If only she could think past getting through the next few minutes, maybe it would have turned out differently. Lying didn't come as naturally as it had in the past. She tried anyway to stay calm and say everything with confidence. If you believe it's true, they will believe it too. Determined to get out without drawing much more attention to herself she explained to the clerk that she was simply looking for a cart or basket by the door. She was just holding her planned purchases in her bag because they had become too cumbersome. It was obviously the store's fault they didn't make the shopping bags more accessible throughout the store. She will never shop here again after this indecent accusation and experience.
She was hoping to make the manager uncomfortable enough he would let her leave and he wouldn't find the foil and duct tape lined pockets in her jacket with four digital cameras in them each. She had to play it just right, cooperative but disgusted and above it all or he's going to just call the cops. Bringing the cops into it just brought more problems and probably at least a night in jail. Then she'd have to call her parents again to get the kids from the house before CPS arrived to find them home alone.
At least she'd managed along this far without formal CPS investigations. Hassles, all hassles, they really didn't need to get involved she was in control. Why couldn't anyone see that? This mess today was only because she wanted to be a good mom. Sure good moms don't run around ripping off the tech store but good moms pay the rent, the electric bill and put food in the house.
She didn't really have a plan past getting something she could sell. Probably try to sell the cameras on one of those auction websites or a pawn shop. She had done well enough selling everything she had worth anything to sell. There always seemed more bills and debt then the unemployment check she got from being laid off nearly a year ago could provide. She needed to focus on here and now to get home free.
The manager was starting to cave, he knew he was supposed to follow protocol. He was supposed to call the cops to sort out all shoplifters. But maybe she was telling the truth it was busy today and they were short handed again. There weren't any shopping baskets in the racks they were piling up by the register. He started to apologize to the lady for the misunderstanding and told her he hoped that she would understand they needed to suspect everyone.
She did it. He was letting her go. She was going to get away with it. Trying to hold on to her excitement about getting away, she still needed to concentrate on getting through those doors. She told him that he could keep his apologies she wasn't going to buy anything here again and everything was overpriced anyway. She shoved the merchandise she tried to slip into her bag back towards him, yanked her large handbag off the counter. She swung around to leave. Walking straight to the door, out to freedom. She got into her car, put it in gear and drove away.
She did it she pulled off her first heist. The guilt and realization started to set in. She asked herself, who is the wild-eyed girl staring back at her in the rear view mirror? She didn't even know anymore. The last few years have been such a roller coaster. And she had been going down fast. She was trying to keep her white knuckled hold on the stability and control over her life.
Lost in her thoughts she didn't noticed the light changed. She slammed into the side of the landscaping truck. She lost conscientiousness when her head hit the steering wheel and the air bag deployed.
Waking up to the gentle beep of the heart monitor in the hospital, she tried blinking her fuzzy vision away and tried to get her bearings. She heard parents talking in hushed voices just far enough away not to clearly hear what they were saying. She heard words like totaled, jaws of life, physical therapy. She allowed herself to slip back to sleep not wanting to answer questions or have hers answered. She knew enough she had hit bottom.
No comments:
Post a Comment