Everyone has a story, everyone has a past. Although the Men in Black organization likes to pretend there agents don't. My name is Agent O. My best friend is a man named Kevin Coulson who lost everything when he joined the MIB. He tried to beat the system and hide his family from the MIB, but they always find out. This is a cautionary tale to any new recruits. If you join us you will have to give up everything there is no hiding anything from the Men in Black. And giving up everything is not easy, my friend is a perfect example of that. I'm telling this story in hopes that you new recruits will truly think before you say yes. This is the story Agent K, who is now retired. He shared his story with me and now I'm sharing it with you.

It all began 28 years ago. Agent k and his family were living in a small town in upstate New York. His wife and him sat on the porch swing in front of their house, his arm around her as she rested her head on his chest. The two watched as their son, Phil, played football in the front yard with the little girl from across the street named Melinda.

Phil and Melinda were both 3 years old. Phil was a small boy with big green eyes and dirty blonde hair. He had light skin and was dressed in a flannel shirt, sneakers and jeaned pants. Melinda was a tall girl. Who loved to play sports and have fun with the boys. She dressed in a pink shirt and blue overalls, with sneakers. Melinda had long straight black hair and brown eyes. Her skin was pale and she was of asian decent.

Kay was only 23 and already was married to his high school sweet heart, Alice Young. She was beautiful girl with short curly blonde hair and green eyes. Her skin was light skin and she always had a smile on her face. Her favorite dress was a red one, she made herself. It had white poka dots on it and reached below her knees. Kay was handsome man with slicked back brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was light and he had a face that looked like it belonged in movies. He wore a collared blue long sleeve shirt and light brown kahi`s with sneakers. Alice made all the Coulson`s clothes. The family was poor, but she`d be damned to let anyone else know that. Alice strived at making clothes that looked like they had come off the rack for less than they sold in the stores.

"Kevin, what if we can't pay the bills?" Alice stated. "We still got the mortgage to pay, the electricity bill, the water bill, the car. I don't know if we're going to be able to do it all this month, I mean your job at the police station isn't making you much."

He took her hands in his.

"Don't worry, we`ll make it through." He told her with his smooth southern accent. "We`ll cut back a bit."

She laughed.

"Cut back? What else can we possibly cut back on? We don't have the money to get Phil any toys, we don't have any snacks only food used for meals. plus we sold the TV and most of our books. What else can we possibly give up?"

"Look I know, its tough now. But things will get better, I know they will. But for now all we need is each other. Look at Phil he doesn't need no fancy toys, all he needs is a friend and that old football of mine and he's fine."

"I just wish we could give him a better life." Alice replied.

"He has a fine life." Agent K told her. "He has two parents who love him more than anything in the world, he has his health and good friends. Stop worrying, Alice were gana be fine. We`ll figure out a way to pay off those bills. Maybe I can get a second job."

Suddenly a man in a black suit and black sunglasses approached the house. The kids watched as the man walked over to K. K stood up and looked at the man with supiousion.

"Can I help you, sir?" K asked.

"My name is agent C and I am a recruiter for an organization that thinks you may be a perfect fit for our team." The man replied.

"Well that was fast." Alice commented.

K smirked at Alice's comment.

"Why don't you come inside and we will talk." K suggested.

K led the man into his home. The living room was small and contained only a small stove, fridge, a radio, and a couch.

"So what's this about?" K asked.

"The organization I work for has been keeping a close eye on you for the past month, Mr. Coulson. You're a great cop and my organization wants to offer you a job. At the beginning of the month you lead your men against 59 aliens. Most of your men ran but you and three others stayed. You lead your men bravely and fought alongside them and together you saved over 10,320,000 lives."

"Many don't believe it though, nobody seems to remember the event except me."

"Sorry. That was our fault, its standard." Agent C replied. "When an event like that happens its our job to erase the memories of those who encountered the event. Many humans would go crazy if they knew aliens existed. But not you."

"Why didnt you wipe my memory?" K asked curiously.

"Because we saw what you could do."

"What exactly is it that you do? other than wiping minds."

"I work for an organization called the Men in Black. We specialize in alien disturbances and attacks. Basically we track down aliens causing chaos or havoc on earth. we capture them and then determine a suitable punishment, or sometimes we just send them home. Depends on the rules. "

K stared at C, reading his face. K was an intelligent man. One of his many skills was the ability to tell when someone was lying to him.

"Alright sounds like fun! Where do I sign up?" K replied excitedly.

C looked at him shocked.

"Usually people need a little more convincing." He told him.

"I could tell you weren't lying, it's a gift. My son hates it, he can never get away with anything when I'm around."

"About that….there is something I need to tell you about the job."

"How much does it pay?" k asked.

"Well let me just tell-"

"I got a family to support, if I'm going to take a new job. I got to make sure it will be paying more than the last one."

C sighed.

"Fine. The starting pay is 60 bucks an hour."

"60!? Damn, that's gana be one nice paycheck!" he replied filled with happiness. His smile was big all his teeth were showing.

"Hold on, there is something I need to tell you. It involves your-"

Suddenly Phil ran into the house crying. K picked up his son.

"What's wrong, Slick?" K asked.

Phil hugged his father`s neck, then looked up at his father.

"Daddy, Melinda and I were climbing the tree in the front yard and she grabbed one of the branches and it broken! She fell out of the tree and now her leg looks all weird!"

"Didn't I tell you two that you shouldn't be climbing that tree, I told you it was dangerous?"

"I'm sorry, daddy! I`m sorry, please just fix it!"

He hugged his son tightly.

"she`s gana be okay, I promise you. I`m gana go drive her to the hospital." K told his son. K started to walk to the door.

"Hold on sir." C shouted. "We will be holding tests for new recruits tomorrow at this address." The man handed K a piece of paper. "Don't tell anyone about the organization or what we spoke about."

"You have my word, sir." K replied taking the piece of paper and placing it in his pocket. Just then they heard Melinda screaming. Both Phil and K ran outside.

The next day, K waited in the lobby of the Men in Black headquarter, waiting to be told if he would be selected or not. Suddenly a chubby light skinned man in a black suit came out of a room. He had brown hair and a short brown beard.

"Hello my name is Agent Zed." The man said putting out his hand. K shook the man`s hand.

"I'm Kevin Coulson."

"We need to talk." Zed told him.

"Well that doesn't sound promising." K commented.

Zed had a somber look on his face.

"You passed all the tests with flying colors, you ranked highest out of all the agents that took the tests."

"I don't understand, then what's the problem?"

Zed sighed.

"Well apparently Agent c forgot to inform you that if you become an agent with us….you can no longer live your normal life. Which means no friends, no family. You will no longer have an identity, you will just be a letter. You will only be allowed to make relationships that will benefit the Men in Black. Your friends and family with be convinced your dead and never again will you be able to see them or talk to them."

"but I have a son, he`s only three years old. I can't just abandon him a boy needs a father and I have a wife. A beautiful one with a good heart. She and Phil need me. Please can't you make an exception?"

"I wish I could, kid. But if I make an exception for you I got to do it for everyone."

K was silent for a moment.

"Then I'm sorry sir, but it's a no. I can't abandon my family."

K got up to leave.

"Mr. Coulson." Zed called.

K turned toward Zed. He should have left while he had the chance.

"Mr. Coulson, don't forget about the money. We know about your finical situation and 60 bucks an hour can turn that all around for you." Zed told him.

"I don't care. What's the point of all that money if I got no one to share it with?" K said.

"You can send the money to them secretly, or we can put some of the money in a tax refund for them. Either way they will be taken care of. Think about it. Wouldn't you love to send your boy to college? Or to a private high school? For your wife to have jewels and diamonds. All their wildest dreams could come true. No debt, no struggle and all the while you`ll be making a difference to the world. It's a win win."

"Not for me and my family! I'll miss them and they`ll miss me!"

"Boo hoo, one bad thing in a future of happiness and success." Zed commented.

K thought for a long 15 minutes. Then he sighed.

"Alright. I`ll do it." K replied.

Zed smiled.

"You're making the right choice." Zed told him. "You will have one last day with your family. You will be allowed to return home and spend the day with them. then at night you will have to erase there most recent memory and replace it with the memory of your death."

"Hold on, I can't do that to them! Please give me a break here, don't make me the one to do that to them."

"This is how things are run! We are not going to start changing things because you can't deal with this! Look I understand this is hard, we all had to go through it! Now suck it up and get your mission done. At 7 am you will report back here." he went over to a shelf and picked up a neutralizer. "Now let me show you how to use the neutralizer."

K and his family arrived home late from there trip to Coney Island. Phil had always wanted to go, but they never had the money. Phil walked back into the house jumping up and down from all the sugar candy he had.

"That was so much fun, Dad! I never seen that many ride in my life!" Phil said. "And there was so much food, I'm not going to be hungry again for another week!"

K chuckled and riffled his son`s hair.

"I'm glad you had a good time, slick." K told him, a smile on his face. But on the inside he was sad. He knew he could never get to see Phil again, never get to see him smile or get to hold him in his arms. never see him grow up to be successful.

"And I can't believe you won a blue ribbon in the pie eating contest, dad!" Phil continued. "That was the coolest!"

"Alright, Phil, you had your fun. But now it's time for bed." Alice told him.

"Noo." Phil groaned.

"Come on, sweetie." Alice said, taking his hand. "I'll help you get dressed and then your father will read you a bedtime story like always."

K walked into Phil`s room, with the neutralizer in his back pocket. The room was filled with Captain America posters and Marvel comics. K was a big fan of Marvel and he loved to read them to his son, and Phil loved to hear his father read to him. Phil sat up in his bed awaiting for his father.

"Daddy? Are you gana read me the next Captain America comic?" Phil asked. "I really wana know what happens next to Bucky and Steve!"

K sat on the bed, with a sad look on his face.

"Daddy? Are okay?" Phil asked, crawling over to his dad and hugging him. K smiled.

"I'll be alright, son." k replied. Then he sighed. "Phil, do you know what dying is?"

"Yeah, like in the comic when the bad guys dies then they come back to life."

"Yeah but you see in real life, it's not like that. When people die they don't come back."

"why are you telling me this?" Phil asked.

"It's just…so you learn." K lied. "But when someone dies, there love is still there. They still love you with all their heart and they don't stop thinking about you. Even if there not here they still love you."

"Why are you talking like this?" he asked, there was fear in his voice.

"Just listen, Slick. And if I'm ever not here for some reason, you gatta take care of your mother. You know that right?"

"Of course I'll take care of mommy. You and mom are my best friends! and you guys will protect me like the heros protect the city."

K`s heart sank. He hugged his son. He took out the neutralizer from his pocket.

"But you're not gana leave me right?" phil asked, looking into his father`s eyes. "You and me are best friends forever, right dad?"

Tears streamed from K`s face.

"And I love you." Phil continued. "More than anything in the world."

"I can't do it." K said to himself. He placed the neutralizer back in his pocket.

"I love you too, son. I'm not gana leave you, I promise." he held his son in his arms. not ever wanting to let him go. "I`m gana be here to watch you grow up. I'm gana be by your side through thick and thin, I promise you."

He kissed his son`s cheek.

"I`ll be right back." K said heading toward the door.

"What about my story?"

"I'll read to you in a few minutes."

K ran to his bed room, he shook awake his wife.

"Alice? Alice I need to talk to you it's important."

Alice got up slowly. She rubbed her eyes.

"What is it? Is something wrong with Phil?" Alice asked.

"No he is fine. But I have to be honest with you." he told her. "That job I took. It's not to be police chief, they want me to be an agent for a spy organization that fight aliens. They wanted me to erase you and Phil`s recent memory of me and replace it with my death. But I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't do that to you guys. Please help me. I need this job, but I can't lose you guys!"

"Kevin, your talking crazy? are you feeling alright?" Alice asked putting her hand over his forhead.

"i feel fine! but i need you to believe me and help me. Please i dont know what to do!"

"You're gana be okay. "She said. She looked into his eyes. "Were gana be okay?"

K continued to tell his wife about the MIB and he told her what had happened with Phil. together they came up with the idea to pretend he was dead and lie to the MIB about K`s family. Phil and Alice wouldn't be able to be together in public unless he was in disguise. K told the MIB that he erased his families memories but every night he`d go home to Phil and Alice. Phil being only three was told nothing about the MIB, they knew he wouldn't be able to keep the secret. But when he turned ten, K and Alice revealed the truth about k`s job to Phil.