Monday December 28th, 2015

The exercise:

Write about: the accomplice.

We have returned home. Today was actually a pretty smooth trip, as Max was basically entertained by a video he was watching in the car and generally pretty excited about coming back to Osoyoos. The road got a bit dicey in places with snow and slush and ice, but it was manageable.

Now I am ready to sleep for a week. I'm sure Max will be agreeable to that as well, right?

Mine:

I never did set out to be nobody's accomplice. I can promise you that much. Swear on my Mama's bible, on whatever page you like. I ain't got no reason to lie.

Richard was such a nice boy. Always polite to his elders, never mean to his classmates. Not even me, and everybody was mean to me. How could we not be best friends?

We had some fun, Richard and I. Nothing bad or dangerous or whatever. Just simple, innocent fun.

At least, I always thought it was. Looking back now though? I'm not so sure. Did he steal money out of my sister's purse when I wasn't looking? Did he keep some of those matchbooks when we was supposed to give them all back?

Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. I never knew it if he did. I just helped him by distracting people or by carrying heavy things. There was even this one time when I got something off a really high shelf for him, what with... him... being... so... short... and...

You know what? Maybe he did just use me all along. Maybe Richard and I weren't never really friends. I dunno. There's one thing I do know, and it's this:

I never meant for nobody to get hurt.

And I'm real sorry somebody did get hurt.

Real, real bad.