[ WP ] A friendly co-worker that you do n't really know anything about ask you to help him move , when you show up to his house it 's completely empty apart from a single box and his no where to be seen .

( Part two from above ) 
 ____________________________ 
 I do n't understand. 
 
 I walk in further and holler for Tim, but I already know he is n't there. 
 
 Is this a joke? What an elaborate prank, if it is. Ask a guy to help you move and direct him to an impossible-to-find, completely empty house. 
 
 You're a bastard, Tim. What the hell is going on here? 
 
 I walk into the middle of the large room and look around me 360 degrees, like I expect to find Tim behind me, or in the kitchen making tea or whatever in the hell it is that Tim does. He seems like a tea drinker, though, does n't he? Someone who would go to all this stupid, pointless effort to have already moved out of a house before asking for help moving is probably off somewhere with a hearty cuppa. Milk and sugar too! God I hate that guy! 
 
 I'm furious and confused. It's a combination of emotions that do not play nicely together. I feel used -- betrayed, somehow. And foolish. Like I should have known it was all a set-up, a game, a trap. 
 
 But of course I did n't know. How could I? It makes no sense! 
 
 I did n't know anything, anyway. I never knew anything about *Tim: The Nice Guy. * I never tried to know. I did n't want to because I did n't care. Might as well admit it. Tim, you nice-guy son of a bitch -- *I never cared about you! * 
 
 I set the beers down on the counter in the kitchen and turn to leave. I do n't want them. They're warm, anyway, after driving around so long. Such a wasted day. I was just trying to be friendly, too. To pretend to be friendly. 
 
 I notice the box then. On the mantle of the fireplace. It was small enough I had n't seen it in first glance, and anyway, I was too angry and confused. I'm not, now. I decided it did n't matter. It was kind of funny, actually. A really elaborate, pointless practical joke. I wondered briefly if I was on a hidden camera. I decided to wave and smile, just in case, and that's when I saw the box. 
 
 I guess this is for me, I decided, as I went to pick it up. 
 
 It was about the size of a ring box from a jeweler. Is Tim proposing? I laughed out loud, hoping the hidden camera, if there was one, liked my reaction. Ha ha, Tim, very funny stuff. I'm already married, though! Two kids! Shitty suburban house with a broken door knob and ankle-high grass! 
 
 This hysteria was n't like me. I felt suddenly sick. A sour feeling was growing in my stomach. 
 
 I opened the envelope under the box first. Mom had taught me to always read the card first before tearing into the gift, it's a sign of respect and appreciation. 
 
 The handwritten note was signed simply, `` Tim.'' I read it several times to try to make sense if it, but I still was n't sure I had. It probably was n't real, anyway, but it *might* be -- I just did n't know. I did n't know anything about this guy Tim, after all. 
 
 Nothing. 
 
 __________________________________________ 
 
 If you're reading this, I'm sure you're already confused, so I'll try to clear things up if I can. 
 
 First, I'm sorry I deceived you. I hope you will forgive me for that. It seemed like the right way to do things. The direct approach would have been even more unbelievable. 
 
 Secondly, I want to thank you. For your kindness to me. You were the only one who ever took the time to try to be friendly. I appreciate it. It meant a lot to me. I'm sorry we never got to be friends, but that's how it is sometimes, I guess. 
 
 The final thing I want to say is this: I'm going away. I know you knew that, since I asked for your help today, but the truth is, I wanted to help you. I'm going away and not ever coming back. It's what I do, sometimes. It does n't matter why so I wo n't explain, although I'm sure you're probably curious. 
 
 I wanted to give you something, to thank you for being nice to me. I wanted your kindness to pay off. I think kindness should be rewarded. So that will explain what's in the box, I hope. The paperwork will be arriving shortly. Everything's sorted out, you wo n't have to do anything. 
 
 I was n't lying when I said I needed your help moving. Just not for me. 
 
 Best wishes to you and your family, 
 Tim 
 _____________________________________ 
 
 After reading the note several times, still not fully understanding, I opened the lid of the box slowly. Inside was what I expected to find, and what I was most surprised to find, somehow. 
 
 A house key. The key ring stated this address, Lincoln Avenue. I held the key for a long time before gaining the ability to put it to the test. 
 
 I went to the front door I had left standing open only minutes before, and turned the lock until it clicked. I did n't know what to expect from the key, but I was somehow both vindicated and shocked when it turned in the lock easily. *Click. * Unlocked. *Click. * Locked again. *Click. * *Click. * *Click. * 
 
 The sour feeling in my stomach was gone, replaced with a burning in my throat and behind my eyes. 
 
 The key. The house. 
 
 Tim. 
 
 I had n't lied. I had n't really cared about Tim, not *really, * but he had cared about me. He thought I was kind to him, and I wished I had been. Kinder. I hoped he never found out what I had been thinking. I was afraid he would, somehow, and would know what a fraud I'd been -- *just trying to be friendly* -- and that this would n't be real. If it even was real. I just did n't know. Not really. 
 
 I never really knew anything about the guy.
