I pushed my long bangs out of my face as I peered through the window of the unfamiliar house.
There he is. That's my target.
It's a strange feeling when you know something that someone else doesn't. He's sitting on his couch, legs up on the coffee table, the only thing his mind is thinking is probably what's on television.
He doesn't know what I know.
I knelt back behind the bushes, trying my best to see even though the darkness won't allow. The only light I see is the glaring of the man's TV screen through the window.
I looked up at the moon. Full.
People do crazy things when the moon is full.
I pulled the pistol out of my pocket and gently cocked it back. The click was the loudest noise I had made all night. I slowly peaked up and looked into the window again. He was still sitting there, stuffing his face with food.
I'm about to kill a man. I don't want to.
But I need to. Or I'll be killed.
***
"Okay, here's the deal-- you see that car over there?"
"Yes sir."
"The keys are in the ignition. Your job is to get inside that car and drive it to Mobile, Alabama. The address is on this piece of paper."
I extended my arm and accepted the envelope with an address written in permanant marker. Someone couldn't find a pen-- or a piece of paper for that matter.
"I understand, sir."
"Do NOT, I repeat-- DO NOT touch what's in the trunk. As a matter of fact, don't even LOOK in that fuckin' trunk. I have ways of knowing if you've fucked with something. You're just the delivery man, got it? You fuck this delivery up, I'll fuck you up. You drive straight there and ask to speak to Mr. Jones. He'll take care of the rest. Here's half of your payment--"
My eyes widened as Lenny handed me a stack of what seemed to be hundred dollar bills. I was in shock, I had never seen this much money before, let alone had it on me.
How did a straight laced good kid end up being a driver for one of the biggest drug kings of the south?
Greed.
Not necessarily greed, but need. I needed money. I wanted money. I had to have money.
My old roommate, Mike, was orphaned as a child. His adoptive parents happend to have close ties to the mafia, so he had always been protected by them his entire life. He always told me that if I needed money, all I had to do was meet with 'his people' and they'd take care of me.
The only catch?
I was in it for life.
I just wanted some change to get out of debt and to buy a car that actually ran. I'm getting in deeper than I needed to. Regardless though, this was my first delivery. This was my chance to gain the trust of Lenny.
"You'll get the other half when you get back. If you get pulled over, it's all on you bro. You haven't seen me, you haven't talked to me. This is YOUR stuff. If you rat us out--"
He lifted his finger to my head in the shape of a gun.
My heart raced. My mouth becoming dry.
"Bang.... now show me what you've got. Drive the speed limit and be back by tonight."
I placed the wad of money wrapped tightly in rubber bands into my shirt pocket as I slowly made my way toward the black Lexus. The door was open and it was already running. As I got closer, I could hear 'Sweet Home Alabama' on the radio.
At least these guys have decent taste in music.
I slid onto the beige leather seat and pulled the door shut. I think that's when it hit me--
Wow, I work for the mafia.
Me.
When I was several miles down the road, car set exactly at 65 miles per hour on cruise control, I unrolled and counted the money that had been handed to me just minutes earlier--while trying to keep my eyes on the road.
Twenty seven hundred, twenty eight hundred--
I was ecstatic. I hadn't even counted half of the stack yet--
Holy crap. I have 8 thousand dollars on me.
"Take your time, don't rush. You can stop and eat a few times if you'd like", is what I recall Lenny saying.
It's 2 o'clock in the morning, I'm in a black Lexus with several hundred pounds of drugs in the back. I had better get off the roads for a while to let my my settle down.
I pulled into the parking lot of Denny's, seeing as how it was the only restaurant open this late. I parked the car at the very entrance. I wanted to be careful, but not too careful-- didn't want to make it obvious that I was hiding something.
"Hi sir, how many tonight?"
I looked behind me, then back at the waitress.
"I believe it's just me."
She winked at me as she turned to lead me to a table. She was trying too hard to earn her tip. She smelled something on me.
She smelled money.
I adjusted the tie on my suit and sat down at the booth of the otherwise empty dining room. Lenny had bought me this suit himself. He requested that I wear it for this occassion.
"When you represent me, you have to look good" was his motto.
I glanced over at the booth a few feet away from me and noticed a southern family eating their late night-- or early morning-- breakfast. The scrawny man, probably around 40 years of age, looked up and smiled at me as he adjusted his Jon Deere hat.
His son, couldn't have been more than four years old, didn't notice the surroundings. When you're four, why bother? He just anxiously ate his bacon and sausage as his mother told him to slow down. I looked out the window to the only other car in the parking lot.
It was a late 70's model Toyota Celica. Seran wrap was in the place of what should have been a glass window. There was a spare donut where a regular sized tire should have been. The fender was blue, the hood was red, and the rest of the car was primered grey.
"I know how it is to struggle and be unhappy", I thought to myself.
These people were obviously struggling, seeing as how the mother was digging through her purse for change just to pay the bill. They were poor-- but happy.
I have more money in my pocket than these people probably do altogether-- why aren't I as happy as them?
The father took his hat off and placed it on the boy's head as he smiled up at the loving dad.
"Y'all ready to go see grandma??"
"Yea! Gwandma!!"
I smiled, wishing I could find happiness in the simple things like family. But I had no family that would bother to see me anymore, I had abandoned them for this lifestyle.
"Sir? Can I get you anything?"
I happily ordered my food, paid the bill, then proceeded to get up and leave. I watched my waitress and overheard her talking with one of the other waitresses--
"When's he due?"
"The doctor says the 23rd of next month. Me and Robby can't wait. He's been wanting a kid forever. I just don't know if we'll be able to afford him."
My hand reached into my pocket and I counted out five hundred bucks in hundred dollar bills and laid it on the table.
I gave her a warm smile and nod as I exited the restaurant.
"Dang, what are we gonna do baby?"
I noticed the southern couple and their kid were still in the parking lot. The hood of their beat up car was up, the wife sitting in the passenger seat holding the boy-- the husband under the hood.
"You guys need any help?"
"I don't think so, bud. Thanks anyway. This car's seen her last ride."
I looked under the hood, pretending that I knew what I was looking for.
"What's wrong with her?"
"A rod was knocking earlier this week, I think she finally messed the block up. It's dead. Thanks though."
"Um... I know this might seem out of place, but I don't know another way to say this-- one block away there's a car lot--"
"Nah, we ain't got no money.."
"Well, there's a nice minivan sitting out front. On the window it says $200 down. So here."
I pulled out two hundred dollars and pushed them in his direction.
"Whatchu think we are? Some poor moochers that can't take care of ourselves? Take you and your pity money somewhere else, boy!"
"No, I just--"
"Trying to do your good deed for the day by helping out the less fortunate? I know your kind, boy! You go out waving your money around, thinking people will kiss your ass!"
"Please, just take it. It's not like that."
"Get ou of here! We don't need you!"
He put his hands on my chest and pushed me a few steps back. His son started crying. I let my head hang low as I turned away and walked to my car.
I've got to make this delivery before daybreak.
I pulled out of the parking lot, getting an evil look from the poor man as he stood there with his family--stranded.
He's stranded, but they'll eventually get out of there.
I'm stuck here forever.
There he is. That's my target.
It's a strange feeling when you know something that someone else doesn't. He's sitting on his couch, legs up on the coffee table, the only thing his mind is thinking is probably what's on television.
He doesn't know what I know.
I knelt back behind the bushes, trying my best to see even though the darkness won't allow. The only light I see is the glaring of the man's TV screen through the window.
I looked up at the moon. Full.
People do crazy things when the moon is full.
I pulled the pistol out of my pocket and gently cocked it back. The click was the loudest noise I had made all night. I slowly peaked up and looked into the window again. He was still sitting there, stuffing his face with food.
I'm about to kill a man. I don't want to.
But I need to. Or I'll be killed.
***
"Okay, here's the deal-- you see that car over there?"
"Yes sir."
"The keys are in the ignition. Your job is to get inside that car and drive it to Mobile, Alabama. The address is on this piece of paper."
I extended my arm and accepted the envelope with an address written in permanant marker. Someone couldn't find a pen-- or a piece of paper for that matter.
"I understand, sir."
"Do NOT, I repeat-- DO NOT touch what's in the trunk. As a matter of fact, don't even LOOK in that fuckin' trunk. I have ways of knowing if you've fucked with something. You're just the delivery man, got it? You fuck this delivery up, I'll fuck you up. You drive straight there and ask to speak to Mr. Jones. He'll take care of the rest. Here's half of your payment--"
My eyes widened as Lenny handed me a stack of what seemed to be hundred dollar bills. I was in shock, I had never seen this much money before, let alone had it on me.
How did a straight laced good kid end up being a driver for one of the biggest drug kings of the south?
Greed.
Not necessarily greed, but need. I needed money. I wanted money. I had to have money.
My old roommate, Mike, was orphaned as a child. His adoptive parents happend to have close ties to the mafia, so he had always been protected by them his entire life. He always told me that if I needed money, all I had to do was meet with 'his people' and they'd take care of me.
The only catch?
I was in it for life.
I just wanted some change to get out of debt and to buy a car that actually ran. I'm getting in deeper than I needed to. Regardless though, this was my first delivery. This was my chance to gain the trust of Lenny.
"You'll get the other half when you get back. If you get pulled over, it's all on you bro. You haven't seen me, you haven't talked to me. This is YOUR stuff. If you rat us out--"
He lifted his finger to my head in the shape of a gun.
My heart raced. My mouth becoming dry.
"Bang.... now show me what you've got. Drive the speed limit and be back by tonight."
I placed the wad of money wrapped tightly in rubber bands into my shirt pocket as I slowly made my way toward the black Lexus. The door was open and it was already running. As I got closer, I could hear 'Sweet Home Alabama' on the radio.
At least these guys have decent taste in music.
I slid onto the beige leather seat and pulled the door shut. I think that's when it hit me--
Wow, I work for the mafia.
Me.
When I was several miles down the road, car set exactly at 65 miles per hour on cruise control, I unrolled and counted the money that had been handed to me just minutes earlier--while trying to keep my eyes on the road.
Twenty seven hundred, twenty eight hundred--
I was ecstatic. I hadn't even counted half of the stack yet--
Holy crap. I have 8 thousand dollars on me.
"Take your time, don't rush. You can stop and eat a few times if you'd like", is what I recall Lenny saying.
It's 2 o'clock in the morning, I'm in a black Lexus with several hundred pounds of drugs in the back. I had better get off the roads for a while to let my my settle down.
I pulled into the parking lot of Denny's, seeing as how it was the only restaurant open this late. I parked the car at the very entrance. I wanted to be careful, but not too careful-- didn't want to make it obvious that I was hiding something.
"Hi sir, how many tonight?"
I looked behind me, then back at the waitress.
"I believe it's just me."
She winked at me as she turned to lead me to a table. She was trying too hard to earn her tip. She smelled something on me.
She smelled money.
I adjusted the tie on my suit and sat down at the booth of the otherwise empty dining room. Lenny had bought me this suit himself. He requested that I wear it for this occassion.
"When you represent me, you have to look good" was his motto.
I glanced over at the booth a few feet away from me and noticed a southern family eating their late night-- or early morning-- breakfast. The scrawny man, probably around 40 years of age, looked up and smiled at me as he adjusted his Jon Deere hat.
His son, couldn't have been more than four years old, didn't notice the surroundings. When you're four, why bother? He just anxiously ate his bacon and sausage as his mother told him to slow down. I looked out the window to the only other car in the parking lot.
It was a late 70's model Toyota Celica. Seran wrap was in the place of what should have been a glass window. There was a spare donut where a regular sized tire should have been. The fender was blue, the hood was red, and the rest of the car was primered grey.
"I know how it is to struggle and be unhappy", I thought to myself.
These people were obviously struggling, seeing as how the mother was digging through her purse for change just to pay the bill. They were poor-- but happy.
I have more money in my pocket than these people probably do altogether-- why aren't I as happy as them?
The father took his hat off and placed it on the boy's head as he smiled up at the loving dad.
"Y'all ready to go see grandma??"
"Yea! Gwandma!!"
I smiled, wishing I could find happiness in the simple things like family. But I had no family that would bother to see me anymore, I had abandoned them for this lifestyle.
"Sir? Can I get you anything?"
I happily ordered my food, paid the bill, then proceeded to get up and leave. I watched my waitress and overheard her talking with one of the other waitresses--
"When's he due?"
"The doctor says the 23rd of next month. Me and Robby can't wait. He's been wanting a kid forever. I just don't know if we'll be able to afford him."
My hand reached into my pocket and I counted out five hundred bucks in hundred dollar bills and laid it on the table.
I gave her a warm smile and nod as I exited the restaurant.
"Dang, what are we gonna do baby?"
I noticed the southern couple and their kid were still in the parking lot. The hood of their beat up car was up, the wife sitting in the passenger seat holding the boy-- the husband under the hood.
"You guys need any help?"
"I don't think so, bud. Thanks anyway. This car's seen her last ride."
I looked under the hood, pretending that I knew what I was looking for.
"What's wrong with her?"
"A rod was knocking earlier this week, I think she finally messed the block up. It's dead. Thanks though."
"Um... I know this might seem out of place, but I don't know another way to say this-- one block away there's a car lot--"
"Nah, we ain't got no money.."
"Well, there's a nice minivan sitting out front. On the window it says $200 down. So here."
I pulled out two hundred dollars and pushed them in his direction.
"Whatchu think we are? Some poor moochers that can't take care of ourselves? Take you and your pity money somewhere else, boy!"
"No, I just--"
"Trying to do your good deed for the day by helping out the less fortunate? I know your kind, boy! You go out waving your money around, thinking people will kiss your ass!"
"Please, just take it. It's not like that."
"Get ou of here! We don't need you!"
He put his hands on my chest and pushed me a few steps back. His son started crying. I let my head hang low as I turned away and walked to my car.
I've got to make this delivery before daybreak.
I pulled out of the parking lot, getting an evil look from the poor man as he stood there with his family--stranded.
He's stranded, but they'll eventually get out of there.
I'm stuck here forever.
