Craig & Fred by Craig Grossi

Author:Craig Grossi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-09-22T04:00:00+00:00

The next morning, with Fred stowed away in the barracks, I pulled up outside the DHL compound. The whole area was surrounded by a twelve-foot chain-link fence, concealed with green mesh. I walked up to the gate, which was closed but not locked. I pushed it open just enough to squeeze through.

The place looked as if it had been abandoned. There was no one around. A forklift was parked just inside the gate, unoccupied. In the back, a few trailers sat quietly in a row—probably sleeping quarters. Propped up against one of them, I spotted a small yellow sign that read OFFICE in red letters. With low expectations, I made my way over.

I tapped on the door, and it swung open. Directly inside was a cheap, wobbly-looking desk with a computer monitor and keyboard. From underneath it, I heard a man with what I thought was a thick Ugandan accent. “Come in!” he said as he lifted his hand above his head and waved it in the air.

The DHL worker picked himself up off the floor with a groan and wiped his forehead with a white towel. Without looking at me, he pressed his index finger against the power button—tapping incessantly—until the computer whirred to life. A satisfied smile on his face, he finally turned to me.

“Yes, Sergeant. What can I do for you?” he said.

“Please, call me Craig,” I told him.

The man smiled and nodded his head as he came around the desk with his hand outstretched.

“Okay, Craig. My name is Tinashe. It is nice to meet you. And what can I do for you?”

Tinashe was about five foot eight, and I’d guess in his forties. He had a bald head, bare face, and dark skin. With his blue DHL polo shirt tucked into his belted khakis, he looked sharp, and he smiled generously.

“I’m thinking of shipping something, but it looks like you guys aren’t quite up and running yet,” I said, scanning the room.

Tinashe smiled even bigger and said, “Oh, don’t worry, my friend! We’ll be up and running within twenty-four hours. Things move quickly here, I make sure of that. What were you thinking of shipping?”

I took a quick breath and tried to sound smooth. “If someone had a dog—hypothetically—would that be something you could ship?”

Tinashe looked at me, not letting the smile drop from his face. “How big is this dog?” he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Oh, I’m just curious if—” I started to say, but Tinashe, starting to laugh, cut me off.

“Bring him over! I want to meet this dog!” he said.

“Okay, man,” I said, giving in. “I’ll bring him over here tomorrow.”

“I can’t make any promises, but I will promise you I’ll do what I can,” he said.

First thing the following morning, I snuck Fred into the pickup, making him ride on the floor of the passenger side. We drove toward DHL, cautiously passing by a military police SUV parked outside the chow hall.

When we pulled into the gate of the compound, I was shocked to see it had completely transformed.

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