I.E.D.

Waiting

Ira was coming...tomorrow. Tomorrow. If he's coming tomorrow, where am I supposed to stay tonight? An alley?! I might be crazy but I'm certainly not that crazy.
I walked up and down the city streets searching for anything helpful.
Grocery store? No. Roller skating rink? No. Hospital? Most certainly not. Apartment building? Possibly.
I walked into a tall brick building with potted plants and windows in the front. 11 4th Street. The lobby had white tile floor and dark wooden furniture. I saw an elevator to the left of the desk and walked to it with my head down. Thankfully, the door man was on the phone and I slipped past without question.
The elevator was small with dark wood walls and a white floor. The buttons on the elevator read 1-6 but there was another button that said utility. I pressed the utility button and hoped for the best. The elevator began going up and I stood in silence for a few moments.
The elevator arrived on the utility floor and I stepped inside. The utility room was a large open space filled with tools. The floor was concrete and the walls were made of brick. Large windows overlooked the city. I walked around. Cobwebs lined the corners and windows as if no one had been up here in a long time. Perfect.
The sun was still shining and probably would for a while. It was only about 1:30, the sun wouldn't set for about another six hours.
I decided I would stay here tonight, but in the meantime I'd plan. I was on the run. What else was I supposed to do?
I walked back into the elevator and went down into the lobby. I walked outside into the beating sun and looked around. There were shops everywhere. I walked into the first shop.
Clothes lined the walls and busy customers frantically ran around trying to score deals. Sadly, I couldn't score any of those deals because I had no money. Absolutely nothing.
I looked around the clearance section until I found this sweatshirt. I don't know what it was about it, but I wanted it. It was thin and black with a zipper up the front. There was a hood and two white strings to tighten it with.
I took the sweatshirt off the hook and looked at the price tag. $5 on sale for $3.
I took the sweatshirt to the dressing rooms and put on the sweatshirt. I ripped off the tag and walked out. And then I left the store.
I just shoplifted. I just shoplifted! And it was amazing! The thrill and the rush of trying not to get caught. Incredible! When I used to go shopping with mom I couldn't do anything. I had only been shopping a few times because I usually got angry.
Mom was ridiculous. I couldn't stand her! She was a greedy, unsupportive, unsympathetic person who only wanted to con money out of everyone! That ridiculous-
My thoughts were stopped when I crashed into a potted plant. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. That stupid plant! Who in the world placed it there?! Why was it just out in the open, searching for people to trip! Stupid people! Stupid stupid people!
I would've screamed that all, but trying to be low profile, stopped it. Instead I walked behind a store and screamed into my arm for a good twenty seconds.
Deep breaths. Ira's voice reminded me. Deep breaths.
When I finished raging into my arm, I went back to the sidewalk and continued looking around. The next place I stopped at was a tourist shop.
Huge posters and comfy looking hoodies lined the walls, all reading Montgomery, Alabama. I walked around a while and looked for more things to shoplift, more excitement.
I looked down at a shelf to see a map book. A poem I had read for school flashed into my head.
Let's run away together,
Away from city lights,
Where no-one knows our names yet,
And we can see the stars at night,
We'll camp out in the open,
Warming cold skin by the fire,
Tell each other hopes and dreams,
And all of our desires,
We'll own nothing more than we need,
Watch sunrises colour the sky,
Learn what we're really here for,
Away from society's eyes,
The journey will be scary,
But we'll leave without a plan,
And I know it will be alright,
As long as you're holding my hand.

~e.h

That poem gave me ideas. I picked up the map book, $10. The Tourists' Map of America. I carefully placed the book under my sweatshirt so it wasn't visible and left, dodging tourists browsing for merchandise.
I had no plan, but I did all at the same time. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I was going, and I grabbed everything I needed.
I went to several other stores and shoplifted hair dye, Vaseline, stickers, and pens. Then I just sort of walked around.
It was like I was touring Montgomery. I walked around, saw the sights, watched some people, and then I watched the sunset.
I retraced my steps and found the apartment building. The doorman had gone to bed and I slowly dragged myself to the elevator, exhausted from my excursions. I pressed the utility button and arrived in...my room. I stumbled over to the floor and used the sweatshirt as a pillow.
My mind slowly drifted away and I fell into a dream.