The Big Fix

Stephen Bristol was a man of habit...He had only been out of the hospital a few days....recovering from gunshot wounds...He got up , brushed his teeth, shaved and showered and then dressed and headed to the barbershop in his building. After getting his fresh haircut, he headed for the tony restaraunt where he often had his meals alone. He bought a newspaper and sat down to wait for his order to be taken.. His Blackberry and His Android were on the table beside him...

"What will it be today Mister Bristol?" asked the waiter.

"Two eggs , scrambled light, Bacon, wheat toast , orange juice and a cup of coffee." he replied with a smile.

"Comin up" said the waiter.

Bristol's Blackberry and his android rang constantly while he waited for his food... He held court.

He paid a wide network of informants good money to give him good information on a variety of things like NBA Basketball teams, NFL Football teams, NHA Hockey, Women's Basketball, Horse racing...Even Nascar....He put down bets on these sports...He never bet on anything of which he didn't already suspect the outcome....Which was why he made lots of money...Why he had at least three condos in Philadelphia and allegedly, one in Atlantic City in which he was said to lay his head. He didn't appear to work anywhere, yet he was always dressed to the nines and immaculate in dress...He also ,always seemed to have cash. He traveled alone...an oddity for someone who carried as much cash as he did...No muscle, no bodyguards...not in the streets anyway. He stood on the corner of his block and conversed on one of his two phones or he sat in his favorite restaurant and met with people.

He was a cautious man , who never talked business at home, but always out in public...away from bugging devices. He had never been incarcerated in his life and he planned to keep it that way.
It was said that he was a mathematical genius...an expert at odds and averages..Which was why he was such a good gambler and odds maker. Today..He had a visitor... A visitor, who was like him, a gambler and a one time , major playa in the Philadelphia underworld. Albert"The Bossman" Attles....

Albert Attles had been a big time playa in the late 60's and 70's and had retired with a small fortune...He had made the mistake of marrying a woman much smarter than he. She had hired a private detective who had found out about his other women.....Although that Private Detective vanished ...never to be seen again..It was not before he delivered the devesating evidence to his wife.... She divorced him and took one half of his fortune....

Attles then moved to Atlantic City where it is said he blew every dime he had on woman after woman and drinking and making bad bets....He was forced at an old age to get back in the streets

and to begin hustling again.... This time , the streets and his luck had not been so kind to him...Yet still, he was a very widely respected man amongst Philadelphia players...Which brings us to this meeting with up and coming ,would be playa, Stephen Bristol Jr.

"Mr. Attles... Pleased to see you..." said Bristol as he stood and shook Albert Attles hand. The old man smiled and sat down.

"Can I bring your guest a menu?" asked the waiter.

"Nah..Nah... Just bring me a cup of coffee...light cream, extra sugar." said Albert Attles.

"Heard you just got in from Miami." said Bristol...

"Yeah...I been back in town awhile....Long enough to hear some stories about you..Stories that trouble me a bit." he said.

"Stories? What kind of stories?" asked Bristol.

"I heard you tried to take the payroll from the Jazz Festival that they were throwing a month ago...You bring in some cowboys from New York City and they get themselves killed....Then Chris Thompson almost killed you and got the money they did steal back.....Not good.....Then you waste good money and good talent trying to knock off some Private eye and you get two good hitmen killed and another one arrested and manage to get yourself shot in the meanwhile...

I gotta tell you Bristol...People in New York are pretty upset with you...Nobody up there wants to touch you....You don't do gangster moves...You aint no gangster...You foolin with street people and they know their business apparently better than you do....Leave that stuff alone...Hitmen, shootouts..Stick up kids that aint you...You're a businessman...The thing is, as a businessman....We take people's money without them even knowin they was robbed." he laughed.

"Alright Bossman, I get it...It's old business..You're here to talk about the new business." said a now flustered Bristol....He didn't like being lectured to by an old bust out who once was a big time Playa...Respected or not. The man had put him on to a potential gold mine and that was what he would rather discuss, instead of his failures in recent dust ups with Chris Thompson, Chess and Kevin Morris...They were formidable opponents all. There was no money to made and therefore
no percentage in continuing to do battle with them...He had decided to leave them alone and go about his business..The business of making money, illegal and quick money...Quiet money that didn't attract cops, reformed do gooding ex-gangsters or a certain crusading private eye and his network of friends!

"That's right...I'm here to talk about the new business...Did your guy uh, take care of that uh,ruh little thing?" asked Albert Attles.

"Indeed....He hired a guy who made contact with the Jockey...The race is as good as in the bag."

said Bristol.

"Heh, Heh, Heh...good job....There is big money on this horse... I stand to win 50 million dollars on this race." said Albert Attles..

"What's the split?" asked Bristol.

"80 my way, 20 your way." said Albert Attles.

"WHAT? I thought we agreed on 60- 40?" said Bristol, uncharacteristically raising his voice.

"60-40....What? Me ???With YoU?? Come on now Bristol.....I gave you this score..." said Albert Attles..

"Yes...but I hired the guy who hired the guy that contacted the jockey, who is going to throw the race...I had to put out a good deal of money to pay him and his guy, I had to reach out to a lot of people to set this thing up...." said Bristol.

"Look..I had to reach out to people to even get into the bidding on this race...I'm throwing you a bone just by letting you be involved in this.....People in New York don't want to touch you." he said.

"New York?? What have they got to do with this? This is Philly Bossman?" said Bristol, suddenly lowering his voice as his food arrived and Albert's coffee arrived.

"I have people in New York and Atlantic City I owe money to....and then I pay you your twenty and the rest goes to my retirement fund... Look Bristol...do right on this and I'll get my New York associates to cut you in on some big time things...Big time!!!" said Albert.

"Big time? You? Hah...You aint been big time since the Jackson Five had a number one hit on the charts....if anything, I'm doing you a favor." scoffed Bristol.

"Indeed....You're still a little guy Bristol...tryin to be a big boy....You'll be a big boy eventually..but these things take time...Your old man understood how these things work." he said.

"Don't bring my dad in this." said Bristol , still obviously angry....

"Am I interupting anything?" came a voice....

Bristol turned around and saw ........His future.... She was tall, built so well, she looked as if someone drew her....Long hair down her back and a dress so tight and so short hugging so many curves that he thought his eyes would pop out of his head....He had never seen a woman so fine!!

"Calm down boy....This is my chippy here....Tamika. Tamika, meet Stephen Bristol..He's the man I was tellin you about...that's workin with me." said Albert Attles...

"Ohhhhh, pleased to meet you." She said.

"The pleasure is mine." said Bristol thoroughly enchanted and entranced by Tamika....

"Yeah Bris...That's why I only wanted coffee...I'm takin Tamika here shopping....After we win all of that money, She and I are going to get married and retire to this little island in the Bahamas."laughed Albert.

Tamika looked coolly away...Bristol and her eyes met....There was an insant attraction..She liked the way he smelled, liked the way he dressed...Liked that he knew what an android was and just liked him period...She looked at him and smiled.... Bristol was in love!!!! He forgot that he was angry at being short changed by Albert for a half second...All he knew was that he wanted to see her again..

"Uh excuse me Bristol.... Can't drink all this coffee without nature taking it's course...Excuse me

Tamika...When I come back from the men's room, we'll be leaving." he said.

"It's that way." pointed Bristol as Albert got up and walked to the restroom.

No sooner than he was gone, Bristol made his play...

"What is a fine woman like you doing with that old bust out?" he asked.

Tamika laughed uncomfortably...

"You don't have to answer....but I know......" he said.

"You know what?" she said curtly.

"I know that you should be with a guy like me, I'm what's happening...." he said.

"You don't waste your time do you? You get right to it." she laughed.

"Tamika...Time, next to information is the most valuable of commodities...I try not to waste either." said Bristol.

"Really? I'll remember that." she laughed.

"Give me your android..I know you have one....." he said.

She went in her purse.....she pulled it out and he took it, put his phone number and address in it and took a photo of himself...

"When you're ready for a change...give that number a call....I'll clear all of my appointments for you baby." he said.

"Really?" she said with a laugh.

"Just remember that number." he said and sat back. The man's confidence and supreme arrogance was turning her on in a way she hadn't been turned on in a long time.

Albert Attles returned to the table...He kissed Tamika in the lips fully , in front of Bristol and then sneered....

"She'll never leave me...So don't get any ideas....You aint yet big enough...your pockets aint deep enough yet youngin." he laughed... Bristol showed him the palms of both of his hands and shrugged innocently, while staring past Albert into Tamika's eyes...She was getting moist just looking at Bristol and quickly looked away...She had never felt this way before..

"Come on Tamika...We are going to Tiffany's." he laughed. "Take care Bris....I'll see you on Friday."He said as they walked out.Tamika turned and winked at Bristol without Albert Attles seeing her as they left. Bristol smiled and finished his food..He pulled some money out and left it on the table and walked down to the corner...He saw Albert pulling off in his 2011 Nissann 280Z.

"That cheap ,lying snake...80-20 split eh? I'll fix you...I'll take your woman..She'll make up for the 80 percent you're gettin on this fix...You'll see." he smirked as he finished his meal...

"Cheap bastard...He didn't even pay for his coffee." he thought as he wiped his mouth.

(To Be Continued...)