Page 31 - HEF Pen & Ink 2020

office, sitting down at his desk in front of him. “How are my boys today?” he asked, giving
long.
us both a smile and kicking his feet up on the desk. Even though he was only two or three years older than me, Charlie was like a dad to us both, helping us with the business, giving us new customers, all
of that stuff. He was always such a happy guy, mak- ing the job less stressful and making sure we stayed positive and focused. I owed him a lot, too, for all the things he’s done for Michael, Tommy, and I.
Tommy finished dinner and we all ate togeth- er, talking about the business tomorrow and telling Tommy about how Charlie was since he wasn’t able to see him. We all went off to bed after that. Michael and I shared a room and Tommy slept in a small room in the basement, saying it made him feel better if someone was “watching over the merchandise” or something like that.
“We’re good, Charlie. What have you got for us today?” Michael said, settling back in his chair.
He’s always been the most serious one about this. His brother was a bootlegger at the beginning
of Prohibition. Tommy told me that he got killed
in a shootout with some coppers at a drop-off gone wrong, but I never really got the whole story. I do know that he does this to do it for his brother in some way, which was what fueled him day to day.
I always admired his work ethic. It was a thing I couldn’t hold on to, always goofing around with the guys in Canada or the people at the speakeasies. May- be one day I’ll be able to sit down and focus like he does. Hopefully.
“Well, I’ve got a couple new people lined up, as well as the regulars like Georgie and Jim. You’ll
be dropping off Georgie and Jim’s loads at the usual spots, but for one of the new customers, you’ll be meeting at the old abandoned Roberts farm out at the edge of town tomorrow. Does noon sound about good?” Charlie set down his pen and looked up at us, making sure we heard.
“Yeah, sounds alright, Charlie. Thanks for setting us up with that. We got your stuff coming
in later today with Tommy.” I stood up and shook
his hand, Michael following after. Michael was like a little brother to me even though he was a year or two younger than me. Tommy and I always took care of him, making sure he got a good pay, didn’t get into any trouble, stuff like that. He reminded me of a little puppy that way. Always following us around, young and innocent.
The next morning I woke up, again without
a good night’s sleep. I went out into the kitchen where Tommy’s grandma was making breakfast and
I grabbed the morning paper. Michael came out a few minutes later and then breakfast was ready. We ate quickly, knowing we had a lot of work to do today. By the time we left the house, it was already 10:30. We had to drop by The Copper Bell and give Charlie his share of the booze, then it was time for the meet-
up with the new customer.
Life wasn’t always like this, before the Pro- hibition. Us three weren’t criminals, we’d never
even been arrested or watched by the coppers. It’s just what happens in times like these, trying to help other people out. Yeah, alcohol isn’t a necessity, but it helps. People are going to want to have fun or want to forget something or just have a drink to finish the day with and if there’s ways to get it and give it to people, I might as well try to do something.
FAWN
by Michaela Allen
“It was good to see you, Frank. You too Mi- chael. Come ‘round again soon, I’ll get you guys some drinks on the house. Bring Tommy, too.” We said
our goodbyes and headed out, making our way back to the house. When we got back, Tommy was mak- ing dinner with his grandma. Another casserole, I’m guessing.
“Hey, Frankie. How’d it go?” Tommy asked, setting down a spoon and wiping his hands
on his pants.
“We got some new customers. A drop off tomorrow and the regulars, too.” I sat down on the couch and leaned back, finally relaxing for the first time today. Hopefully I can sleep well tonight. I ha- ven’t had a good night’s sleep in... who knows how
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