The Legend of Kareem by Jim Heskett Read Free Book Online Page A

the mouth. When no one paid attention to him, he screamed and kicked his legs out, knocking over a lamp.
    The man in scrubs dropped the clipboard and rushed to Bernard’s side. Bernard twisted, gasping, gurgling, and generally over-acting the part. But it seemed to work.
    The other inhabitants of the room started jumping around, yelling for help, and in the chaos of the scene, I did my part: I walked calmly to the front door and waited.
    The door opened in front of me as two men in scrubs rushed past, walkie-talkies on their hips squawking. With the door open, I walked through, not turning to glance back at the station with the glass booth. Everything was happening a little too easily, but I kept playing along anyway.
    I exited the house, and Omar was standing on the street corner, grin on his face and his bags under his arms.
    “Wait a second,” I said, “are you okay? Did you literally jump from the third story?”
    He hesitated, then nodded.
    The door opened behind us, and the woman with the wire-rimmed glasses rushed out, headed straight for us. She held a clipboard out in front of her as she hurried down the steps.
    “Oh, shit,” I said.
    But Omar did not run. He kept his head high and stared flat-faced at the woman in the glasses.
    “Omar,” she said, “if you’re leaving, you need to sign yourself out.”
    Omar accepted a pen and scribbled his name on the clipboard. Then he placed the pen in her waiting palm.
    She glanced at me, then jogged back to the house without a word.
    “What the hell was that?” I said. “I’m totally lost.”
    “That was the perfect execution of a masterful plan,” Omar said.
    “You didn’t really jump out of the window, did you? Those doors weren’t locked at all. You just walked out a back door.”
    Omar wore no expression on his face. “The plan worked. There is no need to discuss it any further. What is our next step?”
    I wanted to back up a bit but didn’t think Omar would oblige. “I don’t think public transportation or flying is a good idea, so we need a car. The sooner we can get on the road, the better.”
    “I have a car,” Omar said. “I am not allowed to drive it, but I definitely have a car.”
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    Omar wouldn’t tell me where the car was, but he said we could walk there. I followed this curious little man down the street while he hummed to himself, occasionally tossing a glance left or right. After that scene back at the group home, I didn’t know how much to trust him. Or how much of what I was seeing and hearing to believe, either.
    I watched a group of kids on the lawn at the edge of the St. Edwards campus toss a football. Made me wish I’d played sports in college, more than just Judo. Throwing other guys around on a foam mat hadn’t ever instilled the same kind of camaraderie the regular jocks seemed to enjoy.
    Omar changed from humming to whistling as we walked, and I once heard him whispering, then chuckling to himself.
    “Are you sure you’re okay, Omar? I know I just gave you some terrible news, and, to be honest, you don’t seem all that upset about it.”
    He stopped short, spun, and leaned close to me. “I loved my brother with all my heart. After we came to this country, we were not as close as we had once been. I saw him sparingly over the last few years. Unfortunately, we did not leave things between us on a positive note.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    “I knew what he was doing, and I knew they would catch him and kill him for it. What could I do but love him and let him follow his own path? I made peace with his inevitable end long ago.”
    “I see.”
    “Am I upset? A piece of my family has been ripped away from me. I knew it would happen, but I cannot change it. I will mourn him for the rest of my days. But not today.”
    I studied him closely. “And why not today?”
    “Because today we have a purpose. Today we will escape, and I will continue the work