Gangsters Paradise

The late afternoon spring sun was doing its best to warm the outside air, my car being closer to an oven in shape and design often required AC even in the winter if the sun was able to bake its contents. We where stuck in Traffic, my passenger Johnathan was from a major east coast city close to Baltimore. We bonded on that foundation than begun to build, what was scheduled as a 45 min ride from work to J's home was now going to be about an hour and 15 mins, but as he unfolded his story to me, the walls of time where eroded by the imagination, the illusion of time that is unacounted for in our sleep was being drummed in a silent steady cadence as my concience mind powered and manuevered thru traffic the other "unused" part became very much alive as time became unacounted for and fleeting like a waking dream. "I was inta selling dope in the east"- he said with a slight street slang. He was thin, early 30's about 5'8 and not more than 130lbs. He talked like he lived it and breathed it. He continued, "I saved up a few dollars than headed out to Cali. (California) I went for my birthday and decided to stay. I found that weed was cheaper in California, so I had the idea to send it USPS thru the mail to my contacts on the East Coast. I was killing in. I had so much dough in such a short period of time I began to live a higher standard of living, I met new people, different circles. I met a gal that I fell absolute love with. She was a stripper and a high $ call girl , she made more money than me as she had clients that flew her to Vegas just to be the weekend with and would come home with 1,500$ cash. My chill personality was perfect for her because she was usually wore out. She knew what I did and was ok with it. Down the road as we became more serious, and I wasn't jealous of her business but I wanted to provide for her and wanted her to stop eventually. I found out her Dad was a famous gangster who had escaped prison as his partner had not. I saw his photos in her house with her his daughter, also him with his friends. I couldnt believe it, since I had idoilized him growing up. I couldn't believe I was dating his daughter and was thinking of marriage wit her. She was drop dead beautiful. I had the most amazing life, I couldnt believe a poor city boy like me was living the high life in Cali. I was making tons of money, and had a rich beautiful gal that who's dad was "king gangster." It was like a dream. I was living it. She couldn't believe how chill I was when I found out what she did, and was not trying to get her out of it. Atleast I wasn't yet. Well the day came when she wanted to introduce me to her Dad. I told her not to tell him what I did for a living. She smiled and said Ok. That day came I couldn't believe it when we shook hands. I couldn't believe it. We talked for a second then he asked if he could talk with me 1 on 1 out back behind the house in the shed. I thought I was going to get kilt and put into a few bags after I got chopped up by his friends who where also there. It was a BBQ. I was terrified man. Terrified. As we got to the shed he hadn't said a word, and I could smell a familiar smell but I was to worried to notice. When he opened the door it was dark, he pointed for me to go in, the fading light of the afternoon disapeared as he closed the door behind us, this is when I said in my mind, its been a nice life. Goodbye momma. After an eternal second he switched the light switched on. All around me was black trash bags. At first I tought man, hes kilt alot of dudes or its weed?!? it smelled like it.. Then he took my hand clasped by my forearm in an embrace and said "welcome to the family" Then it clicked the bags I could see where full of weed, all kinds, I could see some opened up in the unlight parts of the shed. I could see it,&the closed ones had to be weed. I had truly died and arrived in gangsters paradise. "If you ever need let me know, we can work it out, call it a family discount." he smiled with the white teeth he had left overshinned by gold ones in his cat like grin. For the next few weeks, my girl and I partied hard, we both smoked that was the coolest thing about her, now we really smoked. We went to Vegas for a few weeks/ends, we gambled, we ate, and we made love. She took off from her job and now that her Dad was my number 1 supplier I was high rolling it out to the east coast with an Amazon style of Inventory. I used a burner phone that my hommies had the number of and I would write the number on the box of the package just incase I got a call from the Post Office I knew I had to lay low or stop for awhile. This was mid 2000s and Weed wasnt legal and it still isnt in alot of places, it was harder then. Things where smooth roses for a few months, than the phone call happened. I answered but didn't say anything becuase I didn't recognize the number. "Hello this is USPS, there is a problem with your package it got wet..." I hung up before they could tell me the rest. I smashed the phone. At first I was only sending small amounts, as I got more confident I started sending a large box full. Your talking lots of jail time my friend if they ever caught on to who when where. I was so scared, that I stopped. My girl detected my mood change and started working agian. I couldn't live with not bringing in some kind of money to our table. She didn't care but I did. I got so upset I came back home then later on got a good paying job out here where you picked me up. She called me a few times and even flew me out for my birthday. I still smoked with her and still smoke now but its different, you feel me? Its a dangerous life I didn't want to live anymore. I loved her but couldn't be the little fish in the money world. Shes got some one else now but she kept the door open for me for a few years. Whats your number, we gotta have a few beers sometime your really kool" I exchanged numbers just before he went to his humble apartment. I still have the number in my phone, and picked him up agian a year later he remembered me and was working on starting a clothing store. I get so busy with hustling in the ride share world that Its easy to be a bad friend as Im working the weekends most friends are hanging out chasing women. Chasing the dreams we all live.

The Indian Connexion

Tim or Fred or what ever the name is, every time this tall , very thin dirty blonde with glasses gets in my car its a vale of distracive darts trying to get my innocent questions off track. The first pick up and subsequent pick ups are in the same place. outside by a bar or A VFW. She is wearing a black dress with the back exposed. On the late dark night her silhouette looks seductive. Sleek. While in the back seat her reality was less seductive. Her conversation is split between playing candy crush on her phone with her thick bottle glasses brightly light up by a bright screen. Her playing seems like what people do as if about to go to a job, for being at night she seems like she is not carefree and intoxicated its more work mode. "I cook at a restaurant during the day for work" was a statement at some point during our shallow innocent no judgment conversation. Her breath even from back there with the windows cracked to let the cool early fall air mixed with a hot day to air out the car smelled of a sick cats. My nickname in my mind was "cat breath, or Kathy we shall call her was on an only 7 min ride, and she sneakily with a koi playful smirk in her approach had got my number by getting me to sign up to her candy crush game rewards. I willingly accepted out of curiosity not attraction. Her speech was price hill slightly ghettp gal. When dropping her off at her stop it was some nice apartments right near 275. She would tell me to stop and then she would say " Goodnight Sweetheart." and stand in one place till I left. This happened 3x on random weekend nights. Kathy would be at a VFW with an apartment complex just behind or adjoining and she would be dressed up. She would talk about her job working with Mexicans and how they wanted her to come over for dinner with 10 people to an apartment. and we would go to the same stop. But the ride names or the owner of the ride would be a males name with same name being twice. She would get out and not move till I left. " see you sweetheart " she would say as she got out." call me" she continued. The most recent and possibly last was a wild conversation about her Uncle where her and the mother live, or live with was about how before she left the apartment two naked women where laying on the couch. Then did you get my message? No I honestly didn't. was my response. Then she texted me again " lock me in" being so busy with work and not really attracted to her beyond friendship I haven't, she had a very attractive street charm, she was a baby " Hey Baby" she had alot of confidence. Now fastforward 2 weeks latter. I hadn't had Kathy in awhile, and I get a pick up for the exact name and area I kept taking Kathy who claimed she was getting an apartment there at one point but was having problems. The oddity, I never had asked. This time Im meeting the owner of the ride. The buyer, who name is Capitolized exactly as Kathy's In hops im a man, its early Friday evening and its still twilight. Frank is about 50 ish but young looking, just behind him jumps in a very fit Indian woman complete with a strong accent very tan skin, thick shorted legs and long black thick hair. They where headed to Jimmy B's and seemed very happy. She was clearly younger in age but age wise seemed older business oriented, professional. That made it hard to descern her age. They are happy and talkative. " what if I send them bitcoin for money, its like 20$ an hour " the conversation continued from before they entered the car. ""Im telling you , its a scam" I was told the whole modern reinvention of stealing, the latest ahah idea of hoodwinking people into stealing from them. "That sounds like money laundering or they are trying to rob you was my response. Fred said " See , I told you". The ride is only going one mile so it's over fast. A week goes by and I get a pick up for Fred again. This time his beautiful Indian gal is not with him. So i asked politely, " where is your side kick?" He chuckled, I don't know how I got her. I met her on tinder we both swiped right, shes looking for an older man and is very chill she just wants to watch Netflix as she stays over for a few days. She is not supposed to date white guys, her parents would kill her. she has to FaceTime her parents two times a day in India. If she is over my place she goes against the wall in the hallway and doesn't show them where she is as I tip toe around" I congratulate him on how he is 55 and she is 25. He continues " Her parents will arrange a marriage for her when she goes home after she is done her business program at UC in Clifton. When i first picked her up I thought I was going to get killed because it was all Indians in her area. Luckily it has worked out and I tell her I will never get married again." for a young gal going for a divorced man is the part they mess up on. Yes they are more mature and relaxed but could be a jaded to the point of never wanting to get married again. " Her parents will make her date and marry someone they choose, its so wierd, they would kill her if they knew she was with me a white guy in the states." I joked he could change his name to Hijabbu and get a spray tan. "No im never getting married again, maybe she will stay here in the states after she is done school?, my friends at Jimmy Bs really like her". As I dropped him off at JBs, it all connected. With the small back burner thoughts and the absence of Kathy the Call gal who like to cook up stories had been absent. Its a wild world.

"I'm Running for President "

Saturday, its still Cincinnati hot, for some reason pools close Sept 4th, yet by the end of the month its still swimming hot for Oktoberfest. This Saturday the first of September there is a hoge poge of events all attracting young gals in extremely short shorts, and short white shirts, mainly to support the college football team and to cause car accidents. There is also a baseball game, my least favorite because of the traffic jams caused by those who have to park right next to the stadium. At some point early afternoon I'm in the vicinity of aka Over the Rhine west of Clifton and start to Notice the many Catholic mini Cathedrals built atleast a hundred years ago and the surrounding neighborhood with stone walls. I immagined the German immigrants building these whos families are long gone and have been replaced. I noticed these Catholic churches and adjoining buildings, maybe old monasteries now apartments buildings for the first time everywhere as I grew more comfortable in my navigations on a very rare consecutive cloudless sunny afternoon. Add the cherry to the day of the busy day was a Soccer game or football as its called in the rest of the world. Maybe it was named soccer in the USofA as a way of describing the poor simple suckers (kids like myself), that played it. Its busy. Its hot for Cincinnati. The pings for rides are relentless. I tried my best to avoid Kentucky because its a dead end. Im an Ohio driver with a CDL A but have to take Kentucky defensive driving re-teaching every year for 40$ in order to pick up in Kentucky. Sounds like another government scheme to generate Bahama vacations. So as a small protest I refuse to re-teach myself a language that was drilled into my head over and over during my CDL days and Im an Ohio driver. Only those laws apply to Kentucky drivers. As I got closer to the 60 rides in 2 days grind, grinding out 33 today hopefully by midnight. I get a ride to the dreaded tipless west side. I see one pop up for 15$ I ignore it, after a few minutes yet it popped up again. So I grabbed it. 15$ with out a surge is a 30 min to 45 min total ride. Im on Baltimore street its dark, its sketchy its run down. A large African Male with a bag is waiting. My first thought given the surrounding area and having witnessed true Baltimore City level violence during the daylight hours, I was very skeptical of this ride, or the intentions. Ive had plenty of drug deals needing rides. When he first spoke, he was alittle broken like my speech tends to be as his mind is way ahead of his mouth making it difficult to keep up or articulate his high horse powered mind. He was very observant, he expressed his passion to learn about other cultures and life in general as he talked about his frustration of the last Uber driver who chickened out from picking him up as they where 3 minutes away they turned around and started to head away, back towards mad max thunderdom after midnight aka Downtown with 2 hours to go, so he dropped the ride. He was praying someone with the ability to drive to arrive. The thought to cancel had crossed the back of my mind, but something told me to continue before my arrival. Maurey was destroying every bias ive developed from west side rides. He was a Gentle Giant. we talked about Uber drivers and past travels. He stated at one point, "I had a lady with a hijab who was asian pick me up once. I thought she must be Indonesian." Ive also noticed a huge uptick in Muslims in Cincinnati. By forceful design not a natural change as I've picked them up all over town like purposely placed transplants. A few families live in one house in my neighborhood as of last year as the Government had bought the house for them. I have no disdain for them but they follow strict rules for social things, those woman who wear the hijab , who have been passengers for the first time this year out of four.5 years of rideshare. Maurey had 2 women in hijabs pick him up. One 2 times. Each one did not wish to engage in conversation. I told him its considered flirting or cheating on a spouse if they are married. Im certain its forbidden. It was my intuitive thoughts as Ive ingaged in basic communication when interacting with the half dozen in 4 weeks now from all over the area. His asian one turns out had converted to marry her current husband. "I had another driver who was Asian with a German accent, it was so bizzare , as I told him, you have a German accent, he acknowledged that he was raised in Germany." I called out Maureys name as being French in origin. He dittoed my observations and then we dived down the french rabbit hole for awhile from cooking to his preferred Vegetarian burgers we shared so many small similarities from food to observing people. As the subjects changed from my weeks long conversation fatigue he blurted "We need an Independent Party President, I should run for President. " he said after a short discussion his statement was after I had asked who he preferred in the current cards of candidates. "Both parties are the same" I agreed , " You need to run now for the next one, as in 4 years." was my suggestion. He thought about it for a second as the political discussion started to dissipate we moved onto a rider I had who meditated the entire ride, a Chinese lady who spoke 0 English. " I practice Qi Gong, and meditation " he chimed in to make her odd ride less marginal to more mainstay. " Your not the average rider, your a special person, thank you so much for the talk and meeting you." he was warmly quiet and said thanks quietly. When we arrived to his night shift job at the horse races at Beltaire the local casino. I tried my best to verbally show my appreciation and how much he captured my respect on his intelligence and observations. He was a mon friar, my brother, as he got out and hugged one of his co worker at the gates at about 1030pm dark, as I pivoted to go on to pick up Hunter....just another rider who is as normal as all the other Cincinnati Midwestern people. Earlier in the ride I tried to help him understand that inside him is a seed that will blossom 🌸 in its own time as he begins to write his stories, his observations. I felt a French connexion with him, on an ole Louisiana style, one of a deep unseen familiarity many are unfamiliar with. He was and probably will be my best ride and one of my favorites.

Died Suddenly

The real hustle is late nights on Friday/Saturday. Tonight was a Friday. honestly it had been a low day. I kept getting a ride request that was at Kenwood mall for a rider named Kava, I had a surge and in order to keep that surge I had to accept her ride, even though I Kept accepting it, she kept canceling it. After about 5x she messages me, "stop accepting my ride!" then dropped. gone. Well since im less than a half mile away. Her ride pops up again, my message: Racist? this time I drop the ride and loose my surge charge of 9$. The rider can see me, my picture and what kind of car I drive, All i see is her low rating and the name. It could be anyone really, im quessing a woman. So after loosing that 9$ I left and hopefully called out they're bias. As I drove down the road I laughed as that area jumped up to a 12$ surge, to Kava thats a 40$ charge plus all the times Kava canceled at 5$ each time. So her ride was probably costing about 100$ at that point and her judged by a cover driver probably got an ear full to help lower her rating. Later that night, 9 hours latter its around 11 pm. The rides going home from the local bars are in full swing at this point. Im working my favorite, less mad max effect of Anderson. Compared to downtown at this time, its manageable. I get a reguest at a place called the lounge where a very attractive middle aged lady with a low cut white blouse and black pants is quickly smoking a ciggerette as she is about to enter. she hops in the front and as she is doing so, im adjusting her seat because its rarely used. She has dirty blonde hair, and looks almost hispanic. She immediately says, "Im so glad to see you" thank you Chastity, was my response. "Im soo glad to see you as she touches my arm , she proceeds to recount the tale of woe of her current dilemma. " My boyfriend wants me to sleep with him in his wifes bed, she just died, I can't do it, i have principals. Im not like that, she just died and hes already wanting me to move in. You need a new FN house man, you and your wife lived in it for 30 years. He said I will buy a new bed, No you need a New FN house." I agreed and asked a few small questions...she then continued buzzed but not drunk. "She just died suddenly, unexpected, the kids hate me and never will like me, you need a new FN house yeah douche.." Have you ever been married? i asked..."yes, he got some girl pregnant " she starting laughing and than gave me a hug before she left to her next watering hole to spend a few hours hopefully trying to forget the whole thing...