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Rod Raglin
a book bubble about
Finding Meaning, Making Sense - An Anthology of Short Stories & Poetry - 2022-2025
Literature & Fiction
Author Insight
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Food insecurity is an issue for seniors living on a fixed income. . BAIT AND SWITCH is one of the short stories in Finding Meaning, Making Sense, An Anthology of Short Stories and Poems, 2022 – 2025, that includes the section, The Chronicles of Arni, stories and poems provide insight and reflection on relationships, aging, contemporary issues and the zeitgeist of our times. JUST RELEASED AT https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU
Book Excerpt
Finding Meaning, Making Sense - An Anthology of Short Stories & Poetry - 2022-2025
At the self-checkout, he scanned the soup and paid with his credit card. Then he scanned the other items but rather than paying he cancelled the order. He packed the soup in one bag, the other expensive items in another and left the candy in the cart. When the clerk was busy, which was always since she was tasked with handling six self-checkouts, the customer service desk, aluminum can recycling and incoming telephone calls, he picked up both bags and headed for the exit.He’d never stolen anything but today he felt justified. He and Marge had worked hard, paid taxes been solid citizens their entire lives. The first years into retirement they were okay, they even had enough to go on that Alaska Cruise Marge always dreamed about, but after she had a stroke there were renovations that needed to be done, additional medical expenses, homecare and a wheelchair lift-van. That depleted most of the savings but with their pensions, they were still able to make ends meet.Then inflation sent prices soaring.They’d cut everything including the cable package with Marge’s favourite shows. He’d laid off the Vietnamese landscaper who cut the grass every two weeks and was doing it himself – as well as shoveling the snow in the winter despite the arthritis in his back.They could sell the house but the thought of moving after forty years in the same place was overwhelming. Besides, where would they go? This was their home, their neighbourhood, and “familiar “was becoming increasingly important.Arni was angry most of the time and today’s bait-and-switch tactics made him angrier. He and Marge deserved to have an extravagant meal once in a while.The uniformed security guard was coming toward him. Should he abandon the bag with the unpaid expensive items? Don’t look guilty. He nodded, she smiled and walked on.As he approached the elevator to underground parking, the surveillance camera situated high on the wall in the corner glared at him like a malevolent Cyclops. Arni began to sweat despite the chilly air conditioning. His heart raced and his mouth was dry.Like everyone else, he’d broken a few laws: occasionally exceeding the speed limit and, when he was younger, taken side jobs, without reporting the extra income to Revenue Canada. Then there was that extravagantly priced piece of Inuit art Marge had bought on the Alaska shore excursion they didn’t declare. Despite these transgressions, he’d never been charged with anything and considered himself honest. This would all change if he was arrested for shoplifting.Only a few more steps. Once in the elevator with the door closed, he’d be safe. He’d tell Marge he convinced them to make substitutions. She would never imagine he stole it. They’d have a great meal and he’d be ahead a few bucks.What was the penalty for shoplifting? Jail time? A hefty fine? Being his first offence and an old man, the court would probably take pity on him, but how humiliating would it be if the story of his arrest appeared in the community newspaper? What would their friends (the few still alive) say? A criminal record would restrict him from travelling, not that they could afford it anymore – unless Lotto 6/49 came in. He still managed to come up with three bucks for the weekly ticket – a small price for hope.
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