Pumpkin Spice, стр. 20
It was less only a few short months later that Reuben and Penelope had wed. The wedding was paid for in full by the Barabbas boys. Penelope at first was hesitant to accept such a generous gift from her fiancé’s employer but after a one on one conversation with Barnabas should came to the realization that it was a blessing. The Barabbas boys truly appreciated the effort and all of the hard work Reuben had been putting in for them, and this was just a nice way to say “thank you.” Barnabas Barabbas was a world class liar. He had Reuben, Penelope and her parents eating out of the palm of his hands. Obtaining the Tatum land was going to be easier than he ever imagined. He should have schemed this up years ago. Why leave something so important in the hands of a loose cannon like Bo, anyway? Not his proudest moment, but he was about to make up for it ten-fold.
After the honeymoon Reuben returned to work, there was no removing the smile from his face. It was clear to all that Reuben and Penelope were meant to be. For several weeks Barnabas kept Reuben at his clerical position, then one day he called him into his office. He poured him a glass of the finest rum in the county, and lit a cigar under his nose. “I want to tell you something, Reuben.” Barnabas took a puff of his cigar, “I like you; I do.” Reuben waited for a “but”
“But,” there it was. “I don’t feel like you’re living up to your full potential.”
“Potential, sir?”
“Barnabas.” Barnabas corrected. “Yes, your potential here with us, the Barabbas boys. You come to work, dot the I’s and cross the T’s. It's all very mundane, wouldn’t you say?”
“Mundane? I don’t know Barnabas, it’s necessary.”
“But it’s so beneath you. Cassidy can do it all, don’t lie to me. You know you’re smarter than him. You know you’re more talented than him. So tell me, Reuben, why is it you’re not making the kind of money he’s making?” Truth of the matter was Reuben never gave it much thought. He was hired to do a clerical job, and so he was doing a clerical job. Had he been hired to be a baker, painter, or architect he is sure he would be doing any of those jobs as well, but he was not. Reuben Burrows was a clerical employee of the Barabbas boys. “If you’re willing to make more money, to give your wife a better life, to raise a family in a higher-class part of town, we can talk. But,” He warned, “Everything comes with a price.” Reuben wasn’t sure he understood. “I want you to think about it. Think about the possibility. Reuben, you cannot discuss this with Penelope. This is between us, between men.” Reuben nodded, even though he still didn’t quite understand.
The room was dimly lit as Reuben entered. To the left of the door Barnabas sat at an old wooden table, Cassidy hovered over this left shoulder, standing there like a royal guard. As Reuben closed the door behind him Barnabas stood up, “Reuben, come, have a seat.” The eldest Barabbas brother said motioning to a chair in front of him. Reuben slowly made his way in. The walls were made from logs, the roof had several holes in it, and the window above Barnabas was old and cracked. On the desk lay posters. Faces of men, none of whom he knew nor recognized. Barnabas slid the posters to the side, and flipped several over as if to hide them from Reuben.
Reuben sat across from Barnabas. His chair was made of old stretched and ripped leather. He could feel the cool dampness through his clothing. “Would you like an ale?” Barnabas offered. It was barely ten in the morning, Reuben declined. Barnabas couldn’t help himself, he had Cassidy leave to get himself and Reuben each a pint. He insisted Reuben drink with him. “Before we begin, I have some legalities I must get out of the way.” Barnabas slid several sheets of paper towards Reuben. “What’s all this?” Reuben asked starring down at the heavily worded forms. “These are what Cassidy referred to as FDA… no no that wasn’t it, LDU’s? No, no.” Just then Cassidy returned with pint glasses filled with thick brown ale. “Cassidy what in the blazes did you refer to these documentarians as?”
“It’s an NDA.”
“NDA that’s it.”
“Non-Disclosure Agreement. It means what is said in this room remains in this room.” Reuben was curious, if not intrigued. “I want you to look those over, and if you agree and sign them, we can continue. If not, that’s fine, you go back to your clerical work and so-forth.” Barnabas raised his glass, “Cheers.” And he chugged his ale.
Reuben studied the NDA. It all seemed more complex than it needed to be, but ultimately, he was not to speak and if he did speak, they would first remove a finger, and then his head. “Death?” Reuben’s heart sunk. He looked up at Barnabas, he had a fear in his eyes that Barnabas loved to see. “Only if you go against your word, Reuben. We have no intent on following through. It’s more-so about trust, y’see.” Reuben swallowed his saliva, Barnabas