Chapter 4
Omar was driving around out in his old style Saab, windows open with Susan in the passenger seat. They were both riding aimlessly about in the cool late evening summer air. Omar was thinking where to take Susan and a bit about his troubles. Susan pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of her pocket, disgusted at only finding one cigarette left. Susan looked at Omar frowning, placing the cigarette in her mouth and lighting it. She took a deep inhale and put the lighter back in her pocket. She blew the smoke into Omar's face. Omar accidentally swallowed the smoke coughing, waving his hand over his face and grimacing at her. “Woman, what is up with you lately? You on the rag?”
Susan gave a sad-angry laugh. “No, ass. You need to pay David and get a real job, not dope slinging.”
Omar glanced again at her while trying to keep his eyes on the road, a car passing by them. “Listen, you know I am going to make it big, real big and I don't need your bright ideas.”
Susan took a puff and this time blew it out the open passenger side window. “You need to get real and not take any more shit from David. You get out while you can.”
Omar angry, “Listen…”
Omar being quickly cut off by Susan. “No, you listen!”
Omar pushed on the accelerator, the car hitting 70 through the back roads. “I don't want to fight no more, Susan!”
Susan flicked the remains of her cigarette out the window. “Omar, you owe him twenty grand now! What do you think he is going to do to you! He is going to cut your nuts off and you just keep on gambling and spending and drinking!”
Omar distracted by his anger nearly hitting a passing car, “That's it,” pulling his car off to the side of the road, “I do what I want to do!” and getting out, “You don't tell me what to do!”
Susan now speechless watched him as he slammed the driver’s side door behind him and began to walk down the road. Enraged, Susan got out her side of the car screaming at him. “Omar!”
Danny looked around the old trailer for something to eat. He checked the cabinets, each one with various objects, dishes, glasses, some oil, flour, a bit of sugar. Danny sighed closing the cabinets and then sat down to watch some television. He was lonely for his brother already. Meanwhile, Mama Cruse was sleeping soundly in the back bedroom. She wasn't doing so well since the operation. Danny did not want to think of that though, instead he thought of food. He was hungry and after debating eating some of the sugar in the cabinet, he decided to check his pockets for some money. Danny dug in his pockets and found a few crumpled bills. They lived close enough to Groos Tavern that he could walk it if he wanted to so he decided to go over and get something to eat.
Danny sat down at the bar. Mike seeing Danny come in immediately smiled, rubbed his beard as Danny came over. “Well, Danny boy how have you been?”
Danny clutching his money forlornly. “Okay.”
Mike noticing Danny's tone. “You don't sound so good, why so sad? Where is your brother?”
Danny shook his head. “Joe Joe, he went to school. He will be gone a long time.”
Mike comforting, patting Danny on his wide shoulder. “Well, Danny you’re a grown man. You can take it and if you need anything you just come over here and ask me. I will set you on the right path.”
Danny nodded. “Thank you.”
Mike gave a warm smile. “How is your mom?”
Danny shrugged a bit unsure. “I guess okay, I think. Maybe, not so good.”
Mike holding a dish towel leaned over the bar to Danny. “Look, we all go through things Dan that is what makes us stronger. When you come out through the fire you’re better off than before. Just pray and keep holding on and you will become the person you want to be. But, Dan you can't run, you have to be an adult, because if you run the problems follow you. Am I clear Dan?”
Danny nodded. “Yup, Mike.”
Mike picked up his voice. “Now, enough of this old man preaching stuff. What do you want, a drink, something to eat?”
Danny place the crumpled bills he had on the bar. “I got this and what can I get to eat with it?”
Mike unfolded the bills. “Well you got enough for a burger and fries. But, I tell you what, I will tell the back to make what you want on the house.”
Danny thought about it. “A cheese burger, fries, onion rings and a soda.”
Mike smiling. “Okay, Dan you got it.”
Danny sat there fiddling with a beer coaster. He listened to the cars passing down the street and then found his focus drifting toward the television He looked up and noticed that a baseball game was on. He watched it for a few minutes and then remembering that his brother was not there turned his head away. As he turned his head he found Donna sitting at a booth in the corner of the bar. She meet Danny's eyes, smiled and waved him over. Danny nodded and went over to her, holding his hand out. “Hello, Donna, good to see you, good to see you.”
Donna shook his hand, her small hand swallowed by his meaty palm. Donna pulled her hand back and patted the seat next to her. “Have a seat, Danny.”
Danny nodded and sat down next to her. She moved over closer and Danny. Danny a bit uncomfortable by her closeness, but still attracted to her gulped out. “Your pretty.”
Donna nodded, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. “Thank you, Danny. You’re a handsome man yourself.”
Danny giggled a bit looking into her eyes. “Oh Donna, thank you.”
Donna smiled, sipping her drink through a small straw. She then looked up at him. “Where is your brother?”
Danny looked over to the television, now far off in the corner. “He is gone.”
Mike came back out to peer over at Danny and Donna, a bit surprised and a bit concerned. However, he decided to talk to Danny when he could get him alone. Michael relegated his concern to the background and kept a fatherly eye on Danny while he washed a few glasses.
Donna put her drink down. “Gone?”
Danny poked at the table. “He has gone to school. I miss him already.”
Donna seeing how sad he was placed her hand on his thigh, “It’s okay, Danny,” now even closer, looking up again and into his eyes, “I am still your friend.”
Danny wiped a tear away. “Okay, Donna I like that.”
Mike frowning went back into the kitchen, came out with Danny's meal and brought it over to them, breaking up the closeness between Donna and Danny. He placed the dish down in front of Danny. Donna backed away a bit and smiled at Mike. “Wow, look at that, Danny.”
Mike placed the soda. “Here you go, Danny.”
Danny looking up at Michael gave a big smile. “This looks good. It will go in my tummy, thank you Mike.”
Mike smiled, “Sure thing Danny, anytime,” then as Danny picked up his burger, taking a big messy bite, looking sternly at Donna, “I see you have found a new friend.”
Danny speaking through a mouthful of burger, “Yup!” crumbs falling out of his mouth and onto his plate.
Donna nodded and patted Danny on the shoulder. “Yes, he is a very good guy.”
Michael rubbed his beard. “Yes, yes he is. He should stay that way.”
Joe slung his backpack down on a chair next to Trisha who was lounging in one of the campus hall chairs. Students were busy coming and going, here and there. Some had a bit of the lost look that usually occurs during the first few weeks of school. Trisha looked up, taking the head phones out of her ears, “Hello, there stranger.” As she got up, hugged him and gave him a kiss, “How are you getting by?”
Joe hugged her again. “Okay, I got everything situated just so in my dorm room. The guy that shares the room with me seems okay too.”
Trisha motioned for them to sit down, “So, have you called your brother?” smiling warmly, “Is the trailer still in one piece?”
Joe shrugged, still uneasy about leaving Danny in charge. “Well, so far, I think. Danny is taking it okay, I mean, it would have been easier to leave them if Mama did not have
that big operation just a few weeks ago.”
Trisha took her music player, shut it down, wrapped the headphones around it and put it in her pocket. “Well, Joseph you have to live your life. You can't exist just to help others, even your family has to fight for itself once in a while.”
“I know.” Joe rubbing his pants with the palms of his hands, “But, they are just…they're always in a crisis, they can't seem to get shit done. It is not just the immediate family, but the whole thing is off the vine on this one.”
Trisha broke in looking right into his eyes, reaching over and rubbing his leg. It was comforting to Joe. “How is your mom?”
“I should not have to be a parent to parents for the rest of my life. I am sick of this shit!”
Trisha grabbed Josephs hand; her hands were soft and warm. “I know Joe. That is what makes you a good man though. You would not be you without all the suffering you and your family have gone through. That is why I love you.”
Joe rubbed her hair. “I love you too, Trish. She is doing okay. The doctor does not know if the cancer will come back, or if the fact they took the kidney will hurt her ability to deal with the psychotropics she is on. She is on lithium and a few others and everything has to change when you lose a kidney...” He looked her in the eyes adding, “...that's if she takes them, you know.”
Omar and one of his friends were playing video games in front of his big screen TV, while Susan sat in the background, on a love seat next to them both. Omar had set his apartment up good, but lately, to Susan's dismay, he had begun to sell some of his equipment. She thought it might have been more than just his gambling debt, maybe he had been using way too much. She yelled at him. “Omar why don’t you listen! When are we going out!”
Omar caught a catch and ran for a touchdown. “Oh, yeah, take that Jamal!” he yelled cheerfully as he poked at his friend.
Jamal looked at him and grabbed the half-empty bottle of vodka from the coffee table, taking a deep drink, “You’re a fool. I was on Zone-D.”
Susan yelled at him again. “Omar!”
Omar grabbed the bottle out of Jamal's hands, drinking. “What! What do you want woman?”
She kicked the coffee table. “I want what you promised, that we were going out! All I see you doing here in your crib is playing games. I could have stayed home.”
Omar put the bottle down. “Maybe you should have! Maybe, I should bring you back to your dump of a place.”
Jamal leaned back a bit surprised to hear all this coming out of them both. “Hey, guys come on now.”
Susan reached over the table and grabbed the bottle, “All you have been doing is drinking, smoking your Get On and whatever fucking twigs you get your hands on, that crap ass Nixon you cut up and…” then she lost it. Susan jumped over the coffee table and grabbed Omar by then neck.
Omar dropped the bottle and pushed her off. “You’re crazy!”
Jamal seeing this dropped the video game controller and went for the door, “Um, I will see you guy's later, bye,” making a quick retreat, closing the door of Omar's apartment behind him.
Susan jumped on him again, hitting him. “I hate you! You’re going to kill yourself and me too!”
Omar grabbed her hands, “Listen, bitch!” pushed her off and slapped her, “I am done with you!”
She staggered back on the carpet, wiping a bit of blood from her lip. “I never should have meet up with you, your nothing but trash.”
Omar got up, sat up in one of his chairs and held his head in his hands. He began to cry. He felt lost, as if he was a little boy and he felt he had ruined his life. He had dreams when he was a kid, now they were gone. Omar felt a wave of pain moving through his body, up from underneath his heart. It turned from almost a kind of cool blue to white as it washed up into his head. The pain was intense. He had a choice, he saw the road before him split into two, each heading down a separate path. The wave lapped the back of his mind and traveled forward into his temples. It changed from a warm white to hot red and then faded to black. He rubbed his temples and still crying he gave her a bloodshot stare. “Susan, what do you want me to do?”
Susan was so very blunt about the whole matter. “We need to get into David’s crib.”
Joseph sipped his beer, in the dim light of a 40-watt bulb in the corner of his dorm room. His roommate left him alone so that he could be alone with Trisha. Trisha sipped her beer. Music was pumping through a small stereo on one of his shelf’s. They were sitting on his narrow bed. He reached out and began to kiss her on the lips. She held his jaw as he kissed her, wrapping his arms around her. Trisha's breath began to warm and Joe's palms began to sweat. He reached under her shirt and wrapped his arms around her waist. She grabbed the back of his hair and began to pull. Joe smiled. “Honey,” Trisha responding to him by kissing him on his neck. Joe turned and worked the buttons down her shirt while he started to kiss her neck and then the middle of her chest. She moaned quietly as she pulled his shirt off him. Joseph unsnapped her bra and leaned her down on his bed. They began to move and turn as one. He made his way down to her naval as she arched her back, grabbing his and pulling him up again for her lips to meet his. Joe kissed her behind the ear, her neck and then went down again. In the corner of his mind he heard his cell phone ring. He tried to ignore it, but it was real. He paused for a moment, Trisha frowning as he again met his lips with hers, but the phone kept ringing. He lifted himself up slightly over her. “Wait, it will stop, give it a moment.”
Trisha kissed his shoulder, “I know honey, no problem.”
The phone did stop ringing. Joe smiled, pulling the back of her hair, Trisha arching her neck to him as he kissed it, her shoulder and her breast. She felt the small of his back and his broad shoulder blades. He could smell her sweet perfume, she could smell his sweat, but the phone began to ring again. This time though Joseph sat completely up, putting his head into his hands and then angrily flicking his arms, palms open wide. “Holy, crap I can't take this!”
Trisha sat up. “Well, there is always tomorrow.”
With the phone still ringing Joe looking at her sarcastically, “No, because my dopey roommate has to study and his girl might want to come over, which means I am over at the library then.”
Trisha pointed to the cell phone next to the stereo. “You should answer it.”
Joe moaned exasperated, got up and picked up the phone. “Hello?” he said a bit upset as he opened the phone, only to have whoever it was just then hang up, “What a pain in the ass.”
Trisha clipped her bra back on. “They hung up? Who was it?”
Joe held out the phone to view the number, “Looks like my mom.” beginning to dial the trailer phone, “Let’s see what pesky wants.”
Mama Cruse answered the phone. “Hello? Who is this?”
“Who do you think?” Joe said shaking his head and then sitting down next to Trisha.
Mama Cruse sitting up in her bed, “Oh, I don't know.”
“It is your son. What do you want?”
“Danny, your brother is gone, Joe Joe.”
Joseph leaned back his head hitting the dorm wall, rubbing it, “What do you mean he is gone?”
“He's been going out on and off and staying out long. Mommy needs him you know.”
Joe looked wide-eyed at Trisha who giggled a bit, reaching out and rubbing his head after he had finished. “Well he can't drive, Ma, so he has to be walking. Did he say where he was going all this time?”
Mama Cruse looked out one of trailer windows, “He said he had a girlfriend. A car pulls up and he just goes. Mama needs you; I don't feel good you know.”
Joe held the phone so that Mama could not hear him say to Trisha. “Trisha, we got a big problem here, then Joe holding the phone back to his ear, “Okay Mama, I will deal with it.”
Omar drove quietly with the car's headlights out, up to David’s apartment. Susan was next to him, holding a bag and a crowbar. He spoke quietly in the dark
of the night to Susan who was rubbing her neck. She was sweating and breathing heavily, “Hey, remember when I get out, you get in the seat. If you see David or the PoPo's you beep the horn quick a couple of times.”
Susan looked at him, her eyes bright, scared but full of adrenaline, “You know where I told you he keeps his roll?”
“Yeah.”
“Good,” Omar pointed to her window as he turned off the car, “roll your window down a bit so you can hear anything going on out there,” as he did the same on his side of the car. He reached out, “Give me the stuff.” She handed it to him, “Here,” as he crept out of the car, quietly closing the door behind him.
She slid over to the driver's side seat, grabbing the keys and holding onto them, which were still in the ignition, ready to turn them in an instant. He looked back at her and paused, “Go!” Susan whispered urging him on.
He nodded and ran to David's door. It was a wooden door, which was good for Omar, but the door had a deadbolt and a regular door lock. For some reason Omar did not expect that while planning the break in. He propped the crowbar in the door between the door-nob and the deadbolt, looked quickly around him and with all his strength pushed on it. The door gave, popping the door handle partially off but the deadbolt still partly held. Now sweating profusely, he gave one more push and this time the door opened completely. He pushed the door open with his forearm and closed the door behind him with his boot. He ran upstairs, flicking a light with his sleeve.
He looked around at first seeing a couch and a big TV. Omar then ran into the bedroom, a large bed, and a dresser. Then he found the closet. Omar opened the door of the closet and found a lock box under some clothes strewn on the closet floor. He cursed to himself. Susan did not say what type of lock box it was. Omar was expecting some tin junk box, not a big industrial one. He propped it between his boots and jammed the crow bar partially into it. Omar pushed and the bar twisted out of his hands. He placed the box back between his boots and pushed the bar back into the box. Just then he heard the car horn, three short beeps. He picked up the box, "Shit!" and ran down the steps, falling down the last couple. Omar hit the door with his shoulder, “Fuck! Damn you Susan!” He pulled the apartment door open and ran to the car.
She moved over. “Get in fool!”
He fell into the car and gave her the box. “Here!”
She looked at it amazed, “What the hell you give me the box for?”
Omar turned on the car, “Who's around?” pulling the car out of park as a man in a wheelchair was yelling halfway down the street.
Susan yelling at him, “It’s that old goat in the wheelchair!”
Omar raced away in his car, passing Paco who was shaking his fists angrily at them and yelling loudly. “You Pendejo! You Cabron!”
Omar swerved down the street. “What did you beep the horn for?”
She angrily pushed him, “Because he saw me.”
“So, it's Paco!”
“Yeah, well...” Susan looked around, “...Where is the crow bar?”
Omar quickly looked about the vehicle, passing a car on the way and entering the highway, “I must have forgotten it, damn!”
Susan rolled her eyes, stomped her shoes on the car floor and pushed him again. “You’re a complete ass, Omar! I told you do it right! You gave me the damn box too! What the hell am I going to do with this damn box?"
“We will open it when we get to my place.”
Omar placed the lock box on his coffee table. They sat down exhausted. After a few minutes, Susan looked at him. “Are you going to open it?”
Omar took a deep breath. “What am I supposed to open it with, Genus? I don't have the crow bar.”
Susan thought for a moment, “How about a butter knife?”
Omar looked at the box, then at Susan and then at the box again, “You’re kidding right? You have been drinking too much, woman.”
Susan got up to go into the kitchen. “I have not.”
After a half an hour Omar finally got the box open with a butter knife and a hammer. They looked into the box as Omar dropped the butter knife disgustedly exhausted. In the box, he saw money and a pistol, looked like a 45. Omar took the money out, quickly counting it. “It looks like 20 grand.”
Susan grabbed the money. “Let me see.”
Omar took the gun out, releasing the clip into his hand, “Loaded too.” then snapped the clip back in, “I may need this.”
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