Confrontation.

        "Mira. Calm. We'll find it. It might be misplaced, how do we know anybody took it?" Chey tries to censor me as a fume and spill obscenities.

              "He just gave me bad vibes. He brushed right up against us and our belongings."

              "So did everybody else." I huff.

              "I can't explain. Thst man is just...off...he's not right. He's a strange man and I don't know why, but he is. I feel it. He had to have swiped it or knocked it away." I scan the room, leaping to my feet.

              I walk around our bench, examining our luggage contents and beneath us. I walk farther our, searching the floor and watching everyone's hand in suspucion. I'm not crazy, or at least that crazy. I had that in my lap. All my savings, identification, and several pictures of my parents and I are in there. I will get my wallet back. I see the strange man exit the buying and before my common sense can take effect, my legs take after him.

             I sprint after him, thighs knocking together, dress flying in all directions and a sandal snaps as I take off after the man I just know is guilty. He dips between two buildings and I pursue him, but the man is so far ahead. Deceptively fast. He turns to see me before stopping and I quickly push on to take advantage of his halting.

            "Hey! What do you have in your hands? Is that my wallet?" He jumps for a second, startled, then tips his chin to me.

            "Come closer. Find out."

            "You come closer and find out. Give it back!"

            "Who says I have it?"

            "If you didn't, you wouldn't be acting like this." Frustrated, I fist my house keys in my hand and draw closer.

             The man turns completely around now. He sneers at me and tips his chin in a condescending manner. His eyes are dark, beady and predatory.  A part of me wants to cower or retreat, but my parents' smiling faces in that photograph push me forward. That photo is original, developed by them and from their own photo album. I will not lose it and accept a replacement. I will not give up on that photo.

           I huff out a war cry as I lower my head and I charge the man like a bull. I hear him huff, almost in annoyance as I connect with his stomach and he falls backwards, me tumbling with him.  We land with me straddling him and he seizes my wrists. His dark eyes are rimmed with red and his face is tense with threat of violence. I try with everything in me to fight him, but I can't free my arms. His gripe is iron, unnatural. I growl in fury, and part humiliation as I fling my leg up over him to try to scrape his shin or knee him between his legs. He pushes from the ground and flips us over, my back chiding hard with the pavement as I hoist my legs up and bury them into his hips in a ditch effort to keep him off.

         "Give it back...my...parents'...GET OFF ME!"

         "No. You want to fight me? This is what you wanted. It isn't fun, is it? I'm going to leave now, you may have this back. I got what I needed. Enjoy your train ride, sweetheart. See you soon." The creep vanishes, literally vanishes and I spring up to my knees desperately searching for his whereabouts or the wallet.

          I scuttle to the wallet, flipping it open only to immediately feel my heart sink. The photo! The original, my family's photo. Gone. Why? I thumb through the bills and my cards. Bank card, there. Cash, there. Identification, there. Why would anybody take something so important to me, yet meaningless to them? That can never be replaced. It was one my psrents' held. That I remember being taken. That I remember being in our albums on the end table. I scream and leap to my feet, stomping and kicking at nothing. Basically a pathetic little tantrum, but I am so angry and disappointed in myself.

         "Mira!" I see a distressed Chey rushing towards me, dropping our luggage and engulfing me in her arms. She pushes me back and smooths my hair. "Dear God, Mira. You chased that man, we missed the train. That-that man where did he go?" I thro my hands up in despair.

         "I-I don't know. I tackled him! I hit him right in his stomach for my wallet and we fell. He-he was so strong. He nearly broke my wrists. He just...well...he vanished. I swear to you Chey! He vanished and he took the picture. Nothing but the picture..." I start sobbing as my failure weighs heavier on me.

         "That dick eater! Why? Why would he do that? Not that I wanted you robbed, but why would he take the picture and nothing else?" She huffs in rage. Her eyes dart across my wrists and her fury intensifies.

          "I don't know! He didn't say anything really that made sense. But his eyes were...just fucked up. Ughh. I think he was on something serious. He vanished. Right off of me when he had my wrists. You believe me don't you?"

          "It's weird, yeah, but you've never lied to me. Those wrists didn't hurt themselves either. You can see the bruising starting. I'll punch him dead in his shit."

           Chey grabs my arm and one luggage, I grab the other and she drags me through the streets. For a woman who hates cardio, she can cover some ground angry. We roam the streets for a good hour searching for the culprit, only to come up empty. Chey's determination fades and she deflates. I stop her by her arm.

            "I love you. Thank you for trying to stick up for me, but he's not here. We've searched all over and we are going to get lost. I'm thinking we go to authorities and report him. Perhaps the alley had a camera. Besides, the photo wasn't all he got away with..."

             "I love you too, and this is bullshit. I wanted to knock his head off. I'm really sorry. I thought we'd find him somewhere and be able to at least request the photo or confront him again together. It took me a few minutes to find you. He could've hurt you worse, and I-" I cut her off to help her guilt. There was nothing she could have done.

             "He probably heard you and took off. You probably just saved my ass, Chey. If we see him out somewhere, it is on sight." I crack my knuckles.

            "What else did he take?"

            "He got my cellphone...bastard..." I groan. All my pictures and personal information, in the hands of this creep.

             "When we get to the station to report him, call your provider and report it missing. Maybe they can fry it or something...I don't know. Im bad with technology really."

             "Me too! I will call either way and see. I'm not paying on the data if he runs it up. I should've had a pass code. I'm an idiot."

**************************************

             The station was a bust. Camera's in the alley were blurry, and the man did vanish on them, but they dismissed it as a glitch. They contacted Scenic Sanctuary for lobby footage tp try to ID. They asked me if I had a concussion from impact on the ground, or if I needed medical assistance. They told me they will be looking into the man and hopefully would have him identified and off the streets soon. I can only hope.  For now though, I buy a nice train souvenir for Ore and we leave to find somewhere to sleep for the night.

            We see a few taco stands and a hotel in the distance. We reluctantly pass up the food to go secure a room, then we hurry back to the taco stands to grab a little dinner. It is getting late now, and I decide to pick up a pay as you go cell for the time being, so I can call everyone and tell them not to panic thst my line is unavailable and to contact me here. The unexpected expenses are already hurting my head, and I know with Chey that there will be more. I smile to myself.

            The hotel receptionist said the room had TV, DVD player, small fridge and a large garden tub. So to lighten our spirits, we stop at a consignment shop to grab a few cheap dvds. We grab swimsuits, and some some discounted face masks and head back to our hotel to make the most of the stressful day.

            The comedy gets us chuckling, and we arrange the TV stand and open the bathroom door so we can watch from the tub in this tiny room. We run the bath hot, full of bubbles and change into the swimsuits. Covered in the goopy green faceasks, and with our hair deep conditioning in buns atop our heads, we look just as cheesy as we feel. I pull out the new phone and break in the camera with hilarious, candid photos of Chey in her green faced glory. She snaps some of me, and nearly drops the phone before we can calm ourselves and set it aside.

            I'm still shaken up, and heartbroken about the photo, but I try to push it out of mind. We did all we could. This was unexpected. I know my parents, and my family would understand. At least I kept the ring safe. It's not the same, no, but the picture can be duplicated. I'll make it into a canvas for the wall. It'll be better. I'll put then in a safer place and no longer travel with them. I should've left it at home, safe in the room.

            "Whatcha thinkin' bout?"

            "Just why he would do that? All that trouble to steal a phone and photo. Could he be like an identity thief?"

            "He's gonna have his work cut out for him trying to look like a small young woman."

            "Im not small-"

            "I'm a giant among other girls. You are all smol." Despite my earlier stress, I can't help but crack up at Chey. She always knows how to lift my spirits.

             We watch the movie through, and run a bit more steamy water until we are finally ready to rinse our hair and towel off. We change into warm flannel pajamas and flip flops and we dash down from our room, following the stairs to the lobby where there are drinks and snacks. I keep my keyring and pepper spray in hand the whole time, still a bit on edge from earlier. We safely get our snacks and return to our room, adjusting the temp and crawling under the blanket to eat.

               With our bellies full, and the room toasty, we settle in. Chey with herons limbs tossed casually over me, as she has since we were kids. I text Marta again to tell them I love them, and I send them a picture of a snoozing Chey. I drift off myself shortly after, only waking up once to noise near the door, dismissing it as our neighbors in the room beside us.