Rude Boy USA

by Victoria Bolton

  Celia asked him what else he did for a living. Karlus told her that driving a taxi was his day job, and he was a minister at night. He headed a small church locally. The taxi job helped pay for daily expenses for his family. Karlus invited Celia to his church and gave her the address. She told him that she would visit soon. Karlus asked her why she was still single. Celia was embarrassed to answer at first, but she told him that she had bad luck. Karlus responded, “There is no such thing as bad luck. God has a plan, and everything that is happening now is part of his plan.” He told her to be patient. Celia thanked him and tipped him handsomely. She returned to her room.

  Celia sat down on her bed and turned on the radio. Her mind wandered back to the situation at home. Not only did the disagreement with John bother her, but thoughts about Bernie’s death haunted her. All she could think was that right before he died; they had talked about money and that Ben may have mismanaged it. She thought that Bernie had just been too calm about it as if he’d had to fix Ben’s errors before. Since Bernie knew that she and Ben were friendly, he may have been trying to protect her feelings. Celia’s gut had told her that things did not add up with Ben, and when she’d realized this, she had decided to dial back her physical contact with him outside of work. The little trust she did have in him had diminished as doubts about his character arose in her mind. Celia was lying there mentally beating herself up with guilt over her self-inflicted stupidity regarding Ben and John. She had ignored all the signs of who they were. She realized that she had indeed worked for the mob. She questioned her motivations for staying there once she understood the setup. A good paycheck had taken precedence over common sense. Celia sat up and decided to order room service, but first she removed her velvet shawl and clothes, took a bath, and changed into her nightclothes.

  While in her bubble bath, Celia could not help but think back to the cab ride over to Bernie’s home before she found him. She’d had a conversation with the driver. He’d told her about how much he loved his job and how, on occasion, he got the opportunity to drive pretty girls like her. He also met all sorts of people, like politicians and entertainers. He said that the delinquents caused trouble with his job. He had been robbed three times that year already, but he stayed because that was where the money was. Sometimes you had to do things that you questioned because the money was good. As long as you had to make a living, you had to stay at your job unless something better came along.

  John, Jerome, and Mariana had been holed up at the Yonkers safe house for some time. Mariana was getting restless. Her belly was expanding and becoming uncomfortable. She wanted to venture out to see her family and friends and she complained to Jerome about being stuck in the house all day. She did not like Yonkers very much. They began to have heated arguments, but they were never loud enough to blow their cover. Both of them were still mindful of their impending birth, and they did not want to elevate Mariana’s blood pressure. Mariana warned Jerome that she would walk out if things did not change soon. She could not have a baby under these circumstances. Jerome understood her stance and promised her that things would be better for them. He just needed her patience.

  John, who had a separate room in the house, would hear the two of them talk and argue. It reminded him at times of the conversations that he and Bunny had had when they were on good terms. John missed that companionship and tried not to stress himself in worry thinking about it. He would just sleep through his troubles. He had begun losing his hair at the crown, and his hairline was slowly inching back. He did not know whether it was from genetics, years of wearing pie hats, or stress. It did not take away from his looks, as his face remained handsome. He decided to shave his hair down to camouflage the loss. Doing this made John look more mature. He had gained ten pounds from drinking and eating Mariana’s cooking, and the extra weight was noticeable around his waistline. He made a decision to straighten up, as he never knew who might turn up, and he did not want to be out there not looking like himself. John still took great pride in his appearance and reputation.

  One morning, Jerome woke John up to show him the front page of the New York Post. “Socialite in a Box,” the headline said. The subtitle added insult to injury. “Parts of socialite gift wrapped to family,” it read. John had the newspapers open and television on, staring at the headlines in shock. Flashing across channel four, the screen said, “Manhattan socialite found dismembered in the Drake Hotel.” Followed by that headline were Edina LeBlanc’s name and a photo of her and him together, smiling.

  Things had taken a turn for the worse, and for the first time, John came to the realization that he may be in trouble. He knew he had to call his law-enforcement connections, which meant he had to get out of hiding and tell them that he and Edina were not together at the time of her murder. He was not ready to publicize this, but he had no other choice. Seeing the headlines upset him. He and Edina did not get along, but he never wanted to see her physically hurt. He was not mourning, but he did feel responsible for not having the situation under control. He knew her parents had to be devastated and felt that he had to call them and put on a show. Bernie would never have let things get this bad or proceeded without a strategy. John had managed to flub both of these matters, and he felt that he failed the entire operation and everyone involved.

  The sadness turned to worry, as neither he nor anyone else they knew on a personal level had heard from Celia or Ben. John wondered whether Celia had met a similar fate. The very thought of that happening broke his heart. He would go off the deep end if something ever happened to her. John was not terribly concerned about Ben, as he was a man and could take care of himself. John put on his clothing, told Jerome and Mariana that he had to go, and went to the precinct where he knew the officials. He made sure to tell the two of them that he would return as he knew his presence in the city right now was not in his best interest. He wanted to make sure he was not implicated in Edina’s murder and to put out an official missing person’s APB on Celia.

  Law enforcement informed John that Edina had filed a police report a few days before she was found. She told them that she had been robbed and alerted them that members of the Ambrosino family were harassing her over money. John told them that the Ambrosino family had been giving them issues and had been at it for some time. The detective told John that the Ambrosino family was already under investigation because of the recently enacted laws against organized crime, as were a few others who may have been involved in mob activity. The Ambrosino family, especially Enzo and the late Dante, were high on their list of people to prosecute, but they needed evidence to build a case. This made John a little uncomfortable, but he knew that since Bernie was no longer there and Chimera had left no trail of their activities, neither he nor Jerome had anything to worry about unless Ben snitched.

  The detective told John that they had discovered fingerprints on the box Edina was found in and shoe prints in the carpet. They were currently trying to match those. They had already interviewed workers at the hotel she was staying in and the complex where their marital home was located. He also informed John that Edina had specifically named Ben in her robbery and said he had stolen almost a million dollars from her. They were still trying to locate him.

  “That son of a bitch. Fuck that motherfucker,” John cursed. The detective asked John if he thought that Celia would be with Ben. “I hope not. She doesn’t have anything to do with any of this. She’s a smart girl, a good woman,” John answered. The detective suggested that if they found one, perhaps that might lead them to the other. He hoped that the outcome would be different this time.

  “Why would he steal money from Edina? He wasn’t around,” John said.

  “Maybe he was in on whatever transpired,” the detective answered.

  “He disappeared. They could have him, too. We could not find him,” John said. He was careful not to say too much to the detective, although he had his own reservations about Ben. Despite the tension between Ben and him, John always stayed true to the code o
f Omertà, which they all swore to uphold when they joined. The code said that an associate should never go to government authorities to seek justice for a crime and never cooperate with authorities to investigate wrongdoing against an associate. If the government questioned you, you were clueless about the details.

  John became heated at the thought of a possible betrayal by Ben, but he did not have enough information to connect the dots. Why would Ben kill Edina for money and take Bunny? John figured killing Edina would be Ben’s way of getting back at him. He was not sure because that would not make sense either. Ben knew that Edina and John were not close. Their continued relationship would have left him open to pursue Bunny. John realized that Ben was a degenerate and a druggie, but he had known Ben long enough to know that he would not kill without a reason. To him, Ben was a crook, perhaps, but not a killer. It did not make sense to him.

  John voluntarily left his fingerprints and any other information that the authorities felt they needed from him and proceeded to go to Edina’s parents’ home in Westchester. The police had already informed them of the progress in the investigation. For the first time since John and Edina were married, the family embraced him in the midst of their mourning. He and her parents put their differences aside and jointly planned her service at the synagogue and burial in Jewish tradition. Both occurred within twenty-four hours, and John attended and participated. He was not sure whether the truce was genuine, but he accepted it and decided to close this chapter of his life once everything was over.

  Word of Edina’s sudden and shocking demise spread around New York City and the other boroughs. Jose spotted the New York Post and handed Ben the paper. Edina’s story made the front page of all local newspapers and headed the local news broadcast for the next four days because of the gruesome details.

  “Hey, check this out. Did you hear about that lady who got chopped up? She must have pissed somebody off. Don’t nobody do that unless they really mad? You can just shoot ’em and get dat shit out of the way, but chopping them up takes work. I wouldn’t take time and do that shit,” Jose said to Ben.

  “No. What lady?” Ben asked.

  “Look.” Jose handed him the paper, and Ben stared at the front page for thirty seconds. “Da fuck, you look like you saw a ghost or something. You know her?” Jose said.

  “No. No, I don’t. It’s just fascinating to me,” Ben answered. He sat down on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and continued to read the story on the inside of the paper. The story mentioned that before she was murdered, she reported a robbery to the police. They already had a description of the suspect, and they were trying to locate him.

  “You’ve been looking at that too long. Don’t get any ideas; I’ll fuck you up. Ain’t nobody cutting me,” Jose said. Ben looked at him, grinned, and shook his head. Jose went out for the day, leaving Ben in the apartment by himself. He continued to read the story.

  Twenty minutes after Jose left, someone began knocking on the door. When Ben asked who it was, a female answered. He got up, opened the door, and saw this petite young brown girl with deep, wavy hair tied back into a bun. She had on a scarf, a tight V-neck T-shirt that showed her ample chest, and flared jeans. She asked for Jose. Ben told her that she had just missed him. She insisted on coming in and waiting for him to return. She identified herself as Brenda, Jose’s girlfriend. Ben remembered seeing her briefly when he first met Jose. She had looked a bit younger then, and Ben had not realized they were dating. Brenda remembered Ben’s face, and once she learned that he had moved in with Jose, she decided to pay a visit to check him out. Brenda recalled that he had dressed well and worn expensive jewelry during the brief moment she saw him. He had looked like a high-powered executive back then.

  Brenda walked past Ben and sat down on the couch. Ben closed the door behind her and walked to the kitchen with the newspaper in his hand. Brenda commented on how disorderly the apartment was. Ben suggested that she could clean it herself if she were not satisfied. “How long have you known Jose?” Ben asked her.

  “Long enough,” Brenda answered.

  “You look young,” Ben said.

  “I’m legal. That’s what’s important,” she said.

  “Not sure if I believe you,” he replied.

  Before Ben moved in, Brenda had become accustomed to showing up at the apartment anytime she wanted. She was seventeen years old and barely out of high school. She would turn eighteen soon, and she had no plans to attend college. She could not afford tuition. She lived with her mother and four siblings. The family survived on welfare. She felt that she did not have a place in the small apartment that was filled with her full family, so she sought validation from the outside. Brenda met Jose when she was in her third year of high school. Brenda saw him on the street one afternoon on her way home from school. She noticed that he was part of a crew. She knew that if she became the girlfriend of a leader, it would make her part of the crew by default, and he would take care of her. Brenda attached herself to any man she thought had money. Many girls were part of the Ghetto Brothers, but they had their separate name and their own jackets. The Wildflowers, they called themselves. They became her surrogate family.

  Brenda was a flirty girl. Just because she was dating Jose, it did not mean that she had stopped looking for what else was out there. “You got money, white boy? You look like you do,” Brenda asked Ben as she sat on the couch.

  “What would make you think that? Look where I live. I live in a basement in the South Bronx. Moneyed people don’t live here on purpose,” he answered.

  “You look clean. You could be one of those people who come here to hide out. A lot of you move here after you fuck up somewhere else. They don’t look for the white boys in the hood, not here at least. The cops too busy beating our ass to notice y’all,” Brenda said. Ben looked at her. “Nah.” She got up and went to the kitchen, where Ben was fixing himself a sandwich while still reading the paper. “You don’t look like you are from around here. The guys from here are rough. You are sexy. You smell good,” she said while checking him out.

  “Thanks. I don’t look like I used to,” Ben said.

  “I see that. Skinnier, but I like that shit,” she said. Ben had a feeling that Brenda was putting the moves on him. He resisted because she was Jose’s girl and he had no reason to disrespect him.

  “I don’t know when he’s coming back,” Ben said. He wanted to encourage her to go, but it seemed like she had no plans to leave.

  Brenda reminded him of Celia in her height and shape. She had a delicate way about her like Celia, but Brenda was more aggressive, urbaner, and not as refined. “Do you act this way toward everyone you meet?” Ben asked her.

  “Nope. Just sexy motherfuckers.” Brenda walked closer to Ben, put her hand on his crotch, and began to rub it. “Oh, you are not like other white boys,” she said. He moved her hand away. Her actions made him nervous, but he had not touched a woman since Celia.

  “I don’t think this is OK. Jose may come back at any minute,” Ben said to her.

  “He won’t know unless you tell him,” Brenda said.

  “What do you want? Money?” Ben asked.

  “I didn’t ask for any, but if you are offering, I am not gonna say no,” Brenda replied. She unzipped his pants, knelt down, and began to suck him off. Brenda put in the work, and both were into it so much that they had sex on the kitchen floor with no rubber. When they finished, Brenda put on her clothes. Ben watched her as she went into his wallet and pulled out the cash. She promised to come back. She kissed him, got up, and vacated the apartment, leaving Ben on the kitchen floor with no pants or underwear on.

  Ben lay there in utter confusion. What just happened? He thought. For a brief moment, he felt as if he had been taken advantage of, but he did not know how to mentally process the feeling. He was used to making the moves, being the aggressor of women. Ben collected his thoughts, and soon after, he had to get to work. If Brenda could smell him out, who knew who else could find him?

 
Ben realized it was time to change his look. In a short amount of time, he dropped thirty pounds and became gaunt. He had replaced proper meals with weed, alcohol, and heroin. His looks were fading away fast. He was paler than before. His teeth were not as pristine as they had been. Also, he smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. The nicotine began to stain his teeth, and his voice became raspy. His skin, which had once been smooth despite the scar, became blotchy. He had not decided whether to grow his neatly cropped hair into a long bob or to get rid of it altogether. He thought growing it out would take too long.

  Ben got up, went to the bathroom, and began shaving his head, light beard, sideburns, and mustache with an electric razor. He also reshaped his eyebrows and cut lines in them. He now resembled a skinhead. Ben felt that this would help him blend in with the Puerto Ricans in the neighborhood so he would not be a target. He left the apartment and went to a tattoo parlor to get a couple of the images on his neck, just to throw off anyone who could identify him on the street. His old clothes had become too large for him because of the weight loss. He tossed the sharp suits and sweaters that he used to wear at Chimera in a bag and opted for articles of clothing that blended in with the area. His new clothes consisted of a skull cap, gang leather jacket, and sunglasses instead. He purchased Dr. Marten boots and T-shirts and jeans. He put the bag of clothes on the street in hopes that one of the homeless would find the bag and make use of them. Since it was winter, the weather was still cool, so he was able to go out and about and continue his drug deals undisturbed for the time being.