Walking in Someone Else's Shoes

Walking in Someone's Shoes

This was her first time stealing. Calissa laid in wait behind a dark corner for the fresh faced townie to finish his business at the ATM some steps away. Her stomach was fluttering from anxiety and panging from hunger. She hasn't eaten at all today and her mother was lucky to get anything from the corner store yesterday to feed them both. Never in a million years would she have thought of doing this, gripping her crowbar firmly again and again, feeling every groove press into her dark brown hand. This is crazy. Why am I doing this? she wondered deep in her subconscious. Isn't this illegal? What will I do if I get caught? I don't wanna go to jail, I'm only 17! I was suppose to go to college, get a job or somethin'! How will I explain to mama if I got caught? Her mother was a firm woman set in her morals. Even when she lost her job at the factory warehouse to downsizing, she still said, "Ain't nobody in this family thieves. That's what dem desperate folks do. But we ain't desperate, no no. Lord willing, we'll get out of this just fine."

'Just fine'. We ain't eatin' but we 'just fine', Calissa simmered sharply. 'Just fine' ain't us starving! 'Just fine' ain't mama not bein' able to get another job 'cuz she too old or dey'on't want 'er. 'Just fine' what dat fool 'bout to be in a minute when he walk down this street. Bet he 'on't gotta worry about no job. Prolly got family to take care of him. Stealing glances, Calissa watched the townie have some confusion with the ATM. It seemed to keep spitting it back out to the townie's frustration. He muttered and stomped his foot as he wondered what would it take to make the machine work. It was nightfall so he couldn't simply saunter into the bank and request his money and a complaint sheet instead. The townie would just have to figure out how to make the machine work before calling up the bank's hotline. At least he had nothing better to do than to argue with an incompetent machine near midnight.

Calissa chose to continue waiting in the alley instead of running up to the townie and bashing him in the head before he could utter a single protest. Robbing someone right under a nighttime lamp sounds like a stupid idea and last she remembered, ATM has in them somewhere. Calissa doubted her maroon hoodie would protect her face much and could fall right down as she runs up to the guy for all she knows. It was a sports hoodie for girls so the hood isn't as big as she would personally prefer but at the time she was getting it, the hoodie's biggest use was going to be to keep Calissa's head out of the rain, not covering up her identity. She didn't want to wear a bandana across her face because she didn't want to feel like a criminal; right now she just feels like she's doing what she has to to help put food on the table and get the lights back on. Calissa did feel a bit ashamed at what she's doing and that she had to lie to her mother about spending the night at a friend's house just to have the night to herself and her intentions.

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Jamie was rather livid at the idea of having to lie to Calissa's mom just so she can do some "stuff".

"Wait, you're not even going to tell me what you're doing tonight and you want me to lie to your mom that you're at my house?"

"'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, it's not like that," Calissa protested as the autumn wind picked up on the walk to the bus stop. School had let out for the day and the best friends were talking on the wall near the school doors before Calissa noticed the sun was starting to set. That's when she made her abrupt request to have her best friend cover for her. "Look, it's not like that –"

"Then what is it like?" Jamie cut in sharply, her suppressed accent starting to show itself as it would whenever she was furious or too preoccupied otherwise to watch herself – which around Calissa, was often. "What is it like, Callie? What's it like? You can't even tell me, your best friend what you are going to be doing –"