Feedback

A young man sits in his car parked in a large parking lot. He has a chiclet phone, an older one, that he uses to text and call people with. His car is at least eight-years-old, and it has seen better days.

It’s night, and it’s summer. The car’s windows are down.

The young man texts his best friend and says, “Wanna hang tonight?” He continues to sit in his car and listen to music while he waits.

His phone rings. He steps out of the car to answer it and paces around his car. “Hi, I’m Fred, and I’m calling to get your feedback on a recent purchase you made. Now we don’t normally do this, you know, call people, but your feedback is very valuable to us.“

A large man, tall and muscular, walks up and says, “What have you got there?” He looks into the car. He sees a large backpack in the rear driver’s seat.

“No, please, don’t,” says the young man. “Leave me alone, please.”

The large man punches the young man in the gut, causing him to fall to the ground. The large man starts kicking him. Eventually, the large man grabs the backpack, filled with a laptop and other belongings, and leaves the young man lying on the ground.


Collected in Brief Moments of Life