New World

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Partners in Crime

Guided by the moonlight and the streetlights, we drive to the Stenbergs' house. Booga's the one driving my car. Well, he's the one who knows where the house is. I don't want hearing instructions while I'm driving. I find it annoying. So I let him drive.

"So what made you interested with this case?" I asked. I'm still curious.

"Well, you asked me to help you. And maybe, since I haven't seen you for ten years, I took this as a chance to have some bonding time with you," he said. That doesn't answer my question. It is not the kind of answer that I am expecting.

"Bonding time, huh? It's a really weird one, you know," I chuckled.

"I guess I am just bringing the old memories back. We were like this when we were in Tyra. You know, doing crazy stuffs even if they were dangerous. Adventure, bro. That's what made us friends."

Yes. I remember that very well. We've been partners in crime in Tyra. Well, we're not doing the illegal ones. We just liked fooling around.

Back in Tyra, we had this one neighbor who seemed to hate everyone in the world. He didn't want anyone messing with his front and backyard. He didn't even want anyone setting a foot on his yard. He was so strict. He overreacted with everything around him that everyone in his neighborhood grew hating him.

One day, Booga's little sister who was playing catch with her friends accidentally threw the ball they were playing with straight to his window. The glass didn't break but he reacted violently. He went out of his house holding a broomstick and limped his way towards Booga's sister and her friends. He scolded everyone in their group and hit them with his broomstick.

"DON' EVAH PLAY IN FRONT OF MAH HOUSE AGAIN! PESKY KIDS!" he shouted as the kids ran to their respective houses.

Kellah, Booga's sister, went to their house, crying. "Why are you crying?" their mom, Donna, a New World national, asked.

"Mr. Karmon," she sobbed.

"That old man again?" Kito, their dad, a pure Tyran, said. "We seriously have to teach him a lesson."

"Don't bother. Let us take care of him," Booga said. He looked at me. And just by that, I knew what he meant.

That night, Booga and I went to a night club. We walked our way to our houses, drunk. We knew everyone was sleeping that's why we didn't make a single noise.

"You remember what my father said? Let's teach that old Karmon a lesson," he said.

"And how do you think we're going to do that?"

"Well, that man is a very clean man. I mean, he doesn't want even a single dust on his properties. He loves cleaning. Why won't we give him something to clean?"

I did not know what he meant by that. He walked towards the garbage can beside a lamp post. There was a lot of garbage then because the collector would only collect them the next day.

"Let's litter his ever clean lawn. What would you say?" he cleverly asked.

"Well, if you think that's going to teach him a lesson."

"Of course. I can't wait for his reaction tomorrow. I guess I am not going to sleep," he said. And we laughed.

We dragged the garbage cans toward his front lawn, careful not to make any sound. One by one, we pulled the bags out of the cans.