Copyright ©2020 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved.
No part of this chronicle may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system – except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper – without permission in writing from the publisher, Creole Gaudet.
CHEVRON – NORTHWEST HIGHWAY – 8:18 p.m.
The meet-up was for 8:30 pm. When I arrived, Dan was already waiting.
I walked to his driver’s side. “It’s going to be dry for a while, Dan. My connect is lying low for a couple months.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, brother. What are you going to do?”
“I’ll be okay until it comes around again.”
“Where does that leave us? What do you have left?”
“This is it. This is the last piece I have.” Dan paused, staring. “Dan? Are you okay?”
“Ah! Yeah… I’m sorry. I lost my train of thought for a second.”
“Did you hear me? This is all that’s left.”
“Yeah, copy that.” He handed me five twenties.
“I’m sorry about your party.”
“Party? What party?”
“The party you told me about. You invited me… You wanted me to bring some coke…”
“Oh, we had that.”
“I thought it was upcoming.”
“How’s Sway? Is she still around?”
“Yeah.”
“Man, she’s a beauty. How’d you get so lucky?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s my time in the sun.”
“Are you serious about her? Is it something real? You’re probably just fucking her for now, right? She doesn’t mean anything to you, does she?”
“Actually, she does.”
“She’s like your girlfriend?”
“I think so, Dan.”
“I do have a party coming up in a couple weeks. They’re going to be some very influential people there, brother.”
“I won’t have anything by then, Dan. I’ll still be out…”
“Just bring Sway and you’ll be okay.”
Dan abruptly placed the Ferrari in gear and pulled away. I stood watching as he slowly disappeared down the highway.
HOME
Other than the couple of forties held back for Demi, I was basically out of the cocaine business.
My scale was old and worn, and I was already low on baggies. I decided that I was going to get rid of all of it. I figured that if I didn’t have product, there was no need for paraphernalia.
I placed my entire kit into a doubled grocery sack, tying it tightly into as small a ball as I could.
Instead of the hotel trash room down the hall, I took it, along with my garbage, to the dumpster at the end of the driveway.
It was half full, which gave me good cover. I tossed the sack to the far corner and placed my garbage in the middle.
My paranoia made me do one last swivel, checking to see if I’d been seen.
I knew I’d be back soon, but there was an immediate sense of relief. A weight lifted. A kind of freedom.
It was only a small taste. A nibble of my ultimate goal of walking away from it all, clean. To do it while I’m still young and to be able to enjoy it to its fullest.
I’d gone back inside, washed up, and made a turkey sandwich. I took everything to my spot on the sofa.
After a couple of bites, I picked up the remote. As I flipped through the channels, I paused on MSNBC. The host was talking about a virus from China that was killing a lot of people and had the potential to spread to other countries and cities if not contained.
Remembering the guy with Ebola a few years ago, I thought how scary it would be if something like that were to hit Dallas or even anywhere in the United States.
I began to tire.
It was two thirty-six when I was awakened by a text alert. It was Sway. She was five minutes away.
I jumped up, hurrying to brush my teeth and freshen up as quickly as I could.
I took my empty plate, rinsed it, and placed it into the dishwasher.
The door opened. “Hey, daddy! What are you doing?!”
I helped her, holding open the door and taking the suitcase. “I just woke up. I was watching the TV and fell asleep. How’d it go?”
Sway stopped in her tracks. She turned to me. “How’d it go? How’d it go?”
I could then smell the alcohol. “How was your night?”
“Oh, it was great!” She walked over to the coffee table. She stood, opened her purse, and emptied the wads of cash and loose bills. “I did fucking great!” She tossed the purse to the floor.
I took a seat on the sofa, looking eye level. “How fucking much is this?”
“I don’t know. I just bring it to you. You tell me how I did.” I looked to her. She grinned. “I know I’m drunk.”
I laughed. “So I see Demi was right, huh?”
“Oh! Oh!” Sway posed with a hand on her hip. She tossed the other. “Let me tell you about your friend! That bitch! And I mean no disrespect. I know she’s your customer.”
“Fuck that. What did she do?”
“Let me tell you! I’m going to talk about her, okay? You don’t mind, do you?”
“Sway, tell me what happened.”
She took a seat next to me as she began to undress. “Do I look stupid to you?”
“No, what are you talking about?”
“I just want to know… Am I a fucking clown?”
“Sway…”
“Bitch tried to get half my fucking bag!”
Creole Gaudet
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