One Stupid Thing

2:2:45

By now, rain had begun to soak through the fabric of our clothes. We hurry into town and through an alleyway across the street from the construction site. Metal scaffolding climbs into the sky about three stories high and construction equipment litters the dirt floor. We peer over the wooden gate at the edge of the alleyway and Pope holds some type of camera up to his face.

"Nice camera. Where'd you dig up that relic? Why don't you just use your phone?" JJ shrugs.

"Well, first of all, I like my antique electronics. And second of all, this is a telephoto. It allows me to get a close image from far away," Pope explains with a sassy tone.

"Lord of the dorks," Kie comments.

"For definitive proof of witness payoff, we're gonna need quality glass," Pope replies. "There he is!" We snap our attentions back across the street and watch my father running through the rain, clutching something beneath his coat.

"Yo, get down," JJ commands in a hushed voice. We all duck further down, only allowing our eyes to stay above the edge. I shiver as a light breeze rolls by and allows me to remember just how soaked I am. JJ notices and pulls me into him, wrapping the damp fabric of his open hoodie around me.

"And there's Gavin," Pope announces. "Where are you going, you son of a bitch?" We watch as Gavin follows Ward inside the unfinished building and disappear from view. "No, no, no, no. I'm losing him. Shit. Where's he going?"

JJ glances up. "Hold on," he says, unwrapping me and walking back down the alleyway. He whistles and it recaptures our attention. "Yo! Hey. I found something. Come here." When we reach him, my eyes settle on a ladder that scales the side of the building across from the construction site. "Gotta go up top," JJ says. He hurries over to the ladder and scales it two rungs at a time. I follow closely at his heels.

"That'll work," Pope shrugs.

"Hurry. Don't wanna miss anything," Kie urges from below me. Pope takes up the rear and when we all reach the top, we scurry over to the edge and crouch below a half-wall to remain out of sight. Pope adjusts his telephoto back up to his eye.

"Are you rolling, Pope?" JJ asks.

"Are you getting it?" Kie adds.

"Do you see them?" I prompt.

"Yeah. Yeah, I see them." We squint in the rain, trying to catch even the slightest glimpse of what Pope is watching, but tarps have been hung on the wooden frame to keep out the rain, however they are doing a crappy job at it. "Ward just handed Gavin something. I think it's a duffel bag."

"Guys, I think this is a payoff," JJ infers.

"Gavin doesn't look happy about something. It looks like he's yelling at Ward," Pope continues.

"Wait, what? Why?" I ask.

"I don't know, but he sure looks mad." Pope pauses and then he gasps. "Shit!"

"What's going on?" Kie rushes him.

"I dunno. They're fighting over something."

"They're really going at it," JJ observes. He looks down at me crouched below him, using each other's body heat for warmth on this cold, rainy night.

"Ward's kicking the shit out of Gavin," Pope tells us.

"What are they fighting over?" JJ asks him.

"I don't know. I'm trying to see." As Pope looks on eagerly, my heart pounds as we wait for news. "Holy shit. Ward's got a gun."

"I bet that's the murder weapon," Kie assumes. As we watch the scene unfold, a lump begins to
form in my stomach.

Suddenly, two gunshots ring out above the noise of the rain. We all gasp and duck below the wall. I feel all of the blood drain from my face. Recently, murder has become a more familiar topic, but actually witnessing it, and by your own father, is a whole different story.