THE DESERT SONS CH 6 : NO GOOD

[The Urbane Spaceman]

Whatever you have done in your hard, sordid life,

Wherever you have gone and done very bad things,

…well,


All sins are forgiven here, in this Urbane Spaceman series.


Do you see this? It is not absolution, it is not solving anything at all.


It is simply this: right here. Confession: Simply, and purely. Coming clean. Wipe it away, the future may not be brighter, but the load is a bit less heavy. Some of you will know what this means.


Most people do not know what this means, and that would be the best thing for you. Enjoy your in-no-cents. Innocence. Count yourself lucky that you have never done things that some of have done. No harsh on you. No sarcasm. I wish that I was like that.


Maybe next time, if I ever get to re-visit this marvelous tiny blue marble, floating alone around a tiny star we call Sol,

…on the end of a finger of the Milky Way Galaxy…

…of galaxies that number far beyond count.



Certainly, we are the only people in the vast eternity of space and time to exist, to wonder about thing we have done to each other.



That is what we are told to believe.



Let’s get dark now.



Perhaps you should fix yourself a DRINK right now, or chug form the chalice in your hand.


That is what I’m doing.




+ + + + + +



Joey came back form his room all dressed up in his fancy clothes that he’d hidden in his plastic bag inside the wall.

I looked up at him and said, “What the fuck? Why you wearing all them fancy duds?” Yes, it was the 1980’s, and we talked like it was the 1880’s.


He said, “I want to meet this bitch.”


Holy shit. What the fuck?


I said, “Joseph, why would you want to do that? That big ugly biker is coming here tonight, and you gonna fuck with him?”

Joey said, “No. You gotta trust me here.”



I shook my head. I said, “You want to fuck her, and you ain’t even met her yet. You got something loose in your head, and it’s your dick.”


He laughed and grinned his evil flash of teeth. He said, “It’s what I do. This is me, Urb. You should know this by know.”


I just shook my head and looked down at my hands. I was done with this guy.


But, do you know, he was right. About all of it.





+ + + + + +



Joey sat there all pimped up, and I sat there worrying and ready to take all of my shit and GO.


And then there were the familiar sounds of a large hog rumbling up the street. It was time to shit or get off the shithole.


Into the shit.



The motorcycle rumbled into the parking lot, and the biker blatted his hog and cut it off. Curtains in windows overhead closed, all around. Nobody wanted any business with looking outside at this point. Lights went out and some people hid under their beds.

You know, we still had the big X on the lawn outside.



In a bit, there was the loud rap on the door. I got up to go open the door, but Joey shook his head. He whispered, “Make him wait.”

I said, “Hah? Make that fucker wait? Joseph, what the hell is wrong with you? You loco?”



He said, “It’s a power play. Now shut up for a couple more seconds, and then go let him in.”

Crazy bastard, but on this point, I trusted him. Dude knew his shit.


Them knocks became louder. I wondered if the shitty door would hold up against it. I said, “Fuck this shit” and I went to the door and opened it up.

The big biker said, “You boys done blowing each other? For fuck’s sake, I got some shit to do here!”



I said, “You know, Brian, you need to tone it down. People get up at respectable times here in the morning.”

His first impulse was to swing his fist, and I saw that, but then he stepped back. He laughed.

He said, “All right there you bastard. All right.”



I let him in, and told him to lock the door. I walked down the little corridor and said, “We’ve redecorated. How do you like our new furniture?”

The biker looked around and said, “Looks like you got some new shitty furniture. Where did you shop? At Crap By Us?”



Then he saw Joey sitting there all dolled up and whistled. He said, “You going to the Prom?”

Joey said, “Brian, don’t forget to scour the place for hidden attackers.”




Brian nodded and pulled his pistol out and went about. Hell, we had nothing to hide that he wouldn’t appreciate. Although, Joey’s pron materials were all gone. Soon, they would be replaced with better lubes and tools of the sexual kind. Better for Joey, of course, and his ladies.


The biker came back and settled down. He put his Browning away and slammed the briefcase onto the table. You know, that thing had some tooth marks on it, and head dents. Those were not from him trying to open it back up if he forgot the combination numbers. Dude never forgot anything.


He took the bottle of rum in the middle of the table and chugged form it, but not all the way empty. He was becoming respectful. I was now beginning to understand about Joey, the little lion man. I guess he knew his way through in this dark matter.


Joey said, “How have you been Brian?”

The biker said, “I told you not to call me by my name. Can you at least respect that?”



Joey said, “What nickname would you like?”

Brian thought for a moment. He said, “You can call me Big Bad Balls.”



Joey chugged his wine and said, “All righty then. You will be known as Brian until we come up with something better.”

Brian sat, “Fuck You!”



Joey said, “Hey, just telling you here, man: no one gives themselves a nickname. You have to earn it. We’ll come up with something better. Now what you got in the case?”

Brian chuckled. He said, “Fuckers. OK. Just don’t called me by my name until you figure what the hell it is you want to call me. I need to keep myself protected.”



I grabbed my beer and chugged it and slammed it down and burped long and loud. I said, “You saying that you ride in here and wake up the whole neighborhood with your Harley and you want to be discreet?”

Brian looked over at me and he clenched his teeth and his fists. He said, “I don’t know you, and you don’t know me.”



I leaned forward and looked him right in the eye. I said, “You don’t want to know me.”

He leaned back and studied me. He nodded. He said, “Well there you go. That’s how we will do this. Fine by me.”


I nodded back at him, but I was about to shit my pants. Hey, don’t look at me that way. I was new to this game. But now I was fully in. I guess I had made my bed, and now I was going to set it on fire.


I snuck a glance at Joey when the biker opened his briefcase. Joey nodded back at me and looked back at the biker.


In the ten minutes, all sorts of things changed in our lives, all three of us. This was the start of the end. Form here, there was no turning back. It would always be this way, and nothing would ever fix it.


Of course, it also meant that we three, there, were to become beholden to each other. This was in the name of the Evil Flower.


Before this, it was simple party favors. These are the long tubes, all gaily wrapped in pretty paper that you lay across each plate at a dinner party, and you pull them apart and they make a loud bang and then everyone gets the giggles.


Form this point onward, there would be no laughter anymore.


Are you ready for this?


I am.


I did this, and it is all true.



Brian said, “She is trusting me here. I trust you. It’s all on me, again. You delivered, and in one night. I don’t know how you did this, but you did it. I don’t need to know any details, because your money tells the truth.”

Joey nodded. He said, “You could smell it, huh.”

Brian said, “Yeah, of course. Sometimes the money you give me smells like fire, like from explosions. There was blood on it. Blood money.”



Joey said, “What about her?”

Brian nodded. He said, “That is where you young fucks need to stop. No more of the danger. You need to settle down. I don’t know how you moved that last one, that tiny brick, but I sure hope you didn’t rile folks up.”



Joey said, “Rile folks up? What do you mean?”

Brian said, “I am telling you that some shit went down at a local biker bar the other night, and that was very dangerous. I don’t need to know if you were involved in that. That’s not my business here. But that sort of shit will make enemies. That is the sort of thing that will ruin everything. You guys understand that?”




He looked at me and I nodded. I was done with shitting my pants. I was fully in. It was past the point of no return.


Brian looked at Joey, and Joey stood up. He said, “When am I going to meet this girl anyway?”



That was when the big biker closed his briefcase. He sat back and studied Joey. Then he stifled a chuckle. He blew a snot rocket on the floor, but that was OK, because that was what floors were made for back then.

Brian wiped his hands on his jeans and he said, “She asked me to bring you back to her tonight so that she can see your eyes. I guess that I will. Are you ready?”




Joey said, “Why the fuck do you think that I am dressed like this?!”


Huh. I saw a new side of Joey. He wanted to fuck this girl. I wondered if his brain was in his penis. Maybe it was a magnetic pointer, like in a compass.


The biker snorted. Then he chuckled again.



I couldn't help myself. Fucking Joey. All dolled up like for the fucking prom. I laughed. It was the sort of laugh that makes you cry, years later, when you wished that none of this had happened.


Joey just smiled and went to meet this woman.



Damn.


Urb Out.

.

[oldsmartskunk]

I am really drunk right. I am trying really hard to write these words. This story literally gave me a boner which in my current condition is very hard to do. Drugs, booze and danger. We only live once. It's a miracle you lived through all that. These stories may sound cool, because you write in way that filters out all the danger, all gut gripping -asshole tightening fear. And these things should have present at all times. It's a good thing there weren't so much cameras, satellites, white men powered security and overall watch over regular people. No damn internet which would betray you in an instant. These were wild, decadent and exciting times. I am waiting for these tales. And i always have special kind of booze stocked up - our classic mead. I always drink it when i read these.
Just a random thought: lube and toys?

[oettinger]

I am really drunk right. I am trying really hard to write these words. This story literally gave me a boner which in my current condition is very hard to do. Drugs, booze and danger. We only live once. It's a miracle you lived through all that. These stories may sound cool, because you write in way that filters out all the danger, all gut gripping -asshole tightening fear. And these things should have present at all times. It's a good thing there weren't so much cameras, satellites, white men powered security and overall watch over regular people. No damn internet which would betray you in an instant. These were wild, decadent and exciting times. I am waiting for these tales. And i always have special kind of booze stocked up - our classic mead. I always drink it when i read these.
Just a random thought: lube and toys?

Well said. Sometimes I think I was born too late. Internet is nice for connecting us and all but at the same time we got gay shit like patriot acts. Does it read pat-riot act? Wow! Times definitely became faster and more dangerous. Urb would be waving his hand from one of these private jails today for sure.

[Dear Booze]

...These were wild, decadent and exciting times. I am waiting for these tales. And i always have special kind of booze stocked up...

I look forward to these tales as well. I only wish they would show up more often.