Lovers in Crime

 It’s 4am in the morning and there’s a burning house in Portland, Oregon. It’s early Spring, 1980. Just a couple of runaways, a young Shag and a young Lisa holding hands and they walk away from their burning house. Lisa, is 17 years old, short light brown hair with hazel green eyes. Her boyfriend, Shag, is also 17 years old, long dark brown hair with light blue eyes. They leave the classic hood type of neighborhood with the green curvy streets. The two were leaving to make their way over to the docks in Portland to find a way to get on the SS. Wilde’s Cruise Ship.  

Shag with a devilish smirk says “We’re finally out of that god forsaken house, now we can just run away and be together.” 

Lisa responded calmly “Yeah, it’s crazy I never could’ve imagined that there’d be a solution that would solve all of our problems.” 

“Do you think they will ever catch us? And find out what we did?” Shag speaks nervously. 

“No. We burned it all to the ground, it’s all ashes now”, she said without any emotion or fear. 

Shag doesn’t say anything in that moment. He’s completely silent and going into himself. Lisa notes this and starts playfully bumping into him. 

Lisa continued, “Hey. Look as long as we stick together and we don’t talk about it, it will be fine. We love each other, and right now that’s all we need”. 

Shag appeared surprised by her response and asked, “Yeah, I know but ...we actually murdered our foster parents. Like it was nothing. Shouldn’t we feel bad?” 

Lisa still with no emotion, stone cold, responded, “No. And I’m going to forget about them...you should too.” 

You hear the sadness and remorse in Shag’s voice as he spoke, “But they were people… people that were alive not too long ago and are now dead because of us-” Lisa cuts him off. 

“They were inhumane… they were nothing. Nothing but...a couple of broken people who didn’t love us. Who couldn’t give us anything but scars and stories to go with them”, she blatantly says justifying it? 

Shag nods his head as to say he understands but still questions, “I know. It's just how could we know that we made the right decision? How could we just decide that people who weren’t taught love and couldn’t give love, should die? How do we know? How can we say that’s okay...how?” 

Lisa on the verge of tears, Shag, I know you...and I know you’re sweet and kind and that you didn’t want to do this. But it was the right decision, okay? You have to know that in your heart. How could we go around knowing that people who can’t give love were capable of taking in those who needed love the most? Small, innocent children Shag. Huh?” 

Shag was silent for a good moment before he spoke again. “That doesn’t mean we should have killed them…”, he says quietly and almost judgmental as if he didn’t willing participate. 

“How could we have not?” Lisa saddened by his guilt and now questioning him.  

Shag looks at Lisa as if seeing her again for the first time. Seeing that sweet, shy, and humble little 11-year-old girl who just needed someone. He processes that image silently. 

Lisa continued, “Look, Shag you can think what you want and think I’m some kind of monster for not feeling bad but I’m not sorry. And I won’t feel bad about that...I just really need you by my side, I need you. I really need you. I-I need yyyou-” Lisa begins to tear up as Shag interjects.  

Shag pulls her in and hugs her, “Hey, hey now. You’ve got me, okay? Okay, I love you. I choose you. Of course, I do”, he spoke reassuring her.  

There’s a moment where the two just stand there holding each other and Lisa just cries in his arms. They say nothing just taking time to enjoy being silent together.  

Shag kisses her forehead, “I’m sorry. You’re right...okay? This isn’t our fault...we made the right decision”, he is no longer judging at least trying not to because he really did love her. 

“Good. Let’s forget about it now, okay? I love you”, Lisa said quickly turning her sadness into content. 

**** 

At this point, it’s the next day and the two have now walked miles and miles. They’re sleeping on a beach and awake to the sounds of seagulls as they approach the cruise ship.  

Shag is the first to say something not being able to contain his excitement, “This is it. This is the moment.” 

Lisa stares in awe of it, “Wow, it’s massive”. 

Shag stands close to the ship admiring it, “SS. Wilde, she is beautiful. We made it Lisa.”  

“Not yet, not until we are on board. This is the moment that matters more than anything Shag so pay attention. We mustn’t be distracted from our plan”, Lisa speaks sternly now, getting more serious. 

Lisa watches the mass array of people boarding the cruise ship, she spots so many perfect potential targets scattered amidst in the distance. She looks over her shoulder to check if Shag is alright, but to her surprise he was looking amongst the targets as well. Her lips curl into a devious smile.  

Lisa continued, falling in love with him like the first time they met, “So who’s it going to be then Shag?” 

Shag points to one of the couples that were now boarding the ship, “Them.” 

Lisa cheerfully claps and says, “I’ll create a distraction, and you-” 

Shag holds up his pointer finger to Lisa’s lips to silence her, “Shh baby, I got this.  

Shag approaches the young couple and asks them if they could help him and Lisa by sparing a few dollars for food. They’re reluctant at first but Shag is very convincing and the two comply. When the two look down to fetch their wallets, Shag pulls out a hammer from his bag and knocks both of them out with the bottom end of it. The two grab them and throw them in an abandoned cruise ship, taking everything, they own including their tickets to get on the SS. Wilde’s cruise ship. 

Lisa stands behind the balcony on the SS. Wilde enjoying the sunset, “Shag, we finally made it out”, she smiles with peace of mind. 

Shag scoffs and jokingly saying, “Yeah, and we only had to blow up a house, knock over a young couple, and sneak on a cruise ship to do it.” 

Lisa rolls her eyes, “Haha...I guess that’s another story we will have to tell someday Shag.” 

Shag chuckles with a grin on his face, “But if we do that it’ll be one of those… “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you” type of situations. You know?” 

The two laughing, look out to the ocean as the sun comes up admiring the view and being grateful for life. For the first time, in a long time. They were happy.   

Lisa: Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote “be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart...try to love the questions themselves...do not seek the answers, which cannot be given, because you would not be able to live them.” I think and I wonder of certainty and what it’s like to submit ourselves to the unknown with complete blind faith? But I won’t go into answers and I will embrace questions knowing they will always find a way to bring me to discover myself in the end.  

Shag: We will now and forever remember the discomfort that seeking answers brought us, leave it behind to settle with the dust of all the other broken pieces of the world. And we’ll bury it.  

“Bruises” by Lewis Capaldi plays in the background and the two, loving look into each other’s eyes and kiss as the ship begins to sail.