved the case for us.’ ‘Really? I can’t believe it,’ Benjamin said. ‘Yes, a great news for both of us. Of course, they would like to thank you for your help,’ Peter shouted again. ‘Really?’ Benjamin asked. ‘Of course, Benjy, now you are our hero!’ Peter screamed.
Benjamin could not believe it. Peter was the kind of boss he did not like to have a long conversation with. Maybe Peter is not that much of a douchebag as Donald described? Benjamin thought.
Benjamin left the station again to continue his work. A few hours later, the sky got brighter and brighter. It was time to get off from work. He drove his cab along the highway. The sun was rising over the surface of the ground. Let’s admit it. Today is a good day,’ he told himself.
He drove the cab back to the service station, and got himself ready for an after-hour beer with Donald. The moment he stepped out of the station, there were four guys who seized him away. A hemp bag covered Benjamin’s head and upper body, and two packing bands tied up his arms and both legs. They threw him into the trunk of a van, and left.
He lay in the trunk. He panicked, What have I got myself into this time? A murder? A homicide? A revenge? What is going on? What can I do?
The van stopped. The guys pulled him out of the trunk. He was inside an empty warehouse. He did not have the guts to open his mouth. The silence inside the warehouse got loud. ‘I don’t really care what you guys have done, or what you guys want to do, he shouted. But you’ve got the wrong guy! That’s not me!’ He raised his voice so loudly it penetrated through the hemp bag. ‘I am saying that I am innocent! I don’t have the thing you guys want! Leave me alone!’ he yelled again.
A man started walking towards Benjamin. ‘Nope. You are the one we are looking for!’ It was Peter, ‘We knew you saw the content of the envelope, and we’d like you to pay for what you have violated, simple as that.’ ‘There was once a retard who said: “Life was a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get.” Well yes, he was a retard, but he was right. Sometimes you may get a box of chocolates made with shit. You want to throw it away, but the chocolates came from someone you could not refuse, and he was just standing right in front of you. What are you going to do? Throw it down to the rubbish bin, or eat it with pleasure?’ Peter whispered into the ears of Benjamin, then stepped back.
‘So, what’s the most important thing in life?’ Peter yelled. ‘I have no idea. But fuck your gibberish nonsense! You fucking traitor! fucking kidnapper!’ Benjamin quielty replied, ‘Thank you for your compliment. If I never got to know you, I might believe you are actually a stand-up comedian.’ Peter laughed, ‘No peace, no safety, no party! Without these things, you might not be able to finish your coffee without someone trying to bash your brain with a baseball bat!’
‘Yes, whatever,’ Benjamin murmured.
‘That’s why we must know the boundaries around us. More importantly, we shall never step over those lines! Tell you what, Benji… I am actually you. You know, no one is guiltless. I am now helping you to relieve the guiltiness inside you. You know what I am saying?’ Peter said hysterically. ‘That’s the pattern of life… How fragile are we? Just one wrong step and we’re fucked. Everything can just fly in front of you, and it hits, you may not have the chance to respond.’ Peter walked to the back door of the warehouse, picked up a shovel placed just beside the door, and walked towards Benjamin.
‘I just wanna know one thing. Why me?’ Benjamin asked. ‘First of all, you were really unlucky. I had no idea the envelope would be in your car. However, you have also dug your own grave. I told you to stay honest, and not to open things that look suspicious. But we know you weren’t an honest boy. That’s not my fault then,’ Peter whispered. ‘You can have a life-long sick-leave now. Goodbye!’ Peter raised both his hands to lift up the shovel. He started hitting Benjamin’s head with the shovel.
On the floor, he heard Peter, ‘What can I say? I know you didn’t like me but there’s nothing I can do for you. I am sorry. If I wasn’t working for my boss, you might have lived through this wonderful day.’ He dropped the shovel, and walked out of the warehouse, Benjamin thought he heard. Or maybe the four kidnappers, starting to clean up the mess in the warehouse.
Peter takes out a cigarette, lights it up, holds the cigarette with his both hands, and moveshis hands upward so that he is holding the cigarette above his head.
‘I can do nothing but to wish you the best of luck. Please don’t blame me for what happened to you. That’s the best I can do already. I wish you a safe journey ahead.’
Peter takes three bows, and carefully places the cigarette on the ground. He walks towards his car, fires up the engine, and starts driving his way back home.
‘Hey, boss, what’s up?’ Peter picks up his phone. ‘Good job, Peter. You have settled everything down swiftly, good work. I like the way you swing your shovel around when you want to hit that dickhead’s head.’ ‘Thank you very much, sir. If you need anything just tell me, I am always here for you,’ Peter says. As he puts his phone down, Peter starts thinking about the dreams he has been pursuing: owning a big vacation house in Guam, leaving this country to start a new life in that remote nation, travel around the world with his wife. There are many things he wants to do. To him, these dreams are the reasons he wants to live. ‘Just another year and you can get the hell out of this place. You can do it, Peter. You are born to be free! And you will be free very soon!’ Peter tells himself, just the way he has been telling himself every day. ‘Yeah, no one shall blame me for Benji’s death. You know, he dug his own grave. I was just an executioner, what’s wrong with that?’
As for Benjamin, after his body was being beaten to death, his soul, rather than finding an opportunity of reincarceration, has chosen to live in heaven. Disappointed by his experience in humanity, Benjamin has completely lost his interest in continuing his journey of living in the human world. It is only in heaven, where Benjamin could feel his true sense of pleasantness, and peacefulness.
