It was cold, people were warm inside “the blue lion”, a modern, trendy place where you can buy the cure for dignity for cheap and wake up the next morning no wiser to the dances you did and the people you offended. It was a dignified silhouette sitting outside holding a clear, white board and a pen. It was a risk; the shadow knew this grift required great luck and greater hearing, he had somehow trained both and now listened between the chink of glasses and the mindless chit-chat of the young and warm, his breath steamed in front of him and through the steam came the words he was looking for, the words he expected every night he waited in the cold.
‘See I told you Dicey, this place never checks ID’s,’ the smooth cocky voice said from the edge of the pub, the dark figure started writing,
‘Yeah, but Laki, what if my mum found out I were here, she would kill me,’ the worried voice said,
‘Don’t worry, how could she find out?’ another puff of steam emerged from the figure’s mouth as he smiled.
‘Nah, I’m going now before I get busted,’ a tall boy with a puff off messed up brown hair walked out as a shorter, Asian tugged on his arm, trying to drag him into just one more, they both stopped and looked into the darkness as a white board appeared with a single heart stopping word.
“Dicey”
The Asian boy stopped dragging from behind, and instead approached at the front, courage was his forte and the Dutch had given him some help.
‘Um, hello?’ he said, unsure of how to greet this new development of the night. The shadow took pride in his skill as a smooth talker, however he relinquished this talent, it was cold.
‘Ah, you’re Dicey aint ya?’ he asked, loud enough to reach the boy he knew was Dicey,
‘Nah bruv, but he is’ the boy said, pointing to his friend who was turning pale as the steam in front of his face.
‘Oh thank god, I was freezing me knackers off ‘ere, come on, lets get going.’ The beer in Dicey’s blood hit his brain and confidence was his reward.
‘I’m sorry, what’s going on?’ he asked, scared of the answer.
‘I’m ‘ere to get ya home lad, the taxi’s waitin’ an’ all.’ The figure said with the perfection of a hundred dress rehearsals,
‘We didn’t order a taxi.’ The smooth Asian stated,
‘Well it sez ‘ere…’ he paused as he pulled a notepad out of his pocket, ‘oh I see, it’s misses Dicey, ya look bit young to be hitched mate, if ya don’t mind me sayin,’’ he saw the fear mount in the boy’s eyes, the shadow couldn’t smile half way through a scam, but he let a puff of steam escape his nostrils,
‘I’m not married, that’s my mother, she knows I’m here, oh god, oh my god, I’m dead, I am so dead, has she already told you where I need to go?’ it was a challenge to say yes without an address but that’s all that was made of it,
‘Yeah mate, everything’s pre-booked, even got the cost worked out an’ all’ Dicey’s friend stepped in, he liked being in control of the situation, he thought he was the dog; he had no idea he was being lead like a sheep.
‘Ok, don’t panic, we’ll spend the night at my house, your mum will think she was wrong and you never needed the taxi,’ this was what the shadow was waiting for, however not everything goes like the hundreds of rehearsals he had performed, Dicey decided to correct his friend.
‘But we need the taxi to get to your place, how much will it cost to change the destination?’ the con changed, the show had lost its curtain and the man in the shadows would have to improvise it.
‘Everything’s pre booked, remember? The paperwork‘ll be a mile long to change and I do ‘ave a life outside of givin’ me balls frostbite outside of pubs.’ He said, hardly believing the words coming out of his own mouth,
‘How about we pay for the trip to my house and then pay for a trip from there to Alma Road?’
‘Trip like that, cost ya at sixty five quid mate,’ he said smiling,
‘Sixty five quid! No way am I paying that much,’ Laki erupted, the smile in the shadow got bigger,
‘If you don’t want ta front the bill I’m sure ya mum can handle it’ the previously smooth Asian’s face contorted with anger, he pulled a twenty out of his wallet and dicey pulled two twenty’s out of his, the shadow stood up, shook off the cold and guided them to a row of taxi’s outside a more popular club where people were still inside trading dignity for fun, he went up to the first taxi and went straight for the driver, ‘change of plans mate, it’s Allmat Road,’
‘Alma road,’ dicey corrected,
‘Ok, Alma road, I got a couple more people to get, see ya back at HQ,’ he said to a very confused driver, as he pulled away the man walked to the next taxi along,
‘Hello, could you take me to Stone Street?’ the driver turned and smiled
‘Sure thing mate, cold outside isn’t it?’