Crapped Out!

I met Chris at our usual meeting place...The Neighborhood Diner. This day was different...Chris was not alone...He was sitting with a guy named Donnie "Smooth!" Donnie Smooth was the public "face" of the one illegal thing thing that Chris and I were involved in. My name is Chess, this is another one of my stories.

As you Know, I own and manage several Apartments and Condos that I rent out. I also own two Gyms. These enterprises keep a considerable amount of change in my pockets. You also know that onetime Drug Kingpin and my best friend, Chris Thompson got out of the "game"...Sold his connections and his "business" to a group of guys who as was to be expected ,went to war over it. When the smoke cleared, One "Fathead" Newton reigned supreme.

Chris left Philly for awhile. I didn't think he was ever returning to Philly, but he did. He spends his nights in school...No, really? He's taking courses in Business
management and Real Estate at Wharton...Though I suspect he could teach his professors a thing or two about how to run a business. He ran his "business" so well for so many years, without an arrest, without any violence (well not much) and made more money than he will ever live to spend. Yet Chris appears to be serious about distancing himself from the streets..I'm happy for him.

Like I said before..We did keep one illegal thing. A high stakes card game. It moves from place to place...Most of the Philly players want in....so we keep it going. It used to belong to a playa named Indian Joe. Me and my fiance's idiot
brother stuck it up one night to make the money back that he owed Chris. I'm the only person in that crew still alive to this day.

When Chris and his associates "evened" things up with Indian Joe, He took over that card game and gave me half of it's proceeds...I don't really need the extra money..but it's nice to have. Chris doesn't need it either..but I guess running it makes him feel somewhat close to the streets..

Of Course ,neither Chris ,nor I ever attend the card games...Our boy Donald Smooth actually "runs" the game and is in charge of security...He brings us an envelope with our respective cut from the game ,everytime he has one.

I suspected he was sitting in the diner with Chris today because something was up.

"What's up Chris? ....Donnie Smooth..what's goin on Brother?" I said as I sat down to a hot tumbler of coffee that was already waiting for me.

"Chess....Brother Smooth here tells me that his card game got stuck up last night" said Chris ,looking at Smooth side eyed.

"What?" I said.

"Yeah man...Seven guys..they were real pros...got the drop on all of my guys..and their leader is a guy I did a little jail time with..His name is Reese.. Yall aint gotta worry...Me and every playa in that game got people looking for them cats all over West Philly." said Donald Smooth.

I looked at Chris, who shrugged and continued drinking his coffee. Then I spoke
to both of them.

"Smooth, what makes you think they are in West Philly? Yall got hit in East Oak Lane. Reese probably got his muscle from around there...Cats that knew the layout...and by now, He's in Jersey or New York.. He hit our card game for somebody.." I said.

Chris laughed and slapped his knees the way he always did.

"My man Chess...You would have made a great gangster man....He's right after
all Smooth...You should be talkin to Fathead right now." Smooth just shrugged his shoulders.

"Fathead Newton?? You think he'd do this...Knowin it's your game?" said Smooth.

" He could...I aint in the game no more...I don't have no soldiers, no muscle...but I don't think he did it...but he knows things..he probably knows who did it. Finish your coffee and get on it, babe." said Chris.

"Damn man, I don't have the kind of muscle to take him on.." said Smooth.

"Who says you have to? Just go talk to him, that's all..ask him what's up." said
Chris.

I looked at Chris...and then I said.

"I'll go with you Smooth...If he sees me, he'll know that Chris is really concerned about this...get my drift??...If there is anything to be told..Fathead will tell us." I said.

Chris nodded his head,looked at me and smiled and we all drank our coffee.

Fathead was the most feared man in Philadelphia..but he wouldn't openly cross
Chris Thompson. He feared Chris, if not anyone else.. Chris knew that I was right. If he saw me..He'd know that Chris was indeed concerned about what was going on.

I drove Smooth to Sam's Steakhouse...A Ritzy eatery in Center City where if you have to ask how much the bill is...you have no business being there. Sitting in the main dining room with his back turned to us was Fathead Newton....enjoying a nice New York Strip Steak and a baked potato...along with a glass of wine. Two of his "soldiers " were stationed at the two tables on both sides of him..

He wasn't dining alone either...At first..I didn't catch her..She had a different hairstyle...then as we got closer..I got a good look at her face.... It was Cherry!


(To be Continued....)