With The Beatles

Take 14

My eyebrows creased, "Talk about coincidence. Don't you have a house to go home to? At least an apartment or something?"

T'Challa laughs, "Brainless little Ringo, this is my home. As a matter of fact, you're just in the balcony."

Studying the surroundings around us, he just has a little brown table, a chess board, and two small stools. His place is just in an empty alley beside a 7-11 convenience store where a platform leads down to it.

I remembered the night I fell down on this very same platform. Definitely not a good moment worth remembering.

I sat down on the stool in front of him as T'Challa continues to move the chess pieces on his own. Thinking of riding along with his joke, I said, "Well, don't you have any housemates?"

The thief smirks at the side where his scar is located. "You wouldn't want to meet them. They're just like me, but even more ferocious and daring."

"So basically you and your friends are a group of thieves who rob around the city when you're bored?"

"At least the four of us aren't dreary little tour guides who fools people all over the wonders of the world." T'Challa points out, "That is even more boring."

"At least it's legal." I snapped. Huh, what a coincidence that these thieves are also a group of four.

"So what are you doing here? After what you requested from me yesterday, I was disappointed."

Gathering all the courage I had in me, I said, "I just... came by to say thank you for what you did. Me and my mates are doing alright now."

The sound of T'Challa's hearty laugh was heard again. He even coughed to catch his breath to speak, "My oh my, now I'm even more disappointed."

"What's there to be disappointed at someone who just wants to express his gratitude?" I specified. Never knew a thief would also forget his moral principles.

T'Challa chuckled as he points at me saying, "You really do sound like my grandfather. Are you born in the 1940's or something? Chill, man!"

His statement made me roll my eyes, I am born in 1940 so what?

"Say, how about I teach you how to have fun? Just to make you forget about your rings and make your life a little bit more colourful than just talk about you and your mate's tourguiding rubbish."

I observed his dark brown eyes that are also intently looking into my blue ones. T'Challa's not the kind to take drugs, you see. He may have deep eyebags and a crowd of acne on his face, but he's not a man you'd think would stand by some dark alley and kidnap or rape women.

Yet again, he's a robber who also lives in a dark alley but that doesn't make any difference from a rapist; they shouldn't be trusted.

But it was as if my mouth got disconnected from my brain 'cause I said, "What are you going to teach me?"

T'Challa grins as he stood up and gestured for me to come with him. As a stubborn idiot, I followed.

This isn't how my parents raised me to be. I may be homeschooled but I know the difference between right and wrong. But how come I can't apply that knowledge right now?

My expectations are weird, I'm telling ya. I thought T'Challa was bringing me to their secret hideout where theives do their meetings– if they do those stuff. Or maybe a secret place where they keep all the things they steal like some kind of museum.

Turns out he brought me to this shop called 'Forever Café.' As I observed from the outside, the store had a retro vibe with gray walls, black and white patterned tiled floor, and white tables. Dull colors but the atmosphere in there isn't gloomy.