Inhale, exhale, and hide behind this box. Peer over the edge. It`ll be okay, she doesn`t know you`re following her.
The girl stopped and turned around. I watched her short blonde hair twirl with her body movements. She clutched her purse tighter – undoubtedly unnerved by the dark street corner in a strange new city.
This morning, she woke up peacefully and ate her breakfast in absolute silence. She dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. The unruly mess her hair woke up to was spun and twisted into a bun, which was unspun during her late lunch date with her friend. After that, she went to work the dinner shift at a small diner. The place was a 24-hour joint, so her shift release was set around midnight.
I shifted my body weight to prevent my legs from freezing, and then I slowly got back to moving after her. She walked across the street and used her key to enter the shady apartment complex. I entered in the same fashion and took the stairs to the third floor.
The girl was so ordinary, I don`t understand my assignment. An envelope was slipped under my apartment door the other day. It told me a name and the time to finish it by. Also included was a picture of her working in the diner and the address I was to move into to learn more about her. I suppose it made sense, live below the person to learn their schedule more. I`ve been following her for two days. She is completely ordinary. Why does Roxanne have to die?
The next morning, Roxanne woke up at her usual time and took approximately ten minutes to shower. Her front door closed at 9:20am. Today was Saturday, which meant she was going to Wal-Mart. Roxanne boarded the elevator as I walked out of my door. The elevator was slow, so by the time it reached the lobby, I was already outside.
I idled in the parking lot, waiting for her to select her route. She turned left and walked the seven blocks. I selected the right route, which was three blocks shorter. I should have followed Roxanne closer, which was obvious by the second block. The shorter block passed a Polish delicatessen. It smelled of rotting meat. A sign announced it was under new management. I was almost tempted to ironically congratulate the German man for his purchase. Either way, I made it to the shop before Roxanne. She was turning the last corner. I picked up a basket and dawdled next to the day-old cupcakes. I grabbed a thing of seasonal cupcakes. She passed me with a basket and went straight to the organic section. From that section, she plucks a yellow tin box of Earl Grey tea. Roxanne then zig-zags through the cereal aisle and selects the cheapest box – Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I knocked a box of Cap`n Crunch, not really paying attention to the food.
She stopped and tapped her foot, debating whether to buy a box of macaroni and cheese. I stood still for a moment, she`s never shown interest in highly processed food before. Perhaps it is just a craving. I still took note, just like he taught me. I followed Roxanne for thirty more minutes.
In addition to the items already in her basket, she also purchased a package of three romaine lettuce hearts, two semi-ripe avocados, a gallon of certified-organic pulp-free orange juice and as she was standing in the self-checkout line, Roxanne scanned a package of Trident gum. I stood next to her, scanning my randomly selected items. I ended up buying cereal, cupcakes, chocolate milk and several apples. Her total rang up to $17.75 – after she used three coupons. It took her about two minutes to pull out $18 from her purse. Most of her money was crumpled singles. She left with her groceries in a plastic bag. I followed her back home, taking the longer route with her this time. I let her stay in a large lead, even with all these people around, I don`t want her to get suspicious.