Dead on Arrival

by Kiki Swinson

  While I sat around and thought about what would be in my best interest, my cell phone started ringing again. I grabbed it from my bed and noticed that it was Edward calling me. I started not to answer, but then I decided against it. I figured maybe he knew how we were gonna get out of this jam we were in. “What’s up?” I said calmly. I didn’t want to give him the impression that I was alarmed about this situation.

  “Did you hear that they found the containers?”

  “Yeah, Dawn just called me and told me.”

  “Do you know what that means?” Edward asked me.

  “Yeah.”

  “Tell me what it means,” Edward instructed me. But I was in no mood to answer questions. I wanted him to get to the fucking point of this conversation.

  “It means that the investigation is going to be massive. And we might be getting fired and sent to jail when this is all over,” I finally answered.

  “Bingo. I’m glad we’re on the same page,” he replied sarcastically.

  “So, have you figured out what we’re gonna do?”

  “All I can tell you to do is call your lawyer.”

  “But I don’t have one.”

  “Then you better take this money I owe you and use it to get you one.”

  “That’s it? The only advice you got for me is for me to call a lawyer? Come on now, Ed, we’re about to be in some major shit. And all you want me to do is lawyer up? That’s fucked up, don’t you think?” I snapped. I was getting annoyed by his lack of concern. I didn’t run down behind him and beg him for this gig. He recruited me for the job, so he was gonna have to come up with something better. “Look, Ed, I’ve got mad respect for you, but you’re gonna have to come up with a better plan than the one you’re laying down in front of me now.”

  “You better appreciate the fact that I’m gonna pay you the rest of the money that’s owed to you. Do you know how many people get robbed in situations like this?”

  “I don’t care about other people. I thought you and I had an understanding.”

  “We did. But now things are different. And if you want some advice, call in sick today and lawyer up like I told you to.”

  “When are you gonna give me the rest of my money?”

  “Meet me at Pop’s Diner in an hour and I’ll give it to you then.”

  “What about Gene and Todd?”

  “What about them?”

  “Are they gonna be there too?”

  “See, kid, you worry too much about everyone else. Concentrate on your own affairs and you’ll be okay.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” I said, and then I hung up.

  I swear I can’t believe how this nigga just changed on me like that. He used to be like a father figure to me. He went from treating me like his son to treating me like a fucking has-been in the streets. Now how am I supposed to handle this situation? He basically just told me to lawyer up, which means that I should look out for myself because he was going to do the same. But it puzzled me how he changed overnight. Was he like this a few years ago when I first started doing little theft jobs with him? Or had this incident changed him? I might not know the answer that question, but I did know that I was leaning toward going to the agents and telling them everything I knew. The only way I’d change my mind was if Brian took charge and acted like he worked alone. I knew it would be a hard sell to US Customs agents, but what other information did they have to go on?

  After I hung up with Edward I called my union manager, Chris Dalton, and told him that I wasn’t feeling good so I wouldn’t be coming in today. “What’s going on? You never call off work,” he said.

  “I know. But I think I caught the flu bug from my wife, and now I’m at home trying to nurse myself back to good health,” I lied.

  “Whatever it is, I hope you feel better by tomorrow,” he replied. “Oh, wait, you were working last night, right?”

  “Yeah, why?” I asked, even though I knew where this conversation was going.

  “US Custom agents and immigration officials found dozens of stowaways in two containers that were taken off a Maersk ship last night. And seven of them were dead. Everyone around here is calling it DOA, dead on arrival.”

  “That’s fucked up. So, what are they going to do with the other people?”

  “They transported them over to a nearby hospital. The ones that are dead will end up at the city morgue. And if no one comes to claim their bodies, most likely their bodies will end up in someone’s research facility.”

  “What’s the word around there? Anyone got in trouble for it?”

  “Agents from every field office in DC are here conducting interviews. I’m sure they’ll be coming in here to talk to me and the other gentlemen that are on the clock.”

  “Damn! That’s some weird shit. I can’t believe that people would live in those small-ass metal boxes.”

  “Those metal boxes are bigger than most of the houses those immigrants lived in back in their country.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said. “Well, let me get off this phone so I can get this hot tea in my system. And I’ll give you a call tomorrow if I haven’t kicked this sickness,” I continued.

  “Sure thing,” Chris said, and then we hung up. I set my cell phone down and stood. I knew I needed to get dressed so I could meet Edward and get the rest of my money. Pop’s Diner was only a twelve-minute drive from my house. I figured if I got dressed and left in the next twenty minutes, I’d arrive there before him. So that’s what I did.

  24

  DAWN

  When I got home from work I saw Reese getting in his car to leave. I grabbed my purse and scurried out of my car. I approached the driver’s window and leaned down to ask him where he was going.

  “I’ve gotta meet Edward at Pop’s Diner. He’s gonna give me my money.”

  “Well, you and I need to talk, so I’m going with you.” I walked around the front of the car. After I climbed in the passenger side, Reese backed out of the driveway and headed in the direction of the diner.

  A quarter of a mile into the drive, I broke the ice and started talking about the shit that was going on down at the Norfolk International Terminal. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do?” I asked him.

  “No, I haven’t. I did call the union manager, Chris, and told him I wouldn’t be coming in.”

  “Why would you do that? Now the other longshoremen are going to think you’ve got something to hide,” I spat. Other than taking on that human trafficking job, I felt like this was the stupidest thing he could’ve done.

  “They aren’t going to think anything. I told Chris I was sick and that I was going to call him tomorrow if I don’t feel any better. He said okay.”

  “Who cares what he says! He’s a nobody at the terminal. The other workers run all over top of him. He has no backbone whatsoever.”

  “Look, Dawn, just calm down. Everything will work out.”

  “Easy for you to say. You don’t have everybody breathing down your neck and judging everything you do. Do you know that my father has some of the guys down at the terminal watching you?”

  “Who cares! And anyway, that’s old news.”

  “I care. I get tired of going to visit my family and your name always comes up. I’m tired of defending everything you do!”

  “Well, stop defending me.”

  “But you’re my husband! That’s what I’m supposed to do.”

  “So then, why are you complaining about it?”

  “Because for once I wanna be able to brag about what a great husband you are and how excited I am that we’re finally having a baby together.”

  “Can we please talk about this shit later?” he snapped.

  I could tell that he was irritated by me backing him into a corner. But how else would we resolve our issues? Every time something comes up, he pushes it under the rug and frankly, I am tired of it. “No, we can’t. I’m tired of talking about shit later. We need to deal with this now.”

  “And how d
o you propose we do it?” he replied sarcastically.

  “Well, first of all, we gotta lay our differences out on the table and then deal with them one at a time.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “No, it’s not easy at all,” I said, and then I paused for a second. “Reese, you have no idea how hard it is for me to sit around and watch you create havoc in your life. You didn’t have to take on this last job. You were doing all right with the flat-screen TVs and the iPhones. But no, you had to be greedy and take on a job that had serious consequences if you got caught.”

  “No, I wasn’t all right with the fucking TVs and the other stuff, because every time I got rid of the shit and counted up the profit, I only ended up with pennies on the dollar.”

  “But whose fault is that?”

  “Whatcha mean, whose fault is it?”

  “Reese, you make over eighty-five thousand dollars a year, and I make over fifty grand, so there’s no reason why we should be in debt. And with as long as we’ve worked at the terminal, we should be sitting on a nice nest egg.”

  “Blame that on your fertility treatments.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I roared. I wasn’t going to back down this time. The fact that he was blaming my fertility treatments for our financial debt had my blood boiling.

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s your fucking gambling that’s got us in the poorhouse.”

  “Yeah, I knew you were going to say that. But it’s all good. I’ll wear that one.”

  “You’re fucking right, you’re gonna wear it. It’s your fault!” I shouted, and then I turned my head to look out the side window.

  “If you’re gonna fuss all the way to my meeting with Edward, I can turn around and take you back to the house, because I’m not going to be able to deal with you and him at the same time. I swear, my head feels like it’s about to burst wide open.”

  I turned my attention back toward Reese and said, “How fucking convenient!” I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth at him, then shifted my attention back to whatever I could see out the window. But I really wanted to slap the shit out of him and let him know that I was tired of his bullshit once and for all. Luckily for him, I took the nonviolent approach and counted to ten. Otherwise, I would’ve caused him to have a car accident.

  25

  REESE

  I was so glad Dawn closed her fucking mouth. I swear, I was two seconds from putting her ass out on the side of the road. Dealing with her mouth and all this shit going on at the terminal was enough to make a nigga commit suicide. I mean, I didn’t know how much more of this I could take. I needed somebody to give me a break.

  Driving the rest of the way to the diner in silence gave me some time to think about what I was going to tell Edward when I saw him. The bullshit attitude he was giving me over the phone earlier was unacceptable. Hopefully he had calmed down a little and had some useful information to give me about how to handle our situation when the shit hit the fan. If he didn’t, then I wasn’t sure how this meeting was going to end.

  When I arrived at Pop’s Diner, I noticed that Edward hadn’t gotten there, so I parked my car and waited for him to show up. After sitting there for five minutes, Dawn got restless and decided to go inside. “Want something while I’m in there?” she asked me after she opened the car door.

  “No, I’m good,” I told her.

  Without saying another word, she closed the door and walked away from the car. I watched her as she headed toward the front door of the diner, and all I could think about was how much I’d fucked up her life. She was right, my gambling was the main reason we were in so much fucking debt. I could’ve manned up and agreed that I was the cause of our money problems, but my pride wouldn’t let me. Since I was a child I was always told that I was dumb and I’d never amount to anything. So, to hear the same thing as an adult had further damaged my self-esteem. How could I rebound from years of mental abuse? Was it even possible? I really wanted to know.

  Dawn came back from the diner with a bag in her hand. As she walked toward the car, she never looked at me once. I knew then that she was severely angry with me. “Whatcha get?” I asked her, trying to see if she’d even talk to me.

  “A slice of key lime pie.”

  “Oh.”

  “Want some?” she asked me, pulling the pie out of the bag.

  “Nah, I’m good.” I wasn’t in the mood to eat anything. I just wanted to see Ed, get my money, find out what he was going to do with this situation, and then take my ass home; in that order.

  “Are you sure?” she asked me again. This time she was cutting into the slice of pie with a fork.

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” I assured her, and then I looked down at my wristwatch.

  “What time did he say he was going to meet you here?”

  “He told me he was going to meet me in an hour. But it’s been an hour and fifteen minutes now.”

  “Call him and see if he’s on his way,” she suggested in between chews of her food.

  “Nah, I’m gonna give him ten more minutes. But if he’s not here then, I’ll call him.”

  “Does he know about ICE finding those other people?”

  “Yeah, he knows.”

  “What did he say about it?”

  “He didn’t have much at all to say.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He simply told me to take the money he’s giving me and hire a lawyer.”

  Dawn dropped her fork on her lap. “That’s it? That’s the only fucking advice he had for you?” she snapped.

  I nodded.

  “That low-down, country-ass nigga! I now know why I never liked him. He’s all smiles when he’s breaking into those containers and getting his cut. But as soon as it gets hot, he runs out of the kitchen. I swear, when I see him today I am going to have a few choice words for him. Fucking loser!”

  I sat there in complete awe, watching my wife spaz out. I rarely saw this side of her. She goes in headfirst and doesn’t come up for air until she’s done. I smiled at her because it was good seeing her jump to my defense. She would fuss me out when I fucked up, but she’d really go crazy when she found out someone else was trying to play me to the left. I loved the spunk Dawn had about her. She was definitely a winner. I just hoped that I didn’t cause her to leave me after all this shit went down.

  Dawn finally calmed down and ate the rest of her key lime pie. She and I talked about the different patrons that walked in and out of the diner. She cracked a few jokes here and there. I gave her a half smile sometimes so she would think that she was lightening the mood.

  Dawn looked at the clock on the dashboard. “I don’t appreciate the fact that that nigga ain’t here yet. Got us parked out here like sitting ducks.”

  I looked at the dashboard too and picked up my cell phone from the cup holder. “Yeah, he is disrespecting the hell out of us right now,” I agreed as I dialed his phone number.

  “I can’t wait to hear his weak-ass explanation as to why he’s not here!” Dawn retorted.

  I sat there waiting for the phone to ring so I could put the call on speaker, but it didn’t ring. Edward’s phone went straight to voicemail. “This is Ed, leave a message at the tone,” the voicemail greeting said. I disconnected the line and dialed Ed’s number again. But once again, the call went straight to voicemail.

  “Did it go to voicemail again?” Dawn asked.

  “Yeah, it did.” I hung up and called him for the third time.

  “He either has you on his block list or he turned off his phone,” she added.

  “We might be trying to call each other at the same time,” I said, trying to convince myself that this was true. I guess I needed to hear the words out loud. Because in reality, I knew he turned off his phone. But why would he, when he told me to meet him here?

  Hoping that Edward would eventually answer my call, I redialed his number again. But like the first four times, it went to voicemail. “Shit! Shit! Shit!”
I roared, and slammed my cell phone against the steering wheel. “I swear, if this motherfucker doesn’t stop playing games with me, I am going to fuck him up really bad!” I was so angry I felt spit spewing out of my mouth.

  “Baby, please calm down!” Dawn said, trying to comfort me. She tried hugging me, but I pushed her arms away. I wasn’t in the mood for a hug. I wanted my fucking money and I wanted Ed to tell me how we’re going to come out of this thing without any cuts and bruises. But no, that motherfucker wants to have me sitting out here like I’m a fucking joke to him. I swear, when I see that nigga I am going to hurt him really bad. Mark my words on that.

  It took me another minute or two to get my mind right, and when I thought I was stable enough to drive, I put my car in drive and headed back home. Dawn talked most of the way about how I needed to go and pop up at Edward’s house and ask for my money. I thought about doing that before she even suggested it, but I hadn’t thought through how I was going to address him when I saw him. I was somewhat sketchy on that part, so I said I’ll sit on that idea until I plan it out the best possible way.

  Hopefully, all of this is was just one big misunderstanding and Edward was on his way to the diner and I’d missed him. Because if it was what I thought it was, it was going to be some people singing and some flowers bringing when I got through with that piece of shit.

  26

  DAWN

  Riding around with Reese, I forgot that I had promised my mother I would take her to her doctor’s appointment. So when she called to remind me, I felt like shit when I told her that something came up and that I couldn’t go with her.