Little World Of Trouble

The Next Morning, Sepia and I had scrambled Eggs and Bacon with Mimosas...(Orange Juice and Champaigne) and two hot steaming tumblers of coffee...

''Kevin....This morning  when I went to get on the elevator, I saw that girl....That girl Lola...That old guy's wife.  She was coming out of that loudmouth's room...Mambo...You said his name was?" she said.

''Yeah, last night, Her husband was down in the lobby with Dutchie ,looking for her..He asked me if I saw her and I lied and said I didn't." I said.

''Well..it wasn't a complete lie...You didn't see her...You heard her though." said Sepia as we both laughed our heads off.

We looked up and the happy couple was walking towards us...They didn't look happy at all!

''Where were you?...I was worried sick." said Brad.

''Really Brad?..Stop being so dramatic...It makes you sound like a woman." said Lola dryly.

"Keep it up...Keep up the lip....One of these days Lola...One of these days....POW, right in the kisser!" he said.

"Yeah right, you'd probably have a heart attack and die right after that." she said.

''My heart condition is no laughing matter." he said.

"Yeah I know...I know...neither is your erectile dysfunction either." she laughed.

He slapped her hard in the face...

Everyone got quiet.....You could hear a pin drop...

"Go ahead..say it...say you want a divorce....You won't you little gold digger because if you do...you'll wind up making your livin, starin at the ceilin, like you was when I found you...." he said and he stormed out...

She stood there and cried....Whimpered was more like it...Several men ran over to comfort her...Not me...

Sepia and I finished our meal and was getting ready to get up when I saw Dutchie talking to Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding.

''Look Shark, you gotta give me time...50G's is about all I got in the bank....You'll clean me out..." he said.

''It aint my problem....Get your boy to pay what he owes..." said Eric.

''Okay..I'll talk to him...I'll see if he can give me half." said Dutchie.

''Half?  Guess you don't know huh?" laughed Shark Dollars.

"Know what?" asked Dutchie...

"He's in their now losin even more money...but that aint my problem either..it's yours...Guess he got somebody else to duke him the cash." said Shark Dollars.

''Oh hell no..let me go get him." said Dutchie as he ran towards the casino.


Sepia looked at me soulfully....

"Lover...Usually you get involved in this kind of mess...and we are supposed to be here vacationing right?" she said.

''Right...and I'm not involved in this." I said.

''Well..I have an idea...I might be able to help your friend..." she said.

"How?" I said.

She leaned over and kissed me long and passionately.....

"Trust me." she said and winked.

II-

Sepia was at the tables in a different casino ,gambling...She told me that her father had taught her to never gamble the same place two days straight...always go somewhere else..So she did....While she was doing that, I talked to a few people and I did some investigating...I know ,I know I said I wasn't getting involved in this, but I curious about the players....

First off, "Brad" was Bradley Thornton, a well heeled Black entrepeneur...who owned a franchise of hardware and appliance stores....He was 64 years old and loaded with cash....I noticed that he never gambled. Smart man!

''Lola" was Lola Gambrell -Thornton from Philadelphia...A former Stripper, a former Rapper, a former spokesperson for Lureal' , former model and former Eagles cheerleader....I could also add , ex groupie to that list also....She was 29 and had been married to Bradley Thornton , a little over a year.

Mambo Norton had been a gunman and driver for both the late Wally Gator and the now imprisoned "Big Daddy."  ,He had worked as high priced muscle for the now imprisoned Johnny Porter and Eldorado Mack..Work wasn't hard to come by for him...Somebody was always willing to pay a big gorilla like him to bust somebody up or scare the hell out of someone or even kill someone..Rumor was he's killed at least two people..His suite was on our floor...It was very expensive, like ours.   Sepia and I were being fronted by Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding...Who was fronting this guy?? It had to be somebody big.....Why else would he be so dismissive of a heavy like Shark Dollars and Shark Dollars almost allow him to be? , Leaning on Dutchie instead???

I called Kool Kat in Philadelphia and asked him....The big man knew what was going on in the street better than most.

''Kev...you just can't rest can you?   Aint you on vacay?" laughed the Big man.

"I am..it's just that all of these people are down here and I like to know who's around me." I said.

''Yeah well...Mambo works for Fathead!" he said.

''Fathead?? Fathead Newton??" I said.

''Yeah..He drives him around...Makes sure nobody tries nothin when Fathead is at the strip clubs." said Kool Kat.

"I thought Roscoe does all of that?" I said.

''Well he does..but Roscoe and some chick are in Cancun on vacation...So Fathead hired Mambo until he comes back." said Kool Kat.

"Damn...Good help is hard to find aint it?" I laughed.

''You aint never lied..." laughed Kool Kat.

''But he's down here?" I said.

"Yeah, I know...He screwed up something here and Fathead and Ralph Mole sent him there...Told Dutchie to watch him until things cool off here." said Kool Kat.

''Damn....Oh well....That's all I wanted to know Kools, thanks." I said.

"Everything good Kev?" he asked.

''Sure is... I'll see you in a few days." I said.

"Tell Sepia I said hello." he laughed.

This explained it all...Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding was only tolerating Mambo as a favor to Fathead Newton in Philadelphia.....but even his patience was running thin...

III-

That night in our hotel room...Sepia opened a paper bag and poured it's contents out on the bed....

''WHoaaaaa...How much cash is that?" I said.

'That's $100G's...Isn't that how you street guys say it?" laughed my wife.

''You won $100G's?" I said.

"Shhhhh, don't yell it out...Someone might hear us....Yes...I was real lucky today...I won $100 grand in addition to the 75 grand I won yesterday....So here, take $50 grand and give it to your friend Dutchie....It'll get him off the hook with Shark Dollars..." she said.

"Do you know how turned on I am right now?" I said as I grabbed her and kissed her and slowly began easing my hands up under her nightie...She moved my hands and broke my embrace...

''Hmmmm, Am I doing that to you or is it the money?" she said, giving me the side eye.

"Both." I laughed.

"Well, go find your friend and give this to him..." she said.

''Okay..I will." I said.

IV-

As I hit the Boardwalk, I saw Police cars and  a crowd of people , just one block off of the Boardwalk...My curiosity got the best of me....I walked over to the corner ,only to see Mambo Norton, laying in a pool of blood on the street....Someone had bashed his head in....Had Eric Shark Dollars Redding finally gotten tired of waiting to get paid back?

Dutchie was standing on the corner behind the crowd.....I walked over to him.....

"Man ,what happened?" I asked.

"Somebody killed Mambo." he said.

''You think it was Eric?" I asked.

''Who knows?" he said and shrugged his shoulders.

(To Be Continued...)