Laugh Now

by Rahiem Brooks

  Three meagerly dressed young women groped the American’s for weapons. Upon inspections, Salazar shook all of their hands. “Good to finally meet you,” he said to Kareem in a high-pitched voice as he nearly crushed Kareem’s hand with his large paw.

  Dre said, “This is my team, Prodigy and Mar-Mar,” as Salazar escorted them to his dining room.

  A long cherry wood table filled the room from end to end, along with paintings on the walls of iconic Colombians. The ceiling was painted to resemble a cloudy sky. Two bonny women pulled out their chairs. “Would you like a drink,” one of them asked.

  “Naw, we straight.” Dre answered for everyone.

  “Well, then, let’s get down to business.” Salazar sat back in his large chair and rested his hands on his potbelly. He snapped his fingers and had a woman place a cigar in his mouth. After she lit it, he asked, “You three smoke?”

  None of them did, but they elected to puff on the luxuriant cigar filled with the purest weed.

  Dre sat up, adjusted his shirt collar and recited what he wanted. “I am interested in purchasing large quantities of cocaine and heroine. I have access to cash and valid credit cards to satisfy the debt.”

  Salazar moved in his seat, plucked his ashes into an ashtray held next to him by one of his woman, and asked, “What purpose would I need valid credit cards for?”

  Kareem took over. “We thought it would be appropriate if we could give you payment in cash, and partial credit cards. We could pay 100-percent extra on the credit card end. I’m employed with the second largest bank in the states. Not only can I produce the cards, but I can monitor them, and I have the capability to launder funds.”

  Salazar tented his hands, leaned his elbows on the table, and responded, “Let’s see here. If I agreed to this, how do you gentleman propose getting the product pass Homeland?”

  “That’s an easy one to answer.” Marquis said. “Upon finalizing a deal with you, we are headed to purchase a warehouse.” He gestured toward Kareem, and continued. “This guy here plans to have clothing for his fashion line manufactured here in Colombia. We intend to get the clothes shipped to America, and have the drugs secured in the clothing linings to mask the scent from patrol dogs.”

  “Interesting,” Salazar remarked. He sat silently for a moment, and then said, “I tell you guys what. You cannot buy less than ten kilos of heroin and thirty kilos of cocaine per month.” Salazar let that sink in. “For you, though, being a friend of Chino’s, I’ll charge you $5,000 per kilo for the cocaine. They are usually $2,000, but taking the credit card payment into account. The $3,000 is really of no financial burden, so the 150-percent mark-up is within your reach, friend. The heroin kilos are $15,000 each.”

  Kareem had one concern: Could Dre push that much dope?

  “Let’s do the math,” Marquis said. “If the coke is sold at $22,000, that’ll be $660,000 a month. Add that to $50,000 per key of dope, and that totals $1.6-million.”

  “We can do that,” Kareem said, confident that Dre could make it happen with the help of Chino.

  Salazar agreed, and stood and the three men followed him. Outside, he shook their hands and told them everything would be taken care of. He then told them to take one of his girls to chauffeur them around during their stay in Colombia.

  CHAPTER 48

  The next day, Toi sat on the sofa and watched TV. After flipping through the commercials, she called Shimir.

  After three rings, he answered. “What’s up. Toi?” He asked, smiling at himself in a mirror. He loved when he was in control.

  “Dang. How you know it was me?” she asked, realizing that she had forgotten to block her number the first time that she called.

  “Come on wit’ dat. Why you hollering at me so soon?”

  “Well, Mr. All American is still in Colombia. I was thinking we could hang out.”

  “I must really be a tasty side order. What do I come with or without cheese?”

  “Hopefully without,” she said. “It’s Monday night and I still have not saw Cats.”

  “Cats! I don’t do musicals. Do that shit with dude.” After a brief moment of silence, he said, “For you, though. Meet me at...Hold it. What time is the last show? It’s already noon.”

  “Let’s do the 7:30 show.” Toi felt powerful having a say in what she did, as opposed to Kareem doing everything for her. She did appreciate a man that catered to her, Kareem was always ahead of the game.

  “Why so late? Won’t ol’ boy be home tonight? Columbia can’t be that far from where you live.”

  “I meant Colombia, the country, not the university.” How the fuck did he know, or guess that Kareem was a student at Columbia?

  “Plenty of time for us to get acquainted.”

  CHAPTER 49

  Over the next three days, the threesome navigated through Medellin easily. For Salazar to be a small guy, he had a lot of power. They had bought the warehouse and hired a staff to fully run the place. Marquis planned to have all of the equipment shipped, along with the finest silk, cotton, fur, and skin from around the world. Colombia was not all work, though. They had plenty of time to play. The American dollar and an association to Salazar were adequate to receive everything free, from dinner to pussy.

  By day four, Dre wanted to get home to Tasha and Amare. Marquis had a woman, or two, that he wanted to get back too, as well. Kareem was not pressed one way or the other, he aggressively wanted to get the dollar on his team.

  The three of them boarded a ten a.m. flight out of Colombia, headed for Miami International. During the flight, Kareem called Toi. He told her that, he would arrive in another day. He had every intention of surprising her.

  ***

  When Toi hung up with Kareem, she smiled at Shimir. They were in Kareem’s home; so, out of line.

  Toi had hired the chef on duty in the building to prepare boneless chicken breast cooked in red wine with mushrooms, onion and bacon. Shimir liked the candlelit dining room The Mary J. album filled the air. He was in the mood, even though, this was his first time in her home. She was a Manhattan woman with brains. How good the brains really were, he sought to find out.

  She fixed both their plates and the delicious scent filled the air.

  “I’ll assume you can manage to bless the food?” she asked.

  “Of course not, you know gangsta’s just dig in. No time for any extra.”

  “Boy, bow your head.” She demanded, angry at his jejune remark.

  They both bowed their heads, as she said a little prayer. “Amen. Is this pork?”

  “No, turkey bacon, boo,” she replied.

  After they ate, Toi covered the left overs, while Shimir put

  the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. He felt his phone vibrate against his hip and checked the text message. After he read it, he rushed toward the door. “I have to get out of here...”

  ***

  “Nice roses, Mr. Bezel,” the doorman said as Kareem emerged into the building’s lobby.

  “They are nice, huh? One for each day that, I have been away from Latoya,” he told him smiling. He had picked up the flowers from the Miami airport.

  “See Doug,” an elderly tenant told her husband. “When was the last time you brought home flowers?”

  “You spend my pension, social security and 401(k). Buy your own damn flowers.”

  Kareem shook his head and continued to the elevator. The elevator soared to his floor, and he thought lovingly about Toi. Would they be married with children at eighty? Spend months living in their Italy home? Be like the old couple that he passed.

  When the elevator stopped on his floor, he grabbed his luggage and waited for the doors to open. When they did, Shimir was the only actor on the stage.

  CHAPTER 50

  He held his composure and walked past the bilious blackguard peacefully. Before the elevator door closed, he glanced back to get a better look. Sure enough, the derelict from the restaurant had received a call from Toi. He sat on his large suitcase and stared
up at the ceiling.

  How could she do this to me? I am a good man, lover and friend.

  He thought long and hard. Firstly, it was quite ironic Shimir exited the loft as he arrived, especially since Toi expected him the next day. Secondly, the doorman’s compliment of the flowers was strange. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed as he walked over to the window that overlooked Madison Avenue. He was angry, so fuck the lovely view of Central Park.

  “Bezel residence,” the maid answered. Kareem had hired the Asian maid to tidy up for Jean-Mary in his absence.

  He responded somberly when Jean-Mary answered the phone. She could tell that something was wrong with him. “Now don’t make me red-eye to New York. I hear the anguish in your voice.”

  “I have a major, no super-major problem.”

  “That ain’t a word, but I’m all ears,” she said, placing her hand on her hip.

  “Remember the guy’s number I told you that Toi took?” Kareem realized how stupid the question sounded after he completed it, but he was distraught. Jean-Mary recalled, and he said, “Well, sit down for this...He just walked to the elevator pass me.”

  “Where are you? Was Toi with him? Where is she now?” “Are you ready for this?”

  “Where boy?” she asked with an attitude. “My blood is simmering waiting to boil.”

  “The 15th floor of my building.”

  Jean-Mary let in a deep breath and Kareem heard the

  phone hit the floor. Jean-Mary gathered her composure and picked the phone up. “That bitch—Ooops—that harlot. How could she?”

  “I have no idea. I’m devastated. All I wanted was to love her, Granny. She really crossed me.”

  “Now, you cross her. That’s right! Cross her right on out of your life, baby.”

  CHAPTER 51

  Kareem entered the loft and heard Beyonce blaring through the surround-sound stereo. Toi was nowhere in sight. His heart pounded all over again. Was she hurt? Was she away and he broke in? Was he in another apartment and this was a coincidence? He set his bags down and walked past the kitchen. He took in a deep breath and stopped. Bone-colored china plates, gold flatware, and the building warmers sat on the table. She had invited him to dinner. This woman is crazy, he thought.

  He continued down the hallway toward the steps that led to the loft. He approached the bathroom, and as the door opened, he heard the hum of the fan. Toi walked out, bumped into him and screamed as if she had seen a ghost.

  “You scared the shit out of me,” she said, and hugged him.

  She dripped with diamonds. Really done from head to toe, for her little date. All dressed for her boyfriend.

  “I guess, I did startle you. The door was unlocked and the music is loud as hell.”

  “I thought that I had locked it. I expected you.”

  She was such a liar. Or maybe she had expected him, having been tipped off by whoever warned the man to leave. “You look sexy as hell,” Kareem told her, pulling her close. “Maybe, I need to go away more often.” He planted soft kisses on her lips.

  She kissed him passionately, and then told him to join her for dinner. “I had Jacques prepare your favorite for dinner, coq au vin. Hopefully it’s not cold.”

  Not as cold as your lying ass. And I’mma get you.

  CHAPTER 52

  Kareem awoke refreshed after a long night of sexual pleasure with Toi. He grabbed a shower and kissed her goodbye, before he hopped in a cab and headed to his bank job. Indeed it was a bank job. He arrived at his office, and as soon as he clocked in using his desktop computer, his bank manager and two unidentified men walked into his office. He was startled by the intrusion, but kept his cool. Not worried about a thing, even though, he thought that they were policemen.

  He was right.

  The men flashed their badges and introduced themselves.

  He learned that they were from the Secret Service. “Oh, great! I guess this meeting is not a secret, though.” First, I’m loosing my bitch, and now this. What the fuck is my life becoming? It’s crashing and burning piece-by-piece.

  “Neither is all of the money that you have been purloining. Stand up for me.”

  “For what? Am I under arrest?”

  The man pulled out an affidavit to arrest Kareem Jamel Bezel. “You’re definitely under arrest.”

  “Diane, what are they doing here?” Kareem asked the bank manager.

  “You did not think that you could continue to get away with the things you have been doing here under my watch? Did you?”

  “I have not committed a crime here!”

  “Oh, cut the shit, mister. We have you and your accomplices stealing fiercely at Chase,” said Agent Baine.

  “Yeah, giving us their names and telling us how you all operate would look good to the US Attorney,” said Agent Williams.

  “Really,” Kareem said, rubbing his goatee. “Too bad, I maintain my innocence.”

  “Come on. We have video surveillance of you and them taking down Chase. Clever costumes, I must say,” Agent Baine said, pulling out a CD-book filled with DVD-R discs, which he claimed captured all of Kareem’s actions.

  “Lies and deceit. You have to wake up earlier in the a.m. to pull one over on me. Show me the CDs.” Kareem was scared that hey may have not bluffed.

  “We do not have to show you everything. Get it from your attorney with the rest of the discovery materials.”

  “Will I really need an attorney?” Kareem asked, acting dumbfounded. His brain worked feverishly in an attempt to figure out how much they really knew. Did they know about all of his actions, or just some of them.

  “You betcha. Especially if you do not have any volunteer information for me. We know you have done things that we have no clue about,” one agent said.

  “You’re quite clever, I must say,” the bank manager said. “Come clean and this could disappear,” said the agent. Damn, they’re on my top. “What have I done? You’re just

  talking, and have not showed me anything. I am beginning to resent the accusations absent proof. That is, if you have really made any accusations.”

  “If you do not intend to tell us anything, we may as well go ahead and take you to your one o’clock arraignment.”

  “Then we should be going. New York traffic is a bitch this time of day.” Kareem’s mouth was nasty, but he knew, he had a problem.

  CHAPTER 53

  After being arraigned on bank fraud and embezzlement charges, Kareem posted a $10,000 recognizance bail, and was told to report to the pre-trial services once a week until the outcome of his case. Rather than go home, he had needed to clear his mind, out of a cell. He had been arrested for robbing his job, which undoubtedly meant that he was also fired from his job. He surmised that his known accounts would be seized, but all he put in them was his paychecks. It would be an arduous task for law enforcement to track his overseas bread.

  He sat in Section-26 of the Madison Square Garden, and watched with restrained excitement as the Sixers pounded on the Knicks. He often argued basketball with Knicks fans, but tonight there was no reason, too. He told them, “The Knicks have problems, but the Sixers have The Answer.”

  Next to him was a sexy woman in a Knicks jersey dress. She held a cell phone to her ear and Kareem witnessed the lightened ring of skin around her ring finger. She had recently removed a wedding ring, had a chocolate complexion, and Kareem wanted to take advantage of her availability. At least for the night; he was too smart to have an affair. He wondered if he should tell Toi about his arrest. Fuck outta here, that’s just what I need, her, all up in my business.

  Out of boredom, he struck up a conversation with the woman next to him. Her name was Vivienne. She was a segment producer for a local news channel. After they had settled on a good conversation and exchanged numbers, Kareem’s cell phone vibrated, and he answered it.

  “Bjorn Prodigy, huh?” the familiar voice asked. Kareem was caught off guard.

  My world is really coming to an end.

  Kare
em frowned as if he had heard Satan. He backed away from Vivienne and shifted in his seat. In spite of his complexion, he morphed to pale. This shit can’t be happening, he mumbled aloud.

  “What’s the matter, Prodigy? You looked vexed, fuming. You remember me, right? Agent Lucas McKenzey. I see the beads of sweat coming through that pin stripe.”

  Oh, shit. Kareem jumped to his feet.

  McKenzey was close to him. Kareem looked around for his nemesis. He panicked. He made his way toward the Garden’s corridor. In the phone, he said, “I knew you’d be coming.”

  “Here I am. I’ve never left, though. I allowed you to post bail. Because, boy do I have plans for you.”

  “You should not have.” Kareem was racing toward the exits.

  “Please! That sort of arrest was a little without confrontation, or embarrassment. You’re going down, I assure you of that, but not that simply, boy.” McKenzey found that worthy of a chuckle. “You can’t run. My men are covering every exit.”

  “Thanks. See you in traffic.”

  Kareem slammed his phone shut and peeled off his blazer to blend in with the crowd. At the end of a corridor, on the ground level was a door marked AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. He hit the push-bar with his hip and walked inside.

  The Garden security guards were inside the area smoking what Kareem knew was pot. He had interrupted them and they quickly extinguished their drugs after he told them that he was a DEA Agent looking for a quick way out to cut off a drug smuggling Jamaican.

  Seconds to late, McKenzey’s goons busted into the corridor with their pistols drawn. They reported to McKenzey that his most wanted had escaped.

  CHAPTER 54