Dial ‘H’ for Heist

  • 19 Dec - 25 Dec, 2020
  • Mag The Weekly
  • Fiction

Steve uttered,

Oh, my God! Is that Harold?

Steve heard Harold’s conversation with his two friends, whom he had been following,

“What are you two doing here?” Harold asked.

“We came here to pay you a visit,” one of them said. “Don’t get angry, we’re your friends.”

“What are you two doing here? Didn’t I make it very clear that we are not meeting? Especially not here.”

Steve said in his thoughts,

Oh dear, he doesn’t seem to be pleased about it. He doesn’t like uninvited guests.

Steve thought of moving backwards wondering,

I have figured out his residential address. I can come again and meet him some other time. If I’ll stay then he might be displeased.

But then, his mind fought back with him and he wondered,

What if I don’t get to meet him again? What if he moves out? I cannot lose him.

He however, remained still and listened to their conversation,

Look, I appreciate you two coming here. Harold said. But the police is looking out for me. If anyone else shows up here…

Harold stopped talking and looked at Steve. He asked his men,

“Did you two bring your driver along?”

“No,” one of them answered.

They both turned and looked behind to see who Harold was referring to. Steve uttered,

Uh, Oh! I better run.

Steve slowly moved back and then, started running. He escaped outside.

Harold asked angrily,

“Who was he? What was he doing here?”

“Honestly, we don’t know.”

“You idiots have trapped me. He might be a cop.”

Meanwhile, outside the basement, on the roadside, Steve was standing by his bike. He said to himself,

I better leave now. I have memorised the place, I should go now.

He sat on his bike and turned on the engine.

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

Twenty Four Hours Later

Steve who was standing outside his house door said in his heart,

These twenty four hours were probably the most uncomfortable hours of my life. I am so uneasy. I want to meet him even more now that I know his’ residence.

He looked at the house door and said,

I haven’t had any food since last evening. I’m hungry but I cannot swallow.

He then walked inside the house, pushing the door.

He came outside after several seconds holding his bike’s keys.

Next minute, he was sitting on his bike as he was headed to Harold’s house. He put on his helmet and said,

The moment I’ll reach there, and as my stress would reduce, I shall purchase loads of food and eat all in one breath.

Half an hour later, he finally reached the place he was destined for. He then, realised and felt that his heart had started beating even faster. He remembered how he saw his star standing yesterday and how his star lost his temper when he saw him.

Alright, relax. He said to himself. Calm down. Calm down. Just prepare yourself mentally. Be prepared, be strong. Know that he will be angry. He won’t be pleased at once when he’ll see me. But I have to stay strong and I do not have to let that anger ruin my feelings. I do not have to get hurt.

He then rushed towards the food shop nearby. While, he was walking he remembered that he hadn’t turned off his bike and he had left it on. He then, went back and managed it. He uttered,

Come on, pull yourself together. Don’t get so panicked. You will regret this for the rest of your life.

He walked slowly taking deep breaths and as he reached the shop, he said to the shop keeper,

“Can I have some coffee?”

The shop keeper nodded and arranged some coffee for him.

Within two minutes, the coffee was arranged and Steve was handed it over by the shopkeeper.

After having two huge sips, Steve said to him,

“Alright, now I need some pastries and sweets. I need them in two boxes.”

“Okay, you want them packed?”

“Yes. I need to present them as a gift and formality.”

Steve then remembered what he overheard from Harold’s two friends’ conversation,

We’ll pick up a bouquet and some sweets. He always appreciates such formalities.

Steve then commented,

This is the only way I can make this meeting pleasant.

He then asked the shopkeeper,

“Is there any bouquet shop around?”

The shopkeeper pointed towards his right side. Steve’s eyes followed his finger and found a small bouquet stall.

Perfect. He commented in his heart.

He then took more sips and felt relieved. The shop keeper then kept two boxes of sweets in front of him and asked,

“Anything else?”

“No, this is enough,” Steve answered taking out his wallet.

Two minutes later, Steve was holding a small bouquet and two boxes of sweets in his box arms. Now, it was his moment to finally go and meet his star Harold Dawson.

Steve started walking from the bouquet stall and eventually reached the entrance of the underground basement. He started walking and while he was walking he was wondering,

Now, where will I find his house? I don’t really know where he lives exactly, but maybe I can get a clue.

He kept on walking until it got darker. He however, walked and walked until he found some light. He followed that light and as he got closer, he realised that there was a door and the light was coming underneath it. He stood outside the door which looked like a door to some house. He said in his thoughts,

I wonder if this is his house.

He took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. He looked around with the help of that light and understood that it was a house in this basement of darkness. Steve commented,

I had no idea there are such secret places in England.

He knocked the door twice with his coiled index and middle finger. He then whispered,

Alright, I know he will be upset. I know there will be scolding, but I do not have to let my feelings get in our way. All I need to do first is to convince him that I’m not a spy or anyone harmful for him.

He heard the door’s lock opening. He got alert and stood straight feeling uneasy.

The door opened. Harold came with a face like mask.

“Yes, who are you?”

Steve who was kind of shaking answered in a low voice,

“I’m a big fan of yours.”

“Can you speak louder please?”

“My name is Steve,” Steve raised his voice slightly; “I am your fan. Your biggest fan. I came to give you this.”

He showed him the flowers and boxes of sweets by raising them up.

Harold said,

“Okay, first tell me who gave you this location. How did you find me?”

“Look sir, I’ll be completely honest with you. I followed your two men yesterday, once I found out that they worked for you. I wanted to meet you. Please let me in. Please.”

“Damn it!” Harold said hitting his clenched fist on his other hand.

“Sir, I am absolutely harmless. Please I want to talk to you, please.”

“Okay, hang on for a second.”

Harold moved back and picked up a metal detector instrument from a shelf nearby. He turned on the instrument and with that he inspected Steve’s body from bottom to top on both left and right sides.

“Okay, come inside,” he said to Steve.

Steve got really excited and immediately rushed inside.

Harold said in his mind,

He seems like an immature and harmless kid.

Harold shut the door and then walked towards the living room asking Steve through gestures to follow him. Harold said in his thoughts:

I am quite bored today. If he turns out to be a good lad then I can spend more than an hour with him, just talking.

Harold stopped walking and by the gestures of his hands, he asked Steve to go and sit on the sofa.

Steve said to him with some confusion,

“These are for you.”

Harold smiled, although his expressions were not visible because of his mask but he politely said,

“Oh…Alright, thank you.”

Harold took the bouquet from him and walked towards another side. Steve was over conscious but he felt that Harold had not lost his temper yet, and so he should relax.

After a moment, while Steve was seated on the sofa, Harold came by and sat in front of him on a similar sofa. As the two were seated face to face, Harold asked,

“Okay kid, tell me about yourself first. And then, tell me what brought you here.”

Steve took a deep breath and asked before answering,

“Can I ask something first before?”

“Sure.”

“You’re not angry for me showing up like this unannounced?”

“I should be, but I’m not. Anyways go on, introduce yourself.”

“Okay, um sir, my name is Stevenson Kingsley. You can call me Steve. I am a graduate, I have done engineering in IT. I am jobless, but I want to adopt this profession.”

“What profession?”

“I want to become an expert like you. Look sir, the real thing is that I am your biggest fan. I have been for several years. I want to become just like you.”

“Interesting. No young kid has ever said that to me before.”

“But sir, I am your honest and your loyal fan. Apart from all this, I want to ask you, why have you quitted?”

Harold got angry and he stood up. He said to him,

“Look kid, you are a guest of mine and you are quite young. I don’t want to be rude.”

Steve apologized,

“Oh sir, I’m so sorry.

I’m really sorry.”

Harold calmed down and sat back. He spoke politely,

“Alright, let it go. Go on, tell me about yourself.”

Steve was a bit terrified and so he couldn’t speak. Harold asked Steve,

“Look kid, you can either continue what you were saying or…”

“Okay, okay sir” Steve interrupted, “the thing is that I have been really desperate all my life. I was desperate to meet you. Today, I finally got the chance to meet you and I just want to say that I really admire your skills and expertise. And more importantly I want to be a part of your team. I would like it if I would be your sidekick.”

“Look kid, I appreciate you coming all the way here. I also respect your admiration for me. But I just want to make it clear that we cannot be together. We cannot work together because I had quit this two years back. You and I can be friends but the ship of my past has sailed now.”

Steve was left speechless. He simply asked,

“Do you really mean we can be friends?”

“Sure. But that’s not what can allow you to keep coming here.”

“Look sir, can I ask you something? It would mean a lot for me.”

“Okay.”

“I just want to know that can I or can I not have a picture with you.”

“Do you own your own camera?”

“No, but I can rent it.”

“Oh, then its okay. You can, but we cannot meet quite often, I hope you understand that.”

“I have a cell phone of my own. Can I exchange numbers with you? If meeting personally is not quite pleasing for you?”

Harold said to him,

“I am fine with this stuff, but kid I want to tell you something else. This profession that you admire is not a good one. This is a very risky and dangerous job for people of your age.”

There was an awkward silence for a moment until Steve answered,

“I am not afraid of anything. And I like taking risks.”

“No kid, the world is not as simple as it seems.”

There was silence again. Harold however, broke the silence this time and said,

“Anyways kid, it was nice talking to you. We’ll meet again soon.”

Steve asked sadly,

“Do I have to leave now?”

“I’m afraid you have to. But we’ll meet again.”

They both stood up together.

to be continued...

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