The Way It Works Read Online Free PDF Page B

yourself a deal,” he says.
    I hold out my hand. We shake.
    â€œI won’t let you down,” I say.
    The package is a manila envelope. It feels like it’s full of papers. I take it under my arm. Then I go out to the lot and find my car. It starts up right away. That’s something to be happy about, at least. If I had engine trouble, I might just have to lie down and die on the spot.
    Then I drive across town. It feels good to have my wheels again. I find the address with no trouble. It’s a law office downtown. I know this city like the back of my hand. That’s one good thing about all the time I spent job hunting.
    I drop the package off. Then I head back to the lot.
    Back in the office, the owner is waiting for me when I come in.
    â€œI already called them,” he says. “They said you made the delivery. Nice work. Here’s your wallet back. And here’s twenty bucks.”
    He hands me a crisp new bill. I put it in my wallet, along with the cash I have left. It’s a lot more fun putting money into a wallet than it is taking it out. Now I’m twenty dollars richer. Suddenly I don’t feel quite so low anymore.
    â€œThanks,” I say. “You going to have more packages to deliver?”
    â€œI have to send one out every week,” he says. “They’re legal documents. Always to the same address. And they always need to be there by the same time. You think you can promise me that?”
    â€œYou bet,” I say. “I’m never late. Guaranteed.”
    â€œWell, you just got yourself a job,” says the owner.
    â€œMister,” I say, “you have no idea how good those words sound to me right now.”

CHAPTER TEN
    O kay, so one little courier job a week is nothing. But ten of them…that would start to add up. A hundred, and I’d be in good shape.
    It looks like I have a new job. And this one is not too good to be true.
    It’s just good.
    It’s two days later. I’m broke again. But this time it’s okay. I just spent fifty bucks on a stack of business cards. I’ve never had business cards before. They make me feel official. But more importantly, they make me look good.
    The business cards say NEV-R-LATE URBAN COURIER . And they have my name and phone number on them.
    The phone number belongs to the new cell phone I just got. That’s what I spent the rest of my money on. Can’t do business if you don’t have a phone.
    So now I’m walking door to door. I go into every business I see. Lawyers, doctors, dentists, financial firms. I don’t care. Everyone needs a courier sometime. And I want that courier to be me.
    I do the same thing in each place. I introduce myself to the receptionist. I hand her a card and explain who I am. Then I ask if the office manager is available. Most of the time, the answer is no. But sometimes I get to speak to the person in charge.
    â€œI’ll make this fast, because I know you’re busy,” I say to them. “I can deliver anywhere in the city for half the price of the competition. I’m never late. Guaranteed. If you want a reference, call this number.” And I give them the name and number of the owner of the impound lot. He’s already agreed to be my reference. So maybe my car getting towed wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
    I’ve been doing this for a whole day. I’ve knocked on maybe fifty doors. I want to hit fifty more before five o’clock.
    It’s just three o’clock when my phone rings for the first time. I’m so excited, I almost drop it. A jeweler needs something picked up and delivered to him asap. Can I do it now?
    â€œSure thing,” I say. “You’ll have it in an hour.”
    While I’m making that delivery, the phone rings again. A music store owner needs me to go pick up a guitar for him. It just happens to be on the way to the jeweler.
    â€œNo problem,” I say.
    That’s my