Part 5 – Dodger and a Dodge

It was Saturday and Steve had been living in town for a week. The days had been going slowly and Soda's friends had been annoying him especially that guy named Two-Bit. Today Steve and Soda was working at the DX, a guy had brought in his Dodge and they were now working on it. They didn't talk much, as usual. Soda had tried to start some conversations. Suddenly a man entered the garage, he was gonna pick up his truck. The boys gave him the keys and the guy drove off without paying.

"Aw man, how will we explain this to Goody?" Soda asked and sat down on the hood of the Dodge.

"We won't have to", Steve said with a smirk and sat down beside him.

"Steve that guy took off without paying."

"Really? Then what's this?"

Steve took out a bundle of dollar bills.

"What", Soda exclaimed and stared at him. "Where did ya get that money?"

"I took it from his pocket. I knew he wasn't serious when he entered the garage. It just stunk 'not gonna pay' about him. So I took matter in my own hands."

"Steve ya can't go pickpocket people like that!"

"Why not he was gonna leave, 'sides it's enough here to pay for his car and if he comes back we can show he didn't pay for his car."

Soda was quiet for a minute.

"How did you learn to do that?" he asked.

"That's for me to know and you to wonder."

Soda just shook his head.

As the day went by Steve felt the nagging need to tell Soda about his life or just to talk and answer the guy's questions. He didn't know why, he just had to.

"To survive", he said and Soda looked puzzled at him. "I learned to pickpocket to survive. Where I grew up there was this guy Ohlson (spoken Ole son), he was like a gangster king. He taught me and several other boys and girls to pickpocket. We brought back what we got to him and we got paid for it. I was one of the best. One thing though, we were on a no name basis so he gave us nickname. As I said I was one of the best when it comes to pickpocket but I was the best when it comes to make a show out of it and to steel bigger things and hide them."

"Like that hubcap ya took from Paul Holden's car?"

"Ya saw me? Well yeah that's one thing I'm really good in hiding. I'm sly, I'm quick, I'm rough, tough, a fighter and I can fool anyone under the sky, almost. I was called Dodger."

"Isn't that the name on some kid in Oliver Twist?"

"Exactly, I was Ohlson's favorite. As a little kid ya couldn't get any other jobs so pickpocket was my job. But one day Ohlson got arrested and his business went up in a puff of smoke. I started to work for him when I was eight and he got arrested when I was fifteen."

"Only a year ago? Hey I remember that! Dad told us at diner about a guy being arrested that had used kids to steel for him. They never found the kids, only a book with their names."

"Ohlson had that to keep record on how much we stole. I don't steal so much nowadays, only when a person pisses me off or when I want some fun."

"Geez sounds fun doing things you can get hauled in for."

"Ya like a good fight don't ya?"

"Yes but-"

"Ya can get hauled in for that too. Anyway when Ohlson got caught I had to stop. I got a new job in the same area… A mechanic work. While working for Ohlson I never got caught hotwiring a car, lifting hubcaps or slash tires… only once and I was eleven."

"That can be useful around here", Soda beamed. "We like to do that to socs."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, when words get out that you're the best coming to lifting hubcaps people will come to you for help getting revenge."

"Tsk that's kids' games."

"True but it's fun, besides we get more work here and that leads to more pay."

Steve chuckled. "I think you're on to something. Let's go on a slash-tires-night someday."

"Is it Dodger talking now or Steve?"

"Steve and do me a favor."

"What?"

"Never, ever call me Dodger, I ain't too proud of that life."

TBC