His first client of the day; a young man, in his late twenties at a guess, clad in a cheap shirt and threadbare hoodie. He has an air of nervousness about him, as though he suspects he's walking straight into a practical joke. The man glances up as the twenty-something approaches the booth, rubbing his hands together and then lifting one to his hair, scratching at the back of his neck.

"Can I help you?" he hesitates before opening his mouth to talk.

"I, ah…I hear they serve a great pastrami sandwich here" his expression lifting from solemn unfamiliarity to a welcoming smile, the man sets his coffee cup down.

"Mike, hello." Immediately a little more at ease, Mike takes a seat, waiting for a waitress to pass by before speaking again.

"I was told you can give people what they want? Like…anything they want."

"All I do is create opportunities for people." He watches Mike for a second, palms opening across the table. "What is it you want?" There are always two looks about people when they come to sit at this booth. The confident demeanour of those who know what they want and are willing to do anything to get it – or at least, think they are. And then there are those who know what they want but aren't sure what they're willing to do to achieve it. Everyone wants something –more money, more power, more love, but so many times people aren't willing to work for it. It's one of the many parts of the human condition; to expect things simply because we believe we deserve them. But the laws of nature dictate that for something to gained, something must also be lost.

But, just by looking at this twenty something with the youthful face and wide, anxious eyes, you couldn't tell which side he was stood on. At least, not until he wound up the nerve to ask for what he desired.

"I want to turn my life around." The man narrows his eyes, but prompts Mike to continue, which he does.

"I want my life to be better. I've screwed it up, and I want it to change."

"Change…how?"

"I don't know…I wanna go back to school – make money, get a good job."

"Then do it."

"I just said, I can't. I messed up my chance before. I want another shot."

"So you want to make a deal."

"Yeah. I mean, that's how it works, right? I make a deal, I do what you tell me, and you give me what I ask for?"

"More or less, yes. But you have to be entirely honest with me, and you have to come back here; tell me how it's going. That's the deal" Now he's a little more self assured. So, he tries again, leaning into the faux leather back of the booth seat.

"I want my life to change for the better, so that I can live comfortably, and so I can take care of my grandmother." A slow nod accompanies some notes jotted down in a worn leather notebook.

"Your grandmother – you're close with her?"

"Yes. She raised me after my parents…they passed away, and she took me in. And…I want to repay her, if I can."

"And the only way you think you can do that is by changing your life somehow." The man's question seems to instil a momentary doubt, but Mike nods all the same.

"If I can get a good job, then I can make more money, give some of it to her. Maybe…buy her a nicer place to live, I don't know. I mean, I have skills – if I could just get someone to look past what I did before and hire me, then that'd be great." A few more lines are written down, Mike's eyes trying in vain to scan the page from across the table.

"Tell me about your life."

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you 'screw it up'. What did you do that you can't come back from?" He sighs, but eventually opens up, explaining how he made money by helping others to cheat. He expects at least a little judgement, but the man only nods occasionally as Mike talks. Once he's finished, he rubs the backs of his knuckles as he sits forward.

"So…what do I have to do?" He finishes his sentence, looks up at Mike, and closes the notebook, only to open it again at a different page.

"In order to get what you want, you'll have to ruin someone else's career." And as predicted, the self assured air turns cloudy, a frown creeping into Mike's expression as he tries to determine if the man is serious.

"What? No – I can't do that."

"That's the deal"

"Why would I want to do that to someone else? Look, give me something else-"

"You knew the terms of making a deal with me; once you complete the task you've been given, what you want will come to pass. You can walk away at any time, but there'll be no guarantee that you'll receive what you asked for. Of course, things can happen on their own, and you can let them. But if you do this, you'll get what you want. All you have to do is ruin someone else's career. That's the deal." Mike looks annoyed, in a way. Like they always do; like they've waded in too deep and are just realizing it.

"Can't I get something else? Another task? I really don't want to do this"

"That's the task. You can take it, or walk away."

"Well, how do I do it?"

"The details are up to you." He's trying to read the man, making up his mind. He wants what he wants, and he wants what he wants for a good enough reason. But now he's playing tug of war with his own morals.

"What will happen to the person I choose?" The man shrugs, and takes another sip of his coffee.

"I don't know."

"Can it be anybody?"

"The details are up to you" He repeats patiently. Mike just rubs a hand over his face, eyes flicking to the world outside. The man just waits for a few minutes, before Mike comes out of his thoughtful consideration, and gives a hesitant nod.

"Alright, fine. I'll do it."

"So we have a deal?"

"…We have a deal."