THIRTY-ONE
IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME since the intimate incident with Samantha. Anij is waiting for a call from her. Maybe he should just go and talk to her and say that it was a mistake. Or maybe he should just go there and have more great sex with her. It has become a complex matter for him: She entered his life out of nowhere, and now there are more things that he has to take care of. One of the biggest worries is her boyfriend. Anij could simply be on the verge of death if her boyfriend found out.
Not only this has been bugging him, but also his reputation, and many other subsidiary things. Unless he pulls this off with much dedication and devotion, it will be just another fling that never really happened. So he is not sure what he should do; it has been over a week.
Suddenly, a bell rings. Anij doesn’t run to the phone. He pretends he didn’t hear it. He is just relaxing by the pool with the boys. The bell keeps ringing. One of the boys gets up and picks up the phone. It is, of course, Samantha.
“Hey, Anij. It is for you.”
“Who is it?”
“Samantha.”
“Oh. What does she want?”
“I don’t know. Come on and pick up the phone.”
“Okay . . .”
Anij is pretending he doesn’t want to talk to her. So he takes a moment to get up and put down his cigarette. Then he picks up the phone. His heart is pounding as he craves for her voice. But he tries to be very cool and calm.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Anij.”
“So — you need anything?”
“Oh, I need something, all right . . .You know . . . Come quickly. I want to show you something. Okay?”
“Okay. So . . . same stuff as last week?”
“Oh, you are doing the thing, right? Okay. Bring me the same stuff, please.”
“Okay. I will be there soon. Okay?”
“Come over fast . . .”
“Okay. ’Bye.”
He tries to keep it cool and calm, but inside he is smiling happily. He slowly walks up to his beach chair.
The boys ask, “So?”
“So what?”
“What does she want?”
“You know. Same shit all the time. She must like the stuff she got last week. Have you guys tried that?”
“Oh, that one? The new one, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That shit is a sweet baby. For me, it is the best so far. Not too strong, not too crazy. But it gives you the pep for sure.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Sure. It is pretty good.”
Then suddenly the phone rings again. Anij walks to the phone and picks it up.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Anij.”
“Hey, Mario.”
“Yeah. I got something for you. So come by my office when you get a chance, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Evening would be better, because I got some shit now.”
“Okay. I will come by later, then.”
“Okay. See you then.”
“Okay. ’Bye.”
Anij is so relieved. He has been actually waiting for a call from Mario, so he won’t have to come home for some time. He is relieved that he can spend the night with her. With a smile in his mind, he speaks to the boys.
“Okay, boys. Have a good time. I got some business to do today.”
“All right. See you later, man.”
“See you guys.”
Anij quickly goes upstairs and gets changed. A few moments later, he jumps into his car and takes off fast as usual. He gets to Samantha’s house in a jiffy. With a big smile, he runs to her door.
“Who is it?”
“Hey, you know me.”
“Come in.”
“So . . . You wanted to see me?”
“Hell, yeah!”
They start to kiss each other even more passionately than ever before. Now they know what they want, so they can just go ahead and take it for granted with no problem.
Anij says, “Hey, I’ve got to go later to see Mario.”
“Really? Why?”
“I don’t know. He called me up just after you called me. And he told me that he has something for me. So . . . I will be going soon.”
“Will you come back?”
“Yeah, for sure.”
“Good. That is all I care about.”
After hours of making love passionately, they kiss each other goodbye. He gets in the car and drives to where Mario is. Whenever he is with her, the world seems to be just so beautiful, and nothing is a problem. But as soon as he leaves her house, potential problems keep piling up in his mind. At least he has found happiness with her. So he tries to keep that thought with him at all times.
He gets to the restaurant and enters a back door. A doorman slides open a slot in the inner door. “What do you want?”
“It is Anij. I am here for Mario.”
“Come in.”
The door opens and he enters the kitchen. There are quite a few people sitting at a table in the middle of the kitchen. They are all eating. It looks just like what he sees in movies. A typical mob movie scene. It is heavily protected by lots of guys with guns. They all look at him, since it is a first visit for Anij.
Mario sees him and says, “Hey, Anij. Come and sit down.”
“Okay.”
“Hey, everyone. This is Anij that I told you about before. Say hello to everyone, Anij.”
“Hello. Nice meeting you all.”
“Sit down, Anij. What do you want to eat? They cook the best fish in this town.”
“Okay. I will have whatever you are having.”
“All right. Hey, you heard him. Give him what he wants.”
“Okay, Mario.”
Anij asks, “So, what do you want to talk about?”
“Well, we will talk about it after this, okay? I don’t usually talk business while I eat.”
“Oh, sorry. Yes. We will talk later.”
Anij doesn’t even know why he should be eating here with these unknown people. It seems they are powerful people, judging by their ages. He feels extra suppression from this kitchen and atmosphere. It is a very different situation for him to talk about anything with other people. So he is guessing that this isn’t any ordinary business. Constantly his eyes are rolling to check everyone’s faces and his heart is pounding. He is not sure who to look at or what he should be doing. This can be about anything. He just hopes that this is not about him and Samantha.
At the table are a few old guys who look to be sixty or seventy years old, and some other young guys are there, too, about the same age as Mario. Since Anij is only twenty-three, they are like uncles or fathers to him. These guys all seem to have class. Nothing looks cheap or tacky. That is one of the things that he wishes to pursue, being a real man of his own and looking nice all the time. And maybe some change in his pocket would not hurt.
It is not even eight o’clock yet and the restaurant seems to be closed just for this meeting. No orders are coming to the kitchen at all, which makes it really quiet, other than chewing and slicing noises. The chef is done with his fish. It sure smells good. It has been a long time since Anij has enjoyed such succulent cuisine.
Mario says, “They give you good food here — so when you want to eat something decent, just come here. It is all on me. But don’t feel any pressure. Okay?”
“Okay, thanks very much, Mario and everyone.”
“Oh, he is so polite . . .”
“Yeah, unlike many kids that I have seen so far.”
“Thanks.”
“Come on. Go ahead. Eat.”
“Okay.”
Surrounded by a bunch of unknown and possibly powerful people with unknown motives, he can’t really taste what the fish is like. He is sure it must be good but he doesn’t even know whether it is going in his mouth or nose. He is just slicing the fish and shoving it into his mouth. His focus is more on the other people at the table. He also tries to keep pace with them.
Mario is done with his fish. So is Anij. Almost everyone else is done, as well. Everyone is pulling out cigars and smoking them. One of the old men asks Anij, “Do you want one?”
“Oh, well. I never smoked a cigar before.”
“Oh, you are a virgin!”
“Hahahaha . . .”
“Yes . . .”
“Okay, why don’t you try mine? It is from Cuba. The finest. I am sure you will like it.”
“Really? That would be too much for me. But if you insist . . . Can I?”
“Come on. Go ahead, Anij. It sure tastes good. When you smoke a real one, you will know.”
“Okay . . .”
Anij is looking at the old man who is giving him a cigar and trying to mimic what he does. Anij takes a few puffs, then coughs badly, one after another . . . The guys at the table laugh and talk.
“Hey, this kid is a real virgin. Hahaha.”
“Come on, Anij. Don’t inhale it. Just take it inside your mouth. It is not like a cigarette. Okay?”
“Okay . . .”
There go the coughs again. Anij is choking badly. He inhaled maybe just too much. The guys are enjoying the coughs from the innocent novice. With a choked-up voice, Anij says, “Sorry, gentlemen. I just had no idea.”
“Well, now you know.”
“Oh, that means he is a real man, now?”
“I guess. Hahaha . . .”
The mood changes from a dismal silence to cheerful laughter. Anij can grab a string of relaxation with these guys, even if they are all laughing at him. Mario starts off the conversation and other guys join as the plan unfolds.
“So, Anij. The reason why we are here today is very simple. First, to enjoy the best food and second, to talk about some business with you.”
“For me? I mean with me? I knew it would be something, but I didn’t expect any serious business. So what is it?”
“You been to Honolulu before?”
“No. I’ve just heard about it.”
“Hm . . . Okay. That is fine.”
“That is better, actually.”
“What about that place? Am I going there?”
“Well, you see . . . We are trying to expand our business all the time, right? You know that.”
“Of course.”
“And in order for us to get to Honolulu, we should dominate Halawa first.”
“Where is it?”
“It is in between here and Honolulu. So if we can get Halawa first, then it would be easier for us to get Honolulu right after.”
“Hm . . . sounds good.”
“So I want you to go there and start our business before anyone else gets there. And of course, a few guys will come along. So it wouldn’t be just you.”
“Wow. It sounds really exciting. But when?”
“Well . . . That is something that we are not so sure about yet. Maybe a few months from now. We don’t want to hurry too much. Nobody wants to get fooled by lack of information, you know.”
“Yeah. We should send some guys first to see what is going on in that city, then we make our move.”
“And maybe take some girls with you, just in case you get bored. Haha.”
“Good idea. Why don’t I go there? Hahaha.”
“You are too old for that. Sorry. Haha.”
“So we are planning to send a few guys first, just to see what it looks and feels like. Then you can go after to start it properly. Okay?”
“Wow. Thanks so much, Mario and everyone. I will not let you down. I will do my best to keep it going.”
“I am sure you would like that. That is good.”
“Young fella has some guts. I like that.”
“But don’t get too excited. It may sound easy. But it can bite your ass anytime.”
“Oh, yeah. But Anij, you know what will happen to you if anything goes wrong, right?”
“Oh, yes. I have been many different places and done that sort of thing a lot of times. So you can count on me. I have many bad stories. This wouldn’t be the worst one for sure.”
“Really? Well . . . Sounds better.”
“And do you know how to survive with no support? We will not support you in any way after you get there, simply not letting anyone else know about it. You know that, right?”
“Oh, yes. You know what I used to do. I can survive pretty well on my own.”
“And you will not make any phone calls or anything. You just stay there and watch the whole city, you know, hookers, street businesses, real estate brokers, and many others . . . okay?”
“But we will call you when it is the right time. And from then on, we will be in touch regularly to keep things going.”
“Okay. I understand.”
“So, Anij. Go home and think about it. You don’t have to rush this, okay? Just think about it. If you don’t want to do this — or something else comes up — just let me know. Okay?”
“I can give you my answer right now. But for the sake of being prudent, I will think about it.”
“All right. I got some other stuff to talk about with these fellas. So you can go now.”
“Okay, thanks very much, everyone. I will pull it off. Thanks again.”
“I will call you in a few days, okay?”
“Okay. ’Bye.”
Anij exits the restaurant and heads back to the parking lot. A rush of excitement fills him. It just seems that everything is going too well for him. It’s true that no one knows what will happen. But that thought can be set aside for another time. He pulls out one of his cigarettes and smokes with a happy smile. He can’t wait to tell Samantha about this. He is thinking of this opportunity as a long vacation with her. Nobody will know him or her at the new city, and he doesn’t even have to contact anybody for a while. It is just the perfect getaway plan, but an organized one. So he will be happy with her. The only catch is that she has to dump her boyfriend first. But that is not a worry for him, anyway.
As his heart races at the thought of Samantha, he puts down his foot on the gas pedal. The car stops in front of her apartment. He doesn’t want to waste another second to tell her the news. His feet are flying on the stairs. As he gets closer to the door, he hears something. It sounds like some people are fighting. He isn’t sure where it is coming from. He checks the first door beside him. Nothing. The second door. Also nothing. Then he checks Samantha’s door. It is here. There is a chance that her boyfriend might have come back from the business trip. But he is not sure. Maybe it is a radio show. So he leans on the door with squinted eyes very carefully. There is the sound.
“What is the matter, bitch?”
“What the hell is my problem? You are the problem.”
“Hm . . . What did you just say?”
“You heard me, asshole. You are the problem!”
Her boyfriend slaps her face really hard. Anij can hear that even from the hallway. He freezes up, not knowing what to do. But then again he leans on the door, listening closely. It might be one of those fights that doesn’t really mean anything. So he wants to listen first. Certainly he can’t jump into this fight when he should be nobody to them. They continue to fight.
“Bitch! You talk back to me with that attitude? Bitch wants some beating tonight, ha?”
“Why don’t you just get out of my life? What have you done for me?”
“Shut up! I gave you a place to stay, money, drugs! What more do you want?”
“Yeah, like that is all I need.”
“You are just too happy to nag about all the shit that you have. See the other bitches outside on the streets? They don’t have nothing! And you have everything! And you are still complaining about what you have? And I don’t give you enough?”
“No! Never! You don’t even know me.”
“Well, then, why don’t you just get out of here? I can get any bitch on the street. Better than you. Why don’t you get out? Right now?”
She doesn’t say anything. Even though she despises him so much, she knows that no one will look at her and give her what she has now. Then her boyfriend steals the moment.
“Why are you so quiet now? Ha? I am right. And you are just wrong. You don’t even know what it takes to make money. And you are telling me all this shit? Like I said, why don’t you just shut up and get out of here! That is what I want. And I don’t give a shit what you think about it.”
Her fury bursts through the roof. Her heart is about to be boiled to steam. But she knows she can’t really do anything about herself. She is completely speechless, because almost everything that he is telling her is true and she is embarrassed by herself for what she has become.
Then he takes a seat and starts to smoke. She also sits down on a chair in the kitchen and starts to cry. Then he bursts out, screaming again, “Stop crying, bitch! I just hate that shit! Okay? Shit . . . I am out of here.”
He is about to open the door. Anij is surprised that he is about to come out. He should hide very quickly. There is really nowhere to hide so quickly. So he hides himself behind the door, hoping her boyfriend won’t look back. Her boyfriend kicks the door open and walks down the hallway without looking back. Then he disappears. The door hits Anij’s forehead very hard, but the boyfriend didn’t hear anything. Anij feels the intensity. He might have been killed if her boyfriend had seen him behind the door.
Anij’s eyes are locked on the stairway to check if he is coming back for whatever reason. But no one is coming. He hears a car leaving and it is fading away fast. Anij slowly enters the house and carefully looks inside. The house is just a mess. Not a single thing is intact, including Samantha. She is sobbing to the bone in the kitchen. He is looking at her. He is just looking at her. This is the first time for him to be directly involved in a situation like this, especially over a woman. He is just helpless to her now. He doesn’t know what to say or to do to make her smile again, which is what he wants the most. She doesn’t even notice that he is here. She just keeps crying with the deepest sorrow and despair. Her tears are soaking the table. Her moans are killing Anij. It seems like a requiem to Anij.
A minute seems like a million years under this much pressure. He has to do something. But what can he do? He moves closer to her and softly grabs her shoulder. She wakes up from her coma of crying. Her body and mind are terrified. She is having a violent spasm all over her body. Then she puts her head up and looks at him. It is Anij. She looks at him for a moment and lets herself bury in his arms. He holds her tighter than ever before. There is no word to describe what he feels now. If their love is at heaven, they must be on a bridge to hell. It is only a few steps away. Compassion and rage tangle in his brain. He doesn’t say anything or do anything. He just holds her. Samantha will not stop crying. But he doesn’t care. He is now willing to hold her as long as she wants him to. It is a sad and tragic sonata. But it is only a prelude for what they will face later. They just don’t know it yet.