Paper Bag

Joseph reached up. He grabbed the brown bag like it was full of groceries.

He dropped it on the bed.

-Put it back, Rosa Sharon said. She stayed by the door. Her hand was on the knob.

-It’s why we’re here, Joseph said, picking the bag up, unrolling the top and dumping the contents on the mattress.

Rosa Sharon looked. She was worried it was drugs, or a severed head.

It was money, in stacks. Lots of them. Joseph started inspecting the bills.

-Sequential, he said.

-Oh no.

Rosa let go of the door. She slid down the wall until she hit the floor.

-It’s dirty money, Joseph.

-It’s not, he said, picking a stack up and smelling it.

-Look at it, Rosa. It’s too neat. It’s too clean.

-Money is money. People kill for ten dollars. They kill for free.

-Not this money, he said.

He sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at the cash like he was reading tea leaves.

-White collar, he said.

-What?

-Tax cheats. Accountants hiding profits from other accountants. It’s skimming money.

Rosa looked at him. The migraine pulse in his temple was gone.

-How do you know?, she asked.

-I see him. The courier.

He pointed at the empty space where the wall used to be.

-He came here to drop it for a fixer. But he got spooked. Maybe he saw a cop car. Maybe he just lost his nerve.

-He ran?

-He left the key and he ran. He’s halfway to Canada by now. He thinks the fixer already picked it up. The fixer thinks the courier stole it.

Rosa Sharon looked at Joseph, trying to understand the story and believe it.

-It’s orphan money, Rosa. No one is looking for it. They’re too scared to look.

-It’s a lot, she whispered.

-Enough for Baja. Enough for Cousin Benny.

-It feels dirty.

-Everything is dirty, Joseph said. The beach house. The water. The wedding.

He reached out. He touched her cheek. His hand was warm now.

-This is just paper. It buys a clean slate.

Rosa sat on the floor and looked at the stacks on the bed.

She thought about the red water in the sink. She thought about the way the clerk looked through them.

-Are you sure? she asked.

-I see us on a beach, he said. I see the sun. I see you smiling.

She closed her eyes. She wanted to see it too.

-Okay, she said.

-Okay?

-We take it.

Joseph smiled.

-We need to rest, he said.

He patted a spot on the bed next to the money.

-Come here.

Rosa stood up. Her legs felt heavy.

She climbed onto the bed. She lay down next to the money

Joseph lay down next to her. He pulled her close.

Rosa Sharon closed her eyes.