Just Do It

“'Just do it?” I ran the words around, tasting them. “Just. Deeew. It... You do get what happens if we're caught? Don't you?”

Martin nodded slowly.

I watched him and waited.

“Just do it.” he said again, “or let's get the hell outta here. You gotta decide right now!”

“Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou! A pearl of wisdom. I can't tell you how--”

“You want the bottle, it's inside that vault. You got the key. You want money or not?””

I lowered my hands realizing they were upright in choke-mode-position.

“Thirty thousand sitting in there. Ain't that what you said? Cog-niack?”

I shook my head. “I said it was worth upwards of 37 K.”

"Three steps away..."

I looked across the floor at the swinging steel door which seemed so very distant on the north side of the huge warehouse. The late-night guard, Chester, would come through in—I looked at my watch—three or four minutes; five tops. He was always late.

Martin looked at me long and hard.

“Chester will get into trouble,” I said. “They're his keys.”

“My wife's not pregnant,” Martin said leaning forward. “Let's just finish cleaning the damn bathrooms...”

My heart was racing. .

I looked at the vault. I could have stared a hole through it..

“You think we should?”

“Christ!” Martin screeched.

“Got a baby coming,” I said mainly to myself. I went to the watchman's desk and sat down and waited. When sweet old Chester came in three minutes later I told him we had found his keys and set them firmly on the desk. I was suddenly happy beyond words. I have never been so happy.

Chester hugged me.

Martin moped.

I was still happy by the end of the night. Happy enough. Happier than Martin who up and left without saying good-bye..

300 Words