The Hedonist

by A. L. Patterson

  Roughly an hour into the trip, Jessica switched the topic of discussion when she pulled a plastic zip bag out of her purse.

  “What’s that?” Shawn asked as he peered at the bag through his rear view mirror.

  “I’ve got a bag of mushrooms, you guys want some?” Jessica asked excitedly.

  “Sure, what will they do?” Lauren asked.

  “Shrooms get you high as fuck,” Jessica answered.

  “No, I’m driving,” Shawn said. “I’m on a mission.”

  “Suit yourself,” Jessica said as she opened the bag and poured three of the mushrooms into Lauren’s hand. She then grabbed a few for herself and consumed them.

  “Ugh, they smell terrible,” Lauren said as she ate them.

  “They’re dried now. You think that’s bad? They smell a lot worse right after they’ve been cooked,” Jessica told her.

  As Shawn drove, the two girls spent the next hour and a half in a euphoric hallucinogenic state. From their perspective, the street shifted into a psychedelic moat while the trees along the road uprooted themselves as each of their leaves turned into tiny blue Mockingbirds. Their mouths were agape under the magnified effects and moving imagery brought on by the psychoactive drugs.

  Even Shawn seemed to be morphing from large to small and changing hues as a result of their intake. Shawn laughed and told them not to panic. Jessica was staring at her hands, the lines in her palms began to move while Lauren was counting the number of bright pink stars she saw near her feet.

  “You girls okay?” he asked while driving.

  “Everything looks like a cartoon,” said Lauren.

  “Yeah,” Jessica agreed. “Everything is moving and breathing… The car is breathing.”

  At that point, everything to them looked as if it were being seen through the prism of a kaleidoscope. They remained in their trance for the remainder of the ride but were halfway back to normal when they arrived in Savannah.

  “That was weird,” Lauren said, “I think it’s better than spice.”

  “Shrooms?” Jessica said. “They’re natural and grown right from the ground. Far better than any synthetic drug.”

  “Here we are girls,” Shawn told them. “Welcome to Savannah, Georgia. I’ve certainly enjoyed my fair share of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll in this ol’ town. Good days.”

  The effects of consuming mushrooms were still affecting their perceptions but the strongest high was finally over with. So they did their best to return to reality while still feeling slightly colorful. It was a sunny day with warm air and bright skies, perfect for the beach they thought. Shawn agreed as he drove his car into the parking lot of a large Italian Restaurant. When they got out of the car, he handed Lauren a large backpack to carry.

  The restaurant was named “Giordano’s,” after the family that owned it. It was a classic yet perfect front for the drug trade.

  CHAPTER 6

  Giordano’s was a small but sophisticated Italian restaurant. It was intimately lit while classical opera played softly in the background. There were small statues of cherubs and goddesses in every corner. The restaurant’s round tables were covered in ornately designed tablecloths and occupied by many diverse couples.

  As Shawn and his female companions entered the restaurant and gazed at its beautiful decor, they were met by a female maître d.

  “Table for three?” she asked.

  “Yes, three” Shawn confirmed.

  They were seated toward the back of the restaurant and the maître d informed them that a waiter would be out soon. Before she could turn to leave, Shawn stopped her.

  “And one more thing,” he told her. “I’m here to see a good friend of mine, Carlucci. If you could tell him I’m here, that would be great.”

  “I will tell Signor Giordano immediately,” she bowed and left.

  Jessica and Lauren were still coming down from their delirious high when, twenty minutes later, they were all being served pasta. Shawn looked around the restaurant for his old friend but he was nowhere to be found. This left him slightly fidgety. Despite being moonstruck, even Lauren could tell he wasn’t satisfied. It was the first time she had seen Shawn as anything less than utterly composed.

  “Why are you looking around?” Lauren asked.

  “I don’t want the trip to have been a waste,” he told her. “Perhaps I should have called before coming. And where’s the backpack?”

  Lauren looked down by her feet and tapped it. “It’s right here,” she told him.

  Just as Shawn began to feel uneasy, he was comforted by the news from the waiter that approached them.

  “Here are your deserts,” the waiter said. He laid down three plates. “Cherry Cassata Torte for the gentleman. It is a traditional Italian dessert with an ambrosial brandy-peppered ricotta and cream-cheese filling… topped with almonds and dried cherries.”

  He then turned to Jessica and Lauren. “For the Signoras, Genoise with Strawberry Vin Santo. A rich, lightly-textured cake topped with a delicious Vin Santo wine and a dash of powdered sugar makes it a mouth-watering dish.”

  “Wow, that sounds incredible,” Jessica said.

  “But we didn’t order any desserts,” Shawn clarified.

  “The desserts are on the house, courtesy of Signor Giordano.”

  As the waiter walked away, the trio began eating their delicious desserts. No less than five minutes later, Carlucci Giordano entered from a back entrance. Shawn looked up and waved to his old friend.

  Carlucci was a tall man with a head full of dark hair and a thick mustache. He wore dark pants and a dress shirt that was unbuttoned down to his chest. Upon his chest were numerous gold chains and on each of his fingers were an assortment of garish but expensive rings: gold, sapphire, turquoise, emerald, and sterling silver.

  The outlandishly dressed Italian placed his arms out as Shawn stood up. They hugged one another like the old pals they were.

  “Shawn Stevens… where the hell have you been, my friend?” Carlucci asked with a massive grin.

  “In a new town with a new job. I know it’s been a while but it’s great to see you, good man,” Shawn answered.

  “And great to see you too, Shawn. Please tell me, how do you like the dessert? They are Momma’s finest dishes.”

  “I’ve never tasted better. Send Momma Giordano my best.”

  “I absolutely will. Next you must tell me who these lovely young ladies are!”

  Shawn introduced him to Lauren and Jessica.

  “And they are beautiful!” Carlucci said. “You’ve always been a bachelor. Me… you know I’m married, you attended the wedding. But I have a few dimes on the side. Nothing like these two, though.”

  Both Lauren and Jessica blushed.

  “I’m a lucky man,” Shawn told him.

  “So what city are you in?”

  “Ashmore. I’m a professor at Ashmore Regents University now. So it’s Dr. Stevens now”

  “So you’re making quite the name for yourself,” Carlucci patted him on the shoulder.

  “Nothing like you, but I try,” Shawn joked.

  “Girls, you should have known Shawn back in our college days. We go way back,” Carlucci told them. “Shawn was the party boy that everyone aspired to be.”

  “We had some wild times,” Shawn reminisced.

  “Remember that time our roommate got so high he tried to shoot us with that plastic gun? He was off the fucking walls, seeing mushroom elves and everything,” Carlucci burst into laughter.

  “Oh yeah, I’ve shared that one a few times,” Shawn told him.

  “So, my friend, what brings you here? You didn’t come all this way just to taste momma’s gourmet meatballs!”

  “Well that was my first reason,” Shawn joked. “But please, take a seat.”

  Shawn lowered his voice as Carlucci sat next to him.

  “I’m in need of a large supply,” Shawn said.

  “Snow or grass?”

  “Snow.”

  “How lar
ge?”

  “Enough kilos for a dozen or so cokeheads. And that’s just for a test run.”

  “Where are you taking it?”

  “Back to Asmore.”

  “Shawn, you devil, you!” Carlucci laughed.

  “I need large quantities at a good price.”

  “Then I’m your man,” Carlucci assured him. “What grade?”

  “The highest quality you have. My clients won’t be satisfied with anything less.”

  “Then I suppose you’ll need the ‘White Pony.’ The finest powder in the Southeast.”

  “Too much of a good thing…,” Shawn said before Carlucci interrupted him.

  “Is a great thing,” Carlucci winked and finished the sentence for him. “Now follow me.”

  Jessica and Lauren left their desserts on the table and jumped up. Lauren quickly grabbed the backpack that Shawn entrusted her with and she followed the rest of them into the back of the restaurant. They entered the large kitchen. Pots and pans hung from racks and a large inventory of uncooked meats, vegetables, and pastas covered the tables. There were two cooks and an assistant preparing the meals and Carlucci’s mother stood to the side overseeing their work. She was a big woman with dark hair who wore a cook’s apron and had an Italian accent even thicker than her son’s.

  Carlucci’s mother turned around and noticed her son along with Shawn and his young friends enter the kitchen.

  “Who are all of these people, Carlucci?” the mother yelled across the room.

  “Momma, this is Shawn. You remember him? And a few of his friends,” Carlucci told her.

  “Shawn… Shawn Stevens!” said the mother as she walked over and hugged him. “Long time, no see!”

  “It’s great to see you, Momma Giordano,” Shawn said, “The meals were to die for.”

  “Glad you enjoyed it! I remember you use to always have supper with us,” Momma Giordano reminisced. “How is your momma?”

  “She’s doing well. That reminds me that I really need to see her, but she’s doing pretty good.”

  “Excellent!” Momma Giordano said. “And who are these lovely big-breasted ladies? Are these yours, Carlucci?”

  “No,” her son corrected her. “They’re with Shawn.”

  “Stevens, you always had great taste in the femminas,” Momma Giordano told him. “If I were younger and unmarried, my eyes would be on these two gorgeous ladies! Momma mia!”

  Though slightly embarrassed, the two girls smiled and waved.

  “And Shawn is a college professor. He earned his self a doctorate,” Carlucci said.

  “Then I guess I better call you ‘Dr. Stevens’ now,” she joked. “But good for you, Shawn, good for you.”

  “Anyway, I’m about to take them into the back room,” Carlucci told his mother.

  “This is the back room,” she said bewildered.

  “No, momma,” Carlucci corrected her, “The other back room.”

  “Ohhh,” his mother winked. “You mean the BACK room.”

  “Yes, Momma. Shawn is about to pay for our next trip back to Sicily.”

  “Then run along!” Momma Giordano shoed them away.

  They followed Carlucci to the back of the kitchen. He pushed his hands up against a plain white wall and a doorway sized portion of the wall opened up. Lauren and Jessica were surprised to see such a strange contraption but followed Carlucci and Shawn down a stairway behind the unseen door.

  The door closed behind them but the stairway and the room they entered were incredibly bright. They arrived in a basement room the size of a basketball court. On one side of the room were large marijuana plants that stood in flower pots under bright lights. There were rows upon rows of plants.

  “Oh My God!” Lauren said, “Look at those kush plants. They smell like heaven.”

  “Only the finest hydro known to man,” Carlucci smiled. “Premium kush plants that originate from the mountains of Afghanistan.”

  “Shawn, can I please have some?” Lauren asked.

  I want some too!” Jessica agreed.

  “That’s not why we’re here. And aren’t you two already high on mushrooms?”

  “Shawn, that high lasted for all of 90 minutes,” Lauren informed him.

  Carlucci interrupted them to get back to the tour. “And on the opposite side of the room is what you seek, my friend.”

  On the other side of the room was an older Italian man. He was hunched over counting bundles of brick-shaped plastic packages containing cocaine. He looked up and waved to Carlucci.

  “Poppa,” Carlucci said to the old man. “These are a few friends of mine. You may remember Shawn. He’s here to purchase a nice supply.”

  While Carlucci’s mother was quick to bring up nonchalant conversation, his father was strictly business-oriented.

  “Pure cocaine…,” Poppa Giordano told them, “Price starts around $130 per gram. Cheaper than Norway and Finland.”

  “He’s looking for kilos, Poppa.”

  “Hmm…” the old man thought, “Then we offer good deal. A kilo, or one of these bricks, weighs 2.2 pounds. I weigh them myself. Given the quality of this White Pony, it would usually run $20,000.”

  “But Shawn is a good friend, so he gets a good deal,” Carlucci told his father.

  “Yes, let me finish. For normal deal we sell for $18,500. But you are friend, yes?” Poppa Giordano asked figuratively. “So then I give you a brick of white pony at $16,500.”

  “Sounds good,” Shawn said, “But what kind of deal can I get for two?”

  “Hmmm…” Poppa Giordano thought for a moment. “We do not usually have customers asking for more than one at a time! And even that is rare. What do you think, Carlucci?”

  “Shawn,” Carlucci said rubbing his chin. “Two bricks…”

  “I’ll give you $30,000 for two,” Shawn told him. “And remember, this is just a test run. If I’m successful, I’ll be back for much, much more.”

  “Then I think we have a deal!”

  Shawn told Lauren to hand him the backpack she was carrying. She did so and Shawn took out three stacks of bills, each worth $10,000. Carlucci passed the money to his father who counted it with lightning speed.

  “It’s all there,” Poppa Giordano said. “Nice doing business with you, my friend.”

  The old Italian man handed the two large brick-shaped packages to Shawn who placed them into the backpack, zipped it up, and gave it back to Lauren.

  “Guard this with your life, Lauren,” he told her.

  “I don’t know who you’re selling to,” Poppa Giordano pointed out, “But your customers will not be disappointed. You have my guarantee. They will be back to you which means you will be back to us.”

  “Then make sure you’re ready,” Shawn smirked.

  “Oh we will be!” the old man laughed, “We always are.”

  Poppa Giordano went back to tending to his work after the exchange. Carlucci escorted them back up the stairs. When they went through the kitchen Momma Giordano waved bye as they walked into the public serving area of the restaurant. Carlucci stopped them just as they were getting ready to exit the building.

  “One last thing,” Carlucci said. “As a ‘thank you’ for the business, I want to throw in a small gift.”

  He pulled out a small tin case and handed it to Shawn.

  “What’s in it?” Shawn asked.

  “Your girls asked about the plants. There’s a purple kush joint for each of you in there,” he said pointing to the tin case.

  “Thanks,” Shawn said as they shook hands.

  “You girls enjoy that,” Carlucci smiled as he slapped Lauren and Jessica on the rears.

  Carlucci disappeared into the restaurant as they got into Shawn’s car.

  “Never experienced anything like that,” Lauren said as they got back onto the road. The backpack was in her lap.

  “What about the beach?” Jessica asked.

  “You two still want to go to the beach?” Shawn asked.

  Jessi
ca and Lauren said yes in unison.

  “Alright, we’ll stop at Tybee Island for the beach. But only because it’s 10 minutes away from here.”

  And sure enough, they arrived on the beach 10 minutes later after passing over a large bridge. Tybee Island was filled with hotels and bars on every corner. There were so many palm trees and tourists about that it reminded them of Miami.

  “This place is awesome,” Jessica said.

  “Yeah, I love it too,” Shawn told them. “Spent most of my college years here.”

  After searching for a parking spot for nearly twenty minutes, they were on the beach. Lauren and Jessica were roaming around in their bikinis getting along quite well. As they went off, Shawn purchased a fold out chair and an umbrella to set up in the sand. Then he went to the closest outdoor bar and ordered a cocktail. With the backpack held tightly around his arm, he took his drink and lied back under his umbrella.

  “This is a good life,” he said to himself before making a correction. “Nah… it’ll be the good life after I sell what’s in this bag and get my savings back.”

  He downed his drink and fell asleep in the fold-out chair.

  *

  *

  “Shawn, wake up, sleepy head!”

  His eyes opened while Lauren was slightly shaking him awake. He yawned.

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “Like two hours, it’s five o’clock now,” Lauren said.

  “We got hungry so we got some hotdogs. Got one for you too,” Jessica said as she passed him a hotdog with relish on top.

  “Great,” Shawn said while blinking his eyes open. “Thanks.”

  He felt the backpack to make sure his items were still inside. Once he was sure they were, he took a bite of his hotdog. Jessica and Lauren helped him pack his umbrella and chair into his car as he continued to clutch the backpack.

  “Did you two have a good time?” Shawn asked as they took off in the car.