To stay away from prying eyes, do nothing to attract them. The same goes for the law. He had spent the last 10 years by these words, living as a wanted man. After pulling off a heist, the movies leave out the part where you can never be free again. Living like a recluse, aching for companionship even if it’s to discuss the games- and game nights? You can forget that too. He could not go to the same store in a month. It started out easy at first. Follow all these rules, keep a low profile, no deliveries, pay a landlord he never had to physically meet and have no neighbours. One quiet morning he stood in front of a cafe drinking his coffee, and biting through a muffin, at least he had these pleasures. Someone walked into him causing the muffin and coffee to spill. They didn’t stop to apologise and he honestly didn’t need the attention. While debating if he should walk back and buy another, he looked down at a fluffy golden retriever, with a coat that looked duller than it should be, hacking away at the pieces of food, eating every last crumb until it looked up as if to say, “More”. He smiled at the dog, and even considered allowing himself a furry friend but came back to his senses quickly and started walking home instead. The dog followed. No amount of shooing worked. it was important to not be identified as a man with a dog but this one was stubborn. He managed to slip into his apartment and shut the door, but then the whining began. Scratch, whine and wail. He gave in after 30 minutes, opened the door and fed it, only then did his furry friend go away. The collarless dog came back every day like clockwork and he fed it. One day he opened the door to the police. “Hello Sir, we have had complaints that you’re kidnapping a dog that doesn’t belong…” the officer paused mid-sentence, his head tilted to the side and his eyes narrowed in consideration. He knew the officer had seen the disappearing scar that ran from eye to chin. In 2 hours he was booked, sitting in a jail cell waiting for a lawyer. “Hey, I know you”, someone said from across the room, “they caught you after all these years- how?” Without turning to the voice, he smiled at the memory even as he said, “Look, don’t… don’t feed the dog” and he let out a belly full of laughter.
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