Cigar Bar

by Dion Perkins

  “Okay, get up,” he said, pulling his pants up. “I’m gonna go right here to get your dope. What I need you to do is go over there.” He pointed to the store on the corner. “Get something to eat. Meet me back here in five minutes, okay, pretty girl?” He tossed a $20-bill on the seat. She agreed and walked off.

  Inside the store, she selected a soda, a box of cookies, and some chips. She wandered to the front counter to pay for her items. Then the man that she was with entered the store. He handed her his car keys along with a bundle of dope and some crack. “Go head over to the car.”

  “Papi, I’m gonna use your bathroom. Cool?”

  The clerk waved his hands in the air as if to say, “I don’t give a fuck.”

  Sherry waited in the car. She turned the engine on so she could listen to the radio.

  “Motherfucker, fuck you!” She looked up from the radio to see who had screamed. The shouting came from across the street. She noticed the man that she came here with was leaving the store. It just wasn’t his day, apparently. As he walked from the store, the man who was shouting came running at him. When the man who had just screamed out “Fuck you!” came across the street, he had his guns in the air. He grabbed him and actually used him as a human shield. Sherry heard a loud pop, then another. It was like a fireworks show.

  Both men went down in the entranceway of the bodega; Sherry couldn’t believe what she had just seen. The people who were milling about outside prior to the shooting were now running in different directions. Sherry knew that the man she was waiting for just went down in a hail of bullets. Here she was, sitting in his car with drugs.

  She slid over into the driver’s seat and drove off. In the distance, she could hear sirens roaring. Sherry drove with no destination in mind. Without realizing it, she had driven to the park that she found herself wandering in before. Hmm, maybe I could get out the car and walk, but, first, I need to sniff.

  She pulled out a bag of the heroin and stuck it under her nose, inhaling deeply. As the powder went into her nostril and entered her system, she immediately felt a sense of euphoria. She felt like she was back, but it wasn’t the same. She thought about the needle that had been introduced to her. Now Sherry needed to find someone to help her out. Then there she was, the girl the man had left in the park. Sherry quickly took the crack and got out the car.

  “Hey, come here! I need your help!” she yelled to the girl.

  “Bitch, you trying to get arrested out here? Screaming and shit. Wait, you’re that bitch that stole my date! Fuck you, bitch! I should kick your ass!”

  Sherry pulled out the crack. “Listen, if you help me, we can get high together. But I need a needle, and I need you to help me shoot it.”

  The girl saw the crack, then looked over across the street. “Where the hell is that nigga? I’m not tripping on his shit no more either.”

  “Did you know him?” Sherry asked.

  She scoffed. “No, I just met his ass ten minutes before you.”

  “Hmm. All right, well, he got shot. I think he’s dead.”

  The girl looked at Sherry. “Wait…how the hell did you get his car?”

  “Listen,” Sherry interrupted, “if you help me, you can drive the motherfucker all night, for all I care. Just help me get what I need.”

  “Come on then, girl,” she said, taking Sherry by the hand.

  They went into the dimly lit park. It was early in the morning, and this was a world that Sherry knew nothing about. She thought to herself, I wonder if Tony might be up here. She was going to keep an eye out for him just in case.

  The two women walked through the park, each scene before them seemingly looking dreary and worse than the one before it. First, they saw a guy putting crack into a pipe alongside a friend of his. Then they saw a few people shooting up. Sherry thought, Maybe I should ask them, but her arm was being held, and she could only continue to walk.

  The next scene didn’t bother her; in fact, she expected it. There was a girl on her knees, giving head to a man. The couple acted as if no one else was around, smoking his rock while the girl slopped on his pole. That turned Sherry on. She felt a little twinge down below, but she ignored it. They arrived at a tent that was set up way in the back of the Harlem park.

  “Cee-Cee!” The girl said loudly.

  “Who the fuck is it?” asked a voice from the tent.

  “It’s me, Niecy.”

  “Girl, what the fuck you want? You fuckin’ up my groove now.”

  “I got somebody here who needs your help. She will hook you up; she needs works.”

  “Ah, damn,” the lady said from inside the tent. “Wait a damn minute, shit.”

  Through the tent, they heard a man’s voice. “I don’t mind. I’ll keep eating you while you handle your business.”

  “No, that’s okay, baby. Hold on a minute.”

  The tent unzipped an inside was an overweight, white lady. Next to her was a young boy no older than 18. His skin was clammy. He had needle marks up his arms and legs. His face was blotchy and scabby, probably from him picking at his skin after he shot up.

  Sherry had no idea that she was looking at her future, but probably ten times worse. Women who had her looks and who knew how to use the platinum box between their legs had the drug world in the palms of their hands. It was their oyster if they played their cards right.

  “Come in,” the large lady said. “Zip that thing behind you.”

  The girls crawled in and mumbled “Hello.”

  The fat lady was very dirty. It looked as if she hadn’t bathed in a couple of weeks. She had on a bathrobe, as if she was in the privacy of her own home.

  The young boy had his shirt off and his filthy pants unbuttoned. “Cee-Cee, this is…” She paused momentarily. “Bitch, what’s your name?”

  “Hi, I’m Sherry.” She reached out her hand to the lady.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “I need you to help this bitch. She can’t shoot up and she don’t have equipment. You know me, Ma, I’m strictly rock. I don’t fuck with the needle. Now pay me, bitch,” she said to Sherry, pulling her pipe out, reaching for the crack.

  Sherry handed the girl a giant rock. It was worth about $50, and when the girl saw it, she looked at Sherry. “I think me and you are gonna be friends, girl,” she said. She broke off a piece of the rock, dropped it in the end of her pipe, and sparked it up.

  When Niecy inhaled, they heard a crackling sound. When she blew out the smoke, she couldn’t sit still. “Gotdamn!” she said, beginning to empty out her pockets. She started searching through the lady’s things.

  “Bitch, if you don’t sit your twinkling ass down and get out my shit, I’m gonna sit on your little ass!”

  Yet the girl couldn’t stop. Cee-Cee said to Sherry, “Sweetheart, do me a favor and unzip that thing and step to the side.”

  Sherry did as she was told, and the fat woman, who was very agile for her size, sat up and grabbed the smaller black girl, shoving her hard out of the tent.

  “Now zip that shit back up, please.”

  Sherry laughed as she saw the girl begin to search through the bushes after being tossed into them. She thought, Damn, what the hell does that feel like? She knew she had to try it, but first things first.

  Sherry pulled out her dope. The lady looked at Sherry. Her arms were clean and she was dressed nice. If anything, she looked like she had just woken up. Cee-Cee had enough experience to know that Sherry had the bug. She figured it was too late to advise her, but she tried anyway.

  “Girl, what are you doing out here? This is no place for you! Do you realize your ass is in a place where all dreams and hopes have been destroyed? All people do out here is kill and maim for one more! And your pretty, little self is gonna get eaten up out here. I beg you, sweetie, go home to your family. Leave this messed-up life alone.”

  Sherry l
ooked at her and smiled. Right now she didn’t want to hear that. She gave the fat lady a bag of crack and two bags of heroin for herself. Cee-Cee shut up after that and just prepared the needle. Sherry Handed her a bag of the dope. The lady cooked it and sucked it up into the needle.

  “Baby girl, tie that thing around your arm.” She pointed to a giant rubber band. Sherry did as instructed. She pulled her arm up. The fat lady put a giant rock inside a pipe, lit it, and pulled real hard. She held the smoke in, grabbed the boy’s head, and shoved it between her legs.

  Sherry looked over and noticed that the woman had nothing on underneath the robe, just rolls of flesh. The woman shoved the skinny dude’s head between her folds. She yanked Sherry’s arm, shot her up, and then lay back, blowing out all the smoke. The woman squirmed and moaned loudly as the skinny dude ate her out in the smoke-filled tent. She pushed his head deeper and deeper.

  Sherry felt the effects of the drug coursing through her veins. The moaning and the smoky smell didn’t bother her at all anymore. She nodded off into the abyss, not knowing what her future held. Right now, everything in her world was the best it could ever be. She needed nothing more than to stay right where she was, experiencing this feeling forever.

  The moaning continued. Sherry stayed bent over, enjoying her high. Then Niecy came back. “Cee-Cee, open up!” she said. She was ignored until she began to get belligerent.

  Cee-Cee jumped up with anger. “Bitch, you fucking up my shit!” She came outside the tent butt naked and grabbed the small woman by the throat. “I was getting my pussy eaten and enjoying my hit. Here you come fucking up my shit, bitch! Damn!” she said, choking the girl.

  Niecy tried to speak. Her high was now gone. She wiggled free from the mammoth woman and began to throw punches. It looked funny because as she connected her punches to the woman’s face, they seemed to have no effect. Then the large woman wobbled a bit. She reached out and grabbed the skinny girl, slammed her hard to the ground, and just basically fell down on top of her.

  Sherry couldn’t believe what was happening in front of her. She was high, but she was aware enough to get to her feet and run out of the tent. After Big Mama threw Little Mama, Big Mama stumbled back into the tent and landed on her young boy. He might be dead, Sherry thought. She hadn’t heard a sound from him since he was landed on.

  She ran through the park, trying to get away from the melee. The problem was that Sherry didn’t know where she was going. She told herself to make it back to the car. The farther she walked, the more lost she became. Sherry saw a large rock and walked over to it. She needed to relax and enjoy her high. She leaned on the rocks, unaware of her surroundings, and she couldn’t care less.

  In the bushes lurked a predator. It was the worst kind of predator; the one who’d leave no trace of his victim. He couldn’t believe his luck. He believed that for all the years that he had been stalking and hurting women, he was doing the master’s work, the work that he was ordained to do. He believed that the master had delivered this gift of an angel to him.

  He smiled as he emerged from the bushes. He usually waited in the bushes until he caught some young crackhead or prostitute from behind, and he’d use chloroform on them. This was a present from the master; he was sure of it.

  As he walked, he pulled his glasses from his face and cleaned them on his shirt. A bright smile illuminated his face. He wasn’t the kind of man anyone would expect to see in this area. He looked like a school math teacher, with his sweater and collared shirt underneath. The white stalker had on corduroy pants even though it was springtime.

  As he placed his glasses back on his head, he said, “Well, well, well, what have we here?” He gently moved her hair from her face, then lifted her head to get a better look at her. Sherry was completely oblivious to what was going on; she was in a different world right now. “My, my, aren’t you a beauty?” he said as he looked at her face closely.

  He placed his hand on her back and gently walked her right out of the park into a waiting sedan that was hidden up the block. Behind them, Niecy had gotten free of Big Mama and was chasing after Sherry. She wanted some more of that good hit from Sherry’s drug stash. She noticed something strange as she watched the man lift Sherry’s head and walk her out the park.

  Niecy followed them and saw when Sherry dropped the car keys. She paid close attention to the car. She wrote down the license plate number. She didn’t know Sherry, but the scene just didn’t seem correct. The young girl shrugged her shoulders, looked at the keys, and took off toward her prize. She figured that she could sell the car; it was a pretty good car. She schemed that she would go by JB’s house, rent the car, and sit in the house and smoke.

  Off into the breeze she went. She hadn’t counted on the police looking for that car. They had video of Sherry in the store and video of her outside, leaving alone, after she paid for her food. But Sherry was gone; she had met up with one of Satan’s protégés. All of these events directly because of one man: Tony.

  Where was he? She dreamed of him as she passed out in a drug-induced haze. The car disappeared into the throngs of traffic.

  • • •

  Months passed by quickly as everything began to take shape. Lives had changed because of the actions of a few. Paulie’s days revolved around drinking. Don Veto was quietly waiting for Mr. Y to make a move. Mr. Y had found out who it was who attacked him, and he promised to strike back with the force of the weight of his country. But Mr. Y had to call in reinforcements. He had gone after the don and killed a few lieutenants, but there was a problem. He almost shot the big dog, the godfather, Don Veto’s father. Now the weight of the Italian mafia came down hard on the Ukrainian mob.

  Mr. Y called back to his country to try and gain some support, but was cut off at the knees. It turned out that they had interest in some of the mafia businesses. They asked him to step aside, but he chose not to. Instead, he hired more mercenaries. It was getting ugly fast.

  In the middle of this war was Dawn, still a prisoner. On a few occasions, Mr. Y was going to let her go free; however, he still needed Spazo to finish a job.

  CHAPTER 10

  Joe’s Cigar Bar

  • • •

  Tony was looking around at his investment. Since coming into town, he had built Joe’s Cigar Bar, setting itself apart from the other establishments, offering a full menu of soul food, paired with the sounds of smooth jazz and R&B. There was no other place like it. It attracted some of the most prominent members in the community. He’d been open almost three months, and, according to Judge Matthews, Joe’s was just what the town needed.

  Judge Matthews was well-known. Not only was he the highest-sitting black judge in the town, he was a jazz enthusiast and a cigar connoisseur. When Tony decided to open his spot, the judge felt like he was in heaven. He tried his best to become Tony’s number one supporter.

  “Whatever you need to get this project off the ground,” he had told Tony, “I got you.”

  Tony found out from Joe that Judge Matthews always ate lunch in town at Lucy’s Café. Tony decided to improve upon their concept in an attempt to woo the judge. Then, bam! Here he was, the proprietor of one of the most happening spots in the area.

  At its grand opening, a few jazz legends had stopped by to show support by taking pictures and performing an all-star set. Since then, Tony had been asked by many people to use his establishment for an array of events, from private parties to business meetings.

  His best client was Judge Matthews. He often used the Cigar Bar to hold frequent meetings. In the back of the club, Tony had the Cigar Room built, which was decorated with beautiful, long, black leather couches. A tall, glass case with various types of imported cigars was on display, as well as a bar stocked with only the best ports and cognacs; not one can of beer could be found. It was a quiet and private place, perfect for the needs of Judge Matthews.

  Tony was seated at the bar early one
afternoon, counting receipts from the night before. The staff was preparing for the daily soul-food buffet. There was everything from grits and fish, collard greens and black eyed peas, to chicken and waffles. The combination of good food and good music made Joe’s the place to be on any given day.

  Tony was flipping through the receipts when the front door flew open. He looked at his watch. “It’s a little early for deliveries.” To his surprise, he looked up and saw Judge Matthews.

  “Uh-oh,” Tony mumbled. If the judge was there at this hour, he might be looking to cash in on the IOU Tony had given him. After all, it was Judge Matthews who made Joe’s Cigar Bar happen.

  They locked eyes and the judge waved him over. Tony thought, Wait a fuckin’ minute. This is my place and he wants me to fuckin’ come over there? Being the arrogant man that he was, Tony waved the judge over and pulled the chair out for him.

  “You know, if I wanted to walk all the way back here, I would have brought my cane,” he said to Tony.

  “Sorry, Judge. I got all these papers on the table, and I don’t wanna lose count.”

  “It’s okay, just don’t let it happen again,” the judge said.

  He was a tall, dark-skin gentleman who sported a well-trimmed gray beard. His fresh, clean bald head disguised his mature 55 years of age. He was most well-known for his conviction of a child-molestation ring back in the day. He also helped put away one of the most notorious killers in town. He rode all of those victories to success and became the youngest, and first, black judge in the state. Yet, despite all of these accolades, Judge Matthews wasn’t as clean as everyone thought.

  Tony asked, “What can I do for you, Judge?”

  The judge cleared his throat and looked over his shoulder, indicating that the waitress should be serving him a drink. Tony shook his head. Wow! What the hell have I gotten myself into with this cat? “Justine, do me a favor and bring the judge a glass of the single malt that I have in my office.” Tony turned back to Judge Matthews and asked, “How can I help you?”