Oh, What a Day
by Lauren Hosch
“Madison, honey, please don’t run around the house with the scissors. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“Yes, Mommy,” replied the little blond-headed boy. “Mommy, when is Daddy getting home?”
“He’ll be home soon, honey. He had to work late tonight at the fire department,”
Caroline Jacobs said to her son. Her husband, Mathew, should have been walking through the door any time now, but he wasn’t. She had started to worry a little while ago when her husband hadn’t come home on time. She always worried when he didn’t come home from the station; always thinking of the worst instead of being positive. As she was thinking this, Mathew, walked through the back door. Her sigh of relief showed that she had been worrying.
“Hi, dear, kiddo. How are my two favorite people?”
“We’re fine. We were just waiting for you to come home so we could eat supper; chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and gravy.”
“Mmm… Sounds fantastic. Let’s eat.”
For the next half an hour the Jacobs family sat and ate their dinner talking about how their days had gone. Caroline had had a rough day at the bank when a customer came in and demanded money from a check that wasn’t even real, and then another customer came in and had a complaint about one of the tellers. It was just one of those days. She listened to Mathew tell his tale of two fires in the downtown area. In one, an old lady was trapped on the fifth floor because she was trying to find one of her cats, and the other just got out of control and they couldn’t contain it. She hated listening to these stories because she would just worry about the family and if there was a fire in their house what she would do. She wouldn’t dare tell Mathew this though because then he would stop telling her about his day and they would have nothing to talk about at meals.
After supper Caroline and Mathew put Madison to bed and went into their cozy master bedroom to watch some T.V. Caroline had to get up early and get ready for work before waking Madison and getting him ready for the sitters. She wasn’t looking forward to the early hours, but Mathew had to work even earlier and wouldn’t have time to help her in the morning. She would deal with it though because she loved her family and this was what she had wanted ever since she was a college student; a family of her own.
If Caroline hadn’t married Mathew at the age of twenty-three and had Madison right away she wouldn’t have had to work at the Bank of America in downtown Washington D.C., but they wouldn’t have had enough money to take care of themselves if she hadn’t. It was a tough decision to make at the time, and it was still hard to this day. She wished she could just have been a stay-at-home mom and spend as much time with Madison as she could. She would have had meals ready for Mathew after a long day at work, but now it was order-in pizzas and Chinese food. There was no time for more though, not with the hours she was pulling at the bank.
The next morning came fast, and when Caroline’s alarm went off she woke up and got into the shower. She got out twenty minutes later, fixed her long curly brunette hair, put on her make-up, and then went and got Madison ready to go. They left the house at 7:30 a.m. because it was a twenty-minute drive to the babysitters. The traffic, of course, was terrible for a Saturday morning and they could barely make it down the road. Caroline was sure to be late for work today. This worried her because she had already been late for work twice this week from taking Madison somewhere to be watched, whether it was the babysitter’s or her sister’s. She couldn’t afford to be late; not again.
She called her boss five minutes later and told him she would be late again and apologized profusely for the third time. She said she would get there as soon as she could. Fifteen minutes later, Caroline pulled up in front of the babysitter’s and another ten minutes later she was leaving. Madison had just gotten into the stage where he was attached at her hips and didn’t want her to leave. She climbed into her Ford F-150 and wished she could just pick her little boy up and take him home to play instead of driving to a stone cold bank to stand behind a counter all day.
When she arrived, Caroline looked for a parking spot outside the old, Victorian bank. It was another five minutes before she actually found a spot; parking was horrible in that area. She got out of her truck as fast as she could and started walking toward the bank. On her way in she passed a few teenagers sitting outside, a lady talking quietly to a man in a Dodge Stratus and looking quite suspicious, and an old couple walking in to make a transaction. She couldn’t wait to be inside to help their every need. It was 9:00 by the time she arrived; forty-five minutes late. Her boss was going to flip.
She walked into the bank and stepped across the gray marble floors to the front counter. She saw her boss and immediately went over to apologize again for being late. She then proceeded to walk to her counter and help the rest of the tellers as the morning rush came in. “This was going to be so much fun,” she said to herself. All she had to do was breathe and think in a few hours she would be home with her family; the place she wanted and needed to be.
What He Doesn't Know
by Ashlee Streigle
“—$15764.23.” The negative number loomed up at Melissa like big bubble letters on a billboard. They were just size-10 Times New Roman font letters on that white piece of paper mingled in with other black figures and words; but to her, it was the only thing on that page. Her long, slim fingers trembled on the edges of the page as her mind raced for a solution. It was not a mistake. She went back through that week in Vegas with Rick and the numbers came out pretty accurate. Of course, her husband had been using the account, too, not knowing anything about the debt she had caused on her “trip with the girls.”
She couldn’t let Tim find out. He had thought she was at the beach with her girlfriends, enjoying the sand between her toes. But that wasn’t how it was. He had told her that he was at the point in his career where he felt he could begin a family. She freaked out and called Rick; off to Vegas the two went with fourteen thousand dollars. It was a blissful week full of luxury, sexual fantasies, gambling, brilliant stage performances, and everything she could imagine.
Tim flashed by the door in the hallway, dressed in a suit and tie, taking her out of the moment. He would be gone on a business trip for several days. He paused for a peck on the cheek and a “see you in a few days.” She waved him off quickly, in case he should see what she had been studying so closely. Melissa needed to think of something and think of it fast, before tomorrow morning. There was no way she could get that money tonight. Any possibility would be fine. She didn’t need to be honest; she just needed to get out of this situation. Melissa stretched her brain as she tapped her freshly manicured nails on the dark mahogany desk, hoping that the rhythm might spring up an idea. Then it came to her, like a volcano erupting with lava that slowly cools in formation. Miles Waechter. He was the main supervisor at the bank and the boy who was in love with her in high school, with no hope of getting the girl. The thought brought a coy smile to her thin lips.
Melissa jumped as the doorbell chimed and she knew it was Rick; 7 p.m. was his usual time to stop by whenever Tim’s Land Rover was not sitting in the driveway. She flew down the stairs to meet him at the door and made them a quick snack of sliced apples and caramel. She tried to look unconcerned and perfectly happy, but it apparently did not play through to Rick.
“What’s wrong? You don’t seem like you’re yourself. and I can’t quite put my finger on it.” Rick gazed at her inquisitively as he bit down on a piece of apple.
“Rick, that trip we took was amazing; I won’t lie. But, now Tim is in the hole by quite a bit; and if I don’t do something about it tomorrow morning, then he will find out. I don’t know exactly how to fix it, but I am willing to try anything. I’m thinking that somehow I could use Miles to get this fixed.” Melissa’s voice drifted off to a loud whisper as she began thinking hard and withdrew from her current surroundings.
“Oh, that kid who was in love with you back in the day?” At the brief nod of her head, Rick continued, “Well, I suppose you could just ask him to borrow money…Not sure that would go over well…Or, you could just offer him as much sex as he wants!” Rick burst out laughing, obviously quite impressed with his humor.
The wheels turned in Melissa’s head as she thought through those two options, without even a giggle at Rick’s sexual comment. It seemed absurd, but she would do it if she had to. Of course, she would never give Miles as much sex as he wanted, but she could lie to him. Or she could possibly cuddle up to him and beg for a personal loan. She didn’t know what she would do and she continued thinking about it constantly through the rest of the night, even while she and Rick were having sex. It was one of the few times where her own physical pleasure was not the first thing on her mind.
The next morning, Melissa got up early and carefully prepared herself for the bank. She fussed over every detail as she curled her smooth, blond hair and applied make-up to her gorgeous blue eyes. Dressed in a sexy, simple red dress, Melissa looked like a model, with curves that would not stop flirting with a man’s eyes. She was still unsure of her plans exactly, but knew what her two options were; attempting seduction and begging for Miles’ help. At 8:35, Rick pulled his Dodge Stratus into the driveway and Melissa got in the passenger’s seat. He quickly zipped out of the drive, making sure that the neighbors would not see anything unusual about his car being there. They drove in awkward silence; Melissa was busy thinking it through. She wasn’t nervous though; she was Melissa Ashton for Christ’s sake. She could do anything. At 9:06, Rick stopped the car in front of the bank and for the first time, Melissa’s heart skipped a few beats as she stared through the glass doors. She slowly and calmly exited the car, walked up the stairs and through the doors of the bank to take on whatever was coming her way.
Police Officer
by Ben Smith
“Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep.” James got up and turned off the alarm. He crept out of the bedroom hoping he wouldn’t wake Betty. He was surprised to smell the sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee as he made his way towards the kitchen.
“What are you doing up already, Betty?” It wasn’t often that Betty got up before James. He was a little concerned but just thought that maybe she had had a bad night of sleep.
“I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d just get up and make some coffee and start breakfast before you woke up.” She didn’t want to tell him that she was up all night worrying about James’ last shift.
“Thanks, dear, that was nice of you.” James said with appreciation in his voice. They sat down and to eat and talked about the day to come.
“My shift starts at 10:00, but I have a few errands I have to run.” James said.
“Do you think you could stop by the bank and drop off my check before you go to work?”
“Sure, I have to go to the post office anyway, so I’ll drop it off on my way there.”
“How are you feeling today? Are you ready for your last shift as a police officer?”
“I’m excited but I will definitely miss being out there on the street, helping people. But I’m happy that we’ll be able to spend more time together. We’ll finally get to go out and visit the grandkids in Albuquerque.”
“Yeah, that will be fun. I do miss seeing them everyday.”
James got up and cleared the table. He helped Betty do the dishes and got ready to go out on his errands. He hugged and kissed his wife and went off to the cleaners to pick up his uniform.
He walked into the cleaners and gave his claim ticket to the cashier. He had been going to the same cleaners to clean his uniform for 15 years.
“Hey Jim, how is it going?”
“Good, Frank. How are you?”
“I can’t complain too much. I heard you are retiring soon. When is the big day?”
“Today is my last day in the field. I’ll have a couple of days in the office and then Wednesday is my retirement party.”
“Well, congratulations, Jim. Don’t have too much fun.”
“Oh, I won’t. See you later, Frank.”
James got into his patrol car and pulled away. He turned the corner and made his way towards the bank.
He drove in front of the bank and looked for a parking spot in the street. He finally found one a few blocks away. He pulled in the spot and got out. He headed down the sidewalk towards the bank. The warm breeze on James’ face made him feel a sense of comfort.
James ran into a fellow officer on the street next to the bank.
“Hey, Jim, how are you? I bet you can’t wait till Wednesday.”
“I’m doing well, Steve, but it seems like the end is coming so fast. I really don’t know what I will do with myself when I’m done.”
“You’ll figure it out, Jim, or at least you will have plenty of time to think about it. Well, I gotta go. I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you later, Steve.”
He took his time walking the rest of the way to the bank. He was reflecting on all he had gone through as a cop and what it would be like when it was all done. But it was hard to imagine being anything else but a cop. His father was a cop and his father’s father was a cop, too. The tradition would be passed along to the next generation as well because his son had just finished up at the police academy and would start his first shift only a few weeks after James’ last shift.
But what could he do? Who could he talk to about how he was feeling? Who would really understand? He wasn’t sure, so he kept it inside and hoped everything would turn out for the best.
As he made his way up the steps and to the door, he couldn’t help but be sad. He would miss the everyday grind that he had gotten so accustomed to. But there would be a lot of time from now on. He would get to do the things he always wanted and he’d be able to spend more time with his wife and kids. Well, whether or not he was ready for it, his life was about to change. So he knew he had to take life for what it was and live it to the fullest no matter what happened.
James got to the door of the bank and held it open for a couple of ladies that were walking out. He gave a crooked smile and a nod hello. They returned the favor and James made his way in.
Cain & Abel
by Bryan Van Veldhuizen
“I’m not sure I can do this, Sean.”
“What do you mean you’re not sure?”
“I mean I think this is a really really bad idea!”
Ian gently rolled his eyes as he slowly ran his shaking hands through his smooth platinum blond hair, ready to pull each fiber straight out by the roots at any moment. Sean quickly placed both hands on Ian’s shoulders as he calmly stared into both of his pure, light blue eyes.
“Come on, bro! You can’t back out now. I need you!” Sean said, giving his little brother a gentle little slap on his rosy left cheek. “You gotta loosen up a bit and focus on the task at hand.” Sean cracked a little malicious smile as he slowly placed his large paw-like hand back on his brother’s tense shoulder.
Ian looked straight up into his towering brother’s cloudy charcoal eyes and couldn’t help but feel extremely helpless and a little nauseous as his brother’s eyes stared right back into his.
“Come on, little bro, what do you say?”
Ian’s eyes began to blink rapidly as he searched his thoughts for any sort of response that could rescue him from his brother’s glare. He didn’t want to let his brother down but he knew that there had to be a better way to bail him out. This wasn’t the first time that Sean had gotten into trouble with money. His parents had to step in before to keep him from going to jail or even worse, and they swore that if it ever happened again he was on his own. It was obvious that Ian didn’t want to tell their parents about Sean, especially now. He hoped that maybe they would understand at least one more time, even though this was even more serious than all the times before.
This time it wasn’t a little familiar parlay bet with some friends on whether or not the Patriots and the Panthers would cover the spread this weekend. Sean had stolen his father’s bank card and put nearly $15,000 dollars down on a bet with a couple of guys from the east side of town that he had met at a party a few weeks back. Sean had placed more money on one bet then the entire amount of money wasted by his parents after he dropped out of community college only after half a semester. They had threatened to kick him out of the house if he didn’t get a job and get his act together. Plus, it didn’t make his future look any more promising ever since his little brother had been accepted to Hofstra that next fall. But, he wasn’t going to have to worry about a future at all if he couldn’t find a way to pay up after the favored Trojans lost in a huge double overtime upset against the Beavers. He knew that if he wanted to keep his pretty face intact and still be able to have children someday he would have to somehow find a way to pay them back. This was his only option.
“If we don’t do something about this I’m done for. You don’t know these guys! I’m already late on payment, and if I don’t pay up soon jail will be the least of my troubles!”
“What do you mean, Sean?”
“These guys are bad news. Who knows what they’d be willing to do or who they’d be willing to go after next. Maybe the house… maybe even mom and dad. Come on, man, I need you. What do you say?”
Ian blankly stared back at Sean and couldn’t think of anything that would comfort his brother.
“You know what… you don’t need to say anything. Just get your ass to bed and we’ll talk about it in the morning, I know you’ll make the right decision.” Sean smiled once again with that look in his eye as he gently punched Ian in the arm and somberly walked off to his room.
The sun seemed to rise a lot earlier than normal that next morning and Ian hadn’t slept more than a couple of hours on and off. All he could think about was police sirens and big men in jail cells cat-calling him from behind steel bars. Ian shot straight up from his bed as he heard a loud knock on his bedroom door. He watched as it wildly flung open and quickly closed behind the blurred vision of his brother in tight black jeans and a matching black turtleneck.
“It’s time!” Sean said as he reached into a tan plastic grocery bag and pulled out two black ski masks, throwing one of them at the foot of Ian’s bed.
“Come on, get up, get dressed. This bank isn’t going to rob itself!”
Ian looked down at the black ski mask then back up at his brother holding one of the black pellet guns they had used to shoot each other with as kids, except the normally orange tip was now spray-painted black. Ian’s eyes widened as another gun landed softly right next to the ski mask at the foot of his bed.
“Sean, I can’t do this.”
“What do you mean you can’t do this?” Sean said as the pellet gun and his hand quickly dropped to side.
“I won’t help you do this. I can’t… I just can’t!”
Sean looked down at his little brother just like he had done so many times before and slowly ran his left hand through his midnight-black wavy hair. He slowly shook his head as he bit his lower lip and stared straight into the eyes of his little brother and tried not to scream.
“Fine. You know what, I’ll just do it myself!” Sean shook his head vigorously and headed out his brother’s bedroom door with gun and mask in hand.
“Sean, wait!” Ian said as he quickly got out of bed and marched after his brother.
“Screw you, Ian. I’m sick and tired of you being such a little pansy ass all the time. Why don’t you grow some balls and go take your acceptance letter to Hofstra and shove it up your ass!”
Ian felt his heart drop and immediately stopped as he watched his only brother slide on his favorite red track jacket and walk out the front door.
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