A Rainy Afternoon and Many Sunny Days

2. Standing by!

It was Tuesday, a quarter past seven when the alarm clock went off. He hadn't even slept for two hours. He got up for his daily routine. He got ready, woke his daughter up then drove her to school.

Made a cup of tea and tried to put his thoughts in order. His wife had left for work so he was on his own.

He recalled everything that had happened. Naturally, the questions returned.

Tried to relax and evaluate the situation as rationally as possible.

Owned 7,500,000 US dollars. Turned on his computer and checked everything once more. Indeed, it was still there.

The instructions he was given, suggested going back to his daily routine until he received the documents of his new identity, the following day most probably. He would then receive new instructions.

Once again, questions arose in his mind. Who was sending the instructions? How did they appear in his mind? He had been researching the paranormal for thirty years now. There were many theories but they were merely speculation. What was really his case? That was hard to answer, at least for now.

He had to be patient and follow the instructions. He should also keep his mouth shut. Easier said than done. How could you possibly get on with your life when you have 7,500,000 dollars in your possession?

He had to do it, though. Tried to keep his mind busy as much as possible.

He spent the rest of his day doing various tasks, mostly on the Internet. His daughter came back from school at noon and then his wife returned from work. Time passed by.

Went on with his usual routine in the evening, then he went to bed. The questions were still torturing him but not as intensely as yesterday.

Once again, he followed his daily routine the next day. He woke up in the morning, drove his daughter to school then returned to his study to deal with work matters.

It was noon when the courier rang his doorbell. He was from a company he hadn't heard before. The extremely polite employee explained that the company excelled at special document delivery, mainly diplomatic ones. He asked for his ID and signature on an electronic terminal then handed him a sealed envelope.

Opened the envelope at his study. Inside, found a British passport under the name Max Headroom with his own photograph, of course. The date of birth was the correct one but the passport had been issued in Turks & Caicos. His citizenship status was British Overseas Territories. The birth location was Providenciales, the biggest city in Turks & Caicos where he had bought the mansion. There was also a corresponding driver's license in the envelope as well as some additional documents from the local authorities.

He had barely examined the documents he had received when the doorbell rang again. It was another courier who delivered an envelope from a foreign bank. It contained a debit card and some documents related to his account. This went on for the next two hours. There were seven couriers in total with the corresponding envelopes from the seven banks he had transferred money to, the previous day. The delivery of the documents he was expecting had completed as such.

His daughter came back from school immediately after. He served her and sat down to have lunch with her. His wife came home from work as well.

He hadn't managed to deal with his matters by afternoon.

Later in the evening, when he relaxed, the questions in his mind returned.

Checked his e-mail. In the special account he was provided with two nights ago, he received, in digital form, the final contract of the mansion, some other documents of the municipality of Providenciales as well as some instructions regarding the building complex. Printed everything and studied them carefully. They all looked authentic.

He was now a citizen of British Overseas Territory and a property owner in the best area of Turks & Caicos.

Went on with the family routine. At night, when they had gone to sleep, the new set of instructions appeared in his mind. They were detailed and crystal clear but too cruel nonetheless.

Now the hard part began, the one that had to do with emotional management. He literally had to disappear without telling anyone where he'd go. The next day, Thursday, he was to complete the following procedures:

- Close all his bank accounts in the Greek Banks.

- Wire 250,000 Euros from the Slovenian Bank via SEPA to his daughter's Greek bank account and an equal amount to his wife's account, ensuring their financial security.

- these documents for thirty years. They were literally his whole life.

- He would tell his family in the city he was born, that he found a job in a foreign country and it would take some time before he could communicate with them again.

- He would leave a letter to his wife and daughter, explaining that he had to be away for a while and asking them not to look for him. He would leave them with instructions for certain practical matters.

- He was to destroy all his personal documents, his ID, driver's license, cards, passports and so on.

He shouldn't bring along anything that had to do with his previous life. The only things allowed were the new documents and cards as well as some clothes. He would buy anything else he might need from London and Toronto and the rest in Providenciales.

This was particularly cruel and hard for him. How would he abandon his whole life? How would he abandon his family, especially his daughter?

Once again, he tried to calculate the pros and cons. He couldn't make a final decision so he decided to leave it for tomorrow, when his mind would be clearer.

He relaxed for a while and went to sleep.