Don’t Steve me hanging – Part two
A stranger approaches you with a challenge. The prize – a free Steve burger. What would you do?
It was the Thursday morning of the regatta and I was in the media centre working on some other, less important stories when my colleague, Dasha Kuprienko, ran into the office with a fresh lead on the Steve burger, burger Steve case.
“I was in the Wellington Girls’ College tent when I saw one of their coaches, Steve, eating a burger. He loves them. Eats them all the time,” Kuprienko said.
The announcement was promising. I headed to the Wellington Girls’ College tent to investigate further.
“Where could I find Steve?” I enquired.
“Steve Manners, assistant coach?” one of the mothers said.
“Yes – Steve Manners,” I replied.
“He’s just walked off, but come back at 12, ’cause as soon as there is food around he’ll turn up.”
That sounds like a thing burger Steve would do I thought.
I went back at 12. He never showed, elusive Steve.
I asked for his cellphone number and texted him explaining my plight, pleading for an interview.
“That’s cool but you should know I’m not burger Steve. That’s – I’m NOT burger Steve,” Manners texted.
Hmm, but burger Steve would say that I thought. I asked one last time.
“I’m 100% sure its not me. I’ve spent the last four days in the boat park fixing boats.”
A little disheartened I went to purchase a Steve burger. Maybe it would give me some insight into Steve’s character. When one of the food cart employees let slip Steve was associated with Hamilton Boys’.
To their tent I rushed.
With just one boy there with no more information I almost admitted defeat. I took the Steve burger back to the media centre and divided it for my colleagues to enjoy. Then I headed to the commentators booth for a final stab at finding Steve.
“Any chance I could put a call out over the loudspeakers for Steve from Hamilton Boys?’ I enquired.
“Ham Boys are in lock down. No chance,” was the reply.
The day was coming to a close. It was time to pack up and go home. The regatta and the Steve hunt was over for me. I walked back to the media centre and gazed upon the empty Steve burger wrapping.
The mystery of burger Steve remained unsolved but at the end of the day there was a little Steve in all of us.
See Steve burger mystery, part 1
