CHAPTER 10

SPILL THE BEANS

After Allen had finished his meal. He sat down for a few minutes and then stood up again to join Roland in serving the customers.

Immediately he took his stand, Roland turned to look at him.

“ Are you okay buddy?” Roland asked in a concerned tone.

Allen smiled and nodded, signifying that he could work.

Roland only nodded, and Allen went on with the work with a smile on his face.

As Allen worked through the night with his master, he was deep in thought.

He thought of the fact that the system was going to activate white he was there.

All through the night, he thought about what he was going to do to keep his own identity and the system’s identity apart.

He was very quiet that night, and that did not go unnoticed by his master.

Every time Roland asked about it, he would just say he was thinking about his current banter with Jacob and his boys.

Allen, after thinking so much without finding any solution, gave up and retired to bed after they were done with work.

While they were about to sleep off, he saw his master watching something on his mobile phone, which instantly got his interest.

“ What are you watching?” Allen asked Roland with curiosity.

“ Oh, I am watching one of the latest releases from Marvel Studios. Is it disturbing you? Roland asked, thinking the volume was being a nuisance to Allen.

“ No, it is just that it sounds like a great movie, and I am not sleepy yet. Can I join you?” Allen finally requested.

Allen was, in actual fact, very sleepy. Curiosity made him ask to join Roland.

He sat up and moved to Roland’s movie with him.

He observed the main character, who had the speed of light and was able to change clothes to hide his identity anytime he was going to do something.

Allen was impressed with the characters' costumes and power.

“ If only I could get this for my system, my identity would have been a secret forever.” Allen thought to himself.

He smiled as he watched the main character display his fighting skills to save the people.

Allen wished for this.

He kept wishing he had some of the abilities of the superhero in the movie.

“ Is this where you learn your self-defence skills?” Allen asked his master, looking at how focused he was on the movie and how he was appreciating the fighting skills of the hero.

“ Well, I just learned a few from here. The majority of the things I know I have learnt them already, but I just add a few of them from the movies I watch” Roland replied to him.

“ So how long will it take me to finish learning what you are teaching me?”

Allen further enquired.

“ You are a smart boy. You can learn it within a few weeks. However, you are never going to finish learning.

It is a process, and as you continue to practice every day, you get to learn more and more. It is a lifetime informal education” Roland replied to him with a smile

Allen only nodded and smiled back.

The previous morning, he had gone with Roland to his house, where Roland had begun teaching him some self-defence tricks.

Allen loved the lessons so much, especially now that he had a system that made him fight every now and then. It was going to be very useful for him to accomplish his missions.

Allen watched the movie till he fell asleep in the middle of it.

Roland tapped Allen to wake him up, and Allen stretched lazily on the mat.

He sat up and looked at Roland.

It was already dawn, and they had to leave the place.

Allen stood up, and without hesitation, he picked up one of the boxes that they were supposed to take home and got ready.

In about ten minutes, they were already on their way to Roland's house.

It was already morning, and the streets were bustling.

Everyone was getting ready for work, and people could be seen in every corner of the street.

As Allen walked behind Roland as they headed to Roland's House

“ How have you been coping in your house? It's high time you moved out before something bad happened to you. '' Roland asked Allen as they walked.

Allen heaved a sigh.

“ For now, I have no plans.

I planned to move out when it was time for school, and then find an alternative when it was time to come back home.

Now I am no longer going to school so I guess I have to find a new place to stay.

I have been maintaining the house for a long time, but now it looks like it is way out of hands” Allen replied.

“ You have tried your best. I think you should move in with me then. At least, with me, I know you are protected. What do you say about that?” Roland asked him.

Allen heaved a sigh again.

“ Thank you. I will think about it. I was actually thinking about getting my own place to stay actually” Allen replied.

Roland burst out laughing hard.

The laugh got Allen so confused that he thought he had said something wrong

He confusingly waited patiently for Roland to finish up with his laugh and explain why he laughed.

When Roland finally calmed down from his laugh, he looked at Allen with a smile on his face.

“ I know you are joking, right? It costs thousands of dollars to get your own place in this city at the moment, and only rich people can afford to purchase houses or even get a mortgage. How are you going to do this?

I am not even sure you have up to five grand ( five thousand dollars) in your savings.” Roland stated, explaining the reason for his laugh.

Allen understood the reason for Roland's laugh at last.

He was about to say something, but he stopped at once.

He was about an inch away from spilling the truth about his savings.

Allen realised that he was just a second away from unfolding his secret in public.

He breathed heavily and feigned a smile.

“ I think you are actually right. I will think of what to do next and tell you. I don't have anything in mind at the moment” Allen replied as a cover.

“ Whatever decision you are taking, you should hurry up because that place is now far below a shed, talk more of a house.

It is now a trap and a threat to you.

In any sane community, they would have taken it down by now” Roland said.

Allen only nodded in affirmation.

In his head, he panicked.

He thanked the stars for his quick realization of the fact.

If he had said it, all the days and thoughts about how he was going to keep this a secret would have been wasted.