“God these bills are getting ridiculous.” Ruby grumbled from the kitchen as she threw the latest bill statement on the counter. Smoke drifted through the air around my face as I reached over and grabbed the bill, my cigarette perched between my fingers as I read over this months power bill.
“Two-hundred dollars for power this month?” I exclaimed, pinching the bridge of my nose between my fingers. “We’re barely even home enough to use that much power.”
“I know!” Ruby said throwing her hands up in the air. I took a drag of my cigarette as I threw the bill back down. Neither one of us were well off, we both grew up lower-middle class. No college, straight into the work force. We worked for the same Hotel, cleaning rooms for barely enough money to get by. Living paycheck to paycheck. We had a small single-wide trailer, 2 bedrooms and one bath. Barely a thousand square feet and it still cost us over a grand each month to keep the place.
“Okay, Hear me out.” I started, Ruby stared at me from behind her fingers as she held her head on the counter, “Let’s rob a bank.”
She starred at me for a minute before bursting out in laughter, “That’s a good one Lil. Yeah, we’ll just go rob a bank. That’ll solve all of our problems. 3 Meals and a Cot.”
It was definitely a ludicrous idea, how could two girls in their twenties possibly pull off a bank job big enough to set-them up for life. The real question was though, was it really impossible?
I leaned forward on my arms, clasping my hands in front of me, continuing, “I’m serious Rubes. Think about it.” Her face turned thoughtful as she looked me over, considering what I was saying.
“Lil,” she started, “How on earth do you expect us to rob a bank?”
“Well, It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now actually.” And it wasn’t a lie, I had been thinking about this for a while. Ever since last month when we almost got evicted cause we were short on rent for the fifth time this year.
“The first step, is picking the right bank.”
“You’re not joking at all, are you?” She asked, her hazel eyes staring a hole through me.
“No, Rubes. I’m not joking.” Ruby started pacing the kitchen, she ran a hand through her shoulder length blonde hair.
“Okay,” she said, still pacing. Her way of controlling her racing thoughts. My eyes followed her as she walked back and forth, “Do you have a bank in mind?”
I smiled, “I was hoping you’d ask that.” Reaching for my laptop I pulled it open to reveal a picture of a bank she’d never seen before.
“Where the hell is that?” She asked, her eyes scanning over the information on the screen, “First National Bank of Edenton?” Her eyes flicked up to meet mine.
“The First National Bank of Edenton is the only bank in Edenton, North Carolina. Edenton being a small coastal town in Chowan County. Small town equals small police force equals low crime rate and lazy cops.”
“But we don’t live in Edenton, North Carolina.” She stated looking back at my computer screen to read over the notes I’d been taking.
“Precisely.”
“What do you mean precisely?” She huffed.
“Ruby, why would we hit a bank in the town we live in?” I asked her, she bit her lip, “We’re going to hit a bank, in a town, hours away from here. That we’ve never been too.”
“You’ve put a whole lot of thought into this.” She responded, “What about alibi’s? Disguises?” She paused, “Weapons…?”
“I’ve got all of that figured out. First of all, we’re gonna need burner phones. We’re gonna leave our real phones here, we can set them up for call-forwarding so any calls we receive will go to the burner phones but it will look like we’re home if they check our phones gps. However, we shouldn’t need alibis.” I stood up, getting excited to be able to finally tell her about my plan.
“Secondly, We won’t need disguises. We are going to hit the bank after hours. Which also means, we won’t need weapons.” I stopped there, letting Ruby digest what I had laid out for her so far.
She hesitated at the door, her hand hovering over the doorknob. The sun had set hours ago, the deep moonless dark loomed through the window on the door in front of her. She gripped the handle of the single bag in her hand tighter as she looked back over her shoulder at what once felt like home to her. His sleeping body on the couch, oblivious to what was happening around him, her letter folded up on the coffee table in front of him. The things she couldn’t bare to say to his face scratched on the tear stained paper. Her breath hitched in her chest as she held back a sob, the invisible hand squeezing her heart. She wondered how long it would take him to notice she was gone, if he would panic, if it would even affect him the way it was affecting her. For a brief moment she second guessed her decision to leave but then everything she’d been going through the last two years flashed through her head. The lies, the other women, the excuses. Sure, they’d had good times. A lot of them. But they weren’t enough for her to stay anymore. She deserved more. Taking a final breath she gripped the door knob and stepped out into the night, as silently as a mouse. She looked around and steeled herself for the long walk. The decision not to take any of the vehicles, her phone left behind on the nightstand for him to find later. She would disappear, with no way for him to find her. With silent footsteps she began her journey. Not really sure where she was going, she hadn’t told anyone of her decision to leave. Not even her best friend. She wondered if the decision to disappear was more than just her unhappiness in her relationship, but her unhappiness with her life. She wanted to be someone else. The chance to start over completely. Erase her past. Forget everything she’d been through for the last 20 years. It was a comfortable night. A cool summer breeze blew through the trees around her as the sound of the asphalt crunched under her shoes. Silent tears streamed down her face as she walked away from the life she’d tried so hard to cultivate. Her silent goodbye left on a coffee table lit dimly by the tv light.
Am I going crazy? Are they really there? I feel them with me always The fabric of reality tears
Everywhere I go The shadows ripple around me Figures reaching out, hands and fingers bare I try desperately to flee
They want me to come with them Though I know not where Their whispers are insistent Saying, “Darling, Please, Come here.”
They are my shadow people, Dancing in the shade I’ll never be alone Even if I fade
No one else can see them Or hear their desperate pleas They are mine alone Like a cancerous disease
Their mystery is intriguing Which is something I do fear For if one day they consume me I do feel, I’ll disappear
There will be nothing remaining Of my body, dear I will turn to shadow Like my companions here.
