“You can’t be more than twenty-five.”
Jamal held up two fingers on one hand and three on the other.
“How did you end up in this situation?”
“Which one?”
“The current one.”
Jamal shrugged. “How much time you have?”
“Enough for an abridged version.”
With a deep breath, Jamal started, “Home life was shit so I’d sneak out whenever I could. I ended up running the streets with hooligans…”
“Gotcha.”
Jamal continued, sharing how he’d fallen in love with a drug dealer that hung around the corner store near his parent’s apartment. It was purely an accident but by the time Jamal realized what had happened, he was too deep into the man’s orbit and madness.
They would sneak around town, smoke in the park after dark and stare at the stars together, imagining their lives differently. They’d sleep with each other behind abandoned buildings or in the backseat of the man’s sedan. He didn’t put his hands on Jamal like his stepfather or call him demeaning names. The relationship was everything Jamal felt he needed.
That was until hisfriendgot jumped by some rivals and he was asked to kill the ringleader.
“Why me?” Jamal had asked.
“No one will suspect your baby face walking up and blasting them.”
“But…”
“You love me, right? Don’t I keep you in fresh Jordans?”
“Enough of that.” Jamal shook the memories away.
“I’m sorry you went through that.”
“It was what it was.” Jamal adjusted uncomfortably in the bed. “Can you free one of my arms?”
Santiago eyed him before standing. “Promise you won’t try anything.”
“I promise.”
Pulling a switchblade from his pocket, Santiago cut the rope from one wrist, freeing Jamal from the bedpost. He sat, but kept the knife in his lap.
“Don’t make me regret my decision.”
Jamal sat up, still propped up by a plethora of pillows. “I won’t.”
As Jamal thanked him, Santiago silently prayed the young man wouldn’t force him to violence.
“What do you do for a living?”
“Manager at thePiggly Wiggly.”
“You like it?”
“It pays the bills.”
“You can afford this house from your check at a grocery store?”
