My life changed while I was out buying bread: how I ended up in the mafia

It all started on an ordinary afternoon. I was walking calmly, my shopping list in mind, when fate quite literally fell on me.

A beat-up white van stopped right next to me. Before I even understood what was happening, the side door slid open with a loud noise. Two men stepped out, expressionless. Without a word, they grabbed me, threw a hood over my head, and shoved me into the back of the vehicle.

The engine roared, and the van sped off. Inside, it was pitch black. My heart was pounding at 200 beats per minute. I tried to ask what they wanted from me, but the response was cold:

“Shut up and don’t move if you want to keep your teeth.”

After what felt like an eternity, the van stopped. They dragged me out and made me climb several flights of stairs that smelled like cold concrete. We reached a huge, silent room.

The blindfold came off. My eyes burned under the light of a large, dim hall. In front of me: a massive table, and a man sitting alone, staring at me with a steel gaze.

Him: “So… that mission? How did it go?”

Me (stammering): “What mission? I… I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Him: “Don’t play dumb. I gave the order to find you ten years ago.”

That’s when I realized how absurd the situation was: they had mistaken me for someone else. A ghost from the past. I started to panic, trying to justify myself, explaining that I was just a guy on his way to buy groceries.

The boss stood up, walked over, and looked at me closely. A long silence followed. Then he let out a dry laugh:

“Alright. Let’s say it’s not you. But now that you’re here, and you’ve seen our faces… you have two choices. Either you finish what that coward didn’t, or you disappear for good.”

At that moment, survival instinct took over. I had no desire to “disappear.”

Me: “Alright… but how much are we talking about?”

Him (smiling): “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you.”

And just like that, in ten minutes, I went from “average guy looking for pasta deals” to “new recruit in a criminal organization.”