Last Day in Baltimore, II (480 hits)
Category: NoneLabels: Fiction
Rating: 1.86 on 21 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by shadow (View user info) at 2007-05-17 10:47:17 EDT
Continued from http://www.ubersite.com/m/108381
Jack looks at me over the glass rim of his single malt scotch. His left eyebrow is raised. He is examining me. He is waiting. I am nursing my beer like it's the last bottle on earth.
Hell, for all I am concerned it may very well be.
"Nick," he starts, leaning back into his black leather chair, the only decent chair in the joint, "what's it going to be?" I can feel the blue suit kid looking down on me from behind. I glance back to see his right hand twitch. I know he's packing. He's waiting for me to say no, he's waiting for his opportunity to pounce, to earn a gold star from the big daddy across from me. I hate guys like him, they're not even predators, they're scavengers.
"Lemme finish my drink, sir. You mind if I have another?" He squints at me, studying, he once told me that he always had an eye for people; I wonder what it is he's seeing in me right now.
"Yeah, sure Nick, have one more, but make it fast." He waves again at the blue suit, he leaves to get my drink. I feel a little more relaxed already. I take a deep breath, ragged and slow, fumbling for my cigarettes. As I pull the crumpled pack from my pocket Jack pulls a gold zippo from the handkerchief spot on his black suit jacket. "Here you go, Nick." He lights my cigarette for me, I thank him.
Blue suit comes back with a beer, I drink it down as fast as my nervous gut will let me. I finish the smoke. In the back of my mind I am sure that there is an escape from this room, I am sure I can make a break for it and once I'm in the bar proper, they can't shoot me. I would just have to make it to the street...
Then stand there with a dumb look on my face while I hail a cab? Yeah right. Great plan Nick, go ahead and write that one down.
"Time's up kid. What's it gonna be?" I close my eyes. I think about the checkout girl at the Mars. I wish I had asked her on a date, but then it's probably for the best that I didn't get involved with anyone. I think about the Museum of Natural History in DC, when I was a kid I could spend days there. I think about a lot of things all at once, a collage of a life not-well-lived. I open my eyes and take one last long look around the room. The little brown desk shoved into the corner beneath a beer advertisement showing a white chick with huge wet fake breasts. The poorly painted black wooden panels that line the room seem to stretch inward, bowing under the stress of water and time. Blue suit stands in front of the door, two other men beyond gaurd the hall. This is it, these will be the last things I see.
"I'm sorry sir, I told you I'm not a killer. I'm not much of a thief anymore either. I don't think I'd be any good for you."
"Is that your opinion or are you trying to worm out of this?"
"No sir, I'm telling you that you're gonna have to kill me. I can't live as a criminal anymore, and I can't walk away." Blue suit pulls out his gun, I hear the click of a round being chambered. I put my hands on the table, bracing for the impact. Jack looks over my head at him, presumably about to give the signal. My heart is racing, pounding in my chest. I can imagine what is about to transpire; the trigger is pulled, the bullet reaches the back of my head just as the sound waves reach my ears, or maybe I won't hear it at all. The bullet will penetrate my skull, exploding bone fragments and bloody grey matter in a circular array. I hope the kid gets hit with the spray, I hope it ruins that fucking blue suit. I close my eyes. I try to slow my breathing but it's no use. Every muscle is tight, ready to fire, ready to burst. I wonder if it's true that you cum when you die...
"GOD DAMMIT NICK!" His voice is so loud I thought I'd been shot. I look at him, shaken but steady. "What the fuck am I supposed to do? Goddamn punk kids wrecking up my buisness. How much money you got?" I just stare. I must have the most retarded look on my face.
"In savings?" I ask quizically.
"Yeah dumbass, it total. How much?"
"About two-hundred fifteen dollars." I reply.
"Oh for fuck's sake. Jimmy? How much you got in your pocket?" I look back at blue suit, he's still aiming the gun at my head. He looks confused.
"Uh, I got the two G you gave me. My paycheck." Jack pulls a cash clip out of his back pocket. He thumbs through the stack, counting as he goes. He stops, thumbs it again, then tosses the clip at me.
"Jimmy, give the man your cash." He looks mortified.
"Boss that's my paycheck!" Jack furrows his brow. "Alright, damn." He reaches into his pocket and pulls it out. He tosses it over my shoulder onto the table.
"You'll get your paycheck back tomorrow." Jack returns his focus to me. "Now look Nick, that's five grand. That's all you get. You take that money and get your black ass out of my city. I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear about you. You come back here and I'll cut your head free myself. You got that?" I don't know what to say. I'm shocked, numb and dumb. I nod, keeping my eyes on Jack. "Get the fuck out of here before I change my mind."
"Thank you." I grab the money and stuff it into my pockets, I stand up and move towards the door. A very disgruntled looking "Jimmy" moves out of the way.
"Just one more thing kid," I turn to look, for the last time, "you owe me. Twice over." Damn, I had to know that was coming.
I leave the bar and walk towards Martin Luther King Blvd. I don't want to get a cab just yet, I want to cool off and calm down. I want to breathe, full deep breaths, long in and long out. I want to taste the city air, pungent as it is. This is it, my last day in Baltimore, and I want to take it in.
The club girls are just getting in for the evening, high heels and short skirts. They come in packs of threes and fours, laughing as they go. Tomorrow will be a new day in a new city, maybe even a little town somewhere. Anywhere. For the first time in a long time, I taste freedom, accented with a hint of smog. It's nice, real nice. As I round the corner on St. Paul, I hail a cab and head home for the last time.
Goodbye Charm City, the "city that reads." My last view as I hit Rt 83 is of one of the infamous black banners carrying a single word in white letters: "BELIEVE" What a strange city it is. What a town. Funny though, I don't think I'll miss it all that much.
...............................
For those who were surprised to see my name on yesterday's list of posts, just know that the past year has been unreal. A lot of ups and downs, a lot of projects in the works. I'm glad to be back in "reality" as it were, and I hope to give you guys something worth reading at the very least.
-shadow
User Reviews
Submitted by i_can_get_you_a_toe (user info) at 2007-05-17 18:36:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by maiorano84 (user info) at 2007-05-17 17:52:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Coo.
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-05-17 16:50:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by consuelo212 (user info) at 2007-05-17 15:28:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2007-05-17 14:41:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
tis all good, thanks for the info. I was worried that there was some kind of religious cult forming around the inner harbor, worshiping crabs and drinking the "holy water" in the bay.
Ewwww, don't ever do that btw.
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-05-17 13:55:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
JESUS FUCK, I DID it AGAIN?
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-05-17 13:54:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Oh, fuck me, sorry dude. Didn't mean to ruin your streak. I was thinking, what douche didn't rate that a 2? Come to find out it was me.
I'm.
That.
Douche.
:(
Submitted by sweetcheebs (user info) at 2007-05-17 13:53:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
auto +2 for home town story
It was pretty good too
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-05-17 13:39:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Shadow, they funnel political, donated, and social money into after school activity shit, community awareness, community development type shit aimed towards drug reduction.
I think they spend more money making banners and stickers than they do actually promoting the things above.
http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/believe/index.html
Submitted by Amontillado (user info) at 2007-05-17 12:53:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2007-05-17 12:36:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
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Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-05-17 11:40:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Very enjoyable read, again. My old roommate's step-dad heads up the Believe campaign or used to at least. I'm enjoying this so much because it reminds me a lot of my time there.
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Ok, I've lived around these parts for a while, and no one here can tell me what "BELIEVE" is all about. It's on banners, trash cans and buses, and I have no freaking clue what I am supposed to "BELIEVE" in.
I wonder at the success of this campaign.
Submitted by Antioxident (user info) at 2007-05-17 12:17:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-05-17 11:40:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Very enjoyable read, again. My old roommate's step-dad heads up the Believe campaign or used to at least. I'm enjoying this so much because it reminds me a lot of my time there.
Submitted by Void_Where_Prohibited (user info) at 2007-05-17 11:34:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by The_Drake (user info) at 2007-05-17 11:28:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I prefer "a night in paris" myself. but since I'm at work. This will do just fine.
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-05-17 11:24:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I lived close to Maidens near arbutus. Right when I first moved to Baltimore it was Gateway Terrace apartments I think. Then I lived off of Security...blah blah blah. I read the other one, now I'll read this one.
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2007-05-17 11:16:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Baltimore...she's a harsh mistress.
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-05-17 11:13:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
likes it.
thanks
Submitted by JoeyG (user info) at 2007-05-17 11:05:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2007-05-17 15:59:24 BST (#)
Ranking: 0
series are always hard for me because i want to move onto the next idea as fast as possible, i lack patience. this little one is done for the moment, but who knows what the future holds?
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Fair enough dude. I've printed these off to read later, look forward to more of your stuff.
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2007-05-17 10:59:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
series are always hard for me because i want to move onto the next idea as fast as possible, i lack patience. this little one is done for the moment, but who knows what the future holds?
Submitted by JoeyG (user info) at 2007-05-17 10:55:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Are you planning on doing any more in this series?
I'll always read a good serial, but only when it's completely finished so I can read it all in one go.
Provisional +2....