48 Hours Later

Adele walked briskly through her old neighborhood, watching her back and looking over her shoulder as she walked. It had been two days since the strange man approached her at the grocery store, handing her a mysterious black book with no explanation. He was an attractive man, dark skinned and clean cut, not like the men Adele was accustomed to seeing in the neighborhood. It was almost as if he picked out Adele before meeting her, as he walked with authority, right down the bread aisle, as Adele calculated the total cost of her cart to make sure the $20 in her pocket would be enough. And now, Adele couldn’t help but wonder if the man had chosen her, or was watching her even now.

Adele hurried past the corner store turned dope boy hangout spot, not making eye contact with anyone, her eyes fixed on the ground before her.

“Yo, Addie!”, a familiar voice yelled out from across the street. Adele looked up to see Cameron, her high school sweetheart turned sugar daddy, who Adele had avoided since he had given her the $20 that she knew she would have to pay back.

“I don’t have your money Cam.”, Adele shouted across the street before continuing down the path to the alley where she had been sleeping the last few nights.

“It’s all good baby girl, you know there are other ways you can pay me back.”, Cameron responded with a crooked smile, as he jogged over to Adele from across the street. “You know money isn’t the only thing that has value around here.”, Mark continued, as he motioned toward the women standing around on the corner. There was one woman who Adele recognized from high school named Eve, who seemed ages away from the superstar athlete she was in high school. Eve was wearing a tight fitting leopard print dress, and her eyes were distant, as if she had sold her soul and was living with the consequences.

“Naw, I’m good. I told you, I’ll come up with it. Give me another day and I’ll bring it by.”, Adele said with assurance, as she quickly diverted her eyes from Eve, who was now looking in her direction.

“You know, you was always better than these streets. Let me take care of you. You don’t have to be out here like this.”, Cameron said softly, taking another step toward Adele.

Adele remembered all too well Cameron's smooth talk and caramel skin, and while his offer was tempting, Adele knew that getting involved with Cameron would not be the right choice.

“I told you Cameron, we’re done. I don’t even plan to be back long, just passing through.”, Adele responded with a sigh, as if she was trying to convince herself of the words she was speaking.

“If you say so. Hit me up next week when you’re still here.”, Cameron said with a grin, before jogging back over to the other side of the street to meet a black sedan that had just approached Eve.

Adele took that opportunity to keep walking toward the alley where she had been sleeping, the black book now seeming to burn a hole in the backpack she was carrying. Adele hadn’t opened it for fear of what she might find inside, but now, more than ever, Adele felt that she didn’t have anything to lose.

Cutting through the abandoned apartment complex, Adele’s brisk walk turned into a jog, as her breathing picked up and the backpack weighed heavily on her shoulders. Adele’s mind raced with options, as she thought about how her life looked so differently just one week ago. In one week, Adele had lost everything, including both of her parents, her college scholarship, and even her best friend, who had disappeared without a trace. And now, Adele understood that she was always one decision away from changing her life, for better or worse.

Adele finally approached the dark alley that had become home, peering around to make sure she was alone. Her blanket and belongings were still where she left them, folded neatly in a pile at the east end of the alleyway. Adele approached her pile of items and noticed a black bag had been put on top of her blanket. It was a small travel bag, only big enough to fit a change of clothes and maybe a few snacks.

Adele looked around again, making sure she was alone, before picking up the bag to see what was inside. Adele cautiously unzipped the top zipper, opening the bag to reveal bundles of cash, neatly rolled in sets of one thousand, along with a change of clothes that looked to be Adele’s size.

Immediately Adele dropped the bag, and slid the backpack off of her shoulders, now desperate to know what was inside the black notebook that had appeared in her life as suddenly as this bag of cash.

Adele unzipped her backpack in a haste and pulled out the black notebook. It was leather-bound, with a strap holding it together. The front cover was etched with two initials: AA. Adele shook the feeling that the initials were her own, took a deep breath, and opened the notebook, only to find that it was empty.