What No One Sees

The night before

I jumped from the wall to the floor when light from cop´s lantern reached me. Wearing all black helped me to camouflaged with the night and the shadows at streets. Sadly, it hadn´t been enough to make me unspotted when I robbed that burglar, police were also watching him and it was too late for they were also coming after me. They thought they could pinch me, but I was faster. They might have spotted me tonight as some other times that have happened, but they couldn´t know who I was. My hood won´t allow it and my blue scarf hid my nose and mouth. No one knew my face.

            Four patrols stopped to pinch me, but I evaded all of them with simple movements. They were too slow. If I carry on the way I´ve been, I still could buy dinner for my brother.  I turned left to a darker street when something, better said someone, knocked me down. I felt as if I couldn´t breathe when my back collided with the floor. Still I didn´t show it. Getting up as fast as I could, I face the person who did this. It was a woman, young she seemed, perhaps a bit older than me, or even my age. A cop, not in a uniform but with a vest and a badge.

            “Don´t move” she orders. Her brown eyes are too tender for a cop.

Move and run is exactly my intention, and I carry on, until she grabs my arm and tries to refrain me. Perhaps she´s no tender anymore. A kick to the back of my knee makes me kneel and her knee comes to my shoulder. I stop her lying backwards and rolling over to gain some distance. Sound of footsteps approaching makes bumps adrenaline trough my body making me understand that I need to leave as soon as possible. Another cop reaches us and tries to fetch me, I resist and fight him off. Forgetting about the woman.  When he´s out for the count, I run towards a building with balconies. My way out. I cautiously slide between wheelie bins and climb to the nearest wall.

            “Hey!” the woman screams at me, but I won´t lose more time here. I must go.

 I listen another voice at the entrance of the street saying something at the woman before I listen her whisper “wait”.

There´s a shot. The wood under my foot gives in and my hand slippers. I hit against several tubes before colliding with the pavement. I don´t want to even try breathing because I know it will hurt. I don´t even want to move a muscle. It´s been many years since the last time I fell form a height like that…

“Can you walk?”  I remain silence thinking furiously how I can reach my motorcycle without being arrested. Her steps get closer to me. Before she can approach any further, I stand, and biting my tongue not to make a sound, I ran after pushing her.

            I was reaching my apartment almost an hour later.

The door was opened before I could knock on it.

            “I thought you´d arrive earlier. What happened to you?” That was my little brother, Benjamin. For being a twelve year old human, he was quite mature, although his face was still changing from the one of a boy to a young lad.  I caressed his messy brown hair passing by his side and leaving the food by the table.

            “I bought your favourite.” I said tumbling face first onto the sofa. “Is your homework done?”

            “Aye, all of it. You know I do. Thank you for the dinner Lena, still you didn´t say. What happened to you?”

            “I´m all right, don´t worry. I fell from a wall; my back only hurts a bit.”

            “You don´t seem to be that bad, but I´m still calling Ann.”

“Don´t do that. Surely she´s busy…”

Ben gets up and exit´s our apartment with his phone in hand. I only bough it to him because I´m normally worried and try to know where he is or if he´s all right. My mind drifts back to the events of that night, not really paying attention to the burglar who I´ve stolen from, but t o the brown eyes woman who almost pinches me. I must have slept few minutes later because I´m awaken by the sound of our door closing and the steps of a light person. Our friend and neighbour, Ann Woods.

“What happened this time?” she asks, setting her first aid kit by the floor and sitting in a small free place where I´m not lying over the sofa. It´s not big deal, I prefer for her not to see me like this, but I´m exhausted and don´t want to move. So I mumble a response lying upside down. 

“I fell from a wall” Ann lifts my shirt a bit and accidentally touches a bruised zone. I tense holding my breath. I´m not looking at her, but I can sense her surprise. She leaves my shirt slowly and turns to my brother.

“Ben, why don’t you finish that in your room?” she tells him. Ben obeys, standing from the table and lifting his plate. Before reaching his room, he approaches, kneels and hugs me by the neck giving me a kiss on the cheek. I pet his messy hair.

“Goon night, Lena” 

“Night night, lion” He closes the door behind him.

“Have you tended these?” Ann asks about the bruises on my back.

“There was no need, until now…”

“What really happened?” she asks lifting my shirt again and reaching for something form the kit.

“I robbed a burglar but I didn´t know he was being watched by police, and they decided to act right then. They saw me too, while they pinched him, so I ran away. While doing so, I fell from a balcony. May have bumped against some things on the way down.” Ann applied something fresh on my back and I started to relax before she rubbed something of the same stuff over my right temple. Ann and I knew each other from our first years in elementary school, was only a couple of years older than me. She was brilliant and wanted to have her own company but, life had different plans for her in future. Now she runs a pub with a scenario where some girls from the End work. She lives per day, but still worries for her employees.

“Who was him?” she wondered.

“According to his wallet, Mark Ferguson…”

“Lena, you can´t keep robbing mayor criminals pretending you don´t know who they are! You´re not immortal. Though, that man is one of the worsts. He tried to rise the ´fee´ to the girls once…” several criminals tried to rob them arguing land right.

“Well then, check my backpack. There´s an inner compartment with some queens for you and the girls.” Aye, I robbed to every criminal I could face by night. And tried to save every pound for a better future, for my brother and I. But there was always a pert I tried to keep for others who needed. Ann had run out of money for her rent once or twice, a friend of ours ended without a needed medication…there was always someone who might needed it more desperately than us.  

“I believe you´ll be fine for the rest of the night, just don’t sleep face up. I would avoid my night adventures tomorrow if I were you.” she said to me.

“I think I will. Thanks Ann. I´m sorry for taking some of your resting time”

“Never mind. Only, remember that your brother and I want you in one piece. Sleep well Lena.”

She closes the door and I don´t bother in trying to go to bed. I stay at the sofa and relax, trying to sleep. I didn´t took me long.

When I wake up, Ben has already left for school. I like to take him myself, but my sympathetic brother had overpassed my thinking and did what could to help me rest.  My watch read 9:15. My turn at the café started at ten. So, despite the pain in my back I needed to work; after having a bath and two aspirins, I ran to get my motorcycle. I can´t afford to be late again.  

            The local was nicely decorated and matched the area´s architecture. Medium size windows framed by light brown wood, a door with equal design and a nice matching furniture by the inside. I parked behind and entered by a side door. Two of my work mates where at the counter. “Morning” I greeted while taking off my helmet and keeping it under the counter´s shelve. Helen nodded to my greeting while steaming a cappuccino, Jane passed me my apron.

            “You managed to arrive” she teased. I smiled and started to work.

Fifteen minutes and ten orders have passed when I spot two women entering the café. They were regular customers. The ones who tend to order the same every time and, for what I´ve always guessed, nearby workers. Though they have been by the place several times, and despite my good memory, I was only able to remember the order of the shorter woman… I couldn’t register when they approached, greeted or ordered. When I noticed I´ve delivered their beverages and they were getting a table.

            “You should take her a picture” Jane whispers at me and Helen chuckles.

            “Oy, hush. That would be rude from me…”

            “Still, you can´t keep on daydreaming every time they come here. She´d notice sooner or later” she said. I was still lost on the brown eyes of the shorter woman, admiring the way she moved her hands and talked when Jane dragged me out of my thoughts.

            “What happened to you?” she said pointing to my scraped temple and my reddened knuckles.

            “I fell from my motorcycle” Lying was not something I like, but not many knew my night activities through the city. And I was sure it was better to keep it that way.

            “Sure you´re all right? You´re lucky the boss hasn´t seen you like this.” commented Helen.

            “Wait.  Jimmy is here?” It didn´t take long for my question to be answered because I heard Jimmy´s voice behind me.

            “I decided I´d make a small apparition to see how you were doing. Seems that everything is under control.” I pay no attention to what he said because the shorter woman with nice brown eyes approached the counter and took extra napkins. Admiring her, lost in my thoughts, a strange idea appears in my mind… She can´t be, it´s not possible.

“Lena! What is it with you?!” Jim raised his voice by my side. He scared me, I blinked and turned to him. I believe she did too.  “But…What happened to you?”

            “I fell from my motorcycle…”

            “Oy…Lena, but look at your hands, “ he denied with his head. “you´re not presentable like this. What would the costumers say about us?!...”

            I started to fear for the worst. “Please, Jimmy. I need this job.” I wasn´t sure if he was thinking in firing me but the short costumer interrupted us.

            “I´m sorry. I know this is probably not my business, but I believe most of us costumers who come here, do it because we enjoy the coffee, the place and it´s service…” she said that looking at my partners and lastly at me. “I´m sure, your employees do their best effort to fulfil their job.”  

            “Well, “said Jimmy “I appreciate your opinion about this café miss…”

            “Whitlock. Jill Whitlock” she answered.

            “Miss Whitlock. And I do believe my employees do their best. Still, I can´t allow people to see my barista in this state…” he turned to me for the end of his sentence. “You should rest at least, for the visible injuries to fade. I don´t want you scaring our clients.” He turned around and left. “I assume you´ve got tomorrow off” commented Helen. I only shrugged in response and saw how Jill Whitlock approached her table before heading to the main door with her companion. By my side, Jane motion me to approach her. I walked rapidly towards our client.

            “Wait, Miss Whitlock!” she barely turned to look at me, her companion non bothering in doing so and walking ahead of her.

            “Sorry, something came up. I must go.” And just like that she dismissed me. When she was by the corner of the street answering her phone and reaching the other woman, I whispered a “Right…” that was only for myself to hear.

Next hours of my shift were calm, and the less costumers appeared by the entrance the more I was craving for leaving to see my brother. I love my job, but when our parents died, I understood that the best investment I could do with my time was to spend it with my brother, and he became my priority. Ann knew us long before that happened and she always tried to support us, even when her own plans didn´t work as she expected. There were few people who I trusted; with no doubt, Ann was one of them. But sadly, it mattered not how few clients entered at evening, I couldn´t leave without ending my shift. And I´d agreed with Helen that I´ll cover her since last week. There for, here I am and I can´t move. Changing the music to something less slower, I hear the bell of the main door when opening. Must be another client,I think when turning at the door. But I freeze at my place, because the client at the door is the woman from this morning. I wanted to thank her earlier. But now I remember my previous thoughts about her…

            “Hey, were you closing?” she asks approaching the counter. I denied immediately.

            “No, not at all. There´s still time for a coffee or two before that. Go ahead. What would you like?” I asked casually, not giving a sign of all the feelings I´m hiding inside. Seeing her here makes my waiting happier. Because yes, it´s true that she´s caught my eye for a while; yet, I´m starting to believe she might be the woman from…

            “I´m sorry for this morning´s hurry. But I had an emergency at work and couldn´t delay. ”  she excuses herself.

            “Don´t worry, those things are inevitable. I´m glad you decided to come back, you left your coffee unfinished”

            “You´re right. Could you make me a Latte?”

            “You don´t have to ask. It´s working.”

There were not many costumers besides she and I, by the time I had her coffee ready, she raised from the nearer table she´d chose, but I was already midway there.

            “You didn´t have to reach the table. I have to pay at the counter anyway.” I denied.

            “It´s not necessary. You helped me earlier with my boss. This one is on the house.” 

She tries to refuse, but I didn´t accept it. Despite the fact ´used to remain calm and controlling myself, I ´m practically gaping at her…. Until I saw her eyes. Those brown eyes…I composed myself and guarded my posture once more.

            “You said you had an emergency at job earlier. Sorry but I´m curious, what do you do for a living?” I ask casually.   

            “I´m a police officer. Well, a detective, actually.” I try to hide my surprise. I was right! She is the woman who almost pinched me in my hurry last night.

            “Detective? That´s amazing. Surely you´re the best at the business” my eyes venture to meet hers trying to read her thoughts. But even when seeing mine, she didn´t seem to link me with yesterday´s events. I relax, for now.

            “So, you work here every day or, is there some other activity that steals your time?” she asks.

            “Most of my days go by working here since midday, but I´m a frequent guest as a musician for a restaurant by the Thames. Some evenings there earns me more than two days here. And there´s my little brother whom I take care of daily.”

            “It must be nice for him knowing you look after him…” Somehow, we manage to talk about things and likes of ourselves without making it too personal or intrusive. She confessed to have a brother, an older one who even now when she´s grown up, manages to keep an eye over her for any necessity she might have. That her mother had write a book about cooking and her father had a wood fabric that distributed it to many cities outside this one. Time passed without us noticing it until my phone beeps receiving a message from my brother wondering where I am.

            “I´m sorry, but I do need to start closing now…”

            “I understand, don´t worry.”

We continue talking while I grab my stuff from the counter, for everything was in its right place and I had cleaned the tables way before the time hit. I kept the copy of my keys in my jacket after closing the door when she added.

            “I really enjoyed our talk. Thank you again for the coffee.”

            “Don´t mention it. It´s my pleasure. It´s sign of my gratitude for your attention with me this morning, and as an invitation, with hope for you to keep coming here. I hope, if your job and time allows it, I hope we could do this, some other day…” I fear to have overstepped, but my mind remembered Jane words of encouragement to ask Jill out… The cup at her hand stopped midway to her mouth before giving it a sip and nodding.

            “I´d like that, Lena. I´d like to talk and know more about you.” My nervousness abandons me and I manage to give her half smile.

            “See you here, tomorrow?” I nod and she smiles seeing me getting on my motorcycle and putting my black helmet on.

            “Well, Jill Whitlock, have a good night.”