Read Online Maya's Choice by Earl Sewell - Free Book Online Page A

to learn in a short period of time.” I walked back into Toya’s room and sat down on the bed again. I looked at all of the stuff piled up there and asked, “What are you going to do with all of these cell phones?”
    â€œSell them to shady pawn shops and crooked small-business owners who run cheap cell phone stores.”
    â€œHow much will you get for all of this stuff?” I asked.
    â€œIt depends on the condition they’re in and how recent the model is. Sometimes I lift phones that are more than five years old that don’t work well. Those phones I sell to this guy who strips them down for the gold, silver and platinum that’s in them. He somehow recycles it, but I’m not exactly sure of how he does it. If they’re new, like those two iPhones overthere, I can get as much as two hundred dollars for them on the street.”
    â€œWho is going to pay you that type of money?” I asked curiously.
    â€œCome on, Viviana, I know you’re not that naive.” Toya looked at me condescendingly.
    â€œI take it that people on the street place orders with you.”
    â€œYou got it.” She picked up the cash and started counting it. “How much do you have?” I asked once she was done.
    â€œNine hundred,” she said, pleased with the amount she’d gotten for her hard work.
    â€œMan, I could do a few things with that type of money in my pocket,” I said, feeling a sense of greed come over me.
    â€œSpeaking of pockets, is this yours?” Toya held up a watch that belonged to me. I looked at my arm and, sure enough, she’d swiped it without my knowing it.
    â€œHow did you get that off of me without me feeling a thing?” I asked, completely amazed at how good she was.
    Toya laughed. “It’s not as hard as you think.” She reached into another one of her pockets and asked, “What about this cheap MP3 player and this state ID with an ugly photo of you?”
    â€œDamn,” I said, checking all of my pockets to see what else I was missing.
    â€œThat’s all I have. You’re broke beyond belief,” Toya said, placing all the electronic equipment back in the backpack. I gathered my belongings from her and tried to figure out when and how she’d taken them from me.
    Toya rose to her feet and moved to the center of her bedroom. “Junior’s father is into some of everything. He knows this old dude who used to be a magician.”
    â€œA magician? Like a person who does magic tricks?” I asked.
    â€œYes. But doing magic shows for kids didn’t pay well, so the old dude used to make a killing by using card tricks as a way to distract people. He’d rip them off and hand their stuff to a second person who took them away. If a person would come back, he’d invite them to search his belongings and his pockets. But of course he wouldn’t have anything, which left people totally confused as to where they’d lost their belongings. He never saved up any money and now that he’s old and sickly, he’s doing just about anything to make extra money and keep a roof over his head and pay for his prescription drugs. Anyway, dude took the time to teach me and my baby’s daddy. I took all of your stuff from you while you stood at the front door. I kept you distracted with the other cell phone while I got close to you and searched your pockets. When I touched your hair with one hand, my other hand went into your pocket and pulled out your MP3 player and state ID. I tricked you and led you to believe I was truly interested in your hair. Misdirection is the key to doing it when you’re close to someone. Since I actually touched your hair and that’s where your focus was, you didn’t notice my hand in your pocket.”
    â€œDang,” I said, totally tripping out by what she’d done.
    â€œStand up,” Toya said. I did as she asked. Toya walked over to her closet and