For My Baby

The car was pushed to its limits as he ripped around the bend. Lights flashed behind him as the sirens blared. The passenger of the getaway car leaned out of the car with a pistol and sent spinning led back towards the pursuing law enforcement. He was surprised by how much the car smelled like burning rubber. That wasn’t the first thing that he thought he would notice about a car chase, but it was. Burnt rubber. She had smelled like burnt rubber when they first met at the coffee shop.

“Oh sorry,” She said, moving her bag off the seat he was going to sit down in.

“No worries,” He sniffed the air, “Is that burnt rubber?”

Her friend laughed, “Yes, it is.”

“It’s a long story.” She said sheepishly.

“Well,” he started, “I am early, so I have some time.”

She looked at her friend and blushed so the friend spoke up, “She was burning things from an ex but I burned something prematurely so it was saved.”

“A mini rubber football,” She said, producing a charred, vaguely football-shaped blob from her bag.

He recoiled playfully at the sight and smell, “I am not sure that you saved it.”

“That’s fair,” She said, sadly, “I had to try though.”

He got a look from the friend that said that this was a very important blob of useless rubber and that he should take that into consideration, so he smiled warmly and extended a hand, “Hi, I’m Evan.”

“I’m Beth,” She smiled, and tried to shake his hand but she used the hand with the foot blob in it and instead basically handed it to him.

“Well look at the time!” Her friend said abruptly, standing up to leave, “I need to get back to work, see yah later Beth!”

“Bye!” She called out. There was an awkward silence between the two of them where someone dropped a plate and the obligatory “opa” was shouted.

“Can I-” Evan started, but Beth also said, “Would you-” at the same time, which caused a laugh, another silence, then he sat down. He was nervous sitting across from her, but not as nervous where he is sitting now, the driver’s seat of a getaway car.

The back window shatters as a bullet makes its way into the vehicle and he instinctively swerves. He could feel the blood pumping through his body so strong that he could feel it in his eyes. Another few shots rang out and then a click came from the passenger seat.

His partner in crime turned to him, and said, "I'm out."

"No, no, no!" He said with gritted teeth.

"We cou-" His partner started to say but he was cut off when a tire took a bullet, they hit something, and the car began to spin wildly. The world became a confusing blur, then a painful jolt as the careening vehicle slammed into a median. The airbag had gone off and his head was full of buzzing bees. One look at his partner and he knew that he would be the only one leaving this car alive.

He took a look out the window to see the approaching red and blue flashes and decided to give up. It was over, he had played his cards and now he was losing the game. He hit the steering wheel and the world lost focus until he spotted a picture of her. A picture taken of her right before he...

"What an amazing night." She said, hugging his arm.

"It really is." He had said tripping over his own feet in the sand. They were taking a walk on the beach at night, something that she loved, and he hated.

"Thank you for taking me out tonight, you really are the best." She said, kissing his cheek.

"I know that isn't true, but I will make sure that you have everything you ever want," He turned to her with his phone camera ready and said, "Smile!"

"Woah!" She said, stunned from the flash, "What was that for?"

"It was hopefully the last picture you would take as an unengaged woman." He said dropping to one knee and producing a ring. She had lost her mind shouting "Yes!" over and over while jumping.

The memory brought him back to reality. With a sudden clearness of mind and singleness of purpose, he steeled himself. In what could have been a practiced movement he swiped up a bag of cash from the back seat and something that he had to deliver after the gig was done.

He darted out of the car and made a beeline for the houses that lined the street. Bullets seemed to wiz past him and he could hear the distance barks of dogs as he pushed his body to the limit. Fear filled his every bone. He knew that if he could find another car he could possibly get out of this. What should he do? A bark sent him back into his memories again.

"He is perfect!" She had said, while the puppy licked her face. It was the same puppy that she had seen the day before at the pound and absolutely wanted. Evan had surprised her with the dog the next day.

The dog was cute but very bad. He spent a lot of time in "The Clink" which was what they called his kennel. They were never harsh to the dog, but the pup had a habit of eating pillows. One day after he had eaten a particularly expensive Rea Dunn pillow, Beth had been so angry that after she put the dog in the kennel she couldn't even look at the dog.

After she had cooled down Evan caught her talking to the dog in the kennel, "You know I love you still right?" She had asked the pup in a soft tone. "I will always love you, no matter what."

Evan stepped up to Beth and put his hand on her shoulder, "I will always love you."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what."

She looked at his chest and thought about the crowd that he has been hanging with. How she was truly hoping that he wasn't about to get into any real trouble. How she knew that he would do anything for her, she just hoped that he wouldn't do anything too stupid. She looked into his eyes and he could see her pleading.

"Those eyes." A very sweaty Evan said, in the middle of a foot chase with the police.

Just like that he abandoned his search for a car and found the nearest street sign to orientate himself, then he took off running. His left butt cheek started to cramp. He wished his current pain was something cooler, like a broken rib or something but he kept running. Running as fast as he could.

He made it to a very familiar house and pounded on the locked door that he wished he had remembered the key to. After a moment, the door opened and Beth stood in the doorway. She saw his beaten-up state with a bag of stolen money over his shoulder and cops coming to get him from what seemed like every angle. Recognition covered her face as she realizes what he had done.

"I am sorry," Evan said with tears in his eyes and the item he had to deliver in his outstretched hand. She took the single marigold and the tears began to flow from her eyes as the cops grabbed his limbs and forced him to the ground. He shouted out to her, "I am sorry I didn't listen to you! I am sorry I tried to take an easy way."

The cops cuffed him, lifted him, and started to bring him to the squad car and she sobbed, "Oh Evan!"

"I am sorry I... I am sorry... I... I stopped running for you. I am sorry..." He was placed in the car and the door was shut.