Best Intentions

by JT Pearson

that you mess with lightly.”

  “You could inflict pain on someone if you needed to Marvin. You could be a tough guy. You were an athlete in high school.”

  “I ran cross country. It’s hardly a sport that teaches you to deal out pain. The only pain involved in distance running is your own. It’s kind’ve a masochistic practice. All of that running with no actual destination. The whole sport is really senseless and painful.”

  “I can’t believe you’re being a coward right now, Marvin. Somebody has to stand up to him.”

  She pressed the button that put the window down. It made it about two inches before it stopped. She kept poking the button angrily.

  “What is wrong with this thing?” She turned and looked at Marvin. “Did you just press the window lock?” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Baby, just slow down a little. Listen to me for a second.”

  “I will not slow down! A woman is being assaulted out there!”

  The stocky man that had grabbed the woman leaned in to her and told her something that made her laugh, and then the other girls laughed too.

  “Look, come on, Beatrice. Look at her. She’s laughing now.”

  “To hide her tears. I’ve watched the Lifetime movies.” Beatrice pressed her face up against the roof of the car and squeezed her mouth to the narrow gap in the window. “Hey, asshole! Why don’t you try that with me?” Then she sat back in the seat and folded her arms.

  The man stopped smiling and looked up at their car.

  “Oh, no, baby. Why?”

  The man started walking toward their car.

  “Oh oh, Marvin. Here comes the mayor of Munchkin Town. We’d better run.” She moved her arms back and forth, mocking the way that he walked. “We’re real scared,” she mouthed out the window at the menacing character as he approached.

  “Whatever you do, do not say anything about his height! I mean it, Beatrice!” Marvin’s voice got quieter as the man got closer to the car, until he was talking in a hushed, forceful whisper. “I mean it! Not a word!”

  “Then you get out of this car and deal with him, Marvin.” She pressed her face back up to the ceiling of the car and angled her mouth to the window, “Short! Short! You’re short!” She sat back down and then lunged back up to the window crack again. “And you’ve got no neck!”

  The man reached the driver’s side of the car. He bent over and stared in at Marvin. Marvin acted like he didn’t see him while he considered what to do. He decided that he’d better just drive away. He reached for the keys and Beatrice snatched them from the ignition, and gave him a tight-lipped smile with a raised eyebrow. The guy banged on the glass. Marvin’s heart sank. He grabbed the door handle and opened the door. The man stepped back. Marvin got out and stood up, doing his best not to tower over the man that he was now standing next to, toe to toe. Marvin slouched down low and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

  “What’s going on, brother?” he said, in a lame effort to seem a little bit cool.

  The pimp stared at him for a minute before speaking. “What was she saying to me?” He bent down and looked in at Beatrice. “Did she call me short?”

  Marvin slid in front of the man’s view just before Beatrice nodded.

  “No. She didn’t. She didn’t say anything to you.” Marvin shrugged.

  “She said something like that.”

  “No. I don’t think so.”

  “I heard her say something, kid.”

  “No. She was talking to me.”

  “She called you short?” the thug asked, looking at Marvin, skeptically.

  “That’s her pet name for me. It’s like a running joke with her because I’m kind’a tall.” Marvin cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey, short! Hey, shorty!” Then he put his hands back in his pockets and slouched even lower. “You know. I’ve never liked being tall. In fact, I hate it. I wish I was short like you.”

  “Short?”

  “I meant shorter. Shorter than I am. Normal sized. Not such a big awkward freak. People are always gawking at you when you’re tall like I am. It’s been a nightmare all of my life.”

  The thug studied him for a moment. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. Plus, it’s gotta be tough goin through life with a face like that,” said the thug looking at Marvin’s squinty eye and his mismatch ear.

  Marvin swallowed his pride and nodded. “Yeah, tough.”

  The thug pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Marvin. Marvin was about to wave it off when he stupidly accepted it, nervously, just doing his best not to upset the thug. He held the cigarette to his mouth awkwardly. The pimp lit their cigarettes. Marvin turned and looked back at Beatrice in the car. She threw up her hands angrily. Marvin took a puff and choked hard. He coughed and the cigarette flew out of his mouth and landed on the brim of the thug’s hat while he was looking over at his girls. Marvin frantically brushed at the cigarette, while doing his best not to slap the man’s head. The cigarette landed on the ground just as the thug turned back. The thug looked at him curiously.

  “Changed my mind. Been really trying to quit those things.” Marvin said, stepping on the cigarette and grinding it out.

  The thug nodded. He held his cigarette up and shook his head. “These things can be a real bitch.” He puffed a couple of times.

  “Do you think that it’d be alright, sir, if we stepped away from the car for a minute to talk?”

  “We can do that,” the thug said, smirking a little. Marvin walked about twenty feet and the thug followed him.

  “It’s alright, kid. I know what’s going on here,” said the thug.

  “You do?”

  “Sure.” The thug blew a smoke ring. “You’re a little bit embarrassed to be doing this. You’ve never rented a date before. It’s okay. Everybody’s a little kinky these days, kid, trust me.” He cocked his hat a little further to the side. “You and your woman left the suburbs tonight to find a girl. It’s your birthday or some shit and she’s such an awesome, open minded gal that she’s giving you a threeway tonight as a gift.” He tipped his cigarette at Marvin. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

  Marvin paused nervously. “Yeah. You read people pretty well.”

  “It’s a gift. That’s what my mother used to tell me.”

  Marvin looked back at the car and Beatrice was now kneeling on the seat with both of her middle fingers up. He quickly stepped over to block the thug’s view.

  “So, kid, I suppose you’ll wanna talk to the girls before you pick one of them?”

  “Ummm…” Marvin hesitated.

  “Maybe you don’t care whether they can talk or not? Right?” He punched Marvin on the shoulder and laughed. “You know what I mean? Sometimes it don’t really matter, right?” The thug clapped Marvin on the back. He left his hand in place and pulled Marvin toward the girls. Marvin looked back and shrugged at Beatrice. “So, what did you say your name was, kid?”

  “Marv-Martin. Name’s Martin.”

  “It don’t have to be a real name, kid. Just something to call you by rather than, hey you. Or kid.”

  “Lester.”

  “Lester, huh? Okay, Marvin, you can be Lester.” The thug smiled. “Let’s meet the girls.”

  Marvin stood in front of the prostitutes with the thug’s arm around his back.

  “Girls, this is Lester,” the thug said, winking at Marvin. “Lester, this is Wanda, Joan, Tina, Boom Boom, and Lacey. All of these girls will totally rock your world.” The thug then winked at the girls. “Lester and his woman are celebrating tonight, Ladies.”

  The women looked at Marvin seductively.

  “Which one of these fine ladies you got your eye on there, Lester?”

  “Maybe…how about…the red haired girl? Tina was it?”

  “Joan. The redheaded firecracker is Joan. The little brunette next to her is Tina. How long would you like to enjoy Joan’s company, Lester? We can work something out. Anywhere from an hour to the whole weekend. That is, if you think that your hear
t could hold out that long?” The thug laughed and gave Marvin a squeeze. The girls laughed and Marvin smiled uneasily.

  “I’m not real familiar with how this is done but,” Marvin pulled a handful of money from his pocket, “do I pay you now or-”

  “You’re under arrest, sir. Put your hands behind your back.” The thug, who was actually an undercover cop, pulled a pair of handcuffs off of one of the fake prostitutes and slapped them on Marvin’s wrists. He grabbed the top of Marvin’s head and pushed him down so that he was kneeling on the sidewalk. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning.”

  “No. I don’t need an attorney. This is just a misunderstanding.”

  “If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense.” He looked over at the woman that he had called Tina. “Officer Burke, tell the boys that we’ve got one more for the paddy wagon and that we’re wrapping things up for the night.” She nodded and got on her phone.

  “You want me to go around back and get the other truck or just wait with you?” asked the officer with red hair that the stocky man had called Joan.

  “Just hang a minute, Officer Brennan. When you see the opportunity make your way over to the girl in the car.” He pointed at the drug paraphernalia on the ground. “Don’t forget your props.” Then as an afterthought he added, “for the record, Brennan, outstanding performance tonight.”

  “Did I ever tell you that I was in Death of a Salesman when I