THE TEMPTATION OF EASY MONEY
1035 Words
Leon sat on a bench at the corner of 147th and Lenox, staring at his phone. Darnell’s message was still on the screen.
“You coming or what?”
The cold air cut through his hoodie, but he barely felt it. His mind was elsewhere—on his mother’s frail body, on Kia’s tired eyes, on the stack of overdue bills sitting on his nightstand back at his apartment.
For years, he had fought to stay clean, to avoid slipping back into the life he had barely escaped. But now? Now, he wasn’t so sure he could afford to keep resisting.
With a deep breath, he typed out a response.
“Where you at?”
A reply came almost instantly.
“Same spot. Pull up.”
Leon exhaled, shaking his head at himself, then stood and started walking.
---
The Offer
Twenty minutes later, Leon stepped into the backroom of a small barbershop on 155th. The shop was technically closed for the night, but Darnell had keys—he always had keys.
Inside, Darnell was lounging in a barber’s chair, casually scrolling through his phone. A thick cloud of smoke lingered in the air, the scent of weed mixing with the faint odor of aftershave.
Darnell grinned when he saw Leon. “Knew you’d show.”
Leon stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets. “What you got?”
Darnell sat up, cracking his knuckles. “Straight to business. I like that.” He gestured to a small duffel bag on the counter. “We movin’ product, simple s**t. Nothin’ heavy. Just some weed, some pills. s**t that don’t get you years if you get caught.”
Leon’s stomach tightened. “I ain’t tryin’ to end up locked up, D.”
Darnell smirked. “Ain’t nobody gettin’ locked up. Not if you play it smart.”
Leon glanced at the duffel bag. He had done this before—moved small amounts, kept his hands clean. But the streets were different now. The cops were smarter, the charges heavier, and the consequences realer.
“You in or not?” Darnell pressed.
Leon hesitated. The money would help. A few quick drops, and he could finally pay off the bills, maybe even get his mother into a better doctor’s office.
But at what cost?
He thought about Kia’s warning. Ma ain’t ever gonna want you to throw away everything you worked for.
He thought about his mother’s frail hands.
And then he thought about the eviction notice he had torn up last week.
“I’m in,” Leon muttered.
Darnell grinned and tossed him the duffel. “That’s my guy.”
---
The First Drop
The first job was easy. Too easy.
Leon met a kid named Rico outside a sneaker shop on 125th. Young dude, maybe 19, dressed in designer from head to toe, even though Leon knew damn well he didn’t have a job.
Rico nodded when he saw Leon and extended a fist. “D said you was comin’.”
Leon kept it short. “You got the money?”
Rico smirked, pulled out a wad of cash, and handed it over. In exchange, Leon passed him a small plastic bag, barely bigger than a candy wrapper.
“No funny s**t, right?” Leon asked.
Rico laughed. “Ain’t nothin’ funny, big homie. We good.”
And just like that, it was over. Leon walked away, his hoodie pulled low, the cash burning a hole in his pocket.
This was too easy.
---
The Reality Check
The next morning, Leon woke up feeling uneasy. The money from last night sat on his nightstand—$600 for a two-minute exchange. More than he made in a week at the bodega.
But he didn’t feel good about it.
He walked to the kitchen, where Kia was making coffee. She glanced at him, her eyes suspicious.
“You was out late,” she said.
Leon shrugged. “Had some things to handle.”
Kia’s stare hardened. “What kind of things?”
He hesitated. “Just some side work.”
She didn’t say anything, but her eyes told him she knew exactly what kind of “side work” he meant.
“Leon…” Her voice softened. “Please tell me you ain’t back in that life.”
Leon clenched his jaw. “I ain’t got a choice, Kia.”
“Yes, you do.”
He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. “Ma needs help. You need help. I can’t do this broke.”
Kia stepped closer, her voice firm. “You think Ma would want this? You think she’d want to know her son out here riskin’ everything?”
Leon looked away.
Kia sighed. “You always act like it’s all on you. Like I ain’t out here tryin’ too.”
He looked at her, guilt creeping into his chest. He knew she was doing her best—picking up extra shifts at the diner, skipping class just to take care of their mother.
But it still didn’t feel like enough.
“I just… I don’t know what else to do,” Leon admitted, his voice quieter now.
Kia’s expression softened. “You keep goin’ the way you goin’, you gonna end up either locked up or worse. And then what? Who’s gonna take care of Ma? Who’s gonna look out for me?”
Leon swallowed hard.
“I know it’s hard,” Kia continued. “But we ain’t never needed dirty money before. We ain’t startin’ now.”
Leon looked at the money on the counter, then back at Kia.
She was right.
But was he strong enough to walk away?
---
The Decision
That night, Leon sat in his darkened apartment, staring at his phone.
Darnell’s name was at the top of his messages.
He could text him back. Keep running the game. Stack some quick cash.
Or he could cut ties now before it was too late.
His phone buzzed.
Darnell: “Got another drop. You down?”
Leon closed his eyes. His mother’s weak smile. Kia’s tired voice. The weight of responsibility pressing down on him.
He exhaled sharply.
And then, with a heavy heart, he made his choice.
- Writer
