Other People's Baggage
" Cindy? It's David Burns. How have you been?"
" David! It's been awhile! I'm doing pretty good. What have you been up to?"
" Well I've been travelling a lot which is why I'm calling. I need a favor."
" A favor? I still owe you one from senior year. I haven't forgotten. How can I help you?"
" Well, you remember my youngest boy Tommy right? He got in some trouble awhile back."
" Yeah I remember. Didn't they say it was self-defense? Wasn't he a minor?"
" Cindy, he got 10 years for that. They tried him as an adult. "
" Oh wow, I didn't know that."
" Yeah and he is set to get out in two weeks. The problem is, I am going to be in Florida until March. They won't release him unless he has a residence to go to and you are the only person in Phoenix that I trust."
" Sure, he can stay here, but for how long?"
" Well, I'm not sure. Just let him come there for now and we can figure it out."
" Ok yeah because my grandbaby is about to be born in Cali in the next month or so and I want to be there."
" Oh of course! Ok great I will send you the papers and you can send them to the prison for me."
" No problem. I will watch the mail."
In the Arizona prisons, it is almost required that you join a gang for protection and young Tommy did not have a choice at 16 with his good looks and small build. He was terrified when he went in but in time he made a name for himself and now 10 years later he was being released and didn't have a clue how the world was. Going in in 1983 and getting out in 1993 was going to be like a time warp. Cindy got his room ready, and Darren, Tommy's older brother contacted her and asked if he could come stay for a couple weeks to help his baby brother get readjusted to his new world. She agreed that it would be a good idea.
Tommy was affiliated with some of the highest ranking gang members of his race, so when he got out, he met with them first thing and they took care of him. He was given 10 lbs. of meth, a pager, and $15,000 to start his business. He already had clientele who knew his number, and was to do business with everyone who called it. Cindy did not know he was arriving with all this, but she would soon find out. Darren was there waiting when Tommy showed up with about 5 people who were there to find out where he would be living and set him straight on his expectations, or what would be expected of him actually. A couple of chicks were along for the drugs, and were told to " take care" of Tommy because he had been in a while and would need some action. He said hello to Cindy, and Darren, and seemed edgy. Darren could really tell being locked up had changed his brother. Darren was 36, and being 10 years older than Tommy, Darren had watched him grow up. He was merely a shadow of the kid Darren remembered.
Tommy went in the room with the girls, and emerged 2 hours later and smiled for the first time since he had gotten out. " I'm a new man! Who wants to party?" He took a small picture off the wall and dumped out some white powder onto it, took an i.d., crushed it and had 5 lines cut in seconds flat. He pulled out a hundred dollars and rolled it up and snorted a big line. He gasped in pain and handed it to his brother. Darren was reluctant, because he wasn't trying to encourage his brother but he figured they were celebrating so what the hell.
Cindy joined in but this wasn't anything like the cocaine she had tried in the late 70s. This stuff made her feel incredible and she liked the feeling. Some more people came by and she was starting to take a liking to Darren. They related well and she was thinking they needed to talk about the situation because this was not what she had expected. She did not know the extent of what Tommy had in his possession yet, but all these people coming by made her think something was going on, or maybe it was just a homecoming thing. She couldn't tell. Tommy was on the phone with his Dad when Cindy got an idea.
" Darren, you feel like going for a drink real fast? Tommy, want to go?"
" Hang on Dad, No, you go ahead. I've got some stuff to handle real fast." " Ok brother. We will be back. Tell Dad I love him"
At the bar, Darren and Cindy weighed out the situation and Darren filled Cindy in on what his brother had going on. Tommy was a kingpin on the inside, and he was thinking he had more power than he had on the outside and Darren sensed trouble. " I need to talk to him, Cindy. After everyone's gone, I will get some one on one with him and straighten him out. I gotta say, This is NOT what I expected, but I will set him straight."
So Darren thought. Little did he know that Tommy at that exact moment, was having sawed off shotguns, m-16's and a few Glock 9mm guns dropped off at the house. He had 15 guns total. Tommy kept this to himself, as no one needed to know all of his business. Meanwhile at the bar, the two were playing pool. Cindy was beating Darren, but he might have been letting her " I love that top" Cindy said to a young gal as she came out of the restroom. " Oh thanks! Hey do you notice anything odd about it?" The girl smiled. Cindy looked at it closer. The bottom of the shirt looked like the band on men's underwear! It said BVD on it! "Wait, what?" The girl started laughing. " Yeah! They are men's skivvies! Isn't that crazy?" The butt of the underwear was perfect support for the girl's chest and a design was painted on it, and the fly was cut into straps across her back. The girl got to chatting with Cindy who was at about 100mph at this time, and they hit it off. Darren liked the girl too. They all got along great. After about an hour, the girl said she had to leave. Cindy gave her a number and her address and said " I've got some cute stuff I want to give you and I need you to show me how to make that shirt! Just come by!" " Ok! Nice meeting you guys! You will see me soon!."
They finished playing pool and Cindy and Darren came to the conclusion that they needed to school Tommy before he got out of hand. There was just one problem. Tommy was always surrounded by people, distractions, and chaos. He got out on a Wednesday, by the following Wednesday, Tommy was getting kind of different and he hadn't slept. The problem was trust. He thought people were there to rip him off. He was bossy, he was getting rude, he kindly handed Cindy $1200 and thanked him for everything and an hour later said ," Yo Cindy- make me a sandwich. I'm only going to say it once " she gave him a look like excuse me? He said, " What, have you got a problem? Bitch, you got paid. Make the sandwich." Cindy thought, "Oh, not in my house little man." It was the 8 days since he had arrived when he finally passed out. Went down for the count, and left money all laid out on the bed, his dope out on a scale, in bags, everywhere. He kept $5000 and half the dope in the side pocket of a duffle bag in his closet. Darren was at the mall buying some clothes when it happened. Cindy had gotten the call- her daughter in Virginia went into labor. She got excited! She went into Tommy's room to get her duffle bag from the closet, went back into her room to pack it quickly, and she left a note to the guys on the counter and hit the road. " Baby on the way! See you in a week!" The note read. She had been gone for 2 days when Tommy woke up, but he didn't know where he was, and he had a bit of an episode after dreaming about being in prison. Trying to remember everything, he took a shower, and slowly it all came back to him once he calmed his panic attack down. He got out of the shower and went for the bag he had stashed in his closet. It was gone. It was gone! That was the "boys" money, and they were showing up in 2 days to collect. Tommy snapped and started trying to reach Cindy. No one could reach her.
That particular day, I could barely read the address on the paper because I had washed the jeans I had on from the bar, but it had been a week and I really wanted to get the clothes she said she had for me, so I decided to pop in. I had tried to call her from my Dad's house but there was no answer. I went up to the house which was nice enough and knocked. "Coming" I heard someone yell and Darren opened the door. " Well well well, what do we have here?" He was looking me up and down smiling " Didn't you say you were from Tennessee?" " No, I never said that." " You sure? Cuz you're the only ten I see…" I smiled. " Oh I get it. That's cute! Is Cindy here by chance?" Darren looked worried. "No, actually...that's a long story that you don't have time for. Why don't you get goin-" " Who the FUCK is at the door?" It didn't take long to see who the yelling voice belonged to. A guy younger than Darren with black spiked hair,. a long black leather trench coat and a black mustache that I had never seen before comes out and circles me." Who the Fuck are you?" Darren says " Her name is ' just leaving' Tommy. She doesn't know anything." " Yeah? I'll decide what she knows. Where the Fuck is Cindy?" He barks at me. " I don't know, I just stopped by- I haven't talked to her or anything. I can come back another time"- the guy starts waving his hand motioning me to go inside the house, and at this point I see he is holding a gun. " No, you've already seen too much. Get in the house."" Tommy, she doesn't know anything!" " I SAID GET IN THE HOUSE!" Darren shoots me a Do what he says look and I obey. " Go in the bedroom and wait for me. Darren tell her what is going on. No one is leaving until I find that bitch." Me and Darren go into what I assume to be Cindy's room. I sit in a chair and Darren tells me what is missing, who is missing, who the guy is, and I start trembling. I realize I have just been held hostage by a madman who is pissed with good reason to be, I do not know any of these people, and no one knows where I am. . I weigh the situation and realize I am at a total disadvantage because I can " offer zero useful information to this wacked out doped up dude, and I know he is going to be pumping me for info. " Darren, go talk to him. Tell him I just met you guys. I don't have a clue what's going on man. I don't even know her." " You don't need to know her sweetheart. That is not what you are here. You have just become collateral damage ok?" The Tommy dude interrupts, sauntering into the room with a small picture in his hand and big chopped lines on it. He hands me a rolled up hundred . I glance at Darren and he nods like just do it. I started shaking, I mean I had done coke before and it numbed my face so bad, I half expected the same reaction but this feeling was the last thing I expected. It felt like I just snorted broken glass into my face, and I felt like my eyes were going to bleed. Seriously, if I had broken a shot glass and snorted it, it would feel identical to this. . I flip out. " Oh my God! I'm going to start bleeding! Oh it hurts so bad! What the Fuck!!" I start crying and jumping around in pain. Tommy calmly gets a cup of water and shows me to dip my finger and snort the water. " This will help sweetheart". So I sit there, praying for the pain to stop, I gulp and gag at the disgusting taste and it doesn't take long to feel the effects which are making me evaluate the situation with hypersenses and I am terrified. Countless people come through, but the ones who came to see Cindy are put with me. There are 4 of us at this point. All of them trying to reach Cindy, no one having any luck. A few hours go by, and Tommy is getting angrier and angrier because he was saying his " boys" wanted their money. He leaves the room for a few then comes back in, gun in hand and points to me. " You- we are going for a ride " "Ok" I get up and act like it's cool. No questions. Darren tries to come with. " No you stay here in case that bitch calls. Your girl here is going to be my getaway car and driver. We will be back." He takes 2 magazines and puts one in his handgun and one in his pocket of his trench coat. " Let's go."
Once in the car, he has the gun on his lap, and tells me where to go. " Ok now I am collecting money. I want you to stay right by me the whole time, do not speak and do not interfere. Do you Understand?" " Yes, Sir." We get to the door, he pulls out his gun and kicks in the front door. " What the Fuck? " Yells a lady carrying a baby coming around the corner to the front door. The baby is crying. " WHERE'S NICK?" The woman's eyes are huge looking at the gun and she just points to a back room. Tommy marches to the back of the house. He walks in the door as a guy is doing a line. " Doing up the product, huh? Where's my fucking money?" " Tommy the gun isn't necessary man. I got a kid" " I give a fuck about your kid. Where's my money?" " Here, here It's short like $300 bucks but I will have the rest by Wednesday, I promise." He hands him a fat wad of money. The woman appears in the doorway with the baby." He kicked in the fucking door, Nick" " Awww Tommy you could've knocked man! How do I secure my house now man?" You answer my calls and pay on time to avoid that kinda shit Nick. That's on you." " Who's the chick?" She asks. " Mind your business and your manners. Let's go. " We leave. On to the next one. Three more stops went the same way except one guy had no money for him. Tommy had a gun to that guy's head. He was shaking and crying. " Please man! I've still got the shit! I've been in bed sick for 3 days man please!" Tommy laughed at him. " You look like shit . Get some rest. Let's go."
On the way back he says to me, " You did real good tonight. Let me buy you an ice cream. Pull into McDonalds ". Going through the drive thru, I suggest putting the gun away." Oh yeah, good call." We go back to Cindy's and it's classroom time. While we have been gone, 3 more of Cindy's friends have come by, and a guy called " Pit boss" has detained them. I sit in Cindy's room with the others and Tommy starts going on a rant about respect and doing time, and learning lessons, and paying prices. He tells us of his plan to blow Cindy's house up with us in it because she started a war. This had become a war, and with war there are casualties. His buddy was coming from Palm Springs with enough dynamite to blow up the whole house. He would be in Phoenix in about 6 hours. About 2 hours into his spiel, he is standing on a chair telling us how white he is, and I glance in a mirror to see what I look like. I am a brunette, fairly tan with green eyes, and I wonder if he mistakes me for Hispanic. About that time a guy runs I and loudly whispers " Cops at the door!" Tommy jumps down." Everybody up!" We stand up off the bed and Tommy's guys snap into action. They flip up Cindy's mattress to expose an arsenal of guns laying flat. They start passing them to the boys, and everyone takes their positions like this was rehearsed. I am put in the recliner in site of the cops when the door is opened, and there is a guy with an m-16 behind the door looking at me with his finger to his mouth like "Shhhh". Tommy's girlfriend opens the door."Glendale Police department Good evening Ma'am. We are doing a courtesy patrol. We've had reports of a guy running around people's backyards wearing nothing but a Ronald Reagan mask.Have you seen him?" " No sir." " Ok we'll just lock your doors. We are going to keep looking til we find him." " Ok officer. Thank you for coming by to let me know". I wanted to scream and cause a big scene and get out of there, but I couldn't move " You have a nice night." When she shut that door, all of my hopes of leaving went out the window. My eyes teared up and Darrin came down the hall, he had been in the bathroom. " What happened?" He looked at me. " Why are you crying?"
I smiled through the tears " I'm not. I'm cool." " Honey what is it?" " I am scared." I whisper. " I know, so am I" he gives me a sincere look. " Don't worry. I'll get you out of here." He whispers. I get it together, and start to pray silently. Lord please get me out of here safely. Please get all of us out of here safely. Whatever Tommy's destiny is, we are not a part of. Lord help us. Tommy is getting increasingly angrier with every phone call that is not Cindy.
The guy coming from Palm Springs is an hour outside of Phoenix and the sun has come up. Darrin pulls Tommy aside and says " She doesn' deserve this brother. She has an appointment to get her car worked on today at 10 am man. Let her go. She doesn't even know Cindy and she's a good kid "
Tommy thinks for a minute. " She is a good girl. Alright, but everyone else STAYS. " Darrin says "Alright let's go. Let's get you outta here " He walks me to my car, and he is talking 100 miles an hour under his breath. " You get in your car and you get as far away from this fucking house that you can. Do not look back or call the cops. He will know it was you. My brother has changed. I can't help him. I don't know what I am going to do but I might have to kill my brother. " I get in my car and look up at him " Thank you I'm sorry man. Be careful" I say and drive off and will never forget the tears in his eyes when I left. I thanked God. Over and over. I couldn't believe I was gone. I got out. I prayed for everyone else stuck there.
I had told my brother the whole story, and about 4 days later, after I got out of the shower, my brother is yelling for me to come see the t.v." A man is dead tonight after an altercation with police. They were called to a home in Glendale after neighbors called about a disturbance coming from a home. When police arrived they high-speed chased the man. Witnesses say he exited the vehicle, and was running through a park wearing only a long black leather trench coat carrying a sawed off shotgun in each hand through where he opened fire on police. Glendale Police returned fire, shooting the man 12 times. He was reported to have 3 guns in his possession. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not yet been released." " That's him. I know it is" I told my brother.
When the full story came out, apparently after they killed Tommy, they raided Cindy's house and Darrin was a felon who was not supposed to be in possession of firearms. He was sleeping at the time, and him and one other guy were charged with all of the illegal firearms and the drugs. Tommy was already dead, and Cindy was finally reached by police and came back to Phoenix. She never knew that stuff was in the bag. She brought it all back with her. If Tommy would have only given her the benefit of the doubt, none of it would have happened. I always try to remember this when dealing with people because if we gave more of this to each other, so many misunderstandings would be avoided. We don't trust each other anymore. Then again, naked people in Ronald Reagan masks make it difficult. There is also something to be said for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That can be the ultimate nightmare, but then again we cannot forget we have the beautiful phenomenon of Divine Intervention. Thank God.
Oh, and guess who I'm going to dress up as this Halloween? You guessed it…but I don't know if Ronald Reagan ever wore a trench coat. He will this Halloween.
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