I’m sorry, I’m lightheaded right now. But I’ll try to explain.
I’m sitting in my room. I’m not used to staying up this late.
I think I might be helping someone or something powerful commit robberies in my city.
I see it on the news. Six robberies over the past five days.
Something changed this morning. In the way they’re talking about the robberies.
Someone died. A security guard. They had a family.
Let me back up.
My parents were happy people.
They met in high school. Got pregnant at 18. Had my sister. Then got married.
They didn’t go to college. My dad went to work in the P&G factory as a laborer.
Eight years later, they had me at 26.
They love us and have tried to give us a better life, but the years of financial stress have left them shells of themselves. I know we struggle to pay our house payment every month.
I can tell it weighs on them.
They were once happy, beautiful people.
I have a polaroid of them from when they brought me home from the hospital.
In an apartment. They’re smiling so big and wide.
I’m so small in their arms, I try not to cry when I look at it.
I can’t tell them what I’ve done.
I want them to be happy again.
He approached me at the gym after I finished lifting. I’m rehabbing a shoulder injury from pitching.
It had to be close to 11pm.
I was alone in the sauna.
He stood outside of it. He waited for me to nod that it was okay for him to join me.
I didn’t think anything of it.
When he entered, the steaming hot sauna went ice cold.
I passed out.
I woke up, knowing I had made a deal.
I knew the details of the deal. I had agreed to it. He promised money. $800 a night.
I even knew what I needed to buy from CVS on my way home to draw it and keep it warm.
I also knew he had just gotten into town. He got into Lifetime with a guest pass.
But we never actually talked.
I went home that night and started the routine.
I’ve been draining a pint of my blood into a thermos every night for him. He picks it up at 2am and leaves a new thermos behind for me.
I’ve made $4,000 for my parents. I’ve been telling myself it’s okay.
I was planning on giving it to my parents on their anniversary this weekend. I thought they could catch up on bills. Maybe they could plan a vacation together.
But how can this be okay? The bank robbery this morning…
The police aren’t putting out any more information about what happened. They said they’ll release more information soon.
Some expensive stores and a bank have shut down for the rest of the week.
Maybe he wasn’t involved.
Maybe I should confront him.
He’s here. I have to go.