Jake spent the rest of the day with Sara. The chatter was easy enough with the common interests of both Marissa and cars. By the end of the evening, Sara was beginning to feel good about Jake.
"It was hard, you know? Growing up in our family." Sara was laying on her back in the park watching the clouds drift by in the sunset. Her blonde hair was splayed around her head, the leather overcoat spread out underneath her like a blanket. Jake was sitting a foot or so from her, watching her as those eyes flicked back and forth over the clouds.
"How?"
"Our mother. Daddy would have done anything for us that we needed. When Fian nee-..."
"Why do you call her Fian?"
Sara chuckled and turned her head just slightly to look at Jake. "She called me Morgan, I called her Fian. Nothing more. As I was saying..."
Jake chuckled. That woman had more names than Alex...
"When Fian needed anything, Daddy was there to get it for her. It was Mother who decided that having a car thief in the family wasn't good for social standings. Everywhere we went, people asked us about Fian... Marissa I mean. Mother never let Daddy talk about her. Eventually, everyone sort of 'forgot' about her. When I was older, and Fian had left the family so to speak, Mother tried to make me into her. But there were conditions attached to it all. I had to do this this way, that another way, look a certain way. Daddy gave up inside."
She paused a bit and looked back at Jake. The street lights were starting to flicker on in the growing dusk.
"What happened?"
"What do you think happened? I ran. I left the house one night and never went back. Fian and her crew took me in - No questions. Somewhere, deep in the heart of it all, Fian was more of a mother to me than Mother was. She loved me for me, accepted me as I was and looked out for my best interests without putting strings on them."
"You joined her crew?"
"Not quite. Fian always held me at arm's length from boosting. I was only 14. She made me go to school. I respected her enough to do as she told me to. At night, when she was out running the crew, George helped me with homework."
"Did your parents ever come looking for you?"
"No. Fian made sure that Daddy knew where I was. She always kept in contact with Daddy through his office. Once she called the house to talk to him and Mother hung the phone up on her. I remember listening to her cry for hours. All she ever wanted was to please Mother and Daddy."
"You... made it out. You're straight."
"Yup. I am. Fian told me to go."
"Why?"
Sara looked at Jake for a few moments. "I got arrested."
"What happened?"
She shrugged. "What usually happens? Little sister tries to live up to big sister's legend. I got caught in a boost. I was 17, Fian was.... 23. By that time, Detective Booth had gotten onto her record and was snifing hard at every boost in the Metropolitan area. He was determined to bring her in. The first time I knew about him was the night Fian found Christine. It was magical, watching her face light up like she'd found the other half of her soul. I was with her that night... it was also the same night she ditched it in Lake Michigan, then walked away with only a scratch." Sara pointed to her ribcage on the right side and drew her finger down to her waist. So that's what the scar was from, Jake thought.
"She led Booth on a cross-county chase, from Palatine and Arlington Heights all the way through Hinsdale and Le Grange, then back up I-55 past Midway Airport and then down past the Chicago Tribune building and right off into the Lake."
Jake looked horror-struck.
"Stop that. I wasn't in the car with her. She flew by an alley and told me to get out, find my way back to George's. He's got a police band radio that he taps when the spirit moves him. I called him from a payphone and told him I needed a lift. By the time Donny got me back to the garage, she was tearing down Michigan Avenue headed for the Lake. A few hours later, she showed up at Flynn's place, soaking wet and bleeding badly. And so began her love affair with Christine."
"That doesn't tell me -"
"How I got arrested? Can't you guess? They fished Christine out of the lake, then the owner put her in for restoration. I kept track of her, that gleaming midnight blue beauty that had stolen my sister's heart... and two months later when she was back at the owner's home - I tried to boost her. Booth was watching on a hunch. Next thing I knew I was in the back of the car and on the way to the jail. A few hours later I was being released into Fian's custody."
"George was listening on the police band that night?"
"Uh huh. The next day Fian had my bags packed and I was on a bus out to Long Beach, California under the strictest orders that if she ever heard of me getting into any trouble with the law, she was going to come out to Long Beach herself and wollop my ass. For the longest time I thought it was because I went after Christine. But she also told me she didn't want to see me in Chicago for another 5 years unless I was on the straight side of the law. It wasn't until after her trial that I found out why."
****
"It was hard, you know? Growing up in our family." Sara was laying on her back in the park watching the clouds drift by in the sunset. Her blonde hair was splayed around her head, the leather overcoat spread out underneath her like a blanket. Jake was sitting a foot or so from her, watching her as those eyes flicked back and forth over the clouds.
"How?"
"Our mother. Daddy would have done anything for us that we needed. When Fian nee-..."
"Why do you call her Fian?"
Sara chuckled and turned her head just slightly to look at Jake. "She called me Morgan, I called her Fian. Nothing more. As I was saying..."
Jake chuckled. That woman had more names than Alex...
"When Fian needed anything, Daddy was there to get it for her. It was Mother who decided that having a car thief in the family wasn't good for social standings. Everywhere we went, people asked us about Fian... Marissa I mean. Mother never let Daddy talk about her. Eventually, everyone sort of 'forgot' about her. When I was older, and Fian had left the family so to speak, Mother tried to make me into her. But there were conditions attached to it all. I had to do this this way, that another way, look a certain way. Daddy gave up inside."
She paused a bit and looked back at Jake. The street lights were starting to flicker on in the growing dusk.
"What happened?"
"What do you think happened? I ran. I left the house one night and never went back. Fian and her crew took me in - No questions. Somewhere, deep in the heart of it all, Fian was more of a mother to me than Mother was. She loved me for me, accepted me as I was and looked out for my best interests without putting strings on them."
"You joined her crew?"
"Not quite. Fian always held me at arm's length from boosting. I was only 14. She made me go to school. I respected her enough to do as she told me to. At night, when she was out running the crew, George helped me with homework."
"Did your parents ever come looking for you?"
"No. Fian made sure that Daddy knew where I was. She always kept in contact with Daddy through his office. Once she called the house to talk to him and Mother hung the phone up on her. I remember listening to her cry for hours. All she ever wanted was to please Mother and Daddy."
"You... made it out. You're straight."
"Yup. I am. Fian told me to go."
"Why?"
Sara looked at Jake for a few moments. "I got arrested."
"What happened?"
She shrugged. "What usually happens? Little sister tries to live up to big sister's legend. I got caught in a boost. I was 17, Fian was.... 23. By that time, Detective Booth had gotten onto her record and was snifing hard at every boost in the Metropolitan area. He was determined to bring her in. The first time I knew about him was the night Fian found Christine. It was magical, watching her face light up like she'd found the other half of her soul. I was with her that night... it was also the same night she ditched it in Lake Michigan, then walked away with only a scratch." Sara pointed to her ribcage on the right side and drew her finger down to her waist. So that's what the scar was from, Jake thought.
"She led Booth on a cross-county chase, from Palatine and Arlington Heights all the way through Hinsdale and Le Grange, then back up I-55 past Midway Airport and then down past the Chicago Tribune building and right off into the Lake."
Jake looked horror-struck.
"Stop that. I wasn't in the car with her. She flew by an alley and told me to get out, find my way back to George's. He's got a police band radio that he taps when the spirit moves him. I called him from a payphone and told him I needed a lift. By the time Donny got me back to the garage, she was tearing down Michigan Avenue headed for the Lake. A few hours later, she showed up at Flynn's place, soaking wet and bleeding badly. And so began her love affair with Christine."
"That doesn't tell me -"
"How I got arrested? Can't you guess? They fished Christine out of the lake, then the owner put her in for restoration. I kept track of her, that gleaming midnight blue beauty that had stolen my sister's heart... and two months later when she was back at the owner's home - I tried to boost her. Booth was watching on a hunch. Next thing I knew I was in the back of the car and on the way to the jail. A few hours later I was being released into Fian's custody."
"George was listening on the police band that night?"
"Uh huh. The next day Fian had my bags packed and I was on a bus out to Long Beach, California under the strictest orders that if she ever heard of me getting into any trouble with the law, she was going to come out to Long Beach herself and wollop my ass. For the longest time I thought it was because I went after Christine. But she also told me she didn't want to see me in Chicago for another 5 years unless I was on the straight side of the law. It wasn't until after her trial that I found out why."
****