He laughed, but it was forced. “That’s all up to you. Why don’t we practice a bit?”
After a couple perfect picks, I decided it was time to let him mentor me. He pointed out a small group of tourists sitting at an outside table at McDonalds. They were talking and laughing. I noticed that one woman kept glancing down at her phone as if she were waiting for someone to call or text. I figured Kamal would see that I was making a rookie mistake and stop me before I went in for the kill. I moved in that direction, and just as I expected, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to the side of the building.
“You can’t just walk right up to take something without first making sure the owner is engrossed in something else.”
“But how do you know? I thought she was distracted.”
“Distracted is not the same as engrossed. It’s something you just start to recognize and get a feel for as time goes on. If you aren’t sure, then leave it. She kept taking quick glances at her phone. Couldn’t you see that?” His smile was full of tension. Strange. It was like he was trying to hide his anger from me. Dark shadows lingered in his eyes.
I thought it was time to lighten the mood and crack a joke, but I had nothing, so I smiled instead.
Like he knew I was searching for levity, he said, “You know, you need to take this seriously.” His eyes narrowed and they fixed on me, cold as stone. He stepped closer, the storms in his eyes making them appear almost black. “This is the way I make my living, Eva, and if you can’t respect it, I don’t know if we can work together.”
I let my cheeks flame hot. “I’m sorry, Kamal.” I reached out for his arm. He yanked it away. My hand hung out there for a bit while I talked until it slowly fell to my side.
The anger physically left his face but something like fear remained. “It’s okay. I get crazy with people who think what we do is easy or a joke. It’s hard work and it’s the only way I have to earn a living.” His sincerity rolled over me in waves. He spoke like he had some noble profession. There had to be something behind that conviction.
Suddenly I felt a little bad for everything I’d thought and said about pickpockets. I’d forgotten they were people with feelings just doing what they considered their job. I bet almost none of them chose this line of work because they thought it was a good career move. Desperation caused people to do desperate things. They had to eat and have a place to stay. Perhaps they believed the end result justified the means. It still had to stop.
“Fine. No more teasing.” I wondered if the fear I’d seen in him was due to his boss and what that boss would do to him if he got caught because of me. I noticed the shimmer of the scar on his left cheek. I wondered if he got that scar from doing something wrong.
“You know, you really are lucky.” His face had a serious, pleased look. “You’re quite the lucky find.”
I gave him a questioning look. I’d just messed up. “Present example excluded?”
He chuckled. “You just have a way about you. I can tell you’ll get it fast.”
I smiled, not sure how to respond. I didn’t want him to think I was too good to be true. I couldn’t have him suspect me of anything. “You sure know how to charm a girl.”
He chuckled. So did I.
“Hey, you know, I…uh, I skate a little, too,” I said, shyly. It would be great to find a few more opportunities to interact with Kamal.
“Really? You should join us at the fountain sometime. We’re there pretty much every night.” He smiled warmly.
“Thanks, I’d like that, but I’ll warn you that I’m not very good.”
He looked over the crowds, and I noticed sweat beading up along his brow. The sun shone hot on my exposed skin, and as I breathed in, I couldn’t help but notice how the humid air felt thick in my lungs. “Want to get a drink?”
He checked his watch. “Sure, I’ve got twenty minutes before I need to head out.”
I grabbed a bottled lemonade, and he grabbed a Coke from a panini vendor just down the walkway from McDonalds. We sat on a small grassy hill that had a big maple tree at the top, giving us some shade, and twisted the caps open on our drinks. Busy people walked by, not paying us any attention, but Kamal’s eyes didn’t miss a single one. The next thing I knew, Kamal’s Coke dropped out of his hand, and he took off down the street. I stood up. “Kamal?” I shouted, but he kept running. So I ran after him, my lemonade in my hand.
He was fast, and I had to really push it not to lose him in the crowds. He took a quick corner off the main walkway, and I followed. He turned again at the edge of a building, and I sped up but stopped abruptly as a terrible scene appeared before me. Kamal had a knife at a boy’s throat. I backed up and slid partially behind the stucco wall and a small dumpster. I looked behind me, no one was in the alley, and I slid further behind the dumpster so I wouldn’t be spotted by passersby, but still had full view of the scene in front of me. The boy Kamal had a hold of couldn’t have been older than fourteen. He still hadn’t experienced
