Death of a Good Man

Florentino gazed at himself through the bathroom mirror. A mournful look covered his face, he was mourning his life. He looked at his eyes blue and naturally pure. He remembered how his mom always used to comment on how his eyes were beautiful.

I'm never going to see my family again, am I? He thought to himself.

See before all of this Florentino was the richest man in the world or he would have been if he hadn't given 99% of it all away to various charities. He was famous across the globe for the wonderful things he did to help the less fortunate. He started off as an aspiring journalist but the writing and care he put into his stories soon led him to be the founder of the biggest online journal in the world. You could not go a day without hearing about something else that Florentino had done. He was an angel in the eyes of virtually everyone. That is until the court wanted him to testify about a recent series of articles his company had done about a drug cartel in New York. Florentino decided not to go for it was against his journalistic integrity. So they put him in jail.

Florentino decided it was time to go back to work maybe that would distract him from his thoughts. His job was to wash dishes after breakfast and dinner. It was after dinner now most of the other inmates were asleep.Florentino walked out of the bathroom and started going to the kitchen

“Yo Tino where you been? We ain't got time for you to be slacking off like this homie. So pick up your ass and start moving! Bellowed a voice from the kitchen.

That voice belonged to his boss and bunkmate Sani but everyone called him Sandman. People called him that because he would always kill his victims in his sleep. Florentino believed that he was a nice guy once you got to know him.

“Just because you were a rich guy out there ain't mean you a rich guy up in here,” Sandman said

“Yes sir I understand I will try to work harder and better” Florentino responded

“You ain't gotta be all professional about is just stop slacking and actually do something”

Florentino picked up the first dish and started washing it. Sandman was the only one in the whole prison who was nice to him. Everyone else saw him as some rich kid who knew nothing about the real world who was too prideful and dumb to stay out of jail. In the month that Florentino had only gotten shoves and weird stares by the other inmates except for Sandman. He thought that Sani was only friends with him because of his fame outside but Florentino would take whatever he could get.

What will I do when I get out of here? Will I get out of here? If I do will I be the same?” Florentino, He thought these thoughts to himself often. He may have looked calm on the outside but secretly Florentino was terrified of the monster prison could turn him into.

“Yo Tino the hell you think your doin ya little punk?!”

Deep in thought, Florentino hadn't realized he had accidentally splashed another inmate with some hot water. He immediately put the pot down and started to back away.

“S-sorry I didn't mean to-”

“Like hell, you ain't mean to do nothin!” the other inmate responded stepping closer to him “You probably think you better than us don't you rich boy?” he said as he gave Florentino a shove causing him to fall to the ground. Sandman soon came to break up the conflict.

“Take a walk both of Y'all,” Sandman said but as Florentino was walking away Sani grabbed him and whispered

“I don’t know what's wrong with you today Tino but you better fix it” He let go of Florentino and walked away. Florentino went back to his cell where he sat and thought about things.

I'm useless here, aren't I? Of course, you are! The only reason you were a good person was because of your money! But look at you now as useless as you'll ever be.

Pathetic.

Florentino decided to brush off these thoughts by going to sleep for the night. Sandman wouldn't care that he was asleep Sani could obviously see that something was wrong with Florentino. The next day Florentino woke up at his usual time. Whenever the bell to wake up would sound. Its prison come on. He went through his usual routine washed up ate breakfast then did the dishes. After the dishes, it was recess time. Florentino usually sat alone during recess but on this particular day, it was different. There were a whole bunch of inmates in a circle with two in the center

“Is that Sandman oh heads totally gonna get his ass beat” Said on inmate”

“Nah nah nah Crow got the short end this time my money's on Sand.” Another inmate responded. It was a fight between the two strongest inmates. Crow and Sandman. Florentino rushed to the circle. Not wanting not see his only friend put in solitary confinement Florentino yelled

“Sand! Don't do it it's not worth it they'll