The Bank

The Morning

One Mississippi, my name is Nathan I am 22 years old. Two Mississippi I am a student at the local University of this small town in Arizona. Three Mississippi I am the youngest of four brothers. Four Mississippi I always had this habit of closing my eyes and counting to five just to make sure I am awake. Five Mississippi unfortunately for me today I am awake.

I open my eyes with my hands tied and sitting on the cold tile floor. There are at least forty people doing the same thing, and seven others are in black clothes, they have guns, and are all wearing black ski masks. It's early in the morning here at Hill Valley, Arizona. This town is located about two hours away from Phoenix; it's actually a good size city with two Universities. I got up early this morning so that I could escape the long lines of the bank. Now I am just sitting here on the cold floor with my hands tied and a woman bleeding from her left shoulder with her child in her hands next to me. A couple of minutes ago this woman was with her child in front of me waiting in line. I couldn't help but think of Max, my youngest brother who died a month after his birth. I can picture Max easily on the son of the woman who is sitting next to me. "Do you need some help with him" I say in a quite voice so that the bank robbers can't hear me. The woman looks at me and smiles, after a little while she nods. Her son is asleep and even though our hands are tied we manage to bring the little guy from her arms into mine. "Teresa" the woman says, "Nathan" I say back. "Who's this little guy?" I ask Teresa "Chris he's going to be five next month" she says with a smile. As I look at Chris I can't help but think of my past with my mother.

It was around midnight when my mother came into my room; I was around Chris's age. My mother told me that we are leaving, she then packs some clothes and toys and we were out the door. My mother was about three months pregnant with Max and my father was fast asleep. To this day I don't have the courage to tell my brothers the reason why my mother abandoned them. I remember asking my mother about my brother's and father but she would just ignore the question or change the subject. I remember a man in a suit always coming by and visiting my mother. We lived in a small apartment that had only two rooms, a small living room, a small kitchen and no backyard. They always seemed to scream at each other for no good reason. After Max was born the man stop coming and I remember my mom telling Max that 'we don't have to worry about money anymore'. A month later Max died the doctors called it SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) for which they don't have any explanation of its cause. I remember for day's maybe even weeks my mother would cry and stay in bed. I also remember going to sleep hungry because we didn't have any food in the kitchen.

When I was a teenager I opened one of mom's letters and it was a check for a big sum of money. It was always signed by the same guy Roland Smith; I knew that this wasn't my father's name. I used the computers at school to look up the name that was on the check. To my surprise the check came from a man who was running for mayor, he was a wealthy man, a powerful man and a married man. It wasn't until my late teen years that I put the pieces together Roland Smith was Max's father. That is why mom never work, that is why she left my father and brother's behind but why did she take me? Why did she decide to take only me? To be honest I don't even know the answer to it, mainly because I never asked. It wasn't until my eighteen birthday when I gathered enough money to hire a detective. I was tired of my mother leaving me in the dark whenever I asked about my father and brother's, and a month later I found them. All five of them where here at Hill Valley, Arizona. It was in summer vacation when I got a plane ticket and flew over to meet my brother's and father for the first time. I remember walking to the door, the house seemed familiar and my knees were shaking. I could hear voices inside and I rung the doorbell, "Breathe...just breathe" I kept telling myself over and over again. The door opened and my father was standing there, we both looked at each other for a while. We didn't have to say anything my father started crying in front of me and I followed shortly after.