Exciting Times

“So Kelly, do you like Greek?”

Stupid. So stupid. Why did you ask that Kevin.

I felt my face go hot. I glanced down at the paltry piece of Pita bread on my plate, then back to the blond-haired woman, across the table.

She grinned. “It’s not too bad.”

“Cool.”

Silence.

Kelly’s eyes darted around the restaurant while I fiddled with my fork.

“You ever been to Greece?” I asked.

“Nah, never.”

She held her hand to her mouth and yawned quietly.

I nodded.

Well this was going great. I desperately looked around the room, hoping some topic of conversation would magically come to mind.

“So I read on your dating profile that you’re studying law at university. How’s that going for you?” asked Kelly.

I looked back at her. “Oh I love it.” I chuckled.

What was that Kevin you dope.

Kelly smiled and turned her attention to her phone. I cleared my throat, modulating my voice.

“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to become a lawyer. I think it would be an exciting career.”

She smiled again. “I think you will do well, Kevin.” She was still staring at her phone.

I needed to find something interesting to talk about. We must have some interests in common.

I pulled out my own phone and started scrolling through photos on my profile and came across a picture of me just about to jump out of a plane in skydiving gear.

It was time to get the ball rolling.

Come on Kevin build some courage.

“So, what do you like to do for fun Kelly?”

“Umm.” She looked up with her hand on her chin, thinking for a moment.

“Ahh I like to travel, go on road trips, you know. I like movies and things like that. What about yourself?” She replied as she looked back at her phone.

“Well, I’m a bit of a thrill seeker, myself. I like to get the adrenaline pumping, you know. I’m always looking to do things exciting.”

Kelly perked up. That got her attention.

She gazed at me, a smile spreading across her face. I struggled to keep eye contact with those intense blue eyes, looking deeply in to mine. She put her phone away.

“Well it’s funny you should say that Kevin, because I know just the thing you’re talking about.” Her voice had a more flirtatious tone. She was twirling her hair with one finger as she bit her lip.

She stood up. “Come with me, I know just the place.” She slowly brushed past me. I sat frozen for a moment, dumbfounded before I jumped out of my chair to catch up with her.

“So, where are we going?” I asked her as we walked down the street.

“Oh, you will see.” She winked at me, smiling and grabbed my hand, leading me on, while my heart fluttered like a butterfly.

Where was she taking me at this time of night.

We turned a corner leaving the bright lights of the main street and down a darker and more quiet residential area.

This didn’t seem very exciting.

We stopped out the front of a single-storey brick house, shrouded in darkness. We passed a blue sedan siting in the driveway while she led me to the front door. “Is this your house?” I asked her.

She was patting down her pockets on her pants. “It is but I’ve lost my damn keys. Never mind, I know what to do,” she said smiling at me. “You just wait here for me.” She was swinging my arm as she backed away, before she turned and went around the side of the house.

I heard a window being pushed open and a rattling sound. Then I heard the sound of footsteps through the house and then the turning of a lock on the front door. The door squealed open to Kelly standing there gesturing me to come in. I hesitated a moment.

“Come on, I’ll make you a drink,” she said as she pulled me inside. She flicked on a nearby switch that lit up a tidy living room, with a leather lounge at its centre.

“Come, come, sit down here.” She dragged me to the lounge and gently pushed my chest so that I fell back.

She held her phone at me. It made a shutter sound and a bright flash made me blink. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Oh my god I’m so sorry, I should have asked. I told my friends how handsome you were and they really wanted to see.” She had her hand to her mouth giggling.

“You don’t mind I show them do you?” She asked flicking her eye lashes at me.

“Yeah I guess, shouldn’t be a problem.” I smiled awkwardly. I was a little stunned but flattered at the same time.

She started bouncing up and down, grinning. “Oh, cool, cool, cool, you just wait there, I’ll be back.” She left the living room down an adjacent hall, turning on lights as she went.

I sat there fidgeting with my hands, wondering what on earth Kelly had planned for me.

Was this going to be an intimate experience? I was not ready for that.

As I sat there staring into an empty void, I heard mumbling coming from the hallway.

Was she talking to somebody?

After what she said about her friends, I was really curious about what they were saying about me.

It really isn’t any of my business.

Curiosity got the better of me in the end, so I slowly got off the lounge and tiptoed down the hallway. The mumbling got louder as I got to a door halfway down, and Kelly’s voice become more intelligible.

“-yes, I think he walked to the pub up the road because he left his car here, must be getting off his head again. Don’t worry I’ll be able to get the money to pay Benny back. I have a guy here with me, so I’ll talk to you soon.”

It sounded like she ended the call so I hastily tiptoed back to the lounge. The kitchen door opened as soon as I sat down.

Kelly came into view holding a glass of wine in each hand. She was smiling.

“I hope you don’t mind cheap Shiraz, it’s all I had.” She handed me a glass.

“It will do just fine, thanks.”

“Listen, I just need to pop to the bathroom quickly, so make yourself at home.”

I nodded to her, holding up my glass of wine. She gave me another smile and went back down the hall. As I sipped my wine I couldn’t help thinking about how odd that call was, it didn’t sound like she was talking to her friends.

Who was Benny? Something wasn’t right.

I looked around the living room and noticed some framed photos sitting on a cabinet. I walked over and took a good look at them. In most photos there was a young man with buzzed hair standing next a woman with short, dark hair. Some pictures had other people, but most photos featured that particular couple.

Hmmmm that’s odd why isn’t Kelly in any of these pictures?

I stood there contemplating, then I heard the rumbling of drawers coming from the hall. I went to investigate.

At the end of the hall, a door was slightly ajar, exposing the darkness inside. I snuck up and peeked through the gap. Kelly was inside rummaging through drawers and loading her purse with glittering objects.

Was that jewellery. No way.

My jaw dropped. The realisation dawned on me.

This wasn’t Kelly’s house.

She was robbing it.

I swung the door open. She froze, halfway through stuffing wads of cash into her bag.

“What on earth are you doing?” I demanded.

She held up her arms. “Listen Kevin I can explain.”

My jaw trembled. “What have you got me into, we’re going to…”

“Shhhhhh,” she interrupted.

I went quiet, my heart thumped against my chest. There was whistling coming from outside the bedroom window. Footsteps crunched on the concrete footpath. My stomach dropped, my hands were shaking. Someone had arrived home.

“This way,” whispered Kelly. She tiptoed out of the room.

She turned down the hall towards the back of the house. I followed her, knees shaking. We both crept into a laundry room that had a door on the other side. Kelly turned the lock and slowly twisted the doorknob.

“Where are we going Kelly?” I whispered.

“Just follow me and stay quiet.” She slowly opened the door and I was met with a chilly breeze. We crept into the backyard and moved quickly to the side of the house, where there was a silhouette of a gate. I kept looking back, expecting to be caught at any moment.

We were so screwed.

Kelly carefully opened the gate and peeked out. I could see someone in the front yard, swaying as they walked. A man was chatting loudly on a phone.

My heart pounded like a jackhammer. Sweat dripped down my cheek.

We waited an eternity for the guy to make it to his front door. Kelly gestured for me to follow and we exited the side gate. We crept up the side of the blue sedan and once I got far enough I went to make a run for it, until I felt Kelly grab my arm.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

“No, you’re coming with me,” whispered Kelly harshly and she held up a set of keys and nodded to the car.

“Oh hell no,” I said.

I could hear the man yelling inside.

I think he just discovered someone had been in his house.

Kelly yanked my arm. “Get in the car.”

“Im not getting involved in car theft Kelly, let go.”

“Oh, you will be getting in that car Kevin because I have a picture of you sitting in that house, and I might just send that to the police.” She held up her phone.

I froze. If she sent that picture to the police, they will think it was me who robbed the place but if I got caught in a stolen car the consequences could be worse.

I looked back to the street, hesitated for a moment and then sighed.

“Let’s go,” I said. Kelly jumped in the drivers seat.

I guess my life is in her hands now.

She turned on the ignition and I heard the front door swing open.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing!” The man sounded furious. Kelly put the stick in reverse and at full speed reversed into the street.

Bang!

We backed into a parked car. The alarm started blaring.

Oh great, now the neighbours will hear.

The man was running across his front yard towards us. Kelly hit the accelerator and we screeched forward down the street.

The man tried to grab the back door handle. I looked into the side mirror and saw him running up the street waving his arms in the air.

Kelly sped off, full throttle.

“We’re screwed Kelly, what have you done?” I held on tight to my seat.

“I thought you wanted to do something exciting,” she said.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Kelly spun a round the corner into the main street, tires screeching. “Pull over and let me out,” I said.

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you do that.”

Why did she need me in the car with her? Where were we going? I didn’t know.

The car swerved. A pedestrian jumped out of the way, yelling

profanities at us.

Kelly swung the steering wheel sharply around a corner, brakes screamed as we cut into oncoming traffic.

We propelled down the street.

A traffic light turned red up ahead.

“No don’t do it Kelly.”

She sped up.

I tensed up.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

I could hear horns blaring. I opened my eyes and we were on the other side of the traffic lights. I started hyperventilating.

Then we were flashed with blue and red lights.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no…”

Police sirens started wailing. “Pull over Kelly, we’re done.”

She kept driving.

She turned onto the freeway leaving the city behind.

We swerved in and out of traffic, the police car right on our tail.

The light of dawn started glowing in the east.

I glanced over my shoulder and noticed two more police cars had joined the pursuit.

Cars in front of us started pulling to the side.

Bang!

A police car rammed the back of our car.

Kelly slammed down on the pedal. I felt myself being pulled back in the chair.

My heart pounded.

Kelly exited the freeway and we ended up on another road.

The police followed.

Lights flashed. Sirens screamed.

The traffic slowed in front. Kelly looked to the opposite lane, then she looked in the rear view mirror.

The cars in front were coming up fast.

Kelly swerved into the oncoming lane.

“Oh no, Kelly watch out!”

A semi-trailer barrelled down the hill towards us and it wasn’t slowing down.

I was wide eyed, holding my breath at my impending doom.

The car shook as it tried to get ahead of the traffic. The gap to overtake was closing fast.

Kelly pushed her foot down.

The truck honked at us.

I grabbed on to the door and seat, gritting my teeth.

Then Kelly swung back into the right lane. We missed the truck by an inch. Its horn roared at us.

Kelly then quickly turned down a side road. I looked over my shoulder, the police cars were gone, their sirens fading in the distance.

The road led us into a forested area, and Kelly turned down a few more side roads.

I was still holding on tight, my face was drained.

“Where are we?” I mumbled.

Kelly didn’t say anything, she was remarkably calm.

We pulled up to an empty picnic area. There was a small brick building that looked like a public toilet. Standing next to another car in a nearby carpark stood a man, with a bald head and fully tattooed arms.

Kelly pulled up next to him. “Who’s that?” I asked.

“That’s my boyfriend Tony.”

Her boyfriend?

Kelly got out of the car and hugged him. I stumbled out and fell to my knees in the grass, throwing up. I got back to my feet and saw Kelly loading her bag into the other car.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked. Kelly looked up at me, then her and Tony looked at each other.

“Im sorry Kevin, we needed the money, my life depended on it.”

“Why?” I hissed.

“We owe money to a loan shark, but we will make sure we get you somewhere safe. You weren’t involved as far as we are concerned,” grumbled Tony.

Still doesn’t explain why they needed me.

“Would you guys excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” They nodded and I made my way to the public restroom. It was amazing that I didn’t wet myself.

My pants were halfway down when I heard their car drive off. I ran out into a cloud of dust. Their taillights faded into the distance.

I dropped to my knees next to the stolen car left behind.

As a chilly breeze swirled through my hair, I realised why Kelly needed me. They needed someone to take the fall.

And as I knelt there with the wail of police sirens closing in on me, all I could think to myself was-

-Im going to need a good lawyer.