SOME CALL IT LUCK
Pane. Anger. Weakness. Despair. That was all that Sheldon Jeffrey Sands felt while standing near some colored red building with a dark skinned boy next to him.
'Are you O.K.?' he asked quietly.
'I don't know,' Sands shook his head. 'Go home, boy. There's nothing you can do for me now.'
However the boy didn't move.
'Oh, right,' Sands took a batch of bills out of his pocket. 'Here, now go home.'
But the boy didn't leave anyway. And although Sands had no eyes now he could feel the boy's gaze on his face, a gaze full of compassion.
'Fuck, I don't need you to pity me! Now leave, boy, leave and never come back!' said Sheldon in anger. 'I don't want you to get fucking shot, all right. Go. GO!'
Now he could hear the boy grab his bike and ride away, fallowed by a sweet bell melody… now Sands was alone. Alone. He touched his cheek.
'Shit,' said Sands quietly, he was still bleeding a bit, his left hand was shot… both legs as well. He needed to patch himself up and to get to somewhere safe; the rest of the Cartel members would probably try hunting him down, it was obvious he had to take all his stuff and move away from the flat, he had rented…
He slowly moved along the street, touching the walls of the houses with his shoulder. It was painful really, but he had to make it… he had to make it…
Somewhere behind he heard a beeping vehicle, there must have been a car accident, he thought. Nothing that would interest him… Then a thought struck his mind. He stepped closer to the road, lifting his hand as if asking the car to stop… There had to be cars passing there and one really did.
'Get in!' the voice was unknown and it belonged to a woman.
Sands hesitated for a moment, he was sure the girl would feel sick if she gets to know why his face is all covered in blood, she might even fall unconscious, he though.
'Well, you need a lift or not?'
He nodded and got in the car.
'Where to?' asked the girlish voice.
'Street of the Dead,' muttered Sands, checking that his sunglasses perfectly covered his drilled out eyes.
'That's a long way,' said the voice.
'Just try to avoid car jams,' said Sands, leaning back in his seat.
'Aye, aye, captain!' sarcastically answered the voice, as the car smarted to move. 'You don't have to give me orders, you know, it's not a TAXI.'
Sands made a deep breath and tilted back his head, trying to relax. It was horribly hot inside the car and he felt sweaty… However, when he tried to open the window, he couldn't find the knob and instead cracked something on the dashboard.
'Jesus, are you blind or something?' the voice sounded annoyed now.
'Yes, I fucking am! Now what?' Sands for the first time since having his eyes drilled out lost his temper.
The girl didn't say a thing though, he actually thought she held her breath for a second…
'How to open that bloody window?' asked he finally in a low voice.
'Here,' he felt the girl stretch her hand before his face and push the window button. A stream of fresh air rushed in the car, hitting Sands in the face. The lass stayed silent.
He was sure she was deeply disgusted with him now, 'cause he was ugly… Sands knew that. He'll never be able to live the normal life, he'll never be able to love… and he'll provably get retired. Sands hung his head, he didn't want to have "INVALID' written on his badge, as well as to stop working at all… He'd never been in such a misery before, he had to admit that.
'Thanks very much,' mumbled Sands appreciatively.
'It was a tough day, ha?' the voice sounded concerned.
'You could say so, you could,' Sands smiled quirky.
'I'm sorry for your eyes, you know.'
Sands turned to the girl, he couldn't see her face, but he felt as if she really was sincere. He shook his head, like saying: 'You shouldn't.'
'It must have been… Shit!'
Sands grabbed the door handle as the car suddenly turned around, he could smell the smoke coming from the street… could hear the shots.
'I'll probably never understand that holiday of theirs,' said the girl as the noise disappeared.
'The Day of the Dead?'
'Aha. What's it for?'
'Well… the Dia de Muertos is when… am… people believe that the spirits of dead family members come back to visit the living,' Sands grinned. 'I never could understand these beliefs as well. Why did we stop?'
'That's your street,' the voice answered. 'Are you sure you don't need help?'
'Hehe… I think I need it actually.'
He heard his door open and a soft woman's hand took him by the shoulder, helping to get out.
'And I thought you won't like touching me… See the yellow house with the blue flowers handing from the windows? Lead me there, please, will you?'
But the girl didn't move, instead she asked in a low voice:
'Are you hunted?'
'Well…'
''cause you failed to tell me that.'
'You see someone?' Sands didn't need to ask her though – he could hear several men move towards them, pulling out their guns, ready to pull the triggers…
'Down!' he pushed the girl on the ground, covering her with his own body. Several bullets passes just I several centimeters from them, Sands quickly took out his gun and shot several times… the sound of the people running stopped and he heard several Cartel members falling dead.
He faced the girl now. She was breathing nervously, he could feel her chest rise under him… that was probably the last time he felt the warmth of the woman's body, he thought.
'You're Okay?' he got up on his feet and helped her to raise.
'I… I s'pose…'
'C'mon then,' he turned around trying to remember where their car was. 'We need to get away from here… and fast.'
(Later)
'Who are you?' asked the same girlish voice.
They were at the woman's place now. Sands couldn't believe she was still with him… Ha? Had he really begun to feel something for her?
'I can't tell you, girl,' he answered.
'Why not?'
'Because if I do – I'll have to kill you,' said Sands. 'Who are you?'
'No one special. Vanessa is my name,' said the girl.
'Well, Vanessa, thank you for patching me up,' Sands raised from his armchair. 'You have…'
He felt something fall on to the floor. The girl picked it up.
'You're a CIA? Sheldon Jeffrey Sands,' read she and gave the badge back to him. 'Well, thank you for saving my life.'
'You're welcome,' said the agent darkly.
'Are you gonna kill me now?' wondered a girl curiously.
'Do I really look so scary, that you think I may really fucking shoot you?'
Yes, he did, he thought. And he was ugly. And his life would probably never be the same. And…
'No, I even like you,' he gave a sharp in take of breath as she took his hand. 'And… don't get me wrong… but, I think, you even look sexy in sunglasses.'
Sands laughed.
'Yeah? Well, you're probably the only one.'
'May be…' the girl's voice moved closer. 'I liked helping you, you know…'
She was very-very close now, he could feel her breath just in several millimeters from his face… He knew what was to happen next, but strangely… still her first kiss shocked him. Then she kissed him once more… He couldn't believe in what was happening…
(Next morning)
He was lying on a bed with the girl's head resting on his chest. The sunlight was touching their faces… both were feeling good.
'Vanes?' Sheldon wrapped an arm around the girl. 'What will you say if I ask you to go to New York with me?'
'I'll say… why not?'