Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
“If there’s no way you can get the cash, then yes.”
There went my plans for the extra cash after that first 50 was gone. But I’d still have a little left over, and I had my final check still coming. I’d be fine for a bit. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice. Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll fix you something to eat? Then we’re going to get these guys off your back.”
“Sis, I don’t want you getting involved in any of this.”
“I’m not. I’m just making sure the money will go to where it’s supposed to.”
“Okay. But no thanks on the meal. I think I’d get sick if I ate anything. I haven’t been able to hold anything down in the past 24 hours. It won’t be long before the shakes set in.”
I hated seeing him like this, but I was glad that he was acknowledging what he was going through was a step towards his getting better. At least he was being cooperative and not making excuses. That was all I could ask for.
Despite him declining breakfast, I made him a small bowl of broth and toast because he needed something in his belly even if it didn’t stay down. He was too thin for his own good.
Adam returned to the kitchen freshly showered and dressed looking somewhat better. I even got him to take a few bites of toast and a couple sips of broth before I got myself ready.
My day went from bad to worse at every turn starting with the bank needing several forms of identification from me to get money out of my own account. It took my demanding to see the manager before someone was willing to take care of my transaction. Being a Black woman in America, I often had to deal with micro-aggressions to outright racism, some of which I had to let slide or else lose my sanity. I was already so stressed out from everything happening in my life at the moment that I was furious by the time the manager explained to me to why they had to take extra precaution because there had been some fraudulent activity in the past. I completely blew up then.
“Fraudulent activity in my account? There has never been so much as an overdraft on my account. What do you mean fraudulent?” I spoke louder than was probably necessary, but I was holding on to my temper by a thread.
“Well, I mean, wouldn’t you feel safer that we’re taking these precautions? I mean, it is kind of suspicious that you’ve been wired such a large sum of money only for you to remove it.”
“I didn’t realize that I had to run it by the bank before I received a deposit.”
“Well I-I mean you don’t. It’s just we’re looking out for you, Mrs. Evans.”
“After I gave two forms of identification and entered my PIN that should have been the end of it. But not only are you making this more difficult for me than it actually needs to be, you’re gaslighting me. Would you be so vigilant if my skin were a more acceptable color?”
The manager turned bright red and sputtered. “Thi-this isn’t about race, ma’am. We were just being cautious. I’ll handle the transaction myself.”
What should have only taken a few minutes, took over an hour before I walked out of the bank with my cashier’s check.
I barely managed not to snap at Adam when he asked what took me so long once I returned to the car.
The second leg of our trip was equally frustrating. We drove an hour and a half to get to a sketchy little part of a town I’d never heard of. There were prostitutes on the corner, and one guy tried to recruit me to be one of his girls. I think if Adam weren’t with me, he might have tried something. We found ourselves in a back alley that led to a door guarded by two large non-descript men wearing sunglasses. It felt like something out of a movie.
I let Adam do the talking, and after sizing us up, we were let in where we met a guy named T-bone. I couldn’t tell if he was wearing gold fronts or if that was simply the color of his teeth, but he wouldn’t stop grinning at me. Adam had told me to be cool before we entered, and it made me a bit sick to my stomach the kind of people he had dealt with just to live with his illness. I was reluctant to give T-bone the check, but my brother assured me that I could trust him. T-bone said he’d only take a 10 percent fee if I let him take me out and “show me a good time.” I respectfully declined. To my surprise, he produced the 50 grand in cash and even allowed one of his goons to escort us back to my car, which I was thankful for. I was almost worried that my car wouldn’t be there when we returned, but a homeless man had told me he’d watch the car for five bucks. I’d given him ten for good measure.