A few years ago, a “friend” proposed an illegal business deal to me—a very illegal one; a dangerous one—a very dangerous one; and a harmful one—a very harmful one. I thought about it, weighed it, and pictured it… If everything went well, I’d have a brand-new car from that year—that’s what they offered me.
"The business" was about pretending; I would have to act and behave as if "my friend" was my partner, showering him with affection, distracting him to divert others as well, and above all, making sure he didn't consume any food or drink, making excuses so that others wouldn't suspect.
After all, he would be carrying illegal substances in his stomach and would be in greater danger than I was; my job was to play the role of the lovey-dovey girlfriend so that he would appear happy and above suspicion.
It was a tempting offer at the time; I thought I could sell the car I’d win and use the money to buy a house, or who knows, maybe even settle a good portion of my financial problems.
“My friend” kept insisting, he was a high-performance athlete and told me they’d barely check him at the airport and that, with his credentials, they’d treat him like royalty.
He told me that if things went wrong, only he would be caught since he’d be the one carrying the substances in his stomach; according to him, I wasn’t taking any risks.
I trusted him a lot; he seemed like a very respectful and cultured guy. I could spend hours and hours talking to him, and in the few months I’d known him, he’d never made any inappropriate advances until he proposed that deal to me.
Even though I thought about it, my answer was a resounding no. I don’t think I ever fully trust anyone, and besides, I didn’t want to be complicit in that activity.
We remained friends, seemingly, until I entrusted him with some money because he was supposedly going to receive some laptops at a good price and I needed one. He disappeared with the money and never returned, not even to the gym where he worked out.
A few years later—quite a few, about fifteen. We ran into each other on a bus; he apologized to me, barely able to look me in the eye, and then walked away.
That was a proposal that seemed tempting at that point in my life, but I’m glad I finally said no—I probably would have ended up in prison. Those people have no scruples; they would surely have planted illegal substances in my luggage. Besides, if things had gone “well,” I’d have the guilt today of having contributed to the trafficking of harmful substances; in that sense, I’m in the clear.
Peace of mind is priceless to me; it’s what I value most and what’s most important in my life. Even if they offered me a lot of gold and “easy” material wealth, I’d rather be at peace with myself, calm, without any trouble with the law, and without having to hide. And being at peace with myself also means acting in a way that doesn’t harm others.
