Stories (2011) (14 page)

His men sat on the couch to his
left. The couch was unusually long, and there were six men on it, like pigeons
in a row. They all had guns in shoulder holsters. The scene made Big O look
like a whale on vacation with a harem of male sucker fish to attend him.

Big O spoke to me, and his voice
sounded small coming from that big body.
“
Been a long
time since I seen you last.
”

I nodded.

“
I had a
foot then.
”

I nodded again.

“
The
diabetes. Had to cut it off. Dr. Jacobs says I need more exercise, but, hey,
glandular problems, so what you gonna do? Packs the weight on. But still, I got
to go there ever
’
Thursday mornin
’
.
Next time, he might tell me the other foot
’
s gotta go.
But you know, that
’
s not so bad. This chair, it can
really get you around. Motorized, you know.
”

Be Bop, who was still by me,
said,
“
He
’
s got somethin
’
for you, Big O.
”

“
Chucky,
”
Big O said,
“
cut off the game.
”

Chucky was one of the men on the
couch, a white guy. He got up and found a remote control and cut off the game.
He took it with him back to the couch, sat down.

“
Come on
up,
”
Big O said.

I carried my jar of pickles up
there, got a whiff of him that made my memory of Jack
’
s
stink seem mild. Big O smelled like dried urine, sweat, and death. I had to
fight my gag reflex.

I sat the jar down and twisted
off the lid and reached inside the blood-stained pickle juice and brought out
Jack
’
s dripping hand. Big O said,
“
Give
me that.
”

I gave it to him. He turned it
around and around in front of him. Pickle juice dripped off of the hand and
into his lap. He started to laugh. His fat vibrated, and then he coughed.
“
That there is somethin
’
.
”

He held the hand up above his
head. Well, he lifted it to about shoulder height. Probably the most he had
moved in a while. He said,
“
Boys, do you see this? Do
you see the humanity in this?
”

I thought:
Humanity?

“
This
hand tried to take my money and stuck its finger up my old lady
’
s ass
…
Maybe all six. Look at it
now.
”

His boys all laughed. It was like
the best goddamn joke ever told, way they yucked it up.

“
Well,
now,
”
Big O said,
“
that
motherfucker won
’
t be touchin
’
nothin
’
, won
’
t be handlin
’
nobody
’
s money, not even his own,
and we got this dude to thank.
”

Way Big O looked at me then made
me a little choked up. I thought there might even be a tear in his eye.
“
Oh,
”
he said,
“
I
loved that woman. God, I did. But I had to cut her loose. She hadn
’
t fucked around, me and her might have gotten married, and
all this,
”
he waved Jack
’
s hand
around,
“
would have been hers to share. But no. She
couldn
’
t keep her pants on. It
’
s
a sad situation. And though I can
’
t bring her back,
this here hand, it gives me some kind of happiness. I want you to know that.
”

“
I
’
m glad I could have been of assistance,
”
I said.

“
That
’
s good. That
’
s good. Put this back
in the pickle jar, will you?
”

I took the hand and dropped it in
the jar.

Big O looked at me, and I looked
at him. After a long moment, he said,
“
Well, thanks.
”

I said,
“
You
’
re welcome.
”

We kept looking at one another. I
cleared my throat. Big O shifted a little in his chair. Not much, but a little.

“
Seems to
me,
”
I said,
“
there was a
bounty on Jack. Some money.
”

“
Oh,
”
Big O said.
“
That
’
s
right, there was.
”

“
He was
quite a problem.
”

“
Was he
now
…
Yeah, well, I can see the knot on your head. You
ought to buy that thing its own cap. Somethin
’
nice.
”

Everyone on the couch laughed. I
laughed too. I said,
“
Yeah, it
’
s
big. And if I had some money, like say, $100,000, I
’
d
maybe put out ten or twenty for a nice designer cap.
”

I was smiling, waiting for my
laugh, but nothing came. I glaced at Be Bop. He was looking off like maybe he
heard his mother calling somewhere in the distance.

Big O said,
“
Now
that Jack
’
s dead, I got to tell you, I
’
ve
sort of lost the fever.
”

“
Lost the
fever?
”
I said.

“
He was
alive, I was all worked up. Now that he
’
s dead, I got
to consider, is he really worth $100,000?
”

“
Wait a
minute, that was the deal. That
’
s the deal you spread
all over.
”

“
I
’
ve heard those rumors,
”
Big O said.

“
Rumors?
”

“
Oh, you
can
’
t believe everything you hear. You just can
’
t.
”

I stood there stunned.

Big O said,
“
But
I want you to know, I
’
m grateful. You want a Coke, a
beer before you go?
”

“
No. I
want the goddamn money you promised.
”

That had come out of my mouth
like vomit. It surprised even me.

Everyone in the room was silent.

Big O breathed heavy, said,
“
Here
’
s the deal, friend. You take
your jar of pickles, and Jack
’
s six fingers, and you
carry them away.
’
Cause if you don
’
t,
if you want to keep askin
’
me for money I don
’
t want to pay, your head is gonna be in that jar, but not
before I have it shoved up your ass. You savvy?
’

It took me a moment, but I said,
“
Yeah. I savvy.
”

Lying in bed with Loodie, not
being able to do the deed, I said,
“
I
’
m
gonna get that fat son of a bitch. He promised me money. I fought Jack with a
piece of firewood and a hatchet. I fell off a roof. I slept in my car in the
cold. I was nearly killed.
”

“
That
sucks,
”
Loodie said.

“
Sucks?
You got snookered too. You was gonna get fifty thousand, now you
’
re gonna get dick.
”

“
Actually,
tonight I
’
m not even gettin
’
that.
”

“
Sorry,
baby. I
’
m just so mad
…
Ever
’
Thursday mornin
’
, Big O, he goes to
an appointment at Dr. Jacobs
’
. I can get him there.
”

“
He has
his men, you know.
”

“
Yeah.
But when he goes in the office, maybe he don
’
t. And
maybe I check it out this Thursday, find out when he goes in, and next Thursday
I maybe go inside and wait on him.
”

“
How
would you do that?
”

“
I
’
m thinkin
’
on it, baby.
”

“
I don
’
t think it
’
s such a good idea.
”

“
You lost
fifty grand, and so did I, so blowin
’
a hole in his
head is as close as we
’
ll get to satisfaction.
”

So Thursday morning I
’
m going in the garage, to go and check things out, and when
I get in the car, before I can open up the garage and back out, a head raises
up in the backseat, and a gun barrel, like a wet kiss, pushes against the side
of my neck.

I can see him in the mirror. It
’
s Lou Boo. He says:
“
You got to go
where I tell you, else I shoot a hole in you.
”

I said,
“
Loodie.
”

“
Yeah,
she come to us right away.
”

“
Come on,
man. I was just mad. I wasn
’
t gonna do nothin
’
.
”

“
So here
it is Thursday mornin
’
, and now you
’
re
tellin
’
me you wasn
’
t goin
’
nowhere.
”

“
I was
gonna go out and get some breakfast. Really.
”

“
Don
’
t believe you.
”

“
Shit,
”
I said.

“
Yeah,
shit,
”
Lou Boo said.

“
How
’
d you get in here without me knowin
’
?
”

“
I
’
m like a fuckin
’
ninja
…
And the door slides up, you pull it from the bottom.
”

“
Really?
”

“
Yeah,
really.
”

“
Come on,
Lou Boo, give a brother a break. You know how it is.
”

Lou Boo laughed a little.
“
Ah, man. Don
’
t play the brother
card. I
’
m what you might call one of them social
progressives. I don
’
t see color, even if it
’
s the same as mine. Let
’
s go, my
man.
”

It was high morning and cool when
we arrived. I drove my car right up to where the pool was dug out, way Lou Boo
told me. There was a cement-mixer truck parked nearby for the pool. We stopped,
and Lou Boo told me to leave it in neutral. I did. I got out and walked with
him to where Big O was sitting in his motorized scooter with Loodie on his lap.
His boys were all around him.

Be Bop pointed his finger at me
and dropped his thumb.
“
My man,
”
he said.

When I was standing in front of
Big O, he said,
“
Now, I want you to understand, you
wouldn
’
t be here had you not decided to kill me. I can
’
t have that, now can I?
”

I didn
’
t
say anything.

I looked at Loodie, she shrugged.

“
I
figured you owed me money,
”
I said.

“
Yeah,
”
Big O said.
“
I know. You see,
Loodie, she comes and tells me she
’
s gonna make a deal
with you to kill Jack and make you think you made a deal with her. That way,
the deal I made was with her, not you. You followin
’
me
on this, swivel dick? Then, you come up with this idea to kill me at the doctor
’
s office. Loodie, she came right to me.
”

“
So,
”
I said,
“
you
’
re
gettin
’
Loodie out of the deal, and she
’
s gettin
’
a hundred thousand.
”

“
That
sounds about right, yeah,
”
Big O said.

I thought about that. Her
straddling that fat bastard on his scooter. I shook my head, glared at her,
said,
“
Damn, girl.
”

She didn
’
t
look right at me.

Big O said,
“
Loodie,
you go on in the house there and amuse yourself. Get a beer or somethin
’
. Watch a little TV. Do your nails. Whatever.
”
Loodie started walking toward the trailers. When she was
inside, Big O said,
“
Hell, boy. I know how she is, and
I know what she is. It
’
s gonna be white gravy on sweet
chocolate bread for me. And when I get tired of it, she gonna find a hole out
here next to you. I got me all kind of room here. I ain
’
t
usin
’
the lake-boat stalls no more. That
’
s risky. Here is good. Though I
’
m
gonna have to dig another spot for a pool, but that
’
s
how it is. Ain
’
t no big thing, really.
”