A Good Find by Gary L Beer (chrysanthemum read aloud .TXT) 📕

can make your own especially if you are not going to work.”
“Yeah all right then.” Stef laughs as he stands and goes into the kitchen, turning on the tap he fills the kettle with water and putting it on to boil he comes back into the lounge and lays back down on the couch.
Nicola eats quietly and with only a half piece of toast left and a long drink of her tea she stands up to go into the kitchen.
“I’ll have that.” says Stef reaching out for the piece of toast.
Nicola is too quick for him and pulls the tray out of his reach making him lean forward; where he loses his balance and falls onto the floor. Nicola laughs as she runs into the kitchen. Stef gets up off the floor and lays back down on the couch a little red-faced.
Nicola puts the tray on the worktop and goes into the bathroom to clean her teeth, when she comes out she sees that Stef is still lying on the couch. Putting her mobile phone in her bag she puts her coat on and walks to the door. As she reaches for the handle she turns and looks down at Stef; “You make sure you keep your head down.” she says to Stef firmly and not giving him a chance to answer turns the handle and goes out of the door.
The cold of the morning makes Nicola button her coat up as she walks along, she does not pay much attention to the thin faced man parked at the end of the road. He appears to be talking on his mobile phone and she does not look twice, not noticing that his eyes never leave her as she walks past.

Stef stirs his coffee and turns the television back on, seeing that he still has over an hour before the shops open he looks through his DVD collection. Predator appears a good choice and taking it out of its case he puts it in the player and presses ‘play’ and settles back down on the couch.
The sound of the music at the end of the film wakes him and he watches the credits for a few seconds before he realises he has slept through the film. Getting up from the couch he goes into the bathroom and washes his face in cold water and cleans his teeth vigorously. Walking into the bedroom he gets a cardboard box out of the wardrobe; opening it he reaches in and takes out a bundle of money. Counting a thousand in old notes he puts the bundle back in the box and returns it to the wardrobe. Picking up the money he puts it in his jeans pocket and smiling broadly opens the flat door and steps into the hall. As he starts to shut the door he realises he has left his keys on the coffee table in the lounge and runs back in; picking up the keys he leaves the flat and steps outside.
The sun is shining amongst the clouds, bringing a little warmth to the spring day. Stef unlocks his car door and jumps in and still smiling starts the engine and drives slowly along the road. Daydreaming of a new flat screen television he pays no attention to the thin faced man sitting in a car at the end of the road, apparently talking on his mobile phone.

The noise of the dustcart wakes Simon as the dustbins are emptied into its huge interior. The sound of the hydraulic lift as it lifts the bins is annoying and Simon dreams of a house in the country; and away from the noise of a busy town. Looking at the clock he sees that he has overlaid if he wants to get to work on time, which he doesn’t!
Smiling contentedly he pulls the bed covers up higher and closes his eyes to dream of living in a big house that tightens his stomach in excitement. He opens his eyes and now wide awake gets out of bed quickly and puts his jeans and T-shirt on; cautiously he pulls open the curtain enough to peer out.
The dustcart is still emptying dustbins further up the road, the fluorescent jackets of the loaders bright against the dirty buildings and the grey of the road. A young couple, arm in arm walk beneath him; the view of the girls low cut blouse from this high makes Simon smile. Looking further up the street he sees it is deserted and relaxes, dropping the curtain back down and goes into the kitchen to make coffee.
As the kettle boils Simon thinks back to last night and being stopped along the seafront. The bald headed man walking along the road was no coincidence. In the cold light of the morning the realisation that he was followed home appears very real. Reaching into the cupboard he takes a cup out and slams the door shut in agitation.
With a frown covering his brow Simon makes coffee and walks back into the lounge; seeing the holdall of money on the floor where he left it last night makes the frown disappear. Smiling he sits down and stares at the bag, the solution is easy he thinks; just stay indoors for a few days and keep his head down. Looking down at the money he knows that will be difficult, as it has been ages since he has had a decent drink. Putting the coffee cup down firmly onto the table he picks up the holdall and carries it into the bedroom. Zipping the bag closed he pushes it under the bed and closing the bedroom door goes back into the lounge and turns the television on. Tuning in to the Movie Channel he settles back on the couch and with broadening smile settles down to watch John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn.

Dippa waits patiently as he watches the road before him; the past hour has been quiet with only a few people passing him. He had watched the husbands go off to work and children in school uniforms reluctantly walking along the road to stand at the bus stop and wait impatiently for the bus. A few people walk past him and these he is able to observe closely. Most drive past him in a variety of cars and vans, appearing to go to work and these are followed by mothers taking their kids to school. Only a few have come back and apart from the milkman delivering the odd pint of milk nothing moves.
He had hoped that he might see a few cyclists; the brief glimpse of the three cyclists along the sea wall was imprinted on his brain and he felt that if he saw them again on their bikes he would recognise them. Dialling his mobile phone he checks with the other watchers around the town, all is quiet and no obvious candidates have shown; much to his distress.
Dippa admits that the chances of retrieving the money could be slim; if the three cyclists used their wits and kept quiet about their find they could get away with it. The sight of a smiling Stef driving towards him makes his sixth sense shout aloud in his head. The fella has to be the happiest person he has seen this morning, even the kids at the bus stop seemed subdued, but this fella seems to stick out.
Dippa watches him approach the junction as the fella with smiling face skids to a halt at the white line; his mind is definitely not on his driving. The smiling driver pulls out wide into the road missing an oncoming delivery van by a few millimetres. Driving erratically along the road for a few hundred metres before he finally gains full control, convincing Dippa that he is right. He writes down the car number plate into his phone and starting up the engine drives to the seafront in search of coffee.

Stef's thoughts come back to earth when he nearly hits the van and struggling to put on his seatbelt he weaves along the road; only regaining full control when it is fastened. He drives to the garage and fills the car with petrol, still wearing a broad smile he pays the attractive attendant telling her to keep the change. Feeling as if he is on top of the world he drives away from the garage and makes for the television and electrical warehouse in the next town.
As Stef enters the huge warehouse he looks around at all the wonderful things he can now buy; computer, X-Box, surround sound music system and of course a new television! Walking over to a wall covered in different sized televisions he makes his way to the largest – it is a fifteen hundred millimetre flat screen in HD and costs eighteen hundred and ninety nine pounds. Stef wishes he had brought more money with him, but does wonder how he would fit it in the car. Disappointed he looks at the next size down which is a twelve hundred millimetre screen in HD, admittedly the screen is smaller but Stef is impressed with how thin it is (about fifty millimetres) and the slim surround makes it look like it is all screen. The price will leave him just enough change for a pack of cigarettes at nine hundred and forty nine pounds, but he does not care and goes to find a shop assistant.

With an even broader smile Stef pulls up outside his flat and turns the engine off, getting out he walks up the path and opens the main door wide. Stepping inside he unlocks the flat door and swings that open wide as well. Whistling happily he goes to his car and opens the back door, leaning in he grasps the enormous cardboard box firmly and slides it out. Supporting the underneath, he leans it against his chest and walks unsteadily towards the front door. Careful not to trip on the step Stef manoeuvres himself sideways through the doorways and puts the box containing the television onto the couch. Walking quickly he goes and shuts the car door and locks it and runs back up the path and into the house shutting the doors behind him.
Impatiently he rips open the cardboard box and takes out the television putting it on the floor, ignoring the instructions he takes out the remote control and wiring and throws the empty box out into the back garden. Coming back into the lounge he disconnects the old television and puts it in the corner of the room, deciding to mount the new television he goes in search of his tools.

Dippa drives slowly along the road, seeing Stef's car parked at the side of the road he curses his missed opportunity in seeing him return. Convinced somehow that Stef is one of the cyclists he drives past and parks around the corner. Turning the engine off he gets out and shutting the door gently he walks back in the direction of Stef's car. No alleyways or back entrances give him any opportunity to see around the building Stef and Nicola live in and he continues walking. The area Stef and Nicola live is very middle class; bungalows stand between large Victorian houses with equally large gardens and long drives.
Dippa walks along hoping for a sign or some indication of who has their money, arriving back at his car he gets in and drives to the main entrance road. Parking the car a bit further along