[ WP ] You take your new wife to the city for your honeymoon . She has no idea you have a kilo of heroin in the trunk to deliver .

7:57PM 
 The low quality fabric of my tuxedo is akin to sandpaper on my flesh, or better yet the hooked side of Velcro. The broken A/C is doing nothing but compounding the heat left over from the mid summer sun. While the sun was below the horizon now, the oppressive wave of heat and humidity lingered. Who ’ s idea was it to have this wedding outside? But I already know the answer to that. Scenic and memorable wedding locales cost money and that is something we don ’ t have. My parents were long gone before I ever met sarah and her father had passed a year ago. Her mother had a big heart but all she could muster was a stack of gift cards that she must have been saving for quite some time. The wedding fell squarely on our shoulders. I didn ’ t care. While I made a decent living pouring concrete during the summer and doing odd jobs during the winter, I was exactly rolling in the dough. But it was love. I would have been happy with a shotgun wedding on the courthouse steps but she wanted something special. I couldn ’ t blame her. I had condemned her to a life with a bleak outlook. I had few prospects. With a distinguished rap sheet that deterred most employers and illicited responses like “ We feel you are overqualified for this position. ” How can you be overqualified to wash dishes? Isn ’ t everyone qualified to do that? I didn ’ t hold onto much hope of doing anything better with my life. I wanted more for her. 
 
 “ Honey are you excited? ” She asks with an angelic smile on her face. 
 
 Her sweat is starting to cut streaks into her make up. I pretend not to notice. She has to be dying in her wedding dress. After her mother made a brief toast and started to cry we had ducked out with our pre-packed suitcases. There was not much at the reception keeping us there and I really wanted, no needed to get on the road. We were on the road before anyone noticed we were gone probably. Most of the guests were freeloaders anyways. They had come for the booze. A couple of sarah ’ s cousins had come but they were preoccupied with their own herd of children. They were model model parents. I would swear on a stack of bibles that at least one of the pregnant ones had brought a flask and was taking slugs off of it. I couldn ’ t blame them, with that many kids I would probably have to do the same thing. A few of my coworkers came and at least made an effort to congratulate me. I don ’ t know how they managed to pat me on the back while juggling their beer. I had tried to do something nice for sarah but I guess there is no escaping your roots. It was a redneck wedding though and through. I pull at my collar. I swear if it is not off soon then it is going to cut a groove into my neck. I look and sarah again and I pity her. I took advantage of her really. I am a dead end but she could have had so much more. She is one of those women that are truly beautiful. She had lots of friends in school. At least until I dropped out to go to work. She could have left the Podunk town that we both grew up in and moved to the city and probably married well. But she didn ’ t. She saw something in me that I am still trying to figure out. She is happy somehow and for that reason I will not stop trying to do right by her. 
 
 Another smile, but she doesn ’ t say anything this time. Her eyelids are getting heavy I can tell so I pull an old flannel shirt from the back of the car. I sniff it and it seems clean enough. When I hand it to her, she accepts it greatfully. Truth is, there is no telling how long it has been in here. She reclines her seat and does her best to get comfortable. 
 
 11:34PM 
 She has been out for a couple of hours now. I still have not figured out how to tell her. She was extremely let down when I told her that our flight to Alaska had been cancelled last minute. I had made up a bullshit excuse about bad weather or something but she had bought it. She knew I didn ’ t have much money, especially after the wedding. I knew she was suspicious and the look in her eyes held pity. She assumed I had to spend the travel money but she didn ’ t say anything and just accepted it. We had barely been married for a few hours and she already felt sorry for me. We were off to a rip roaring start. I rolled my eyes at myself. I just didn ’ t know how to tell her. She would know soon enough but hopefully this was forgivable. There was no getting around that she would find out at our destination but for now I let her sleep and enjoy her night. 
 
 1:15AM 
 I am exhausted. She had offered to drive briefly but she immediately fell back asleep when I told her I had a stop to make before we got to the hotel. I am starting to feel nervous now. I need a cigarette. I pull off into a seedy little gas station at the edge of town. Super creepy fluorescent lights that are fighting to stay on as the flicker like something out of a horror movie. Bars on the window. I need a cigarette though. I park the car and leave it running. She is awake now. I made a pass through the store out of habit but I just head to the counter. All I need is a pack of smokes. As I am trying to make a choice of which budget brand to get this time I see outside the store that she has gotten out. After a short stretch she sees me looking and I smile. She waves at me and imitates driving with an imaginary steering wheel. I can see by her mouth that she is making car noises even though I can not hear her. I nod as she points to herself. She climbs in and I finish my purchase. I am starting to get super nervous now and even though I refrained from drinking any alcohol I have the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. I duck in real quick when I hear police sirens. I quickly button my pants and push out the door. I don ’ t know what is going on but at the moment the last thing I need are cops nearby. I am about to push the door open to go see what all the sirens are about when I see her screaming for me. She is crying and now mascara has blackened her face. I feel sick. I never should have put it in her bag. I have no idea how the cops knew what I was carrying but I can clearly see them talking into the mics on their shoulders and I see her suitcase spread across the trunk of my car. The package is there and one officer is taking pictures. When one of them looks towards the store I duck back out of the line of sight and try to catch my breath. I had no idea how to tell her. I should have told her. I take another peek and one of the officers had loosened the clasp on his handgun and was approaching the store. They knew I was nearby no doubt. Not many women running around by themselves in a wedding dress and she probably told them all about the wedding we had just come from. I suppose the right thing to do would be to walk out with my hands up and clear everything up. She didn ’ t know about the heroin. I never told her. I didn ’ t know how. I slipped out the back door just as I heard the store keeper giving away that I had ducked out the back. It didn ’ t matter I was halfway gone. We weren ’ t quite in the city yet but we were close enough that I could duck down a side street and had already turned the corner before I saw a flash light cut through the darkened alley I had just come from. I was not an athlete but these guys already had sarah in custody. I hate that they will try to pin it on her but it is not my fault. I know she could have done so much better. She could have moved to the city and married well but she married me. I still can ’ t see what she sees in me. “ I am a piece of shit ” I think only to myself as I round another corner and disappear into the night. 
 She could have had so much more. 

