re’sthecarkey?"Dimitrialledandsaid,

    "Ididn’tknowIhadtotakeitout."Whenthepolicearrivedandeveryonehadbeeioned，Mrs．KaffeepointedanacgfiDimitriandsaid，

    "Officer，Isuspectthatmanisanapliceofthethieves．Heleftthekeysinthetentionally．”

    "Youhavenoproofofthatma’am．Butwe’lltakehiminforquestioning."

    TheofficerthenturoDimitriandsaid，"Wearenotarrestingyoubutweohaveyouedowntothestationandmakeastatement.Pleasegetintothesquadcar."

    Dimitrigotintothecar．Helookedatthebarredwindowsusedfordetainingcriminalsorsuspedshrugged．Hesatdoromptlyfelsleeptofollowthetrailofthecarthieveswithhisdream．Meanwhile，theofficerswerestilltryingtopcateMrs．KaffeeandwritingtheirreportwhentheyheardDimitriknogatthewindowofthesquadcardoor．

    "Whatisit?"ohemasked.

    "Thecarwasstolenbyawhitemanandtwobcks．ThewhitemanisdrivingandnowtheyarecrossingtheBayBridge．Ifyouputoutabulletin，youcatchthemohersideofthebridge.”

    "Howdoyouknow?Whydidn’tyousaysoearlier?"Dimitriwashesitant．Hecouldn’tsayhejustdreamedit;sohesaid，

    "IjustnowrealizedtheyweredrivinginthedireofthebridgefreewayentrahecartheftreallyhadnothingtodowithDimitri．Whenallformalitieshadbeehrough，thepolibacktothegasstationwherehewasfiredthenandthere．

    Dimitriapologizedprofuselytotheownerforthetroublehehadcausedahegasstation．Beingfiredonhisfirstdayofworkdepressedhim．"Thissocietyisastrangemorymybesttotoitandjoinitsranks，buthoweverhardItry，Iamalushedout．MaybeI’mjustamisfit.”HemusedthatMrs.Kaffeeseemedvaguelyfamiliarthoughhecouldn’tforthelifeofhimrecallwherehehadseenherbefore．Theremusthavebeensomereasonforhertopilikeshedid．Hewanderedaroundaimlesslylikeheusedto，andhisfootstepstookhiminvoluntarilyonhisusualpathtowardsLakeMerritt．Hesawyoungpeoplesittingonthebenchesenjoyinghamburgersandsoftdrinks，talkingandughinganimatedly．Therewerealsomanyfashionableandwell-dressedpeopleinbusinesssuitsstrollingaround，obviouslyontheirlunchbreak．"Oh，it’salreadynoohoughtDimitri．Whehesepeople，hefeltasenseofinferiorityingoverhim，envyiheirenergyandpurposeithehought，"Why’tIenjoylifethewayIwantto?Whyshouldeveryonebealike?"Heshruggedabetter．

    1

    Hegottothepierandsatonhisusualbench，thinkingoftheeventsofthepastfewdays．AftermovinginwithMarianna，shemadehimwash,shave，cuthishairandboughthimnewclothes．Hewasnotatallusedtoallthisfussalikeanewmabedwassuovelexperiehefoundithardtogotosleep．Itwasastormynight.Thewindandrainwereragingoutside，butallwasquietandsereneihebedroom，onlyMarianna’ssurbreathingcouldbeheardinthesweetdarkness．Hefeltthattheroomwasasolitaryboatdriftingonastormyseaandapicturehehadseeninhisyouthcamevividlytomind．Itictureofaofyoungbirdssleepingsoundlyamidwindandrainanditssimiritieswithhispresentstatestruckhim．Hecouldn’tfetthefactthatifheweren’there，hewouldbeseekinghaveniorm．Thatdriftinglifestylewasbleak，drearyandsometimesfraughtwithdanger，butithadadesotebeautyandasenseofadvebeedtohiscarefreespirit．

    Suddenly，Dimitriwasstartledfromhisreveriebytwosofthandschiseyes．Helookedbadfoundthesmilingfaariannalookingdownonhim．

    "S

re’sthecarkey?"Dimitrialledandsaid,

    "Ididn’tknowIhadtotakeitout."Whenthepolicearrivedandeveryonehadbeeioned，Mrs．KaffeepointedanacgfiDimitriandsaid，

    "Officer，Isuspectthatmanisanapliceofthethieves．Heleftthekeysinthetentionally．”

    "Youhavenoproofofthatma’am．Butwe’lltakehiminforquestioning."

    TheofficerthenturoDimitriandsaid，"Wearenotarrestingyoubutweohaveyouedowntothestationandmakeastatement.Pleasegetintothesquadcar."

    Dimitrigotintothecar．Helookedatthebarredwindowsusedfordetainingcriminalsorsuspedshrugged．Hesatdoromptlyfelsleeptofollowthetrailofthecarthieveswithhisdream．Meanwhile，theofficerswerestilltryingtopcateMrs．KaffeeandwritingtheirreportwhentheyheardDimitriknogatthewindowofthesquadcardoor．

    "Whatisit?"ohemasked.

    "Thecarwasstolenbyawhitemanandtwobcks．ThewhitemanisdrivingandnowtheyarecrossingtheBayBridge．Ifyouputoutabulletin，youcatchthemohersideofthebridge.”

    "Howdoyouknow?Whydidn’tyousaysoearlier?"Dimitriwashesitant．Hecouldn’tsayhejustdreamedit;sohesaid，

    "IjustnowrealizedtheyweredrivinginthedireofthebridgefreewayentrahecartheftreallyhadnothingtodowithDimitri．Whenallformalitieshadbeehrough，thepolibacktothegasstationwherehewasfiredthenandthere．

    Dimitriapologizedprofuselytotheownerforthetroublehehadcausedahegasstation．Beingfiredonhisfirstdayofworkdepressedhim．"Thissocietyisastrangemorymybesttotoitandjoinitsranks，buthoweverhardItry，Iamalushedout．MaybeI’mjustamisfit.”HemusedthatMrs.Kaffeeseemedvaguelyfamiliarthoughhecouldn’tforthelifeofhimrecallwherehehadseenherbefore．Theremusthavebeensomereasonforhertopilikeshedid．Hewanderedaroundaimlesslylikeheusedto，andhisfootstepstookhiminvoluntarilyonhisusualpathtowardsLakeMerritt．Hesawyoungpeoplesittingonthebenchesenjoyinghamburgersandsoftdrinks，talkingandughinganimatedly．Therewerealsomanyfashionableandwell-dressedpeopleinbusinesssuitsstrollingaround，obviouslyontheirlunchbreak．"Oh，it’salreadynoohoughtDimitri．Whehesepeople，hefeltasenseofinferiorityingoverhim，envyiheirenergyandpurposeithehought，"Why’tIenjoylifethewayIwantto?Whyshouldeveryonebealike?"Heshruggedabetter．

    1

    Hegottothepierandsatonhisusualbench，thinkingoftheeventsofthepastfewdays．AftermovinginwithMarianna，shemadehimwash,shave，cuthishairandboughthimnewclothes．Hewasnotatallusedtoallthisfussalikeanewmabedwassuovelexperiehefoundithardtogotosleep．Itwasastormynight.Thewindandrainwereragingoutside，butallwasquietandsereneihebedroom，onlyMarianna’ssurbreathingcouldbeheardinthesweetdarkness．Hefeltthattheroomwasasolitaryboatdriftingonastormyseaandapicturehehadseeninhisyouthcamevividlytomind．Itictureofaofyoungbirdssleepingsoundlyamidwindandrainanditssimiritieswithhispresentstatestruckhim．Hecouldn’tfetthefactthatifheweren’there，hewouldbeseekinghaveniorm．Thatdriftinglifestylewasbleak，drearyandsometimesfraughtwithdanger，butithadadesotebeautyandasenseofadvebeedtohiscarefreespirit．

    Suddenly，Dimitriwasstartledfromhisreveriebytwosofthandschiseyes．Helookedbadfoundthesmilingfaariannalookingdownonhim．

    "S