Aint That A Kick in the Pants?

Wally O's funeral was a huge one...Politicians, Black ones anyway and their families and some of the most notorious and respected players in the game all showed up. Here was a man who had sold drugs...drugs that had poisoned our community under the guise of his legitimate Barber Shops,Pool Halls and Rec centers...a man so crooked that they would probably have to put his casket in the ground sideways..and here he was being lauded by the hoi poloi of the Black Community as though he was Ceasar or something. I had wished that my cousin hadn't killed him..but he had been unnecessarily cruel to him that night...Talking to him like that...

Lawrence Fontaine and his muscle came calling soon enough....They came in our diner where we
ate breakfast and surrounded Chris,Fathead and me.

"I heard that you guys know the coward that killed my uncle. I'm not here to negotiate..I want a
name and an address...It's as simple as that." he said.

"First off...we don't know if he killed your uncle or not. since none of us seen him once he left the
bar." I said.

"Ohhhhh, who is this?? I hear somethin, but I don't see nobody." he said. That was all I could take, I stood up and was about to lunge at him before Chris grabbed me.

"Hold up Larry....you done come a long way I know, but don't get too big for your britches..I knew you when." said Chris.

"Yeah, you did...but that was when..This is now...and I aint takin no guff from you or nobody else." he said.

The room got deathly quiet then....Nobody talked to Chris Thompson like that...Not when he was in the game and as he was to find out , not now.... Chris pulled out the longest gun I ever saw and cocked it...and aimed it at Lawrence Fontaine...I pulled out my pistol and put it to the throat of the nearest man to me and before his other guy could make a move...Donald Smooth put a pistol
to his temple...

"Larry...Who you think you talkin to? I remember when you used to shine my shoes and was glad to do it...back when I was your uncle's main man...remember?" said Chris, looking at him and smiling a sinister grin."

"The name is Lawrence man...Lawrence Fontaine..." he said weakly trying to get his composure.

'Your name is whatever I choose to call you right now..Larry!...Now take your little roadshow out of my diner and go on back to South Philly....We said we didn't know nothing about it and that's that..."said Chris.

"Man, you don't know who you flexin with...You know that card game you got...it's mine now...I was gonna take a peice of it anyway..but now...I'm takin the whole thing....and Fathead..you sittin there all quiet lookin like you gonna piss yourself...I'm givin you forty eight hours to find that little shit and get rid of him or by the end of the week, half of West Philly and Southwest Philly gonna be mine." he said.

Chris backhanded Lawrence and knocked him over the table..He tried to get up and I leveled him with a blow to the stomach and Chris and I stomped him for all he was worth.. His two henchmen were powerless to do anything...Donald Smooth had his gun trained on them both..

Chris dragged him to his feet and I kicked him square in his rear end...

Then Chris leaned into him and spoke where only he could hear it...

"I'm a Christian now boy...that's the only reason you gonna walk out of here alive...but if you ever disrespect me or my boy Chess again....I'm gonna have to put the good book down and beg
God to forgive me....you feel me LARRY???"

"Man, you in big trouble...this aint over...." he said , almost crying.... Chris brought the gun butt
down on his head and I punched him in his side and in his jaw and sent him sprawling through the door as the frightened patrons ran for cover...

Fathead looked at his three henchmen and snapped-

"If you guys is smart...you'll work for me now...."

All three guys readily agreed and left Lawrence, beaten and bloody on the pavement...He lay there for a few minutes, picked himself up, brushed himself off and then hailed a cab...The three
henchmen took the car they had come there in and took off...

Chris peered out the door...

"Oh by the way Larry....Nice suit!" He said and then came back in the diner. The four of us ordered a couple of tumblers of coffee and sat back down at the table as though nothing had happened.. We knew trouble was coming...but hey...we were in it now...what could we do?

(To Be Continued....)