Dark Scam
by
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“Hey Baby, I didn’t even see you come in? You don’t know how to say hi or let me know you’re here?”, says Delores , a 68 yr. old grandmother, whose husband and daughter drowned in the New Orleans flood while coming back from a doctors’ appointment for a sonogram as she was 7 months pregnant . “Sorry Grandma, I’m just tired of this life”, says Larry. “What’s’ wrong Baby?” asks Delores. ” Grandma, I’m tired of looking for job after job, having those people smile in my face, telling me they gonna review my application and give me a call. I can tell by the look on their faces that, they don’t have any intentions of considering me for a job!” replies Larry expressing hate for the dishonesty.
“Look Baby, I know it’s hard, but the lord will help you! He tests us to see how faithful we are to him in moments of hardship and the easy times,” Says Delores while trying to encourage Larry to have hope. Larry, still not convinced, replies, “Yeah, but Grandma how long is he going to test me? I’m getting up every morning looking on Craigslist, going to interview after interview; it seems like for no reason! How will I ever move forward? I can’t find a job; I have no money and can’t even find a girl that likes me.” Tears start to well up in Larry’s eyes while mentioning a girl because he’s overweight and was burnt when he was 3 yrs. old, by pulling down a pot of hot boiling oil that melted the front half of his scalp. This caused him to have bald spots on half of his head and his skin left melted and scarred near his left eye, cheek and lips, which keeps some of his teeth slightly exposed.
“I know Baby, I know it can get hard”, says Delores as she hugs her only grandchild, rubs his back and kisses his forehead knowing that he may never be able to find a girl to love him for his kind heart and seeing past his appearance. Larry is 23 years old out of high school for 3 years now and was left back a few times due to dyslexia. He often was made fun of and laughed at by people in the neighborhood and at school. He had only a few friends named Bernard and Lewis. Bernard and Lewis are also outcasts from their class like Larry because they are nerdy looking, church going and way out of style. They relate to Larry’s’ pain from being laughed at, bullied and often mistreated.
Larry would still stay to himself most of the time because he would be depressed and could really only relate to his own trials of walking in the shoes of an unattractive, broke young man with so many wishes that seemed like it would never happen. His hope began to hang from a thinning thread being led on by mirage after mirage of what would at times seem to be the break he wished for, finally actually happening but would turn out to be the same situation. Whether it was a job he applied for, a date with the girl he had a crush on or just a miraculous blessing to his surprise…it just didn’t happen.
He would most of the time stay in his room surfing the internet seeking opportunity or programs available that assist people in Larrys’ predicament and with similar disabilities. He would constantly check his e-mail hoping for something, until he found in his e-mail, a message.....
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About the Book
Twenty-three-year-old Larry Singleton is tired—tired of looking for work, the right girl, and loyal friends. Dyslexic, physically scarred, and lonely, Larry spends most of his time in his room in his grandmother’s house, surfing the Internet. One day, Larry opens an e-mail from a man named William Paris, who claims to be touched by the personal story Larry posted on a website and who wants to give him over a million dollars. As Larry readily hands over his bank information, he has no idea that Paris is not who he says he is.
As Larry daydreams about a better life, Stanley Paris, recipient of a multibillion dollar inheritance from his late father, William, is busy proving that he is not at all like his kindly father. Larry has fallen for his scheme. Meanwhile, after Larry’s secret becomes common knowledge, he discovers William Paris is dead. Suddenly, happiness transforms into tragedy as a desperate Larry takes matters into his own hands. Now it is his grandmother who seeks revenge.
In this novella, the wealthy and the less fortunate collide amid a dark scam that teaches all of them that vengeance is never predictable.
About the Author
Shakeel A. Rasheed is a jack of many trades who is dedicated to sharing goodness with his community and the world beyond. Born and raised in a large family in Long Island, New York, Shakeel is a former songwriter who now manages a homecare business assisting the elderly and disabled. He currently lives in Florida.