Unpopular

I was an unpopular nerd at the University of Maryland. The library was my permanent residence. The staff knew me on a first name basis and I even had a favorite floor. The fourth floor. 

There was a section at the back of the 4th floor where it was relatively quiet. There were tiny rooms that could fit just 2 people at a time. Which was one more than I liked but it worked. That's where I got things done. My GPA should pay homage to that spot.  

One beautiful Saturday morning, my brother and I decided to go to the library together. I showed him my corner of productivity. We were able to secure one of those rooms and stayed for hours though we did more talking than studying. 

I sat by the window while my brother was by the door. I had to frequently turn left towards the door to make eye contact with my brother. In one of those instances, I saw an older man walk past the door. He was peering into the room. I don’t know why I noticed him since many people checked to see if the rooms were already occupied.  

After a few unproductive hours, my brother and I decided to return home. On our way, I suggested we stop to get petrol. I volunteered to pay since he was always driving me around. After we reached the gas station, I looked into my bag to get my wallet. I couldn’t find it. 

I looked under the seats in case it fell out. It didn’t. 
I thought, maybe we left it in the room at the library. My brother was certain we didn’t. But we drove back there anyway. It wasn’t there. 

My adventurous life rotated around the library, classroom and home. In that instance, it was a good thing since we had a small list of places to search. I knew I had my wallet on me when I left home in the morning. So it could only be in the library or the car.  

Earlier during the day, I remembered that there were a few minutes when both my brother and I left the room and went to the first floor to grab something we printed. 

I wondered if that was when someone grabbed my wallet. We couldn’t be sure so we told one of the library staff what happened. They told us to file a report with the campus police. 

This was my first interaction with the police in the US. The cops took my statement. I had to tell them everything that was missing. If I went anywhere else. If I saw anything peculiar. 

I recalled the man that I saw outside the door when talking to my brother. The only reason I found it significant enough to mention was because he was an older man. Not the typical age of college kids. That was it. But the police were very interested in that detail. They asked me to describe the person.  

I had to close my eyes to remember. He was a tall older man. He looked tired. He had a hat on so I couldn’t describe the structure of his head well. I couldn't say much else. But the police said that there were a series of such events on campus. They were happy to get anything that could help. 

I thanked them and left. I was tired. In a few days, the police called me to the station again. They had some pictures they wanted me to look at. At this point, it felt like an episode of law and order. I got to the station and the same cop who took my statement told me that there was some progress in my case. They needed my help to identify the person. I told them that I barely saw anyone. The person I described was from a peripheral vision of someone that looked into the room. He could easily have been a student. But the cops insisted.  

They showed me 8 to 10 images on one page. I took a few minutes to look at the pictures. I had to close my eyes again to recall the man I saw. I then proceeded to point at one person on the page. He was the only one that looked similar. But I reiterated that the man I saw was wearing a hat. The cop thanked me and I left. 

A few days later, the police called me again. They had made an arrest. They even found my wallet on the person they arrested. They returned my wallet with a few items missing but my ID was there so they knew to contact me. Apparently it was the same person I identified. Hearing that petrified me.   

The cops had been looking for this one person. He had seen both me and my brother while planning to execute his robbery. He had my ID with my address on it. And he got arrested after stealing my wallet. I didn’t want him to know that I had identified him. I didn't want to be associated with this case. I was too young to die a revenge death over a silly wallet I barely used. So I decided to stop doing these cops any more favors. I attempted to stay away from them. But I quickly learnt that the law didn’t give me any options. I was reminded that the cops can subpoena me and arrest me for not sharing the fact that my wallet was stolen. I didn’t have the right to claim that I wasn’t robbed at this point. It dawned on me why the ‘don’t snitch’ advice existed. 

But I had no choice. I had to go to court to avoid being arrested. On the day of the hearing, I had to miss school and travel for 2 hours. I had to take 2 buses and the subway to make it to the court. I was spending more time, money and mental energy than I could afford. Both the guy that robbed me and the cops that forced me to show up seemed equally frustrating at this point. 

I arrived on time. My first experience in a courtroom. Looked exactly like the law and order episodes I watched frequently. I sat all the way in the back. I made a concerted effort to get nobody’s attention. When it was time for our case, they brought the defendant to the stand. It was the first time I saw him in person. He looked exhausted but ordinary. He looked thinner and younger than the guy I saw that day. But it was the same guy. I hated him. This person who had turned my peaceful life upside down. I am not sure if he saw me but I avoided making any eye contact with him. Fortunately there were many other people there. 

 In my mind, I was rehearsing what I could say that could keep anyone from getting upset. 
The man that robbed me. 
The cops that were counting on me. 
The judge that seemed rude and impatient. 
The future I was working on building in the US.  

Then the most amazing thing happened. When asked if he pleads guilty or not, the person said guilty. I didn’t understand how that would impact me but things moved quickly at that point. There was nothing for me to do. He had admitted his guilt so I didn’t have to point my finger and expose myself. No question, no cross examination, no eye contact. 

I was done with this mess. I was very happy. 
I realized how much I loved being unpopular. 

Now all I have to worry about is my future. That was very uncomplicated.