Copyright ©2020 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved.
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OCTOBER 10, 2021
HOME – 8:45 p.m.
It was late evening when Paco arrived. He’d emptied his pockets, dropping the lumps of cash onto the coffee table.
He lowered himself into the plush leather sectional and reached for the remote.
It was the middle of the third quarter, and Zeke was high-stepping into the end zone for a touchdown. Brett Maher capped the drive off by adding the extra point to extend the Cowboys’ lead against the Giants to twenty-four to thirteen.
Paco sorted out the bills by denominations, edging the corners, facing, and stacking them into neat piles of tens, twenties, and hundreds.
He reached into his boxers, pulling out the cardboard matchbox from between his scrotum and thigh. He slid it open, removing the two eight-ball sacks of cocaine, clutching them into his palm.
He sighed as his mouth widened into a yawn. His eyes heavied.
He again looked at the cocaine. A gentle smile formed on his face as he began to reminisce.
JUNE 20, 2022
DOUBLE PLATINUM CLUB – 10:18 p.m.
He’d just walked in, taken a seat at the bar near the entrance, and ordered a beer when he heard the sound of a sweet voice. “So, how did you get the name Paco?”
Paco smiled. “My mother called me that since I was young.”
“I like it. I think it’s cute.”
“So, how do you know my name? I would have remembered you.”
“We’ve never met.”
“So, again, how do you know my name?”
“I have my ways.” She stalled, panning the room. She giggled. “I heard the bartender say it.”
“What are you drinking? Can I get you something?” Paco signaled.
“A Red Bull… With a straw.”
“Now, tell me your name.”
“Tawny.”
“Nice to meet you, Tawny.”
The two locked into a stare. Tawny quick-glanced her drink as it was placed upon a napkin. She lifted the can in a toast. Paco returned the gesture. “Thanks for my drink.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
“You have a very interesting look.” Tawny studied his features. “You’re like some kind of an exotic mix…of all good things. Is your mother or father Mexican?”
“My dad was black, and my mother is Spanish. Her parents are from Spain.”
“Did I hear you say your dad was?”
“Yeah, he was killed.”
“I’m sorry, Paco.”
“That was fifteen years ago. I was eleven.”
“How did he die? That’s if you don’t mind me asking.”
“A deal gone bad.”
Tawny paused. “I’m sure he was so handsome… I bet you look just like him, too.”
“Are you flirting with me?”
“Can’t you tell?”
“I don’t like to assume. I like to be sure.”
“I’m flirting.”
“Okay, well, you’re not so bad yourself, Tawny. You look a little mixed, too.”
“I did my DNA, and I have like six percent Sub-Saharan African in me.”
“I can see where it’s at. You have the blue eyes, but you have the lips like a black girl.”
“I got the booty too. And it’s all real.”
“Stand up right quick. I want to see how tall you are.”
“No… Not right now.” She smirked. “A little later.”
“So you’re gonna make me wait to see that, huh?”
“Yup.”
“I’d still like to see how tall you are. You don’t have to turn around.”
“You want to know if we’re a good fit?”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t take off my stilettos, but we are. I can tell.”
“How?”
“You’re about six one?”
“Two.”
“If I hug you in flats, my head will be right in your chest… Perfect.”
“Yes, you are, Tawny. You’re very beautiful. I’m sure you’ve heard every compliment that I could ever come up with, especially while working in a gentleman’s club. But, I’m speaking from the heart. I really mean it. There’s something about you. I can’t explain it.”
“I feel it, Paco. Since you came in through those doors, I haven’t taken my eyes off you…
“I was talking to myself, wondering, who is this cute, sexy man with the curly hair and all those muscles?
“I knew that I’d better say something before one of these other bitches got to you first… Then you sat right next to me? That was when I knew.”
“Tawny… Do you believe in…?”
“Love at first sight?”
“Yes.”
“If I didn’t before, I do now.”
Paco peered slightly above Tawny’s shoulder. “I can’t help but to notice that server. She’s been watching us.”
“Who?” Tawny turned.
“She’s across the room. She has the long ponytail.”
“Oh, that’s my girl, Blake.”
“Blake?”
“Yeah, isn’t she pretty?” Tawny beckoned with a wave.
“Pretty? Tawny, she’s drop-dead gorgeous. She could be a movie star.”
“We grew up across from each other in Tyler.”
“Tyler?”
“We moved here to Dallas a month ago.”
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