Tomorrow's Man

For seven years, my world was this cell. Gray walls. Loud noises. Bad food. Then they told me: "Tomorrow, you hang. For killing your friend, Ram." At first, it was great. I was "Tomorrow's Man." The star! They gave me a new shirt. It was soft and clean. I got a real pillow for my bed. The guard even called me "sir"! I felt like a king in a castle. I got my last meal. A huge, greasy pepperoni pizza. All for me! I ate it slow, tasting every bite. I wrote letters. I wrote to Mom. "Don't be sad," I wrote. "I'm fine." That was a lie. I wrote to my little sister. She's having a baby. "Be a good mom," I wrote. "Name him something strong." I felt like a wise man, giving advice. Night came. I wasn't scared. I was special. Morning came. They walked me to the room. It was small and clean. There was a trapdoor. And a rope. That's when my heart started. Boom. Boom. Boom. Like a drum. They put a hood over my head. Black cloth. Then I felt the rope. It was rough. Heavy. They put it around my neck. And I understood. This wasn't special. This was it. The rope was real. The drop was real. Ram was real. I thought of Ram. My friend. We laughed so much. But I was jealous. He had money. I had nothing. We fought. I hit him. I kept hitting him. I left him in a ditch. I took his wallet and bought a beer. I am a monster. I thought of good things, too. I once saved a puppy from the rain. I gave my coat to a shivering old man. I sent my sister money for her books, once. I thought of Mom. Her hands, rough from work. She always waited for me, even when I did bad things. She will be alone now. I thought of my sister’s baby. A boy. He will never know his uncle. And that is a good thing. The floor disappeared. There was a short, dry sound. Then, nothing. No more fear. No more "Tomorrow's Man." In a small house, my mother gets the letter. She holds the clean paper. She cries. In another town, my sister reads her letter. She puts a hand on her belly. She cries, too. And in a clean little room, there is only quiet. The End