One Cold Texas Day:

Today, has been a great day for me!” Amber said as she searched her purse for the car keys. Her fingers trembled as she dug around for them. She just walked off the lawn of a private owner, for a car she’d been thinking about buying for weeks. She had been saving money for a new car and the stimulus check put her in a position to buy a decent cash car. The car was used and only $3,200, so it wasn’t in perfect condition, but it was a major step up from the rusty old 92’ Plymouth Acclaim she was riding in. The windows didn’t roll down, air conditioning was broken and when it rained she had to lift the hood and plug in the wipers for them to work. She hated that car and something was ALWAYS wrong with it.

Amber worked hard to take care of her family, she never took a day off and she just couldn’t. She is an essential worker and she couldn’t risk missing a day of work. Bills needed to be paid and if she wanted to do the MA (Medical Assistant) program, this Summer she needed to work and save as much as possible. She was focused and determined to have a career in a field that will continue to grow.

The day was cold and cloudy in Texas, like really cold. The news had been flashing warnings about a Winter storm coming, but it couldn’t be that bad. But, she still wanted to call in and avoid the traffic on I-35, which is the route she took to work. Whenever the news says “freezing rain” or “freezing temperatures'' or my favorite “Avoid going anywhere due to the rain/snow/ice”, it’s like Texans start driving into ditches. Amber is from up North where the winter means snow will come and it will be cold, so buy a coat and leave early for work! So she never let the news bother her or scare her out of doing things. Now, that Summer heatwave is a different story. Just thinking about Texas Summers warmed Amber right up and she pulled into Sonic’s for an Artic Freeze slushy and some lunch before work. After 15 minutes of 90’s jams and itis from eating so fast, Amber was ready to hop on the road for work.

“Let me listen to one of these new podcasts or find an audiobook while I drive to work. I need to manifest good vibes and positive thinking in my life. Work has been kicking my butt!” She thought as she connected the Bluetooth to her phone in the car. She pulled off and was en route to work. It was raining a little, but nothing serious. She merged onto the highway and 10 minutes into driving she saw a Semi truck slide and take 3 cars with it. Unsure of what to do she pressed the brakes fast and hard. She slid across all 3 lanes and into a barrier, and she hit her head on the window. When she regained her consciousness she panicked and searched for her cell phone. She tried to open the car door, so she could search for her phone, but the door wouldn’t open. She figured it had been damaged during the accident, so she climbed to the passenger side and got out of the car. She got on her knees to look under the seats. She found a little black book taped to the top of the passenger seat. Frustrated with the pounding headache she had and upset about her new car being damaged, she tossed the book into the backseat and continued looking for her phone. Once she found the phone she quickly dialed 911 to inform them of the accident. They already knew about it, but they instructed her to wait for help to come.

Amber put her head into her hands and began to cry. After a few moments, she blew her nose on napkins from her Sonics order, wiped her face, and decided to say a prayer. She was alive after a tragic pile up and that is a reason to smile and be thankful. She glanced in her mirror and saw the little black book sitting on the back seat and grabbed it. She wondered why that book was taped to the seat and after reading a couple of pages, it was clear that it wasn’t meant for her eyes.

She felt uneasy and glanced up to see a couple of police officers walking towards her. She decided to get out of the car and let them know she was doing fine. She tried to open the driver’s side once again, but it didn’t budge. She kicked it thinking that might help and it made the interior panel of the door fall off. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. There were stacks of money saran wrapped and taped to the inside of the car door. Her hands instantly grew clammy but knew she needed to get out before the cops made it to her. She climbed out of the passenger side, again.

After she assured the police she was fine and that she didn’t need any medical attention she answered a few questions and went back to her car. They wanted her to wait and see medical, but as soon they were out of sight she took the ramp and exited the highway. She sped all the way home in silence as she thought about what she should do. She pulled into her garage and used her phone light to look at the money again. She decided to take it inside the house. She grabbed her old overnight bag, emptied it, and stuffed the money inside. She ran into the house and locked all the doors as if someone knew she had it.

Not wanting to think about it anymore. She put the bag in the closet and hopped in the shower. The hot water just melted all of her worries away, until she heard glass shatter. Not wanting to make any noise she climbed out of the shower and grabbed her robe. She put her ear against the door and heard a deep voice say “we gotta find the $20K and get rid of her.”