[ WP ] Let 's make a deal

“ You have to help me. ” 
 
 “ Let ’ s make one thing clear: I don ’ t have to *do* anything. I might help you, I might not, but we can talk about it later. In the meantime, sit down, have a cup of nana. We can work something out. ” 
 
 Ana sipped her tea. Full mint leaves loaded the mug, and it filled up her nose when she swallowed. She looked over the rim of the cup at the man across from her. He was older than her, maybe in his late forties, and he was dressed in a light shirt and khakis. His hair was trimmed short, and he seemed to occupy much more space in this tiny room than Ana thought was possible. 
 
 “ This is good tea, no? ” He picked up his own cup and took a sip. 
 
 Ana nodded. “ Is it just mint leaves? ” There was some sort of European music playing out in the lobby. 
 
 “ Traditionally. It ’ s hard to get fresh mint on a budget, so there ’ s also a tea bag in the pot. It ’ s the closest you can get to nana in Brooklyn. ” 
 
 “ That ’ s very interesting. Can we talk about why I ’ m here? ” 
 
 “ Finish your tea first. ” He lifted his cup lipwards again. 
 
 “ I can find someone else to handle this problem. ” 
 
 He grinned, face obscured by his teacup. “ No you can ’ t. ” 
 
 Ana pursed her lips. She took another small sip of the mint tea, and then drained it in 3 gulps. 
 
 He chuckled, and put his own tea down. “ So why are you here? ” 
 
 Ana swallowed. Her tongue was burning. “ My.. my ex-husband owes some people money. He ’ s late on the payments, and they ’ re threatening his life. It ’ s... I can ’ t handle it. It ’ s sad. I want to help. I just want to cover what he owes, so we can move on. ” 
 
 “ You want to pay off a loan shark by going to a loan shark? ” The man took another sip of nana. “ That seems a little ‘ out of the frying pan, into the fire ’, if you ask me. ” 
 
 “ You ’ ve got another idea, I suppose? ” 
 
 “ Hey, it ’ s my money. I got ta know if I ’ m making a good investment. ” 
 
 “ You ’ re a loan shark. ” 
 
 “ I am. ” 
 
 “ You ’ re sounding like a banker. ” Ana grinned. 
 
 The loan shark grinned back. “ The best way to make sure people pay you back is to pick people who can. Banks know that. I ’ m maybe a bit more lenient. ” 
 
 “ I can make payments. I can make payments on this. I can ’ t pay the thirty they ’ re asking for out of pocket. ” 
 
 “ You want thirty? Thirty I can do. I ’ ll give you thirty in cash, you make payments of three, with 10 % on the vig. Can you do that? ” 
 
 “ I can do that. ” 
 
 He took a sip of his tea again. “ Good. Can you put down something for collateral? ” 
 
 “ What do you want? ” 
 
 He stroked his chin, scratched the stubble. “ How many months has your husband missed a payment? ” 
 
 “ Two months. ” 
 
 “ I ’ ll take that. ” 
 
 Ana cocked her head. “ Two months of interest? ” 
 
 “ No, just the two months? ” 
 
 Ana opened her mouth and stopped short. 
 
 “ Look, it doesn ’ t matter now, because I ’ ll be taking it later.You don ’ t have to worry. ” 
 
 “ You ’ re gon na charge me for collateral *after* I pay you? ” 
 
 “ No. Look, just shake my hand. ” 
 
 He extended a hand, and took hers tightly. As he shook, he said, “ Two months? ” 
 
 Ana nodded. 
 
 He let go. “ Great. We ’ re done. ” 
 
 As he stood up and piled stacks of bills inside a knockoff Coach bag, Ana took a deep breath, and let it out. It didn ’ t help. 
 
 For some reason, she did not feel like she had come out of this deal on top.
