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Terrorist Weather, Part 7 of 'What's Going On': A Political Fiction

2 years ago
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James Grady
James Grady
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Previously: A three-dead gun battle near Washington, D.C.'s blighted Liss Gardens pits gang truce negotiator Dante Jones against his wife Rhea, who's worried he'll be killed, the West Side vs. East Side Liss Garden crews, who's beefs exploded into violence, a city councilman who wants to dump his support of Dante's Coalition of Committed Citizens in favor of developers' progress, and the Gardens' crime kingpin Luther.
Picture a September morning when cool blue sky cups the city but the sun's strong enough to warm your bare arms as you stand outside a red brick Washington, D.C. corner grocery store. The caustic whiff of food additives and cleaning supplies drifting through the screen door doesn't matter. This is terrorist weather, 9/11 perfect with its crisp images of brilliant colors, trees scattered along the cracked sidewalk, one crinkled leaf turned from vibrant green to empty brown as it falls lost forever to the indigo street.
Great day to be alive.
Dante Jones, standing on the corner.
Sauntering up to him: Luther.
Wearing that black silk sports jacket over his colostomy bag and legendarily a shoulder-slung Uzi Dante was betting Luther'd left at home – or at least stashed in his smoke windowed, four wheel drive war machine. Wearing what he wore when came to my house to lean on me.
Luther's goatee flashed white teeth. "'Your wife like the flowers?"
Two men circled each other on the street corner.
"You got my attention," answered Dante.
"I don't want your attention. I want your attention on Liss Gardens."
"So you thought a scare would make me work harder on what I want, too?"
"Motivation is key to success."
"Motivation can backfire."
"That's what I'm saying. I'm just channeling what's best."
"Really?" said Dante. "That's your `motivation'? What happened to protecting your business?"
"These are amazing times in my industry. There's more product stashed in Afghanistan caves than retails U.S. domestic in one year, plus more product in the pipeline and flowing from alternative production sources. 'Could depress wholesale to street price without a monopoly, but on the upside, we're getting new customers from Uncle Sam's A-Stan soldiers shooting up their blues and then coming home needing to find a friend – kinda like your Vietnam, right my brother?"
Mocking brother. Mocking my history.
Rock it back to him to keep you equal.
"Surprised to see you outside alone. Where are your big dogs?"
"Where I want 'em to be. Where's your man 'Trey?"
"Not in this like us."
"See how you got boxed there? You had to push him out of...any unpleasantness between us, but to do that, you had to show that you give a ____ about the guy – which puts more on the table for you to lose."
Dante walked to the wall of the corner store. Leaned his spine against those sun-warmed red bricks.
Luther stared at the old man leaning against the wall. Took a beat.
Walked over and leaned his back on the bricks right beside him.
Two men leaning against a brick wall stared out at the city.
Luther said: "Hey, I'm pragmatic. Life only hits you where it hurts."
"That doesn't leave you with much."
"What I want, I get."
"As long as you don't want something way down deep."
"Life doesn't get any deeper than the grave, Dante. You should let yourself get that smart."
"I used to be."
"Yeah. And look where you are now. You phoned me. All it takes to rock your world is some flowers."
Rattlesnake buzz in Dante's shirt – Luther flinches – a cell phone.
"You best get that," said Luther. "You're a busy man."
Text message from 'Trey:
jrome came thru txtd me
wst side crew meet us noon
see u bat cave now
"Good news?" said Luther.
"Every new day is good news," answered Dante.
"Come on, man: spare me the stand in the circle and pray ____ you Coalition guys do. I know you are supposed to work the junkie program 'bout `a higher power' and your Rhea –"
Dante tightened on the bricks.
"-she's a church going lady with you in tow. But you don't really believe all that, do you?"
"I believe you gotta believe," said Dante. "Have faith."
"What are you talking about: politics, business or religion?"
"Yeah."
"How's that working out for you?"
"A whole lot better than before."
"Still, you're leaning against the bricks beside me."
A family SUV cruised down the street past the corner store.
"Look at them," said Luther, nodding to their Indiana license plate. "Tourists. Driving past us like we're just a couple of corner boys. They got a sweet voice satellite GPS telling them where to go and they've got no idea where they are."
"And we do?" said Dante.
Luther shrugged. "As soon as I walk outta sight, you're going to get a phone call saying that the Gardens' East Side crew will take a meet."
They looked at each other.
Luther smiled. "I am a man of some influence."
Dante said: "Walk away – and I mean walk away – now. Start it moving."
But Luther stuck to the wall. "You got a mess to sort through, my brother. Two bullpens of guys with not much to lose."
"They just don't know they're wrong about that yet."
"Sell it to them, not me. I know what they cost. So if it comes down to just a couple guys standing in the way of a truce, they'll get done."
"No! Don't! You can't!"
Luther grinned inside his goatee as he flowed off the brick wall.
NEXT – Episode Eight: Like A Cocked Gun
What's Going On is fiction. All characters and incidents, except for historic references, are purely fictitious. Copyright: James Grady
Related: 'What's Going On:' Facts Inside the Fiction
More articles from James Grady »

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