Once inside, he rushed over to John, who was still lounging on the sofa, oblivious to the unfolding drama. “Stand up!” Oliver instructed him urgently. “The girl from the bus found us.
Her dad’s a cop. Hide now!”
“What?” John exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. “We don’t have time.
Please go under the sofa. Now! Do it faster!” Oliver explained urgently as he shoved John deeper under the sofa, ensuring he was completely hidden from view.
Taking a deep breath, Oliver returned to the door and welcomed Diana inside. She walked straight to her bag lying haphazardly on the table and began searching through it. After a few seconds of rummaging, Diana paused and looked up.
“Where is my wallet?” she asked. “Oh, your wallet? Uh, isn’t it in there?” Oliver asked innocently.
“Maybe that creep from the bus station–he must have stolen it. I’m so sorry.”
“I shudder even when I think of him,” Diana said, frowning as she recalled the unpleasant encounter. But her expression softened as she looked at Oliver.
“Thanks for helping me on the bus,” she added with a smile. “You’re welcome,” Oliver replied nervously. He just wanted her to leave, but things took a scary turn when Diana said her dad wanted to meet him and thank him for his bravery.
“Your dad?” Oliver stuttered, scared. “I-I have a violin lesson just now, so…”
“How about dinner at my place tonight?” Diana suggested. “Does 7 p.m.
work for you?”
“Sh-sure, 7 o’clock,” Oliver agreed, though he was really nervous. He noted down her address and waved goodbye to her. After Diana left, John crawled from under the sofa.
“You have to go to dinner and fix this,” he insisted. Oliver got ready for dinner, practicing what to say. Upon entering Diana’s house, he was ushered into the dining room, where he came face to face with Jacob, Diana’s father and the formidable police chief.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Oliver greeted, extending his hand for a firm handshake. “Finally. Let me look at our hero.
Sit down,” Jacob said with a robust voice that filled the room. “I know all about you, Oliver,” Jacob said, his gaze piercing. The statement was so unexpected that Oliver nearly choked on his food.
“What do you mean, sir?” he asked, trying to mask his nervousness. “Well, don’t be so scared, son. You have nothing to hide.
You’re a real hero,” Jacob reassured him, his voice soothing yet firm. He then turned to Diana, adding, “We need people like him on the force.”
Diana nodded in agreement. As the dinner was over, Oliver decided it was time to exit.
“Thank you for the kind words and the food. I’ll be going now,” he said, eager to leave. Just as Oliver turned to leave, Jacob’s voice boomed across the room, halting him in his tracks.
“Not so fast! We have to find the criminal who stole my daughter’s wallet, and you’re going to help us draw up a sketch of the thief,” Jacob stated, sending shivers down Oliver’s spine. The room felt like it had suddenly shrunk, the walls closing in on him.
Jacob’s words echoed in his ears: “We’ll track him down and make him confess.”
Sensing the tension in the room, Diana let out a small laugh, trying to diffuse the situation. “Come on, Dad! Oliver’s not some kind of Sherlock Holmes; chill out, okay?” she laughed.
To Oliver’s immense relief, Jacob nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I guess I’m rushing things a little,” he conceded.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, sir, I have to go. I have an important exam tomorrow. I’m sorry,” Oliver said.
“I’ll show you out!” Diana offered, standing up and following Oliver’s lead. Once outside, Oliver felt a weight lift off his shoulders. The cool night air was a welcome relief after the stifling atmosphere of the dinner table.
He turned to Diana, a forced smile on his face. “Looks like your father will turn the world upside down to find this poor thief,” he commented, trying to inject some humor into the situation. “Don’t be mad at him,” Diana sighed.
“He’s just worried about me. I would have talked him out of it myself if it weren’t for one thing,” she said, her gaze dropping. “What thing?”
“My mom’s necklace was in my wallet.
She died when I was three, and now it’s the only thing that reminds me of her,” she explained. Oliver felt a pang of guilt at her words. He thought of his mother, long gone, and how he would feel if he lost something that kept her memory alive.
“It’s somewhere in the dumpster,” Oliver replied quickly. “How do you know?” Diana asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. “Oh well, because it’s elementary, Watson, remember?” he responded, awkwardly invoking Sherlock Holmes to divert her attention.
“Every single thief does this,” he added with a nervous laugh, trying not to draw more attention to his near slip-up. “Come on; let’s go look for it.”
They searched dumpsters near the bus stop with no luck. Diana thanked Oliver for trying, not knowing he was the thief.
In a moment of reckless honesty, Oliver asked, “What if I was stealing too?”
“If you were, with the kind of person you are, it’ll definitely be because you have no other choice, right?” she replied with a sincere look. Oliver was stunned by her lack of judgment. “Yeah, paying my tuition is almost impossible right now.”
“I have an idea.
We could talk to my dad. You’ve done so much for me; I know my dad would love to help!” she suggested earnestly. “Really?” Oliver was shocked by her kindness.
“Yeah, you can work part-time at the movie theater with me,” Diana suggested. No, you don’t deserve this kindness. You just don’t.
Not before you make things right, Oliver’s mind screamed. He took a step back and began running away from Diana. She yelled after him, but he didn’t stop.
At the apartment, Oliver told John he was done with stealing. John got angry, thinking Oliver would rat him out to the cops now that Diana’s dad knew where they lived. He tried to hit him with a baseball bat, but Diana, who had followed Oliver, stopped John’s attack by smashing a nearby glass bottle on the man’s head and rendering him unconscious.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. I didn’t hit him that hard!” Diana fumed. “I’m sorry, Diana.
I-I want to be a good person,” Oliver said, but Diana didn’t believe him. “Good people do good things, Oliver!” Diana yelled and left, feeling betrayed. Oliver knew he was wrong.
He decided to change for the better, wanting to be Diana’s hero. He went to Diana’s house, feeling guilty. “I’m not letting you in,” Diana told Oliver.
“I don’t blame you. I just came to give this back,” Oliver said, handing over her mom’s locket he’d found in the trash near his apartment. Diana was happy but still upset with Oliver.
“Thanks for returning what you stole,” she said sarcastically. Oliver apologized and left, feeling worse. Three weeks later, Oliver found John, who was stealing again.
Oliver, pretending to join him in the robbery, actually helped the police catch John. “You set me up?” John was shocked as Jacob handcuffed him. “He’s a thief too!” he yelled, trying to implicate Oliver.
“Yeah, yeah, we know that, boy. And that’s why he’s already serving time in community service and paying for his crimes,” Jacob responded with a knowing smile before leading John away. Alone with Diana, Oliver asked, “Can I ask you out now?”
Diana nodded a subtle ‘yes.’ Oliver, seized by a moment of boldness, pulled her back and kissed her deeply.
This is so much better than the bad choices I made in the past, he thought as he kissed Diana, who reciprocated with equal passion. At that moment, Oliver knew his journey toward redemption was just beginning. With Diana’s support and his resolve to do better, he was ready to face the challenges ahead.
Source: amomama
