Chess's Block Party

I sat in Josie's quietly playing chess with Peeping Tom, the ex-CIA operative who sometimes assisted my friend, Kevin on his capers...Kevin had told me that he was quite a chess player and had told him that I was one of the best he knew..I always welcomed a challenge. Peeping Tom was indeed a challenge, but in the end..I beat him!

''Checkmate!" I said.

"Chess...that was very stimulating my friend...I didn't mind losing...THIS TIME!" said Peeping Tom as we shook hands and laughed.

"Hey Gus...can we have two Coronas over here?" I said.

"You beat him Chess?" asked Gus the bartender and owner of Josies.

"Yeah...I must admit...it was challenging...more challenging than beating you." I laughed.

''Okay Chess.. I see you got jokes...Just wait...Just wait...your day is coming." laughed Gus as one of his waiters bought Tom and I two beers...

Chris Thompson, Ralph Mole , Donald Smooth and Symphony Sam came in the bar and sat down at the table with us.

"Everything is set for Tuesday Chess...They break ground on our new development." said my buddy, business partner and former gangster, Chris Thompson.

Chris and I were opening a shopping center that was going to include a supermarket....Not the conventional type ,but a neighborhood collective...kind of like the farmers market with all kinds of products and fresh produce and small bistros inside...We also were going to include another one of our gyms and juice bars...Mabel Jenkins , who ran a very sucessful soul food joint ,just a few blocks from here was opening up a second one that her sisters, Cora Beth and Victoria were going to run...We also had an agreement from a bank too. We had ponied up one third of the cash needed...gotten a federal loan and a loan from Fathead Newton to pay for the rest...We stood to be very wealthy men if this panned out.

"Chess...I never knew I could make this much dough going the straight and narrow.." said Chris.

"And sleep this well huh?" I laughed.

"Yeah...That too!" he said.

''What about the thing with Symphony Sam?" asked Ralph Mole.

"Did he clear this with Gus?" asked Donald Smooth.

"No, but I did....and Gus said that he's cool with it...We will sponser an entire week of the best musicians money can buy performing on an outdoor stage in those parking lots across the street..
Josie's Bar and Mabel's Soul Food Joint as well as Dollar Bill's Bottom of the C will sponser it.." I said.

"Chess, how is that a good deal for them, since it'll be free?" asked Chris, ever the businessman.

"They get free advertising.....They are the sponsers and it makes people aware of our new shopping center....Robert Foxworth and Conrad Nelson are already in talks with other businesses that want to sponser and set up shop in our center." I said.

Just then, Symphony Sam walked in...all smiles and talking a mile a minute...

"Chess, Chess baby....This is going to be stupendous.. I've talked to all of the musicians and I've put together an incredible line up....Reed Nelson and DownTown Rob Brown on trumpet, Me of course on the Saxophone, Ingrid Rhodes on Vocals and check this out... Kerry "88" Moore and Ivory Joe Peters, sharing the Keyboards, Brooke Taylor , that sexy babe from San Fran on vocals and Guitar, Chris Combs on the Drums, Fred "Fried Fish" Collins on Guitar, Nate "Snake "Howard on Guitar, Shady Grady Tatum on Drums and maybe I'll even bring in a local comedian to open up...I got written agreements right here from everybody I just named." he said.

"Well ,for once, Symphony Sam is on the up and up about something." laughed Chris.

"Yeah...everything is set." I said.

"Who's handling security?" asked Ralph Mole.

"Don't worry, I got it under control." said Donald Smooth.

"Yeah, well just in case...I'm gonna call Roscoe and get him to line up some of his people..I hear there is a stick up crew in town out of New York....We don't want any trouble."said Ralph Mole.

"So let me get this straight....You guys are going to have a week long block party eh...a jazz extravaganza for the entire neighborhood?" said Peeping Tom.

"Yup." I said.

"Hmmm...Stick up crew outta New York eh...? I'll have Lockpick Johnson listen up, see if he hears anything..Maybe we can nip them in the bud so that there is no trouble...He hangs out at the Mermaid Club...He and Kool Kat usually hear anything going down before it happens." he said.

"Good lookin out " said Chris.

I wasn't worried about any stickup crew at the moment, just in getting everything ready for a nice event.

(To Be Continued....)