Sunrise and Sunset in Florence

Chapter Ten

Being the smuggler that I was, I became hardened and often had to take from the white stuff every now and then. I was slowly becoming an addict but it cleared my head of the fears and worries of the job. I still went about in a supposed cab with the driver's seat laden with cocaine.

      Boss got a new assignment for me.

     "You will take three tons of my stuff across the border to San Marino. When you get there, call this number," he said, handing me a leaflet containing a phone number.

     "But San Marino is a long way from here," I replied, "and besides, boss, I have not been there before and do not know the way."

     "You intend to use your clever method, eh?" he smirked.

     "Yes, boss. Nothing beats having the stuff within the car seat. I get by the officers without arousing the littlest of suspicions."

     He thought for a while with his hand to his chin. "In that case, my boy Guiseppe goes with you as your passenger. He knows the road well and will give you directions."

     "Cool enough, boss."

     Guiseppe was a short stout sunburned Italian, clean shaven and taciturn. We rode in silence after stacking up the seats of my cab with three tons of cocaine. I drank a bottle of whisky to calm my nerves and then we set about on the mission, I and Guiseppe.

       We haven't travelled for an hour before we came to the first check-point. I slowed down.

     "Afternoon, officer," I greeted.

     "Beautiful afternoon to you too," the pot-bellied officer in his late fifties looked at me slyly and then at Guiseppe. "Got anything in the trunk?"

     "Nah. Empty." said I.

     "You wouldn't mind opening it then, would you?"

     "Of course not." I pushed down the button. "Go on and check. Its open".
     He went round to the back of the car, opened it for a second and then shut it back down.

     "Yeah, sorry about that but a bank robbery has just been reported in and the suspects are pretty much on this route so we are putting all hands on deck so they don't elude us."

     "That's okay, officer," I said placidly with a smile. "Goodluck with that.

     "Ok you're just gonna show me your licence now and off you go."

     I took out my licence and displayed it in his face.

     "Alright, you're good to go. Now you be careful on the way young man." He said nicely and gestured us to go on and off we went.

       So that was how we went through many check-points as innocently and calmly as any cabbie with their passenger could be. Guiseppe sat at the back seat seldom uttering any words other than barking out directions.

       We had gone past the Apennine mountains and there was another checkpoint ahead with a handful of uniforms. One of the policemen turned and faced my approaching vehicle and raised his hand up for me to stop.

     "Good day, cabbie," said a young officer walking up to my window. I wound down the windscreen.

     "Good day, officer," I said.

     "Your license, please." I reached for the papers and showed them to him.

     "I'll like to check your trunk as well, please," he said menancingly after glancing at the documents and giving it back."

     "There's nothing in there, officer. I'm kinda in a hurry here."

     "You're not to say. Just open it and all's well."

     "Okay alright its all yours." I pushed down the button.

     He went to check and then came round again to peer through the window from my side.

     "Everything good," he said. "Hey what you got there, it's stained your cloth, you know."

     He nodded his head towards my back. I followed his gaze and saw a white patch on my seat. Damn it! the seat wasn't properly sealed!

     "Uh, yeah, uh," my voice was almost shaking. "I was sweaty so I had to rub some talcum on. It somehow poured on the seat." I wished I could even believe my own lie.

     "I see." He looked away, then threw a glance at Guiseppe and then at me, disbelief written all over his face.

     "If that'll be all, officer," I said getting ready to go in a hurry.

     I started the car hurriedly and was about to step on the pedal when he said, "Stop! I haven't given you leave to go, have I? You wouldn't be rude to a cop now, would you?" he had an ugly grin on his face which irritated me greatly.
    

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Busted? Well, let's see in the next chapter!

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