We Were Here

After agreeing to accompany Mong and Rondell in the group home escape, Miguel decides to provide the trio with spending money. He does so by stealing $750 in cash from the office of Jaden, the group-home counselor.

Remote and emotionally withdrawn throughout his group-home stay prior to the escape, Miguel uncharacteristically challenges Jaden to a game of foosball on the evening prior to absconding. Jaden is gratified by the invitation; he appears to believe that he has finally made headway in helping Miguel to relate to others. The narrator’s incentive in doing so is to have the opportunity to steal the keys to the file cabinet where he had seen Jaden store the cash while the pair were having a counselling session in the office. Keen and analytical, he realizes that Jaden never removes the keys from his belt unless he is playing foosball with the residents; therefore, he decides to challenge the young man to a game and surreptitiously removes the keys while the counselor is distracted. Although Miguel is pragmatic enough to feel justified in stealing the cash, he feels that Jaden tries “way too hard” (70) and feels sorry for him.