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Kareem enjoyed his usual Monday train ride home as he read a USA Today, which was left on the train. He was studying the money section when he was disturbed by a conversation that took place behind him.
“Yo, man, I gots all da checks for you can get this money,” one thug said to another. He spoke in a manner that irked Kareem, which sparked his interest in the conversation.
Kareem curiously spun around to see who sat behind him speaking so ignorantly. He saw two black men. The man that was talking wore the hottest mink coat. The other was dressed nicely, but appeared timid.
“For the second time, I heard that part. My question is, will the check clear at my bank?” the weaker man asked with skepticism.
“Who cares? Just make the deposit and when the bank makes the funds available withdraw the cash before the bank even gets the check.”
“And you’re sure I won’t get knocked by the feds?”
Kareem pondered what he had heard. How does one make it out of the ghetto when all influences, even well-appointed politicians and clergy were dross? Societal pressure was a bitch. Two days ago, he watched a credit card scammer get arrested, and now he had intercepted a plot that sounded as if it had a high probability to end with the same result.
“If you’re scared, buy a dog. You have an ATM card, right?” asked the man in the fur.
“Yeah, but...”
“But nothing. Deposit and withdraw da money from da ATM and then report the card to the police as stolen. So when the bank questions you, you will have a police report.”
“How much?” the timid thug asked, despite becoming more and more convinced to pull the stunt.
“Listen to dis. Here is two checks. Write ‘em out for $1,500 each. Lemme git $500 now and $500 after you get the cash from the bank.”
Kareem was glad that he was about to exit the train. He jumped off the train, and then walked toward his house and replayed that foolish conversation. Could those guys have been that stupid, Kareem thought. Their whole conversation was a tad bitter, and I can’t believe them clowns. Stupid criminals.
Kareem entered his home and immediately completed his homework, so that he could report to work. About an hour later, he reported to work, although, he was not particularly happy with his job. The last few months he had worked like a slave earning $25 a day and he saved as much as he could. He wanted things that no one would buy him, so he figured he had to devote half of his own money to his expensive wants, but his pauper salary didn’t allow it. While he hated the salary, he worked hard to gain a wealth of knowledge with regards to retailing. Cleaning was one of his duties. Lately, though, Kim had taught him to take inventory and stock shelves, as well as keep a running balance of the store’s daily earnings. He had been handling managerial duties without even being paid for them, and he hated that.
After work, Kareem expressed his grievances to Jean-Mary who encouraged him to stick it out. It was almost a new year, and in March he would be fifteen and able to obtain working papers. Until then, he would gain all of the experience he could for next to no salary in exchange for a greater salary later.