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The next day, Tuesday, found Kareem glum and burdened. He could barely concentrate with the thought of returning from school and the water being off. He had to be there for himself and Jean-Mary. He had a plan that spun in his mind all night, and he was adamant about overcoming his dilemma.
After Kareem met Marquis in the school’s ID room to get a new ID, they made their way to Biology. Neither of them had science on their minds, though. At 11 a.m. during Marquis’ College Writing class, his teacher received a call and instructed him to report to Dean Edgefield’s office.
The teacher asked, “What have you done?” Mr. Gavin, the writing teacher, was also the school’s drama coach and Marquis was his brightest student. They were rehearsing for the schools latest production, Les Miserables.
“Your guess is as good as mine, Sir,” Marquis replied coyly.
Marquis walked out of his class, just as Kareem was pulled out of AP English 1. They met out in the hallway and were supposed to be headed to the Dean’s office. They both turned the corner together and then made their way to the stairs that led to the student parking lot.
They jogged five blocks to Route 202. They had one-hour and sixteen minutes to complete their mission: the rest of 5th period and their 6th period lunch. They arrived at the intersection and were scared inwardly, but they both kept hard outer shells, so that they did not let their fright be known.
They strolled into a First Union Bank branch and sat in the customer service section. The bank was empty, so Mr. Ballard, a banker, escorted him to his desk and wondered what the truant teens were doing in his bank.
Kareem, with his take-charge attitude, set things off. “We would like to open student saver accounts,” he said confidently. “Sure, no problem. But first, why aren’t you two in school today?” the beefy, pale-faced banker asked.
“We had a half-day,” Marquis quickly responded. Good thing because Kareem was lost for words.
“Okay. In that case, I’ll need your high school ID’s and at least a $10 deposit.”
Marquis pulled out an ID bearing the name David Muldrowl. Kareem’s ID labeled him as Donnell Landries. The two also handed the banker business checks endorsed by Kim Li for $800 each. Between the tips, Kareem picked up from the clowns on the train, he and Marquis were ready to make a move to get their money trials settled.
Mr. Ballard entered the bogus information regarding David and Donnell’s addresses, social security numbers, birth dates, phone numbers and employment as the two of them sat there on pins and needles. Mr. Ballard completed his duties and then handed each of them signature cards and passbooks. He also handed Marquis a checkbook.
Kareem asked, “Why didn’t I get a checkbook?”
“Don’t worry, Donnell. As soon as you turn eighteen you’ll receive a checkbook, too. As for you, David, these are your starter checks. Within two weeks, you’ll receive a box of checks in the mail at your home.”
Kareem felt like slapping himself for not lying. All he had to do was calculate a birth day that rendered him eighteen and he would have had a checkbook, also. Kareem knew that those checks would come in handy if another account had to be opened. He also thought when the Asian caught on to this crime, he may send Khmer Rogue after him. Kareem doubted that, but he expected to be prosecuted, and he didn’t care. The extra checks could have been used to pay his boss back to avoid jail. Either way, he was paying that water bill.
Not only did Kareem steal the checks, he was also armed with a copy of a week worth of receipts from the store’s actual earnings. Kareem copied them when he noticed the altered numbers. Kareem knew from the Money Section of USA Today that filing false tax earnings was a crime. So he would keep that as some leverage over his boss. Kareem also knew that paying employees less than minimum wage and under the table was a crime, too. He had checked with Mr. D’Ambrosio, the Law and Government Program coordinator at his school. He had not slept the night before as he calculated all of that. He was very analytical and tried to cover all bases.
“You guys are all set up with your accounts.” Mr. Ballard assured them.
Now was the time to get some cash, Kareem thought.
They were both scared out of their boots, but Marquis forged forward and Kareem followed suit. He asked for some money out of the accounts.
Kareem quickly followed with, “It’s our girlfriend’s birth days and we have to buy them each something special today.”
“Yes, I know how that can be. You’re in luck because those checks were drawn on First Union accounts and the funds are available now. How much money do you want?”
Kareem feared that taking out a large sum of money would draw suspicion, so he asked for $100.
Marquis said, “I’ll second that.” He threw his hands in the air and added a wide animated smile to his face.
The banker said, “Stop being cheap boys. Welcome to the big leagues. How about you buy them something really nice? What do you say about $400?”
“Nice,” they replied in unison.
“You’re too much,” Mr. Ballard said through a smile. He then disappeared into the teller’s area and then returned with two white envelopes. When he returned, he said, “Four hundred each,” and handed them both bank envelopes filled with twenties.
“Thanks,” they both said and got up from their seats. They stuffed their money in their pockets.
Seconds later, Kareem and Marquis exited the bank with their hearts racing. They disbelieved that they had pulled it off. Crossing the busy Route 202 intersection, they walked through the shopping plaza and back towards their school. They turned the corner and were out of the bank’s sight and then ran as if their lives depended on it.
They arrived with 20-minutes left in the lunch period. They crept back in school and were ignored by hall monitors who knew that it was their lunch period. Entering the lunch room, Kareem flagged down Lavar and all three of them convened in the bathroom. In the bathroom, Lavar chased a scrawny white kid out and locked the door to ensure privacy.
Kareem started off, and said, “Lavar, you won’t believe how the bank dude ate up our story.”
Marquis confirmed. “No movie disguise needed to play this role. We just carried out perfect thefts until Reem’s boss finds out.”
“You two are out of your minds,” Lavar said. He was pissed that he did not have the supreme self-confidence to pull off the con, or he would be up, too.
“Well, thanks for being Dean Edgefield. Here’s $50 from me. And Marquis has another $50. Without you using Coach
Rodin’s office phone to get us out of class, we would not have had time to pull this off.”
After they handed Lavar his cut, Marquis gave Kareem $200 to add to his $350 to pay the water bill. Kareem would repay the money the next day when he returned to the bank to withdraw the rest of the money he deposited. The three of them emerged from the bathroom and knew that they had forged an alliance that no one could undermine.
As the school day progressed, Kareem could not believe that he was walking around with 550 stolen dollars in his pocket. When he jokingly suggested to Marquis to rob a bank, he never thought he would rob one himself. Was it robbery or just a ruse? Why was trickery a crime? Kareem thought. If people unknowingly hand over their possessions, they should be locked up for their stupidity. Matters were made worse; Kareem now knew that even teenagers could pull that crime off. He had become confident. Too confident.
During his ride home, Kareem wondered how he’d explain to Jean-Mary how he obtained the cash. That didn’t matter as much as keeping the water on. Kareem would not take no for an answer, either. For the first time, he planned to disrespect Jean-Mary if she scoffed and refused to take the money.
***
It turned out to be an early start for Dre, who had decided to skip school and sell drugs. He shared a corner down 17th and Jefferson Streets. He was doing what everyone else in the hood did to get by. But wait. He didn’t struggle. His parents took very good care of him. They cushioned him financially, and gave him supportive love and attention. However, he was determined to be a bad boy. Instead of succumbing to the comfort of his Andorra neighborhood, he preferred to envelop himself in a ghetto where it was wise to remove your car battery at night.
After chillen in the mid-spring air and getting rid of $200 worth of crack, Dre was approached by Ice. Ice had received the street moniker for the ice that had froze his ear lobes, neck and fingers. He had stroked Dre’s jealousy bone with all of the bling and Dre saw him as a dollar sign. Dre wanted to rise and shine, too, and he was ready to do what it took to get there. He had scripted his drug life out and planned to be much richer, bigger and more ruthless that Ice ever was.
“What’s up, Dre?” Ice asked and shook Dre’s hand.
“I am chillen, man. Doin’ me.” Dre was nonchalant about the encounter.
“Oh yeah? Holla at me in my car.”
Without hesitation, Dre moved to see what Ice had to offer. There was no other reason that Ice could have wanted him in the car. The deal had better be good, though. They entered the cherry-red BMW and pulled off with Jada Kiss quietly playing in the background.
***
“Mama, I’m home,” Kareem yelled out and put a smile on her face.
“Boy, what has gotten into you?” Jean-Mary asked through laughter as Kareem did a clown-like dance.
“Well, for starters, I’ll be going to the Penn Relay’s this year. I qualified for three events. The four by 200, 100-meter dash and the 200 hurdles.”
Jean-Mary gave Kareem a high five. “That’s good. Now what’s the bad news?”
“It’s not bad at all. Remember my motor cycle jacket I had bought on the streets from that crack head for $75?”
“Yes,” she replied puzzled.
“Well, I sold it on Wayne Avenue to Black for $550. I told him that my dad had bought it for $1,200 down Miami. He wanted to show off in front of these girls so badly that he pulled out a wad of cash and paid for it.” Kareem then pulled out the money and fanned himself.
“Didn’t I tell you that I would handle it?” Jean-Mary asked in a resonant tone. She was pissed off.
“Mama, I am not trying to be insolent, but know that if you do not take this money, I am going to skip school and go to pay this bill. There’s no way that we’re going to be in this house without water.”
“There will be water. We’re going to run a line from next door.”
“Please don’t do this to me, Mama,” Kareem said. He had no intentions to borrow water. The bill was being paid, simple as that.
Kareem sat the money on Jean-Mary’s foldout table right next to her puzzle book and told her, “We are in this together. Them sorry kids of yours should be here for you, but they’re not here and have been missing for years. I hate to say this, but if you passed away, I would think about inviting them to your funeral.” Tears flowed down his face and then he continued. “Please take the money, and know that as long I am around, you will never be without.”
Jean-Mary grabbed Kareem and gave him a much needed hug. “Thanks, grandson.”
She was moved by Kareem’s comments, and was aware that her love for him was what made him feel that way about her. She believed that he hated her children. He didn’t even know them. They deserved his stoic regard and she couldn’t blame him. She released Kareem and he rushed to the bathroom and locked himself in.
He washed his hands and face and then went to his room to complete his homework. Kareem could not concentrate, but as soon as he got into the homework his emotional turmoil disintegrated. He was fully aware that only hard work would take away his financial woes. An hour later, he had completed his homework and finally gathered the courage to go downstairs and face his grandmother. She had seen him cry. He was ashamed, but at least he did not lack emotion. Jean-Mary was in the kitchen, and to avoid seeing her, he walked to the vestibule and shrieked, “See you when I get home from work,” as he walked out the door.
“Okey-dokey,” Jean-Mary yelled from the kitchen.
Kareem walked into his job and thought that he needed to get out of there. How could he smile in the face of a man that he had robbed. He wanted to get fired. When he was settled in, he photocopied the composition book of the store’s earnings. He then began to stock the shelves with bottled sodas before he knocked an entire case onto the floor. The loud crash startled the people in the store and Kim ran over to that section.
Kim found the area disheveled and he was pissed. Without a concern for Kareem’s well being, Kim fretfully asked, “I hope you can pay for these sodas?” in broken English, despite his 20 years in America. His lack of concern made Kareem more at peace with his theft.
“No, Kim. It was an accident,” Kareem answered as if he was afraid to be fired.
“Mistakes. No mistakes. You fired. Go home now,” Kim said, pointing to the door.
Kareem walked around the neighborhood and thought about what he had done. He had stolen and that was wrong. But the theft felt morally right.
Kareem returned home and joined Jean-Mary for dinner and their usual viewing of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Barely exchanging dialogue with Jean-Mary,he went up to his room to study for his final exams. He did not have the nerve to tell Jean-Mary about being fired. With no job, his investment would have to grow without any other deposits. On Friday, he planned to withdraw the rest of his money out of the bank, and he would have $200 after he repaid Marquis.
Before he fell asleep, he called Marquis to assure that he was fine and mentally sound after committing a crime. When Marquis answered the phone, Kareem said, “Mr. Gibson, this is Secret Service Agent McDonough.” Kareem knew that the Secret Service was responsible for investigating the sort of crimes that he and Marquis had committed earlier that day. He had read all about Enron in a Fortune Magazine article.
“Imagine that! You’re crazy as shit,” Marquis said. He was scared to death that he would be caught, but he didn’t care, as long as the money was used for a good cause.
“Relax, how did your mom appreciate the money?”
“I didn’t tell her yet. I’ll probably give it to a family member to give to her. She would not understand where I got this money.”
“I was laying here wondering how we could pull this off Saturday,” Kareem said. “I ain’t trying to risk being out of class.”
“We,” Marquis replied. He was not interested in being an acolyte in this thievery cabal.
“Man, don’t bitch up on me now. We can hit a bank in Philly with a different ID.”
“Damn, you have more checks?” Marquis asked. He was a little interested.
“No, I’ve yet to figure out how to get more. As soon as I come up with a plan, I will let you know.”
“Well we could check a few mailboxes in the ‘burbs for checks.” Marquis had a plan.
“Check the mailboxes, for what? I am lost.”
“Listen, I once stumbled across one of my neighbor’s bills, which the mail man left in my mail box. When I put the bill in my neighbor’s box, I peeked inside. I know what checks look like, ‘cause my sorry ass dad had got a box.”
“Well since you’re the expert, when should we start?” Kareem asked. He was convinced that it could work.
“Don’t worry. Tomorrow after track practice, we will find what we need.”
“That’s a bet. I hear my grandma coming upstairs, yo. Let me get at you in class tomorrow.”
Kareem hung up the phone as Jean-Mary entered his room. She prayed with Kareem and then assured him that she would pay the water bill. He was glad that she had come around to listening to him. She kissed him on the forehead and then went down to the living room to catch her Law & Order reruns.
Kareem lay in bed for an hour and was unable to sleep because of his woes—the very woes that forced him to rethink his situation. His dad had sacrificed his freedom to provide for him, but he was locked behind bars.
Kareem had to perfect his craft because he could not afford the same results as his father. His entire life depended on how meticulous he was. There was no room for error. Jean-Mary was blessed with the money that he had given her, but Kareem lay in bed and thought that he could give her so much more. He also looked around his room and thought that he could do some improvements.
First, he needed a TV. The fifteen inch black and white had to go. None of his friends in the suburbs had small TVs. They were fortunate. He could also get new carpet in his room and paint the walls. Hell, he could paint the walls and put carpet in every room of the house with new TVs. He had begun to wonder why hadn’t his dad fixed up his mother’s house, as opposed to buying a luxury car that did nothing more but attract bum-ass bitches. Kareem did want a car, though.
If his plan worked, he would use a lot of money to remodel Jean-Mary’s home, get a car, get an apartment, and pay what was left of his college expenses after scholarships. He wanted to let Jean-Mary have the money that his dad had set aside for his college education.
Kareem planned to make something out of his life, and making license plates in prison would not be it. He was about to partake of a much more sophisticated scheme. While it was not mentally challenging, it was risky, but arrest could be avoided. He had read about too many scandals in Newsweek and Time not to know that one should never take short cuts and always be on point.