Fifty-Boy
27
Savvy Vivian
I'm an idiot.
I'm an idiot.
I'm an idiot...
Janice Hammer scribbled on the Starbucks napkin, over and over again and said to herself, "I can't believe I fucked up robbing my own bank," and scribbled,
I'm an idiot...
and said to herself, "Why did I ever involve Vivian?"I'm an idiot.
I'm an idiot.
I'm an idiot.
It was summer at the Jersey Shore, Janice Hammer was leading the good life on Summersea Island. She had a good job managing a bank off the Garden State Parkway out near Jimmy Leeds Rest Stop.
She had peace in her life.
She had custody of Adrian, her three-year old daughter.
She had plenty of money, direct deposit.
She had banked by phone and her loser husband Le-B-B had finally gotten lost with Duke and the boys in AC.
Wanamaker Jones was a detective with the Atlantic County Task Force;
a dark skinned lady on the broad side, not fat, athletically built, maybe five nine or ten.
She drove an orange BMW 1988 convertible 325i, black heated leather seats,
M20 engine, she just couldn't figure out how to keep the plastic back window from getting hazy, or how a loser like Le-B-B Hammer ended up with a classy Latina wife like Janice. Detective Jones had a particular interest in B-B boy since the bizarre robbery at the bank Janice managed.
Janice wanted to be rid of Le-B-B in the worst way, so she turned to her sister Vivian.
Vivian was savvy.
She knew people from her TV news job.
She introduced Janice to a man three planets away from Summersea Island,
a man who'd grown up in the streets of Atlantic City,
a man Vivian had interviewed during her series on crime in AC.
A man named Major Blue.
"There's only so much you can do with a man." Vivian had it all figured out.The daughters of Fracisco Diaz lounged in the shade on the veranda of Vivian's new downbeach home. It had a stone turret and a banana yellow door.
Janice had always been a little jealous of her younger sister, Vivian.
Now she felt sorry that Vivian's husband, Loue Vivant, was dead.
She tried to change the subject.
"Vivian, how can you afford la sirvienta, a housekeeper?" She whispered.
"And where did you get the peseta for this place? It's so beautiful."
"Louis had a lot of insurance, Jan. And I only hired Edzel temporarily, as a favor to someone, just 'til she gets settled. Besides, like I need a man? Like you need the bug? You should get rid of him. Does Adrian miss him? Does he ever see his own daughter?"
"Vi, every time I start to do good... It's like he can smell it. Every time Adrian and me are finally starting to have a little peace..."
"Get rid of his ass."
"How, Vi, get with reality, what can I do?"
"Who?" Janice said. "Daddy? Daddy needs to call one eight hundred gambler. Daddy is in so much debt to Le-B-B and his friends. Things have to add up, Vi, you watch too much TV."
"You don't watch enough, miss bank manager."
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"Did you see my series on street crime in AC?"
Janice waited for the punch line.
"Did you see my interview with Major Blue?"
Vivian leaned back and grinned.
"So?"
They were quiet while the older black woman put the tray on the table.
"Thanks, Eeebie." Then Vivian said, "Blue would crush your bug-boy like the roach he is."
"Knowing Le-B-B's story, and his friends? You got to be kidding. You think he'd take a chance like that for somebody he doesn't even know?"
"No," Vivian sipped her lemonade. "But he might do it for you little sister."
"No entiendo." I don't understand, Janice said.
"Habla usted Ingles?" Vivian had always been a bi-lingual wise ass.
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