"Freeze!"
"Stop or I'll shoot!"
The hairs on my body stood as I raised my goosebumped arms. My muscles twitched slightly, despite my mind telling my body to hold as still as possible.
"Get on your knees and cross your ankles now!"
I hesitated...
"Now!" the officer barked, reiterating his previous command.
As I got to my knees sweat dripped down the back of my neck. I wasn't a hardened criminal. I wasn't a murder. I was a bank robber though, and not in the traditional sense. There is no way the cops could know of it. It all started a few years ago...
...
"Richard... Richard... hello? Earth to Richard."
I stared down at the petite Latina woman, who sadly enough, was my boss.
"Yeah... I heard you. I don't want to do it, but I guess someone has to."
The small 35 year old Latin handed me a bucket full of soapy water and a few sponges. I fell to my knees, pulled off the greasy drain cover of the drain. I grabbed a sponge, the heat of the water uncomfortable, just shy of burning and began scrubbing the drain.
I got to work, my boss unmoving, glaring down at me. She was only 5'3" so she didn't get to look down on me often. Looking up at her i swore I could see humor in her face as she watched me work.
$7.25 an hour for this work didn't seem worth it.
"Lazy white boy..." my boss said in Spanish as she walked away, coaxing a laugh from the Mexican women in the back of the restaurant on the cook line.
I spoke Spanish fluently, but I never told anyone at my job that. I almost felt shame in it, knowing how much shit they talked and never sticking up for myself.
For 2 hours I trudged through the drains, making them smell like chemicals, masking the mold odor coming from farther down in the pipes.
I was proud of my work, although it didn't take long for the drains to pollute again i took pride in knowing I worked hard on it. My shift was about over and I had a 20 minute bike ride to my downtown loft.
I finished up my closing duties, put on my helmet, flicked on the headlamp and hopped on my bike.
--
The cold air rushed around me as I peddled hard. It was mid September and the cold air was just beginning to blow in. A light coat did the trick and my wind breaker was more than enough. It was a dark night though, there wasn't a moon. You couldn't see the stars through the city lights either. I missed the stars.
I looked up to the sky as I rode, hoping maybe I could see just one. Not paying attention to the road I felt a mind numbing blow to my face. Within seconds I knew I had lost teeth and something in my face was broken. Blood started running down the back of my throat and I coughed it up. I was laying on pavement. I had forgotten already where I was or what I was doing. I looked up and saw a man holding something in his hand... A bat? Is that what it was?
The man lifted his hands above his head and I closed my eyes as he swung down. The back of my eyelids is the last thing I remember.
--
Bright. So Bright.
I blinked. My vision gone. White light. Blurry figures.
"Wwiwwawd"
"Wichawd"
"Richard, you're awake! NURSE! NURSE!"
I could see her now. My sister. She was a few years older than me and we were roommates. She had been married and then divorced. Her ex was a total douche.
She had a good job though and made enough money to pay for our apartment and pay all of our bills on her own. She felt like since mom and dad had passed I was her responsibility or something. Even though I was only a step sibling we had been brother and sister since I was 2. I still wanted to work to pitch in on the bills regardless of the fact she told me not to every month.
She had just graduated from University and was now an in facility psychologist for a local company that worked with handicapped individuals. She was smart, pretty, funny and fit, the whole package. I was pretty fit and good looking too, from what l can remember.
I reached up to touch my face, I felt a dull pain on my right cheek. I tried again to reach for it. It took every muscle in my arm to lift my hand from the bed.
--
"Hey big guy, don't be doing that. You need to stay still, you've been out cold a few days now." Jessica told him.
Richard opened his mouth to ask her what the hell she was talking about but his cheeks hurt and his throat was dry. He could feel the chapping of his lips. He decided to rephrase.
"Water..." He rasped.