Rhinoplastic Vengance

Whilst picking his pen up off the floor, Chris Deckard noticed - aside from the wads of gum stuck under his desk - that the customer on the opposite side of the counter wore the same socks as him. This was not unusual however, since they were popular cheap seconds from the market stall just a few paces down the road, but nevertheless, Deckard smirked at the thought of this particular cheapskate not affording proper socks from a shop. He himself could be forgiven under the circumstances - a single man in his late 40's, still struggling to pay his wife's cash demands even though she'd left him nearly a year ago, now only just managing to foot all of the house bills on his own. As he rose back to his chair, he greeted the man with a smirk.

'How'd you do. Sorry about that. First thing on Monday morning you know. Can I help?'

'Well, I'm interested in an affordable package. I'm erm . . . after a realignment on my nose bridge.' Looking at the young man in his flashy purple suit and blue tie, Deckard couldn't see why he wanted such a job done at all. As far as he could see, his nose was something to be proud of. Flanked by a strong jaw line and creemed hair, he was certainly an odd patient to admit, especially in a shit hole like this. If it hadn't been for the dirt-cheap socks, he would have wondered why he didn't just go to some fancy place in L.A. or something.

'Have you thought over this quite thoroughly? It's a big step to take you know.'

'I have. It's a . . . well, a kind of present for my girl. Girlfriend that is.'

'I see. Well, if you're looking for a decent job with quick healing time, it'll cost a fair amount.'

'I can only go up to $2'000.'

Chris raised his eyebrows. It had been a while since he'd heard of an amount like that.

'That'll cover it.'

Over the course of an hour, the young patient-to-be was offered a list of possible excisions. Deckard wasn't about to let two grand for a nose job slip through his fingers. As it happened, the required operation only came to $1'199, but Deckard managed to raise it slightly to $1'899.

'Usually, we wouldn't do this, but since you're our first customer in 3 weeks, we're giving it you at a discount. In a surgery I know, this particular operation would cost nearly $7'000.'

The man looked uneasy.

'Is that really all it will cost? I was expecting a little more to be honest.'

Chris nodded with unnerving enthusiasm. 'Yes, we're the most efficient Rhinoplastic Surgery in the city.'

The health and safety certificates surrounding the walls of the office certainly looked reliable, and he had found the place in the yellow pages.

'Ok. Sorry about the nerves.'

'Oh', said Deckard, 'it's completely understandable.'

'I'll have some cartilage removed from the tip, and the upper bridge lowered until it isn't visible.'

'No problem', Chris sneered.

Twenty minutes, and several signatures later, the man left Deckard's Surgery with a knot in the pit of his stomach. Why Mr Deckard had given him so filthy look when shaking his hand was beyond him, although one thing he was sure of, was that he had just made a terrible mistake in putting his money in his hands.

Chris Deckard cast a shadow over the sprawl of papers on his desk. One fell on the floor as he banged down with his fist.