Cleansing

Three shots crackled through the early afternoon air and I spun around and saw Dominic King's body jerking back and forth....He began to cough blood , dropped his gun on the ground and fell up against a parked car...

'Arrrrrrgggghhh..uggggggghhhhhh...I don't believe it......I....I......I've been shot!" he said...A fourth shot must have hit him in the head, because he pitched forward and hit the pavement...Bleeding profusely...I leaned down and checked for a pulse...there was none..Dominic King...a murderer who had ended many lives, both in Jamaica and here in Philadelphia had met his own end...I looked around and there was my damn cousin, Little Pistol laughing his head off and slapping his
knees at the expression on my face..

"Damn Chess, No hello, No how are you doing?" he laughed manaically...

'Man..you done started a war...People are going to get hurt..." I said.

"Man, I just call it cleansing..Lawrence Fontaine is dirt and scum...just like his uncle..and South Philly needs to be rid of him." said Little Pistol.

"Yeah,if they don't get rid of you first...." I said..

"Well look, we can't stay here..we gotta roll..You gotta ride?"he asked.

"No..I came on the bus........Of course I got a ride...I parked it two blocks away." I said.

"Chris schooled you well....Well come on cousin..let's roll."

We got in my car and I pulled off.

"Where we going? "I said.

"To the Northeast babe....Northeast Airport...I been holin up there too. Sorry about all this mess I got everybody into...but that old man,Wally O...just pushed my buttons that's all..I had to
take him out....When I heard that that freak Dominic King was huntin my boys, I had to do something...I knew you would try to find me and so I set a trap for him...I'm the one that sent a
message to him through other people of course that I was stayin with Lawrence's girl...He showed up like I knew he would and I busted a cap in his ass...He won't hunt nobody else..Fathead,Chris and that boy, Smooth can rest easy now...because Lawrence aint got no territory, aint got no muscle, aint got nothin..he's weak...His own people are turning on him.
Hahahhahahahaha..I heard you and Chris put a real down home butt whippin on him...He lost face after that..hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...what a jamolk!" laughed Little Pistol.

We drove to a bar off Roosevelt Blvd. I ordered some Ciroc and orange juice... Little Pistol ordered some Hennesey...We drank and laughed about the good old days when we were kids and the world was so different then.

"You still play chess man?" he asked.

"What you think?" I said.

"Wow...I figured you did... I learned how to play when I was in the joint. I was pretty good. When I get myself set up somewhere..I'll give you a call and maybe you can come and visit me
and we can play." he said.

"Yeah maybe." I said.

We drove some more and I stopped at a McDonalds....I ordered a Big Angus with Cheese, some fries and a Milk Shake... Little Pistol had a Chicken Sandwich, Fries and a Milk Shake..As we sat and ate...My Blackberry went off.

"Chess, you okay?"- It was Chris.

"Yeah..what's up..I'm in McDonalds." I said.

"McDonalds...doin what?" he asked..

"Eating and talking to you..what do people usually do in McDonald's?" I laughed.

"That damn cousin of yours... Man...he killed Lawrence Fontaine and Dominic King tonight.....He's something else...If you find him...Tell him we said thanks...All this stuff is finnally
over.." he laughed.

"What?? Are you serious???" I asked.

"Man,it's all over the news...." said Chris, laughing his head off.

"Yeah man....if I see him...I'll tell him." I said.

I hung up...I looked at Little Pistol........

"Lawrence Fontaine????" I said.

Little Pistol laughed...

"You know....I knew you'd have that look on your face... I knew he'd keep on making trouble for you...So this afternoon,I saw his punk ass at the gas station filling up his ride..I drove right next to him ,introduced myself and then shot him right between the eyes...and pulled off. No witnesses.hahahahahahahaha." said Little Pistol.

"Then you came back here and killed Dominic King, right?" I said.

"That's about it cousin." he laughed.

"Killing always come this easy for you?" I asked.

"Wally O.was the first man I ever killed...after him, Lawrence Fontaine and Dominic King wasn't nothing...." he said.

"You done now?" I asked

"Yeah..I aint angry no more....For real cousin....I aint. I got a small plane waiting for me in the
morning." He said non-chalantly.

"Where you going?" I asked.

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to Chess...you know better than that."
he said. He was right ,I did.

We sat in the car and talked until 6:00 am....His guy showed up and he got out of the car...

"You don't have any luggage?" I asked.

"Got that taken care of...I moved it here the day before yesterday..after I knowed what I was gonna do." He said.

He and his friend packed his luggage on the small plane and then he turned to me and hugged me hard...

"You take care of yourself Chess..Stay out of and away from the game...it's a killer...You stay legit like you been.....Me? I got enough money to get me into something straight...I've had enough of this gangster stuff...Been there, done that...When I get to where I'm going..I'll get in contact with you..We'll play that game of Chess....Okay?" he said.

"Yeah man, you know it." I said.

"Be Easy Chess...Say goodbye to Fathead ,Chris and Smooth for me." he said.

"I will" I said and I stood there and waved as his small plane took off for parts unknown.


For SLC