A Day in the Life of TDB

The voice coming from the television warned, “Don’t trust anyone!”

As I sit here in prison, surrounded by others like me, I realize that I should have heeded the advice of that popular wrestler.

I am known as Twin-T. I have had that nickname as long as I can remember. I have always been a loner. I hang out with people for a while then I move on. I don’t tend to make close friends but everyone I meet seems to accept me and let me tag along with them for a while.

After I got out of the institution, I remember hanging out with a store clerk named Bill. He was married and had a kid which he supported by working at night. He had another job during the day but I don’t know what it was. He was watching wrestling when I met him so I listened to him talk as the program played in the background. As we watched the wrestling show an older gentleman came into the store for milk or some other product that people go out for late at night.

“Wrestling is on this late?” the customer asked.

“No, it was on earlier tonight, but I sleep during the time it is on so my wife tapes it for me and I watch it while working the night shift here,” Bill told him.

“It’s tough times when a man has to work two jobs just to support his family,” he said.

“Yes sir it is,” Bill replied as he gave the customer his change.

“Heard anything about traffic west of here?” the man asked as he pocketed his change.

“No I haven’t. You’re the first person that has been in here for the last hour or so. I suspect it’s a typical Monday and you should have clear roads all the way to Vegas. You will probably hit some traffic there though,” Bill told him.

“Well, I’m a little ahead of schedule anyways so I should be good. Thanks for the info and you have a good evening,” the man said as he walked out the door.

It was 15 minutes later when I heard the door open again. At first I did not see the person who entered, but then I heard the distinctive sound of a shotgun being loaded.

“Give me all the money in the register! And don’t try to sound an alarm,” the man shouted as he pointed the gun at Bill. As Bill emptied out the register to the man in the ski mask I fell; crumpled to the floor.

“Thought I wouldn’t see you there on the floor huh?” the robber said and then forced me from the floor and to the front seat of his car.

The robbers name was Jack. Jack ran out of the store and hopped into a sports car and sped off. As we raced down the highway Jack kept looking into the rear view mirror to make sure he was not being followed. As he drove he took out a cell phone and dialed it.

“Hey baby, its Jack, what are you up to?”
After a pause he said, “I should be home tomorrow. We will have plenty of money once I get back home. Since I left Texas I have hit six different stores.”

He checked the rear view mirror again and then I felt the car slow down. We were only doing eighty now instead of a hundred. Jack felt that we were far enough away from the scene of the crime to slow down a little.

“The last three stores were fairly easy. The one before that was a problem though. I had to kill the guy behind the counter because he pulled out a baseball bat. Now honey, can you tell me why a man would think his baseball bat would win against my shotgun?”

Jack listened for her answer and laughed at whatever she said.

“Well, I am going to get off of here. I will be stopping for the night at some hotel. I will give you a call in the morning before I head on home. I should be there within a couple of days. I love you too. Take care of yourself so I can take care of you once I get back. Bye.”

We must have traveled another fifty miles toward Vegas before Jack pulled into the parking lot of a hotel. When we got to the room Jack took a shower then lay down on the bed.

“Now don’t you go anywhere!” he said before getting into bed. He soon fell asleep.

About six in the morning the door was kicked open by state troopers. They hauled Jack and me down to the local jail. Once we were at the jail they separated the two of us and I sat for a couple of hours while they interrogated Jack. They must not have suspected that I was involved with the robberies or the killings because I was able to stay at a table in one of the side rooms. They did not even put me in a cell while they tried to figure out what all Jack had done before they caught him. I heard the sheriff tell one of his deputies that Jack was wanted for four other robberies and the killing of a man in Texas. He would be picked up by the FBI before the day was over.

When the sheriff came back into the room where I was, I saw him take a lot of the money out of the bag that Jack had with him.

“The FBI will never know how much money was in this bag. They will just think that he spent it along the way.”

The sheriff and I left the room where I had been and he went to the evidence room where one of his deputies was behind the counter.

“Give this to that Fed when he comes to pick up that murderer,” he told the other deputy.

“Where are you going sheriff?”

“I am going down to the diner to get some breakfast. Nothing makes me hungrier than arresting scum like that early in the morning,” he said and laughed as we headed off toward his squad car.

Once he was on the road in his own car he lit up a cigarette. He seemed to be in a world of his own as we drove.

As the sheriff sat eating his breakfast I noticed that he really liked the waitress who was serving him. They talked quite a bit as she poured him coffee. When the sheriff left the café I stayed. I lingered with the waitress until she got off work. Alice was a single mom who was doing her best to take care of her son. On the way home from work Alice stopped at a road side store and bought her son a toy. After listening to the man who sold her the toy I knew that he would be more interesting to hang out with than Alice so I abandoned her and stayed with him.

After selling stuff for most of the day John decided that it was time to pack up because it was getting dark and there were not many cars coming by. After things were packed up I found out that John was a gambler. We went to the nearest casino after leaving the spot where he was selling his wares.

It was at the casino where John backstabbed me and landed me in prison. I was with him when he went to the craps table and won a little. I was with him when he went to the blackjack table and lost everything he had won at the craps table.

After visiting the craps table one last time and losing John went toward the slot machines. It was at the Double Diamond machine where I was betrayed.

I had thought we were such good friends until he blatantly shoved me into the money slot. So now I sit here along with all the other ten, twenty, fifty and hundred dollar bills. I am now a prisoner, number CH48982096A, John’s last twenty dollar bill. And I don’t trust anybody!

THE END

PS - Due to numerous emails, I add this note after the story is over. TDB-Twenty Dollar Bill (Twin-T). If someone can help me out with a way to better explain this at the end I would appreciate it. Everyone seems to miss the meaning of the last couple of sentences. Obviously it is not clear, but I can not figure out a way to make it clearer. Thanks!