MC: LaPonte (15 page)

"Why didn't he just call
me?" What the hell is this about now?

"Fuck if I
know."

"How did you know where I
was?"

"Digs." He says with a
smile.

"Fuckin videos. You know
what he wants?" I shake my head.

"Yeah Brother, he wants to
fuckin talk to you." He makes me laugh.

"Where's he at?" I ask
taking my hand down.

"Security." He says
starting his bike up and walks it back.

I follow him to the old
police station. He brings me down to the basement. There's fuckin
water everywhere. "What the fuck?" I had a walk through with the
plumber myself. I follow the sound of voices and rushing water
around to the old holding cells. Prospects are moving shit from the
lower shelves. Ben is standing in water watching them. I take the
pipe and walls in, I'm trying not to laugh. His pants are wet up to
his knees. There's a big fuckin hole in the main line.

"Pres, you wanted to see
me." I say holding it in.

He looks at me as if I'm
crazy. "Yeah Brother, thought you could get this fuckin water
stopped before we have to replace ALL our fuckin weapons and
ammo."

I give him chin and walk
away. I don't laugh until I make it around the corner. Going to the
utility room I shut the water off. I stop smiling as I come back
around talking to the plumber telling him to get here now and that
it's the main. I walk over to where he's standing watching the
Prospects. He looks like he's in deep thought running his hand
through his hair.

Tiny is standing on the
side of him, Pres looks my way.

Before he says anything I
say, “didn't know you wanted another range Pres."

He looks confused. "Range?
Fuckin water is all over the fuckin place! Don't tell me the firing
range is flooded too." Hands in his hair again.

"You got people shooting
those walls too?" I ask keeping a serious face.

"Brother, what the fuck
are you talking about?" He's starts yelling.

"Pres, there's a gaping
hole in the fuckin pipe that I know hasn't escaped your notice.
Then there's the fuckin walls riddled with bullets. You want
another range; I need to build it first. You can't just pick a
fuckin spot and start shooting." He looks at where I'm
pointing.

Tiny's covering his mouth.
Pres looks at the Prospects, he's livid. "It just blew?" His voice
is low and deadly. They all stop and nervously look at him. "You
drag me down here telling me the fuckin pipe blew. Had me thinking
the building ain't safe. Even asked if we should get everyone out.
You have me standing in a fuckin foot of water because you were
playing with the fuckin guns? I'm tempted to let VP deal with you
for shooting up his fuckin building. Fuckin Prospect ain't worth
this kind of shit." Every fuckin one of them pales. "He’s going to
fuckin love this one." He looks at Tiny. "You deal with these
motherfuckers until I decide if I want VP to kill them in their
sleep!" He turns and stomps out splashing the fuckin water all over
himself. I hold my face smiling.

"Tiny, did you know he was
standing in fuckin water?"

He lets out a booming
laugh. I wait for him to calm down. "Digs called me with the
message. I didn't know anything but he was at the holding cells
waiting for you. He didn’t say anything about water or Prospects
shooting the place up. I can’t believe you told him he didn’t miss
the gaping fuckin hole in the pipe. I hope Digs got that." He
starts laughing again.

I look at the Prospects.
"Which one of you mental midgets thought it was ok to start
shooting in a closed in area surrounded by cast iron and steel?" I
try not to laugh when three of them step back leaving a stocky kid
out to hang.

Tiny booms at them.
"Fuckin Prospects. Something happens and you're all together,
you're all fuckin together. Fuckin Brotherhood means you don't hang
your Brother out to dry." He points to the moron standing alone.
"Want three pages on how fuckin stupid it is to shoot in this area.
Don't ask me any questions about it. Three pages, from the
computer. Normal writing, don't try fuckin with me. It comes back
looking like a third grader wrote it, I'll fuckin beg VP to deal
with you. Get the fuck out of here. You three, get this fuckin
water cleaned up, fix those shelves. I want everything in order,
labeled and counted. Get an inventory report up to Digs by tomorrow
morning. Your fuckin Brother does stupid shit while you're with
him, you own it with him. I don't give a fuck you beat the shit out
of him later, but in front of your officers or elder Brothers, you
own it with him. Brother does good while you’re with him you own
that too. Brotherhood carries honor, no honor seeing your Brothers
turn their back on you. Get this fuckin place cleaned
up."

I follow Tiny out to the
stairs. "A fuckin report?" I ask with a smile that's pulling on my
eye.

"Couldn't get the fuckin
picture out of my head of Pres standing in water thinking the
building was falling apart around him. Like the chicken book Little
Ben had. It's all I could think of with the picture of him in my
head with the funny hair."

I hold my face too late,
I'm doubled over laughing. Fuck it hurts but I can't stop. Fuckin
Tiny.

I hear someone coming down
the stairs, then the steps move faster. A hand on my shoulder has
me standing up trying to catch my breath. Tiny is just watching
with a smile. Steve looks concerned. "You ok?"

I chuckle again still
holding my face. "Tiny surprised me with the Pres comment, saw him
as Chicken Little. Him thinking the building was falling down hit
me before I could hold onto my fuckin face. I was laughing through
the pain." I smile at him. Still holding my face.

"Need to look at this." He
surprises the fuck out of me lifting the patch off. "Looks like you
stretched the skin. Can clean it and patch it or you goin to see
Doc?"

"I'm waiting for the
plumber. I'll have Doc look at it later." I want him to put the
fuckin patch back on.

He looks at Tiny. "Wait
for the plumber. We'll be back in a few." He holds the patch so I
can see it. "Stretched the skin a lot. Needs a patch
now."

Seeing the blood I nod
with a sigh and follow him up. I imagine my sunken eye socket with
blood dripping over the scar on half my face. Fucking great. Steve
has the patch so I'm walking the halls to his office like this.
Fuck if I'm going to ask him for it back. Brothers are stepping
around us looking nervous.

Casper comes out of his
office and smiles when he sees us. What the fuck? "There's a fuckin
picture for training. VP you look like you’re ready to kill
someone, what's up?"

"Fuckin Prospects got the
water shut off playin with fuckin guns they have no call for
touchin. Fuckin Brothers think I care they need to take a fuckin
dump. Can't get fuckin shit done they keep knocking."

I bend over again
laughing, holding my cheek and eye. Casper cracks up. "I can't
think of any time I’d think it’s good to talk to you about taking a
dump." He's roaring. "That what happened to you Danny?" I can't
stand up to answer. I'm laughing again.

"Pres thought the
building's falling apart. Tiny made reference to Chicken Little,
Danny wasn't ready. Laughed, like with the staples." Steve tells
him. Casper is back to laughing hysterically.

I stand up trying for deep
breaths without laughing and move my hand; fuckin blood is all over
me. I'm trying to breathe through the pain. "Fuckin great, get Digs
to print this picture. Tell them I asked about a dump. They'll
leave you alone." He cracks up. I start walking to his office
getting even stranger looks. Brothers are staying far
away.

I grab some bottled water,
paper towels and head to the mirror. Fuck. I step back into the
hall and look for the camera. I look straight at it then duck back
in grabbing more water and cleaning my fuckin face and hand. Fuck.
Steve comes in carrying a first aid kit. He puts pressure to stop
the bleeding then applies cream and patches me up. I clean the eye
patch and put it back on. "Thanks Brother." He lifts his chin and
we head back to the Prospects.

Tiny is smiling when we
round the corner. He holds a picture up for Steve. "Fuck! He's
fuckin quick.” I say holding my face. The picture says 'was fuckin
Prospects shut the water off - not Danny!' Half my fuckin face is
covered in blood.

Steve looks at him in
question. Tiny shakes his head yes then tapes the picture on the
board by the cells. Steve walks down to where they are. "Can't do
my fuckin job ‘cause Prospects shut my fuckin water off. Every
fuckin Brother thinks I should know, like I’m a hotel fuckin
concierge!" The prospects freeze looking at him. "Tiny’s got a job
for you. Get it done, be back here in ten or I will hunt you the
fuck down, line you the fuck up and show you what fuckin damage
each gun does on your fuckin body. Won't hit a fuckin wall
Prospects!"

I'm holding my face
looking at the fuckin hole in the mainline. Thank God the plumber
comes in. I settle down and explain what happened. I leave him to
it and head out. Climbing the stairs I decide I need to get dry
shoes and pants then check on the daycare. The new furnace should
be in today. Opening the door I slap my hand to my face bending
before I laugh. Every fuckin door has the picture on it. This must
be the job. I have to get out of here. I'm not going to make it if
they keep this up, I'll be at the fuckin hospital hemorrhaging from
laughing.

I’m just leaving Millie
when my phone goes off. “Need you back at Security.” Steve says
then is gone.

Fuckin hell. I got shit to
do on the other side of town. I ride back and run up the stairs.
Kate is in the hall screaming at Prospects. I walk up behind her,
“K.” I lift her up and take her into the first door I see. Thank
God it's an empty room. She starts crying. “What’s going on
baby?”

“They put your picture up
all over the fucking building. What is wrong with them? Are you ok?
What happened to your eye?” I kiss her to stop her from yelling any
more questions.

“It was a joke. I was
laughing.” I smile at her.

She doesn’t think it’s
funny. “All that blood is from you laughing?” She’s looking at me
as if I’m nuts.

“Steve took the patch off
and I started laughing again. I got blood on my hand and it made it
look worse than it was. I swear I was just laughing
baby.”

“Why did Steve take the
patch off?” She’s still pissed but she’s not yelling
anymore.

I want to laugh. I set her
down and dig my nails into my hand. “Tiny caught me off guard. I
was laughing when Steve saw me. He saw the blood at my patch and
wanted to make sure it was ok. He patched me up. I’m
fine.”

“Danny, I feel like I’m
taking the long way around a circle here. What happened to the
gauze before you were laughing?”

Fuck. I look away. “I
forgot to pick some up. I didn’t have any on.”

“When?” I fuckin hate that
she knows this shit.

“Before the wedding.” I
say softly, hoping she won’t hear.

“You think you could have
said something? I have no problem picking up gauze. The Dr said the
cream goes on so your movements aren’t ripping the skin until it’s
completely healed. Do you think you can share when you need
something?” She’s talking soft, I find this scarier than the
yelling and tears. I nod but don’t say a fuckin word. “Good. This
will ensure that I will NEVER HAVE TO SEE BLOOD DRIPPING DOWN YOUR
FACE A-FUCKING-GAIN!” She’s yelling loud enough that I’m pretty
sure everyone on the first floor heard that. I’m going to get shit
about this for the next three years.

I wince, “I’ll pick some
up on my way through the village. I’m sorry K. I didn’t think you
would be here to see that today. It’s really not as bad as it
looks.”

She takes a deep breath. I
wait. “I have a class to teach. I don’t get the joke with the
picture plastered all over the building. It scared the shit out of
me when I saw it. Steve said the Prospects put them up. I hunted
those guys down and was letting them know I don’t think seeing more
of your blood spilling is a freakin joke. I’m glad you’re ok. I’ll
get the gauze while I’m at the store later. I love you. Don’t scare
me like that again.”

I nod and bend as she
lifts her face to me for a kiss. She’s not yelling and she’s being
sweet, so I’m keeping my fuckin mouth shut.

When she walks out my body
sags against the wall. I’m holding my face trying to hold the laugh
in. Steve walks in, takes one look at me and cracks up. “Think the
Prospects are more afraid of her than me today.”

I can’t help but laugh. It
feels like the right side of my fuckin face is going to explode. I
try deep breathing but Steve sets me off again. I'm holding my face
with two hands bent at the waist when Ben walks in looking haggard.
His hair is sticking up all over the fuckin place and he’s still in
his fuckin wet pants. Steve barks out, “Tiny’s right.” Then laughs
hysterically.

Oh My Fucking God! I’m
doubled over holding my fucking face with two hands. I can’t catch
my breath. I feel like I'm going to pass out. I stand up still
holding my fuckin face. “I gotta get out of here. Kate left me
alive but you fuckin Brothers are going to kill me.”