The next day after we heard of the "untimely demise "of Valdez Diaz and Mongo, all was comfortable.Rell and My son returned to our house, Fathead and his people were out and about again and Chris...Well, when he wasn't working with me in our downtown offices..He was around Josie's and Ciro's entertaining ,drinking and having a good time. Rell and I went to Tiffany's and picked up our rings for my wedding, which was just two weeks away. I felt good, relaxed.
But on the third day.....The third day, we got some disheartening news. I was walking down the street when Donald "Smooth" drove up beside me.
"Yo Chess, my man..get in." He said. He didn't look happy at all.
I got in and he quickly laid it out for me.
"Valdez is alive babe.....The youngin that we sent to get at him really didn't know what he looked like...The guy he saw in that country house with Mongo was some guy that worked for Mongo...Another hitter I suppose...and whoever hit the two of them probably thought he was hitting Valdez too. " he said.
"How do you know this?" I asked.
"It's on the news for one thing...They flashed photos of the two men found shot to death in that house..One was Mongo and the other was some other guy..Oh and Victor Diaz is out on bail...He told Fathead that he's got the best muscle money can buy looking for Valdez. Fathead doubled up on his muscle and they
out huntin him too.... Mr. Valdez is a wanted man....and he's out there with no protection....but you know how it goes Chess..you gotta be careful..You never know where that fool will turn up." he said.
"You talk to Chris?" I asked him.
"Yeah..I told him as soon as I found out and he told me to go find you...I called
Fathead ,Roscoe and Ralph Mole too..They all on it...We'll find him...Philadelphia is a small town ..aint but so many places that boy can go." he assured me as he let me out at the next corner. I wished I could feel as confident as he did.
My wedding was coming up....This fool had vowed to crash it...He was crazy enough to try and take us on by himself...I couldn't have this happening at my wedding. I had to try and find him myself and settle this once and for all.
Ralph Mole drove the Black Expedition with tinted shades...Donald Smooth rode in the front with a riot pump shotgun and Chris and I sat in the back seat....We drove through the neighborhood where Valdez lived and we visited different bars he was known to frequent.
We talked to different people...All people who had been questioned ad naseum by The FBI and by the guys Fathead and his own brother Vick had hunting him...Nobody had seen Valdez...
I had to try and draw him out and there was only one way to do that...Give him what he wanted...The person who killed his son. Mabel Jenkins!
"Chess, are you crazy? We gonna let that freak hurt a woman?" said Donald Smooth.
"Of course not...but we are gonna bait him, make him think that's what we are going to do and when he shows up....it's all over." I said.
"I like the way you think Chess." laughed Donald Smooth.
"We gotta make sure that Mabel is out of harms reach ." said Chris.
"Man, she aint even gonna be there...We just gonna tell him where to find her and when he show
up..he's gonna come face to face with us." I said.
"I hope this works partner." said Chris who was sending a text message of his own..."But in case it don't ....I'm investing in plan B." he said.
We put the word out that we were going to give up the woman who shot his son if it meant that he would cease and desist this war with us. We gave him a phony name...Mona Cantrell and a dummy address in an area of North Philly where every other house was abandoned. He might smell a rat...but it was a chance we had to take.
We found a house that still had running water and electricity....Chris said that there was always at least one house like this in the area and we turned the lights on and set it up as though someone was in the kitchen...We even had a manequin in the window dressed as a cook. From a
distance it actually looked like someone was there.. We sat in an empty house across the street with our guns cocked ..waiting....
We never heard anyone enter our house or creep up the stairs.....and we were all doubly surprised when we turned around and saw Valdez Diaz and two gunmen with guns trained on the three of us!!!!
"Gentelmen...at last we meet eh? What? Did you think I was stupid, like Mongo? hahahahahaha...Nice plan Chess, but not nice enough...I've been in this game too long to fall for such a stupid plot." he laughed.
Chris said nothing...He stared at him icily.... Valdez looked at Chris, then at me and Donald Smooth..
"I could kill the three of you right now...but that would be too easy...so I tell you what? I'm going to let you live....Since you won't turn in this Mona Cantrell person...Here is the deal...My brother is going to do some time...while he's away..I'll be running things.....I want 50% of your card came
Chris and you're going to pay double what you paid my brother to have it in our warehouses and in our area. You try to move it somewhere else... and I find out about it....The cops will be getting an anonymous call." he laughed.
"Oh,so that's what you think you're gonna do huh?" said Chris who was smiling for some reason that Donald and I couldn't fathom.
"Yes..I don't think it...I am going to do this.... I'm the boss now...Not my brother...So any arrangement you thought you had..is over...heheheheheheheh.." laughed Valdez.
Chris continued to smile, then he looked as serious as I've ever seen him look before.
"Valdez...You aint gettin nothin from us..Not 50 percent, not point five percent.. and we aint paying you a red cent for jack..That's my card game...."
Valdez eyed Chris...but Chris didn't blink.
"Chris, are you crazy? I have two men with guns trained on you...In fact...all three of you, toss your guns on the floor right now.! " He said.
Chris looked at me and Donald Smooth and snapped-
'Chess, Smooth, don't do nothin..don't make a move...In fact..follow me...We leavin." he said and he walked right past Valdez and the two gunmen...He looked at me and Donald and said-" Don't just stand there..come on...COME ON!" He said. Donald Smooth and I walked past the men, who didn't try to stop us at all.
Valdez screamed at them...
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS??? KILL THEM...SHOOT THEM!!!!! Hey...what are you doing? Why are you turning towards me...HeyyyyyyHEYYYYYYY, DON'T AIM THAT GUN
AT ME...WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU GUYS WORK FOR ME!!!!!!! HEYYYYYYY!!!!
We were all outside when we heard a succession of gunshots....At least twelve! The two gunmen walked out of the building. They walked over to Chris, who gave them two envelopes..They smiled and gave Chris some dap. Then they got in a White 57 Thunderbird that was parked across the street and pulled off..Within five minutes, a Black Lexus drove up to the curb. Victor
Diaz was in it. Chris walked over to him and smiled.
"It's done Vick..I'm sorry." he said.
"No, I'm sorry that you had to go through this.. " he said.
"How long you out on bail?" I asked him as Donald Smooth and Ralph Mole stood in the background.
"A couple of months until my trial begins...It's because of my stupid brother that I'm even under investigation..With him gone..there might not be much to hold me on. Who knows? I plan to keep
things quiet . Our deal remains the same until I go away...When I'm gone...I'll send my represenative to handle things on my end." said Victor.
"You goin in to get the body?" asked Chris.
"Nah....somebody will find him...I don't want to see him." said Victor coldly.
'Vick, he's your brother." said Chris.
"Was my brother.....Was going to have me killed..That's some brother....Who's the king of the streets now??" said Victor.
"Be Easy Vick." said Chris as he shook his hand.
'You too my friend."he said as he drove off into the night.
I looked at Chris..
"You wanna explain that?" I said.
"Chess, baby..That was a nice plan you had...but Valdez..he a soldier babe...He been hittin guys for years...No tellin how many bodies he got on him...He would have seen right through your plan...So I came up with a counter plan...I called Vic and we put the word out that this was a trap, which he would have figured out anyway and we hired two hitters ,who offered their services to him. Once he came out in the open...We had him hook line and sinker...Why you think I didn't blink when they run up on us???...I knew who they were...Shame of it was...Valdez didn't know who he was working with..." said Chris, who smiled for the first time in awhile.
"Man, I'm in awe of you." said Ralph Mole.
"I know you are...You oughta be.....Now let's go home." said Chris as he, Donald Smooth, Ralph Mole, and I got in the Expedition and headed toward West Philadelphia.
A few weeks later, I was sitting with Gus and Deacon Larry Weatherford in Mabel Jenkin's new
Restaraunt enjoying some Barbecued Spare Ribs and Corn on the cob.....
"Chess...your boy Chris been in church every Sunday and he been coming to Bible study religiously...no pun intended." said the Deacon.
"Yeah, he's trying hard to be a better man he say." I said.
"Good for him...The boy look like he has a lot on his mind...like he sorry for much." said Gus.
"I imagine he is..I imagine a lot of us are." I said.
"God understands...He's a forgiving God...but you got to repent.." added Deacon Larry Weatherford.
My friend Chris, so streetwise, such a gangster for so long.....at times a backslider was trying and I suppose trying is better than doing nothing at all... I admired him for many reasons...and his trying to get closer to God, despite all of the things he had done and on one extent was still doing
was something to admire.. He had long since stopped selling drugs and running the streets, yet he still had one foot in.....I wondered when he was going to give up that card game...For all of our sakes..I hoped it was soon. This wouldn't be the last time someone would try to stick it up and cause us to get into a ruckus..
"So Chess..You gettin married next week huh? said Deacon Larry Weatherford.
"Yes sir." I said.
"You ready? " Gus asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be" I lied. I was actually more afraid of what I was about to do than when I was on the streets with Chris facing down gangstas, but that was another story for another day.
(For My Uncle Pete RIP -1919-1973)
But on the third day.....The third day, we got some disheartening news. I was walking down the street when Donald "Smooth" drove up beside me.
"Yo Chess, my man..get in." He said. He didn't look happy at all.
I got in and he quickly laid it out for me.
"Valdez is alive babe.....The youngin that we sent to get at him really didn't know what he looked like...The guy he saw in that country house with Mongo was some guy that worked for Mongo...Another hitter I suppose...and whoever hit the two of them probably thought he was hitting Valdez too. " he said.
"How do you know this?" I asked.
"It's on the news for one thing...They flashed photos of the two men found shot to death in that house..One was Mongo and the other was some other guy..Oh and Victor Diaz is out on bail...He told Fathead that he's got the best muscle money can buy looking for Valdez. Fathead doubled up on his muscle and they
out huntin him too.... Mr. Valdez is a wanted man....and he's out there with no protection....but you know how it goes Chess..you gotta be careful..You never know where that fool will turn up." he said.
"You talk to Chris?" I asked him.
"Yeah..I told him as soon as I found out and he told me to go find you...I called
Fathead ,Roscoe and Ralph Mole too..They all on it...We'll find him...Philadelphia is a small town ..aint but so many places that boy can go." he assured me as he let me out at the next corner. I wished I could feel as confident as he did.
My wedding was coming up....This fool had vowed to crash it...He was crazy enough to try and take us on by himself...I couldn't have this happening at my wedding. I had to try and find him myself and settle this once and for all.
Ralph Mole drove the Black Expedition with tinted shades...Donald Smooth rode in the front with a riot pump shotgun and Chris and I sat in the back seat....We drove through the neighborhood where Valdez lived and we visited different bars he was known to frequent.
We talked to different people...All people who had been questioned ad naseum by The FBI and by the guys Fathead and his own brother Vick had hunting him...Nobody had seen Valdez...
I had to try and draw him out and there was only one way to do that...Give him what he wanted...The person who killed his son. Mabel Jenkins!
"Chess, are you crazy? We gonna let that freak hurt a woman?" said Donald Smooth.
"Of course not...but we are gonna bait him, make him think that's what we are going to do and when he shows up....it's all over." I said.
"I like the way you think Chess." laughed Donald Smooth.
"We gotta make sure that Mabel is out of harms reach ." said Chris.
"Man, she aint even gonna be there...We just gonna tell him where to find her and when he show
up..he's gonna come face to face with us." I said.
"I hope this works partner." said Chris who was sending a text message of his own..."But in case it don't ....I'm investing in plan B." he said.
We put the word out that we were going to give up the woman who shot his son if it meant that he would cease and desist this war with us. We gave him a phony name...Mona Cantrell and a dummy address in an area of North Philly where every other house was abandoned. He might smell a rat...but it was a chance we had to take.
We found a house that still had running water and electricity....Chris said that there was always at least one house like this in the area and we turned the lights on and set it up as though someone was in the kitchen...We even had a manequin in the window dressed as a cook. From a
distance it actually looked like someone was there.. We sat in an empty house across the street with our guns cocked ..waiting....
We never heard anyone enter our house or creep up the stairs.....and we were all doubly surprised when we turned around and saw Valdez Diaz and two gunmen with guns trained on the three of us!!!!
"Gentelmen...at last we meet eh? What? Did you think I was stupid, like Mongo? hahahahahaha...Nice plan Chess, but not nice enough...I've been in this game too long to fall for such a stupid plot." he laughed.
Chris said nothing...He stared at him icily.... Valdez looked at Chris, then at me and Donald Smooth..
"I could kill the three of you right now...but that would be too easy...so I tell you what? I'm going to let you live....Since you won't turn in this Mona Cantrell person...Here is the deal...My brother is going to do some time...while he's away..I'll be running things.....I want 50% of your card came
Chris and you're going to pay double what you paid my brother to have it in our warehouses and in our area. You try to move it somewhere else... and I find out about it....The cops will be getting an anonymous call." he laughed.
"Oh,so that's what you think you're gonna do huh?" said Chris who was smiling for some reason that Donald and I couldn't fathom.
"Yes..I don't think it...I am going to do this.... I'm the boss now...Not my brother...So any arrangement you thought you had..is over...heheheheheheheh.." laughed Valdez.
Chris continued to smile, then he looked as serious as I've ever seen him look before.
"Valdez...You aint gettin nothin from us..Not 50 percent, not point five percent.. and we aint paying you a red cent for jack..That's my card game...."
Valdez eyed Chris...but Chris didn't blink.
"Chris, are you crazy? I have two men with guns trained on you...In fact...all three of you, toss your guns on the floor right now.! " He said.
Chris looked at me and Donald Smooth and snapped-
'Chess, Smooth, don't do nothin..don't make a move...In fact..follow me...We leavin." he said and he walked right past Valdez and the two gunmen...He looked at me and Donald and said-" Don't just stand there..come on...COME ON!" He said. Donald Smooth and I walked past the men, who didn't try to stop us at all.
Valdez screamed at them...
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS??? KILL THEM...SHOOT THEM!!!!! Hey...what are you doing? Why are you turning towards me...HeyyyyyyHEYYYYYYY, DON'T AIM THAT GUN
AT ME...WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU GUYS WORK FOR ME!!!!!!! HEYYYYYYY!!!!
We were all outside when we heard a succession of gunshots....At least twelve! The two gunmen walked out of the building. They walked over to Chris, who gave them two envelopes..They smiled and gave Chris some dap. Then they got in a White 57 Thunderbird that was parked across the street and pulled off..Within five minutes, a Black Lexus drove up to the curb. Victor
Diaz was in it. Chris walked over to him and smiled.
"It's done Vick..I'm sorry." he said.
"No, I'm sorry that you had to go through this.. " he said.
"How long you out on bail?" I asked him as Donald Smooth and Ralph Mole stood in the background.
"A couple of months until my trial begins...It's because of my stupid brother that I'm even under investigation..With him gone..there might not be much to hold me on. Who knows? I plan to keep
things quiet . Our deal remains the same until I go away...When I'm gone...I'll send my represenative to handle things on my end." said Victor.
"You goin in to get the body?" asked Chris.
"Nah....somebody will find him...I don't want to see him." said Victor coldly.
'Vick, he's your brother." said Chris.
"Was my brother.....Was going to have me killed..That's some brother....Who's the king of the streets now??" said Victor.
"Be Easy Vick." said Chris as he shook his hand.
'You too my friend."he said as he drove off into the night.
I looked at Chris..
"You wanna explain that?" I said.
"Chess, baby..That was a nice plan you had...but Valdez..he a soldier babe...He been hittin guys for years...No tellin how many bodies he got on him...He would have seen right through your plan...So I came up with a counter plan...I called Vic and we put the word out that this was a trap, which he would have figured out anyway and we hired two hitters ,who offered their services to him. Once he came out in the open...We had him hook line and sinker...Why you think I didn't blink when they run up on us???...I knew who they were...Shame of it was...Valdez didn't know who he was working with..." said Chris, who smiled for the first time in awhile.
"Man, I'm in awe of you." said Ralph Mole.
"I know you are...You oughta be.....Now let's go home." said Chris as he, Donald Smooth, Ralph Mole, and I got in the Expedition and headed toward West Philadelphia.
A few weeks later, I was sitting with Gus and Deacon Larry Weatherford in Mabel Jenkin's new
Restaraunt enjoying some Barbecued Spare Ribs and Corn on the cob.....
"Chess...your boy Chris been in church every Sunday and he been coming to Bible study religiously...no pun intended." said the Deacon.
"Yeah, he's trying hard to be a better man he say." I said.
"Good for him...The boy look like he has a lot on his mind...like he sorry for much." said Gus.
"I imagine he is..I imagine a lot of us are." I said.
"God understands...He's a forgiving God...but you got to repent.." added Deacon Larry Weatherford.
My friend Chris, so streetwise, such a gangster for so long.....at times a backslider was trying and I suppose trying is better than doing nothing at all... I admired him for many reasons...and his trying to get closer to God, despite all of the things he had done and on one extent was still doing
was something to admire.. He had long since stopped selling drugs and running the streets, yet he still had one foot in.....I wondered when he was going to give up that card game...For all of our sakes..I hoped it was soon. This wouldn't be the last time someone would try to stick it up and cause us to get into a ruckus..
"So Chess..You gettin married next week huh? said Deacon Larry Weatherford.
"Yes sir." I said.
"You ready? " Gus asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be" I lied. I was actually more afraid of what I was about to do than when I was on the streets with Chris facing down gangstas, but that was another story for another day.
(For My Uncle Pete RIP -1919-1973)
2 comments:
Great conclusion.
Be easy
SLC
Great conclusion. Loved it.
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