Greg Osboland was a simple man with a past not interesting enough to discuss here. The matters of this story require only that you know of a short episode occurring just a few days ago involving our Greg. Keep in mind that this ordeal was not brought upon Greg because of anything special or interesting about him. Call it chance, call it coincidence, but don’t call it bad luck because I assure you that Greg’s luck was quite plain.
It is early Wednesday afternoon, and a man, one much more interesting than Greg, is in quite a lot of trouble. It seems to him that his life is in jeopardy, and, in fact, it is. The man’s name is Phillip, and he sits in the back of Mr. C. DeGiacomo’s unmarked van frantically thinking of someway he can survive his current situation. Unlike Greg, Phillip is often in exciting and dangerous situations and would have been shot, stabbed, drowned, or blown up long ago if he were not as quick-thinking as he is. Scanning his surroundings, the man notes all the pertinent data.
In the van with him are three other men, the largest of whom is standing near the back door. The other two are standing on either side of Phillip holding guns. The men are demanding information that Phillip knows he must not give up. He recognizes that he cannot handle all three of them at once and that he will be shot soon if no action is taken. Brilliantly, Phillip shouts that he doesn’t have the answers they are looking for and suggests they pull his partner Greg, who is standing outside the van, in for more fruitful questioning. Greg is not actually his partner’s name; in fact, Phillip does not even have a partner. This was just a ploy to get the largest of the men out of the van for a moment. Phillip doesn’t realize that this ploy is about to put another life in jeopardy; otherwise he certainly would have chosen another name.
Greg, having just finished feeding his parking meter, takes no notice of the large man stepping out of a van mere feet away. This changes, however, as soon as the man calls out his name. Greg naturally turns and looks at the man, puzzled as to what he could want. The man looks directly at Greg and demands that he come into the van. As our dumfounded Greg hesitates, the man (now seeming much more ominous) begins to approach him. Before Greg can decide what to do, his body turns and his legs begin taking him away from the man, as if by reflex. Unfortunately the flight is just slow enough to enable the man to grab the back of Greg’s sports coat. Greg quickly shakes off the coat in an instinctual, but effective convulsion and the man is forced to make another lunge for him. The attempt is interrupted, however, by two gunshots coming from inside the van. The man turns around and sees one of his fellow henchmen shouting at him to get back inside.
The scene in the van is a bloody one. Phillip lies lifeless, shot in the chest, and one of the other men sits hunched over, pressing his hand over a gun shot wound on the side of his gut. The large man realizes their urgency and rushes to the van’s driver’s seat. The men flee from the scene and begin assessing their situation. The man they were supposed to be interrogating is dead and they received from him no answers. Mr. DeGiacomo will not be pleased. Their only hope for answers lies within the partner, but they only know what he looks like and that his name is Greg. Looking through the coat, they find some chap stick, a pen, and most importantly a business card.
Greg, no doubt, is seriously shaken by the event, but not nearly shaken enough considering the danger he has been put in. To Greg the ordeal has no meaning; all Greg knows is that a man came out of a van, stole his coat and ran back. Though Greg knows much less than we do, he knows just enough.
It is now Friday afternoon, and our Greg sits at his desk awaiting any customers that may be in need of some insurance. He glances at his clock and notices that it is nearly closing time. As Greg gathers some things from his desk, he sees two figures approaching his building’s door. In less than a second, Greg recognizes one of them as the man who had stolen his coat earlier that week. Greg sits for a moment watching the man open the sole door of his small place of business. Greg then shoots out of his chair and runs to the back of the room into a small bathroom. It was panicked thinking that got him into the bathroom and Greg soon realizes that he’s made a mistake. The small latch on the bathroom door will not hold the men off for long. Greg searches his panicked mind for some stroke of genius that would get him out of this mess. ‘If I could only grow a beard… I could disguise myself!’ Greg thought. Greg begins concentrating and closes his eyes, but he hardly has a chance to blink before the large man kicks in the door. Greg’s heart sinks as he stands there looking at the man.
“Did you see a clean-shaven man wearing those exact same clothes run in here?” The large man asks, puzzled at Greg’s apparent absence.
Greg, as perplexed as the two others, glances in the bathroom mirror. “No, only bearded men in here.”
The men leave, confused and disappointed, and Greg remains in the bathroom -- not the ordinary, boring Greg that he was before, but a Greg with an amazing, new-found ability.
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