I sat in our downtown office, near Penns Landing and looked out at the water...In the next month, I would be a married man... I'd add Husband to my list of things that described me..Father, Businessman....Owner of a Master's Degree and unknown to the general public...the secret partner in a lucrative and illegal, floating crap game that brought in as much money as my gymnasiums, apartment rentals, parking lots and juice bars combined. My name is Chess and this is another of my stories.
I had just got off of the phone with my fiance and mother of my son, Rell when my partner, Chris
Thompson walked into my office with the very sexy..Mabel Jenkins...I knew her from Josie's bar and grill. She was the Piano player..'88's girlfriend. All of us, Me, Chris,Fathead,Kevin, Sean, Reed Nelson thought 88 was the luckiest man in the world to have a girlfriend as sexy as Mabel and one who could cook such great food too. As far as I knew..She was currently employed at the
magazine, my friend, Kevin worked at as the food column writer.
'What's happenin buddy?" said Chris as he put his hat and coat in the closet and sat at his desk.
'Hey man...Hello Ms. Jenkins." I said.
"Come on Chess..you know you can call me Mabel." she said as she sat down.
"Well thank you..I just didn't want to be too forward." I said.
"The reason why I am here is because I would like to present you with my business plan." she said.
"Business plan?" asked Chris, a little bemused, while secretly checking Mabel's uh many assets
out.
"My sisters, Victoria, Anita and Corrie and I would like to start a restaraunt...but we are a little
short on funding. Gus from Josie's lent us some money and My brother in law Clerow lent us the
other part..but we find that we only have half of what we need. We tried to go to a couple of banks, but nobody would give us a loan. We'll pay you back Chess, Chris..honest...Our first profits will go back into your pockets with interest." she said.
"Let me see what you got?" I said.
She pulled out a portfolio with her plans....Her expected finances and what she would need. It was very well written and professionally put together. I was impressed. She was serious.
"Don't you work at the magazine with Kevin?" I asked.
"I do...and I enjoy writing my column..but cooking is what I really do..it was what I was born to do...I want to run a restaraunt." she said.
Chris looked at me and nodded.....I smiled at Mabel.
"You're in luck Ms. Jenkins.....I'm going to give you double what you're asking and you don't have to pay me back. Oh and here....give Gus and Clerow back the money you borrowed from them." I said tossing her a stack....Her eyes got as wide as saucers.
"Hold up.....You just gon give me twice what I asked and you don't want nothin back?" she said.
She was from Louisiana, but she wasn't dumb..Mabel was very street smart.
'Well, Chris and I wouldn't expect to ever have to pay for a meal when we came in to eat." I said.
Chris just smiled and patted his knee the way he did.
'That's it?" she said giving us both the side eye.
"That's it Ms. Mabel..We've had your cooking before and we know how good it is....When we put the word out..we expect your spot to get good business and make you a ton of dough...With Chess and I as your uh ruh.."silent partners" No shake down...just a cut of your profits." said
Chris.
"How much of a cut?" she said.
"Twenty Five percent, once you start making a profit." said Chris.
'Sounds Fair enough...." she said..We hugged and Mabel Jenkins signed on the dotted line.. She was in business that day.
We asked her if she and her sisters would cater our next card game and she gladly agreed. The guys were getting tired of cold cuts and Hoagies anyway.
Chris and I found an old warehouse and we got a crew of guys to clean it out and set up our slot machines and our card tables and we were in business. Mabel, Anita,Corrie, Victoria and Clerow
brought in steaming carriers of Fried Chicken, Fried Fish, Collard Greens,Mustard Greens, Sweet Potatoes, Potato Salad....Fresh Salad..String Beans Sweet Potato Pie, Peach Cobbler,etc.
The Players came and filled the house..They brought their girlfriends and the money and goodtimes flowed. Smooth had six of his best men on the doors on all sides, Armed to the teeth
and we had lookouts at least two blocks away to let us know if the police or anybody else was coming.
This was one of the rare times that Chris and I actually attended one of these crap games...We came for Mabel's food. It was great... Mabel and her sisters and Clerow were my friends..They were good people..I really didn't want them in this den of theives with these gangsters..so I came
to make sure they were alright.
Shortly after midnight...I noticed an eerie quietness... I walked down and checked the doors..Nobody was there...I checked the back...Nobody was there either....I walked down the street...I saw all six of our guys bound and gagged and laying face down on the sidewalk...I was getting ready to pull my gun when I felt cold steel on my neck....
"Don't do it Chess...I don't want to kill you...Let's just walk right back to your little card game..
Where is Chris?" said the voice.
'Man, do you know what you're doing?" I asked.
"Don't worry about what I'm doing...let's go." came the voice, which I recognized as Johnny Peppers, a low level playa who had farmed himself out as muscle for the Diaz Brothers.
Johnny had two other fellas with him. We walked back to the Warehouse where our card game was running... Smooth saw what was happening and went for his gun...
"Don't Do it Donnie boy....I wouldn't want to get nervous and kill Chess here....a few weeks before his wedding." said Johnny.
Donald Smooth tossed his Gun in the street as he was told and Johnny and his two gunmen marched us up the steps... His guys had done their homework, had gotten the drop on us and had taken our security down quickly and quietly..They were good. I found out when we got to
the main area...that they had another guy already inside named "Sunshine" with a shotgun ,already holding everubody up and demanding that the playas throw their money and their jewelry into a big bag....
"And hurry up" He barked.
I looked around...I didn't see Chris......I wondered where my partner was...I also feared what he might do. He was trying hard to change his ways...I didn't want him to slip back into the dark side.
Another gunmen , who I hadn't seen had Clerow, Corrie,Anita and Victoria in the corner with their hands up..There was no sign of Mabel.
"Hey Look, they're just cooks..don't hurt them..leave em be." I said.
"Shut Up Chess..We callin the shots here." said Johnny....
I saw a shapely figure in the shadows, bend down and pull a shiny object...a pistol from out of
what looked like...her dress!!! I heard a shot and saw the side of Sunshine's head seemingly burst
open...Blood poured down like a stream and the big man fell to the floor...dropping his shotgun...
The other two gunmen reached for their weapons, but the familiar sound of a bigger gun fired and both of these guys went down for the count...Standing there in the shadows, smiling that toothy grin was Chris.....
Johnny Peppers and the last surviving gunmen released me and Smooth and went for their guns, I saw the figure in the shadows...it was Mabel Jenkins...she pulled out her revolver and fired one more time...The gunmen with Johnny Peppers fell to the ground..dead...Johnny Peppers dashed out of the warehouse.....We heard six or seven shots in sucession....We knew he was as good as dead. Our security had somehow gotten themselves free and had come running
and shooting.
Chris smiled and kissed Mabel on the cheek...
"I love a woman that can cook and can handle a gat...You saved our lives baby." he laughed
".38 smokeless..don't leave home without it." she laughed.
We all had a big laugh about that!
There was no laughter the next morning at Breakfast in the West Philly Diner that Chris and I
ate in regularly with Fathead.
"Man...I heard that that punk ass Johnny Peppers tried to hold up your card game." said Fathead.
"Yeah..well he and nobody else will try that anytime soon." said Chris.
"Well look man...one of the guys you killed was Valdez Diaz Jr." said Fathead
"What?" I said.
"He's the son of Valdez Diaz..one of the Diaz brothers." said Chris.
"Yeah man, this could be bad....Valdez is the crazy one...He's going to want revenge..." said
Fathead.
"I aint scared of neither of the Diaz brothers...."said Chris.
'Chris..we aint in this anymore...We businessmen...let's not go there with them." I said
'So what we gonna do, tell em Mabel Jenkins killed his boy...No Chess..you aint in this...I'm just a
gangster I suppose." said Chris.
I knew I couldn't talk to him at this point...
"Valdez is coming huh?" asked Chris.
"Yup, just as sure as the sun is gonna rise tomorrow." said Fathead.
"Let him come." said Chris.
Chris looked at me, his buddy since we were kids...I didn't want this, but at the same time..I knew that I wasn't going to turn Mabel in...I knew that his punk kid shouldn't have been part of a stick up crew and if Valdez didn't understand that..well he was going to have to.
''I'm with you Chris..all the way." I said.
"That's what I'm talkin bout." said Chris.
(To Be Continued....)
I had just got off of the phone with my fiance and mother of my son, Rell when my partner, Chris
Thompson walked into my office with the very sexy..Mabel Jenkins...I knew her from Josie's bar and grill. She was the Piano player..'88's girlfriend. All of us, Me, Chris,Fathead,Kevin, Sean, Reed Nelson thought 88 was the luckiest man in the world to have a girlfriend as sexy as Mabel and one who could cook such great food too. As far as I knew..She was currently employed at the
magazine, my friend, Kevin worked at as the food column writer.
'What's happenin buddy?" said Chris as he put his hat and coat in the closet and sat at his desk.
'Hey man...Hello Ms. Jenkins." I said.
"Come on Chess..you know you can call me Mabel." she said as she sat down.
"Well thank you..I just didn't want to be too forward." I said.
"The reason why I am here is because I would like to present you with my business plan." she said.
"Business plan?" asked Chris, a little bemused, while secretly checking Mabel's uh many assets
out.
"My sisters, Victoria, Anita and Corrie and I would like to start a restaraunt...but we are a little
short on funding. Gus from Josie's lent us some money and My brother in law Clerow lent us the
other part..but we find that we only have half of what we need. We tried to go to a couple of banks, but nobody would give us a loan. We'll pay you back Chess, Chris..honest...Our first profits will go back into your pockets with interest." she said.
"Let me see what you got?" I said.
She pulled out a portfolio with her plans....Her expected finances and what she would need. It was very well written and professionally put together. I was impressed. She was serious.
"Don't you work at the magazine with Kevin?" I asked.
"I do...and I enjoy writing my column..but cooking is what I really do..it was what I was born to do...I want to run a restaraunt." she said.
Chris looked at me and nodded.....I smiled at Mabel.
"You're in luck Ms. Jenkins.....I'm going to give you double what you're asking and you don't have to pay me back. Oh and here....give Gus and Clerow back the money you borrowed from them." I said tossing her a stack....Her eyes got as wide as saucers.
"Hold up.....You just gon give me twice what I asked and you don't want nothin back?" she said.
She was from Louisiana, but she wasn't dumb..Mabel was very street smart.
'Well, Chris and I wouldn't expect to ever have to pay for a meal when we came in to eat." I said.
Chris just smiled and patted his knee the way he did.
'That's it?" she said giving us both the side eye.
"That's it Ms. Mabel..We've had your cooking before and we know how good it is....When we put the word out..we expect your spot to get good business and make you a ton of dough...With Chess and I as your uh ruh.."silent partners" No shake down...just a cut of your profits." said
Chris.
"How much of a cut?" she said.
"Twenty Five percent, once you start making a profit." said Chris.
'Sounds Fair enough...." she said..We hugged and Mabel Jenkins signed on the dotted line.. She was in business that day.
We asked her if she and her sisters would cater our next card game and she gladly agreed. The guys were getting tired of cold cuts and Hoagies anyway.
Chris and I found an old warehouse and we got a crew of guys to clean it out and set up our slot machines and our card tables and we were in business. Mabel, Anita,Corrie, Victoria and Clerow
brought in steaming carriers of Fried Chicken, Fried Fish, Collard Greens,Mustard Greens, Sweet Potatoes, Potato Salad....Fresh Salad..String Beans Sweet Potato Pie, Peach Cobbler,etc.
The Players came and filled the house..They brought their girlfriends and the money and goodtimes flowed. Smooth had six of his best men on the doors on all sides, Armed to the teeth
and we had lookouts at least two blocks away to let us know if the police or anybody else was coming.
This was one of the rare times that Chris and I actually attended one of these crap games...We came for Mabel's food. It was great... Mabel and her sisters and Clerow were my friends..They were good people..I really didn't want them in this den of theives with these gangsters..so I came
to make sure they were alright.
Shortly after midnight...I noticed an eerie quietness... I walked down and checked the doors..Nobody was there...I checked the back...Nobody was there either....I walked down the street...I saw all six of our guys bound and gagged and laying face down on the sidewalk...I was getting ready to pull my gun when I felt cold steel on my neck....
"Don't do it Chess...I don't want to kill you...Let's just walk right back to your little card game..
Where is Chris?" said the voice.
'Man, do you know what you're doing?" I asked.
"Don't worry about what I'm doing...let's go." came the voice, which I recognized as Johnny Peppers, a low level playa who had farmed himself out as muscle for the Diaz Brothers.
Johnny had two other fellas with him. We walked back to the Warehouse where our card game was running... Smooth saw what was happening and went for his gun...
"Don't Do it Donnie boy....I wouldn't want to get nervous and kill Chess here....a few weeks before his wedding." said Johnny.
Donald Smooth tossed his Gun in the street as he was told and Johnny and his two gunmen marched us up the steps... His guys had done their homework, had gotten the drop on us and had taken our security down quickly and quietly..They were good. I found out when we got to
the main area...that they had another guy already inside named "Sunshine" with a shotgun ,already holding everubody up and demanding that the playas throw their money and their jewelry into a big bag....
"And hurry up" He barked.
I looked around...I didn't see Chris......I wondered where my partner was...I also feared what he might do. He was trying hard to change his ways...I didn't want him to slip back into the dark side.
Another gunmen , who I hadn't seen had Clerow, Corrie,Anita and Victoria in the corner with their hands up..There was no sign of Mabel.
"Hey Look, they're just cooks..don't hurt them..leave em be." I said.
"Shut Up Chess..We callin the shots here." said Johnny....
I saw a shapely figure in the shadows, bend down and pull a shiny object...a pistol from out of
what looked like...her dress!!! I heard a shot and saw the side of Sunshine's head seemingly burst
open...Blood poured down like a stream and the big man fell to the floor...dropping his shotgun...
The other two gunmen reached for their weapons, but the familiar sound of a bigger gun fired and both of these guys went down for the count...Standing there in the shadows, smiling that toothy grin was Chris.....
Johnny Peppers and the last surviving gunmen released me and Smooth and went for their guns, I saw the figure in the shadows...it was Mabel Jenkins...she pulled out her revolver and fired one more time...The gunmen with Johnny Peppers fell to the ground..dead...Johnny Peppers dashed out of the warehouse.....We heard six or seven shots in sucession....We knew he was as good as dead. Our security had somehow gotten themselves free and had come running
and shooting.
Chris smiled and kissed Mabel on the cheek...
"I love a woman that can cook and can handle a gat...You saved our lives baby." he laughed
".38 smokeless..don't leave home without it." she laughed.
We all had a big laugh about that!
There was no laughter the next morning at Breakfast in the West Philly Diner that Chris and I
ate in regularly with Fathead.
"Man...I heard that that punk ass Johnny Peppers tried to hold up your card game." said Fathead.
"Yeah..well he and nobody else will try that anytime soon." said Chris.
"Well look man...one of the guys you killed was Valdez Diaz Jr." said Fathead
"What?" I said.
"He's the son of Valdez Diaz..one of the Diaz brothers." said Chris.
"Yeah man, this could be bad....Valdez is the crazy one...He's going to want revenge..." said
Fathead.
"I aint scared of neither of the Diaz brothers...."said Chris.
'Chris..we aint in this anymore...We businessmen...let's not go there with them." I said
'So what we gonna do, tell em Mabel Jenkins killed his boy...No Chess..you aint in this...I'm just a
gangster I suppose." said Chris.
I knew I couldn't talk to him at this point...
"Valdez is coming huh?" asked Chris.
"Yup, just as sure as the sun is gonna rise tomorrow." said Fathead.
"Let him come." said Chris.
Chris looked at me, his buddy since we were kids...I didn't want this, but at the same time..I knew that I wasn't going to turn Mabel in...I knew that his punk kid shouldn't have been part of a stick up crew and if Valdez didn't understand that..well he was going to have to.
''I'm with you Chris..all the way." I said.
"That's what I'm talkin bout." said Chris.
(To Be Continued....)
12 comments:
I'm with you too Chris. Like Father, like son. Valdez is coming and just like son going.
Great movie title!!
"I was getting ready to pull my gun when I felt cold steel on my neck..." I love this, Keith! Great description! Also, I love the characters' names: Johnny Peppers, Donny Smooth! Great action.
It's onnn like popcorn...I love it
Yeahhhh man, this is the business!
More Mayhem eh? I'm digging this story just the same.
Here we go....lololol
Wow Keith...This was just the kind of story I was waiting for.
Cool Story Keith,I always love Chess and Chris.
This looks bad..Can't wait to see what happens next.
Awww suki suki now..It's about to get heated on the streets.
Chris ought to get his gat and just blow this guy away..before it even gets worse. I know of course that that is not going to happen.
I can't wait. Very, Very well written!
Post a Comment