Little Thief

Little Thief

Note – The name Seva is pronounced  'So-ave-ah'

      Big wet snowflakes hit the windshield of Seva’s car. She shivered and huddled deeper into a blanket, jamming her hands even further up the sleeves of her coat in an attempt to keep them warm. There was hardly any gas left in the tank, and Seva couldn’t afford to waste it by running the heater. She looked across the parking lot at the lights of the grocery store, glowing like beacons through the snowstorm. The last employees were finally straggling out the door, closing up for the night. No one bothered to stop and see why she was sitting there, which suited her just fine.

         Seva waited until the last car drove away, then she got out of her car and hurried to the back of the store. The green dumpster loomed like a monster. A snow coated, heaven sent monster. Dragging an old barrel over, she climbed up, and threw back the dumpster lid. The lid banged as it fell. Something black shot out from beneath the dumpster. The creature knocked against the barrel, which sent Seva sprawling. She hit the snow-covered pavement with a muffled “oof.” Gingerly, Seva got up, dusting snow off her arms and chest. She peered into the darkness, but couldn’t see the critter. “Probably a rat.” She shuddered, “A really, really big rat."
    Seva climbed back up, and dug through the thrown away food. She picked out several items, stuffed them into a bag she pulled out of her pocket, and then meticulously covered any sign of her trespass. She didn’t worry about covering her footprints because the falling snow had already begun to fill them in. Satisfied, Seva turned around, and screamed. A black lump of fur had crawled halfway inside her bag. The head emerged, revealing the jelly donut smeared face of a dog.

      “Only a dog,” Seva sighed, but then her anger kicked in as she realized he was eating all her food. “Get away from my food, you thief! Go on, shoo!”  The dog backed away. He was long bodied and short-legged, and he looked rather pathetic, shivering as snow melted onto his fur. Snowflakes clung to his long ears, and even longer snout. He whined, and wagged his tail.

     “Sorry, little thief,” Seva said. “I can’t help you. I can barely help myself.” She headed back to her car, the brown mutt trotting in her wake. When she opened her car door and got inside the dog lifted one paw out of the snow. He shook even more violently, and gazed at her with adoring, imploring eyes. Seva heaved a sigh, and rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine,” she said, “Get in here.”

 The dog leapt in without a moment’s hesitation. He crossed to the passenger’s side and shook the snow off his coat. Seva pulled some food out of the bag and ate a meager meal. The dog watched her every move. She tossed him a hunk of bread. When he caught it she noticed that he was wearing a collar and tags. Seva packed up the food and tossed the bag in the backseat. It landed with a soft thud on top of the other bags and boxes stacked there. She reached across and scratched the dog’s chin, then picked up his tags and leaned in closer.

“Rolf,” she read. She looked at the dog and he waved his tail. An address and phone number were also listed on his tag. Seva recognized the street name. It was in the high-end neighborhood on the other side of town.

“Well, Rolf, aren’t you a lucky duck. What I wouldn’t give to live where you do.” Her head fell against the window as she thought about the apartment where she used to live. It seemed so long ago, seemed as if she had been homeless for years, not months. She thought about the job she used to have, the money in her pocket, in her bank account. She missed that life. The one she deserved. She looked at Rolf again, imagining him running happily through his swanky home.

   “I can’t believe I’m jealous of a dog.”

Rolf woofed, and put his paws on her knee, stretching as far as he could to lick her face. Seva pushed him away, but he just hopped onto her lap and curled into a ball. She rubbed his ears, wrinkling her nose as the smell of wet dog pervaded the car.  Thinking about unpleasant things reminded her of her ex-boyfriend. She had lost her job, her home, and her boyfriend all in the same month. Her boyfriend had refused to let her stay in his apartment after their break up, even though he knew she couldn’t afford a place of her own. Seva had begged him to reconsider, and she thought he had agreed, but then one day she came home after a long day of job-hunting to find her stuff out in the hall, and new locks on the door. She had been living in her car ever since.

Seva ran her finger around Rolf’s collar. “How’d you get way out here, little guy? I bet your owners miss you. They’re probably worried sick. I don’t have a phone, but…” she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, debating. Rolf sat up, and as if he understood her words, put his front paws on the steering wheel and barked. “It’s snowing pretty hard, maybe we should wait until morning.”

            Seva put the dog back on the passenger’s seat. She took off her wet coat and gloves, pulled on a few extra layers of socks and shirts, then reclined her seat and piled on blankets. Rolf jumped over the console and curled up on her stomach, warm and comforting. Seva closed her eyes and sighed.

* * *

            “Ransom,” Seva said. “I could demand a ransom in exchange for your safe return.”

            Rolf cocked his head, first one way and then the other.

            “Yeah, I do sound just like that guy from Oliver & Company. Except he had a kitten.”

            Rolf snorted as if he disapproved of being compared to a cat.

            “You’re absolutely right, dogs are cooler. I bet your rich owners will give me a reward for bringing you back anyway. I could definitely use some cash.”

            Seva pulled up the curb outside Rolf’s house, and whistled. The rambling house was gorgeous,
with a rustic, cabin like appearance. Pine trees covered in snow lined one side of the yard. Tasteful Christmas decorations were on the front porch, with candles glowing in each window, and a wreath on the door. Seva felt as if she had driven into another world. She remembered the tiny tree she had bought last Christmas, and how proud she had been to bring it home.

            Rolf pawed at the window and barked, interrupting her reverie. “You know where you are, don’t you boy?” Seva said as she picked him up, and carried him, wiggling and squirming, to the porch. When she rang the doorbell, a stubble-cheeked man with bed head, still in his pajamas, answered. At the sight of Rolf he practically leapt out the door, and plucked the ecstatic dog from Seva’s arms.

            “Rolf, you little devil, where have you been?” the man said in a British accent. “Love,” the man shouted over his shoulder, “come quick, Rolf is back!”

            “David,” a woman’s voice called, “did you say
something?”

            Rolf whined, and struggled in his arms. With a grin David set him down, and the dog ran down the hall. David followed him, leaving Seva alone out on the porch. She watched them turn a corner and disappear, completely stunned. What was she supposed to do now? A startling mix of emotions swirled inside her. She was happy, and satisfied that she had brought Rolf home, but annoyed, and angry that his owners were so rude. She felt awkward and a little bit invisible. Of course, she expected Rolf’s owners to be excited to see him, but really, couldn’t this David fellow have been a little nicer? Your precious pooch wouldn’t have made it home without my help, she thought bitterly.

“Rolf! Oh, Rolf, I’m so glad to see you,” a woman’s voice exclaimed from somewhere in the house. Seva smiled at the joy in her tone, despite her annoyance. She reached out and closed the door, then walked back to her car. Entitled rich jerk face, she silently shouted at the rude British man. Just as she reached her car she heard someone yell, “Wait! Please, wait!”

 Seva turned, and saw a woman on the porch, hurriedly tugging on a boot, her bathrobe hitched up to her knees. When the woman raced down the front steps, red hair streaming, the robe flapped open, revealing her plaid green pajamas. Seva froze. She felt the world shift into slow motion, yet the woman approached fast, faster then anyone should have been able to run in the snow. Before she could step away from her vehicle the woman was sliding to a stop in front of her.

            “I’m sorry,” the woman said. “My husband can be such a doofus. I’m so glad I caught you, I didn’t want you to leave without this.” She extended an envelope. “Thank you for returning Rolf to us.”

            “Oh,” Seva said, surprised, though she had hoped for this exact thing. “I didn’t know about the reward. I just found Rolf outside a grocery store last night. He was hiding under a dumpster. I kept him overnight, because of the storm and-“ she realized she was babbling and closed her mouth.

            “Thank you for taking such good care of him.” The woman shocked Seva even further by hugging her. When she pulled away, she extended the envelope again.

             “Keep it,” Seva heard herself saying. “It was, well…it was really nice to have Rolf’s company last night.”

            The woman smiled, and for the first time, glanced at Seva’s car. Her smile faltered, and Seva’s heart plummeted. She didn’t want to see the look of pity, or scorn that would follow. Quickly, she reached out and seized the envelope. “You know what, I will take it. Thank you, it’s always nice to have a little extra for Christmas.” She smiled, as if the money really would go toward Christmas gifts, and not keeping Seva afloat for a few more days. The woman seemed concerned, or perhaps, confused this sudden change of heart. “I have to go now,” Seva said with false cheer, “Merry Christmas!”

            Seva tried to slam her car door, but the woman reached out and held it fast. Utterly humiliated, Seva stared at her lap. She wished the ground would open and swallow her.

            “Would you like to have breakfast with us? I made pancakes.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

            “Do what?”

            “Invite me in, feed me, because…because,” Seva motioned to the backseat of her obviously lived in car, and didn’t finish.

             “You were kind to Rolf when he needed a friend. I’m just trying to extend the same kindness to you.”

            “I don’t know.”

            “Come in and have some pancakes. What would it hurt?”

My pride, Seva thought, but her mouth watered just thinking about pancakes. Even the thought of sitting around the table with these rich snobs, feeling their pitying gazes, didn’t diminish the vision of pancakes dripping with syrup playing in her mind. “Are you sure?”

“We would absolutely love for you to join us.”

Seva got out of the car.

“I’m Sarah.”

“Seva.”

“What a lovely name.” Sarah looped her arm through Seva’s as if they were best friends, leading her back up the driveway to the porch, where David and Rolf waited.

 “David, this is Seva. She’s going to have breakfast with us.”

“Brilliant,” he said. Rolf barked, and pranced around their legs.

David shook Seva’s hand. “I’m so, so, sorry for leaving you out here. I can be such a socially impaired potato.”

 Seva couldn’t help laughing at this unexpected remark.

“He’s a bit odd, this one,” Sarah said, resting a hand on his arm.

“Speaking of potatoes,” David said, “I do believe we have some hash-mash waiting for us in the kitchen.”

“He means hash browns.”

“Hash browns, hash-mash, what’s the difference?” David said steering them inside. The smell of maple syrup, and fresh pancakes greeted Seva as she stepped into the house. The pleasing smells seemed to warm her very soul.

“Seva, we have a proposition for you.”

Seva looked up from contemplating the last bite of pancake on her plate. Despite her misgivings she felt very much at home here, which didn’t make any sense at all. It was freaking her out a little. She kept waiting for the uncomfortable, humiliating, other shoe to drop. Now, Sarah’s words were setting off all kinds of alarms in her head. She narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“More like a job offer really.”

“What?” she yelped, glancing between David and Sarah. 

 “How would you like to be Rolf’s dog walker?” David said.

“Rolf’s dog walker?” She echoed, dropping the fork in her hand.

“He is alone all day, cooped up in the house. You could come walk him once or twice a day during the week. We’d pay you, of course.”

“You just met me five seconds ago. You literally know nothing about me except that I live in my car, and I eat like a horse.”

David snorted a laugh, but tried to cover it with a cough.

“Rolf likes you,” Sarah said. “That’s good enough for us.”

“And, if you were interested,” David said, “I’m sure more people in the neighborhood would want you to walk their dogs as well. You could have quite a lot of business.”

 “Dog walking. I…I don’t know, I mean… it’s dog walking!”

“You don’t like dogs? Or walking?” David guessed.

“No, actually, it sounds great,” Seva said, astonished. “But I can’t start my own business.”

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because I don’t know how.”

“We’ll help you,” Sarah offered.

“Why would you do something like that for me?”

 “Someone once took a chance on us,” David said. “And without their help we would’ve failed spectacularly.”

“Also,” Sarah said. “We could offer you a place to stay if you’re interested. Just until you can find something else.”

Seva’s jaw dropped. “But I’m a perfect stranger.”

 Sarah smiled, and looked at David, who smiled encouragement. “Actually,” she said, “I think you feel more like…well, this might sound weird, but, like family.” “

David nodded in agreement.

A lump formed in Seva’s throat. “I don’t understand any of this, but I feel the same way. I thought I was losing it.”

“If you are losing it, then we all must be,” David laughed. “Maybe it’s just a little Christmas magic.”

Rolf scratched at Seva’s shoe and she knelt down to ruffle his fur. “Hey, little thief. Did you choose that dumpster on purpose?”

Rolf just yipped, and wagged his tail.