Tape Worm: Piece A
Anita arrived home with3 cardboard bags of groceries. She was planning to fix her boyfriend Scott a hearty soup, as he was unable to eat much through that tube of his. As this was the case he was also unable to speak for the most part but could say “yeh” or “ngh” when asked a yes or no question.
“Pumpkin or Leek?” she asked the man that had been wheeled in front of their Television. He did not respond. Perhaps the sound was too loud? She used the remote to turn it down and asked yet again, while standing in front of him with one packet of each soup.
“Pumpkin?”
“Yeeeeh” he squealed opening his eye that was less puffy to inspect the brand. Scott had always been a picky eater, or perhaps he had just got used to eating the same old ‘Steak and Eggs' for dinner. He prided himself in his physique but had one bad altercation in the Southside that had rendered him just about paralyzed.
“You’re looking a lot better you know? Cant imagine the other guys looking any better.”
There was of course a silence and she noticed Scott trying to move his head as to peer around her at the TV. She noticed and moved herself to the Kitchen, turned on their apartments best stovetop element and emptied the packaged pumpkin sludge into a Small pot.
Her Phone began to vibrate in her pocket, she checked for the caller ID and found it to be her Boss. She stirred the thick sludge to break it up partially before leaving for her balcony in order to take the call.
“Hey, I'm just making my partner some dinner. Is everything allgood?”
“Yeah Anita everything’s alright. Is he still in that body cast?”
Anita took a quick look inside at her Boyfriend who had his eyes locked onto the TV, she knew the answer but found humor in acting out situations as if she has some imaginary sitcom that she had better entertain. So she responded:
“Yeah he’s still in the cast.”
Her Boss didn’t seem to be listening, but was instead talking to someone, and the background noise would momentarily spike at different occasions. Perhaps he was in a nightclub, in the V.I.P section and people were coming and going from the room.
“Ok Anita, I need you to meet me at Alhambra’s Night Club, we have a mule coming through in about half an hour. As always I need you to give the product to the Dealers.”
‘You gotta be kidding' she thought as she pondered on what she would really respond with.
“Alhambra’s… that’s that place out East right?”
“Yeah that’s right. So I'll be seeing you in 20 minutes then?”
‘Fuck You Arsehole, I'm making my injured Man dinner' She bit her tongue instead.
“Make it 25.” And with that she hung up her cellphone and returned back inside. Smoke had begun to emit from the top of the pot. She rushed over to the oven, grabbed a towel with one hand while removing the soup from the element with the other, then waving the smoke down.
“Just my luck.”
She scooped what was savable onto a plate and scraped the charred bottom into their rubbish bin.
“I'll be back soon Scotty…” she pecked him softly on his cheek. “Don’t go anywhere without me.” And the silent sitcom laughter cued.
27 minutes later…
Anita entered the V.I.P room with not a second to spare. The room was full of 6 people: Joel, a henchman who’s shaved head was coated in some cheap dragon tattoo. Chad, who was always with Joel and had only one eye, as he had been stabbed in his left eye socket during his 13 year run in Drillant Penitentiary. Celine, her bosses main girl or Madame to his working girls. Allister, the crime syndicates head as well as Anita’s boss. And finally Frank, the mule that always had one eye on the money and one eye on the door, as could be expected with such a job description.
“Hey sorry I'm late Allister, it’s just-"
“Sit.”
She felt as though Allister was about to serve her divorce papers. Then Celine broke the tension with her signature laughter, the kind that Anita had grown to hate.
“Oh c'mon darling, leave her be. What’s two minutes when the street rats we call dealers aren’t supposed to arrive for oh…about 5 more minutes?”
Allister snatched the madams Snuff bag and dug his large index finger into the bottom of it and scooped a dosage fit for three lines, before disposing of it through his right nostril. He then said:
“It’s the principal. I got to know I can rely on this woman. If we don’t have reliability, I start to question her respect, and if she doesn’t have respect I begin to question her loyalty and with no loyalty…”
Allister picked up his Colt 45. Off of the glass mini table and aimed its sights right for Anita’s heart. Clocked the hammer. Saw that Anita was scared, then let out a booming laugh.
“I'm fucking with you Anita sit your ass down already you’re freaking me out.”
Frank put the last ounce on Allister’s Scale. “28 grams even, you happy with that sir?”
Allister snatched up the ounce. “Don’t call me ‘sir' I’m only 32 I'm not an old geezer yet.”
Celine Unzipped her purse, before presenting a bundle of cash. Then said “I don’t suppose you take credit do Ya?” followed by her own shrill signature laughter. No one joined in. Frank ripped the card band that bound the notes and began counting for all about 40 seconds.
“Alright, everything checks out. As always pleasure doing business with you.”
Frank offered his hand to Allister who instead belched and stuck his switchblade into a random ounce and wracked up two lines. One for him and one for Celine. Their own signature protocol That ensured the product that hit the street was off good quality.
Anita received a text at that moment , from the contact entitled ‘Little Piggy number One’
“Notions downstairs, he needs his ounce.” Celine looked to Allister “Well I suppose we give him this one? It's pretty good?”
Allister instead grabbed a random ounce and tossed it to Anita. “Notion delivers to our working girls they can get whatever.”
“But-"
“Anita, go and meet him. Don’t make him wait.”
With that Anita left downstairs, spotted Notion in a corner being pestered by some skimpily Dressed young woman. Who noticed Anita walking towards them, then met her antagonizing gaze and promptly left Notions side.
“Sup ‘Nita how about we go somewhere more private?”
“I was thinking the same thing come with me…”
Anita opened the Clubs back entrance that opened into a dinghy alleyway lit buy a single flickering bulb above the door. She scoped out the alley and once satisfied presented the bag of cocaine. “Here you go Notion.” Notion took the bag and stuffed it into his waist bag. “I'll probably make a couple sales tonight then I'll call it a night and sell the rest tomorrow if that’s ok with yall?”
Anita nodded and sparked a joint. “Should be fine I don’t see why not really.”
“Safe. Well I'll be seeing you ‘Nita have a good night yeah?” Notion walked over to a parked vehicle in the alley, unlocked it, hopped inside and stuffed the bag into a sealed glass jar, then put the jar under his seat And drove to the end of the alley taking a right at the end. Anita smoked her joint and savored every moment she wasn’t taking care of her broken boyfriend or getting barked orders by her boss.
Anita walked through the dancefloor that played that terrible EDM she had grown to hate ever more than Celine’s hyena cackle, and briefly noticed Frank was having trouble lighting his Cigar in the wind. then she climbed the clubs staircase, heading towards one of three V.I.P rooms.
Anita joined the Group. Allister opened the final bag and wracked two lines onto the table and went to snort the final trial line, when Celine stopped him and snatched the rolled up bank note from him.
“My turn Allister.”
He complied and sunk into the seat. Celine snorted a hefty line. Soon after she began clutching at her nose and groaning. Allister tried to help but she pushed him away and stood up, but she wouldn’t stand for long. She fell face first into the glass table, shattering its infrastructure. Allister jumped to his feet and came to her aid.
“SHIT! CELINE? CELINE!!?”
His two henchman came to help. But Allister pushed one away. “Give her some room to breathe!” Celine began foaming at the mouth and bleeding out of her nostrils. She slumped backward and her body stopped pulsating.
“FUCK!” Allister exclaimed as he ripped her shirt open and began attempting to revive her. Anita tried to stop him but he wouldn’t give up. Chads neck snapped towards the door and he peered out across the ground floor to the entrance. He spotted Frank finally leaving the entrance for his truck outside and signaled Joel to follow him in their chase. While Anita stayed with a now distraught and broken Allister.
There was silence between them for a moment. Then he began fishing through her handbag an produced her cellphone, “I want you to let our working girls know that we have some laced product on our hands. Then I want you to ring Notion to bring him back to my house and well sort this mess out. You got it?”
Anita nodded, took the phone and made her way for the door when she doubled back. “What are you going to do?” Allister grabbed his large revolver. “I'm shutting this club down so we can get some cleaners in here to give Celine a proper send off.” Anita nodded yet again then opened the club door.
