By P. Berman, K. Hecht, & A. Hosack
Larry didn’t go to the police station after work. After all, he didn’t really have any unpaid parking tickets. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. His father would just laugh and call him a loser. Claire was his one and only friend ever since they had been kids. Now, she seemed to be turning on him.
I can’t believe that bitch is pressing charges against me! This whole mess is her stupid kid’s fault!
Larry did the only thing he knew how to do when life got tough; he knocked back beers and watched TV.
He was drunk by 10 a.m. when two police officers came back to his apartment and knocked on his door. This time, he opened it. He needed his job at the bar, and his boss had made it clear the police better not show up there again. When one officer said he was under arrest, Larry said, “for what?!” The officer politely said he was accused of assaulting a 17-year-old woman. Under his breath, the second officer, who had interviewed Claire, muttered, “scumbag.” Larry was too drunk to think . . . he just jumped on the police officer who insulted him, and, before he knew it, he was handcuffed in the back of the police car with a face that would soon be swelling big time.
The police officers added resisting arrest to the charges facing Larry. When Larry was taken in front of the magistrate later in the day, his bail was set at $250,000. Larry had maybe twenty-five dollars hidden around his apartment in case of emergency. He literally had no one who would lend him a dime. Since he couldn’t make bail, he was to the county jail to wait for the preliminary hearing on his charges. Larry had been allowed to make one phone call. He didn’t have anyone to call but his boss. He tried to explain that, while he couldn’t make it to work tomorrow because his ex-girlfriend had made a phony assault charge against him, he would fight it and be back to work soon. His boss fired Larry over the phone, saying he couldn’t have a bouncer with a jail record.
Larry’s mind was in chaos. He was led back to his cell and pushed inside for moving too slow. Larry woke back up to his surroundings to find that he had bumped into his cellmate who promptly punched him hard in the stomach. Larry knew what to do now. The fight was on.
The guards heard the bodies slamming into the walls of the cell and came running. They entered the cell and pulled the men apart. Now, Larry was going to have fighting in jail as part of his record. . .
What’s going to happen to Larry? Does he deserve this?
Comments (0)