Manna stayed in the booth for a time and finished his food. It was a lot easier to forget about the winter chill from inside the tavern. He needed the rest, and not just physical rest. In silence, he didn’t have to pretend that he was someone else. Besides, he still had a good fifteen minutes left in his lunch break.
He looked around at the decor. Trophies of lizard skins lined the wall. Televisions played the sports channel highlights of the games that played over the past week. There were street signs and awards of past great moments of the tavern’s history. The awards were too far away for Manna to read, but obviously meant something to the tavern owners.
The server asked if he wanted any of Guy’s untouched dishes. The food looked delicious but Manna refused. He knew what kind of money paid for Guy’s lifestyle. The food and the clothes was just another way Guy tried to get him into the gang. It didn’t work. He would not become jealous of Guy’s stuff. Whatever the ends, Manna would not participate in those means. He had fallen for it once, never again.
Manna would prefer not to steal to survive, but that was life. No matter the excuses he gave himself, he knew it was wrong. He’d prefer to have a legit life. He had tried to keep a legit life, but times were hard.
His side business created the need to go to certain lengths to stay protected. He covered his tracks well but someday a crazy, determined, upset victim would find him. He looked over his shoulder secretly from time to time just to be safe. This life wasn’t for him, but what else could he do.
Things were different for Guy. He started realizing how much money he could make. Little by little things got out of hand. He eventually fell in love with the money and started taking more and more risks to find more. His gang got into all kinds of things. Smuggling, gambling, bank heists; nothing seemed to be passed them.
And now, who knows what Guy has gotten into? Manna preferred not to know. That way, if someone asks about the plans he can honestly be ignorant.
He finished his carrots and celery, paid his portion of the bill, and headed out to go back to work. Stepping outside, he was immediately thankful he was wearing thermals under his thick robe. The chill wind thought nothing of his discomfort.
The walk to the bakery was short. The sky was clear and the air was oh so very cold. He could see the mighty apple trees in the distance through the buildings. New comers to the area would be confused about the clear sky and the cold winds. To Manna, it was ordinary.
As a safety measure, he took note of all the faces he saw on the walk back to the bakery. Most of the people recognizing him were friendly. He greeted them with kind words. He looked for unfriendly faces. Seeing none, he headed into the bakery.