Sweety was not aware if she was too busy cursing the woman and their luck or it was the rider who was at fault. The motorcycle he was riding suddenly went off track coming towards the side path leading her to swing aside in a perfect circle like she was in a dance move without a partner. Bless the supportive gates on the sides she held on to!
"Hey!" But the bloody biker was off. Placing her right hand across her heart, she breathed out, calming the beats.
"Oh ma..an! Ugh!" All vegetables and spices she brought were out of the bag, sprawled on the road.
What then? Go and get it up.
Moving to do just that, she was working alone on taking hold of each piece of olive and tomato when an additional pair of hands welcomed her.
"Thank you." She said gratefully to the man.
"Not a problem. I uh, wanted to ask where is Cadbury Street here." The man asked Sweety.
"It's the one where you're standing on. Where do you want to go?"
"Oh. The.. Roulette. Rowan Roulette."
"Oh. What work do you have with him?" Sweety took a glance over the man. He seemed to be a local with his accent but was new here. And why he wanted to see Papa?
"Mail delivery."
"Oh. Mail men come on foot nowadays?"
He laughed slightly at her joke but she wasn't exactly. It was quite weird for the man to come up without a vehicle filled of letters and mails.
"Ah, the vehicle. I... left it with my friend outside there," he showed out at no one particular at which Sweety raised her brow. She could not see any one nearby with a bike parked. "I told him to wait before we left for the airport. The next mail is to be delivered there. He must be in a rush." Tyler rubbed out nervously.
He shouldn't have agreed to this stupid, crazy idea. Damn that bastard.
"I'm his daughter, I'll give it to him."
Coming back to his act, Tyler politely denied, "I can't do that Miss. I have to deliver this to the house member myself. Just cannot risk complaints arriving from our customers."
Sweety was still unsure if he claimed to be a mailman. His clothes and behavior said he was brought up in a rich dwelling.
"I am his daughter. You want me to show ID? I don't have it though."
After some time Tyler agreed. Just like Rob trained him to do.
After the girl was off to her home, Tyler waited at the spot until the same motorcycle came through the road, going off track again and onto the sidelines but this time it stopped right next to Tyler.
"Told you. The girl is a spitfire. Won't be easy taking on her."
"What the hell were you thinking?" Was what Tyler blasted out after Rob removed his helmet off. "She could have been hurt!"
"But she isn't, is she? Now, don't be a fuss and hop on before she sees you with me and accuses you for being involved with her almost about-to-happen-accident." He put his helmet back on, whirring the engine as a warning for Ty to get on the seat or he'll speed off without him.
Sitting on the back Tyler muttered. "I shouldn't have taken your advice."
"Well, I'm trying to bring you closer to her. Ain't that what friends do?" Rob sang the pick-up line.
"We are not friends!"
"As you say, my friend."
Sweety went out in the market for an errand when she found a familiar face which brightened up seeing her.
"Hi."
"The mailman?"
"Um.. yes. That's my part-time and I'm off duty now."
Sweety nodded to him then waited for him to say what he wanted with her.
"Oh um, you're walking to the market?"
"Yes. Have to collect some stuffs."
They exchanged their names and were chit-chatting small things when Sweety came up clean. "What do you exactly want?"
Tyler knew his charade won't work for long especially when it came to this girl who unexpectedly called out the date with her Facebook friend. Will she call it off with him too, if he asks?
Licking his lips he opened his mouth to say the fabricated lie that Rob told him to say but when he saw her eyes, he changed his mind. Just like that.
"I came to take the locket."
"Excuse me?" Sweety pardoned, then saw him glancing at the chain that was visible around her neck. The locket, she always kept it inside her shirt. She couldn't explain why but she did it from habit.
"The locket you are wearing is not yours, right?" Tyler calmly opened up. "You found it with you out of nowhere. Aren't you curious how did it end up there?"
Sweety did not utter a word. The only thing she said was, "You are the second man coming after the locket." In turn reminded of Mr. Wilson's questionnaire regarding the locket. She remembered his voice distinctly asking her if she will give the locket just because someone came by to ask for it.
After Tyler did not respond Sweety questioned, "You don't know him?"
"Know who?" The sound came from behind her, craning her neck to look back. There he was in all his shameless glory staring at Sweety like he wanted to kill her.
"Where are you running off to?" Rob pulled her hand and brought her back to her original position when she was talking with Tyler. She did not realize until then that she was stepping back unconsciously. "Look, Sweety. It was nice meeting you but we need that locket back which was lost by me that day at your home."
He wisely left out the part of robbing a whiskey from her house. Or was it a scotch?
Just then, everything registered in her mind. The sudden appearance of a teacher for psychology who also seemed interested only in her. Yet it was not her, but the locket she was wearing that he was after.
The men waited for the girl to take out the spy stone named Gulf by Tyler.
Sweety watched them carefully, forget Mr. Wilson, the mailman guy seemed genuine of the locket thing. Apart from acting like he was delivering a parcel.
She looked down at her hands, in one was holding an empty bag and phone in other.
"Let me help you-"
"No." Sweety stopped Tyler. As for Mr. Wilson, he was uninterested in seeing what she was doing, he only needed the locket back so that he could tell this girl goodbye forever. "Hold this." She passed him the belongings in her hands, then she went behind her neck to dispatch the hook carefully. It was not an easy task though. The ornament was very old and sturdy, after bringing it on her palm, she saw the last of it and handed it to Tyler.
"It's a beautiful one, Tyler." Sweety complimented.
"Good girl," Rob complimented. "Now that its done, I am free! But I'll still give you the last ride to your home and you will let me take six cartons of beer with me."
"Will you behave?" Tyler threw him a scandalous look. Facing Sweety who was back to taking her things from him. "I am sorry, we should have come by sooner but I was giving this idiot a chance to correct his mistake."
"And he couldn't take the locket from me with all his acting." Sweety revealed.
Rob narrowed his eyes at his friend, then at Sweety, glaring them turn by turn. "I am standing right here, you know!"
"We know." Both chorused together.
"Wow. A match in heaven indeed!"
"We should go now. I again apologize for troubling you all this time." It was obvious who was saying that, Sweety accepted it.
"It's okay."
Immediately after the men began leaving, "Leather jacket guy, can I speak to you?"
Rob and Tyler paused midway, glancing the other's attire for confirmation.
"I'll wait on the other side." Tyler went away leaving behind the proud thief.
"I know what you'll say. You will miss me, I get it-"
"You stole from my house that day."
Oh darn. He hoped for her to not figure that out.
"Who are you, then?"
He contemplated whether to answer that.
"I won't tell it to anyone." She assured him.
Rob was to answer when he had an idea, "I am Robber. Nice to meet you Sweety." He kissed her cheek and left to join his friend. Sweety was too shocked from his out of nowhere physical contact with her that she was late to understand he did it to distract her.
"He still didn't give me his name." Grumping, she went into the market for completing the errand, all the time her mind stuck on the two men she met recently.
Frankly, she wouldn't have given the locket if he had not showed up.