the terrorist who lived in the project
fiction
edward w pritchard
[everyone hates Americans but most of us lead sad little lives]
The
terrorist who lived in the project was planted there by his superiors
under deep cover to learn the lay of the land in an American City for
future vagaries. It was the ideal place to hide, for other than the
local police, no-one took notice of the inhabitants of the projects in
America.
Tu the terrorist was required to lead a
typical American life, for the station of the assignment, and so he took
on the persona and habits of a dweller in a project. He was required to
get a job, and enter the world of the working poor. He also had a slew
of bills and problems for to keep the role authentic, his boss required
him to have the normal American worries and trepidations, caused by
poverty and anxiety over that poverty.
Tu's job was
not a good one and although very intelligent and high functioning he had
difficulty with it. He was an assistant manager at the Dollar Store and
worked over 55 hours per week for minimum wage and no benefits. To
protect his deep cover, Tu's boss required him to keep health
insurance, car insurance, keep his old car repaired and running and
furnish his apartment as typical for a project dweller. Tu found himself
renting furniture from the rent a center, buying a car from the buy
here pay here, and financing various minimum insurance coverages.
Despite his hard work Tu was unable to balance his budget and was in
constant trouble with his supervisor in the terrorist group, who was
unable to understand from afar why his employee Tu, who earned over $442
per week in America was unable to make ends meet. The supervisor came
to believe that Tu had succumbed to the decadence of America and was not
a good terrorist.
One day after a long day at work,
Tu was sitting on a very small porch behind his apartment when the four
year old neighbor girl, who Tu had come to like and look out for came
over to show him the shoes her Mother had just bought her. Tu had to
watch his affiliations in America for secrecy involving his job, but, he
had allowed himself one small friendship; with the child next door, but
not her Mother, a poor single Mother in America. The shoes the girl
showed him were imported of course and were a knock off of an open
heeled sandal commonly worn in Tu's home country. Tu knew the knockoff
shoe to be very popular in America, from his work as an assistant
manager at the dollar store. Properly admiring the shoes for his little
friend, the innocent little girl matter of factly told Tu she liked the
shoes but had settled for the blue pair rather than the girl's pink she
wanted, because the pink were more expensive.
After
that day Tu requested a transfer to another County to do deep cover
work. The real reason for the transfer request; the blue shoes the
little girl had were $1.99 at the dollar store, nearby where he worked,
and the pink shoes, for girls, were more-$2.49.
Tu
told his supervisor only that he could no longer work in America. The
supervisor assumed Tu was feeling guilty for succumbing to the American
decadent lifestyle and the supervisor assumed that Tu was feeling
chagrined for being unable to live on $442 dollars per week.
Americans are hated throughout the world for a variety of reasons. Half of Americans live impoverished lives and should be pitied not scorned.
end
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