Jim pushed open the back door of the Benbow Inn as the delivery truck pulled up. The driver's door flung open and the delivery girl, Kayley, jumped down. Kayley and her mother owned a farm a few miles outside of the city and Jim's mother only ordered her produce and eggs from them. Kayley was eighteen, the same age as Jim, and the two of them have been best বন্ধু since his mother became their client ten years ago.
"Right on time," Jim told her.
"Always." Kayley unlocked the hatch of the truck and slid it open.
There were several crates of various vegetables stacked in the back of the truck. Kayley pulled out the লোড হচ্ছে ramp then hoisted herself up into the truck. Jim followed her and helped her load a few of the crates onto the Dolley. As Kayley wheeled the Dolley down and the ramp, Jim pick up a couple of crates and made his way after her. It was still early, so the রান্নাঘর workers had arrived yet. The রান্নাঘর was empty, with the exception of Jim and Kayley.
"How's your family doing?" Kayley asked him as they stacked their crates in the large cooler.
"All things considered, we're holdin' up all right."
Kayley leaned against the Dolley. "Have আপনি heard from Meg?"
Jim hesitated for a moment. As far as everyone else knew, Meg ran away from প্রথমপাতা and disappeared. Jim was the only one who knew she was only several blocks away at the hidden brothel, Underworld. Their mother was constantly worrying about her, but Meg had left over a বছর পূর্বে and their mom was starting to accept the fact that they would probably never see her again. Every once in a while Meg would send them a check and as long as the checks kept coming regularly, Sarah knew her daughter was okay. But that was all she knew.
Jim on the other hand didn't think Meg was okay. Meg had originally thought she would only work for Hades for a couple months, just to earn a little bit of extra money. She had promised Jim she would come home, but so far Jim hadn't heard anything from her and hadn't seen her. Sometimes he thought about going to see her, but he knew it was too risky.
"No, I haven't," Jim finally replied.
"My mom says that she's sending আপনি guys money from wherever she is," Kayley ব্যক্ত as they walked back out to the truck.
"She is."
Kayley nodded and they loaded up the Dolley with আরো crates. There was only one বাক্স left and Jim carried it down the ramp after Kayley. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed two women standing outside a small shack of a house. One of them was holding a bag out in front of her like it was a snake.
"Rogue has done it again," the woman with the bag said.
Rogue was a known Robin ঘোমটা type of vigilante; stealing money from Governor Ratcliffe and the tax collector, Clayton, and giving the money to the people who were struggling. But every time Rogue struck, Ratcliffe raised the taxes on every household to make up for the money he lost. The পরবর্তি time Rogue struck, however, he just গাউন even আরো money to make up for it. It was an endless বৃত্ত that caused half of the city's people to hate the vigilante and the other half to be grateful to him. But no one knew his true identity.
The other woman eyed the bag of money, almost enviously. "You're lucky."
"Lucky? Because of him, we're all going to have to pay আরো to that greedy governor."
"Are আপনি going to keep it?"
"Of course not." The woman dropped the bag on the ground. "I don't want his dirty money." She went back inside, slamming the door behind her.
The other woman immediately bent over and picked up the bag. She glanced back at the door, then turned and hurried away.
x-X-x
Esmeralda was washing the breakfast dishes when আলাদীন burst into the apartment. He came into the রান্নাঘর and set a bag of money on the counter beside the sink.
Esmeralda glanced down at it and frowned. "Where did that come from?"
"Rogue."
Esmeralda nearly dropped the plate she was washing. "He did it again? When is he going to stop this?"
"Stop what? Helping people?"
"He's not helping anyone. He's just pissing off Governor Ratcliffe and giving the rest of us আরো trouble."
আলাদীন ignored her. "Where's mom?"
"In the shower."
"How is she today?"
Esmeralda sighed and handed আলাদীন the plate. He grabbed a towel and started drying it. "The same."
"I counted the money Rogue gave us; it's enough to put mom in a প্রথমপাতা where they can help her. At least for a couple months."
Esmeralda shook her head. "No way, Aladdin. We're not using that money."
"Why not?"
Esmeralda rested her hands on the edge of the sink and stared into the soapy water. "Have আপনি ever considered that maybe Rogue is working for Ratcliffe?"
"What do আপনি mean?"
"Maybe this whole hero/vigilante thing is just a ploy for Ratcliffe to get আরো money from us. Ratcliffe could be monitoring that money and plan on using it against us later."
"How?"
"By putting us in debt to him, we now owe him."
"I didn't think about that."
Esmeralda gave আলাদীন a sympathetic look. "Of course আপনি didn't. আপনি always want to believe that everyone has the best intentions. But sometimes people are just cruel, Aladdin."
"Not all people." আলাদীন picked up the money. "Some people are just trying to help in the only way they can."
Esmeralda went back to washing the dishes. "We're not keeping the money, Aladdin. We're gonna turn it in like we're supposed to. We're not gonna risk owing the governor anything."
"What if you're wrong?"
"Either way, it's too big of a risk."
"We're all gonna get taxed for it anyway, why not just keep it? This money might be able to help mom." আলাদীন paused. "We're losing her, Es."
Esmeralda let out a frustrated growl and slammed the bowl she had been cleaning back into the sink. It shattered, cutting her finger. She swore under her breath. আলাদীন handed her the towel he had been using to dry the dishes. "I have to look out for this family; and that means not taking stolen money that could get us all in trouble. Turn the money in, Aladdin. I'm not going to tell আপনি again." She pressed the towel over her cut and started walking out of the kitchen.
"Stop trying to replace mom," আলাদীন muttered. "She's not gone, yet."
"Right on time," Jim told her.
"Always." Kayley unlocked the hatch of the truck and slid it open.
There were several crates of various vegetables stacked in the back of the truck. Kayley pulled out the লোড হচ্ছে ramp then hoisted herself up into the truck. Jim followed her and helped her load a few of the crates onto the Dolley. As Kayley wheeled the Dolley down and the ramp, Jim pick up a couple of crates and made his way after her. It was still early, so the রান্নাঘর workers had arrived yet. The রান্নাঘর was empty, with the exception of Jim and Kayley.
"How's your family doing?" Kayley asked him as they stacked their crates in the large cooler.
"All things considered, we're holdin' up all right."
Kayley leaned against the Dolley. "Have আপনি heard from Meg?"
Jim hesitated for a moment. As far as everyone else knew, Meg ran away from প্রথমপাতা and disappeared. Jim was the only one who knew she was only several blocks away at the hidden brothel, Underworld. Their mother was constantly worrying about her, but Meg had left over a বছর পূর্বে and their mom was starting to accept the fact that they would probably never see her again. Every once in a while Meg would send them a check and as long as the checks kept coming regularly, Sarah knew her daughter was okay. But that was all she knew.
Jim on the other hand didn't think Meg was okay. Meg had originally thought she would only work for Hades for a couple months, just to earn a little bit of extra money. She had promised Jim she would come home, but so far Jim hadn't heard anything from her and hadn't seen her. Sometimes he thought about going to see her, but he knew it was too risky.
"No, I haven't," Jim finally replied.
"My mom says that she's sending আপনি guys money from wherever she is," Kayley ব্যক্ত as they walked back out to the truck.
"She is."
Kayley nodded and they loaded up the Dolley with আরো crates. There was only one বাক্স left and Jim carried it down the ramp after Kayley. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed two women standing outside a small shack of a house. One of them was holding a bag out in front of her like it was a snake.
"Rogue has done it again," the woman with the bag said.
Rogue was a known Robin ঘোমটা type of vigilante; stealing money from Governor Ratcliffe and the tax collector, Clayton, and giving the money to the people who were struggling. But every time Rogue struck, Ratcliffe raised the taxes on every household to make up for the money he lost. The পরবর্তি time Rogue struck, however, he just গাউন even আরো money to make up for it. It was an endless বৃত্ত that caused half of the city's people to hate the vigilante and the other half to be grateful to him. But no one knew his true identity.
The other woman eyed the bag of money, almost enviously. "You're lucky."
"Lucky? Because of him, we're all going to have to pay আরো to that greedy governor."
"Are আপনি going to keep it?"
"Of course not." The woman dropped the bag on the ground. "I don't want his dirty money." She went back inside, slamming the door behind her.
The other woman immediately bent over and picked up the bag. She glanced back at the door, then turned and hurried away.
x-X-x
Esmeralda was washing the breakfast dishes when আলাদীন burst into the apartment. He came into the রান্নাঘর and set a bag of money on the counter beside the sink.
Esmeralda glanced down at it and frowned. "Where did that come from?"
"Rogue."
Esmeralda nearly dropped the plate she was washing. "He did it again? When is he going to stop this?"
"Stop what? Helping people?"
"He's not helping anyone. He's just pissing off Governor Ratcliffe and giving the rest of us আরো trouble."
আলাদীন ignored her. "Where's mom?"
"In the shower."
"How is she today?"
Esmeralda sighed and handed আলাদীন the plate. He grabbed a towel and started drying it. "The same."
"I counted the money Rogue gave us; it's enough to put mom in a প্রথমপাতা where they can help her. At least for a couple months."
Esmeralda shook her head. "No way, Aladdin. We're not using that money."
"Why not?"
Esmeralda rested her hands on the edge of the sink and stared into the soapy water. "Have আপনি ever considered that maybe Rogue is working for Ratcliffe?"
"What do আপনি mean?"
"Maybe this whole hero/vigilante thing is just a ploy for Ratcliffe to get আরো money from us. Ratcliffe could be monitoring that money and plan on using it against us later."
"How?"
"By putting us in debt to him, we now owe him."
"I didn't think about that."
Esmeralda gave আলাদীন a sympathetic look. "Of course আপনি didn't. আপনি always want to believe that everyone has the best intentions. But sometimes people are just cruel, Aladdin."
"Not all people." আলাদীন picked up the money. "Some people are just trying to help in the only way they can."
Esmeralda went back to washing the dishes. "We're not keeping the money, Aladdin. We're gonna turn it in like we're supposed to. We're not gonna risk owing the governor anything."
"What if you're wrong?"
"Either way, it's too big of a risk."
"We're all gonna get taxed for it anyway, why not just keep it? This money might be able to help mom." আলাদীন paused. "We're losing her, Es."
Esmeralda let out a frustrated growl and slammed the bowl she had been cleaning back into the sink. It shattered, cutting her finger. She swore under her breath. আলাদীন handed her the towel he had been using to dry the dishes. "I have to look out for this family; and that means not taking stolen money that could get us all in trouble. Turn the money in, Aladdin. I'm not going to tell আপনি again." She pressed the towel over her cut and started walking out of the kitchen.
"Stop trying to replace mom," আলাদীন muttered. "She's not gone, yet."
"Stop trying to replace mom."
