TWENTY-THREE
IT IS EARLY IN THE MORNING.
Mikael is smoking outside the house. He is looking at the sky and thinking about a lot of things. His mind is in a hectic state. When he is done with the cigarette, he comes into the house and looks at Anij, who is still sleeping on the couch. Anij is all curled up and full of sweat on his entire body. Mikael doesn’t look too concerned. Then he gently shakes Anij to wake him up. Then a short but strong spasm travels through Anij’s body and he gives a flimsy shout.
“Ah . . . !”
“What is it?”
“What? Uh? Oh . . . Bad dream.”
“You mean, a nightmare? You know, scary devil is chasing you and you can’t run away. Like that kind of dream?”
“Yeah. My parents were in my dream. I was very happy. But they ran away from me. I don’t know where. And I got really sad and scared.”
“Oh . . . That is why . . . But why are you so wet? And stinky? Wow! Jesus! You do smell like shit.”
“Shit? No. I didn’t wash many days. I smell bad?”
“Hell, yeah. You better wash yourself now.”
“Okay . . .”
Anij takes a moment to stand up from the couch. Maybe the nightmare still haunts him. Then he slowly walks to the bathroom.
A few boys come closer to Mikael and start asking him questions.
“So, I guess you are teaching him some of your shit, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Is he good?”
“Well . . . He is not bad. That I know. Not too sure, yet. I will find out soon, I guess.”
“Okay . . . But why do you keep him?”
“Hm . . . He is just like how I was. I didn’t have shit after I got separated from my parents. So I just wanted to help him out. Trust me. I didn’t want to do this. But it kind of happened. Okay?”
“Okay, whatever suits you. And . . . He should really learn how to speak first. You know you’ve got to be very careful with your lips in this world. So you better tell your Asian friend that he has to watch his mouth. Otherwise, he will get into some bad shit sooner or later.”
“I know that. I am doing so much already, I am not even sure if I can do all that shit.”
“Fair enough. All right. I am going out to hunt some chicks down.”
“Oh, that is why you are all dressed up like that? You know it will never work, with your cheesy lines.”
“Whatever. Certainly better than yours.”
“Really? Then what happened to the girl that you were trying to get? I saw you, man. But you really sounded too hungry.”
“Hm . . . but at least I am better than you. You know that.”
“Hm . . .”
“Anyway . . . I am out of here.”
“Me, too.”
“See you, man.”
The boys are going out to work in their own ways on this new day. Mikael sits down on the couch and pulls out another cigarette. There are so many things that he can teach, but he is not sure where to start. It is the same for his life. Priorities keep getting jumbled and eventually make him fumble his own life.
The boss is walking down the stairs with his usual arrogant swagger. He notices that Mikael is smoking and thinking hard about something. He opens a conversation.
“Well. Well. Well. Look, who do we have here? Isn’t that the great magician, Mikael?”
“What do you want?”
Mikael is annoyed by the boss. He doesn’t even look his way. Smoking continues.
“I am checking up on you to see how you are doing with that shithead you brought.”
“Well, he is not a shithead. Okay? At least, not yet.”
“Oh, now you got some guts left from yesterday? Ha? Just let me know whenever you want to mess with me. I will show you something really scary. Okay? Oh, by the way. I am watching you, too. Don’t try anything stupid. Okay?”
“Knock yourself out, man. Just let me think. Okay?”
“Oh. I am deeply sorry, sir. I was not aware that you were pondering about something. I will dismiss myself, sir. Asshole!”
Sarcasm consumes Mikael. The boss walks away to the kitchen. Mikael doesn’t want to put up with him anymore and he doesn’t have time for this. But it is obvious and understandable that the boss is very protective and prudent for himself and this organization. So Mikael has to try harder to get something out of Anij fast.
Anij almost bumps into the boss while he is walking out of the bathroom. The boss gets pissed and yells at Anij, “Move! Out of my way! You shithead! You are trying to mock me? In my house? Ha? That is it?”
“I am sorry.”
“That is it? You just say sorry and everything is just fine? Ha? That is all you can say?”
“I am sorry.”
Anij is walking away from him and getting closer to the living room. The boss yells at him again. Anij is not sure why he has to be that mad.
Mikael interrupts. “Just leave him alone!”
“Next time I see you, you better get your act together, right? Understood? You shithead!”
“Okay. I am sorry.”
“Shut up! I am sick and tired of your ‘I am sorry’ crap. Just get out of my face!”
The boss storms out to the kitchen with a fierce look. Anij is even more depressed. He really feels sorry for himself and for Mikael. His presence itself is causing a lot of problems.
“I am sorry, Mikael. I am sorry. Maybe I go now. And you stay here. Better?”
“Why don’t you stop saying you are sorry? Ha? Why are you sorry? It is not your fault, so stop being sorry to everyone. Okay? You are not sorry. Don’t say you are sorry again. Okay?”
“Okay. I am sorry. I will be better.”
“What the hell is wrong with you, man? Did you kill someone? Why are you sorry all the time? Ha? Don’t say it. Okay?”
“Okay . . .”
Ironically, Mikael gets mad at Anij. The way Anij is being treated is the same as he had been treated, before — just full disapproval from everyone. No matter what Anij does, he is always going to be somehow blamed. Mikael doesn’t want Anij to go through the same shit. While he is around Anij, he wants to help. But Anij just doesn’t fit in with everyone in the house yet. They are both wounded souls. The scars are so deep and sharp, it is impossible to fill the gaps or smooth all the jagged edges. Certainly not a happy aspect for either one . . .
It is brutally gracious outside. The sun never seems to care what they think. Perhaps the weather is at least trying to do its best to cheer them up. But in their heads, there is always a tornado or an earthquake waiting to erupt at any moment.
Mikael stares at Anij for a while. Then he says, “Let’s go out. You’ve got a lot to learn. Okay?”
“Okay.”
They slowly walk outside. Their shoulders are weighed down to the ground. Even making a step forward weighs a ton. As they proceed to their destiny, they keep their mouths shut, like walking through a dense forest that can tell a million different stories. Their heavy steps are breaking small branches and twigs on the path. A tiny crack in the window of hope is broken like those twigs every day. Even the smallest possibility can’t escape their cursed lives. They know they are moving further and further away from their dreams, with no way to change direction. Or maybe they have already dismissed their dreams a long time ago.
Mikael says to Anij, “Don’t care too much about Steve.”
“Steve?”
“Yeah, the boss.”
“Oh. He is Steve?”
“Don’t call him Steve. He will freak out. I am not sure what he will do to you.”
“Why?”
“A long time ago, he told me that when he was in an orphanage, there was another Steve. And that Steve got picked up by a rich family. So he was so jealous. He never got picked up by any family. After a while, the other Steve visited the orphanage. All the other kids envied him so much. And of course, he hated that Steve even more. So he doesn’t want to get called by his name. I think it reminds him of that Steve.”
“Poor Steve.”
“Wow, you pity him?”
“What?”
“You feel sorry for him?”
“A little. I have no parents. And he has no parents. Same thing.”
“Well . . . I don’t have any parents, either.”
“Oh. I am sorry. You don’t know them?”
“I do know. I just don’t know where they are. We got separated after I got here.”
“How?”
“Oh, well . . . It is a long story and certainly a bad memory. I don’t want to think about it. Okay?”
“Sorry.”
“Holy! Stop saying you are sorry. Okay? You don’t have to be that sorry all the time. Okay?”
“Okay. I am not sorry.”
“Haha. Yeah. That is more like it.”
Mikael is sending an eye signal to Anij. He blinks his eyes twice fast. Anij glances at Mikael shortly and takes a chocolate bar. Anij puts it into his pocket with less trembling this time. Even just after a few trials, he is improving amazingly fast. Mikael is secretly impressed with such a novice. As Anij is done with his mission, he talks intentionally loudly to Mikael, using the same words that Mikael uses all the time. “This is not it. Different one. They don’t have it here.”
“No? Okay. Let’s go.”
Anij feels great that he can pull the trick now. A little pompousness kicks in. He even takes a moment to stop by at the counter and check some other stuff just before he exits the store. Then he goes slowly out of the shop with so much pride and relaxation on his shoulders. Mikael is again stunned how fast Anij learns. But he doesn’t reveal any of his feeling to Anij yet. He doesn’t encourage him nor mention anything to him yet. Being humble is the only way to survive. As soon as they step outside the shop, they walk faster away from the store and take a corner for a deep breath.
“That was not too bad. But you are still far behind on many things, okay?”
“I am still scared.”
“Oh, well. It is always like that. Even I get scared a little whenever I do it. But you have got to just suck it up. What else are you going to do, anyway?”
“Yeah . . . I will do better.”
“This guy . . . This guy needs to learn a lot more . . . But for a starter, it was good.”
“No. You are better. I didn’t see you take it.”
“Well, I am the best, of course. Don’t even go there.”
“Thanks.”
“See? That wasn’t so hard. It is the third-hardest shop. I just had to drag you there too soon because we don’t have much time. But you pulled it off good. So what do we have to do now?”
“Now? Again?”
“Eat the chocolate bar!”
“Oh. Okay.”
They find a little park nearby and sit on a bench. A little moment of break calms Anij’s mind. A bright look blooms on his face after a little victory. Even if it is just one chocolate bar, Anij breaks it and gives half of it to Mikael. It is very unusual for him to share — usually, there isn’t anything to share. Mikael happily takes it and starts to eat it. He asks Anij, “So what do you think now?”
“Think what?”
“Being a thief?”
“Oh . . . I don’t know.”
“Not yet?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well. Just think about it. It might not be your way. Really. But you now have one survival skill, right?”
“Skill? Haha. Yeah. Skill.”
“Well . . . It is a skill.”
“So, what happened to your parents?”
“Uh-oh. Not when I am eating. Okay? I have to enjoy this for now. Maybe later.”
“Sorry. Yeah. Maybe later.”
“You know what? You want to try pretzel?”
“Pretzel? What is that?”
“A German food. That is where I am from.”
“German?”
“Yeah.”
“Where is that?”
“Very, very far from here.”
“Okay. What is pretzel?”
“Just follow me after this chocolate bar. It is better than any chocolate. I guarantee you.”
Anij shoves the chocolate bar into his mouth like a meat grinder. It is a wonder that something can ever be better than chocolate. He is so excited to see what it is. He becomes very hasty and asks Mikael, “I am done. Where is pretzel?”
“Wow. Slow down, buddy. I’ve got to finish mine first.”
Mikael also hurries to finish his. He is happy that he has company to enjoy the pretzel. It always has been all by himself whenever he visited the shop, since he actually pays to eat there. He has such a pride in his country’s food and he doesn’t want to degrade it in any way. They stand up and start to walk to the pretzel shop. Anij is a happy boy. It has been a treat for him. Not a real one, but at least something different from mundane crap. And he is about to taste something that he had never tried. Mikael can see that Anij is hyped up. Their happy and jolly walking goes on for about thirty minutes. After many street corners, they are almost there. Mikael speaks to Anij.
“You know, whenever I eat pretzel, I pay.”
“Pay? You have money?”
“Oh, yeah. I got some money. I am not like other stupid guys. I am very smart, you know.”
“Wow. That is good. Where is it?”
“We are almost there.”
Then they take the last corner, and there is the shop. It is called, “Günstigste Pretzel.” Anij asks Mikael, “What is the name?”
“Günstigste Pretzel.”
“Günstigste Pretzel?”
“Yeah. They taste the same as the ones I used to eat in Germany. They are very good.”
“That is good. Let’s go.”
They open the door and enter the shop. The owner recognizes Mikael with a grin on his face. “Here we have Mikael.”
“Hello. How are you?”
“I am good and I am good to see you.”
“I am pretty good, too.”
“Who is this young gentleman?”
“Oh. He is Anij. Anij, this is Niklas.”
“Hello, Anij. Nice meeting you.”
“Nice meeting you, Niklas.”
“Why don’t you boys sit down. I will bring you the pretzels. Okay?”
“Thanks, Niklas.”
Before they sit, Mikael pays Niklas for two pretzels in advance. They take seats by the window. Soon after, Niklas brings two cups of water for them; then he brings out the pretzels for both.
“This is the best pretzel in the world. Okay, boys?”
“Really? Best pretzel?”
“Yeah. The name of this place tells itself . . . It is as good as the best pretzel. But the real best ones only come from my mother. She makes the best pretzel in the world. That is true.”
“Okay. Thanks, Niklas. We got some business to talk. Sorry.”
“Wow! Business? Haha. Okay. Enjoy.”
“Thanks.”
Niklas goes back and resumes cleaning the counter. As usual, Niklas hums a tune with such an untamed smile. The boys start to eat. Before Anij bites it, he lifts it up to his nose and sniffs at it. Maybe he is doing some kind of ritual before he cherishes it. Yes. He is that excited. Mikael looks at Anij with a weird face and asks Anij, “What are you doing?”
“Oh. It smells so good. I am happy to smell it.”
“Hahahaha. Very well. I am eating, then.”
“Wow . . . It smells so good.”
Anij is just staring at the pretzel for some time without eating it. The scent of the pretzel devours Anij at once. He has no choice but to fall in love with it. There is a special bond right from the get-go. How unconventional a moment it is. It has been a long time since he actually tasted real food. Probably not since he was parted from his house on Bikini island.
After observing the pretzel for a while, he slowly takes a bite as if he doesn’t want to miss any second when the fusion of saliva and taste start to melt into each other. The warm outer shell of the pretzel is being crushed against Anij’s teeth. As soon as his tongue lands on the pretzel, his eyes protrude and his brain is having a difficult time examining its true essence. It is definitely a far cry from anything he has had so far. It is slightly salty but also ever so slightly crunchy on the outer shell. The rustic taste also hits him hard. It surely looks funny to him. Purely sensational fireworks are exploding in his mouth with every bite. He deliberately chews it slowly. He doesn’t want to let it go as fast as he would have to leave his lover for a war. His tongue is having the time of its life. It is safe to say that his tongue has been just blessed.
Mikael is laughing at Anij. He seriously looks like a two-year-old baby with mommy’s milk. Anij’s face lost its muscle tension a long time ago. It is drooling badly. Niklas is smiling at Anij behind the counter. Niklas asks Anij, “Is it that good?”
Anij does not answer; he is chewing slowly. Obviously, Anij didn’t hear what Niklas asked him.
Niklas is mildly surprised and says to Mikael, “Wow, he can’t even hear me now. I will take that as a yes.”
Mikael is making fun of Anij by putting a similar stupid face on his face. A girl in the corner table laughs at Anij and Mikael.
“Heehee.”
Mikael notices the giggle and looks at her slowly. She is a very gorgeous-looking girl about his age. He is very surprised to see such a pretty girl. It is such an honour for Mikael. He doesn’t usually chase after girls, but he might want to make an exception this time. But it is no fun if the game starts too soon. He keeps his eyes on her, but nothing more than that for now. He is pacing himself to keep his cool. There is no way to hide his heart racing for her. He instantly falls in love with that girl.
She notices Mikael is looking at her. She immediately becomes grumpy and awkward. Suddenly she turns her head to the wall as if she hates him. But Mikael keeps looking at her persistently. After a while, she glances back at Mikael briefly. Then she turns her head again to the wall. Mikael is surely enjoying this adolescent love game. When she looks at him for the second time, Mikael puts on a smile with a very big and silly face. He enjoys her pretentiousness. But it seems like she is really checking up on him as well.
While all this is happening between Mikael and the girl, Anij is still in a complete awe with the pretzel. Mikael looks at Anij and laughs hard and loud. “Hahahaha. What are you doing? Is it that good?”
“Yeah. So good. So . . . so . . . good.”
Anij’s face is having a seizure in a most pleasant way. But it looks just pathetic. Not able to use a different word to describe it, Mikael adds, “Shit . . . looks like you just found a gold mine. You just . . . look . . . so damn funny. Hahaha . . .”
“I feel so good. Good . . .” Anij closes eyes while he is still chewing the pretzel.
Niklas is looking at Anij. Even he can’t understand Anij being so overwhelmed by a pretzel. This surely makes Niklas happy that his customer feels so good about his food. He says to Anij, “Oh, well. I didn’t expect you to like it that much. Here you go. I will give you one more for free. Okay? Just don’t drool so much. Okay? You got it all over your shirt.”
“Anij, here is one more for you, man. You are being treated nicely, ha?”
“Thanks so much. I just love it. Thanks.”
“Okay, finish this up fast. We’ve got to go to a new place that you never been. Okay?”
“Okay. Mmm . . . mmm . . .”
Anij is eating his last pretzel in a hurry.
Meanwhile, Mikael checks up on the girl. She is smiling at Anij for his stupid face. And she also looks at Mikael with a bright smile. When Mikael sees her smile, he is feeling rather sad. He tried to hook up with some girls before, but no luck with that. Since he is a low-life boy, no one wants to be friends with him. He has always wanted to elevate himself to a better class. Not just for girls, but ultimately for himself, in the long run. Even with a beautiful smile from her, it is nothing more than a floating cloud that he can never grasp. So he tries to enjoy this moment with her in silence.
While Mikael is going all sentimental, Anij is still putting out a lot of ear-hanging smiles. Suddenly, Mikael wants to leave this shop as fast as he can to relieve some of his burden. He asks Anij, “You are done?”
“Well . . . Not really . . . but . . . hmmm . . . well . . . ah . . . maybe . . . yeah.”
“What? Okay, let’s go.”
“You boys heading out?”
“Yeah. Thanks very much again.”
“Oh it is a pleasure of mine. Come back soon. And be careful.”
“Okay. Thanks, Niklas.”
“Thanks, Niklas.”
“See you boys.”
They walk out of the pretzel shop in a hurry. Mikael doesn’t allow himself to take a second look at her at all. But with all this put behind him, he intentionally gets himself busy. Anij is still in the dream state, with dancing pretzels in his mouth. His tongue is pampered with the best touch that there could ever be. He keeps licking his lips, up and down, side to side. He took probably the biggest plunge ever, in terms of food. While Anij is walking without much focus, Mikael is thinking about a plan for the next place. They are walking back to where they were, the park. On the way to the park, there are never a lot of people about. It is a quiet neighbourhood. So whenever Mikael needs to plan things or think about something, he always takes this road to have a pretzel to calm him down and concentrate on his business.
Mikael is very prudent and meticulous in many ways. And he is cunning. He is especially careful to pay for the pretzels every time. Obviously, Niklas doesn’t even imagine that Mikael is a thief. He is planting a strong alibi and liability on Niklas. So just in case Mikael gets screwed up badly, he will have someone to rely on. He knows that trust makes a strong bond between people. That is from his father. Mikael doesn’t necessarily like Niklas, but there is no reason he should hate him, either. So Mikael is keeping the relationship at its best, because Mikael knows that one day Niklas will do him a big favour.
As they walk, they take many turns and corners to the park. Mikael is quietly pondering the next plan, and Anij is still walking with the awe from the pretzel. After a while, Mikael speaks to Anij. “Well, the next place would be ‘Henry’s Hungry Shop.’”
“What?”
“It is the biggest store in this town, with lots of people shopping there all the time. And, of course, lots of workers looking after the shelves and aisles.”
“How do I take stuff, then?”
“Well. Well. Well. That is why I am taking you there. Okay?”
“Why so fast? We have four more days.”
“You must get used to this. So today we do it there. Tomorrow you practise on other easy shops. So you will get better over the days. You have to practise a lot. Okay?
“Okay. Mikael?”
“What?”
“Thanks, man.”
“Okay . . . Just don’t mess it up. Okay?”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
“Cut it out. Oh, I should tell you about some rules. You know, even though we are thieves, we have rules. Number 1: You don’t trust anybody, including yourself. Trust only your hands.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Only your hands. Okay? Number 2: Use your friends when you need to get out of a situation. Number 3: Always keep the stuff in your hand when you get out of the shop, because someone might have saw you doing it and you need to dump it as fast as you can. But for the big stuff, try to put them in your pocket. But never pick a too big thing. It will just not fit into your pocket and it will look stupid and attract attention. Number 4: Never get too close to the counter when you exit the shop. Because when you exit the shop, sometimes you need to dump the stuff that you took. And stuff around the counter are always different from shelves. So always try to exit the shop where other shelves are, so it doesn’t look so weird even after you put the stuff on other shelves. Number 5: Always look at other people and say hi to them. When you just concentrate on your work too much, they will start to think suspicious about you. Okay? There are some other rules. But these are the rules of thumb that you must stick to at all cost. Okay?”
“Too many . . . I don’t know.”
“Well. As you do this more often, you will understand.”
“Okay.”
“We are almost there.”
“Okay.”
As they get closer to the shop, Mikael is getting more serious. He knows that this is one place where Anij must never screw up. Other places could be fine even if Anij fails. But this place has so many workers. They might remember or they might actually do something. This is the most dangerous and nerve-breaking shop. But also it gives Mikael the biggest and deepest thrill of all. He lives up to it. The adrenalin and endorphins rushing from his brain keep him alive in this business. Anij is looking at Mikael and he can feel that something is arising from Mikael’s mind. Something prominent and sharp is emerging fast. While Anij is trying to organize his breath, they are in front of the shop. The Henry’s Hungry Shop. Mikael stops Anij.
“Okay, here is the plan. For this, we must work together to get the most of what we want. Okay?”
“Okay. Sounds scary.”
“It is. Here you never shake or feel nervous. If you do, just let me know. Then we will exit the shop straightaway. Okay?”
“Why?”
“Why? Just look at this place. There are so many people. Someone might recognize me. Some people have a very good memory. So you need to be extra careful of what you do, especially here. Any awkwardness will kill both of us. Okay?”
“Okay. Enough . . .”
“So here is the plan. We go in. Then we walk around to check some stuff just like anyone. Then I will make the move first on the fruit section. When I approach to the fruit table, you will start to talk to one of the clerks near there. Anything stupid, any story. So people will not listen to your shit. Then I will take something. Then I will send you a sign. Then we walk away. And you walk up to the snack section. Then I will be talking about some stupid shit to any clerk around. And you take some stuff. Don’t take too long. If you can’t do it, just let me know. I will do it, then. But you will have to talk about some shit first. Okay? After the work is done, we will talk to anyone, maybe some other customers, asking some questions and stuff like that. Then we exit the shop just like anyone else. Okay?”
“Wow. A little too much . . . And what do I talk about? Anything?”
“Yeah. Anything. You have to make some shit up. Like . . . school stuff. My teacher told me this and that. You know. Those stuff. Or your other friend is stupid . . . Anything.”
“Okay. It is very hard.”
“Yeah. It takes a lot to be a very good thief. I told you. It is not easy work. You ready?”
“No . . . Not yet.”
“Come on. Be ready all the time. You never know when the golden opportunity comes. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go.”
Anij is nervous, but it is a natural phenomenon. He can’t really help it. His own version of poker face isn’t really working. Mikael senses that Anij is slightly shaky. But he wants to teach him the big deal of what it is like to be a real thief. Anij has to learn that sooner or later. And here is one way to find out. So they go in.
Inside the shop, Anij is shocked at its sheer size and number of clerks. This is just as big as the one where he had the pretzel, but here he is in a nervous way. He is not sure whether it is possible at all after looking at all this. He is questioning himself. Mikael knows what he is thinking. That was what happened to Mikael as well when he first saw this place. There are at least fifteen aisles of shelves, and items from A to Z. Anij didn’t even know that this many foods existed.
Starting from the left, there are lots of counters, at least ten of them. People are unloading their stuff onto the counters. The cashiers are busy punching numbers on cash registers. Some old people are checking the prices as the clerks punch in the numbers. Some are reading labels on items. Some are talking to clerks. Some are running to shelves to get the last item before they check out. Some are fighting with people over some stupid matter.
In front of the counters, a bread section starts. All kinds of breads are displayed. Some clerks are carrying newly baked breads on carts. Some are waiting to get the newly baked ones. On the right side of the bread section, a vegetable section starts. Some clerks are spraying a mist of water to freshen them. Then there is the fruit section. Apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, mangos, and so on . . . Some are weighing their stuff on scales. Some are asking the clerks about the price. Beside the fruit section, there is a meat section. And to the right, packaged goods and dried goods are displayed across the entire shop. At the far right is the frozen food section.
Anij is busy looking at so many kinds of food that he has never seen before. He is downright confused for sure. He is likely to get lost in this shop . . . or maybe it is the best place to play hide and seek. The shop is very well organized. Perfectly straight lines of shelves with no blind spots. Mirrors are placed at just about every corner. It is carefully designed to have no blind spots for any possible robbery. On top of that, at every corner, there is a guard watching people. It seems like those guards are usually helping shoppers. But surely their presence makes it even harder for Anij to take anything from those shelves and put it into his pocket.
Mikael seems to be just walking around for no specific reason, like many other shoppers. Both are just walking around for a while. Anij’s head is constantly rotating 360 degrees. Every five seconds, he is checking up on different kinds of food, like a peasant boy from a mountain village who has come to a city for the first time. Mikael is a little uncomfortable with Anij’s behaviour. He understands that this kind of shop will completely scatter Anij’s concentration to rock bottom. But that shouldn’t go on for long. There is a mission to do, here. Anij’s mouth is shut tight.
Mikael starts to talk about some shit that he is making up to ease Anij’s brain: “So, what did your mom say?”
“Mom?”
“Yeah, your mom.” Mikael is putting frown eyes.
Then Anij picks it up. Awkwardly, he starts to talk. “Oh. Well. You know. Always same stuff. I must stay home and whatever . . .”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I don’t make any trouble outside. But she tells me I must stay at home.”
“Oh, well. My mom is like that, too. You know. She tells me that I go out for too long. Remember last time we went out of town. And my mom got really mad. So after that, I shouldn’t really go out for anything. That sucks.”
“Yeah. Not good.”
Anij is questioning Mikael with his face — why he has to talk about this stuff. Mikael grabs Anij’s arm and tells him, “Let’s go. I need to pee soon.”
“Okay . . .”
Mikael is taking Anij outside the shop. They walk somewhat far from the shop to where not a lot of people are passing by. Mikael keeps himself cool as they walk. But he suddenly stops walking and turns all mad at Anij. “What was that?”
“What?”
“I told you. Don’t get too nervous. It shows too much on your face. I couldn’t do shit.”
“Sorry. The shop is too big and there are too many people. I don’t know . . . How do I take anything from there?”
“I told you the whole plan. That is all you needed to do. It doesn’t really matter if the shop is big or there is nobody in the shop.”
“Well. I don’t know. I was scared. You know?”
“I know. But you have to get used to that. Okay? I mean it. You must get used to it fast. This is the best shop for us or for anyone. Look how much stuff they have. If you know how to take anything there, then you will be fine anywhere else.”
“Okay. Sorry. I want to try again. But not now. I am still scared.”
“What? Uh . . . Okay . . . Let’s wait for a while. Then we go again, right?”
“Right.”
Mikael is angry. Disappointment appears on his face big time. He wanders around the street for a while and takes out a cigarette. Anij feels bad. But it is a big jump for any newbie. He had no choice but to freak out. Mikael inhales deeply then exhales fast. Anij can definitely see that Mikael is pissed off at him. But there is not much Anij can do right now. It was pretty obvious that he was walking pretty shakily at the shop and his voice wasn’t even normal.
Mikael finishes his cigarette with lightning speed and takes another one right away. Some people are walking by them and criticize Mikael for smoking. “What on earth is going on in this world nowadays?”
“Well. One thing for sure. Something is not right. Kids are smoking on the streets? Oh, well . . .”
“You got that right. Things are too easy now. What do they have to worry about? It is not even like the troubles we used to have, right?”
“Oh, yeah. Things were tough back then. Now? You can take your time on just about anything. And then we see those kids just smoking away their lives like that . . .”
Mikael hears all that conversation from the old men who are passing by him. He stares at the backs of their heads and gives them the finger. Then Mikael throws his cigarette into the sewer. With a variety of unpleasant looks, Mikael spits on the road and asks Anij, “You ready now, soldier?”
“Well. Let’s go. I am good now.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Let’s just go.”
“Okay. You better be good this time. If you can’t do it this time, I will not take you here again. Okay?”
“Okay. Just let’s go.”
“Okay. Here we go.”
They enter the shop again with fresh looks on their faces. A more determined look on Anij this time. No one seems to bother to look at them. They act cool, unlike the first time. This time, Anij is much more comfortable with this situation. He is walking without much trembling. Mikael still senses Anij’s shaky eyes, but it is better than the first time. A little piece of relief, there. They head to the fruit section, according to Mikael’s initial plan. As they are getting close to the fruit section, Anij takes a deep breath. As soon as they get to the section, Mikael sends an eye signal to Anij to start talking. Anij immediately starts to talk.
“So, anything from school?”
“Anything what?”
“You know, anything good from your school?”
“Oh . . . Well . . . You know. Always boring teachers and boring guys. What about you?”
“Well. Same shit every day. You know.”
“Yeah . . .”
Everything is under control, just as Mikael wanted. Anij is talking some shit. Mikael is looking at clerks and other shoppers. He is waiting for his moment to shift some apples into his pocket. It is an easy one for Mikael. And he never takes too many, as he had instructed Anij. So his pocket wouldn’t look like it is bulging out too much. Anij is nervously watching Mikael. And of course, Mikael immediately plunges on. Before Anij can blink twice, Mikael takes two apples and puts them in his pocket. Anij’s eyes become dilated and gets shocked by his true speed and accuracy. That was truly something. Right after he takes anything, Mikael never looks at other people. He wants to be as natural as possible as other shoppers, because it is not natural to look at other people all the time. That was such a smooth transition. Maybe that is why he is the number one in this town.
Mikael asks Anij, as if he is still choosing some apples, “So who do you like in school?”
“Uh? Me?”
“Yeah.”
“You mean, a girl? Or a teacher?”
“Oh. Teacher.”
“Well. My math teacher is pretty good, I guess.”
“Yeah? Why?”
“Well, she looks good and she is good at teaching, I think.”
“Hm . . .”
“Oh, well. I want to get some chips now.”
“Okay.”
Mikael moves on to the snack section, thinking about the next move. As they are heading to the snack section, they are also checking out the crowds and clerks to see what they are up to. Mikael scans the whole area quickly with innocent eyes. Anij is also looking at the shoppers and guards. They get to the snack section. There are lots of kids walking around, as usual. Some are pestering their parents about what they want. Some are crying in front of the shelves because their parents are not buying anything for them. Some are completely taken by the sheer volume of candies and snacks in front of them. Some are carelessly taking stuff off of shelves and leaving them on the floor. And so on . . . It is simply a mess. A very busy and noisy one. It feels like they would need a daycare centre just for this section. This is the most perfect scenario for any thief, since such petty matters do play big roles for them. Mikael and Anij don’t really have to set up their plays. All they need is good timing, which comes very often. Kids in the candy shop are the best. They are the masters of distraction.
Anij is a little intimidated by all these kids running around and screaming. But he also thinks that this might help.
Mikael smiles and whispers to Anij, “Hey, I got a new plan. Easy one.”
“What is that?”
“I will ask the guard, you see, about some stuff. Maybe about some vegetables. So he will not look at here while you do the thing. I will be the bait. Okay?”
“Hm. Okay. I will try.”
“Easy, right? Okay. I’ll go now. You will be there.”
“Okay.”
Mikael looks at different kinds of chocolate as he moves closer to a guard. He acts as if something comes up in his mind. Then he walks up to the guard and asks him, “Excuse me. One question.”
“Okay, young gentleman.”
“It is a green fruit and about this big. Do you know it?”
“Well, there are lots of things that are green and about that size.”
“Oh . . . It is white inside and it is sweet.”
“Well, like I said, there are lots of things like that. Any specific shape? Or?”
“Oh . . . I had it before. It was really good . . . and . . .”
While Mikael is asking the guard nonsense questions, Anij goes over his plan. It should be easy, as there are many wild kids around him. But uptightness makes Anij start to shake, little by little. Mikael is casually checking up on Anij while he is talking to the guard. Then he sees Anij becoming shaky in front of the shelf. So he goes back to the conversation and deliberately confuses the question even more.
Anij is still thinking about what he should do first. But his brain goes blank. He knows that he must pull this one off nicely. And he wants to stay with Mikael in the house. All the memories of loneliness and hunger are coming back to him. But he just simply can’t make his move now. Mikael and Anij want to get this over with fast and leave this place.
Then a fight breaks out between two kids. The reason is that they both want the same chocolate bar, but there is only one on the shelf. So it happens. A quarrel between the kids starts.
“Hey! I want this.”
“I was here first. So it is mine.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.”
“No.”
“I told you. I was here first. So I will take this.”
“You take that next time, okay? And I have money for it now.”
“I got money, too. And I was here first.”
“No. I looked at it first. So it is mine.”
“It is mine!”
“No! Mine!”
One kid pushes the other one. Then the other one also pushes back. They do that for a few times, pushing back and forth. Then, as expected, other kids are gathering around the fight and yelling.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!”
At that point, everyone hears them fighting. Mikael and Anij look at each other. Mikael smiles and sends Anij an eye signal that this is the best timing. Anij also smiles back that he can do this now. Guards are trying to stop the fight. Spectator kids are still yelling. Some parents are rushing to this scene to see if their kids are in the fight. With everyone involved, it is getting easier for Anij to take something from the shelf; but no matter how easy it seems, he still has to do it very quickly and efficiently. So he takes a deep breath and takes a chocolate bar. The mess is still happening. But it is close enough to put him in danger at any moment. He looks around. Everyone seems to be occupied by the fight. He looks at Mikael with a relieved smile. Mikael also smiles back and walks out of the shop first. Soon Anij follows.
Outside the shop, Mikael heads to a park nearby and sits down. Anij sees him at the park. Mikael takes one cigarette and starts to smoke. Anij sits beside him. Mikael speaks to Anij after a few puffs with a happy face.
“Wow, that was good.”
“Thanks. I was lucky.”
“See? Anyway, look what I got.”
“Wow!”
“Let’s see what you got there.”
“I only got one.”
“That is okay. Next time, it should get easier for you. This time, you got really lucky. You know that, right?”
“Yeah.”
Whether Anij was lucky or not, it was a milestone. A big one. Henry’s Hungry Shop is the holy grail for all thieves in the town, but also the hardest one. Mikael is happy that Anij is getting better and better day by day. It is unusually fast for anyone. Anij is also very happy. Even though he only has one chocolate bar from the shop, now he feels that he can go anywhere and do the job without getting paranoid. It seems that his morality has faded just a bit. But it is all about surviving. He doesn’t fight with his conscience, which has never brought him any food. So he decides to take the side that will bring food for him. It seems like it doesn’t really matter what side he takes, anymore.