#2

It was either the best decision or the worst decision she had ever made, taking up with a stray. Oh she knew him from around the island, he was always friendly, nice teeth if that meant anything. But allowing him into her life was a split second decision she hoped she wouldn't regret.

That first night he spent hours bathing her, brushing the knots out of her coat, untying the strings that those rotten juveniles had tied to her. Not that she was vain but she would not have gone back to sleep outside after that for an entire souvlaki. Ok, well maybe for and entire one she would have, but not just for a bite. But he cleared some space in that cluttered room and gave her some old T-shirts to lie on and she slept indoors for the first time. It would have been the best night of her life except that her stomach started rumbling before the sun was even up. She was used to scavenging at night to fill her belly and now her belly was telling her to find food but she was trapped inside. She got up to see if she could find something that would allow her eat enough to get back to sleep.

There were more smells in that cluttered room than behind the fish restaurants down by the bay. She carefully dug through piles of clothes that smelled of endless nights, empty cans, empty bottles, empty boxes and so many things she couldn't identify. She finally found one stale crust to chew on and then she continued to chew through the paper plate it had been sitting on, her stomach still rumbled. In front of her she saw a tube and in her hunger decided it was worth tasting. Ugh the awful acrid taste, it filled her mouth immediately. She thrust her tongue forward over and over trying to get rid of it but she couldn't get it out of her mouth. She needed water and she ran frantically around the room trying to find some, finally she found it in the small room off to the side. She drank and drank and drank until that foul taste left her mouth.

In the morning he found her sleeping there beside the toilet. He looked so worried and he ran around almost as frantically as she had after she had bitten that tube. Finally he found the tube and walked over to her, laid his hand on her head and said, "red paint". He then brought her big bowl of water and some food although she had no idea where he had managed to find food when she couldn't. He washed her again and when he was done he made a big deal about throwing away almost everything in the room. She cowered in the corner wondering what would happen next. He turned to her and said, "Come Jackie, let's see if we can get some real painting done today".

#1

Everyone knew where to find them. Every morning out by the dock. Long before the tourists had shaken off last night's party they were out with the people of the town getting ready for the day to come and the night to follow. Most of the money on this island was made at night, even the shops stayed open until the wee hours taking advantage of the purse strings loosened up by revelry and alcohol. But they made their money in the morning, Benito and Angelo were part of the quiet side of the island. Street cleaners nodded at them as they worked their way past. Shopkeepers and friendly cops would come by and chat as they cleaned the fish caught before the sun had even come up. They would be done with their work by lunchtime and in bed before the street lights came on at night.

Benito caught himself thinking that he would miss this quiet routine. He tried to think of what it would be like after they left. Their first stop would be Athens. The only soul he knew there was Vicki, one of the countless young people who came out from the city during tourist season to make some money. But the only one he'd ever met who loved to watch the sunrise. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud laugh. He looked over, Angelo was smiling and chuckling, but it was the cop who was laughing loudly at his own story.

The cops enjoyed sharing their stories with the two fishermen even if they did stay back a few feet back to keep the smell of fish guts off their uniforms. Then there was that one morning almost a year ago now when no one came by. Benito and Angelo had wondered about it until they realized that an early morning crime had upset the police routine for the whole day. One of their favorite cops, Dimitri, had griped to them about it the next day, "Who the hell commits a crime at sunrise!" Benito turned his face down towards the fish he was cleaning to hide his smile as Dimitri went on about how it screwed everything up. How the night shift was just getting ready to turn in, the morning shift was coming on so then everyone had to be involved, 2 different shifts stepping on everyone's toes, screwing up the whole day. Still it was the most exciting thing that had happened in a long time, four jewelry stores hit in rapid succession at sunrise. Dimitri went on and on about how it had to be one of those big crime rings and they would have to get Interpol involved, but they never saw a single agent. The cops had talked about it for weeks. Now though, it had faded and the cop who was standing with them was just telling stories of drunk and indiscreet tourists.

All those mornings of cleaning fish on the dock in view of the shops where the tourists would unload their money, he knew everyone's routine better then he supposed they did. He was going to miss this, but it was time to move on. Tomorrow they would drive the car down in the dark and park it as usual. They would take the boat out, gather up their catch and that would be it. They would be just as gone as the jewelry.