Status: Complete.
Resistance Is Useless
Karina
I sat at the table in my small kitchen going through all my unopened mail. My apartment wasn’t anything special. It was in downtown Baltimore in a fairly decent neighborhood. I didn’t have much in my apartment, not that I could even afford much. I had a comfortable black leather couch in the living room with a coffee table and a small flat screen tv that stood on a stand on the wall opposite the couch. My kitchen was all white; renters weren’t allowed to paint the walls. My bedroom was simple but modern, too. That’s how I was- simple. It fit me perfectly.
I sighed when I saw a letter from the owners of the building. It’s that time of the month again- time to pay the rent. I don’t know about everyone else but $1,000 a month was expensive but this was the only decent place I could find to live in. I could probably get by this time, but what was I going to do next month without a job? No job, no money. No money, no rent. I won’t even think about working at another bank again.
I put the letter to the side. I’d just write the rent check tomorrow and mail it so it can get out of the way. The next envelope was handwritten with my name on in. I was confused. No one ever sent me handwritten things. It didn’t even have a return address on it.
I hesitated before ripping the seal with my thumb. I looked down at it and nearly choked on the hot tea I was sipping. It was like God answered my prayers… mysteriously. No one I knew would write a $10,000 check for no reason. Hell, no one I knew even had that kind of money to throw around. This has to be a joke. This has to be a fake check.
The signature at the bottom was scrawled semi-neatly. I examined the signature in the light and squinted. The only thing I could make out of the signature was an ‘A’ and a ‘G’. No one I knew had those initials.
My cell phone nearly gave me a heart attack when it started to ring. “Hello?”
“Karina, how are you?” A man’s voice said on the other line.
I relaxed when I realized it was only Joe. The feds decided to assign me someone to call me and check up on me every night. I probably needed him, too. I was in hysterics at the police station after I got back from the beach.
“I’m… I’m fine. Confused and paranoid, but you can’t blame me,” I said.
“You can talk about it, if you want,” He said. “I’m here for you.”
“I don’t know… I just think… someone’s been watching me for the past few days,” I said truthfully. “They know where I live, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were watching me.”
“I’m in the area, still on duty,” He said. “I can circle your neighborhood real quick if you want.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Would you please? Just for some reassurance.”
“You got it,” He said.
“So, um, do you guys have any leads? At all?” I said.
“Um, well, some of us think whoever robbed Provident are probably the same people that have been doing the other robberies in the county,” He said.
Like that makes me feel any better, I thought. These guys are skilled masterminds.
“But maybe they’re not,” He continued. “We get cases like this all the time. I promise you, we will get these guys.”
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I walked out from under the awning of my apartment building and instantly put my sunglasses over my eyes. It was beautiful and sunny outside and I decided not to take my car. The coffee shop was a few blocks away and it’s not like I had anything better to do. I could walk there and actually appreciate my city rather than rushing like I usually did so I wouldn’t be late for work. Being jobless means I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.
In fact, I actually slept in for the first time in months. Don’t get to do that with a job waiting for you at 7am every morning. I was pretty proud of myself. And it was daylight so I wouldn’t have to be as paranoid as usual. I was slowly slipping into a new routine.
I pulled out my box of Marlboros and flipped the top, taking a cigarette and putting it between my lips. I lit it quickly with my lighter and inhaled. I knew a lot of guys didn’t like girls that smoked, but oh well. If they knew what I’d been through, they’d disregard my smoking.
When I got to the coffee shop, customers were just showing up. The smell of eggs, bacon, and coffee filled my nose. I came to the diner every morning for coffee and a buttered croissant. I saw the same customers every time I came here and knew the staff on a first name basis. Except this time, I got that weird feeling again. Someone was watching me.
My sunglasses were still on and it left me free to scan the diner inconspicuously. When I saw no one was watching me, I gave up and pushed my sunglasses on the top of my head.
“Karina!” Someone snapped me out of my thought. I looked up and saw my favorite waitress, Darlene. “The usual to go?”
“Please and thank you,” I nodded and smiled at her. I took a seat by the counter while I waited and tapped my fingers. She came back a few minutes later with a small brown paper bag and a steaming cup.
“Need me to tell you the price?” She asked.
I shook my head. “I have it memorized.” I laughed. It always came up to $4.85.
I reached in my pocket for some money.
“I’ll pay for the pretty lady,” A voice said from behind me.
I looked up shocked and couldn’t stop myself from blushing. Before I could tell him not to pay for me, he’d already given Darlene a ten dollar bill and told her to keep the change.
“T-thank you,” I said. “You really didn’t have to do that. I mean, I could have just paid for it like I usually do.” I rambled.
He laughed, “It’s cool. I’m just being a gentleman for someone beautiful, like you.”
I blushed again and I’m pretty sure he noticed my hands shaking. I looked him up and down, trying to think of something to say. Like I did before, he too had shades covering his eyes. His dark brown hair covered his forehead and framed his face. Something inside me wanted to know what color his eyes were. Green? Blue? Hazel? I’m a sucker for brown eyes. He wore a plain white shirt with a black cardigan over it, skinny jeans, and gray converse. He was cute, nonetheless. No, this guy was gorgeous.
Between myself and work, I never found time to actually look at guys and talk to them. I haven’t even had a boyfriend in almost a year and a half.
“So, are you heading for somewhere?” He asked. “Or are you just strolling around?”
I shrugged, “Just strolling. I have nothing better to do at this time of the morning.”
“Well, do I have permission to tag along with you?” He asked, chuckling.
No. You don’t know this guy, I said to myself.
My mouth said the complete opposite.
“Sure.”
I sighed when I saw a letter from the owners of the building. It’s that time of the month again- time to pay the rent. I don’t know about everyone else but $1,000 a month was expensive but this was the only decent place I could find to live in. I could probably get by this time, but what was I going to do next month without a job? No job, no money. No money, no rent. I won’t even think about working at another bank again.
I put the letter to the side. I’d just write the rent check tomorrow and mail it so it can get out of the way. The next envelope was handwritten with my name on in. I was confused. No one ever sent me handwritten things. It didn’t even have a return address on it.
I hesitated before ripping the seal with my thumb. I looked down at it and nearly choked on the hot tea I was sipping. It was like God answered my prayers… mysteriously. No one I knew would write a $10,000 check for no reason. Hell, no one I knew even had that kind of money to throw around. This has to be a joke. This has to be a fake check.
The signature at the bottom was scrawled semi-neatly. I examined the signature in the light and squinted. The only thing I could make out of the signature was an ‘A’ and a ‘G’. No one I knew had those initials.
My cell phone nearly gave me a heart attack when it started to ring. “Hello?”
“Karina, how are you?” A man’s voice said on the other line.
I relaxed when I realized it was only Joe. The feds decided to assign me someone to call me and check up on me every night. I probably needed him, too. I was in hysterics at the police station after I got back from the beach.
“I’m… I’m fine. Confused and paranoid, but you can’t blame me,” I said.
“You can talk about it, if you want,” He said. “I’m here for you.”
“I don’t know… I just think… someone’s been watching me for the past few days,” I said truthfully. “They know where I live, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were watching me.”
“I’m in the area, still on duty,” He said. “I can circle your neighborhood real quick if you want.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Would you please? Just for some reassurance.”
“You got it,” He said.
“So, um, do you guys have any leads? At all?” I said.
“Um, well, some of us think whoever robbed Provident are probably the same people that have been doing the other robberies in the county,” He said.
Like that makes me feel any better, I thought. These guys are skilled masterminds.
“But maybe they’re not,” He continued. “We get cases like this all the time. I promise you, we will get these guys.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - -
I walked out from under the awning of my apartment building and instantly put my sunglasses over my eyes. It was beautiful and sunny outside and I decided not to take my car. The coffee shop was a few blocks away and it’s not like I had anything better to do. I could walk there and actually appreciate my city rather than rushing like I usually did so I wouldn’t be late for work. Being jobless means I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.
In fact, I actually slept in for the first time in months. Don’t get to do that with a job waiting for you at 7am every morning. I was pretty proud of myself. And it was daylight so I wouldn’t have to be as paranoid as usual. I was slowly slipping into a new routine.
I pulled out my box of Marlboros and flipped the top, taking a cigarette and putting it between my lips. I lit it quickly with my lighter and inhaled. I knew a lot of guys didn’t like girls that smoked, but oh well. If they knew what I’d been through, they’d disregard my smoking.
When I got to the coffee shop, customers were just showing up. The smell of eggs, bacon, and coffee filled my nose. I came to the diner every morning for coffee and a buttered croissant. I saw the same customers every time I came here and knew the staff on a first name basis. Except this time, I got that weird feeling again. Someone was watching me.
My sunglasses were still on and it left me free to scan the diner inconspicuously. When I saw no one was watching me, I gave up and pushed my sunglasses on the top of my head.
“Karina!” Someone snapped me out of my thought. I looked up and saw my favorite waitress, Darlene. “The usual to go?”
“Please and thank you,” I nodded and smiled at her. I took a seat by the counter while I waited and tapped my fingers. She came back a few minutes later with a small brown paper bag and a steaming cup.
“Need me to tell you the price?” She asked.
I shook my head. “I have it memorized.” I laughed. It always came up to $4.85.
I reached in my pocket for some money.
“I’ll pay for the pretty lady,” A voice said from behind me.
I looked up shocked and couldn’t stop myself from blushing. Before I could tell him not to pay for me, he’d already given Darlene a ten dollar bill and told her to keep the change.
“T-thank you,” I said. “You really didn’t have to do that. I mean, I could have just paid for it like I usually do.” I rambled.
He laughed, “It’s cool. I’m just being a gentleman for someone beautiful, like you.”
I blushed again and I’m pretty sure he noticed my hands shaking. I looked him up and down, trying to think of something to say. Like I did before, he too had shades covering his eyes. His dark brown hair covered his forehead and framed his face. Something inside me wanted to know what color his eyes were. Green? Blue? Hazel? I’m a sucker for brown eyes. He wore a plain white shirt with a black cardigan over it, skinny jeans, and gray converse. He was cute, nonetheless. No, this guy was gorgeous.
Between myself and work, I never found time to actually look at guys and talk to them. I haven’t even had a boyfriend in almost a year and a half.
“So, are you heading for somewhere?” He asked. “Or are you just strolling around?”
I shrugged, “Just strolling. I have nothing better to do at this time of the morning.”
“Well, do I have permission to tag along with you?” He asked, chuckling.
No. You don’t know this guy, I said to myself.
My mouth said the complete opposite.
“Sure.”
♠ ♠ ♠
DUN, DUN DUUUUUUUN!!!Comments, yeah? <3