The Convertible - Thief of Hearts

I looked around to see if maybe one of the other diners recognized me; fortunately, nobody was paying attention to the television. I quickly paid the cashier and walked across the street to a local drug store, where I bought some sunglasses and a baseball cap. A lame disguise, granted, but it would do for now.

Back at the service station I sat in the waiting room reading a sports magazine so old the main article was about how the Cubs had just won the 2016 World Series. Bored, I began to think about Elena. She wasn't like any other women I'd ever met. She was pretty, but strong. A couple of times when we were making dinner in the kitchen, I'd thought about impulsively kissing her but feared she might punch my lights out.

The non-nonsense way she talked about things let me know this was one very tough woman, but the way she cared for Teddy let me know she was also a very loving one. For the first time in my life, I found I enjoyed being with a woman for something other than sex, which we hadn't had; instead, it was merely for the pleasure of her company. Any thought of stealing the Caprice and being on the run again had vanished. For the first time in years, I was right where I wanted to be, not where I had to be. I liked that feeling.

The car was done at 1:30, so I kept my promise and gave Ray the additional $500. He was one happy mechanic, told me to come back anytime. When I started the car the big 5.0-liter V8 immediately roared to life and purred. Sweet! I drove over to Teddy's school, parked across the street, and waited for him to come out.

Teddy's face lit up when he saw me waiting. He hopped in the car, and we headed for home. We arrived and headed towards the house; thankfully when the geese ran up to us and saw it was their boy Teddy, they turned and waddled away. Elena wasn't in the house, so she was probably collecting eggs from the chicken coop or something.

Once inside, I remembered to ask Teddy about his strange encounter in the school yard. I went upstairs and knocked on his bedroom door; he told me to come in. Taking a seat on his bed, I asked him about the encounter.

"Who was that big kid I saw talking to you after I dropped you off?"

"That was Bryce Newton, a fourth grader. He makes me give him a dollar every day; if I don't, he takes all my lunch money and throws my books down the stairs. He says if I tell on him, he'll beat me up bad."

"Wow, that's not cool. Maybe I can help." I decided to test his reflexes; spotting a bin full of sports equipment sitting in the corner; I reached in and threw Teddy a ball. He caught it easily, then I tossed a second, which he also caught, and a third; surprisingly, he began to juggle!

"Wow, that's pretty good! Who taught you to do that?"

"My Dad did, when I was 6. He was really good at it, he used to even juggle eggs!"

"He was definitely a good teacher. How old are you now, Teddy?" My compliment must have sparked him to show off a little, he increased his speed.

"I'm 8, and I'm in second grade because my birthday's in December." He switched his pattern, tossing one ball and catching it behind his back. This kid was really good!

"How old is the kid who takes your lunch money?"

"Bryce is 10, and a fourth grader. He's way bigger than me, I can't fight him."

I grabbed a ball out of the air to stop his juggling. "Teddy, stop right there." He froze, as if he were going to be punished. "Listen to me, little buddy, fighting is something you don't want to do. Even if you managed to win the fight, you'd get suspended. Plus, if you beat him bad enough you could end up in Juvenile Hall. Take it from me, you do NOT want to go there. Promise me you won't fight!"

"OK, I promise."

"Good man, now there's one more thing I need you to promise me - that you'll never use a weapon of any kind in a fight if you can avoid it. Not a rock, not a bat, not a knife, and never ever a gun, OK? Using a weapon makes things worse if you get caught. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience."

"OK, I guess I can promise that, too. So if you don't think I should fight, what should I do?

Well, you're smart, you've got good dexterity and you're quick, so after he rips you off, you rip him off. I see you have the book 'Oliver Twist' on your bookshelf. You like it?

"Yeah! I like the part where Oliver stood up for himself and asked Mr. Bumble for more food!"

"I liked that story when I was young, but my favorite character was the Jack Dawkins, the Artful Dodger. Because of him, I learned how to pick pockets!" Not entirely true, it was more because Tommy DeLucca's pal Fingers Malone taught me, but I did like the Artful Dodger.

Suddenly, Teddy's eyes were wide with excitement. "Wow, could you teach me?" Now it was my turn to have excited eyes, this would be fun!

"You bet! The next time this jerk takes your lunch money, you get back at him by stealing it back."

Teddy's face took on a serious expression. "What happens if I get back more than he took from me?"

"Keep it! Or give it to another of his other victims if it makes you feel better, but don't tell them where you got it! Like Robin Hood, right?" Teddy's face lit up again, apparently the idea of robbing from the rich and giving to the poor struck a chord with him.

"Sure, Paul!"

Young Teddy was a quick study. I taught him how to watch Bryce and see what pocket the bully put his money in, or if he put it in a backpack. Also, to see if it was just jammed in, or of he stuffed it in a coin purse or wallet. Then I taught him that the best place to make a grab was while Bryce was going up stairs, because people going up stairs are concentrating on not falling and become oblivious to other things.

And I taught him the most important thing, the rules of thieving: Do it quickly, leave quickly, and if things get screwed up, leave more quickly. With pickpocketing, if people are chasing you, throw the wallet down as you run away; people are more interested in getting their stuff back than catching you.

Teddy soaked it all in, and I had him practice on me a few times. He was almost as good of a pickpocket as he was a juggler! Of course, I forgot to tell him the most important thing; 'Don't tell your mother'. I heard her coming up the stairs, and as soon as she walked in the room, this is exactly what he did. Whoops.

I will give Elena credit; she kept her cool in front of him. "That's nice Teddy, we'll talk about it later, now please get ready for supper. Early bedtime tonight, tomorrow's a school day."

"OK, Mom!" He ran down the hall to wash up. I smiled watching him. He was so excited it might take him a while to get to sleep tonight.

Elena looked at me, her eyes smoldering in anger. "Paul, I need to see you in the guest room. NOW!"

I followed her downstairs into my room; Closing the door, I tried to postpone the wrathful blast I could tell was coming "So, how were the chickens tonight?"

It was a piece of misdirection that failed miserably, of course. "The chickens are fucking fine, thank you, now let's talk about what exactly you're teaching my SON!" The heat of that last word almost singed my eyebrows off.

Time to face it head-on. I tried to explain as briefly as I could, "He's never mentioned it to you, but he's being extorted by a bully at his school. I saw it happen when I dropped him off this morning.

He's afraid to snitch, and he's too small to fight. If you go to the Principal, it's not going to do anything but make his life worse. What I was doing was teaching him some survival skills, and at the same time how not to make things worse!" My explanation had zero effect; this now-scary woman was pissed!

Elena rolled her eyes, and angrily retorted, "Paul, goddamit, we're living in the San Joaquin Valley in central California, not the south side of Chicago! Teddy doesn't need those kind of survival skills! My son is NOT a thief! He's not YOU!"

I held my hands up, open palms towards her, as if to ward her off, "Elena, I'm sorry, but that's pure bullshit. No, he's not me, I'll give you that, he's got a loving mother that loves him and doesn't beat him, but bullies are bullies, no matter where. I'm not trying to sound like a hippie here, but that Bryce kid will destroy Teddy's self-esteem if something's not done! I'm just not having it!"

Uh oh. I could tell by the look in her eyes I'd really put my foot in it now. The volume of her voice now rose to that of a space shuttle rocket booster at liftoff, "NOT HAVING IT?!?! Paul, dammit, let's get one thing straight! You're not his father! YOU don't get to decide what's best for him! THAT'S MY JOB!"

She stood there furious, face reddened and her eyes ablaze, almost daring me to continue the fight. Ouch. It was time to face the painful truth; in this fight, I'd just run out of ammunition. I shook my head, holding up my hands in defeat. I responded to her roar with a quiet surrender.

"You're right, Elena. As much as I would like to be, I'm not Teddy's father. Rusty was a good man, I'm not even close. I am so sorry. I promise, I'll leave first thing tomorrow. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed now so I can get an early start."

She walked out of the room and closed the door. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I felt sadness creep over me. I'd been an idiot. As much as I loved staying here with Elena and Teddy, it was time for me to leave. Tomorrow I'd take off early so I wouldn't have to face the kid. I was being selfish, and a coward; I wasn't even brave enough to tell him goodbye. 'Lower than whale shit' is how we used to describe it in Chicago.

As for Elena, I'd be a liar if I said I wouldn't miss her. I liked and admired her. She was strong, she was pretty, she was smart, she smelled good, and the idea of us being together as a couple gave me a warm spot in my heart. Also, truth be told, the idea of us being together in bed together also gave me a warm spot, except about 12 inches south of my heart. But I'd just blown my chances of that happening.

I had to face facts; I could never be the man Elena and Teddy needed. I was a car thief, plain and simple. I didn't know how to do anything else. My bosses were after me, the FBI was looking for me, I had nowhere to go. By now, my little apartment in Chula Vista probably had more Feds than cockroaches crawling in it.

If I went back to Chicago, I'd be a dead man before I crossed the Cook County line. I didn't have much of a choice. I'd run out of options. Once I blew out of here tomorrow, I'd buy another burner and call Agent Workman and turn myself in. It was for the best.

I'd taken off my pants and shirt; wearing just my briefs I got under the covers. Sleep proved elusive; I tossed and turned. The red numerals on the little clock radio showed 11:17pm. Then I heard a tapping at my door, and a soft voice, "Paul, are you awake?"

"Yes," I replied, "I'm just testing my pillow to see which side is coolest."

"May I come in?"

"Sure, it's your house." Elena came in, wearing a modest pink cotton nightgown that went down to her knees, covered by a white cotton robe. Her hair was up in a bun, she wasn't wearing any makeup, and she was barefoot. I thought to myself that no supermodel ever looked better. "Having trouble sleeping?"

She closed the door behind her, then came and sat on the edge of the bed. "Yes, I wanted to apologize. I was a little harsh on you."

I shook my head. "Forget it. I was a dumbshit, I should have known better. You're right, Teddy's not me. He's a better kid than I ever was. I'm really sorry."

"I know, but you meant well; you were just trying to help Teddy. I try hard, but with the farm failing, I can't be everything he needs. And I just realized I haven't thanked you properly for fixing my tractor and hay baler, or for taking Teddy to school, or for the other things you did."

Up close, Elena smelled really good. At that moment I thought to myself, 'Boy, what I wouldn't give to have her sit on my lap for a while'. More wishful thinking on my part. "Elena, you let me stay here for free. I think that's thanks enough."

Then she mentioned, "By the way, I took the Caprice out to pick up some milk, and I noticed it ran way better, much smoother, and the brakes grabbed faster. Then I noticed it's got all new tires. What exactly did you do today while you were out?" She crossed her arms, as if expecting an apology or something. Well, she was out of luck.

"When I was in town, I took it over to the service station and made the car safer for you and Teddy. It was nothing."

"Nothing? Paul, those tires alone cost $500, and I'm sure a tune-up and brake job cost a lot more! Why would you do that?"

I wasn't thinking, I just blurted it out, "That's what you do for people you care about." I stopped, looking at the wall as I realized what just came out of my mouth, and tried to finesse my way out of it, "I mean, you know, I care about Teddy, and you're his mother so I care about you too, right?"

I looked up at Elena. Her gaze was intense, transfixed on me; it was not a happy one. "Is that all I am to you, Paul? Just Teddy's mother, nothing more, you asshole? Maybe it was a mistake coming in here. I think I need to go now."

I sat upright and grabbed her hand. "Elena, no, please, stay." I pulled her to me and kissed her softly, finally revealing what was in my heart, "You're more than just Teddy's mother to me. Out of respect, I've kept my thoughts and feelings to myself, but you're..." Suddenly Elena's arms were around my neck, and she was giving me a kiss that damn near melted the polar icecaps.

Whipping the covers aside, she crawled on the bed and slipped on top of me, "Respect THIS, motherfucker," she whispered. Her robe and nightgown went flying across the room; using her strong arms, she made short work of my shirt and shorts.

Her fingers fondled my balls tenderly, like handling fresh-laid eggs, while she put her mouth around my cock and finished bringing me to full hardness - after she'd taken off her robe, I was well on the way.

Straddling me, she guided my stiff pole into her wet slit. Given how it slipped right in, she must have been pretty excited. As she began to move up and down, I reached up and played with her dark brown nipples, bring them to hardness. As I caressed her chest I murmured, "Your breasts are perfect," as pleasure coursing through me. Every nerve ending in my body was tingling.

Her pelvic muscles were squeezing me like a warm vice, and I could feel my climax building; just as I groaned and felt my release, I felt her body begin to stiffen and then WHAM! She shuddered like a small earthquake; then as her body began to relax, she slipped off my softening cock and slid on top of me so we were face to face, her chest pressed against mine. This was heaven, I was sure of it.

I pulled her face to mine and kissed her, and we both laughed softly. I murmured, "Damn, girl, where did that come from?"

She murmured back, "Baby, if you haven't seen that building up over the last week, you're a fucking blind man. I've been a widow and a single mom for over a year, which means ZERO sex; good-looking single guys haven't exactly been beating a path to my door. Then here you come, you handsome bastard, fixing my tractor and my car and watching over my son. It was all I could do not to throw my panties at you during dinner! How's a lonely girl supposed to resist you?"

I laughed and said, "Thanks for the compliment, but let's not ignore the fact I'm a criminal on the run, and you're doing me a huge favor - not to mention risking prosecution - by allowing me to stay here. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, or like I was taking advantage of you. You're an amazing woman with a smoking hot body; since the day we met, it's taken all my willpower not to take you in my arms and kiss you. You're perfect, Elena, and I'm... not."

Elena sighed, laid her head on my chest, "I always felt self-conscious about my small boobs, but whenever I'd say I wished they were bigger, Rusty would tell me the same thing, that they were perfect. He said he loved me just the way I was, big butt, little tits, foul mouth, and all. I miss him so much."

I kissed the top of her head. "Elena...Rusty wasn't wrong, you know. I haven't known you that long but from what I've seen, you really are perfect. You're smart, you're strong, you're a great mother to Teddy, and you're sexy as fuck."

I stopped for a moment, trying to make sense of what I was feeling. "I have a confession, Elena. you make me feel things I never felt before. This is all new to me. I've never been in love, you know, like in a real relationship. The women I've typically been with have not been women who want to settle down. They're the kind of women that disappear when the money runs out, you get my drift?" She nodded, not judging, and I continued.

"Elena, being with you," I struggled with the words, "...being with you is so different, because it only makes me want to be with you more. You're great, Teddy's great, us just having dinner together is great, it's all so fucking great!" I felt myself getting choked up, but I powered through, "What I'm trying to say is I love us being together but I'm afraid I'll screw it up like I did today with Teddy.

I thought I was doing the right thing, but I ended up doing the wrong thing. I'm really good at fixing motors and stealing cars, but I totally suck at being a boyfriend. Part of me wants to stay with you forever, and part of me wants to run like hell before I mess things up worse. Am I making sense?"

Elena was quiet for a minute, then she sat up. Wrapping herself in the sheet, she took my hands in hers. Her beautiful brown eyes shot straight into me. "Paul, there are some things you need to know. I'm not as perfect as you think I am. I wasn't always the way I am now. I used to be a lot more like you."

I shook my head, "I can't believe that, Elena. How is that even possible?"

She took a deep breath, then told me, "My name used to be Elena Hermosillo. I grew up in East Los Angeles. At 16, I was sentenced to two years in the Camarillo Youth Correctional facility for assault and resisting arrest after I got in a fight with another girl at my high school. This girl made the mistake of attacking me, and I beat that bitch down good; she ended up hospitalized for a few days.

When a police officer showed up to arrest me, I went at her too, but the bitch zapped me with a Taser and they took me away. I was tried in Juvenile court, and got the two-year sentence. After a year in Juvenile detention I'd had enough; through dumb luck I managed to slip out in the back of a garbage truck, just like in the fucking movies. I stole some clothes out of a parked car and headed north, hitchhiking when I could and walking when I had to, until I found this farm and hid in the barn.

At that point I was sick, starving, filthy and exhausted. I had no money; I'd survived by eating thrown-away food out of fast-food trash cans. My period had started so I was using paper napkins, which didn't work so well. I was a real mess.

That's how Rusty Pollard found me. He didn't trust the government or the police, so instead of reporting me to the authorities he cleaned me up, took care of me and nursed me back to health. While I was recuperating, I told him about how I'd been in jail and about how I was abused as a child, so he was always gentle with me, never losing his temper or shouting. He never so much as touched me.

Rusty always treated me gently, like I was a baby bird. As I got better, I fell in love with him but he was clueless; it was me that finally climbed into his bed one night and showed him I loved him. By then I'd turned 18 and he was 42, but I didn't care. He'd proven multiple times that he loved me, so what fucking difference did his age make?

The next morning, he asked me to marry him; a week later we drove down to City Hall and I became Mrs. Elena Pollard. The California Youth Authority seemed to have forgotten all about the escaped juvenile Elena Hermosillo.