Tales Of A WasteMan PART: 2

Danton’s eyes widened as the cool strip of metal pierced his gut wall. He stepped backward easing himself off the blade, dropping the food spilling jerk chicken and rice on the ground. Marcus withdraws the knife and stabs him twice more.

He waits for Danton to drop before he turned and ran. He ran hard and fast. He was nearly knocked over by an old lady in a Punto but he was lucky enough to reach the curb.

He runs clear out of town, through Nechells to a canal at the bottom of Duddeston Mill road. He stands on the bank breathing hard, looking at his shimmering reflection in the green murky water.

He drops the knife into the canal and watches it sink out of sight. He looks out across the water but all he could see was darkness. He felt a strong guilt growing in his chest like a poisonous venom, growing with every breath. He focused on the money to blank it out.

His phone vibrated. A missed call and a text from Avaria, his girlfriend’s sister.

Azaria wata broke, hospital kwik.

He looked at the message and sighed. Not now, he thought. I can’t deal with this right now.

He pulls the last tenner out of his pocket and sigh’s again, he can’t go to the hospital. They would have taken Danton’s body there by now and they would probably be looking for him, so the hospital was the last place he felt he should be. He decides to go home.

He gets back to the area without a hitch, no police cars with blaring sirens looking for Marcus Handly, no mans rolling around in blacked out whip ready to waste him.

He see’s one of his dealer’s at the entrance to Blossom Tower flats off Park Lane.

“Yo, I just picked up ya know” said Frosty. Marcus had long forgotten his real name so he started calling him Frosty due to his constantly dry lips

“I got some blue cheese, blood. Its poe trus”

“Can ya do me a five” said Marcus.

“Naw, man. Ya killin me with these five’s , blood”

“Alright, trus me a ten till tomorrow”

“I can’t do dat” said Frosty, he touched his chin and thought for a moment “ya know what just give a five, I’ll bust one in two”

“Ya got change for a ten”

“Ah come on, blood”

Later he sat alone in his flat smoking and looking at the missed calls and messages on his phone. Azaria was at the hospital, her water broke while he was dealing with Danton. He knows where he should be but he sits still, waiting for Lewis to call. Waiting for his prize.

But it didn’t come. It was now ten o’clock and still no call from Lewis, and Azaria’s sister had stopped ringing an hour ago. Her last message read;

Wasteman...

He sat perched on the edge of the couch smoking his last splif, waiting for his phone to ring.

He sighs and stands up walking to the far corner of the room to stand next to the statue of an African warrior. Spear held firm and strong, ready for the kill. He touched the head as he would often do and said.

“Same warrior, different jungle” he sighed out the last pull of the roach and watched the smoke engulf the warrior.

His phone rang.

“What’s goin on, blood! What’s wid da long ting?” said Marcus

“Hold ya mout, blood. Remember who ya talkin to. Yeah I got ya peas, but ya need to do one more thing for me”

“What!”

“One of Danton’s man’s, Pierson, is lookin for me, yeah. Man thinks it was me that done him in. Now what I need you to do is-“

“Hold up, blood. I did da ting, just gimme my money and deal wid man ya self”

“Oi listen, blood. I told ya to hold ya mout or I’m gonna bust it like I did ya cousin E-Jay. It’s a simple ting, just peel man’s car from outside the CountryFoods shop in Newtown, and bring me his tings. He parks it there every night to go check his baby mom”

“I ain’t passed my test” said Marcus.

“Did I ask if ya passed ya test? I ain’t passed mine, I got fake license and insurance, blood. When ya get da whip, drive it to the Landor street in Nechells and burn it. He usually picks up his stash before he goes to baby mom’s. Bring me da tings and I’ll give you ya peas, simple”

He clicked off before Marcus could accept or decline the offer. With no credit to call back and no electric in his flat he did the only thing he felt he could.

He walked to Newtown. Screwdriver, wire hangar and Stanley Knife in his left pocket.

He stared at Pierson’s black BMW M3, 09 plate. He walked over to it and tried the handle, it opened. He smiled.

“Oi Wastman” said Pierson “what ya doin in my car, blood”

Tales Of A WasteMan PART 1:

by D.D Campbell

It was mid-afternoon when Marcus walked into the JobCentre. He hands his signing book to the security guard and walks over to the computer terminals to do a job search.

“What’s goin on, blood?” said Lewis approaching from behind.

“Doing a job search. Ya cool?” he said touching fists with Lewis.

“Yeah man, you been thinking about what I said?”

He had been. Lewis had a business proposition. Lewis needed Marcus to do his dirty work, and in return Marcus would become part of his crew. This was supposedly his initiation, and this was the proving ground.

“I’m not on a long ting ya know, I’m loosing peas just talkin to ya. Ya gonna sort that ting?”

That "ting" in question was to shank a competing dealer who had just moved to the area and was under selling Lewis.

“It’s a quick ting, blood” whispered Lewis “I’ll bring you in, make you some proper peas. This JobCentre ting is long,blood. Ya got a kid on da way. Ya can’t bring up a kid with giro money, thats long”

It is long, thought Marcus. He dreaded the fortnightly routine of signing-on. It made him feel defeated as a person and a provider for his soon to be family. The thought of working for Lewis seemed less and less crazy as the day’s ebbed away and money was thinner.

I do need the money, he thought. But the pro’s outweighed the cons. Could he really loose his head over money? Did he have a choice?

He looked up from the screen and said “I’m still thinking but I’ll let ya know, blood”

Lewis huffed and sucked his teeth “Tell ya what, I’ll wait for you outside. Think quick, blood, your time is my money” he walked off.

“Cool” said Marcus.

“Marcus Handly” called one of the advisors.

He sat down and looked across the table at the portly advisor. Mandy on her name badge, a smiley face covering the 'a'.

“Have you done a job search this week?” Asked Mandy.

“Yeah, but nothing’s come up” he lied. He spent most of the week playing Guns Of Duty and smoking weed.

“Okay, well make sure you write down what you’ve been doing as it might affect your claim” she said.

Typical prepared line. She couldn't care less if her life depended on it.

While looking down at the faux wood desk he wondered where he was going. Even if he found a job it would take a month before he actually got paid. He couldn’t wait a month, his son was due in a month.

He signed and walked out. Lewis called to him from his brand new VW Golf. His girlfriend Stacy was in the passenger side before he told her to “Move up, get in the back” and she did so without complaint.

“Yeah, yeah?” said Marcus running his hand along the bonnet down to the blacked out rims matching the charcoal grey body paint.

“Get in” said Lewis.

Lewis drove them out of the area toward the city centre. Stacy was on the phone discussing an upcoming party with her friend. She was pretty but her voice was whiny and annoying.

Lewis gently turned up the radio to drown her out. He had lit a cig and slid the window down half way.

“I’ll give you a grand to start off with” he said“soon you could be holding down five a week. I picked up this car over the weekend, paid cash”

“I’m still thinking, blood” said Marcus.

Lewis sucked his teeth and said.

“Time wait’s for no man, especially a waste man”

Another one of his botched quotes, thought Marcus. Even so it made sense, botched or not.

Lewis parked along Oxford street in Digbeth. He pointed across the street.

Danton came walking out of a ‘Sweet ‘N Jerk’ carribean takeaway, carrying two parcels of food. He was a tall man, dark skinned and well built.

“Look at him” said Lewis his voice almost scowling “man thinks he’s the one”

Marcus watched him, he definatly had a swagger that suggested he did think he was the one, but Lewis walked with the similar swagger.

“Do it, blood” said Lewis “don’t be on a long ting”

The one thought that would define his next move crept into his head and declared dominance. Wifey, sitting at home, eight months pregnant and expecting her man to bring in the peas.

What kind of man would I be if I let her down? He thought. What kind of father would I be?

By the time Lewis had placed the hilt covered knife in his hand, Marcus had made up his mind. He stepped out of the car.

“Breeze out when its done and dash the shank in the canal” said Lewis. He casually drove off leaving Marcus.

By that time he had stopped thinking and was already moving on Danton. He needed no other incentive to do what needs doing.

With his hood up, heart thundering in chest and better life in mind he approached Danton.

"Yo, wasteman!"