Richard goes to see his daughter to celebrate his eightieth birthday, but she opens the door in tears and sends him away. Richard senses danger and confirms his suspicions after peering through her front windows. Richard nervously drummed his fingers on the driving wheel as he drove. Deidre used to drive down for Thanksgiving, but that ended after his wife died four years ago. Now there were just weekly calls. Richard opened his arms wide as Deidre stepped through the doorway.

“Surprise!” he said. “Dad? “What are you doing here?” she inquired, tears running down her face. “I came to celebrate my birthday with you—it’s the big eight-o!” Richard answered, but the emotion in his voice faded fast. “What is wrong, honey?” “Why are you crying?” “It’s nothing; everything’s fine,” Deidre hastily brushed her tears away and smiled slightly. “I just…” I wasn’t expecting you, and now isn’t a favorable moment. Sorry, Dad, but I need to focus. Regarding my work. Look, I’m going to call you. We will eat dinner later, okay? Sorry.” Deidre closed the door, leaving Richard heartbroken and puzzled. Something was wrong. Was Deidre in trouble? Richard backed away from the front door but did not leave. He went over the small, blooming bushes that lined the walkway and sneaked up to look through the windows.

Two rough-looking males sat in the sitting room with Deidre. “Who was that?” One of them asked in a gruff tone. “Nobody,” Deidre lied, her voice trembling. “Just a neighbor’s kid pulling a doorbell prank and running away.” “Back to business,” the second man said. “You’re six months overdue on your loan payments, Deidre.” Mr. Marco is getting impatient.” “I only need more time. “Business will surely pick up again in the winter,” she argued. “Time is something you don’t have, sweetie,” the man said, bringing out his revolver. “People who owe Mr. Marco money don’t have a great life expectancy and end up feeding the fish in the lake.” He pointed his rifle at her. Terror froze Richard in place. But, with a disgusted expression, the man moved back and slipped the revolver into the waistline of his trousers. “Look around this dump and see if there’s anything valuable we can take to Mr. Marco, Danny,” he told us. “She’s a businesswoman, so there must be a computer or some kind of equipment around here.” “But I need those things!” she said. “I can’t make money without my equipment!” The man patted his rifle’s buttocks. “Boo-Hoo. I can still change my mind, you understand.” Don’t be ungrateful now.” The guys destroyed her house before storming away, leaving Deidre curled up crying on the floor. Since Deidre’s business was thriving, nothing made sense to Richard. At least, that’s what she told him. But now Richard sensed something was wrong. Deidre needed his assistance.

The men carried various appliances from Deidre’s home into their truck. When they eventually drove away, Richard followed them. The men paused at a two-story brick structure downtown that seemed to be a tavern. When the door closed, it remained unlocked. Nobody on the crew stopped Richard as he entered the building. The men had gathered at a huge table with several other rough-looking males seated. One of them stood and swaggered towards him. “The club’s closed,” he yelled. “Come back later.” “I’m here to discuss Deidre’s debt,” Richard declared. “Oh?” The man at the head of the table rose and looked at Richard. He resembled a gentleman except for a horrible scar above his left eye. Richard thought he was Mr. Marco. “How much does she owe you?” Richard asked. Mr. Marco grinned. “A kind Samaritan, huh? Deidre took out a $80,000 business loan from me. I expected her to repay me with her monthly gains, but she never did. “I have around $20,000 in my savings,” Richard gasped, terrified that Deidre had borrowed so much money. “That’s only a quarter of what she owes us.” Mr. Marco exhaled. “But there’s something you can do to make up the difference.” Richard didn’t like the sound of it, but he had to do whatever it took to free his daughter from the situation she’d gotten herself into. “What do you want me to do?” he inquired. Mr. Marco smiled at Richard and beckoned him closer to the table. “My partner and I recently started a small business importing automobiles to Canada, but due to delayed paperwork, we’re facing challenges in transporting the “merchandise” across the border.” “You should have no problem crossing the border in one of our vehicles with a pleasant, innocent-looking grandfather.” Richard had no option but to agree.

Later that night, he stopped at a petrol station near the border town to use the restroom and parked next to a patrol. “Jesus!” he exclaimed as the German Shepherd in the back of the police car started barking at him and pawing at the windows. They trained service dogs to refrain from barking at random individuals until… He hurriedly hopped back into the Valiant and began reversing, causing the police dog to lose control. Two officers rushed out of the petrol station, yelling at him to halt as they stared at him. The GPS software shouted directions, but Richard put it into his pocket to quiet it. He drove the Valiant to its limits as he weaved through traffic, leaving a trail of enraged cars and narrowly avoiding crashes behind him. Sirens blared behind him. Richard quickly discovered a short, unmarked dirt track leading into the woodland ahead. He made a sudden right and raced into the trees, leaving the road behind. Richard persevered despite the treacherous dirt tracks. He took a tiny trail that led downhill. Then he turned up a small rise, a decision he immediately regretted. The automobile was now in a perilous position, teetering on a tiny hill above a large river. Richard attempted to reverse back the way he came, but the tires spun without gaining traction. In reality, the automobile was slipping toward the ocean. “No!” Richard hurriedly tried to use the parking brake, but it did not work. The car’s nose impacted the river with a loud splash, causing a wave of black water to flow over the bonnet. Richard pushed the automobile door open, trying to escape the sinking vehicle. The water’s pressure began to push the automobile door shut against Richard’s legs. As the river filled the interior, Richard splashed around in fear.

As the water rose to his face, he tilted his head back, took one last breath, and pushed himself underneath. Richard squeezed himself out of the aperture and pulled himself to the surface. He took a deep breath and swam toward the riverbank. Reaching the land made Richard realize how close he was to death. He was luckily still alive. But he still had to do something about the $80,000. Richard then hitched home. “I need to mortgage my house,” he informed the bank assistant. “And I need the cash in my bank account fast.” Richard waited nervously as the bank staffer completed the papers. He jumped in terror when Deidre called him. “Thugs from a local gang were just here asking about you, Dad…””What is going on?” “Tell them I’ll be there shortly. I made arrangements to settle your debt. I don’t understand why you didn’t come to me first, Deidre, but now is not the time to talk about it.” Richard concluded the call and signed the paperwork. He didn’t want to leave the house where he had built memories with his family, but it was the only way he could help Deidre. A few hours later, he drove into the club’s parking area in a leased car and proceeded to the door. “Dad, wait!” Richard looked back as Deidre approached him. “I won’t let you face those thugs alone,” she told you. I still don’t know how you discovered this mess or got the money to pay them, but I’ll stand by you while you save me.” Richard watched Deidre’s determined expression and realized he couldn’t persuade her to go. As they entered the club, the goons hustled him and Deidre to a table. Richard placed his duffel bag on the table, containing the cash he had withdrawn upon mortgage approval. “Here’s the $80,000 Deidre owes you, plus an additional $15,000 for the purchase of your automobile. I encountered some issues, resulting in the automobile ending up in a river.” Mr. Marco’s jaw twisted violently, and he banged his hand on the table. “Do you have the guts to offer me only $15,000? “You come in here and tell me you sank the $100,000 package hidden in that automobile. That doesn’t even begin to cover what you now owe me.” The mobster snatched the duffel bag and tossed it to one of his goons. “You know, Deidre, I believed in you, but sometimes, in business, you’ve got to know when to cut your losses.” He pulled a revolver from his suit jacket and aimed it directly at Deidre’s forehead. Richard drew Deidre behind him. No, please! This is entirely my responsibility!” Don’t punish her.” “Well, you made a good point.” The mobster shrugged, and Richard found himself gazing down the pistol barrel. They immediately heard police sirens outside. Mr. Marco turned and rushed toward the back of the club as deafening gunfire rang out and shook the building. Father and daughter crawled beneath the table.

There was commotion in the club, and as Richard glanced into his daughter’s terrified eyes, he knew he had to bring her to safety, no matter what. Richard and Deidre flipped one of the tables and locked themselves in a corner. They hid there until the cops led them to safety. Fortunately, Mr. Marco was captured. “Are you certain you don’t have any heart-related health issues?” Richard shook his head at the paramedic while in the ambulance. Richard swallowed hard when the police investigator approached the ambulance. “Sir, what were you and your daughter doing at this club today?” the investigator said angrily. Richard discussed Deidre’s debt and how they planned to return it that day at the club.

He intended to avoid discussing the automobile he had sunk in the river. The detective glanced at Deidre. “If we hadn’t discovered a car full of contraband in the river, we wouldn’t have come to your rescue. Miss, you should not be taking loans from such unsavory people.” A car in the river?” Richard inquired uncomfortable. The cop responded, “Mr. Marco’s cousin registered it, which was exactly the lead we needed to take this gang down.” Richard exhaled with relief. He was in the clear. The authorities released him and Deidre after they delivered their statements. Deidre said, “I owe you an enormous apology, Dad,” as they approached the front, where Richard’s car sat. “I dragged you into this whole mess.” Tears flooded her eyes. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you. How can one tell their father that they are a major failure?” “You are not a failure!” Richard placed his hands on Deidre’s shoulders. Dear Deidre, your business idea may not have succeeded, but you tried. I wish you had felt comfortable enough to tell me what was truly going on in your life. Heck, I hope you felt as connected to me as you did to your mother,” he said. “I don’t think you’ve been ‘fine’ for quite a while now.” Deidre broke into tears, and Richard wrapped his arm around her. “It’s okay, honey,” he said soothingly. “Everything’s going to be okay.”