Jose grabbed Alice's arm and pulled her back as she stared at the man, mouth ajar. He had black hair tucked behind his ears, with crazy strands over his forehead; a messy and uneven beard over his chin. His eyes blinked slowly, and he held the shiny thing carelessly. His wrist swung around everywhere.
Jose's mom, a beautiful Mexican immigrant of the 80s. She had curly black hair and, on occasions, would wear a white tank top with a cigarette as an accessory. Today, she had worn a skirt and high boots that stomped with anger. She held a pan between her fingers, not a lighter.
“You better set that the fuck down Antone! Put that the fuck down or I'll kill your shit ass!” Her red lips moved furiously in a different language. The man only responded with a cocky, unaware smile.
He pointed the gun towards Alice and Jose. He tried to pull Alice behind the tree, he kept whispering, “Allie, come on, come on, Allie.”
He shot the gun right as she attacked him. Jose's mom jumped on top Of the man, bringing his body to the ground. But like any man disoriented as he, aim wasn't on his side. He would've hit the dirt.
Alice hadn't realized anything was wrong. She didn't notice the blood dripping down her neck and shoulder - staining her new shirt from mama. All she knew was the frightened look on Auntie rushing over to her with worried eyebrows and tears streaming down her face.
She'd hurried her back into the house, and rushed her onto the kitchen counter. She ran to the sink and hurried to the bathroom, where she came back with weird bottles with various scribbled labels.
She held a towel to the side of her head and applied way too many ointments.
In the end, Alice had several gauzes taped to her ear, while Auntie squeezed lemons into a pitcher. They sat in the steel chairs with green padding.
Jose had one of those worried little kid looks on his face. He kept on looking at her head.
Auntie placed two fresh glasses of lemonade on the table, wiping her hands on the towel over her shoulder and sitting down, never letting her eyes off Alice.
Alice doesn't remember much of what happened after that, she just knew mama never let her play with Jose again. She said the bad side of town wasn't for a girl like Alice.
Alice learned a long time after that, that Auntie and her husband, who was in jail, sold drugs. That was a client, high off of some powder.
She got arrested and Jose went into foster care. She never thought she'd talk to him ever again.
“How are you?” He spoke, as if some past regret filled Him.
“Good,” she sighed. “And you?”
“Good, good. Hey, Alice?”
“Yes?” She replied, an old nostalgia washing over her heart.
“Coffee?” He asked. Alice couldn't help but smile.
“I prefer walks.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.”
YOU ARE READING
The Thieves Of Our Time
Romance[a story of crime and the grief that caused it] Alice is rich, and her father has made sure of that. After a horrible fight with him, though, she drives away to her safe spot - an abandoned building on the questionable side of town. There, Alice ne...
