A Matter of Choices

The fridge is broken. The bills are piling up.

There’s never enough money.

Jake wandered along the city streets, stressing over his dire financial straits. The little black book in his pocket is filled with red marks to track which bills need to be paid and which can wait. The pandemic couldn’t have come at a worse time.

To make matters worse, it’s starting to rain. The big, cold raindrops put the cherry on top of this gray, miserable day.

Suddenly, something catches his eye. There’s an envelope resting on the edge of the sidewalk, dampening in the rain.

Jake crouches down and picks it up.

Inside, there are stacks and stacks of $100 bills. He counted out $20,000.

Someone’s looking out for me, Jake thought. How does someone lose so much money?

Jake weighed his choices in his mind. He knew he shouldn't take it, but desperate times and all.

After putting the envelope in his pocket, he strolled home with a spring in his step. Things can only get better from here.

***

A few days and a few thousand dollars later, Jake was feeling good about life. After taking care of the immediate bills and replacing the fridge, he still had a cushion of several thousand dollars out of the envelope.

“I think it’s time for an overpriced coffee,” he said aloud.

Leaving his apartment, Jake noticed Alison outside her apartment down the hall.

One day, I’ll get up the courage to ask her out, he thought.

The competition is tough, though. Her boyfriend is good-looking, cool, basically everything Jake is not. He appears to have a lot of money, which has always been intimidating to Jake.

Maybe not anymore. Jake’s windfall gave him a boost of confidence.

As he approached her, he noticed she was crying.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Brandon asked me to get money from the bank last week and it’s gone. It’s just gone! He’s going to kill me!”, she blurted out between sobs.

“Oh my God! Uh, are you sure you lost it? Do you want me to help you look for it?” he asked, feeling just as frantic. Maybe it’s not the same one, he thought. That would be too much of a coincidence.

“I looked everywhere! How do you lose $20,000?!" Alison exclaimed. "God, I’m such an idiot! I don't know what I'm gonna do!”

Damn, Jake thought. “I’m so sorry. I'm sure it'll turn up and we can go out and look for it. It'll be okay” Jake tried to be reassuring, but he knew it wouldn’t be okay. He already spent so much of the money, and from what he knew of Brandon, the guy had a bit of a temper.

“No, that's all right.” Alison was clearly trying to end the conversation. “Thank you for trying to help, but I have to figure this out.”

“I understand. Let me know if I can help in any way,” Jake said.

Alison let out a bitter laugh. “Just let me know if you happen upon an envelope with twenty-thousand dollars in it.” With that, she turned and walked into her apartment.

He could hear her crying again from outside. Jake just stood in the hall, contemplating his next move. He can’t give it to her without admitting that he took it. Besides, he needs the rest until he finds steady work and the remaining stash doesn't help her much.

Still, it’s awful to see her so upset. In a selfish moment, it dawned on him that this may be an opportunity. If they get into a fight and break up, Jake can be a friend and shoulder to cry on.

I’ll sleep on it, he thought.

***

Days passed, and then weeks. Jake hadn’t spoken to Alison, much less seen her. On some nights, he heard them arguing loudly, but it all seemed to calm down recently.

Looking at the dwindling money stash on a sunny afternoon, he thought of their conversation and his guilt. No use dwelling on it, he thought.

In the meantime, he needs to focus on his own problems. Money problems, namely. Work is still slow and $20,000 doesn’t last long with an apartment and bills you can’t afford.

He shifted his focus. Having a stash does give me time to find a better job, he thought.

Jake headed down to the boutique coffee shop in his neighborhood with his laptop to spruce up his resume and browse job listings. Along with being a quiet place to work, the coffee shop was great for networking.

On the way, he took in the surroundings. Everyone seemed to be out and about to enjoy the sunshine and unseasonably warm weather. It was a beautiful day for a stroll.

When he arrived at the coffee shop, he thought again of his windfall and how much changed in a matter of weeks.

While Jake waited for his coffee, he caught bits and pieces of the news story playing on the television. A body had been discovered near his apartment building.

“The body of a young woman was discovered early Thursday morning...”

He strained to hear over the sounds of the crowded coffee shop. He hadn't seen Alison in a while.

“Police responded to a gruesome scene…”

Oh, no.

“Signs of prolonged torture…”

God, no.

“Police are investigating possible drug connections..."

It can't be.

"The victim's boyfriend, Brandon Long, is currently held for questioning...”

The floor began to sway beneath Jake. He grabbed the edge of the counter for balance, closing his eyes against the wave of nausea creeping into his throat.

Seconds passed, or maybe hours. He couldn’t tell.

A big, cold raindrop fell on his eyelid,. restoring his focus. He opened his eyes to a gray, dreary sky and the start of a rain shower.

Looking down, he sees the envelope in his hand, $100 bills stacked inside. .

The fridge is broken. The bills are piling up.

There’s never enough money.