Mr. Porter's Last Supper

Mr. Porter is a man of great influence, well-known throughout the city for his power which he acquired through means both legal and not so legal. At 6’5” and 300 pounds, his mere presence was intimidating. But his cordial demeanor went a long way to smooth things over with people who were fortunate enough to be on his good side. He recently received the news that his estranged daughter and only legitimate child is pregnant. Having been the conqueror of all he surveyed for so long, Mr. Porter decided it was time for him to step down from power and become a true family man for the first time in his life. He would get to know his daughter better, help her raise the baby, and ensure that his grandchild would never want for nothing.

Noble a move as that may sound, it creates one rather messy problem: stepping down is seen as a sign of weakness and Mr. Porter has acquired many enemies on his way to the proverbial top. It only took a matter of hours for news of his retirement to reach the ears of his fiercest competitors in both the corporate world and underworld. Mr. Porter knew that his corporate rivals were of no consequence, and his lawyers have ensured him that there are no more connections between him and his criminal empire (at least none that can be proven in court) so the FBI was nothing to fear. But it only took one day after he announced his retirement to his staff for Mr. Porter to learn that one of his enemies had hired an assassin, one that goes by the name of The Fox. No one had ever met The Fox in person and if it wasn’t for the fact that Mr. Porter had hired this mysterious mercenary once or twice, he would have little reason to believe such an assassin actually existed.

When it was confirmed that The Fox was the one hired to take him out, he knew there was little that could be done to escape imminent death. He made sure his affairs were in order. He named the successor to his businesses, both legitimate and otherwise. There was no easy way he could tell his daughter face to face what was about to happen so he wrote her a letter to be given to her when he died. One does not attain Mr. Porter’s position without being prepared for such matters so when the day that a hit was actually put out on him there was little else to do than to have his last supper. He knew exactly which restaurant, which meal and which courses, which wine to order, and he even knew which suit he was going to wear. A part of him wishes he could spend his last meal with his daughter but she was visiting her boyfriend, father to Mr. Porter’s grandchild.

“Is there anything else I can get you, sir?” the waitress asked as she poured him his wine.

“That should be all. Thank you,” Mr. Porter responded as the waitress hurried back to the kitchen. His eyes wandered around the room deliberately, a habit that has kept him alive in his earlier days. But old habits die hard even if he has had a cadre of bodyguards following for the past few years. It’s a good thing too because his experienced eyes spotted a single person who didn’t quite fit in that particular restaurant.

Mr. Porter spotted the tall, thin man before he sat down and thought it was odd that the stranger was wearing tinted glasses indoors. Where this thin man was sitting, he had a perfect view of Mr. Porter’s seat. This may very well be The Fox, Mr. Porter thought to himself. He didn’t anticipate being killed this early. The thin man wore a smart suit that was expensive but did not attract too much attention other than the pale ivory cufflinks and beautiful silk tie. While the tinted glasses hid the thin man’s eyes, it was pretty clear he was looking straight at Mr. Porter. The thin man sipped at his espresso. The waitress then came out of the kitchen and served Mr. Porter’s starters. When she left his table, the thin man approached him.

“Yes?” Mr. Porter asked the thin man without looking at him, perturbed at the thin man’s audacity.

“I know you’ve been expecting me,” the thin man replied. “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

“You’ve got some balls, pal,” Mr. Potter answered. “Can’t I enjoy this meal in peace, at the very least?”

“Mr. Porter, if you don’t wish to eat with me that’s perfectly fine. But know that our business with each other will be seen through by the time you finish your dinner regardless if I’m permitted to sit down or not. I simply came over to tell you how much I respect you.”

“This doesn’t seem like a move you’d normally make. It seems messy to me, if I’m being completely honest with you.”

“I hardly ever do this. But for you I’d make an exception.”

“What’s so special about me?”

“Let’s just say you’re business has helped my business.”

“So what about me do you respect, exactly? What makes me so special that you show yourself to me before our little transaction is complete?”

“You’ve led quite a life, Mr. Porter. But for you to walk away from it and right the wrongs with your daughter is very admirable.”

The waitress came and took Mr. Porter’s empty dish away. The thin man watched as the attractive, young waitress hurriedly walked past. He took off his tinted glasses and put them in his inside coat pocket.

“As you can see, it’s not exactly going as well as I’d hoped,” Mr. Porter responded, “being interrupted in the middle of dinner and all.”

“I understand,” the thin man said as he was about to turn around, “I’ll let you finish your dinner.”

“No,” Mr. Porter stopped him, “You can sit. If this is my last meal I might as well take advantage of the company. Even if it is you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Porter,” The thin man took the seat directly across from him. The waitress came by and served the main course. Mr. Porter offered to pay for another espresso for the thin man who politely declined. “I know it sounds silly to admire someone like you even if it is for something as noble as taking care of family.”

“There’s no shame in wanting to get out of this dirty business. I’ve thought about it many times.”

“So why did you wait so long to actually do it?”

“I’m not going to lie. I really loved the power and the money. When you get that at the rate I was getting it, and at a young age too, it’s really hard to give that stuff up. Every so often you’ll run into a girl that will make you want to leave the life.”

“Of course, of course,” the thin man watched as Mr. Porter methodically devoured the perfectly cooked steak. The waitress came by and poured another glass of wine. “Obviously none of them had a lasting effect.”

“Not exactly true. One girl nearly convinced me to get out of the life completely: my daughter.”

“What happened?”

“Her mother didn’t exactly want me in her life. She took off with her. Can you imagine that? She was my daughter too and she just took off with her. I sent people to find them but my ex-wife refused to be found.”

“So when did you reconnect with your daughter? How did you find her?”

“She found me actually. It was a few years ago and she was just out of high school. She wanted to know who her father was so she hired a private investigator. I seriously thought it was a fed. Nearly had the guy killed too.”

“But you didn’t. I would have known about that.”

“No I didn’t. It’s messy business to have someone killed anyway, expensive too. Obviously there are no do-over’s so you better be damned sure the guy you want killed deserves it.”

There was silence for a minute as Mr. Porter continued to eat. It was obvious he was enjoying it despite having an unexpected guest.

“You don’t seem afraid of me,” the thin man said.

“I don’t see any need to be. A situation like this was bound to happen the way things were going. I just wish I had more time to spend with my daughter. When she first found me, I was caught off guard. I had no idea what it took to be a good father. I ended up just throwing money at her whenever she came to talk to me.”

“Men like you aren’t built for family life, anyway.”

“Men like us, you mean,” Mr. Porter remarked as the waitress brought out the dessert.

“No, Mr. Porter,” the thin man clarified, “I’m not like you. I don’t indiscriminately throw a man’s life away as if it were a simple plaything that happened to be in my way. I feel every death that I’m responsible for.”

“You get numb to it after a while. Trust me.” Mr. Porter devoured the desert. He sensed his end was near and decided there was no reason to mind one’s manners at this point.

“That’s what’s different between you and me. We take lives all the time. But I have no choice to live the way I do. You made your choice to be a crook.” The waitress came by to refill Mr. Porter’s glass with wine one more time and left the check at the table.

“I don’t know if it’s your reputation or the fact that you’re about to kill me, but I admire the guts you have to talk to me like that. It’s been a while since someone has. But you’re wrong.” Mr. Porter took a swig of wine into his mouth.

“Wrong about what?”

“I was built for family life. I did my best to take care of my daughter the only way I knew how. It was the wrong way, sure, but I tried my best and you can’t fault me for that. At least, with me out of the picture, my grandchild won’t have to know about the monster who was his grandfather.” Mr. Porter savored the last swallow of wine.

“Are you ready?”

“I was born ready. Can I ask you something first?”

“Of course you can, Mr. Porter.”

“Aren’t you afraid of being seen here with me? You got a lot of eyewitnesses around.”

“I don’t think you understand, Mr. Porter.”

“What don’t I understand?”

“I’m not here to kill you because I’m not The Fox.”

“Then who the hell are you?”

“I go by many names. But many people refer to me as Death. These other people here haven’t been able to see me since I approached you.”

“What? So I’m dead already?”

“Soon.”

“How? How soon?”

“A minute or two, and a man of your know-how should be able to figure it out, Mr. Porter.”

Mr. Porter closed his eyes when he realized that his antiquated notion of “hitmen” had deceived him.

“The waitress,” Mr. Porter finally said.

“The waitress,” Death confirmed.

“I would have never expected The Fox to be a woman. Is she going to shoot me?”

“She doesn’t have to. She’s a bit more subtle.”

“Poison? I didn’t taste any--”

“You wouldn’t have tasted anything different. The chemicals she used, alone, were completely harmless. But used together, it is quite a powerful poison. It’s quite elegant approach if you ask me.”

“I thought that waitress was a little too good at refreshing my wine,” Mr. Porter said as he chuckled to himself. “So that’s it. Is it going to hurt?”

Death didn’t respond. He just got up from his chair and Mr. Porter joined him. The two shook hands as Mr. Porter looked back and saw his lifeless body slump over and fall off the chair. The strange duo walked out of the restaurant to the sound of panicked patrons screaming.