What The Heart Wants

The call disconnected as Jackson got into the car to take it to his garage. He pulled out onto the street waiting for a barrage of officers to pull up with their guns drawn, but there was no one waiting for him. He took his time getting back and even wondered about that woman he’d almost hit. He hoped she was okay.

*****

Paula was pissed as she pulled up to her condo. A simple walk to her car left her with torn pantyhose and a broken nail. It would be days before she could get to the salon to have her nail fixed and somehow going through the rest of her work week with the jagged nail seemed unbearable. Stepping into her home, she tossed her keys on the table by the door and flicked the light on. There were pieces of fine art hanging on her walls, along with her degree, and a few pictures of family.

The couch beckoned her as she plopped down and turned some music on to wind down. A deep exhale echoed through the space as she tried to relax and forget about the car almost running her over in the crosswalk. She wanted to call somebody but no one came to mind. Instead, she finished her dinner, showered, and went to bed. Paula tossed and turned all night while images of the mystery car and its driver raced through her mind.

*****

Jackson parked the stolen car behind the warehouse he was using as a chop shop. He walked inside after throwing a tarp over the vehicle. That familiar voice, the one who called him earlier, was bent over the front end of a Maserati. He poked his head up to see who was coming inside.

“You know you have to be more careful,” the man said to Jackson as he walked toward him and the car.

“I know what I’m doing, Nick,” Jackson snapped. “Remember whose shop this is.”

“Yes, yes,” Nick stood up out of the car. “No need to remind me. It’s just that I heard you all over the scanner tonight. What happened to keeping a low profile? You know, no high-speed chases or anything like that?”

Jackson rubbed his low-cut hair with a sigh of frustration. “I know, I know! They came out of nowhere and I was careful. I didn’t trip the alarm. It was a clean start. I just don’t get how they were right on top of me so soon.”

Nick shrugged his shoulders as he went back to work scorching all identifying serial numbers from the car. Jackson paced the shop with the weird sensation that there was a rat in his crew. He would keep that to himself until he had proof, but the feeling was there. His gut rarely misled him. Sitting in his office, Jackson peered out at the space in front of him. He’d come a long way from boosting car parts as a teen on the street. Getting arrested would put a hold on operations and that was a risk he hated having to take. Sometimes he wished that it was a legit shop, but this is the hand he was dealt and this shop was the legacy he’d built.

Nick came into the office. Jackson stared at his childhood friend refusing to believe he was the rat, but the thought still crossed his mind.

“Hey when did the guys leave out of here tonight?” Jackson asked him as he sat down.

Nick rubbed his goatee while his eyes darted around the office. “I think, uh, Julio left after he brought back the Beemer. Tommy headed out just before you picked up the Benz. I’m still here. And Kevin went out for a smoke, should be back in a few to help scratch out the rest of the vins from tonight. Why?”

“Just tossing some ideas around,” Jackson replied. “How long before this shipment is ready?”

“Four hours,” Nick answered with a heavy sigh. “What’s going on here? You know the routine.”

“Yeah I know,” Jackson rubbed his head again. “Just making sure everything’s straight. Let’s just get back to work here. I’m tired. It’s been a long night.”

Nick simply shrugged his shoulders and left the office with Jackson not too far behind him. They had hours of work ahead of them readying the cars they had stolen for the shipment that was to go out the very next morning.

*****

The alarm clock sounded loudly, jolting Paula from her sleep. Her body was sore and her hand ached. Jumping to the asphalt had left her more damaged than she anticipated. She looked at her hand to see the bruise forming. Rolling her eyes and grumbling to herself, she climbed out of bed to get herself ready for work. It was Friday and she’d made up her mind that she was going to do something this weekend. But the first thing she had to do was get through the work day. Her stomach rumbled angrily. She corrected her thinking… the first thing she had to do was get something to eat!

After a few minutes of wavering, she finally decided on a pantsuit that accentuated her hips. Last night’s events all emphasized one thing to her… she needed to go out on a date. Maybe she would talk to one of the lawyers at lunch. The idea of even having Rebecca set her up with someone crossed her mind but quickly faded as she thought of the men Rebecca attached herself to. There wasn’t anything wrong dating men with money, but all of the ones she brought around had a bad attitude. She rolled her eyes imagining that she had to suffer through a night at the opera, but Rebecca had a way of making the most mundane things seem exciting. Maybe she should get her to fix her up with someone.

Paula stopped mulling over the possibilities of a date she didn’t have yet so she would have enough time to get to her favorite diner before work. The same place where she gets her dinners for one was busy when she stepped into the eatery. A warm smile from her regular waitress and a loud hello from the cook behind the window always made Paula feel right at home as she took a seat at the counter and opened up a newspaper.

Paula never bothered to look at the people inside, but sitting in a booth at the far end of the diner were two men, and she’d caught their attention. She could feel their eyes burrowing into her. Most of the time she would dread such attention, but this morning she welcomed it. Her food was ready quicker than she wanted as the waitress sat the container in front of her with a plastic bag. After returning their gaze with a warm smile and subtle wave, she grabbed her food and headed off to work.

*****

“Yo,” Nick chuckled. “Did you see how brown sugar over there smiled at me?”

“Don’t call her that!” Jackson snapped. “And she wasn’t smiling at you! She was looking at me!”

“Oh, so I can’t call her brown sugar cuz I’m white? I know beauty when I see it. I wasn’t insulting her or nothing like that! Besides she ain’t interested in neither one of us. You see the way she was dressed all fancy and sh*t? That kind of woman ain’t got the time of day for no jackers like us,” Nick asserted.

Jackson rolled his eyes. “You don’t know what kind of woman she is. She might like us blue collar working class guys. Every woman in a nice suit ain’t bougie! I bet you if she’d sat there a little longer and I went up to her, she would go out with me.”

“Ha,” Nick scoffed. “You have a better chance of stealing that Toyota in broad daylight before that woman gave you any play!”

“That’s interesting,” Jackson rubbed his chin. “Sounds like a challenge to me.”

“What?” Nick looked around before bending in close to talk some sense into his friend. “Listen bro, I was just playing about that car. We don’t have the time or the space for any extra rides not on our list.”

“Nah, don’t back down now,” Jackson laughed. “You put it out there. If I can grab that ride without getting caught then my chances of getting that fine ass woman who just walked out of here to go out with me is increased significantly. So, why not? Why not put that energy out there?”