Lipstick Numbers and a Crowbar (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: November 20, 1998

Meeting Clover at the Station

Mid September was when I started taking driving tests hopeful of getting my ‘P’ Plates. This I think was also around the time that I got onto Pavlina and pretty much flicked her off because she was being way too clingy. September 29th 1995 was when I finally met Clover. I know this because I recorded it in my paperback Diary. Remembering that night clearly me and Saverio were walking towards Macarthur Square Station and on the way there we bumped into two girls who we now know as Clover and Caitlin.

“What are two beautiful girls like you doing walking alone, it’s too dangerous” is something on the lines of what I said to them. With smiles on their faces I uttered “If you’re going to the station we might as well escort you, you know be your protection”. They conversed with us and Saverio was just following along as we made our way to wait into the train. They sat on the seats near the doors and as Saverio and I also sat down we talked with them.

Clover looked more beautiful to me that night and she did through the whole time we were going out, Caitlin didn’t appeal to me. Behind all her makeup Caitlin looked too sinister, I didn’t like that and thought she would be the one to cheat on me and she did with Jett, twice. While speaking with them I had them write both their numbers and names on my hand with Lipstick, I’ll never forget that bit.

Kissing High Above Sydney

October 6th 1995 was the date that Clover, Jett and Caitlin came with me on my idea to head to Centrepoint. This was either my first or second time up there but it was pretty magical being my first real girlfriend and spending a magnificent time looking out at Sydney. Hooking Jett up with Caitlin neither of us had kissed the girls yet and it was my time, it was my destiny to kiss Clover in Centrepoint. Walking around and looking out of the windows Clover and I sat down and as I gazed into her eyes with the glittering backdrop of the City I asked her a question, I can’t remember what it was.

Soft and sultry was my smooth voice and as I said something like “Doesn’t this feel like a dream, a dream with something missing” she nodded her head and we lent towards each other, ever so slowly, closing our eyes, emitting fragrances of lust and entwining lips in such a torrid embrace, electrifying.

Two Months With Clover

Clover and I were an item for two months and I remember her being so broken up about the two of us splitting up. The reason we broke up was for the fact that I looked at her one day and realized that I wasn’t as happy as I could be. Don’t get me wrong, Clover was very good to me and she was somewhat like Lyssa in the essence that she would never let go and would be the type to hold on until marriage.

That didn’t phase me at the least and to be dead honest I didn’t really think about getting my end wet with Clover. Those thoughts were in my mind before Clover with other girls but once we started going out and after our magical moment at Centrepoint I had seen her as a girlfriend. For that fact I treated her with respect and most of our time was spent either at her house in Tahmoor or sometimes at my house.

Usually Jett and Caitlin were around when I traveled to Tahmoor. We used to have great nights at Clover’s house playing ping pong, sneaking out into the backyard through her window, patting her horse, playing basketball and watching the stars as we looked into each other’s eyes and kissed, reminiscing.

An Apology Long Overdue

Clover and I lasted for that two months and a half so I gather that we ended our relationship two weeks from New Years Eve. What is so saddening to think about now is the thought that Clover wanted to spend New Years Eve with me but we never got to have that chance. Still I think that it would be great if I had seen Clover these days, reminisce of old times and apologize for old grief I would definitely have caused her.

Clover was in love with me so deeply and I was a fool to take advantage of her love and not recognize it. Breaking up on my part was cold and we remained friends after breaking up but I can remember the first time I had seen Clover after we broke up. It was at Caitlin’s house and the look in her eyes said it all. It felt like she was there to see me but she didn’t want to be there for the sake of being too revealed in respect to her emotions.

Clover, I’m sorry for what I’ve caused you and I know it’s all in the past but I still feel for the past, all the anguish. Apologize I do here and if a day ever comes that you hear this pledge believe it and believe in me that I too cared deeply for you but never did realize it, until now…

Dating the Big Night

Still, now as I’ve had countless hours to study my night of crime where I stole my amplifier, still I can’t find the date in which it happened. Nevertheless, I found out that Candice passed away on June 6th 1995 or just near that date and I gather that my life of crime was just before I started going out with Clover in late September. From Tatton’s perspective it was one or two months after Candice passed away.

What doesn’t fit in is when did I buy the speaker boxes from Clover’s dad. Obviously it was while I was going out with her still but what I want to know is did I use the amplifier before getting these speakers or did I get the amplifier after purchasing these speaker boxes for $100. What I know happened was that Jett originally took the amplifier for himself but it wasn’t until I received the speaker boxes with speakers that he offered me the amplifier.

To him it was useless because he had already stolen a mini hi-fi system that same night of the robbery. So August would have been the most appropriate month of stealing and gathering it was near the end of the month I feel that August 20th 1995 was around the time that the stealing took place. Let me take you through that night.

Planning Flight Night

The heist had been planned throughout for the last couple of weeks. The route in which we took, the time of day we entered, the source of entry into the building. Small was this seconds store in the middle of Queen Street right next to Commonwealth Bank and one or two down from the large Newsagent. In the beginning stages of the heist we were trying to get Imad and Tatton into the ordeal but both of them were too afraid. Imad told me that we could never pull it off and that’s the reason he didn’t want to come along and Tatton was just scared all the time.

Scoping out the terrain and entering the building in working hours a couple of times we got the drift of what we could steal and what we had to break in order to take. Keith was even asked if he would be our getaway vehicle but you know him, after the age of 18 he doesn’t want to be touchable.

Our nights of planning had come to a pinnacle and that apex was known to us as flight-night. Glorify our night of thievery by flying gracefully through the night with our heavy loot, braced upon our bearing backs. Our entry was the back door which was locked with a huge metal gate. Within this gate was a yard long corridor and then a wooden normal deadlocked door. Taking a crowbar with us we slid it through a square cylinder guard where the lock for the metal door was.

It was hard squeezing our crowbar through to the locks but as we broke loose one of them we had one more to go. By this time we were increasingly nervous and anxiety ran robust in our gory veins by any slight sound rustling within the bushes and roaming the surrounding streets.

Alarms and a Quick Escape

The second bolt came undone in due time and as we opened the latch we were halfway to glory. Stumped as to what we should now do with this second alarm triggered door we used the crowbar once again and forcing out the rivets holding together the door we pushed hard on the door a couple of times, barging with our shoulders strength. Thudding onto machinery just behind the door we noticed a blue light flickering inside the store and realized that it was an alarm.

Jett thought quickly and with the crowbar still in hand he jumped up high and with his height hit the three lamps that lit the store up for show to night time walkers. Stumbling back towards me as I complimented Jett on his quick thinking he was nervous and set to get out of there quickly but I told him not to leave without some loot. Our first pieces of electronic gear we took was a video player and Jett’s mini hi-fi system with speakers, CD Player, tape player, remote control, the lot. We complimented each others strengths and nerves.

Hiding the Loot

Panting with exhilarated excitement we hastily rushed towards the nearest school which was in our escape plans. Weeks of preparation had us dump our goods onto a very dark school doorway where no one would think to look, especially at 3:00 a.m. in the morning. Jett was happy with what we had but I was persistent in getting more and cautiously pacing back to the scene of the crime we climbed up onto the roof.