Marshall slammed four dominoes on the table. ‘Bow! Six love!’ The other dominoes jumped, and Marshall and his partner exchanged a high five. The recriminations started between the other pair as they discussed who had played poorly to allow this to happen.
‘Pardy, is wha’ kinda shot dat yuh did play? How you can go push blank back to him? Yuh nuh see sey me beat blank.’
‘Is either me give him de double blank, or me release de double six.’
‘So you never have nuh deuce?’
‘No P. You read bad.’
They rose. ‘What you guys drinking?’
‘Whites and milk,’ Marshall said. Marshall’s partner asked for a rum and coke.
‘Jerk chicken and festival also?’
‘Yeah man.’ The opponents left the table to get the drinks and food.
‘What you doing with yourself since you left JTC?’ Marshall’s partner asked.
‘This and that. Trying to stay out of trouble,’ Marshall said. ‘I hear you guys have been put on the cellular network now, as the senior statesmen of the telephone company.’
‘Yeah, they had sent us on six weeks training in Miami on this new system. Pretty archaic if you ask me. The technology out of Europe is better.’
‘Enjoying it?’
‘I guess. Pay still sucks. A lot of guys have been leaving over the last two years, going into the IT companies. The pay is much better, although you lose a lot of freedom, as it is not as easy to do roasts.’
‘You still doing dem tings?’
‘Of course. How else can I afford to go on vacation to the US each summer? Need to earn my air fare and pocket money.’
‘Ha.’ Marshall leant across the table, and said in a hushed tone, ‘Tell me something?’
‘Sure, what?’
‘Are the cellular phones as easy to tap as the landlines?’
‘Easier. It’s amazing. That’s why I said the system was archaic. I know that there are more secure systems around, but the one we are implementing now isn’t very secure.’
‘You can also block calls?’
‘No problem.’
‘So if I need you to tap a number for me, could you do it?’
‘Sure. Who is it? Some old flame you trying to keep tabs on?’
‘No.’ Marshall indicated that his partner should lean closer. Marshall whispered in his ear.
‘What? Are you crazy!’
‘Shh. You don’t want to attract attention to yourself over this.’
‘I can’t do that.’
‘What if I made it worth your while? Pay for your vacation.’
‘How much?’
‘Five large ones.’
‘That’s not worth my while.’
‘Greenbacks.’
‘Whoa!’ His partner sat back in his chair. ‘It means that much to you?’
Marshall nodded. ‘No questions asked. No trace left behind.’
‘Deal.’
Marshall took a brown envelope from his back pocket and slid it across the table. He looked around the room at Jerry’s Jerk Centre. ‘Where’s the food?’ Marshall called.