"Come on, dammit, almost there..." Yes, I was giving myself a little pep talk, trying to wrestle yet another heavy box of books into my new apartment. I knew I should have donated them to charity or at least sold them to a used bookstore, but I couldn't bear to part with them when I moved. I had barely gotten the box through the door when it slipped out of my hands. "Ha ha! You're still in the apartment!" I said triumphantly, shoving the mess of books and cardboard a little further in. Back out to the car for another box, the last one. My brother had helped me to my car with this one. Right before he tried to talk me out of moving cross-country one last time, I remembered almost bitterly. I couldn't believe how hard my family had tried to make me stay in upstate New York. But I wasn't hearing any of it; I wanted California. I'd loved it since my family had visited Santa Monica when I was 15. Ten years later, I finally found my way back, this time to live there.

I stared at the box in my trunk, chewing on my bottom lip. The box was long and awkward to carry; I now remembered why I'd asked my brother for help with it. "Well, here goes," I muttered, grabbing it as well as I could and tugging it out of the car. I let it fall to the ground—my toe seemed to be good cushioning for its landing, but only because I'd forgotten how heavy it was—and slammed the trunk shut while swearing through gritted teeth at the new pain in my foot. With a sigh, I tried my best to wrap my arms around the middle of the box and carry it to the apartment building's door. I had to set it down again--still keeping it off the wet ground with my foot but resting it gently on my tender toe—in order to open the outer door to the building. Finally, that done, I lifted it up again and nearly lost my grip.

"Whoop, careful there!" I heard a male voice saying. "Here, lemme help with that." One end's weight suddenly left, and I blinked at my rescuer. "Lemme guess. You in number one?" he asked with a smile.

"Uh, yeah," I replied, holding up the other end. "Yeah, just moving in."

"Yeah, I wondered when someone would finally pick up the place," he said, walking with me slowly to my apartment. "The other guy that lived here kinda just picked up and left. They had to clean out all his junk before they could rent it out again. Probably some trouble with the law or somethin'."

That made me frown. "Oh...some...unsavory types living here, huh?" As the man reached behind to open the door, I warned him, "Watch for the books right inside the door."

He chuckled. "Thanks. Woulda had me on my ass." I giggled as we guided the box the rest of the way inside and set it down. "And no, not really. I mean, every place is gonna have its...eh, 'special cases'," he said, glancing around, "but this place isn't bad." Looking back to me, he smiled again. "Name's Mercurio. I'm in number four, right across the way."

I returned the smile, shaking his hand. "Natalie Lucas," I introduced myself. "Mercurio...is that Italian?"

He shrugged. "Italian, Spanish, somethin' like that, I dunno." We both laughed at that. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at me with slightly narrowed eyes. "You're a pretty girl, you know?"

Blushing a bright red, I coughed, surprised by his blunt compliment. "Uh, thank...you?"

Mercurio laughed. "Sorry, you just remind me of someone I used to know."

"Oh?" I crossed my arms this time, smirking. "Old girlfriend or something?"

He smiled, but looked down at the floor. "Nah, not exactly." After a moment of awkward silence, he looked up at me with another grin. "Hey, listen, I gotta get goin'. Work's callin'."

"You work nights?" I asked, disappointed to be losing my new companion.

Mercurio shrugged again. "Eh...I kinda work whenever boss man wants me to work, ya know? Kinda on call." I nodded, wondering what he'd do for a living that would force him to hold such strange hours. "But hey, if you need anything at all, just come on over. Anytime. I'm up all hours."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, I appreciate that." He nodded and gave a small two-finger salute in farewell before leaving me alone in my quiet, messy apartment. Looking around, I sighed. Where to start?

I was grateful that the apartment I was renting had come furnished by the time I called it quits with unpacking. I wanted nothing more than to just sleep. Flopping down on the couch, I put my arm over my eyes and tried to sleep. In the hallway outside, I heard footsteps approaching. They stopped right outside my door. I lifted my head, frowning at the door and waiting for a knock. The knock came, but it wasn't at my door. Must have been someone at Mercurio's. I glanced at my watch. It was 3:30 in the morning. "What in the world?" I muttered. I then heard a door close and figured Mercurio must have let the person in. "Huh..." The thought that he might be a drug dealer crossed my mind, but I quickly pushed that away. He didn't look the type. Yeah, he dressed a little...unique. The magenta patterned shirt, unbuttoned about two or three buttons down from the neck, and blue suit he was wearing when we met threw me off a little; but I'm not about to begrudge him his fashion sense...or lack thereof. Besides, he seemed too on-the-ball to be a junkie or dealer. Too nice.

Lying back against the couch again, I wondered why I felt so at ease with him. I'm not a suspicious person or anything, but I felt like I'd known him forever within a few minutes. It must have been his accent, I figured. He sounded like he was from New York. Maybe some part of me connected his speech with what used to be home, giving me some comfort. Yeah, that had to be it.

My eyes had just started to close when I heard a couple muffled voices outside, then Mercurio's door shutting again. Then, the strangest thing. You know in the movies when someone pulls back the slide on a gun and then lets it go? Yeah, I could have sworn I heard that right outside my door. Frowning, I got up and looked through the peephole. No one. I put my ear to the door. Nothing. Finally, ignoring the fact that my heart was racing, I cracked the door open and peered out, then poked my head out to look down the hall. There was no sign anyone had been there. Closing my door and making sure it was locked, I shook my head, wondering if I'd dreamed it.

The next afternoon, I had a box in my arms as I was leaving my apartment. I had finally decided that I packed way too much and needed to get rid of some stuff, so I'd take it to some charity drop-off or pawn shop or something. Fortunately, I'd made sure to not overpack this box, allowing for easy carrying to my car. As I was leaving the building, Mercurio was walking up the sidewalk, whistling to himself. "Hey, kiddo, need some help?" he asked, jogging over to me once he spotted me and my box.

I smiled at him and shook my head. "Nah, I'm good." I then paused, realizing my car keys were in my hand...which was supporting the box. He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. He took the keys from me and unlocked the passenger door of my car, opening the door and using a sweeping "after you" gesture. "Thanks," I said, giggling as I placed the box on the seat. As I took my keys back from him, I said, "Know of any place I might be able to get rid of this junk?"

He nodded with a chuckle. "Don't even need to waste the gas, honey," he said, opening my car door and taking the box out. Bumping the door shut with his knee, he nodded his head towards the end of the street. "Trip's Pawnshop's just down the road about a block. Come on, he's a friend of mine. I'll make sure he gives you a good deal." He winked, making me grin as I followed him down the street.

As we walked, I asked, "So where're you from? You don't sound Californian."

Mercurio chuckled. "I've been all over. Spent most of my time in New York, though."

"I knew it!" I said, jumping in front of him and walking backwards so I could look at him. He raised an eyebrow, an amused smile on his face. "I knew you had to be from New York! I'm from Utica!"

His smile softened a bit. "'Magine that," he said. "So what brought you out here?"

I fell into step next to him again. "I fell in love with the place when my family vacationed here about ten years ago." Mercurio's pace slowed, and I looked up at him. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothin'. Mind just wandered for a second. I do that." He gave me another wink, then nodded to the building ahead of us. "Open the door for me, will ya, sweetie?"

I nodded, getting a couple steps ahead to open the door. Once inside, I had to open another door, this one made out of chain link fence. Yeah, this place looked legit... "Hey, Trip!" Mercurio called out. The shop looked empty. A young guy poked his head into the shop from a back room. "There you are, you idiot, we got some shit for ya!" Mercurio hefted the box onto the counter. We were separated from Trip by security glass. There was a small tray that could slide underneath to pass goods back and forth. Mercurio opened the box and started placing things in the tray. "Now, I don't want you rippin' this young lady off, Trip," Mercurio said, giving me a sideways wink. "She's my new neighbor, and she knows to come get me if you give her trouble."

Trip laughed as he was flipping through a couple books I'd had in the box. "No prob, man, no worries. It's all good."

After emptying the box, Mercurio leaned against it, looking at me as Trip looked through my things, mumbling to himself about quality and prices. "Ten years ago, you said?" Mercurio asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, family vacation," I answered. "Me and my brother and our parents." I looked at my hands in front of me, playing with my fingernails like I'd always done as a kid when I got nervous. "My, uh...I found out later that my mom was hoping to see family she'd heard moved out here, but I guess that never happened. I don't even know who she was looking for." I shrugged, letting my hands fall with a loud clap against my hips. "Last I knew, she didn't even have any family."

"Guess she was hoping otherwise," Mercurio said, a strange tone to his voice. I looked at him for a bit, trying to read his expression as he stared at the wall behind me. After a moment, he caught me studying him. "Ah, I can relate to your mother, I guess," he said with a shrug, looking down at the empty box. I thought I saw a flash of sadness before he looked up with a small smile on his face. "Haven't seen any of my own family in years. Don't even know where they all are anymore."

"You don't talk to them?" I asked, suddenly feeling sorry for the man.

He shook his head, looking at the box again. "Nah...can't risk it." I raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed. "I...kinda got myself into some hot water back in NYC. Can't show my face there again unless I gotta death wish, ya know?"

My eyebrows flew up in surprise. "You were involved in the mob?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Not exactly. Just some...unsavory types. Definitely dangerous, but totally separate from the mob." Before I could ask any more questions, he turned to Trip. "So you gonna figure out what you owe the woman, or do I have to come back there and get the money myself?"

Trip chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, hold your horses." As he walked to the back, he looked a little embarrassed; and I realized he hadn't finished his assessment only because he was listening to our conversation.

Mercurio rolled his eyes and jabbed his thumb at the door Trip had closed behind him. "Good kid, but a little..." He pointed at his head. "Empty. Ya know?" I giggled, nodding. Trip had reminded me of a stereotypical "surfer dude" when he first spoke to us. I figured I couldn't have been far off, judging from what Mercurio was saying.

Silence fell over the little pawnshop. I played with my fingers, Mercurio drummed his fingers against the empty box. "Hey...look, I...don't really know anyone yet, and..." I bit my lip, looking up at Mercurio. He looked at me with a curious expression. "...and I think I made you kinda...feel lonely? Talking about your family and stuff...and I'm kinda feelin' the same..." I felt my cheeks beginning to burn. I was rambling. "I just...you wanna come over for dinner? I'm not the best cook, but I can make something up for us." I shrugged, giving him a shy smile. "We can keep each other company. Maybe rent a movie or something."

Mercurio tipped his head to the side, just looking at me for a few moments with a thoughtful look on his face. "You know, that sounds real nice," he said finally, smiling gently. "It's been a long time since I've had a nice dinner with someone."

I grinned happily. "Excellent! After this, I'll go out and--"

"All right, I think I got this figured out," Trip said, interrupting as he came out of the back. He was holding a pen between his teeth and a calculator in his hand.

"God, Trip, it ain't rocket surgery," Mercurio said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm makin' sure she gets what's comin' to her!" Trip said, a small pout coming over his face. "Okay, so for everything, I'm thinkin' three hundred." Mercurio gave him a look, one eyebrow raised. "Three fifty?" Trip bit his lip nervously. Mercurio coughed. "Aw, come on, man!" Trip protested.

"Those weren't exactly new books, Trip," Mercurio said. I had to hide a chuckle behind my hand. He really knew how to haggle with the surfer-boy.

"Yeah, I know! That's why I can't give too much for 'em!"

Mercurio sighed and rolled his eyes. "They were worth more because they're collector's books, dumbshit."

Trip coughed, taking his pen out of his mouth and scratching his face with it. Unfortunately, he hadn't capped it and wound up leaving a streak of ink on his cheek. "Aw, man..." He rubbed at it unsuccessfully while I tried to hide another snicker. "Okay, okay, five. All right? Five?" He looked from Mercurio to me then back to Mercurio.

I looked at Mercurio as well. He gave me a little nod and wink. "Deal," I said, grinning. I collected my cash from a reluctant Trip and thanked him before leaving his shop. "Damn, you're good!" I said as soon as we were outside, giving Mercurio an awkward hug.

He chuckled, patting my shoulder. "Been doin' this a long time, kiddo. You ever got anything more to bring down here, feel free to let me know."

I nodded. When we'd reached my car, I turned to him and said, "Okay, I'm gonna go get some groceries for dinner. I'll knock on your door when I get back, okay?"

He nodded, smiling. "Sounds good. If I'm not there for some reason, just leave a note under the door or somethin'. Might get called by the boss." He shrugged.

"Oh yeah, your work," I said, frowning. "This isn't gonna get in the way of anything, is it?"

Mercurio brushed my concerns away with a wave of his hand. "Nah, it's fine. I might have to run across the hall real quick if any of the main man's cronies need somethin' from me, but I'd be right back. Doesn't take long."

Opening my car door, I frowned at him. "What...exactly do you do?"

He looked surprised for a split second, then shrugged. "I kinda do...supply stuff. If one of my boss's guys needs somethin', I got it for him."

"Like what stuff?" I prodded.

"Like stuff they need," he said with a chuckle, walking towards the door. "Get goin' before it gets too late." With that, he went inside, leaving me wondering why he was being so secretive. Looking around, I noticed that the sun was going down. It was getting kinda late. Pushing aside my thoughts about Mercurio, I got in my car and left.