Break-in(Darrell Case) I spun the dial to the last number, feeling and hearing the distinct click. We were in. I smiled at Rubin. He gave me a thumbs up. As I swung the heavy door open on the safe, the piercing alarm made us both jump. In high school, I was a track star. But I never ran so fast as I did getting out of that hardware store.
Jumping in the driver’s seat, I started the engine and jammed my car into drive. Rubin shot out of the store, ran alongside and jumped in. Three blocks away, I pulled the car to the curb and killed the lights and motor. We heard the police coming before we saw the SUV. I jerked Rubin down seconds before the cops sped by. I was mad, really mad.

“You were supposed to disarm the alarm. What happened?” I said through clenched teeth. My cheeks flushed.

Rubin spread his hands in front of him. “Guess I got the wrong wire.” I back handed him in the chest.

“You think. Need I remind you this was your idea? What if they had caught us?”

“Look, dad owns the store. We would have been ok.”  

“You’d been ok. What about me? How did you drag me into all this?” I said, pounding the steering wheel. The bad thing about the whole mess was it was my fault.

It all began with an argument between Rubin and his father. Rubin wanted to put in motion detectors, a camera and upgrade the security system. His dad said it was safe, just the way it was. To quote him. “It’s a hardware store, not a bank.”

So Rubin set it up. I tried to talk him out of it. “He will not find out.” Rubin said defiantly.

“Oh yes, he will.” I said. I didn’t want to have a criminal spot on my record.

Over the next week, he wore me down. He had worked out every detail. Every detail except which wire to cut.

My parents were gone for the weekend. A Bible conference for couples. I ask for Rubin to stay Friday and Saturday night and go to church with me on Sunday. Mom and dad happily granted permission. If my parents had known our plans, they would have grounded me for life.

With mom and dad out of town, at least I didn’t have to face the consequences tonight. I put Rubin in the guest room and tried to get some sleep. I kept staring at the ceiling, thinking what a fool I was. Rubin’s dad was going to know, how could he not? How many people had a key to the store? I finally quieted my brain enough to sleep.

Next thing I know, Rubin is banging on the door to my room. I found him standing in the hallway in his underwear. “What time is it?” I said, blurry eyed.

“Look, we got big trouble.” He looked like he was about to burst into tears.

“Tell me about it.” I started to close the door. He stopped me.

“They arrested old John.” Rubin said with a horrified expression. “Dad called a few minutes ago and told me.”

“I stared at him with my mouth open. Finally, I found my voice. “You’re kidding.”

“No.” He said, pacing. “What are we gonna do? They will put him in prison. He won’t last five days.”

“You’re going to confess.” I said dressing. 

“I can’t. Dad will kill me,” Rubin said.

“No, he won’t.” I said. This went on for a while. It ended when I pulled to the curb in front of the store. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” It took a few minutes to get Rubin out of the car. His eyes were leaking tears as we entered the store.

His dad was behind the counter, taking care of a customer. He looked up at us and smiled. As soon as the guy left, he braced his hands on the counter and said. “Well, son, you were right. We would never have caught the thief if I hadn’t put that second wire on the safe.”

“But…but…” He looked at me for help. I took a deep breath. I was about to confess to a crime that might send me to prison. At that minute, old John walked out of the back room. We both stared at him.

Rubin’s father started laughing. “By the way, I listened to you. I installed a camera. We’ve got real clear video of you and Jason breaking into the safe. I caught you two.

It all came rushing at me. I could just see myself in jail. My temperature went up several degrees. I grasp the nail bin to keep from falling.

“Are…are you going to press charge…charges?” Rubin asked, holding to the same bin.

“How would that look in court?” He said. “No, I’m not. I think we both learned from this.”

I felt relief wash over me. Old John just smiled at us.

My father didn’t ground me for the rest of my life, just for two weeks. After that, I learned my lesson. No more break-ins. It became a joke in Rubin’s family and ours.    

---