Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

by Brennen Tammons

  The men decide to stay in Brian’s unit for the time being, still recuperating from the fiasco which happened on Friday. On Monday morning, Jesse is woken by Russell.

  “Jesse, look, I’m walking! I can walk again! I’m back to my old self again! Yes!”

  Russell now is able to walk without feeling weak or limping, and gallops around the unit without feeling tired or stumbling. Jesse gets out of bed, and walks over to Russell and hugs him. Russell then starts to do various stretches and exercises, to circulate himself.

  “I got it all worked out now. I don’t get tired anymore, I’m back to my regular self.”

  At this time, Max arrives at the unit, and begins to knock on the door. Max has the money they men had gotten during their first two heists, sitting on his lap. Jesse lets him in, and Max starts to move over to where Russell is doing his stretches, and speaks to both of them.

  “Good morning the both of you. I’m glad to see that you’ve recovered rather quickly Russell. I’m proud of you, and you’re a tough guy so I’m not surprised.”

  Russell smiles at Max, and Russell pats Max on the shoulder. Max continues to speak to them.

  “I didn’t mean to bother you guys, but in case you wanted these, I brought them over. It’s your money, so you guys need to have it. I’ll leave these here, and I’ll be on my way now. Oh by the way Russell, if anyone asks on your arm, don’t ask me how I did it, that’s for me to know, and for you to never ever find out, but I managed to do some tricks on your medical history, and your amputation is legally listed from being caused by an automobile collision. So don’t worry about that.”

  Russell nods his head Max. Russell then grabs the bags of money which are sitting on his Max’s lap. Russell then sets both of the bags on the ground. Jesse then walks over to several different equal stacks of money laid of the coffee table, and hands of the stacks to Max. Max gives the both of them a puzzled look, and Russell then starts to explain everything to him.

  “When I lost my arm, it made me a different man. Me and Jesse spending that much money doesn’t make sense at all. That’s so petty and disgusting. I decided to split it all between my friends, and the people who mean a lot in my life. Including you Max, I want you to enjoy.”

  Max smiles at Russell, and puts the stack of money in his pocket. Russell and Jesse then both hug Max, and say goodbye to him. Max on his way out the unit, says one final thing.

  “Whenever you guys need me, or want to talk, you know where to find me. I may be a crazy old man, but I’m still your friend, and I’m always here. Take care boys.”

  Max leaves the unit, and Russell walks over to the door, to lock it. Following all of that, Russell crosses Max name off the list of people. They put all of the money they plan to share, in large legal sized envelopes, with that person’s name labeled and attached to it. Russell and Jesse both decide that their goal for today, is to disperse all the money out to as many people as they can. They exit out of the unit, and get into Russell’s car. Jesse gets into the driver’s seat, with Russell sitting in the passenger seat, as he’s not comfortable to drive yet.

  They decide that as it’s early into the morning, they can inconspicuously drop off the money without being seen by others. It will indeed be a random act of kindness. Jesse drives to Yvette’s house first, and drops her money in the mailbox. They then drive to Peter and Jennifer’s families’ homes, and drop their money in their mailboxes as well. Russell struggles to remember where Abel lives, but finally remembers going to his residence at one time to attend a party. They give him his share of the money by dropping it in his mailbox.

  As they cross more names off the list, they head over to more of their former coworkers at the “Sunset Credit Union”, homes. Jesse vaguely remembers where Tiffany lives from visiting as a guest there once, and drops her envelope in the mailbox. Russell luckily also remembers where Sally lives, as he has been to her residence once before, and they drop her envelope in her mailbox. The men at this time decide to drive to the post office, and mail in the rest of the share of the money. Kevin’s family are sent in their share of the money by mail anonymously. Russell and Jesse then mail in their donations to the charities they wish to send the money to. They put the money inside plastic bags, and put these bags inside big brown envelopes to mail out. Jesse walks to the mailbox inside the post office, and mails in Kevin’s families’ money, and the donation charity money. Now the men only need to give John his money; then they would have then evenly spread the money out. Russell knows where John lives, but the men wait to send him his money. They both decide to take a break, and go to a diner for lunch. As they are sitting down in a booth, the waitress seems to react to Russell’s missing arm, but she is respectable about it. Russell fibs that he lost his arm during a car accident, and the waitress carries on by serving the men. Once they finish their lunch, Russell and Jesse then walk back to the parking lot, to get back in their vehicle.

  They head back to the unit, and Russell decides to take some of his pain medicine, as his shoulder stump and chest is starting to hurt him severely. Russell struggles to open the bottle with one hand, but he accomplishes this nevertheless. He sticks the pill in his mouth, and speaks to Jesse, while he’s swallowing the pill.

  “We’re going back to my place tomorrow. I know you like hanging out here too, and so do I, but this is only a hideaway. None of my stuff is here, and you understand right?”

  Jesse nods his head. While Jesse is laying down on the sofa, he responds to Russell.

  “John is the only one left we didn’t hand the money out to yet, right?”

  Russell walks over to the sofa area, and sits right next to Jesse. Jesse lays across the sofa and rests his head on Russell’s lap. Russell then responds to Jesse, while looking down.

  “Yeah, we can drop his money off tomorrow. John lives right around the corner from me, go figure. He doesn’t know where I stay, but I know where he stays.”

  The next morning, Russell and Jesse then head out of the “Home Base” unit, and direct themselves over to John’s house. Jesse pulls up in front of the residence, and like he did with the others, walks up the door, and starts to drop the envelope in the mailbox. However, this time, John catches Jesse before he drops the envelope, and opens his front door. John is wearing a white buttoned up shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals. John is holding onto crutches under his arms, still weak from being shot during the heist, which has caused him permanent body damage. Jesse is stunned, as he and John make eye contact for several seconds; both of them shocked to see each other. John raises his eyebrows, and he scans the area.

  He notices Russell sitting in the passenger seat, in a car on the curb. Both Russell and Jesse feel they are now in a tough predicament, as they were hoping they wouldn’t be caught or seen dropping the money envelopes. John without acknowledging Jesse, snatches the envelope from Jesse’s hand, and looks inside of it, noticing the large amount of money. John gives an angry expression towards Jesse, and Jesse remains silent. Using his crutches, John heads over to where Russell is. Russell then starts to panic, as John gets closer to the car door. John then stands outside the car door silent. Russell doesn’t know what is going to happen, and why John is standing there staring at him. John stands outside the car door for a short while, and Russell reluctantly rolls down the window. John speaks to him.

  “Russell, are you busy? If you aren’t, can you come in for a little bit?”

  Russell shakes his head, and walks out of the car. He and Jesse then walk inside John’s house, and sit down in his living room. John is bisexual, but struggles with his sexual identity, as he feels that isn’t anyone’s business. He isn’t a man that is involved with relationships, and lives a solitary life by himself. He isn’t married, and has no children. John then puts the envelope down on the table in his living room, and speaks.

  “Russell, I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you. I want to start over, and I want to be friends and not enemies. I want to star
t fresh again.”

  Russell looks down at the ground and is frozen with his emotions. John then walks into his kitchen, and brings out three beers, handing one to Russell and Jesse. John opens his beer, and takes several sips of it. He then starts to speak softly to Russell.

  “I know we all have secrets Russell, and you know I could call the police on you and Jesse right now. The both of you will be in jail for a long time. I’m not going to though.”

  Russell opens his beer, and keeps his eye contact away from John looking at the floor. He takes sips from his beer, and John continues to shock both him and Jesse.

  “You think I’m stupid? You think I wasn’t going to notice you don’t have a fucking arm? You could fool a fool and others, but Russell, I was in that robbery. I saw the tape. Nobody else is suspecting you guys but me. I know it was you Russell. Fucking confess.”

  Russell starts to feel scared, and he and Jesse sit in fear as to what John plans to do next. They are in complete shock, as they listen to John continue.

  “I was shot in the fucking legs. I was there. I know you and Jesse were with that group that kept robbing those banks. You think just because gave money to everyone else, it makes up for it? That was really stupid of you guys to do that. You’re lucky that I’m friends with you now Russell, and I have secrets myself. I’ll make a deal with you Russell. You don’t tell my secret, and I won’t tell yours. Deal? Promise you won’t tell anybody, or I will tell on you guys.”

  Russell looks over at Jesse, and responds to John.

  “No John, you can tell me and Jesse. We’re not gonna snitch. It’s okay.”

  John takes a sip of his beer, and turns his head over to Russell, and starts to talk to him.

  “I was involved with this inside robbery, when I was manager at the “California Savings Union” bank, around this time last year. It turned out ugly, and I was helping out some of these buddies I knew from college. Things didn’t go as planned. All of my friends were killed in the robbery by the police, and I was never suspected because I was playing hostage, being manager of the bank. It’s so terrible, and I still feel guilty on it. I’ve kept this secret until now. I’m just as guilty as the guys for planning an inside robbery. I fucked up, and I’m sorry. I feel bad. I don’t want to work for banks anymore, those days are over.”

  Russell takes another sip of his beer, and responds to the story John gave.

  “I knew not trust you at all John. I knew you were hiding something. I saw you taking money from cash terminals, and could have reported that shit to the authorities, but I didn’t. You treated me like shit, and we could have been friends. It’s because of you, I lost my damn arm John. I almost didn’t rob ‘First Federal’. But I did, because of you, and the way you always treated me. But you have your secret, I have mine. We’re now even. It’s a deal. Ha-ha.”

  Russell then looks at John, and they both stare at each other for a while. John then reaches out his hand for Russell to shake it, and Russell shakes John hand. John and Russell then start to cry, and John kisses Russell on the cheek. Jesse receives a notification on his phone, and he reads it. While he’s staring at his phone, he talks to the other men.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt your conversation, but Yvette is getting married to her boyfriend Matt next month, and I was just now sent an invitation to attend. I know this is random for me to mention, but I thought that you guys would like to know this.”

  Russell then laughs and smiles at John, and softly asks him a question.

  “Do you want to go to the wedding? I’ll pick you up, and give you a ride there?”

  John laughs at Russell, and nods his head. The both of them continue to chat and bond with each other; they are grateful on their newly found friendship. Over the course of the next few weeks, John kept Russell’s and Jesse’s secret to himself, and remained close friends with them in addition to that. John would invite them over to his place for dinner some nights. John didn’t reveal any their behavior to the authorities, and didn’t press Russell on any further information related to their heists. He simply allowed for them both to keep their secrets to each other. The individuals that received their money aside from John, had no idea where it came from, but they were appreciative to receive it. Detective Henderson retired from the police force, and now works at a hardware store. He decided to let the “Snowman Bandit” case rest. Detective Henderson, along with the other investigators would sadly forever be unaware, that Russell and Jesse were the other men involved in the heists. Detective Henderson feels if the other two robbers were smart enough to escape capture, then he is willing to accept his defeat. Detective Henderson remains happy with his decision to retire, and goes on about his life.

  With only a few days to go until Yvette’s wedding, the men all try to get themselves situated before the big event arrives. Russell and Jesse wake up in his apartment, and quickly get dressed and ready. Russell wants to go out and buy a tuxedo for the occasion; also deciding to drive for the first time, since losing his left arm. Russell and Jesse head to the parking structure in Russell’s residence. Russell sits in the driver’s seat, and begins start the ignition. Jesse shows concern over him.

  “Russell, I can drive if you want. If you don’t feel ready, I can take care of it for you.”

  Russell ignores Jesse, and starts to drive as if he had two arms. Jesse is amazed at how quickly Russell was able to adapt to driving with only one arm. Russell continues down the road, without any struggle or issues at all. While he’s driving, Russell responds to Jesse.

  “So, because I have one arm, I’m not supposed to drive anymore? How is that fair? It’s not fair, right? This is my life Jess, and I have to accept it. I have to accept that this is just how it’s going to be, and I have to get used to it. That’s how it is.”

  Jesse smiles and nods his head. Russell continues towards the tuxedo shop. Once he’s there, Russell picks out a nice brand new black expensive tuxedo for himself, and is being fitted for it. The shop owner is very polite towards Russell only having one arm, and she still shows him excellent customer service, as she is measuring him. Jesse walks around the shop, seeking out an outfit to wear to Yvette’s wedding. During this time, John walks into the tuxedo shop with his crutches. Russell who’s being fitted for the tuxedo, doesn’t notice John walk in. John sits down on a chair waiting to be serviced, and Jesse notices John. John lifts up his finger to his mouth, alerting Jesse to hush and remain quiet, and Jesse smiles to himself. Jesse checks out more of the store. John continues to sit in silence, watching Russell get fitted for his tuxedo. Shortly after this, Russell eventually notices John, and they both laugh at each other. John gets up from the chair and walks over to hug Russell and speaks to him.

  “John? What are you doing here man? You trying to pick something out?”

  John looks around the tuxedo shop, as he’s doing that he responds to Russell.

  “Well, I was intending to window shop, but if there’s something that catches my eye, I can’t promise you that I won’t check it out. I’m pretty tempted, there is some nice stuff here.”

  Russell nods his head, and the shop owner has Russell’s tuxedo ready. Russell then walks into the fitting room to try it on. At this time, John then picks out a tuxedo for himself, and gets it fitted. Russell comes out of the fitting room with his tuxedo, and walks over to the mirror to get a better perspective over it. The tuxedo is a perfect fit. He’s satisfied with it, and decides to purchase it. Russell walks back into the fitting room to change back into his regular clothes. Jesse then finds something that he likes which goes with his style, and decides to purchase that as well. He picks out a black vest, with a white dress shirt, a black bow tie, and dark black slacks. Jesse sits down in a chair by the entrance with the outfit he bought, as he waits for Russell to come out of the fitting room. John walks out of the fitting room with his tuxedo. He stands in front a mirror being comfortable with it. John then looks over at Jesse, and asks for his opinion.

  “So, what do
you think? Is it me? Would I look nice with this on?”

  Jesse sincerely believes that John looks handsome in the tuxedo, and Jesse nods his head. John smiles at Jesse, and John has his mind made up to buy the tuxedo. John walks into the fitting room to change back, and Russell walks out during this same time. Russell purchases his tuxedo, and the outfit Jesse picked. Before he and Jesse walk out the store, he is stopped by John who is screaming out to him, to get his attention. Russell turns his head around towards John.

  “Hey hey, Russ. Wait up. Let me take you and Jesse out to lunch on me. Say yes, you have nothing to lose. I have a surprise that I need to tell you as well.”

  Russell nods his head, and he John and Jesse all go out to lunch together. John takes them to a deli that he likes to go to, located nearby the tuxedo shop. The men all place their orders, and take a seat at a table. The men all sit quietly. Jesse is playing a game on Russell’s phone. Russell is staring down, thinking to himself. John starts to wave his hand in front of Russell’s face, to get his attention. John leans towards Russell, to mention something very important.

  “I don’t ever want to work in a bank ever again. I know you don’t either Russell. There’s a job fair at ‘Northrop Grumman’ tomorrow, they have open interviews for accountants. I figure me and you can go. I don’t know, and don’t give a fuck who stitched up your arm, but you can lie and say you had a car accident or something. Come on. I’ll meet you there tomorrow.”

  Russell looks down at the table grinning at what John said, John then continues.

  “Come on Russell, I know you don’t work. I can tell by your face you’re not working right now. We both can get hired, and start over this way. Please. You can come pick me up tomorrow, and we’ll go together. It will be fun Russell. What have you go to lose?”