Joseph looks around his yard. “Is someone else taking your place?”
“No.” I give him a big smile.
Joseph closes and locks his front door. “Okay. Well, thank you for your service.” The man salutes me and walks to his car.
I suppress a laugh as I return to my car, then get in and pretend to stare at my phone as Joseph pulls out in a hurry.
I wait a few seconds before I follow. He makes a left turn at the light instead of a right, which would take him toward the university. I’m pretty sure I know where he’s going.
I continue to follow, but at a distance. When he parks in the food bank’s parking lot, I pull up at the curb where I previously watched Vince. Joseph exits his car and enters the building.
Shit.
I need to know what is being said, so I get out of my car and make my way around the back of the building. There’s a box truck, and the garage door is open. Vince must be getting a delivery.
I catch a whiff of old bread. It reminds me of the bread Patty from the supermarket would give me. She knew my mom and understood my situation. It was going to be thrown out anyway, and I didn’t care if it was stale. I was so hungry back then, I’d have eaten just about anything.
I tuck myself behind the dumpster and wait to see if anyone comes out. I’m soon rewarded with voices, and the appearance of two men.
“Vince, I need my money back.” Joseph follows Vince out the garage door to the truck. Vince is carrying a box.
That’s odd. I guess it isn’t a delivery.
Vince hands the box off to a third guy waiting at the back of the truck and turns to Joseph, laughing. “Let me get this straight. You finally paid me your debt yesterday, which wasveryoverdue, and now you are asking for it back? No.” He walks past him, inside the building.
“You don’t understand, Vince. He will kill me if I don’t pay him back.”
Kill him? I thought it was Vince I was protecting him from. Who the hell is he talking about?
Vince walks out with another box and hands it to the guy at the truck. “Not my problem. You should have thought about that before you went dipping into that fund. Even I know better than to piss off those people.”
Joseph reaches out to him. “Okay, how about another loan?”
Vince’s hands go to his hips. “Well, considering you’re a credit risk now, the interest will be double.”
“That’s robbery.” Joseph protests.
“Little hypocritical there,” Vince replies.
“I only need it for a few days. My trust fund payment is coming Tuesday.”
“A few days? That’s nearly a week away.” Vince shakes his head.
“My point is, it’s soon.”
“Keep talking, and the interest will be triple,” Vince warns.
“Fine. I accept,” Joseph loosens his tie. His hair is sticking up for some reason.
His usual kempt appearance has withered in the last twenty-four hours.
“Help me with these last few boxes, then I’ll get you half of what you borrowed last time,” Vince says.
“Half? I need all of it. Didn’t you hear what I said? He will kill me.”
“Again, not my problem.”
They walk back into the building, and each come out carrying a box.
