Mabel Jenkins could cook....She didn't just cook soul food...she could cook anything...and tonight ,her catering service had fixed up some fine Spaghetti and Meatballs, Italian Bread and Wine. She and her sisters, Corrie and Anita delivered the food to our card game. Chris and I were still her silent partners in her restaraunt and catering business. We had leant her the money to get started and had paid off her other debts. We weren't shake down artists..We were
legal partners in her business. We didn't make any decisions as far as how her business was run..She made all of the decisions. Chris and I split amongst ourselves a third of her profits and she and her sisters and staff kept the rest. Business was booming ,because it wasn't long before Mabel opened a catering business which sister Victoria was running.
Tonight, as a favor to us..She delivered Spaghetti dinners to Chris and I's card game. This was a high stakes (and illegal) card game that attracted the top players and gamblers in the city. You wanted in ,you had to put up a substantial amount of cash...This way, we kept the riff raff out.
Unfortunately...some riff raff had the kind of money it took to play in the games..
One such person was one Vernon Womack....He had from out of nowhere, gobbled up most of the
"real estate" in South Philadelphia and was moving in on a small part of North Philadelphia.
People said that he did it with the help of his enforcer..a tall thin well dressed man named Taylor Collins....also playing...one of the most feared hitmen in Philadelphia. If Taylor Collins had a contract on you, you might as well kill yourself..because you were as good as dead. It was said that he had killed close to 50 people...No one knew if that was true or just an urban rumor, but no one wanted to find out...that was for sure.
Chris pulled me and Donald Smooth to the side and whispered to us-
"Chess, I don't want those two in here ever again.....They in here now, but they are bad news...
next time we have a game..turn em away at the door." He said.
"I'll toss em right now if you want boss." said Donald Smooth.
"Easy trigger..calm your lethal ass down..I said the next time....I don't want no trouble...Did you hear what they did?" asked Chris.
"Nah what?" asked Donald Smooth.
"They killed Pooh Bear this morning and his whole family." I said.
"What?" said Donald.
"Yeah, Pooh Bear owed Vern some money, he refused to pay, so Vern sent that cold blooded sadist Taylor Collins in after him...Killed him, his wife, his four year old son, three year old son
and his two year old daughter. Cops don't have a clue as to who did it...but everybody in South
Philly, on the streets know." I said.
"Damnn, that's cold blooded." said Donald.
"Man, when I was in the game..I never killed nobody Chess..not a soul...I sold my product quietly and cheaply and made a lot of money and kept it quiet...no fuss, no muss...anybody had a
problem, I just kept it movin and set up somewhere else." said Chris.
"Nobody ever wanted to bump with you?" I asked.
"Oh yeah sure...but I always had Donald Smooth here with his eager trigger finger to persuade them otherwise. Not only that...You know I used to be a boxer Chess....I knocked a couple of guys on their butts..after that...I did the damn thing on just my rep...aint that right Smooth?" laughed Chris.
"That's right Chess..We made a lot of cash and didn't kill a soul, didn't get arrested or nothin."
chimed Smooth.
Vern and Taylor had created a lot of unwanted heat on the streets...Fathead and a lot of the players weren't happy about the two of them being around..yet nobody dared cross Vern and risk Taylor coming after them.
"I hate what they did Chess, killin women and children that didn't have nothin to do with it...Let me stop talkin bout it for I throw em both out and get us in the middle of some mess." said Chris
as he walked off.
Vernon was losing badly tonight and he was making a general nuisance of himself...He kept pinching Mabel's butt or Corrie's butt or Anita everytime they walked by...Finnally Mabel grabbed his hand...
"Touch my ass one mo time and you gone lose that hand mister ." she said.
Vernon laughed and was getting ready to grab her again when Chris grabbed his arm.
"Chill Vern....This is a peaceful game...This is my game...Don't start nothin." said Chris who stared him dead in the eye. Taylor was getting ready to go for his gun, when I pulled my .45 out
and aimed it at him.....The room was as quiet as a cemetary at midnight.....
"I know who you are...but you aint superman...bullets won't bounce off your chest...so you better back up." I said. Donald and Chris both looked at me in amazement and busted out laughing....
Taylor smiled and slowly sat down...Vernon smiled and bowed his head..
"Okay Chris...you win...no drama...Your partner has more guts than he has good sense..but I understand...it's all good...Hey Sunshine...let's finish playing this hand." he said. Everyone in the room sighed with releif as the game continued.
Chris put his arm around me and passed me a beer...He looked at Donald Smooth and said
"See, this why me and this brother been homies since grade school..he aint no punk..Chess is fearless...He'll ride with me..This my man right here." laughed Chris.
Donald Smooth shook his head and laughed - "Chess, you got a pair on you....You'd have made a
great soldier."
Meanwhile Ronald "Sunshine" Evans had just cleaned up...Had won 14G's at Vernon Womack's
expense. "Sunshine "Evans was loved by everybody...He was a big time gambler..Went to card games like this in Philly,New York,Jersey and Maryland. He knew his business and he knew how to gamble...He very rarely lost...Tonight ,he took Vernon for a load.
"One more hand Sunshine?" laughed Vernon.
"Nah.....I'm tired of beating you...you gotta do like Kenny Rogers says...Know when to fold em
baby." laughed Sunshine as he collected his winnings.
"You took all of my money" said Vernon.
"Nah baby...Money aint got no owners...just spenders and I'm gon spend yo cash tomorrow."
said Sunshine as the room broke out in laughter....
"Evening Gents." he said as he tipped his hat and he and his partner left the game.
Vernon was not a happy camper!
The next night, Chris and I were in Josie's having a couple of beers with Gus the bartender and talking to him about how "Sunshine " cleaned Vernon out. Gus didn't find it funny..He looked at us and said-
"Vernon aint no one to play with ....I knowed his daddy..He was as evil as they come and the boy aint much better.." said Gus.
It was at this moment that Vernon walked in Josies.
"You talked the devil up" said Gus.
"A round of drinks for everyone" laughed Vernon.
"You sure are flush...for a man that lost 14 large last night." said Chris.
"Well, you might say, I come upon some more cash." laughed Vernon.
"Where's your attack dog ?" said Chris.
"Taylor? I gave him the night off..He earned it." laughed Vernon.
"Yeah,killin a woman and some kids is a lot of work." I said.
Vernon looked at me and snapped-
"You ought not to get in grown folks business...you already got one foot in the grave Chess."
he said.
''Where is there a grown person in here besides us?" I said and pulled my nickel plated .45 out
before Vernon could move. Chris pulled his .45 out also. Vernon didn't blink.
"If you was gonna use them heaters,I'd already be dead...now since we all know you aint...put em away...I aint here to see you anyway...I'm here to see Gus." he said.
We both put out guns away and Gus walked over to Vernon, gave him the evilest stare I ever saw and said-
"What is it you want Junior?"
"Junior? Aint nobody called me Junior since I was a kid..heh heh heh.." he laughed.
"What'cha want?" snapped Gus.
"What I want is what is rightfully mine.....My daddy loaned you the money to buy this joint and you and him built it to what it is today....I beleive I am entitled to half of your business." he said.
"You know,I paid your daddy back in full, with intrest years ago, before he got himself killed..so that debt is paid." said Gus.
"It's paid when I say it's paid...I want half...and I aint playin with you..I got a lawyer whose coming to see you tomorrow and I beleive after you talk to him..you'l see things my way." said
Vernon.
"I don't give a damn about your shyster Junior..you aint gettin a red cent..." said Gus.
"My pops left a will....in the will it says that I'm to get half of this bar...you'll see." laughed Vernon.
He smiled, tipped his hat...
"Chris, Chess,always a pleasure to see you guys....When I'm a partner in this bar...you guys are going to pay double for all of your drinks....heheheheheheheheheh...just kidding, just kidding...you're going to pay triple..hahahahahahahahahahahahahahha."laughed Vernon as he walked out the door.
Just then, Donald Smooth walked in the bar...
"Chris, Chess...guess what? They found "Sunshine" in a drainage ditch near the airport..He'd been shot three times in the head and it looks like he was robbed." he said.
"I told you...Ahhh told you that Vernon is evil." said Gus.
"So what are you going to do?" said Chris.
"I'm going to call my Lawyer, Conrad and then I'm going to call in my muscle...."said Gus.
I looked at Smooth and he looked at Chris.
"Don't look at me...call Fathead.." said Chris.
(To Be Continued.....)
legal partners in her business. We didn't make any decisions as far as how her business was run..She made all of the decisions. Chris and I split amongst ourselves a third of her profits and she and her sisters and staff kept the rest. Business was booming ,because it wasn't long before Mabel opened a catering business which sister Victoria was running.
Tonight, as a favor to us..She delivered Spaghetti dinners to Chris and I's card game. This was a high stakes (and illegal) card game that attracted the top players and gamblers in the city. You wanted in ,you had to put up a substantial amount of cash...This way, we kept the riff raff out.
Unfortunately...some riff raff had the kind of money it took to play in the games..
One such person was one Vernon Womack....He had from out of nowhere, gobbled up most of the
"real estate" in South Philadelphia and was moving in on a small part of North Philadelphia.
People said that he did it with the help of his enforcer..a tall thin well dressed man named Taylor Collins....also playing...one of the most feared hitmen in Philadelphia. If Taylor Collins had a contract on you, you might as well kill yourself..because you were as good as dead. It was said that he had killed close to 50 people...No one knew if that was true or just an urban rumor, but no one wanted to find out...that was for sure.
Chris pulled me and Donald Smooth to the side and whispered to us-
"Chess, I don't want those two in here ever again.....They in here now, but they are bad news...
next time we have a game..turn em away at the door." He said.
"I'll toss em right now if you want boss." said Donald Smooth.
"Easy trigger..calm your lethal ass down..I said the next time....I don't want no trouble...Did you hear what they did?" asked Chris.
"Nah what?" asked Donald Smooth.
"They killed Pooh Bear this morning and his whole family." I said.
"What?" said Donald.
"Yeah, Pooh Bear owed Vern some money, he refused to pay, so Vern sent that cold blooded sadist Taylor Collins in after him...Killed him, his wife, his four year old son, three year old son
and his two year old daughter. Cops don't have a clue as to who did it...but everybody in South
Philly, on the streets know." I said.
"Damnn, that's cold blooded." said Donald.
"Man, when I was in the game..I never killed nobody Chess..not a soul...I sold my product quietly and cheaply and made a lot of money and kept it quiet...no fuss, no muss...anybody had a
problem, I just kept it movin and set up somewhere else." said Chris.
"Nobody ever wanted to bump with you?" I asked.
"Oh yeah sure...but I always had Donald Smooth here with his eager trigger finger to persuade them otherwise. Not only that...You know I used to be a boxer Chess....I knocked a couple of guys on their butts..after that...I did the damn thing on just my rep...aint that right Smooth?" laughed Chris.
"That's right Chess..We made a lot of cash and didn't kill a soul, didn't get arrested or nothin."
chimed Smooth.
Vern and Taylor had created a lot of unwanted heat on the streets...Fathead and a lot of the players weren't happy about the two of them being around..yet nobody dared cross Vern and risk Taylor coming after them.
"I hate what they did Chess, killin women and children that didn't have nothin to do with it...Let me stop talkin bout it for I throw em both out and get us in the middle of some mess." said Chris
as he walked off.
Vernon was losing badly tonight and he was making a general nuisance of himself...He kept pinching Mabel's butt or Corrie's butt or Anita everytime they walked by...Finnally Mabel grabbed his hand...
"Touch my ass one mo time and you gone lose that hand mister ." she said.
Vernon laughed and was getting ready to grab her again when Chris grabbed his arm.
"Chill Vern....This is a peaceful game...This is my game...Don't start nothin." said Chris who stared him dead in the eye. Taylor was getting ready to go for his gun, when I pulled my .45 out
and aimed it at him.....The room was as quiet as a cemetary at midnight.....
"I know who you are...but you aint superman...bullets won't bounce off your chest...so you better back up." I said. Donald and Chris both looked at me in amazement and busted out laughing....
Taylor smiled and slowly sat down...Vernon smiled and bowed his head..
"Okay Chris...you win...no drama...Your partner has more guts than he has good sense..but I understand...it's all good...Hey Sunshine...let's finish playing this hand." he said. Everyone in the room sighed with releif as the game continued.
Chris put his arm around me and passed me a beer...He looked at Donald Smooth and said
"See, this why me and this brother been homies since grade school..he aint no punk..Chess is fearless...He'll ride with me..This my man right here." laughed Chris.
Donald Smooth shook his head and laughed - "Chess, you got a pair on you....You'd have made a
great soldier."
Meanwhile Ronald "Sunshine" Evans had just cleaned up...Had won 14G's at Vernon Womack's
expense. "Sunshine "Evans was loved by everybody...He was a big time gambler..Went to card games like this in Philly,New York,Jersey and Maryland. He knew his business and he knew how to gamble...He very rarely lost...Tonight ,he took Vernon for a load.
"One more hand Sunshine?" laughed Vernon.
"Nah.....I'm tired of beating you...you gotta do like Kenny Rogers says...Know when to fold em
baby." laughed Sunshine as he collected his winnings.
"You took all of my money" said Vernon.
"Nah baby...Money aint got no owners...just spenders and I'm gon spend yo cash tomorrow."
said Sunshine as the room broke out in laughter....
"Evening Gents." he said as he tipped his hat and he and his partner left the game.
Vernon was not a happy camper!
The next night, Chris and I were in Josie's having a couple of beers with Gus the bartender and talking to him about how "Sunshine " cleaned Vernon out. Gus didn't find it funny..He looked at us and said-
"Vernon aint no one to play with ....I knowed his daddy..He was as evil as they come and the boy aint much better.." said Gus.
It was at this moment that Vernon walked in Josies.
"You talked the devil up" said Gus.
"A round of drinks for everyone" laughed Vernon.
"You sure are flush...for a man that lost 14 large last night." said Chris.
"Well, you might say, I come upon some more cash." laughed Vernon.
"Where's your attack dog ?" said Chris.
"Taylor? I gave him the night off..He earned it." laughed Vernon.
"Yeah,killin a woman and some kids is a lot of work." I said.
Vernon looked at me and snapped-
"You ought not to get in grown folks business...you already got one foot in the grave Chess."
he said.
''Where is there a grown person in here besides us?" I said and pulled my nickel plated .45 out
before Vernon could move. Chris pulled his .45 out also. Vernon didn't blink.
"If you was gonna use them heaters,I'd already be dead...now since we all know you aint...put em away...I aint here to see you anyway...I'm here to see Gus." he said.
We both put out guns away and Gus walked over to Vernon, gave him the evilest stare I ever saw and said-
"What is it you want Junior?"
"Junior? Aint nobody called me Junior since I was a kid..heh heh heh.." he laughed.
"What'cha want?" snapped Gus.
"What I want is what is rightfully mine.....My daddy loaned you the money to buy this joint and you and him built it to what it is today....I beleive I am entitled to half of your business." he said.
"You know,I paid your daddy back in full, with intrest years ago, before he got himself killed..so that debt is paid." said Gus.
"It's paid when I say it's paid...I want half...and I aint playin with you..I got a lawyer whose coming to see you tomorrow and I beleive after you talk to him..you'l see things my way." said
Vernon.
"I don't give a damn about your shyster Junior..you aint gettin a red cent..." said Gus.
"My pops left a will....in the will it says that I'm to get half of this bar...you'll see." laughed Vernon.
He smiled, tipped his hat...
"Chris, Chess,always a pleasure to see you guys....When I'm a partner in this bar...you guys are going to pay double for all of your drinks....heheheheheheheheheh...just kidding, just kidding...you're going to pay triple..hahahahahahahahahahahahahahha."laughed Vernon as he walked out the door.
Just then, Donald Smooth walked in the bar...
"Chris, Chess...guess what? They found "Sunshine" in a drainage ditch near the airport..He'd been shot three times in the head and it looks like he was robbed." he said.
"I told you...Ahhh told you that Vernon is evil." said Gus.
"So what are you going to do?" said Chris.
"I'm going to call my Lawyer, Conrad and then I'm going to call in my muscle...."said Gus.
I looked at Smooth and he looked at Chris.
"Don't look at me...call Fathead.." said Chris.
(To Be Continued.....)
1 comment:
Something about Gus makes me think he aint one to mess with.
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