by Tom Nelson
Tom picks her up near Sunset and Vine. Red doesn’t look as happy to see him as she normally is, and Tom knows what’s coming. She gets into the car without a word. She doesn’t say anything until they have gone half a block.
“Tom,” she starts, “what the fuck did you do?”
“What?” Tom asks innocently.
“You know what!” Red continues. “You jacked Larry for all his stuff!”
“And?” he asks. “Did Larry tell you the whole story?”
“Yes,” she sighs, “he said you came over to buy X and robbed him and cuffed him to the bathroom sink.” Red can’t help letting out a tiny giggle.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t go there with the intention of taking his shit,” Tom defends his action, “but the son of a bitch waited until I got all the way to Venice Beach at two A.M. with a stack of cash on me to raise the price! Do you know what happens to that money if I get pulled over and the cops find it? They’re gonna keep it!”
“Is there any chance you’ll take the stuff back to him?” Red asks pleadingly.
Tom looks at Red and laughs. “Hell, no!”
“I didn’t think so,” Red admits, “but I told him I would ask.”
“I don’t do something like that, then give people their shit back, Red,” Tom explains. “It’s not the way I do things.”
“I know, Tom, I know.” She really doesn’t care that Tom has robbed Larry and cuffed him to the sink. What matters to her is that she isn’t going to get her cut for originally making the introduction. And, of course, Larry is pissed off at her now, which means he is no longer a source of money and drugs for her.
“Don’t worry, sugar, I’m gonna take good care of you.” Tom looks over at Red with a smile. She smiles back. All she cares about is her cut, Tom thinks. Perfect. Tom drives the car back to his apartment and he and Red have sex. Afterward, Tom drifts off to sleep.
~~~
Tom is driving to Danny’s house in Silver Lake. It’s Monday at eight P.M. as Danny has requested. It’s reasonably dark outside, so Tom is using his headlights. The neighborhood streetlights are already on. As he turns the corner onto the street where Danny lives, Tom sees a lot of light coming from the direction of Danny’s house.
As he approaches the house, Tom notices that Danny’s neighbors from across the street and several other neighboring houses are standing outside. And, they all seem to be looking toward Danny’s house. This makes Tom uncomfortable, of course. Is this real? Tom asks himself, or just paranoia from too much cocaine use?
Tom turns his gaze back to Danny’s house as he moves farther down the street and, once again, is shocked by what he sees!
Large searchlights are focused on Danny’s front yard, which is in desperate need of mowing, and there is Danny, doing exactly that! Danny is dressed in a T-shirt that could have been a couple of sizes larger, cargo shorts, and docksider shoes with knee-high white socks. On his face is a pair of dark sunglasses. Danny is pushing a lawnmower across his front yard.
The sound of the mower is all that can be heard on the entire block. Amazed by what he is seeing, in total disbelief and laughing his ass off at the same time, Tom keeps on cruising down the street past Danny’s house, which is now the neighbors’ Monday night entertainment.
Tom parks a block away and watches from his rearview mirror as one of Danny’s neighbors walks up to him. The man must be asking Danny what the hell he is doing, because Danny stops cutting the lawn and turns off the mower so he can hear his neighbor. Danny’s neighbor is shouting exactly that.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“What?” Danny asks in his shermed-out voice, obviously confused as to why his neighbor is interrupting his lawn mowing. His ears are ringing.
“It’s eight fucking P.M., you fucking idiot!” Danny’s neighbor is shouting. Tom has gotten out of his car and is walking up to where the two men are. Apparently, the cops haven’t been called yet, or the neighbor would not have approached the shermed-out Danny.
“So?” comes Danny’s confused reply. He is shouting because his ears are still ringing from the sound of the mower.
“SO?!” Danny’s neighbor is in disbelief of what he is seeing and becoming angered at Danny’s nonchalant, drug-induced responses.
“Hey, Danny!” Tom shouts. “I’m here, man,” Tom says as he approaches.
“Oh, hey, Tom,” Danny slurs.
Tom leans toward the neighbor as he puts an arm around Danny and says, “Danny called me a little while ago and said he was having a reaction to a new medication he’s taking. He said he was feeling a little weird.” Tom finishes.
“Medication, huh?” the neighbor asks skeptically. “Hmmm.”
“Yeah. Danny is a combat veteran who served bravely for this country,” Tom says in a normal voice, then lowers it so only the neighbor can hear, “but he came back a little off.” Tom rolls his eyes in the direction of Danny and hopes the neighbor is buying his story.
“Hmmm. Well, he certainly does some strange things,” the neighbor proclaims. “He was wearing scuba fins and a snorkel the other day when he came out to check his mail. It was ridiculous!”
“I’m sure he does do some strange things,” Tom goes on, still playing up the concerned role. “He’s on a lot of meds. Look. I’ll get him inside, turn off the lights, and put away the mower.” Tom’s offer seems to satisfy the neighbor.
Then, Tom turns to Danny and says, “Come on, little brother, it’s gonna be all right. Let’s get inside.” Tom puts his arm around the shoulder of the still high and confused Danny and leads him toward the house. He can see their shadows on the house from the huge klieg lights. The gazes of the neighbors as they watch Tom take Danny inside is burning Tom’s back worse than the bright lights. Danny is oblivious.
Once inside, Tom asks Danny in an incredulous voice, “What the fuck are you doing, Danny? Are you trying to get busted?!”
“What, Tom?” comes Danny’s fucked-up reply.
“Checking the mail in your flippers and cuttin’ the grass at night ain’t normal, man!”
“What do you mean?” Danny asks. He doesn’t seem to have any recollection of any of the events that have taken place.
“Look outside, Danny. What do you see?” Tom has led him to the back of the house and they are looking out on the backyard of Danny’s house.
“Nuthin’,” Danny replies.
“Exactly,” Tom says. “It’s dark outside. You don’t cut the grass when it’s dark outside. Got it?”
“Yeah, Tom, I got it.”
Tom turns off the huge lawn lights and puts away the mower, then walks back to his car to retrieve the money for the meth. He returns to make the deal. This guy is too much, Tom thinks. He’s a bust waiting to happen, but he cooks some really good meth!
The fish tank is still the dominant feature of Danny’s den, only it is filled with snakes now. There are tree branches, moss, and poles for the snakes to wrap themselves around. Woodchips make up the floor. Tom wonders how long it will take Danny to starve all the snakes and for them to begin eating each other. He shudders at that thought.
~~~
Tom is at the condo of a guy named Brian dropping off a pound of crystal meth. Tom has met Brian through the beautiful, young Cuban drag queen named Sophia.
Brian will strap a pound of meth to his body and fly to New York, where he will sell the dope for over twice what he is paying Tom for it. A crazy way to do business, Tom believes, but everyone seems to have a niche in this city. Brian is a skinny little queen with short curly blond hair and a very plain sort of look. In fact, Tom always thinks he looks kinda like Doogie Howser. As long as he isn’t tweaking on meth, Brian can easily blend right in with a crowd and not stand out one bit.
There is always a small group of guys at Brian’s condo. He likes to have sexy young men around him and, of course, needs someone to act as his security. Brian generally has a person who is responsible for answering the door and screening guests as they come and
go from the meth den. This person, who is always very buffed and gay, will look menacing and intimidating to the average person, but no one intimidates Tom. Brian knows how to keep the boys under control with drugs and money.
“So, when can I expect you back with cash?” Tom asks Brian.
“I’ll be flying back on Wednesday,” Brian replies. It’s Sunday, so he is giving Tom an itinerary that is three days away. Brian will get the drugs from Tom in advance with the promise of his return with money by a certain date. For this advancement, Tom makes a lot more profit on the meth he is selling.
“Then, I can expect to hear from you on Wednesday?” Tom asks.
“Yes,” Brian replies. “If not Wednesday, then no later than Thursday around noon.”
“Okay, then,” Tom says and stands from the chair he has been sitting in. “Have a nice flight,” Tom quips, and the guys in the condo all laugh. “I’ll see you later.” He heads for the door, which is opened for him by Brian’s latest “security guard.” Once Brian tires of one guy, he simply finds another to take his place. Tom doesn’t give a shit what Brian does as long as he shows up with his money on time.
~~~
Tom and Red are driving through the small streets of West Hollywood. They’re out doing Tom’s weekly routine of moving a few cars he has learned to stash around town. His encounter with the cops who chased him into the pool back in ’82 pointed out a need to have getaway cars available in the areas where he lives and works. So, he purchased several small, nondescript vehicles and parked them on different streets where he knows the terrain and can make his way to them, if necessary. The keys are left on the passenger rear tire for a quick getaway.
The cars need to be moved every week due to the street parking restrictions of the area. Street sweeping occurs on a weekly basis, and he doesn’t want to risk having a car ticketed or towed. That will defeat the purpose. Red is the only person who knows about Tom’s cars parked around the neighborhoods, and that’s because she occasionally accompanies him when he moves them around. She thinks it’s funny.
Tom has just parked the last of the three cars that he currently has. A Chrysler LeBaron. It’s a grandma car, as Tom calls them, but he can hop into that and blend right in with traffic if the cops are chasing him in another car or on foot
“That’s it!” Tom says. He climbs into the car with Red. “That’s the last one.”
“Great!” Red replies. She seems happy today. Tom isn’t sure if Red really knows what happiness is or what it feels like. Her happiness had been cut extremely short by her pedophile father.
“Want to head out to Malibu?” Tom asks. “We can grab a sandwich and a beer at that little deli and have a picnic.”
“Sure!” Red replies. “But I don’t have anything to wear.”
“Then, I guess you’ll have to go naked again!” Tom says devilishly. They laugh as Tom heads the car west toward the beach. He will surprise Red today with a nice bikini from one of the expensive shops in Malibu. He understands how to get what he wants out of the deal too! Red is already hot sex. But by spoiling her a little, Tom has learned, the heat intensifies exponentially!
Tom and Red are driving west on Sunset Boulevard toward the ocean. They are going to their favorite spot in Malibu today, which has a very secluded beach. Red likes to run and swim naked at the beach, and this area allows her to be free with no interruptions. Tom enjoys watching Red as she frolics like a much more innocent girl.
“Larry says he’s gonna come after you,” Red tells Tom, “for jackin’ him for all that X.”
“Yeah?” Tom says.
“Yeah,” she continues, “he says he’ll kill you, if that’s what it takes to get his money back. He got into a lot of trouble with his connection for losing all that.”
“I bet he did,” Tom responds with a chuckle. “But that stupid motherfucker better not come after me. I’ll fuck his dumbass up!”
“Oh, I know you will, Tom,” Red says. “I told him he better not come after you or you would do something bad to him.”
“Then I guess we’ll find out soon enough if he listens to you.”
“I guess we will,” Red agrees. “I guess we will.”
Tom and Red are on a very private, secluded part of the beach in Malibu. The two have hiked over Point Dume and are on a beach about a half-mile long. The virgin white sand forms an arc inward like a crescent moon and is cut off by huge cliffs on three sides. The tide is about mid-level now as it goes out, so a nice amount of the sand is exposed.
Red is running down the beach wearing the bikini Tom bought her when they stopped for sandwiches and beer. Her long, red hair flies wildly in the wind as she skips through the shallow water. She really is a beautiful girl, Tom thinks, as he sees this wonderful side of Red coming to the surface. It feels good to know he can have an influence on someone that isn’t negative. Tom will reflect on this moment many, many years in the future and smile every time.
And, there goes the bikini!
Tom runs down the beach to the frolicking Red. The two play in the warm California sun and cold Pacific water while the reality of their lives slips away…
~~~
Tom gets a page from Sophia. He rolls over in bed and calls her number. She answers on the second ring. He has been delivering drugs to her for the past year and she always has high-dollar johns. Actors, musicians, and people the public thinks are straight. What a fucking charade; Tom laughs when he thinks about it.
“Hola?”
“Hi, Sophia, it’s Tom,” he says in a sleepy voice. “This better be good,” he continues as he looks over at the clock beside his bed, “it’s four in the fucking morning.”
“Can you come over?” she asks. “I have someone here you should meet.”
“Yeah?” Tom asks in response.
“Yeah,” she is speaking in hushed tones, obviously not wanting her guest to overhear. “It will be worth it.”
“Okay,” Tom agrees, “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” He hangs up the phone, crawls out of bed, and starts getting dressed. He wonders who she has over tonight. It’d better be worth it!
~~~
Tom knocks on Sophia’s front door. It is answered by a man that Tom recognizes immediately. He is in dozens of movies and several television series. He always portrays the bad-boy playboy who charms the panties off all the women. And, as it turns out, he likes chicks with dicks! Hmmm.
“Hi,” comes the guy’s introduction, “I’m Charles.”
“Hey, man, I’m Tom.” Charles isn’t the exact form of the man’s name Tom is accustomed to hearing, or the how public knows him, but . . . all part of the charade. Charles stands back and ushers Tom inside. Tom is surprised Sophia didn’t answer the door but doesn’t freak out about it.
“Sophia says you’re someone I should meet,” Charles says.
“Well, if you use coke, meth, or X, I’m your guy, I guess.” Tom looks around the apartment and still doesn’t see Sophia. Charles laugh so suddenly that he blows a little spit following Tom’s last statement.
“I would have to say I use at least a little bit of all that,” Charles says and laughs. He is so fucking high that Tom knows this isn’t a setup, which is why he openly discusses drugs with Charles.
“Okay,” Tom says simply. “Where’s Sophia?” he finally asks. He has been inside for a couple of minutes and still hasn’t seen any sign of the condo owner.
“Oh,” Charles says, as though he has forgotten to mention something, which he has, “she’s in the tub. Taking a bubble bath.” Tom feels a little more relaxed now, but still wants proof of life for himself. He has been in Sophia’s condo numerous times and knows his way around. Tom heads straight for the bathroom, and Charles doesn’t try to stop him.
Tom opens the not quite fully closed door and, sure enough, there is Sophia drying off after having had a bath. She turns and sees Tom standing there. Her towel drops to the floor, and she hopes Tom will be interested.
Tom looks the beautif
ul little Cuban up and down. Damn! It’s a great package, Tom thinks, if only there wasn’t a dick hanging off the front of her. He would be fucking the shit out of Sophia if not for her kickstand feature.
“Come in,” Sophia says. Tom stands in the open doorjamb and waits for whatever Sophia has to say next. “Okay,” she acts disappointed. She has been flirting with Tom for a year, but still hasn’t broken him.
“You know who he is?” Sophia asks in a hushed voice. Tom simply nods. Sophia makes a hand gesture where she rubs her fingers together to suggest money. Tom nods again.
“I know what to do,” Tom says. He will get Sophia’s guest high as fuck, to a point where he doesn’t care how much money everything is costing him.
“You don’t wanna come in?” Sophia asks in her sultry voice and turns around to show Tom her cute little ass. It is perfect, Tom has to concede.
“No,” Tom says in his mock-Cuban accent, teasing her, “I don’t wanna come in.” He laughs and returns to the den where Charles is standing. This is going to be an interesting evening. Sex is such an enormous part of the drug game that it is plentiful, so Tom has the luxury of choosing who he wants to have sex with. Having a nice physique has never hurt, but being a drug dealer, especially at his level, makes it almost too easy.
~~~
Tom is driving home. It’s early morning and he notices that one particular car seems to be taking every turn he is. Is this real, Tom asks himself, or paranoia? He makes another turn, then another, and, yes, he is definitely being followed. Tom doesn’t have drugs nor a gun on him this evening as he has only been out for dinner and is heading home to his apartment. He can stand a shakedown by the cops, if that’s what is coming.
Tom parks his car in his normal spot behind his apartment building. He sees the other vehicle stop all the way at the far end of the alley and the driver turn off its lights. Who the fuck is this? Tom asks, as he heads to the back gate of his apartment building.
