Ted wandered up the street toward his apartment. He felt discouraged. Sure he had managed to remember to do his part for society, but it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. It seemed to Ted that no matter how hard he tried to excel in life, he had to prove himself ten times more than a normal person. What was normal these days? Ted tried not to think about that question too much. Unfortunately the inevitable happened. Ted tripped over the large crack in the pavement that had been there for years. Ted knew it was there. It’s difficult to think and walk at the same time.
Ted got up, brushed himself off, and that’s when he saw it. On the other side of the parking lot, near the entrance of the building stood Lars. Lars was standing next to a small dumpster throwing large, and slightly familiar items into it. Ted thought he would investigate.
As he got closer, Ted saw Lars take out a portable gas can, proceeding to empty its contents over the items in question. Ted could clearly see that the dumpster contained his own things! He watched in disbelief as Lars lit a match and set the contents of the dumpster ablaze.
Ted ran to confront Lars. “What are you doing with my things!” He screamed.
“You don’t remember our conversation from the night before?” Queried Lars.
“How do you know that I’m not here to give you the $1,000 dollars?” Sneered Ted.
“I’ve known you long enough to not expect last minute miracles.” Lars said.
“It could happen.” Ted quipped.
“I knew it wouldn’t.” Lars deadpanned. “You’re evicted. Get out of my sight!”
“You are evil!” Ted screamed.
“Blame the banks. Land Lords get unnecessary abuse all the time. We are all playing the bank’s game.” Lars mused.
“Whatever.” Ted said.
“Are you walking away from me!” Lars screamed.
“No. You are walking away from dignity and compassion.” Ted stated confidently.
Resignation and anger were all over his face. Ted turned away from the burning pile symbolizing his previous version of life. Ted was starting from scratch whether he liked it or not. No responsibilities or material possessions to tie him down. Ted headed back toward the street. In this moment, no human was as free as he was. Then reality hit. As Ted walked back toward the street, he realized that he had no plan. Often times this was the case with him anyway, but this feeling was on a whole different level. He needed to figure out how much money he had left in the bank. He smiled at the thought of not having to pay rent for a while. Running on this revelation he decided that he would buy a large hot dog, fries, and a cold drink from a food truck as he passed by.
Armed with fun things to eat, Ted decided to head to the local park. It would be nice to watch the sun go down, while sitting on a bench, eating in peace. Ted could figure out what to do next once he was full.