Chapter 3
It was late in the afternoon when Lapizo entered the police station. He had spent the day doing nothing more complicated than answering questions and giving statements. The police officer he had spoken to earlier gave him the impression that the guy had been a good cop. He spoke well and clearly, and Lapizo was impressed by the man's intelligence and his knowledge. He knew a lot about robberies and criminals. He said that Lapizo should consider becoming a detective and learning all about the world of crime. Lapizo was tempted, but he decided against it. He already knew everything he needed to know. He was an expert at stealing, he could steal from almost anybody he wanted, and he had no intention of becoming a detective. In fact, he had no plans of studying at the police academy. He just wanted to make money from his thefts and he could afford to do that better without working in the police department.
Lapizo went up the stairs to the third floor of the building. As he approached his door, he looked back for a second to check whether the policemen were following him, but he didn't see them. The building was pretty quiet. Everyone must have left already. Lapizo unlocked his apartment door with the key he kept inside his wallet. It was a little rusty, but he managed to push it open with some difficulty. Inside his room, Lapizo kicked his shoes off and dropped his bag on the floor. Then he changed into a fresh set of clothes - jeans, an undershirt, a shirt, a jacket and a hoodie. His pants were ripped and his boots were covered in dirt, but he didn't mind it. After changing clothes, Lapizo went to the kitchen. He grabbed a can of beans, which he ate without much interest. He sat on the couch and turned on the TV.
For a while he watched the news, looking bored, until he heard someone knocking at his door. Lapizo didn't move at first, pretending that he was watching the tv. He didn't want to go out. Eventually, however, curiosity got the best of him and he decided to get up. Once he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of the girl from the train station. She smiled and waved at him. "Good evening, Lapizo!" she said.
Lapizo stared at her and took another bite out of his beans. "Hello," he muttered.
The girl giggled and leaned against the doorframe. "I was wondering if you could help me." Her cheeks were slightly red and she sounded embarrassed. "My parents are both busy today so I don't know who else to ask."
"You need my help?" Lapizo asked after swallowing what was in his mouth.
The girl nodded and laughed shyly. "Yes, I need your help. My mother always leaves work early every Saturday night, and I don't know where else to go."
Lapizo shrugged and took another sip of his food. "Do you want me to give you directions to their houses or something? Or do you know which one is theirs?"
She thought about it for a moment. "If you want, I guess you could give me a ride. My mother is usually sleeping in this house, anyway."
Lapizo nodded and handed her his keys. He led her to his car and explained what he did in detail. Then he told her to sit in the passenger seat, and she obliged. Lapizo drove towards Mimi's house. He parked his car in the driveway, and then climbed out of it. He opened the trunk, took out his backpack, and tossed it over his shoulders. He locked the car and started walking towards Mimi's house.
When they reached the gate leading to her house, Lapizo knocked. The door opened immediately, revealing Mimi herself. Lapizo didn't say anything and simply looked around. He was surprised. He expected Mimi to look a lot different from what he remembered. Mimi wore a purple dress with short sleeves and a skirt. Her hair was long, tied into two ponytails. Her makeup was light, but Lapizo couldn't tell what color it was exactly. It seemed like she had put on a lot of makeup today.
Mimi noticed Lapizo standing in the doorway and smiled softly. "Oh hey, welcome back," she said.
"Hi, Mimi. How are things going?" Lapizo responded.
Mimi closed the door and motioned for Lapizo to come inside. "Things are fine. I hope you haven't missed me too much."
Lapizo smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Of course I have."
Mimi chuckled quietly and walked away into the living room. "Well, come in. Have you eaten yet? Do you want anything to eat?"
Lapizo shrugged, following her through the house. "What have you got?"
"There's leftovers in the fridge. Just take whatever you want."
"Thanks. I'm starving." Lapizo took a deep breath. He was hungry. He hadn't had any food since yesterday morning. It had been a long time since he'd eaten anything. He took one of the boxes of food out of the fridge and pulled out a spoon. He found some silverware inside. He quickly cut a few small pieces of chicken and put them onto his plate. He grabbed a couple of cans of soda out of the fridge and put them next to his dinner. He dug into his food, not paying attention to Mimi anymore, and chewed slowly, savoring each bite.
After finishing his dinner, Lapizo placed his plate in the sink. When he was done washing the dishes, he put the leftovers in the trashcan and put the rest of the garbage away. When he finished cleaning, he made his way back to the couch and sat down beside Mimi. The girl offered him a glass of milk, which he drank gratefully.
Mimi looked at him curiously. "What happened to you? You look terrible. Did something happen while you were gone?"
He shook his head. "No, nothing important."
She raised an eyebrow. "So… how is life? Are you happy here?"
Lapizo glanced at Mimi and grinned. "Not especially. This place is boring as shit