Thieving
Edward Correa
I’m trying to catch my breath as I’m thinking about what to do next. My eyes squinting from the sun beating down on my face as I try to keep sweat from burning my eyes. I sit on the cooler that has the package as I try to cool off in the shade of a bridge which is difficult because there is no wind at all. The fact that it is ninety-eight degrees in the middle of summer in Hawai’i doesn’t help much either. Luckily, I have some clothes to change into that aren’t these pants and black jacket that I’m currently wearing. As I stand there I realize I can’t stop; I have no choice but to keep going. It’s too late to turn back now.
I take a look inside the cooler to make sure the package is still good. I’m glad to see the ice and water have not gotten into the Ziploc bags. I need to get this back to my house soon or all of this will be for nothing. I decide to slowly make my way out from under the bridge and begin to walk normally on the road making my way to my house with fishing pole and cooler in hand. My previous clothes are stuffed in the cooler now. I’m now wearing a Salty Crew shirt, Quicksilver surf shorts, slippers, and Maui Jim sunglasses. Chills run down my spine as I hear sirens in the distance, and I make my way into the bushes on the side of the road. “What the hell am I doing?” I ask myself. I know realize this makes me look way more suspicious than a guy walking along the sidewalk after he got done fishing. But it’s too late, I lay down and wait for the cops to pass.
I start to make my way out as I think I’m in the clear. But I get the wind knocked out of me and I fall to the ground hard. I feel like I just got hit by a bus. I hear someone else struggling to get up next to me. I look to my right to see a damn biker cursing at himself and me, worried about his stupid bike. But my heart starts racing as I turn my head a little more and see that the cooler is now on its side. The package has fallen out and the biker sees it. He looks at it, then at me, then back at the package. He instantly knows what is happening. Cops just drove past him. Now there is a fisherman with a cooler with no fish in it; it is filled with cash instead. He sees that the cops have turned into Hawai’i Kai Towne Center where Hawai’i State Federal Credit Union is. He scrambles to get on his bike as I rush to get the cash inside the cooler.
I’ve now been running for twelve minutes with this cooler, and I hear sirens coming behind me. I find myself right outside of my auntie’s house, so I force myself inside. Nobody is home and I’m panicking. Again, I can’t catch my breath. I look around frantically as I try to decide what my next move is going to be. I’m helpless. There’s nothing I can do but hope they pass. All of this struggle because I needed some money for a uniform so I can commission into the Army. My heart drops when I hear the cars and sirens come to a stop outside. I sit on the couch that’s in the living room and wait for them to approach the door. The cooler full of cash is sitting right in front of me. A couple seconds go by and I hear a knock on the door. My body shakes with fear as I walk towards it. I place my sweaty palm on the door knob and slowly turn it.
An officer says, “Good morning Sir, did you happen to see anything suspicious today? Like a man running with a cooler? He is young, about your age probably. And the description of the cooler looks a lot like that one there.” As he points to the cooler in the living room.
I reply with, “No Sir, I haven’t seen anything. I was actually getting ready to go do some fishing.”
“Well alright. If you see anything call 911.”
I say goodbye and close the door.
I take a look inside the cooler to make sure the package is still good. I’m glad to see the ice and water have not gotten into the Ziploc bags. I need to get this back to my house soon or all of this will be for nothing. I decide to slowly make my way out from under the bridge and begin to walk normally on the road making my way to my house with fishing pole and cooler in hand. My previous clothes are stuffed in the cooler now. I’m now wearing a Salty Crew shirt, Quicksilver surf shorts, slippers, and Maui Jim sunglasses. Chills run down my spine as I hear sirens in the distance, and I make my way into the bushes on the side of the road. “What the hell am I doing?” I ask myself. I know realize this makes me look way more suspicious than a guy walking along the sidewalk after he got done fishing. But it’s too late, I lay down and wait for the cops to pass.
I start to make my way out as I think I’m in the clear. But I get the wind knocked out of me and I fall to the ground hard. I feel like I just got hit by a bus. I hear someone else struggling to get up next to me. I look to my right to see a damn biker cursing at himself and me, worried about his stupid bike. But my heart starts racing as I turn my head a little more and see that the cooler is now on its side. The package has fallen out and the biker sees it. He looks at it, then at me, then back at the package. He instantly knows what is happening. Cops just drove past him. Now there is a fisherman with a cooler with no fish in it; it is filled with cash instead. He sees that the cops have turned into Hawai’i Kai Towne Center where Hawai’i State Federal Credit Union is. He scrambles to get on his bike as I rush to get the cash inside the cooler.
I’ve now been running for twelve minutes with this cooler, and I hear sirens coming behind me. I find myself right outside of my auntie’s house, so I force myself inside. Nobody is home and I’m panicking. Again, I can’t catch my breath. I look around frantically as I try to decide what my next move is going to be. I’m helpless. There’s nothing I can do but hope they pass. All of this struggle because I needed some money for a uniform so I can commission into the Army. My heart drops when I hear the cars and sirens come to a stop outside. I sit on the couch that’s in the living room and wait for them to approach the door. The cooler full of cash is sitting right in front of me. A couple seconds go by and I hear a knock on the door. My body shakes with fear as I walk towards it. I place my sweaty palm on the door knob and slowly turn it.
An officer says, “Good morning Sir, did you happen to see anything suspicious today? Like a man running with a cooler? He is young, about your age probably. And the description of the cooler looks a lot like that one there.” As he points to the cooler in the living room.
I reply with, “No Sir, I haven’t seen anything. I was actually getting ready to go do some fishing.”
“Well alright. If you see anything call 911.”
I say goodbye and close the door.
Correa is a cadet at NMMI.