Displacement of a Jackpot

The heat started rushing up around and detached the coldness around. The swiftness of wind here died down. It didn't stroke my hair any longer. This was much better.

Lucy and I had been sitting on the street for more than five minutes. We paid attention to everything, mainly to the attendance of the big guy. He hadn't come back yet. We hoped he wouldn't be here when my plan was going on later.

I smoked while looking at my watch. Its thin finger span incessantly.

"There they are!" Lucy exclaimed.

A blue jalopy seemed and moved in high acceleration. Its typical engine sound got more solid. It stopped in front of me.

Lucy and I stood up. We wiped our pants from dust for a while.

The jalopy front doors were open. Two people got out of it and approached us. They were Ryu and Caroline.

"Where's Amanda?" asked Lucy.

"She's at home," Caroline answered.

"Anything happens to her?"

"No. She's just taking care of Will. He has a stomach ache. But, I've given some medicine to them. Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Nothing to worry about. Caroline knew much about medical things. She'd been working as a nurse in a clinic for five years. More precisely, she's a physician assistant.

"No job for Sunday, huh?" I talked to Caroline.

Caroline smiled. "Actually, there is. But, I don't wanna help him with his invention."

"Dr. Pomit?"

"Yeah. He's getting crazy with it nowadays."

"Does it mean he nearly finishes that?"

"I guess so."

Caroline had ever told me that she worked for Dr. Pomit. First, she enjoyed her job. But, she hadn't loved it anymore since Dr. Pomit started creating a new drug one year ago. The most bothersome, she was the one who had to find some mice for every experiment.

According to what Caroline told me, the drug was more identical to poison. It could freeze human body like turning it into a fresh cadaver. Dr. Pomit also planned to create the antidote. Even though those were still prototypes, everything he did was very horrifying.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Ryu asked.

I finished smoking and threw the cigarette on the grass nearby. I came near to the backside of the box van, opened its back doors, and showed them the contents.

Ryu and Caroline were amazed and speechless. The items inside succeeded magnetizing their lust.

"This's what we gonna do," I explained. "All are simple. We just need to bring these things home."

"We'll steal all of these?" Ryu asked.

"More or less."

He sneered, "It's great!"

Caroline brought her face closer to those items in the van. She checked all of them. Her face looked odd like something was interfering with her.

"These're overmuch," said Caroline. "Are you sure your car won't be overloaded?"

"She's right. Not enough space," Ryu agreed.

They're right. It was out of my mind. I disremembered our vehicle was old and diminutive. Overload might annihilate it.

"Well, we'll just bring a half of these," said Lucy.

"No. We can't do that," I said. "If we leave even one thing here, we'll be investigated, definitely."

"So, how will we bring all of these?" she questioned in a flurry.

"Maybe we must make it into two turns," I answered.

"But, we don't have enough time," she said. "That big guy will be here before the second trip."

"Who's the... big guy?" Caroline asked in slow pitch.

"This van driver," I replied.

Every word was very complicated, but it made sense.

"Driver! That's it!" Caroline remembered something. "I'll call Eddie. He can certainly help us."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "He supposes to be busy today."

"Yes, he is. But, we don't have any better choice."

What Caroline would do was good. She recalled her boyfriend, Eddie Hobeet, since he was an online taxi driver called Uber. He was the same as Caroline, loved to rally around us.

Caroline spoke on her phone, "Hi, Eddie. Could you come here now?"

I watched Caroline. Nothing I could hear from her phone.

"Yeah," Caroline continued after a few seconds. "I need your help."

I walked to the jalopy, opened its trunk, and cleaned the dust inside.

"On Maidla Lane," Caroline still talked to Eddie on the phone. "Be fast."

I came near to Caroline. She ended the conversation after saying "Thanks" to Eddie. She put her phone back in her pocket.

"He said 'give me five minutes'," Caroline talked to me.

It was great. Eddie was near this lane. Now, we just entailed waiting for him.

"So how about the laundry?" Lucy asked while pointing to the basket of clothes.

"You'll go to Mrs. Potlin with Caroline after finishing this stuff," I said.

I closed the back doors of the van. I intended to keep the food in the van for a while as its best.

Little wind reappeared. It waved back my hair. The heat around reduced a bit. It presented a touch of frostiness at this juncture.

We hadn't seen any car passing this lane since we found this box van. No stranger was here. Nobody would notice us when we operated this act. It was really a good fate.

My watch showed 8.20 am. More than five minutes had passed.

"Does he really come here?" I talked to Caroline.

"Of course. Look!" she pointed northeast.

I turned in the direction Caroline was indicating. A purple hatchback looked far ahead. Its size enlarged while its position got closer to us each second. It stopped beside the jalopy in a still-burning condition.

A tall man got out of the hatchback and headed us. His face looked fresh with a pomade hairstyle. He wore a blue shirt and black trousers. He always stayed in a fashionable mode. Those were the reasons why we often called him Eddie the ship-shape guy.

"Hi, guys!" Eddie greeted us.

"Hi, Eddie!" all of us greeted him back.

Caroline approached Eddie and kissed him. They looked elated.

"So, what's happening?" asked Eddie.

I reopened the box van back doors and allowed Eddie to see all the items inside.

"Wow!" Eddie was impressed. "How did you find this?"

"Well, just say it's a luck," Lucy smiled.

"C'mon!" I commanded. "Let's move these all!"

Eddie went to the van. He dipped into the items and scratched his head.

"I... can take only the drinks," said Eddie. "It's about... my job. I don't want my passengers to feel uncomfortable."

"Got it!" I assented.

Eddie was aware of his occupation. Similar to common taxi drivers, he didn't want to gum up his car. The food would cause an unpleasant scent in the car. It also made his customers have bad responses to his service. It particularly affected what he did for a living.

Eddie and I took the jerry cans of milk and bottles of orange water. Each of us brought one jerry can and two bottles to the car for the first round. We put the drinks on the ground, behind the hatchback.

Ryu, Lucy, and Caroline helped us move the remaining milk and orange water into the box van. Eddie opened his car tailgate. We put all the beverages in it. Five jerry cans of milk and ten orange water bottles rested inside. Then, Eddie closed back its trunk.

Next were vegetables and eggs. This part was quite hard since we couldn't let our hands touch the rack. Else, we could leave fingerprints. Everyone took some eggs and different kinds of vegetables. We placed those in the jalopy. And the last was the frozen meat. It was easier. We finished everything in around five minutes.

"Okay, it's done!" I gushed. "Lucy, Caroline, I count on you."

"Okay!" said Lucy.

Caroline took the basket of dirty clothes. She talked to Eddie, "Pick me up and Lucy later."

"At where?" Eddie asked in confusion.

"Mrs. Potlin's laundry shop," Lucy answered. "We have to clean these clothes."

"I see," said Eddie.

Caroline and Lucy left us. Eddie entered his hatchback while Ryu got in the jalopy. He started the car and heated its engine. I closed the box van back doors and went to jalopy. We all left this place and did our own roles.

My plan was successful. We had taken all the food and drinks. The big guy hadn't known it. Moreover, no other person saw us until now.

We never did this before. It would be the most enormous crime ever done by Cavergon.

Ryu drove. I sat beside him and watched the food placed behind us. The position of our car was in front of Eddie. All of us moved fast to avoid any witnesses, though no one was along this road. It was odd, but I liked it.

"So, when will you get paid for this month?" Ryu asked me.

"Tomorrow," I said. "You?"

"TBD."

"What?!"

"Yeah. Looks like the manager is having a hard time. I even don't understand."

"How... can? You know, this's close to the end of March."

"Of course, I know. But you also know, pawns only move forward. It's not like the others that can move in any direction."

"Oh, come on!" I spoke in a loud voice. "We don't live in the chess game. Even if so, pawns still can kill a king."

Ryu said nothing more. He was silent and kept focusing on the road. He looked upset.

I was befuddled. Good managers never have a hard time managing something, especially about the salary; moreover, if it's a manager of a popular small restaurant. My opinion was telling that the manager started cheating since Ryu had been working just for eight months, also he didn't have much work experience.

"What exactly do you do on your job? Hitting bad guys, huh?" I consoled.

Ryu smiled, "You could say that."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. As long as it's open, I always swing my baton at the back. They like to sneak."

"Do you mean you always find stealers every day?"

"More or less. They do like what we do now, stealing food, and ingredients. I classify them into two, the main stealers and the side stealers."

"Sounds interesting."

"Not at all. Actually, I never like to do that."

"Beating them?"

"Yeah. But, still... it's a duty."

Now, I got some gens. In fact, Ryu didn't love his job. Being a guard wasn't his desire. If he did, he was supposed to hate us instead of helping me now.

"Okay. So, who are the main stealers and who are the side stealers?" I probed.

"Well, who come are always different. The one who steals in the kitchen is the main stealer. And, the one who steals leftover food at the back restaurant is the side stealer."

"Steal leftovers? Do you consider them as stealers?"

"I don't. But, the restaurant does. It's the policy."

"What a crap! It's silly."

"Agree. They never understand people like us."

"Where does the leftover food be precise?"

"In big trash behind the restaurant. The kitchen staff throws it in that trash every morning and evening. Leftover meat, vegetables, failed cook... and so on. I always see those things."

It was very cruel. They didn't give any sympathy to anyone who sought a meal, even if it was leftover food.

"So, what does the restaurant do to the trash?" I asked with full inquisitiveness.

"I have no idea," Ryu changed his tone of voice. "But, I've ever seen the manager receive some cash from a truck driver."

"Was it a garbage truck?"

"No. It was a trailer truck. A small green trailer truck. The driver took all of the food. He wrapped it and kept in in the trailer. Then, he gave his money to the manager."

"So, the restaurant does another business, huh? They might be doing a black market."

"I guess so." Ryu exhaled. "But, it's better not to interfere in other people's business."

"Yeah. You're right."

It was ample to know the characteristic of Ryu's working place. The restaurant procedure wasn't good. It harmed Ryu, also all the beggars and scroungers.

"Why do you insist on working there?" I inquired.

Ryu smirked. He didn't answer me. His expression symbolized there were other pleasant things that existed in his working time. He might need more phases to acclimate.

This jalopy had been moving for five minutes, as well as Eddie's hatchback. Our home was starting to look. It turned larger and nearer.

We spent a minute parking our vehicles in front of our home. We took out all the stolen items from the cars. Ryu and I brought those into the house through back door.

Amanda was washing kitchen tools. Will sat on the chair watching Amanda. They weren't aware of our arrival.

"Look at this!" I shouted.

Amanda and Will turned to me. They were stunned to see everything Ryu and I brought.

"It's a lot. H-how did you get those?" Amanda queried.

"It was easy," I giggled. "Everyone did his own role."

"Did you steal?"

"Yes. We stole these all. Please keep this a secret."

Amanda just shook her head. Ryu and I put the food on the table. Will didn't stop monitoring it.

"I take twenty percent," I said.

"What?!" Ryu spoke aloud. "Oh, not again. We did this together, remember?"

"Ryu is right," Amanda concurred. "You said all did their own role. If you think you did the most, then how about Lucy? She's with you before you called."

They're clever, exclusively Amanda. She was proficient in debating.

"Okay. Okay. You guys win," I relented.

Ryu and I went back and forth to get other food and drinks. Eddie arranged those items beside the door. He hadn't entered this house. Amanda also wasn't aware of his existence. She continued saving all.

I finished moving the food and several jerry cans of milk. The only left was the bottles of orange water and the remaining jerry cans of milk. We carried those into the house together.

"Hi, Amanda! Hi, Will!" Eddie greeted.

Will looked at Eddie. He just waved his right hand.

Amanda stopped. She turned back. She was surprised to meet Eddie here.

"Hi, Eddie!" she said. "Did you join this?"

"I did," Eddie gushed after placing the drinks on the table. "Caroline called me. And... you guys seemed to need help."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"My pleasure," said Eddie. "Well, nothing's left. I have to go back now."

"Wait!"

Amanda stopped Eddie. She took two packages of pork ribs and a jerry can of milk. She gave those to Eddie.

"Here! Take these," said Amanda.

"No, thanks," Eddie rejected.

"I'm forcing."

Eddie breathed out. "Well, looks like no choice. Okay, I just take the milk."

"Deal." Amanda gave the jerry can of milk to Eddie.

"Thank you!" said Eddie.

"No, no." Amanda pointed at Eddie. "But, thanks to you."

Eddie smiled, "See you all!"

Eddie took the milk and left us. He closed the door in a gentle motion. He got back in his car and left this place.

"He's very helpful," Amanda admired.

"Exactly," Ryu agreed.

I opened the fridge. It was virtually empty. Only a few eggs and peppers remained there. It looked horrid.

All of us healed its condition. We filled the refrigerator with all the stolen food and drinks in concert. Ryu and Will passed the items to me. Amanda and I arranged the provision in the icebox.

Sound of a collision performed. It was from the right, more specifically on the stairs in the living room. It was getting loud and stopped in abruption.

Uncle Steven appeared. He just woke up from his sleep. He looked terrible with his scruffy hair, sluggish eyes, and dull clothes. He watched us and got shocked after noticing many vegetables and drinks on table.

"What the," Uncle Steven spoke in a daze. He came close to the table. "Did you buy these?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

It wasn't a good idea to talk about the truth. Uncle Steven was a drunkard. We never knew the accurate time when he was in a high level of the blotto state. He could just spill the beans anytime if he was drunk.

Uncle Steven took a jerry can of milk. He unsealed it and poured the milk directly into his mouth. He drank a lot.

"It's fresh milk," said Uncle Steven. "It tastes good. Where did you buy these from?"

"It's... from Carry," I answered.

Even though I gave random words, Carry actually existed. It was a well-known department store in this town. Its products were very comprehensive. Most of the middle and the high-class people always shopped there.

"I see," Uncle Steven said. "You must be having much money today."

I smiled. "So, will you join us for dinner tonight?"

Uncle Steven was silent. He put back the milk on table. He burped and left us.

"Well, let's see!" Uncle Steven laughed.

It was ambiguous. His words and voice tone didn't show any specific answer.

We just continued our tasks. The fridge was full now. Nothing was left on the table. All were completed in a total of eight minutes.

This jackpot was incredible. The provision was enough for two months. Nothing to worry about anymore. Saving money could work double for this period.