A day of freedom, a lifetime of oppression.

Chapter 2 - Virtually Happy

I sat on my bed, hunched over an assortment of mostly-silver metal. I weighed a piece in my hand, its weight a reminder of the gnawing in my stomach that I had endured over lunch for months now.

"Fifteen dollars and sixty cents..." I counted out loud, arranging the coins into small, neat piles. Each pile represented a dollar. Please let me have saved enough, I prayed to no-one in particular.

On my computer screen was the location of the closest Chase-operated Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in the area. According to Google Maps, it was located twenty minutes away by vehicle. I was not sure when ATMs had begun accepting coin deposits but thank God that they had. I had no notes to deposit. My lunch money came in the form of change.

"Thirty-six dollars and twenty cents..." The disorganized pile of metal was growing precariously small. It did not look like I would have enough left over to take the bus. No matter. I would just walk both ways, then.

The closest Chase ATM was located in Walter E. Washington Convention Center, on the corner of 9th Street and N Street, 6 miles away. That was probably two hours each way by foot, give or take.

"Forty-four dollars and ten cents... YES!" I exclaimed, as I arranged the last of the coins into the dollar piles. I needed at least forty-three dollars and ninety-six cents.

I scooped the coins into the backpack I used for school and bolted out the front door, barely remembering to lock it. No one was at home, and although there was not much to steal in the house, it was all my family had.

The sky was slightly overcast, and a few people were on the street. I did not recognize them, and they seemed to be hurrying along the sidewalks. They held umbrellas in their hands. It surprised me that there were people on the street at all. I lived directly opposite a cemetery in a poor neighborhood. People did not pass by this area often.

Not exactly a sunny Sunday late-afternoon, I decided. It looked like I would have to hurry if I did not want to get drenched. I plugged my earpieces in and began walking, my feet falling into tempo with the beat of my favorite Electronic Dance Music track, 'There's Only You' by Above and Beyond.

In the stillness of an empty room
In the face of every settled moon
In everything that comes apart
You rise and fall in my heart

Candy's broadcasts had become a nightly affair. They had given me something to look forward to throughout the day. In the same way I had craved the warmth of my comforter before her, I now craved the flurry of warm-hearted greetings which came my way upon joining her broadcast. Hers, especially. Environments in which my arrival and existence were widely acknowledged were rare.

During the hours of Candy's broadcasts, I would listen and occasionally contribute to the discussions. At times, this was done in the chatbox. At others, she conducted group audio calls. Although I was extremely shy and rarely said much in the audio calls, I particularly enjoyed them. Trudging through the pages of my first novel, it felt like my newfound friends were right there beside me, in my room.

Many repetitions of 'There's Only You' later, Chase's ATM came into view. There was no queue for it, and this gave me an immense sense of relief. I had dreaded people watching the embarrassing spectacle of an autistic schoolboy awkwardly scooping coins from his backpack and plinking them into the coin deposit drawer. I pulled my earpieces out so that I could hear the instructions that the ATM was issuing me. I did not use the ATM often.

The sound of metal on metal rang out loud, breaking the relative silence of a slow Sunday evening. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of raindrops against asphalt was growing louder. When I was done, the ATM spat out a piece of paper. Total balance remaining: forty-four dollars and ten cents.

I slipped the piece of paper into my pocket and turned to head back the way I came. A single raindrop fell on my nose, washing off some of the sweat that had dried up on the way here. The smile on my face stayed.

It was dark by the time I arrived home, drenched to the bone. Shortly after I had left the ATM, it had begun to pour. I had taken off my t-shirt and wrapped it around my earpieces and thrust the bundle deep into my backpack. Then, I had walked for two hours, hunched over my backpack to protect my one prized possession, with nothing but the sound of droplets and the occasional rumble of thunder to punctuate my hurried but cautious footsteps.

My earpieces were the sort that provided noise-cancellation, and they were not cheap. I loved them for how they insulated me from the racket of the world.

Stepping into my front door, I threw my soaking backpack onto the floor and rummaged around for my earpieces. They seemed relatively dry, but I would soon find out if they were dry enough. I plugged them into my mobile phone and the reassuring sounds of 'We're All We Need' by Above and Beyond blasted through the earpieces, strong as ever.

I told you of a place that I had been
It was dark and I was supremely alone
No matter now if the compass fails again
'Cause in your love, I built a home

I heaved a sigh of relief and looked up at the clock hanging on the wall of the living room. Eight twenty-seven p.m. That gave me about half an hour to get showered and ready for Candy's broadcast, which would be starting soon, at nine p.m.

"Eating in my room tonight!", I yelled to my mother, who was still cooking in the kitchen. Then, I ran up the staircase to get cleaned up.

***