Big Bangs, Prohibition, and a Sugar Daddy

Things Go Well

Luke introduced my idea of a flying circus operating along the U.S. Canadian Border and in the Southwest to cross over the Mexican U.S. Border. Preferably at night. Once across the borders trucks would be used to ship the hooch the rest of the way to New York.

Other things were discussed. I took occasional notes. Then the meeting finished. Antonio was out of his seat and out of the door when look announced the meeting was ended. O'Brian shook Luke's hand before he left.

"That went well." Bobby said to me. Kissing me on the cheek before he left.

John Thane got up and left with Bobby. John hadn't said much during the meeting. No one had asked him any questions. He did get a vote. John had stuck up for me. Out of loyalty to Luke, do doubt. He even seemed ready to knock Antonio on his bum. But, otherwise he was quiet.

"You did do well. I like the way you returned Antonio's five dollar bill back to him." Marco was the only man left in the room besides Luke. Well, technically at least. "But, you have antagonized him. You must be careful around him in the future."

"He has antagonized me." Luke said. "That is not wise either. Nor was it wise to make Thane angry. John is angry, bitter, and I'm finding it harder to keep him under control."

"I don't care. What did John Thane expect? That he would come home a hero. Did he think that white people here would appreciate his service in the war, or even acknowledge it?" Marco stood up and walked towards the door.

"Was it too much to expect for John Thane to come home and be treated with dignity and respect for his service?" Luke asked as Marco headed for the door.

"John has a position of authority in his own community. He is almost an equal in our business. If not equal he is as close as he will ever come. It is time for him to put aside his disappointments and embrace what he has already accomplished." Marco closed the door behind him.

"Now that you've put me in the middle of this, you better tell me about all of them. So, I have an idea who I am really dealing with." I had not expected to attend this meeting.

"Your only purpose here was to sit quietly and look pretty." Luke said. "Until they became used to your presence."

"Well, Antonio spoiled that when he pitched a kitten." I stood up and stretched.

"True. He nearly got himself bumped off." Luke took a cigar from his case. "I was ready to kill him with my bare hands."

"Thane too, from what I saw." Had Marco hadn't told Antonio to sit down and shut up, Thane and Luke may have tore him apart.

"It wasn't due to his treatment of you that Thane wanted to kill Antonio. Antonio had called John a spade. It's very disrespectful. John has worked hard to get where he is. It helps that we were friends, but it still wasn't easy for him." Luke had the same sad tone that he used when he had told me about losing a man during the war and the trenches.

"Were friends? May I ask what happened?" I needed to know all of the stories behind these men. The more I knew, the more I could relate to them. I could use their past history as a guide to what they might do later.

"It's simply that when John returned from the war, he became bitter at how Negroes who fought for this country were being treated." Luke sat back down in his chair. He turned it to face the window. I walked over and stood beside him. Looking out the window as well. "You know how it was, the suppression, the refusal to accept Negroes as equals. Not that it hasn't always been this way, but many Negroes like John Thane had hoped for better when they returned."

"John seems to still be friends with Bobby." I had noted that whatever conflict affected Luke and John's friendship didn't affect Bobby's.

"It takes a great deal of effort to dislike Bobby. He is friendly to everyone. A real charmer." Luke explained. "I don't know that Bobby even notices that John has changed or that his attitude has changed towards me."

"Bobby seems a bit happy go lucky." I noted.

"He was a pilot, he spent much of his time away from the trenches or above them." Luke shook his head. "Not that he didn't have his own problems during the war. Those death traps they flew were primitive by modern standards. I don't see how they flew in those things, might as well maneuver, shoot at each other, and even managed to land again. I think that Bobby developed his carefree attitude because it was easier than facing the constant stress of flying."

"Antonio is the one that really worries me though. John Thane still feels some loyalty to me, if not friendship. Bobby would never betray me. Antonio wants my position." Luke was absently dropping ashes on the carpet. Afraid the carpet might catch fire, I grabbed the ashtray off the desk and offered it to him. "Antonio would kill me if he could get away with it. If anything happens to me, Antonio will have to answer to Marco. Marco is actually the next person up for my position, but he doesn't want it. That doesn't mean he won't take it."

"Marco is an odd bird." Luke continued. "I think he is homosexual, but he has never been caught in the act. He's in charge of the prostitution part of our business. Just as Antonio is now in charge of gambling. I supervise both businesses and the prohibition portion. Bobby is the real force of running the alcohol from the North and South. He doesn't work much in the business as such. Thane is in charge of our colored clubs and organizations. Where he is respected.

So the days continued. The weeks. I attended the meetings. No one questioned my presence there, not even Antonio. I kept my mouth shut most of the time, only taking a real interest in the party boats. Which were running two days after the others had agreed to them. Antonio was less hostile to the idea as it began to make profits. Especially after customers began to gamble on the boats, playing blackjack, poker, and other games of chance.

At the moment the Coast Guard and prohibition agents have left us alone, Luke fears that this won't last. He bribes can only give us so much leeway until the bribes are no longer effective. Legally we had them both over a barrel. We were not selling or distributing except in international waters.

Phillip had been weaned off the hop and was sent to his apartment. He was recovering well. He still had problems with his shoulder. He always would due to the extent of the injury. Carol and Phillip were frequent guests. I called and visited Mother regularly. She seems healthy enough. Rae North was forced to cancel her play due to the censors and she was let go from her theater. She had saved quite a bit of her money and bought a warehouse to open her own theater in.