Category : Blogs

Sub Category : Motivation

I have known Carl for four years now and from my close relationship with him, I know his heart. He is a caring and loving guy with a very sensitive nature. At 18 years old, when he learned of the secret his best friend had been keeping, I would imagine that the news didn't sit too well with him. And knowing Carl the way I do, I wouldn't expect any less from him than to do all that he possibly can to help his friend who was in dire need of help. However, sometimes the best intentions will not always serve us. 

That evening when Carl got home and was sitting at the dinner table with his parents and two younger sisters, his thoughts were still at that spot in the park. Vicky's words, "he's been touching me", echoed in his head. All kinds of mixed emotions slapped him to the point where he was oblivious to the present moment. 

"Why haven't you touched your food, son?" Mrs. Shuck asked as she eyed her son stirring the food on his plate with a faraway look on his face. Carl was instantly snapped out of his thoughts by his mother's sudden enquiry. He saw his father eyeing him, obviously waiting for an answer. Two pairs of eyes were watching him intently and he quickly looked away. He didn't want to make eye contact with them for he was afraid his eyes might give him away. In his mind's eye, he pictured the overweight, hairy man with a beer belly pawing all over his daughter's body as he laughs sinisterly at her cries of protest. The thought made him sick in the stomach. He pictured Vicky lying naked on her bed as she helplessly begged for him to stop. The images in his head made him lose his appetite. He had to find a way to help her. But how? 

"I'm not hungry, mama," Carl said quietly, "may I be excused?" 

Without waiting for a response he got up from the table and carried his plate to the kitchen to wash. After that, he quietly slipped into his room. He needed to be alone with his thoughts. If he had his way, he would march over to Vicky's house right that moment and drag her out because the thought of her spending another frightful night in her house with her sick perverted father did not sit very well with him. But he knew it was a delicate situation which needed to be thought and planned out carefully and being hasty was not the answer. Lying flat on his back, staring at the ceiling, his mind began to race again. He tried to think of the best plan to help Vicky but his mind was a jumble of mess. Feeling disgusted with himself, he closed his eyes in hopes that his thoughts would disappear. Maybe out of mental exhaustion, he fell asleep. In his sleep, he was haunted by a dream of a beer belly hairy monster chasing him which had jolted him awake when the monster caught him. Sweat poured down his face like as if he had just literally ran for his life. 

One afternoon, a couple of days later, Vicky and Carl were at their spot in the park waiting for Stevie. Stevie had summoned them both there as he said he had figured out a plan to help Vicky. They were both anxious and eager to hear what Stevie had in mind. Vicky was nervous but at the same time, hopeful. Carl was just anxious. He was fidgety and kept pacing about; a habit of his when he gets nervous. They had been waiting for Stevie for the past fifteen minutes but there was still no sign of him. 

"Maybe something happened to him or maybe he forgot he was supposed to meet us," Carl thought to himself. Thoughts ran rampant through his head as he continued pacing the overgrown wild grass, making Vicky fret even more. 

When Stevie finally showed up, he was out of breath like as though he had ran all the way there but the look upon his face appeared somewhat triumphant. He gave Vivian a quick kiss on the cheek and motioned Carl to come closer. 

"There's a gas station in Wabasso," Stevie said quietly. "I've been watching the place and the business looks good. There's definitely money there. The location is also good, far enough from the houses but close enough to the main road. I think we should rob the joint." 

Carl was silent. He was hoping that Stevie would tell them he had managed to borrow some money or even extort some from someone. But robbing a gas station? That was something he was not prepared for. Sure, he had stolen from the grocery store a few times before but they were little things like candy bars and a couple of wine coolers but this.... this is actual robbery they are talking about! He wasn't sure if he could pull it off. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he had the balls to do it. 

"Are you sure you can do this?" 

Vicky's hopeful voice shook Carl to his core. He looked at her and the image of her father molesting her came to his head. He knew then that this was something they had to do for her. 

"What's the plan?" Carl asked, finally breaking his silence. 

With a huge grin, Stevie explained his plan to them. "We go in, stage a hold up, grab the cash and get out. Easy peesy."

The way Stevie laid it out made it sound so easy to Carl. Or maybe he was trying to convince himself that they could actually pull it off. 

Hmm.... I have watched many crime stories on TV to know that committing a crime, any kind of crime is never a good idea. I often wonder why people commit crimes in the first place. Could it be out of desperation, and committing a crime was their last or only solution? In this case, Vicky was in a desperate situation. She wanted to get out of the hell she was living in at home but she had no means to do that. Stevie, being the boyfriend, probably felt that it was his duty to get Vicky out of the mess she was in, and when you are in love, you'd do anything for the one you love so yeah, I can totally understand Stevie's determination to get involved in Vicky's problem. But Carl? How does he fit in in all of this? What's in it for him? What if something goes wrong and they get caught, what then? It was clear that Carl was uncertain about the plan so why was he putting his own life at risk? Was it out of blind loyalty?