by Paul O'Brien
“Deal,” she simply said. “Deal.”
It didn’t end well.
The night that Danno was supposed to give Proctor the heavyweight title belt, Proctor’s son, and supposed recipient of the belt, Gilbert King, caused the van carrying both him and Babu to crash just an hour before their match.
Neither man made it to the ring.
Fearing his father, Gilbert said that it was Danno’s side that had ruined the biggest money night of Proctor’s life.
When Proctor heard that, and saw the bad injuries to his son, he had started a war. Danno eventually won. At least, it looked that way, until Danno found out that his own wife had been killed in Texas. As Danno was celebrating overturning Proctor, his wife lay dead on the floor of a motel room.
Proctor heard what happened, and immediately went into hiding. He went to Ade’s house.
“You’re going to have to stop,” he’d said when he saw her carrying the bricks back toward the house.
Ade looked up, and saw Proctor King standing submissively in her driveway. She had heard about Danno’s wife, too, and knew exactly why Proctor was standing in front of her.
She was out of the business: no one would come looking. Even if they did, it would be after everyone else had been searched, first.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
His question sobered her up a little. She wasn’t sure what she was doing, until someone asked her to articulate it.
“I’m not giving up, I guess.”
He approached her like a dog looking to get out of the rain.
“I need your help,” he said. His head was bowed; his voice was broken.
“I didn’t kill her,” he said.
She knew he didn’t.
Ade threw her last brick down for the day, and wiped her hands. Something in her head told her that she’d never come back to that house, again.
She felt neither happy nor sad, but sure that was it for that house. It was time to move on, and do what she wanted to do with her life.
“Fancy a motel room?” she asked.
Proctor was asleep—tired from the flight. Ade sat on the edge of her bed, looking at him. He had been true to the end; he hadn’t fucked around. Even with only a couple of feet between them, she couldn’t even make him look—not that she wanted anything to do with him, anymore.
Outside, she delicately dialed the number on the phone, like he might hear the buttons being pushed from five or six doors away. She knew that she’d never get Danno, but Ricky was always available to do business on behalf of his boss.
The phone rang and rang, but eventually Ricky answered.
“Hello?”
“I heard about Danno’s wife,” Ade said.
“Who is this?” Ricky asked, clearly trying to wake up.
“It’s Ade.”
Ricky didn’t know what to say. He was caught in the middle of chaos, and didn’t really have time for sympathy, especially from a low-level person like Ade was, now.
“I have him here,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” Ricky asked.
“Proctor King. He’s here with me, now. Tell Danno that I’ll give him over for five hundred thousand dollars.”
“What?”
“Proctor told me that he had her killed, Ricky. I don’t want anything to do with that. Five hundred grand, and he’s yours.”
There was no pause to think; no permission sought for.
“Deal,” he said.
CHAPTER TWELVE
New York.
Three days after Lenny got out.
1984.
“Pop, incoming,” Jimmy whispered as he leaned in through Lenny’s bedroom window.
“What?” Lenny asked, unsure of both what was said, and who he was talking to.
“Uncle Babu is trying to get in.”
“Uncle?”
Jimmy dropped out of the window, and he was gone as quickly as he appeared. When Jimmy’s words melted through the layer of sleep, Lenny jumped up and got dressed. Babu was coming to see him, and that wasn’t a good thing, considering the way he had left.
Lenny peeked out from his bedroom door, and down the long hallway. He saw nothing, so he tiptoed into the kitchen, where Babu stood silently.
Lenny’s internal alarm bells were ringing loudly.
“What are you doing here?” He asked as he sat down to put on his shoes.
“I owe you an apology,” Babu said.
“Oh yeah,” Lenny wiped his eyes. “Why’s that?”
He looked around for anything unusual to make sure that Babu wasn’t setting him up for something.
“I’ve been keeping something from you since you got out,” Babu said.
It was in scenarios like this that it hit Lenny all over again just how massive Babu was. Everything was harder for him: utensils were harder to grab, seats were more uncomfortable, and even dialing numbers was nearly impossible for the giant.
Babu took a crumpled picture from his pocket; it was him and Kid, with Kid holding the world title.
It wasn’t old—it had just been carried around too long in Babu’s pocket.
“Who is that?” Lenny asked.
He watched Babu as he tried to summon the words.
“That’s your oldest boy,” Babu replied.
Lenny looked closer. He could see himself in there a little, maybe.
“He likes wrestling?” Lenny asked, totally confused. Luke had always hated wrestling when he was younger.
“Look at him: he’s a handsome boy. Big, too.”
The more Lenny looked at the photo, the more the smile on his face grew. “He’s... all grown up.”
“I gave him the title,” Babu said.
Lenny was lost in the picture, and he wasn’t paying enough attention. “Oh yeah?”
Babu put his hand over the picture to get Lenny to focus. “He’s our new champion,” Babu said.
Lenny slowly peeled his eyes off the picture. He expected to see Babu grinning, because he was grinning a little, himself.
“He’s... what?”
“I should have given up years ago, but I couldn’t find anyone I could trust to hand the belt to.”
“What?” Lenny asked again.
Babu was nothing but respectful in his answer. “He’s the other world champion.”
Lenny laughed a little; Babu didn’t.
“You brought my fucking child into this business?”
Babu shook his head. “Well, kinda. It was more Ricky than me.”
“Ricky is in on this, too?”
Lenny began pacing.
Babu continued, “He was a star in college—football and wrestling. His knee gave out on him, though. Ricky would roll with him when he was a boy. He knew he had something, but he’d never encouraged anything; never put pressure on him.”
“What was Luke thinking? He should have told the two of you to fuck off.”
“He was thinking about putting food on the table at home, Lenny. I’m sorry to say it, but things got real tough when you went inside. When Kid knew for sure that football was out for him, he immediately came down here.”
“And you made him the fucking champion?”
“I did that for you. Who else was I supposed to hand it to? He was the one guy in the business who I knew wouldn’t go running to Tanner the second he had the title as leverage. Your boy is new and green as grass, but he is cut out for this business.”
Lenny just couldn’t imagine his boy as aggressive or athletic.
“The locker room has given him hell, Lenny. He can walk away anytime he likes, but he doesn’t. He’s driven, he wants the big money, and he’s young and cocky enough to think that he can get it.”
“What do you think?” Lenny asked.
“I think he’s right.”
Edgar pushed open his front door, and walked in with his arms full of grocery bags. Babu immediately stood and nodded.
“Edgar,” Babu said.
Lenny could clear
ly sense tension between them.
“I left the door open,” Edgar replied.
“Yes, sir,” Babu said, as he went for that very same door.
Jimmy came in the door to see what was going on. He immediately hugged Babu’s massive leg.
“Hey, Jimmy,” Babu said, as he slipped the boy a ten dollar bill. “How are you doing, little man?”
“Good. Are you not staying for breakfast?” Jimmy asked.
Babu looked back into the kitchen. The reception wasn’t exactly warm. “No, I’ve got some things that need seeing to. I’ll catch you down the road.”
Babu’s hand covered Jimmy’s head as he tousled his hair before leaving.
“I don’t want anyone from that business in my house again,” Edgar whispered to his son.
Lenny nodded.
The apartment building had small corridors, plenty of doors, lots of noise, and kids running around. Lenny wondered who was looking out for them all. This was where the world heavyweight wrestling champion lived.
Lenny took a breath, and knocked on the door of apartment 26. Lenny was sure that there was at least one number missing, but each floor looked so much alike that he wasn’t sure.
He heard the click of the lock, and the movement of a chain.
“Hello?” asked the voice from inside.
“Hello? Who’s that?” Lenny asked.
“You came to my door—who are you?”
Lenny paused. “It’s me, Lenny. Your father.”
After a couple of seconds, Kid unhooked the chain, and left his door slightly open.
“Come in.”
Lenny walked in slowly. It was tiny and clean, but it needed a lot of work. He could see that the bed was made, and the dishes were clean and drying on the rack. It reminded Lenny a little of where he’d just come from.
He kept looking around the room, because he couldn’t make himself look up at his boy. He was afraid that he was going to cry or run. Lenny had no idea what to say, and no idea what his reception was going to be like.
“How are you?” Lenny asked.
“You want a drink?” Kid replied.
“Please,” Lenny said.
Lenny waited until Kid turned around before he looked. He could see that, even from behind, his oldest son was muscular, and athletic, but not too thick. His ears were bent up and swollen, and he had an ice pack on his knee.
“Luke?” Lenny said.
“Can you call me Kid?”
“Kid?”
“That’s my gimmick. Everyone in wrestling calls me Kid.”
His face was handsome, and his hair was washed; he looked after himself.
“But you want me to call you that, too?”
Kid took a soda from his tiny refrigerator, and left it in front of his father.
“I’m getting the worst time just for being your son. Please don’t walk into the locker room and call me by my first name, too. They will never let me in.”
Kid made a whole lot of sense. Lenny took a seat by the window; the next building was close enough that he could nearly touch it.
“I want you to try something else. Wrestling is a...”
“Try something else? I’m the world heavyweight champion.”
Lenny looked around at Kid’s tiny apartment. “World champion can mean a lot of things.”
“I’m not leaving wrestling. I can make good money there.”
“And you can also get killed.”
Both men paused. Lenny’s last sentence was a little too sharp for them both, but for different reasons.
Lenny thought that he’d try to take a little heat out of the room. “How long have you been here?”
“A couple of months.”
“Any reason?”
“Mom moved to the middle of nowhere for Jimmy, and it was time. Listen, I have to go to the gym in five minutes.”
Lenny wanted to hug him. He remembered him as a little boy—a little boy who used to hate wrestling.
“I remember that you used to want to do anything, except wrestle,” Lenny said, as his sipped his drink.
“I remember a whole lot of things about you, too.”
The sheer tone of that sentence hit Lenny hard. “I’m sorry,” he said.
His son didn’t nod, grimace, smile, or spit. There was no forgiveness or hurt in his face.
“So, your grandfather tells me that you could have turned pro, but that your knee gave out on your final year?”
Kid was beginning to get annoyed.
“He says that you were a two-sports star. NCAA Champion wrestler, too.”
“Can I help you with something?” Kid asked. “I mean, what is... what is this small talk?”
“Son...”
“Are you my boss right now?”
“No.”
“Then go.”
“Luke.”
“I’m serious.” Kid opened his door, and the wild noises from outside came parading in.
“Can I just take a minute, here? I really won’t keep you,” Lenny said.
“Do you want to catch up? Is that it? Here are the relevant points in my life: you shot a boss, and went to prison. Then you told your own fucking family that you wouldn’t see them any more if they visited. We nearly went under more times than I can count. We’re still trying to clear bills. Mean-fucking-while, Ricky and Babu paid every cent, until their own families had no more money. They watched over us, and helped us. Ricky risked his life coming to us from Japan. And where were you?”
“They helped you guys when I wasn’t here?”
“Helped us? They gave us everything they had! They raised us, and still do.”
Lenny was totally rocked by what he was hearing. Babu was living in that run-down place down the alley, and Ricky was working garbage matches in Japan to make money.
Kid walked up to his father and opened the door. “I want you to go,” Kid said. “When the time comes, we’ll do business. But for now...”
Lenny turned, and walked to the doorway. “I didn’t think I was going to make it out of there alive. I thought it was best for you all to move on.”
“Well, you got your wish. Cause we did.”
Kid closed the door.
He had gotten good instructions, but his legs wouldn’t carry him to her grave. He wanted to say goodbye, but he might have already done that; maybe that’s why he wouldn’t take another step. His mother was gone, but he didn’t want to see where she had ended up. Some other day he would, but on this day, he was happy just to stand at the gate of the cemetery.
When he was done, thinking about the wrestling business, Lenny walked through the parking lot toward his father’s car: a deep blue, boxy Lada Riva.
Long gone was the Ambassador convertible that Lenny’s sons got trapped in. Edgar Long couldn’t even look at it, anymore, much less drive it.
It had taken Lenny a good thirty minutes to even pluck up the courage to ask his father for his car. The last time he had done so, he’d shot Danno, and his children had ended up in intensive care.
Edgar, however, seemed quite insistent that Lenny take it.
“You ready to do some business?” asked a female voice from the car behind him.
Lenny turned a saw a face that was immediately familiar, he just didn’t know why.
“Get in,” she said.
Then it hit him: Ade Schiller.
“Ade?”
She laughed a little, and opened the door to her grey Mercedes-Benz two-seater. “Yes, it’s me, Lenny. Let’s talk some business.”
Lenny wasn’t sure about it, but he didn’t know how to tell her without coming across as an asshole.
“Ricky called me,” she said. “He said that you guys were interested in doing a deal. Maybe he was wrong?”
Lenny wasn’t sure what Ricky had or hadn’t said, but it became obvious that Ade was the backer.
“You’re not working with Tanner Blackwell, are you?” Lenny asked.
Ade laughed at the notion. “I heard abo
ut what you did. You don’t have to worry about me. Your slap to that old bastard yesterday created as many friends as it did enemies.”
Ade patted the leather passenger seat for Lenny to get in. “You don’t mind if we speak, do you?”
She was obviously older, but still beautiful. Lenny’s last memory of her was from when he had picked her up at the JFK airport at Danno’s request. She was a lady then, and she still seemed like a lady, now.
She got out of her car, and walked over to where Lenny was waiting. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t have to wait for Ricky to get back from Japan to figure out what I want to do.”
Ade pointed to the blood spot that was coming through where Lenny’s shoulder injury was.
“Ricky wants my money and your territory,” she said, as she sat on the bench in the corner of the small, ornate parking lot.
“I only spoke to him briefly,” Lenny said.
“How about I give you the money, and you just walk away from all of this right now?”
Lenny smiled. It hadn’t taken long for Ade to get to it. In a way, he admired that.
“Well?”
Lenny shook his head. “No, thanks.”
He stopped himself from saying more. Ade was a nice lady, but he had no idea what it was that she really wanted.
“New York is nothing right now, you know that, right?” Ade asked.
Lenny disagreed. “It’s still something, otherwise you wouldn’t be here, Tanner wouldn’t be chasing it, Ricky wouldn’t be planning around it, and the former heavyweight champion of the world wouldn’t be picking me up from prison to talk to me about it.”
“And Joe Lapine wouldn’t be funding it. You forgot that part,” she added.
Lenny had no idea, but he knew enough to not act like he hadn’t known. Hearing it made perfect sense to Lenny, though.
Ade said, “You think I don’t know what’s going on?”
“I’m sure you do.”
“Joe has been marching around for decades blocking Tanner and anyone else from getting a foothold in New York. He came out on TV, for Christ’s sake, to protect the place. He knew that he just needed to keep it barely alive—put just enough money into it to keep it beating—and then, when the time was right...”
