Purgatory Blues (2013), page 2
“Go call a cop”, Andy blurted out dismissively. The shocked waiter retreated in silence, not knowing what the protocol was for that particular situation. Andy put his hand over his eyes and massaged his temples.
Ben shook his head in amazement at what he was seeing. “What the fuck happened to you? You look like you haven’t eaten in weeks, you’re still drinking like it’s the day after the funeral and obviously you’ve started smoking again”, the incredulity in his voice spoke volumes. “The cherry on top is that you haven’t even worked all year, anything else you want to tell me?”
“That about sums it up detective, you’re going to have to show me a badge if you want to frisk me”, Andy said combatively. He didn’t like where the argument was going, but they were already too far down the road to turn back. He was angrier with himself than he was with Ben. He hated feeling like he’d disappointed him. He knew that Ben would have been expecting more progress from him after so much time.
“Would everyone just calm down for a second?” Amy asked as she put her hands between them to draw their attention, “come on now, I’m here with my two favorite guys and we’re here to have a nice meal and catch up”, she looked to both of them hoping to play peacemaker, “no more arguing”.
“No Ames”, Ben said as he pulled her back in to her seat, “he needs to hear this, someone has to tell him the truth”.
“And you know what the truth is?” Andy asked, his words drenched in cynicism, “give me a fucking break”.
“Andy, we all loved Elsa but…” Ben was cut short by Andy’s interruption.
“But what?” Andy asked with a piercing stare. They were both silent for a moment before Andy continued, “you’d better choose your next words very carefully”.
Ben realized that he was overstepping his mark and reigned himself in before he went on in a much calmer fashion. “But”, he began and then paused, tasting every syllable for its veracity. “It’s been a year already. You’ve got to put things behind you and move on, this isn’t healthy and”, Ben was cut off by Andy once again who simply put his hand up, indicating that Ben should stop talking.
“Where do you get the balls, huh?” Andy asked, indignant at Ben’s words. “You come down here with your perfect little life, with your new house, telling me how you’re going to have another kid, who the fuck are you to tell me when I should be moving on? It’s like you’re shitting on my doorstep and telling me it’s chocolate pudding. That’s what this feels like”.
There was a moment of heavy silence. “I didn’t mean it like that Andy”, Ben said, realizing what he’d done, suddenly ashamed at his behavior.
“No? Well why don’t you think about what you did mean and then you can let me know”. Andy had gone from anger to despair in seconds, struggling to finish the sentence for fear that he would break down. “Look, I’m sorry, I just can’t deal with this right now, not today”, he said as he shook his head. Andy stood up and finished his drink before placing his glass on the table. Dinner was decidedly over. “I have to go, congratulations Amy”, he said as he walked over and gave her a hurried kiss on the cheek.
Andy turned around to find Billy the bartender waiting patiently for him, he picked up the glass and said, “here’s to the new addition”, before gesturing to Ben and Amy. He drank down the contents in one go, placed the glass on the tray and walked towards the exit. He didn’t look back.
Ben watched as Andy walked away. “You know, I used to think that guy would take over the world some day. Look at him now, he’s a wreck”.
“You’re a fucking idiot Ben”, Amy said and slapped him on the arm, “I told you to let me tell him! How do you ask him to be your child’s godfather after that?!”
At the entrance to Chez Blanco, Andy waited for the valet to bring around his car. “Hi Andy”, he heard someone say from behind him. He turned around to find a somewhat tipsy Rebecca approaching him. “That was a really quick dinner”, she said with a hint of surprise, “what happened?”
“Decided it just wasn’t my scene”, Andy answered as the driver pulled up to the curb with his BMW. He liked Rebecca. She seemed easy to get along with, easier than the company he’d left anyway. The fact that she didn’t know him was a bonus. They’d have other things to talk about that wouldn’t remind him about all the things he wanted to forget. He looked out at the car for a second and then to Rebecca. “Wanna get out of here?” he asked.
“Sure”, she said with a smile, “where to?”
“Anywhere but here”, he said.
Chapter 2
Andy and Rebecca eventually ended up at a nightclub by the name of “Core”. She’d told him that she knew a bunch of people who frequented the place. Andy hated nightclubs in a general sort of way but because he’d invited her out, he felt obligated to show her a good time. If that meant braving the crowds of sweaty, over-privileged trust fund babies…then so be it.
Core was, at that moment, the most popular club in the city, but Andy’d never been there before. They both got searched at the door and then stamped on the way in, as was usual for those kinds of places. The crowd looked to be in the range of between eighteen and twenty-six, all of them on one drug or another, all of them dressed to impress.
When they’d made it through the entrance Andy’s senses were assailed by a genre of music that his mind couldn’t…or didn’t want to…comprehend. There was smoke, lights and a smell that was sickeningly sweet. He was fairly certain that he’d have to burn his suit when he got home. Rebecca was holding his hand the entire time. Andy could only surmise that she’d wanted to enter with everyone knowing that she wasn’t alone.
The people were packed in like sardines and it was nearly impossible for him to get his bearings, but somehow Rebecca seemed to know where she was going. She led Andy through the masses till they arrived at some sort of improvised seating area which was outside on a balcony. It was much quieter there. Andy assumed that it was the place where people went if they actually wanted to have a conversation.
A group of four girls and a boy came up to them. “You made it!” One of the girls squealed in delight and hugged Rebecca.
“Hey!” Rebecca screamed back and squeezed the girl tightly.
When they parted from each other Andy saw the other four in the group patiently waiting for an introduction, till the young man jumped the gun. “Who’s the old guy?” he asked obnoxiously.
Andy reacted instinctively, stepping forward to get up close and personal before he calmly said, “he’s the guy whose going to curb stomp your dumb ass in front of all these nice ladies if you don’t learn some manners”.
Rebecca came to Andy’s side and made eye contact with the young man, shaking her head in a tense fashion. It was plain for everyone to see that she was telling him it wasn’t a good idea.
“Just kidding man”, the boy said nervously and stepped back.
“Yeah, sure”, Andy said to him and winked.
Rebecca pulled Andy back a step before she spoke, “Andy, this is Kyra, Selina, Tiffany, Maxine and you’ve met Max’s boyfriend Greg. Guys, this is Andy”.
All the girls in the group seemed just a tad younger than Rebecca and far more fashion conscious. Their outfits left little to the imagination compared to Rebecca’s timeless classic. Andy wondered if they were taking the class that she assisted in teaching. They all exchanged greetings in one way or another before Andy told Rebecca that he was going to the bar to get a drink, she asked him for her usual, as though they’d been dating forever. She’d hardly completed her request when Kyra snatched her away for a long discussion.
Andy looked around to see where he might acquire a potion strong enough to make the night tolerable while everyone else dispersed. Suddenly Maxine had grabbed him by the arm and began escorting him away, “come on, I’ll show you where to go”, she said.
Maxine led Andy through the crowd, up a flight of stairs, down a flight of stairs and then up another flight of stairs. By the time they’d reached the bar, Andy had no clue where they were. There was even a completely different style of music playing. She pulled him up to the bar counter and pushed herself up against him, “here!” She said and flagged down one of the bartenders.
The bar was tended by three young men and looked like a miniature nightclub all by itself. Part of the experience of being at Core appeared to be the show that the staff put on. Bottles and lights swirled and flew in every which direction. It was a veritable war zone of glass and color.
When one of the bartenders finally managed to make his way to Andy, he had to shout to make himself heard. Andy ordered a drink for himself and one for Rebecca before turning to Maxine. “Can I get you something?” he shouted in to her ear.
“Tequila”, she said with a huge smile as she moved her body to the music.
Maxine was a petite blonde with green eyes. She had a very girl next-door quality about her, which is why Andy was surprised at the practiced sensuality of her dance moves. She came closer to him and tried to get him to move with her but Andy resisted. He’d never been much of a dancer. It didn’t seem to deter Maxine though. She simply drew herself in closer and moved against him.
She put her arms around Andy and stood up on the footrest of his bar stool so she could reach him without pulling him down to her. “That was really hot”, she said into his ear.
“What was?” Andy asked.
“The way you handled Greg”.
Andy wanted to laugh but held himself back. It came out as a suppressed smile. Maxine gave him a big smile in return. Her pupils were dilated and Andy noticed that her eyes seemed to involuntarily roll back every so often. Add that to the fact that she hadn’t stopped moving since he’d met her and Andy was forced to conclude that she was more than likely on ecstasy.
She pulled into him again, her lips brushing against his neck as she moved to speak into his ear. “You’re really hot too”, she said and began nibbling on his earlobe.
Andy felt her hand move past his belt and into his pants, he managed to stop her before she reached his crotch, taking both her hands and holding them behind her back. “I’m taken Maxine”, he said to her. It was a lie, but it was easier than telling her that she was a young woman on drugs whom he’d never allow himself to take advantage of. In his experience the answer to that statement was almost always, “age is nothing but a number” or “I know exactly what I’m doing”.
“That makes you even more hot!” She said through a naughty smile and licked his lower lip. Andy couldn’t help but laugh at his situation. His body was saying one thing and his brain was telling him another. It came out as another embarrassed and suppressed smile. “Don’t worry, she’s not going to know”, Maxine said and kissed him on the lips.
Andy jerked his head away, “but I will”, he said to her.
“Now you’re really turning me on”, she said.
Thankfully, the bartender’s perfect timing saved Andy. He placed their drinks on the counter and presented him with the bill. “Drink your drink Max”, Andy said as he handed her the shot of tequila. He dropped some money on the counter and picked up the two remaining drinks. “I’ll see you outside”, he said to Max and left.
“I’m going to get you!” she called out after him, still dancing along to the music.
Andy tried his best to retrace his steps, getting lost several times along the way, till he finally reached the outside balcony that he’d left from with Maxine.
“There you are sweetie!” Rebecca said aloud as she came toward Andy, “please play along, they think I’m cool now”, she added to him in a whisper once she was at his side.
“No problem”, Andy said, handing her the vodka, lime and lemonade.
She took Andy’s hand as they walked back to her friends. Kyra was the first to speak as soon as they’d sat down at their little round table. “So, Becca tells me that you’re a writer?”
“I sure am”, Andy said, making fun of her in a way that she didn’t notice. He always found it strange when people asked questions like that. He felt that it was sort of like she was asking because she believed that what Rebecca had said wasn’t true and she had to confirm it.
“How’d you meet?”
“We met at a book signing a long time ago”, Andy chanced while Rebecca squeezed his thigh under the table.
“Really?” Kyra asked, dragging out the word like she’d caught them in a lie. “Becca said that you two met when you were doing research at the University”.
“Well, that’s where she thinks we met. I didn’t tell her this till now but I remembered her from the book signing and that’s why I approached her at the University. I really thought we had a connection that first time and hated that I’d missed my opportunity. When I saw her again I wasn’t about to let her slip through my fingers a second time”.
“Oh”, Kyra said, sounding deflated.
“Awww”, Rebecca added, seemingly caught up in her character.
“You know, I’d love to stay and get to know all of my sweetheart’s friends”, Andy said and gave Rebecca a kiss on the cheek, “but I’ve got a really early meeting tomorrow”.
Rebecca took her cue, “I’ll just catch a ride back with Kyra babe, you don’t mind do you?”
“Of course not”, Andy said, “I’ll miss you though”, he added and kissed her hand. “Bye everyone”, Andy waved to the whole table and walked away, downing his drink in the process.
Before he could make his way back inside he heard Rebecca calling his name as she ran up to him. “Thank you so much!” She said and hugged him.
“Look, this is all a little more than I signed up for, I’m glad your friends like you but this is the end of the line for me”, Andy said, “I’m sure you’ll come up with something, tell them I had to move to Thailand to research my next book so you broke up with me”.
“Okay”, she said with a smile, “you did more than I could’ve asked for anyway”.
“See you around”, Andy said.
“Bye, I guess”. She watched him walk away till she lost him in the crowd.
Andy pushed his way through the mob till he found a bar counter. He ordered another drink and downed it on the spot. It hit him a lot harder than he’d expected. Only then did he realize that his motor skills were beginning to fade on him. He’d had more than half a bottle of whiskey in a very short space of time. He was going to need a cure.
After he’d stopped several people for directions, he finally managed to find his way out of the maze called Core. His car was parked quite a distance away from the club and he was grateful for the opportunity to burn off some of the alcohol with the walk. He pulled out his phone and called a man named Ike, a cocaine dealer who ran drugs in that part of the city.
“My nigga! Long time”, Ike said when he answered.
“Hey Ike, I’m parked at the top of Ocean Road, bring two for me”, Andy said, meaning that he wanted two grams.
“Okay, I’m on di way, ten minutes”, he replied and cut the call.
Andy walked up the road for another couple of minutes, taking in the sights of the various clubs, pubs and restaurants along the way. Ocean Road was the anchor of the city’s nightlife. When he got into his car he plugged in his pod and put on “Dreaming neon black” by “Nevermore”.
It was two minutes later when Ike called him back. “You here?” Andy answered.
“Frank wants to see you, he’s at Core. Do you know where it is?”
“I was just fucking there Ike, what does he want to see me about?” Andy was annoyed at the inconvenience of having to wait. It was the first time that they’d ever asked to see him and he couldn’t imagine why they would want to.
“He didn’t say, go see im der, Tony will let you in di back”.
“Fine, I’ll be there in five minutes”. Andy locked his car and began the walk back to Core.
The hierarchy of Frank’s group was one that Andy had had the opportunity to witness develop first hand. Frank had come in to the country illegally with the help of one of the cartels. He’d brought over a bit of product on the journey and set about establishing himself as a dealer from day one. He cut, bagged and sold as a one-man crew. Andy knew that it must’ve been a tough gig, especially when you had to be available to your clientele twenty-four hours a day.
Andy didn’t trust him, but he did admire Frank’s work ethic, he’d made a small empire all by himself in little more than a year. Once Frank had established a large enough client base to service, he took on Ike as his apprentice. He trained him over a period of a few months and then let Ike buy in to a franchise of sorts. Ike got all of Frank’s clients and had to kick up a certain percent back to Frank who supplied him with the product.
The only way for Ike to grow was to create more clients and thereby create more income for himself and by extension, Frank. Now that Ike had grown large enough, he’d recruited Tony. You started out as a runner until you became a boss. It was like a pyramid scheme for drug dealers. Money went up, work went down and there was always order because Frank controlled the product. The bigger he got, the more people he’d had to bribe to stay in business, but the whole team benefitted from Frank’s protection. The system was a gold mine.
Andy wondered what Frank could possibly want to see him about. The alcohol certainly wasn’t helping his deductive faculties though, so he decided that he’d serve himself best by putting one foot in front of the other and focusing on the road. The walk was unpleasant, his stomach was beginning to feel like a washing machine on the spin cycle. He was sure that to everyone watching him, he appeared to be every bit as drunk as he felt. The only thought that made him feel better was the fact that half of everyone he passed was equally, if not more drunk, than he was.
Andy finally made it to the front entrance of Core but could find no way to go around to the back. A high, barbed wire fence surrounded the entire property. Just then he saw Tony appear behind a padlocked gate and call his name. Andy nodded to him.
