I enjoyed that day in the park.

Of course, it would take a while before I realized that was my last taste of real freedom, but for the time I enjoyed the simple harmony of life around me. The kids played soccer on the nearby grass, one young boy with curly hair the color of a ripe orange dodged around several of other boys while kicking the ball around and kicked it directly at a boy standing between two trees who's trucks stood a few feet apart, marking a makeshift goal for the young players. The goalie jumped up and caught the soaring ball, making his team whoop in delight and the redhead's team sulk where they stood across the field to my right. Too bad, I thought that boy deserved a goal, that was one hell of a maneuver.

Watching the kids play was relaxing. It always amazed me how they could make life so black and white, having a clear goal and knowing who stood in your way. I wish I could do that for my life.

I tore my eyes away from the ongoing game and looked around. A few cats were scampering here and there, looking for leftover food left by the park-goers, one of them, a midnight-black and slim cat, starting towards me. I covertly raised my left palm several inches in the air and focused slightly, feeling the tingle in my fingertips that had become one of my closest companions. The cat's head snapped to the side, his eyes focusing on one of the trees on the other side of the park, and it ran towards it at full tilt, my eyes tracking it the entire time. Once it was fifty or so yards away, however, the cat stopped in confusion, looked around and started walking back in the direction of several other people who where enjoying their lunch outdoors.

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"Damn", I cursed quietly to myself, I was out of shape.

I sat there for a quiet minute, having many thought but thinking about nothing, letting my mind drift as it willed. A low buzz drew me out of my revery, and I drew my phone out of pocket to check who was calling me. The caller didn't surprise me, few people had this number, ever fewer called in the middle of the day. I flicked my finger across the screen and raised to phone to my ear.

"Whats up, boss?" I asked, skipping the greetings neither of us has the tolerance for.

"We have a job", said the low voice on the other end of the line, with a slight foreign accent that none of up could put our fingers on, "It requires your particular set of skills".

"You know", I said in a conversational tone, "i intended for this to be my day off".

My reply was a gruff laugh from the boss. "We're assassins, boyo", he said, "we don't get days off".

I sighed, knowing my time in the park was done, disconnected the call without bothering with a reply, and pushed myself up off the bench.

I stood there a moment, breathing in the fresh air and looking around one last time.

I noticed the fiery haired kid was having another go at the goal, the ball bouncing and rolling as he kicked it forward. He had the kind of intense look that told me this was a crucial moment. Right before he gave the ball it's final kick, aiming between the towering trees, I twitched my hand and again felt the tingle. The goalie, so focused on the ball a second ago, lost focus and stared at a distant point. It only lasted a second, but it was enough for the ball to sail through the air and right under the keeper's outstretched hand.

This time, the right side of the field was the one to erupt into cheers.

I smiled to myself, put my hands in the pockets of my coat, and turned away to go to work.