The Durham Mob, page 14
“The cops came by my pad and asked if I knew you. I said yes. They asked me how I knew you and I told them we were friends and we party together sometimes. They asked me if I knew where you get your money. I said I had no idea and didn’t care. They said they might be coming back to talk to me again. Listen man, I’m scared. I don’t want to go back to jail.”
“Don’t worry. They’re just fishing. If you don’t say anything, they won’t know anything.”
“But what if they come back? I got no money. I spent all the money you paid me and you took the rest.”
“Listen, if it comes down to money, I got enough put away to take care of you. But it won’t come to that. As long as you don’t tell them anything, they can’t do anything. Hang tight!” Coy changed the subject to calm him down. “What’s that girl’s name you brought to my apartment? She’s a fox.”
“Her name’s Sarah.” Coy drove in silence back to the Midway.
CHAPTER 28
A week later, Coy called William and said, again, that he needed a big favor. He repeated the same garbage that he couldn’t trust anyone else. “What about Sid?”
“You know Sid is good for a lot of things like selling dope, but on real business situations, I’d rather have you.”
“You always say the same thing and you know I don’t want to be involved in shady or illegal business.”
“I don’t want you involved. I just want you to drive me and have a presence. You don’t have to talk to anyone. I really need you to do this. I have no one else I can really trust.”
“Okay, I’ll drive you but I don’t want to be involved and I want you to stop doing this, stop asking me to drive you to meet shady characters. One day, I could get hurt and what will you do, apologize?”
“I would never put you in a dangerous situation. I wouldn’t go myself if I thought there was some kind of violence. The people I meet are business people and if anything comes out of it, I’ll take care of you.”
“Where have I heard that before?”
“I really mean it!’
Once again, William wanted to have a meaningful relationship with his brother. He continued to hope they could one day be like they were in college, and in the early days in New York. William needed a big brother! Coy continued to take advantage. That was his nature.
“When do you need me?”
“Tomorrow night, I’ll come by your place at eight o’clock, and you drive me in your car?”
“Where are we going?”
“I’ll let you know when I get the address; somewhere in Queens, I think.” The next night, Coy called and said, “I’ll be there in thirty minutes and I’ll park. Have your car ready.” Coy arrived promptly at 7:00p.m. and William was waiting in his car. Coy parked his car and got into William’s. “Where to?”
“Take the Tri-Borough Bridge and I’ll give you directions.” Coy gave him directions and where to exit. In about thirty-five minutes, they arrived at a diner in some small city not too far from Manhattan.
“Wait here?” Coy got out of the car and went into the diner. William could see two men, well-dressed sitting at the counter. They got up and moved to a booth. After about five minutes, Coy came out and told William, “They want you to come inside. They will be less nervous.”
Nervously, William said, “Didn’t you tell them that I’m just driving you and I’m not involved?”
“I told them but they still want you to come inside. They get nervous when someone is sitting in a car watching them.”
“I’m not watching them!” William got upset but he didn’t raise his voice and he was afraid to say “I’m not going in.” He would rather go along and not make a big fuss, so he slowly got out of the car, saying, “I don’t want to be involved!”
“You won’t be involved. Just meet them, and sit and listen, or don’t listen. They are really nice guys with families. They like family connections. That’s their Italian blood.” They went inside. The two men introduced themselves, “I’m Franco and this is my cousin, Pauly.”
“Nice to meet you,” said William. He was thinking that these guys are just like the stereotypes of the Mafia in the movies. He became more than nervous; he was becoming a little afraid. Franco yelled to a guy who looked like a waiter. “Tony, bring over something to drink. Whatcha you having, William?”
“I’ll just have a soda.”
“Bring over a, whatcha like, a Coke or a Pepsi?”
“A Pepsi is good.”
“Whatcha you having Coy? You want a sandwich or something? They got good pastrami sandwiches here.”
“No, just a Pepsi, too.”
“Youse two guys are skinny; have something to eat. They got all kinds of sandwiches, roast beef, anything you want.” They said in unison, “No, we’re good. We just ate,” said Coy.
“Okay, bring two cokes and two Pepsis.” The guy behind the counter brought over the sodas. Franco said, “Let’s get to the point.” At that point, William did the best he could to tune out, not to listen. He thought about the good times he spent with Chrystal and what he had to do the next day. Still, he heard the words, “Checks and fifty- fifty.” They seemed to respect his presence by not asking him any questions, and not talking directly to him. Having him there where they could see him made them more comfortable. William wondered what they thought he was; an enforcer or body guard. The time went by quickly and then finally it was over. “Good meeting! Coy, call me when you’re ready. Nice meeting you, William. Youse guys better start eating. Youse both too skinny!” They both laughed. Just like that, the meeting was over. They waited for Coy and William to leave first. Then they came out as William was driving away. It was all new and weird to William. He understood what was happening but he asked no questions. He did not want to be involved! On the drive back, Coy said “If it goes through, I’ll throw something your way.” William didn’t respond. They talked all the way back about ladies they knew in college and the intrigue in getting them out of their dorms. They both avoided talking about the poor relationship they had or why Coy was no longer brotherly except when he needed something. They reached Williams building. Coy said, “I’ll call you” and stepped out to get into his car. “Yeah,” said William and drove his car to his garage.
He tried to have this special relationship with his brother. He knew other families in which all of the siblings were very close. In his family, there were only two boys around the same age. They had had so much in common, more than many other brothers. They had slept in the same bed all through college; had double dated many times. But the last few years, they had grown apart; at least Coy had moved away. William was still the same. Coy took advantage of him because he knew he could trust him and sometimes cheat him.
CHAPTER 29
William received a call from an old friend, Douglas, a former classmate from college who now lived in Boston. “Hey man, how you doing?”
“Is this who I think it is?
“Non other.”
“Douglas, how the hell are you? Where are you?
“I’m here in Boston, at Tuffs University. I got a graduate fellowship in chemistry. It’s a program leading to a Ph.D. Now don’t start no shit!”
“Naw, man, I’m proud of you. You were almost as smart as me and my brother.”
“Almost, huh? I read all that shit in the papers about Coy. Are you okay?”
“You didn’t read about me, did you?”
“Naw man but I was just wondering. I’m glad you’re okay. How’s Jake doing?”
“Jake” was Coy’s nick name. Only home boys knew that name. “Well, he’s doing his thing trying to keep from going under.”
“I don’t need any details. I was thinking about you guys recently and about all of the fun we had in college and I missed seeing and talking to you guys.”
“We had a lot of fun, didn’t we!”
“Well, these people are giving me all this money, paying my tuition, buying my books and paying for me to live in this nice building for graduates. And, I was wondering if you guys would like to come up for a couple of days. I know a lot of nice ladies here from Providence. They are gorgeous. They are mixed. Up here, they call them, “Black Portuguese.” When I can get away from all of this work, and I need to every now and then, I hang out with them. You probably need to get out of the city for a minute and I miss bull-shitting with you both. Come on up for a few days! You both probably need it. I got enough room; you guys can sleep here unless you guys need five stars.”
“We slept on many floors in our day. My brother needs it more than me. I’ll call him and call you back. Man, hearing your voice brings back so many great memories. Give me your number and I’ll call you back.”
“You two gotta come up!”
“We’ll see. I’ll call you back.” William called Coy and told him the story. “What?” Coy hesitated. “I certainly would like to see him.” His voice got serious. “That sounds great. I need to get away from this city and this environment for a minute.” Now, he became up beat. “You wanna go?”
“Hell yea. I wanna see him and those lovely ladies and it’ll be good for both of us to get out of the city for a while.” It was done. “We can leave Friday night after rush hour and drive up. It’ll only take about three hours. Boston is only a couple hundred miles away.” William called Douglas back and told him they would be there Friday night around ten.
William and Coy didn’t talk until the Thursday night before they were leaving. Coy asked him to drive his car and to pick him up in front of his building at 6 PM. Right on time, William was in front of Coy’s building. Coy opened the back door and threw in a small bag containing the clothing changes he would need. He got in. “Let’s roll!” William headed out, and after about forty-five minutes, they were on the dark highway with fewer cars. Coy began small talk, nothing about what had been going on between them. William talked back and they laughed about the things they did in college and the fun they had with Douglas. They were in a time-out. There was no talk about what had been happening between them the past year. They talked and laughed like they used to before the money interfered. They were for a time, the brothers they were in high school and college and the year they lived on 96th street from 1963 until 1964, when William went to Paris for the summer. It was like old times. William was still hurt and disappointed but for this time, they just enjoyed the present.
They arrived and were greeted by Douglas who took them into his graduates’ apartment. There, waiting, drinking and engaged in spirited conversation were three lovely ladies, as beautiful as Douglas described. The guys joined in, got themselves a drink, laughed and conversed into the wee hours. Coy threw some coke onto the coffee table and without missing a beat, the ladies took hits, then Douglas and of course, Coy. William said he was good. Nobody seemed to care or notice and they all continued to drink, sniff, talk and laugh. They were having a great time until the ladies decided that they should go. For a rare time, Coy and William were not mainly interested in sex. The ladies were bright and engaged in interesting and funny conversation. It was so different and it reminded them of college. Everyone was tired and the ladies said they would see them the next time and suggested they might come to the city. That interested Coy and he extended the invitation. Then, they left. William who had done all of the driving and had not partaken in the coke was very tired and sleepy. He nodded out. Douglas and Coy who were still high on the coke, couldn’t go to sleep, so they talked. Eventually, they were all sleeping.
The next morning. They had breakfast and Coy was itching to return to New York even though he was enjoying that clean atmosphere. They met the ladies for lunch and again enjoyed their company. They were like the ladies Coy dated before the money and the expensive apartment and the coke. Coy, again invited them to come to New York City when they had the time.
This side trip brought back memories of the many intimate times they had shared in the past. This experience, these feelings were the things that William missed most and long for again. It just seemed that this was a past that was never going to be resurrected. That was the first time they had shared a special time together in quite some time and it would be the last time. Holding on to a person or a relationship when it is no longer nourishing is emotionally unhealthy and hopeless. One has to let go and move on.
They headed back. William was driving and they talked about the ladies and how they wanted them to come to The City. “Maybe they can bring one for Sid,” suggested Coy.”
“I’m not soliciting for Sid, he can get his own pussy.”
“It was just a thought,” replied Coy. They rode on in silence. Soon, Coy fell asleep and didn’t wake up until they arrived in front of his building. William nudged him. Coy looked up, gathered himself and got out. He opened the back door and got his bag and simply said, “See ya!”
William drove back to his apartment, thinking about the whole trip and about what a respite it was, but it was back to the sad reality of his relationship with his brother.
CHAPTER 30
Everyone had changed, some much more than others. Sid was the same except he had more stuff; at least Coy had more stuff and money. Sid was living as he always lived, off of other people. Most of the time, it was women. Sometimes, it was a little gay sex. He was still a parasite, living off Coy. Coy needed someone who would stoop lower than he would with illegal activities and with women. Sid was his man. After all, why would he still have Sid as his roommate when Sid was the cause of him being arrested and the downfall of the great scheme? None of the others could figure that one out. Neither had much respect for women. Coy had come from humble beginnings to a master’s degree in accounting, to being arrested and famous, and now to a full time criminal. He no longer had girlfriends, only women he screwed, and some more than others. Hardly any stayed very long. He used to keep a main lady with several others on the side. His last real girlfriend was Lauren. Since Lauren, there had been a long series of women who passed through. He and Sid were more successful with women than ever before in their lives. They had both been very successful players before, but now with this great pad, lots of coke and a reputation of having lots of money, the women were abundant. Sid still preferred to have two or three main ladies. There was Hazel with whom he had known since high school. There was Marlene who had dated William several years earlier. Then, there were the many who passed through that he and Coy shared and freaked off. They spent all of their time selling coke, cashing phony checks, freaking off with many women and any other illegal activity that allowed them to continue that life- style. Sid lived from day to day with no plan for the future. Coy, the better educated and wiser, was now living the same way without any plans. He knew he was going to prison. There was nothing he could do about that. He could only try to limit his time behind bars. Sid lived like he didn’t have a care in the world. He never had long term plans. He ate, drank and made merry like tomorrow might not come.
Swazy, the scholar, the only college graduate drug dealer who still read a book each week had gone very far out on the limb. He had changed more than the rest. He was a guy who had one girlfriend, Francis. He was not considered to be handsome. He lacked confidence with women. He had gone about his life as a Welfare Investigator for The Department of Welfare. It was a professional job that paid decent money. He had shared the apartment with Charles, so he had been able to save a little money. When Charles started giving him two thousand dollars per week, it was significant for Swazy since he had never had more than two hundred dollars at one time. Now, he was a big-time heroin dealer earning thirty thousand dollars per week. He had as many women as Coy and Sid. He had constant sex parties. He took women on shopping sprees in Las Vegas, and to the Super Bowl, and to elegant restaurants beyond their usual lifestyles. Coy and Sid were constantly struggling to keep up their opulent lifestyles but in their extravagant apartment, it looked as though they were still rolling in the money. Swazy had a dependable and constant income. Using his unlimited supply of coke and money, he got most of the women he wanted. The people back home wouldn’t recognize him. He also had a brother in San Francisco with whom he rarely spoke, and a sister in Atlanta with whom he used to hide money occasionally.
Bob, who also got his start with Charles and then went into business with Swazy, had also changed, but much less than the others. The only difference was that he, like Swazy, also had a constant source of money. He also had a main lady who was still in college. Since she was not in New York, he was free to play the field. However, he didn’t move too far from his lifestyle before he got big money. Of course, he had many women, but he respected them and didn’t freak them off. That was not his thing. He liked to get new lovely ladies one at a time. He wasn’t corrupted. The only difference was that he had as much money as Swazy and could get most of the women he wanted.
Most of the home boys didn’t see each other very often anymore. Everybody had big money, except for William, and they were living their separate dreams, occasionally running across each other. But even in immense NYC, their world was small enough that they did not lose contact. Sid told Coy that Swazy’s birthday was coming up, so Coy decided to get all the guys together for a party to celebrate Swazy’s birthday. It would be a chance for all of the guys to get together and have fun like they used to before the money got in the way. Girls they dated before were not about money until the money came along. These guys could have had some of these ladies in the past, but money was a game changer. Even without money, they all had girls, except for Swazy, who had only one, and Bob who also only had one. Coy, William and Sid had always been players. They were all screwing before, but when the money and coke were introduced, the game changed. Girls became addicted to the coke and after that, there was no resistance from the ladies to doing anything sexual asked of them. This behavior was shocking to William. He never realized that nice middle-class ladies would do anything for coke and money. Swazy had one beautiful young lady whose father was a wealthy doctor who had now been turned out. She loved the coke and took to freaking off with other girls without hesitation.
