- Congrats Benny - Chapter 2 - The Standoff

The Standoff

I took the train from Stockholm to Gävle only two days after Jörgen was shot. I had no idea I wouldn’t see Stockholm again in over a year and a half. The longest I had been away from Stockholm where probably the three week summer camp in my early teens. It was the kind of summer camp you didn’t want to go to - more like a preparation for jail. The older kids all brought their own products to introduce to the young ones, trading bags of chips and a soda for a “half”. To get a big one you had to steal a jar of peanut butter or something like two large soda bottles. That became my introduction to the trade. I was eleven years old when I bought one half of a spliff with a soda and a chocolate bar only to sell it moments later to another kid for a soda and two chocolate bars. I’ve been doing pretty much the same thing ever since.

I had my hands in the air, still holding both the battery charger and the phone, and as I was leaning down to face the ground I heard the screeching tires of another car. I heard doors opening, a dog barking, and a very familiar voice. They where three guys this time, wearing sunglasses and hunting gears again, clocking their rifles and, just as he had promised, pointed them once again at me.

They kept screaming to each other to drop their weapons. The asphalt was burning my stomach through my t-shirt. I had to roll over on my back, so I did. I heard one shot fire. Two shots fire, then three and four. I kept rolling myself towards the edge of the bridge. They kept on screaming as they were shooting. Then I hit my forehead in one of the poles, right by the edge, and fell down in to the cool water and was pulled down by the powerful streams.

It was actually a quite lovely feeling until I realized I had no control. The Indals river is so deep that I had no fear of shallow rocks. A broken arm at that moment would mean a lot of pain and most likely death. Apparently a person can hold his breath much longer than one might think, as long as you don’t get water into your lungs. Cold water obviously acts much deadlier than my particular midday swim in July. One gasp of air was all I needed for one kilometer of downstream swimming. I had my eyes open in the dark brown water, and when it got shallower it had more of a cepia- or yellow tone in it. Soon I was able to locate rocks on the bottom and put my head over water. I must have looked like a wet raccoon when I stepped on to land. My shoes where sinking in to the mud. My forehead was bleeding. I was hyperventilating and I threw up. I only had one thing in my mind.

I tore open the box and took the android phone out of it. I opened the back of it, took the battery out and placed them on the dry patch of grass facing the sun. I couldn’t go back to my house. I could probably go back to Stockholm for a while, but not for long. Lee would find me and probably kill me just out of principles. I had to go to Sundsvall. That was my only option. I had to go to Dino and explain the whole thing. He could help me out with getting the android dry as well. Most importantly I knew he had lots of cash that I was hoping that I could buy from him.
I took my clothes of and passed out in the shade from a birch.

To explain Dino we probably have to go way back to when he was starting out as a professional online card player. It went well the first few years and when the opponents surpassed him he instead became a dope selling part-time welder. Needless to say his momma was so proud she kicked him out on his eighteenth birthday. I know that broke his heart but that’s a whole different story. This guy never smiles and never fully opens his eyes. I wasn’t sure where he really was, you know, mentally, but I heard he was doing great financially and that was more than I could wish for.

When I woke up I’d been chewed on like a banquette. The wide range of different bite marks was covering my right side. I had to get the hell out of the woods.

My clothes where still soaked. No matter how much I twisted and pulled the fabric I couldn’t get them dry. The midday had become early evening. I started to climb up the slopes towards the main road, towards the gas station.

The gangly fence was about as tall as my height. I grabbed it and shook it as hard as I could. I got up on the top of the fence in three steps. My jeans got causht in the wire and for a moment I was hanging with my ass up and my face down. I then dropped down on that very same face.

My sneakers made a squishing sound on the tile floor. I left a trail of water drips and muddy shoeprints behind me. I asked the cashier if I perhaps could use their rest room. She looked at me like if I was a ghost.

The bathroom had one of those disgusting hand fans. I was blow drying my socks when I saw the police car parking right outside. I bolted in to the store with my wet socks in my back pocket. I grabbed a plastic bag and grabbed a bottle of water, some type of candy bar and some band aids. I promised the cashier to pay her back the next time, and then I once again took off on foot.

You just read chapter 2 of Congrats Benny.

See the @congratsbenny blog for previous chapters and a short introduction to the series.

Next week: Chapter 3 - Buying Money

Stay inspired!
/JL