For the past week Earl had been dreading the arrival of his boss. He was afraid the man would be able.to see in his behavior that he was hiding something. Angrily, he stared out the window, wondering what was to be done. The front door opened and both of Daddy Cool's stepsons came in, followed by their loudmouthed friend, Tiny. Tiny was a heavyset dark-skinned man, who was known to have a quick temper and who liked violence. On three different occasions Earl had to put him out of the poolroom for starting fights. If it wasn't for his close friendship with the two brothers, Earl would have barred him permanently from the place.
The three men came in, speaking loudly so that the girls working in the restaurant part of the establishment could see and hear them. Earl gritted his teeth. His mood was already a foul one, and with them on the premises it promised to get worse.
"What's happenin', Earl?" Buddy said as he came toward the front table. "You look as if you done swallowed somethin' that didn't agree with you."
The other two men laughed while Tiny glared at the huge man. He didn't have any foolish doubts about whether or not he could take the big man, though. Common sense told him to leave Earl alone. There was something dangerous about the huge man and Tiny knew it.
The three of them started up a nine-ball game. In the next hour all three flashed large bankrolls, making sure half the people in the poolroom saw that they were loaded.
Now Earl knew his day would be spoiled. For these fools to come up with large rolls of money, somebody had to have been ripped off. Earl wondered if Daddy Cool knew about it. If he didn't, he wouldn't be long in finding out, once he reached the poolroom.
The three young men laughed loudly. At every opportunity one or the other of them flashed his money. The other men sitting around watched them jealously. The sight of the large bankrolls only made everyone envious.
"All right," Earl warned them, "ya goin' have to cut down on all that swearing or take it down the street."
"Damn, baby," Tiny said loudly, "whose goddamn poolroom is this anyway? To listen to him talk, you'd think he owned the motherfucker!"
Before the speaker finished, Earl moved in on him. He didn't waste any time with idle threats. He just burst into action. He hit the heavyset younger man under the heart with a short uppercut. The punch traveled less than eight inches, but nevertheless, it was a powerful punch.
Tiny grunted, then reached for the edge of the pool table to balance himself. There was no thought of putting up a fight. The young bully was almost unconscious on his feet. Regardless of his condition, Earl didn't lighten up. He swung again, catching Tiny on the side of the jaw. It sounded like a board being cracked.
Before Tiny could fall, Earl caught him under the armpits. He straightened the man out and leaned him up against the end of the pool table. He glared angrily at the other two men.
"Now, I don't give a shit if your stepfather owns this joint or not. I'm paid to keep order in here, and that's what I'm goin' do. If either one of you don't like what happened, take it up with your father. Until then, or until he says it's okay, consider yourselves barred from your father's joint, dig it?"
The younger brother, Jimmy, wanted to say something smart, but the brute force of the man in front of him gave him a feeling of fear that he had never felt before. There was no way of knowing if Earl would cut loose on them or not, and Jimmy didn't want to take a chance. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at his friend Tiny.
It was hard to believe that Earl had taken Tiny out of the picture so easily. Even though Jimmy hadn't had any doubts about Earl's ability to whip Tiny, he hadn't thought it possible for Earl to do it in such an easy fashion.
The older brother, Buddy, just shook his head. He had too much sense to get involved in an argument with Earl. Common sense told him that they had gone too far already. Daddy Cool would back Earl up no matter what they said. Earl's word would be taken, and it was possible for them to be barred from the poolroom for a long time. Now they didn't have anywhere to hang out, all because of Tiny's and Jimmy's big mouths.
He had cautioned them about flashing the money, too. The dope man they had stuck up would be getting various wires from fifty different informers, and it wouldn't take long for him to find out who was spending large sums of money. Buddy thought back on the stickup. Everything had gone smoothly. They had caught the dope man's woman at home by herself, and there shouldn't have been any problem.
She had given them the money, but that hadn't been enough. No, Tiny had wanted to have sex with the woman. So now, not only would the pusher be mad over being ripped off, they had added insult to injury. Tiny had raped the woman while the two brothers waited in the front room.
"Now," Earl's voice shattered his thoughts, "you two get that motherfucker out of here, and when your father comes, I'll tell him about what happened. If by chance you see him before I do, you can tell him for me."
"They don't have to tell me nothing," a voice stated harshly from the rear of the pool hall. At the sound of Daddy Cool's voice, all three of the men jumped.
Earl was the first one to regain his composure. "Hey, my man," he began, "we had a small sort of run-in a few minutes ago, brother."
"Yeah, I know all about it," Daddy Cool stated as he walked through the small crowd of men watching the action from the safety of corners.
"Good," Jimmy yelled loudly. "This sonofabitch had the goddamn nerve to jump all over Tiny here just 'cause Tiny made a mistake and cussed."
As Daddy Cool came around the front pool table he stopped in front of his younger stepson. "You know what, Jimmy," he said softly, "you're just about the biggest lying cocksucker I've ever known. And when I say that, boy, I'm talkin' 'bout a hell of a lot of lying cocksuckers!"
The sound of laughter broke out as the bystanders began to really enjoy the show. Most of the time it was just everyday affairs that came to them. They came out of their houses and sat around the poolroom to kill time. It was better than watching television every day. At least it got them from under their wives and mothers, who were glad to see them go.
Most of them were out-of-work laborers or young men too lazy to seek employment. There were jobs around, but none of the daily loafers ever sought employment. A few of them, those able to shoot pool fairly well, hustled a few dollars from some of the working men who stopped by at evening time.
After a sharp glance from Daddy Cool, the laughter dried up, each man attempting not to be caught laughing. Daddy Cool's cold grayish eyes swept the crowd. There was a deadliness in them that gave each man who thought he was being picked out a shake from an unknown fear. If any of them had been asked, they would have denied it on their deathbeds.
Fear? Never!
The long walk from the parking lot to the rear of the poolroom had taken its toll on Daddy Cool. He could feel the pain from his healing ribs, and that didn't improve his temper any. The sharp pain in his side made him aware of the damage done to his body from the beating he took. His anger became almost unreasonable as he started to take it out on his two stepsons.
"Both of you motherfuckers don't appreciate nothin' nobody does for you. I asked you to try and find out where your sister was at, but instead you come up here flashin' a small bankroll that you took from some goddamn paperboy and not doing what I asked." He stopped long enough to catch his breath.
Buddy knew what he was going to say before he said it. With all his heart, he wished he could make his stepfather change his mind. What he had feared was about to happen. A good thing was being blown for no reason at all.
"So I'm going to tell both of you how I feel. Now, Earl has already told you not to come back into the poolroom unless you got my permission, and I don't think that will be coming no time soon. So," Daddy Cool stated coldly, "since I'm not about to give you my permission on the poolroom, I'm going to add one more little thing to it."
He stared directly into Buddy's eyes. What he saw there gave Daddy Cool reason to hesitate on what he was about to say. Over the years he had gained a likin
g for his older stepson, and he didn't want to judge him the same way he would judge the younger boy.
"At first," Daddy Cool began, "I was going to tell both of you to go home and pack your shit. But on second thought, I've found reason to be a little more reasonable." Daddy Cool glared angrily at the two boys, who listened to every word he said as if their lives depended on it-which was close to the truth.
"Now, instead of kickin' both of you out of the pad, I'm goin' do it this way." Daddy Cool watched his two stepsons as his words seemed to rock them off their feet.
"Now, I want Janet home, but I can't find her. So I'm going to leave it up to both of you. You have got one week to bring your sister back home." He raised his hand, stopping the comment that the younger brother was about to make.
"I just want you to bring her there so I can talk to her, that's all. Now, if you can't do this, I want both of you to pack your shit and get the fuck out from under my motherfuckin' roof. Do I make myself clear enough?"
He stared from one brother to the next, watching them closely. He knew how close he had come to putting them both out but had caught himself just in time.
For one, Buddy was thankful for the second chance. His face was flushed and there was no resemblance in his features to that of the man who had entered the poolroom earlier. He believed implicitly that what he had always feared was about to happenbeing put out on their own, with no means of support except for the income that they made off their notorious stickups of the neighborhood dope men.
The younger brother, Jimmy, was a different case altogether. He thought differently. The thought of being kicked out of the luxurious ranch-type home didn't fill him with fear. He was all too ready to step out on his own. Youth and a kind of bravado was on his side.
He didn't believe anything could really happen to him. Even now, with Daddy Cool glaring angrily at him, he drew himself up and sneered, revealing yellow teeth as he placed a hand on his hip and spoke sarcastically.
"Big deal. Now we're supposed to spend all our time checkin' out all the whorehouses to see where Janet is workin' at, then...."
That was as far as he got. Before he could finish, Daddy Cool had moved across the small space separating them and reached him. Grabbing him by the collar of his navy-blue shirt, Daddy Cool pulled him close and slapped him viciously across the face.
"Boy," he said, and his voice was at a deadly low, "I don't know what you're tryin' to say, but Jimmy, this time you had better get it together!"
Jimmy, staring into the wild eyes of his stepfather, believed for a second that he had gone too far. But since he knew truth was on his side, he decided to play it for all it was worth. He tried to disentangle the hands that held him so tightly.
"Listen, man, I ain't got no reason to lie," he began. Then when he felt Daddy Cool easing his grip, he continued. "If you don't believe me, ask old black-ass Bill standin' back there against the wall. He done turned at least two tricks with her, so I sure ain't lying!"
The elderly black man called Bill tried to make himself smaller in the small crowd. He bent down; the last thing he wanted was to be put on Front Street.
Daddy Cool released his stepson and turned around and searched the crowd like a blind man. There was a distant look in his eyes. He was gazing at the crowd of onlookers, but even though his eyes were wide, it was as though he were blind. The shock of his stepson's words was still ringing in his ears. The truth was something he didn't want to hear.
In his private hurt, he didn't see the angry glare Buddy gave his younger brother. What Janet did, Buddy reasoned, was her business. He didn't like the idea of her turning tricks, but again, it was her business.
Earl watched the man he loved fumble around like a blind man. The hurt was too apparent. He was like a man in shock. "Bill," Daddy Cool cried, "Bill, you bastard! Come up here! I want the truth out of you, nigger, and nothin' but it!" he yelled, still not really seeing the man he sought.
Bill, on the other hand, believed that Daddy Cool was staring right at him. He came from the rear of the crowd, cursing his luck. The last thing he wanted was to face an angry Daddy Cool. When he reached the front of the poolroom, he held back, keeping a pool table between him and Daddy Cool.
"Yeah, Larry," he said, using Daddy Cool's real name."I'm here, man."
Fighting back the tears that threatened to pour out, Larry Jackson managed to get himself under control. He focused in on the man he wanted.
"Tell me, Bill, tell me the truth. Is this young motherfucker lying?"
Before Bill could answer, Daddy Cool screamed, "If he's lyin', I'm going to make sure his young ass pays for this shit. I mean it, Bill. I don't play this kind of shit!"
There was desperation in his voice. For a second, old man Bill started to lie, but his eyes caught those of the younger man and his knees began to shake. He knew if he lied he would have to pay for it. The younger violent black man who had made the claim would wait for him outside the poolroom, and Bill knew at his age he couldn't handle the younger man. An ass-whipping was something he didn't need.
He dropped his head. "Yeah, Larry," he stated, "it's true. I turned a trick with her for twenty-five dollars. I didn't know she was your daughter, I swear. I just picked up a young girl on Woodward and took her to the motel. It wasn't until afterward that a fellow told me she was your child." He began to blubber. Tears of fear rolled down his cheeks as he saw the cold, deadly stare that Daddy Cool fixed on him.
"I swear," Bill continued, "I just didn't know. She's a fine young thing, and I was just spendin' some money. You can't hold that against me, Larry, you just can't!"
The man's words beat at Daddy Cool like sledgehammers. He heard them but didn't want to hear them. The man's begging was enough to assure him that he spoke the truth. Now the only thing he could think of was why?
The question kept ringing in his mind. If she needed money, all she had to do was contact him. So why be a whore? She wasn't an addict, or was she? This was a new perspective. If the nigger she messed around with had made an addict out of her, then he could understand it. But first of all, he would have to find out if this was her problem. Whatever it was, he would help her and take care of the person responsible for her problems.
"As for you," Daddy Cool stated, staring down at Jimmy, his younger stepson, "I want you out of my house today. When I come home, have your shit and be gone. If I find you there, I'm going to forget you belong to your mother and kick all the grippers out of your ass! Do I make myself clear?"
He stared down into the younger man's eyes, waiting for a reply that would be smart enough to let him go the way he wanted to go. He wanted to explode in violence. For one of the few times in his life, Larry Jackson was damn near out of control of his emotions.
Knowing that his stepson had this information and had kept it to himself helped to foster his anger. He didn't even consider the older brother; his anger was all for Jimmy. The smart-ass one. The one who enjoyed breaking such news in front of all the loafers in the poolroom. At that moment, Daddy Cool was gripped by an emotion to kill. He knew he wanted to kill, and it didn't concern profit this time.
"You scummy little motherfucker!" he swore in Jimmy's face. "I could cut your motherfuckin' balls out and enjoy every minute of your pain! But I can't allow myself that enjoyment at this time. But Jimmy, I want you to know, boy, from here on out, just because I live with your mother, that don't mean nothing. If you so much as cross my path, I'm going to try my goddamnedest to kick all the black off your ass!"
To retain his pride, Jimmy tried to break the grip Daddy Cool had on him. But for all his twisting and turning, he couldn't make the older man release his collar. Even though Jimmy was dark, people could see that he blushed from the embarrassment. He cursed wildly, his temper getting the best of him. Never before in his life had he been treated in such a way in front of other people, and his pride couldn't stand it.
"Goddamn it," he swore, "turn me loose! I ain't the one who turned her out, so why the fuck ar
e you tryin' to take it out on me?"
Jimmy's words rang a bell with quite a few of the men watching. They believed that he was getting a raw deal. It wasn't his fault that his stepsister started selling pussy, so why should Daddy Cool take it out on him?
But Daddy Cool was thinking altogether differently. He didn't blame Jimmy for his sister's predicament. What he blamed Jimmy for was keeping it quiet. The young boy should have come to him at once with the wire that his sister was out on the streets. Then, between them, they might have been able to do something about it.
But Daddy Cool knew the makeup of Jimmy too well. He knew the young boy enjoyed seeing his sister out there, and that was the reason why he had waited, then tossed it into his stepfather's face when he had got the chance. For being that petty, Daddy Cool had decided to make him pay.
No more would he shoulder the responsibility for the acts the young boy committed. From now on when he got into trouble, he would have to get out of it the best way he could. No more would Daddy Cool send a bondsman downtown to get him out. Those days were over with.
"I'm goin' turn you loose, boy," Daddy Cool stated, "but just remember what I said. Act like we live in two different worlds from now on, 'cause if you don't, I promise you a world of trouble that you can't begin to understand that I can cause you!"
He released the boy, then turned to his older brother. "Buddy, you see to it that he gets the fuck out of my house. What you do is up to you; I'm not puttin' you out, so it's your choice." Daddy Cool turned on his heels and walked swiftly to the rear of the club.
Earl watched the two brothers pick up their friend and hold him up. Then they started toward the front door. When he was sure that they would go out without causing any more trouble, he turned on his heel and followed his boss to the office.
U WAS DARK OUTSIDE, even though it was still early. Janet glanced up at the sky. It looked like rain. She prayed silently that it wouldn't, because if it did, it would make her business bad. For the hundredth time, she remembered that today had been her birthday. How good it would have made her feel had Ronald given her a small gift.