The Earthworm

            “What are you going to tell him?” I asked rushing after my husband as he approached the house. “You can’t just knock on someone’s door at this time of the night.”

            He didn’t listen and knocked on his boss’s door before I could catch up with him. Craig answered the door with a surprised look.

            “If you don’t sign my proposal, I’m going to go over to the other district and tell them everything,” my husband demanded of Craig.

            Craig shrugged, “Do what you need to do, Joaquin.” He turned to go back into his house, but did not close his door.

            I had the sinking feeling in my stomach that my husband had just gotten himself fired. I reached out to pull my husband back, but before my hand touched his arm, Craig turned around laughing. I was confused until I saw Joaquin laughing too. I could see it was a joke they had planned, but I was not laughing.

            Suddenly, they became serious as quickly as they had burst into laughter just moments earlier.

            “So how are you going to do it?” Craig asked Joaquin in a hushed voice. Joaquin shrugged his shoulders vaguely and looked around as if he expected to be overheard by someone other than the two of us.

            “Don’t worry,” was his only response. It was not comforting to hear.

            “Well, be careful. I know you’ll get the job done.” Craig’s response was not reassuring either.

            Joaquin ushered me back to the car. I bombarded him with questions about where we were going, what were going to do, was it dangerous, what was his plan. Joaquin just told me to trust him, which quieted my mouth, but not my mind. I was a nervous wreck and I didn’t even know what to be nervous about. Sensing my distress, Joaquin patted my leg as he drove to the unknown destination, “I just have to get this disk drive from these guys.”

            We pulled up to a building that was round, tunnel-like in shape, but it was still so dark, it was hard to make out any distinguishing features of the building. Two men greeted us and directed us inside. They motioned for us to enter silently and I followed full of apprehension. We crossed a hallway and entered a small room. All it contained was a bed and a computer desk. One of the men was getting us the disk drive when everything started to shake.

            “Earthquake,” I whispered.

            “No,” said one of the men, his voice full of panic, “Earthworm!” I turned to Joaquin speechless. “We’re in an earthworm. Close the window quick. It’s going down into the ground.”

            I looked out the window in disbelief. All I could see was dirt on the other side. Joaquin slammed it shut. I couldn’t quite register the imminent danger. The men could see that we didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation.

            “Earthworms eat dirt. As this earthworm goes further into the ground, its insides will fill up with dirt more and more. Pretty soon this whole room will be full of dirt, which means we’ll be buried alive in dirt and we’ll suffocate. When we try to breathe, we’ll breathe in dirt.” One man hurriedly explained.

            “Well, then we have to get out of here,” I shouted, no longer concerned about being quiet.

            “The disk drive isn’t finished downloading. We can’t leave yet,” the other man’s voice cracked as he gave us the news.

            Joaquin looked at the men, nodded, and then rushed me to the door. Despite my fear, I was beginning to feel relieved that we were getting out of this earthworm before it was too late. Next thing I knew, Joaquin was pushing me out the door and slamming it shut with him inside. I stood outside dazed and alone. I could only assume my husband was going back for the disk drive.

            I felt dizzy and sick. I knelt to the ground, my heart pounding in my head. I was helpless. The earthworm was completely submerged now. The “building” we had entered was no longer visible. I had no idea how or if Joaquin would make it out and I was overcome with grief. Tears streamed down my face and even though I felt my body overheating with emotion, I was shivering.

            I had to do something. I forced myself up from the ground and commanded my body into action. I ran to our car and drove back to Craig’s house. I found him sitting at his piano in the middle of a party. My grief turned to rage. How could he be having a party while my husband’s life was in danger? How could he sit there with a smile when my husband could be dying because he was getting a disk drive for him?

            Breathing heavily, my heart now pounding in my ears, I told Craig what had happened. His smile disappeared and the color drained from his face. Only when I finished did I realize I had been yelling and my fists had been clenched.

            My anger did not dissipate. “If anything happens to him, anything, it’s on you,” I hissed with contempt pointing my finger at Craig’s face.

            He could not answer, but I saw his eyes fill with tears.