No Good Deed

Drive by Blissville on a weekday, and all the shops hum with activity. No stranger could discern Saleem's shop from any another. The lifts are full, the sidewalks are lined with cars and impatient drivers stand on the corners while they wait for their repairs.

I let the little pleasures of the neighborhood fill my days. I stopped thinking about Saleem. I think I trusted he would be fine.

Tonight I learned that Saleem has not been able to raise the bail money. Some of his friends have tried, culling together what they have, $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 in cash towards his release.

But the investigators just push the money away. "How did you get so much cash?" they ask. "What is your name?" And then they open up a new a file.

Meanwhile, ordinary life continues on every corner. As my beloved Tito reminds me, Blissville is more than one man's crimes.