Black or White

Chapter 16 )( Some Things Are More Than Criminal

   Mara had plans. She had them set beforehand but when Dan told her he would be off for a weekend, her plans moved up.

While Dan had his mind set on the burglaries and Mara's own plans for success, Mara wanted to get a start on their plans. The chatroom had been active as ever and though Mara's previous escapades were on hold she had a few people she wanted to give some of their limited funds to. Not that she had not been doing it before.

On the Friday, Mara sorted the cash that she had stashed so that she had almost equal amount to deliver. She put them all in medium sized paper envelopes with the initials of the address they would be delivered to written on the back – all of people from the group that usually sent her the profiles of her jewel victims. For that weekend, she had five stops, three in the denser parts of the city on Saturday and on Sunday two more on opposite ends of the city. It would be a long walk but Mara preferred that to public transport.

In line with Dan's assumptions, Mara never really grew up as what most would classify as 'poor'. It's only been in her more recent years that she has had to adapt to the conditions in which the poorer people live and she was appalled. It truly tugged on her heart when she saw how down to the water they get seemed less refined than the water that ran through the pipes in her parent's house, and it grew her anger towards the people in power which she already despised.

In Mara's experience, the people she grew up seeing and being forced to interact with deserved the despise which they got from those deemed below them. Men with egos inflated by the power they possessed and women happy and willing to facilitate their behaviour for the sake of luxurious lifestyles and the rest of them in between were no better. Having to see a friend of hers be used and abused by people like them, who saw poor people and young children as things to be manipulated, really put her world view into perspective.

For her task, Mara took out the black and white suit which people had come to associate with her. Over that she wore a cheap looking black coat and put the mask, to go along with the outfit, in one of the pockets.

Saturday's run went smoothly, a few hugs given ad taken to the people she gave the money to, such sweet souls that she wished all the best things on, it really was a shame how wrong the government treated them. She arrived home during the early evening, she undressed and by nightfall had fallen into a peaceful sleep ready to finish her job the next day.

She opened her eyes to a dawning morning sun and also a knocking at her door. Once she had gotten out of bed and reached the door, she saw Dan through blurry eyes on her doorstep. He came in, went through their collection of jewelry – which Mara had half a sleepy mind to ask about but she had been pocketing some of their money so she let it go – and soon after left the way he came. Mara gave him little tap on the arm as he left, his defeated expression strong enough for her not to stifle the urge.

She went to sleep soon after but woke up again by the time the morning sun started to dull. She got ready and was out the door within the half hour, headed first for the small house on the west side of the city, then she would walk to the lower east side to the apartment that would end her weekend task. The weather was nice and she hoped it would stay that way when she looked down to realize her shoes were not suited for rainy weather.

The first drop went well enough, one of the children offered her a flower from their backyard which she accepted with a smile before she left. The walk to the other side of the city took longer, she had to stop and buy food on her way so that she would not get too fatigued. She crossed over into the lower east side just as the wrapper was left empty, the garbage bin she threw it was surrounded by bits of garbage on the ground. The sight made her frown but she kept going.