I was very reluctant to sell my car radio, so soon after getting it. It was brand new, and possibly the nicest thing I owned. But I really did need the money, and Juan promised me his 'buddy' would pay me almost as much as I'd originally paid for it. And so, on my Tuesday lunch break, I went to Juan's apartment and knocked on the door.

I heard laughter and voices coming from inside, and after a few minutes with no response, I knocked again, louder.

Finally, somebody opened the door, a girl I didn't recognize. She had long dark hair, a tan complexion, and a crooked smile similar enough to Juan's that made me wonder if they were related. Her light pink t-shirt read 'I (Don't) Bite'.

Upon seeing me, she turned her head away from the door and yelled something in Spanish. I was beginning to grow anxous, but finally Juan appeared from the kitchen. "Hey, Tyler."

"Hey." I looked down at my feet. "You said your buddy would be here to pick up the radio?"

"Yeah, he's not here yet, though." Juan, as always, had a cigarette in his hand, but it was unlit. "You need any help getting it out of your truck?"

"Yes, please."

Juan turned and said something in Spanish to the girl who'd answered the door, then followed me out of the apartment. The girl blew me a flirtatious kiss as Juan and I walked down the hall; I could still hear another bout of laughter coming from the apartment as she shut the door.

"My sister, Maria," Juan explained, lightly tapping the cigarette against his leg as he walked. "Speaks English, but prefers Spanish."

"Oh," I said, not knowing what else to say. 

We walked in near silence down the stairs and out to the parking lot. I started to fish my keys out of my pocket, but stopped short when I saw that the door of my truck was wide open.

Quickly, I hurried over. There were no dents in my truck's side, no apparent scratches or scrapes, so it hadn't been an accident. No, this was deliberate. 

Looking inside, I found that Juan's 'buddy' had stolen my car radio, along with all of the change in my ashtray.

A/N: Should Maria be a recurring character?

Art by mooni_muse