dealer

It is unusually warm for March. I am on the south corner just 2 blocks from the down town area. This is one of the corners I hang out on. I work the night shift at a laundry service that cleans all the linens for the local hotels. It gives me access to come and go without arousing too much suspicion . People come to this city for all kinds of reasons. Some come on business, others come for pleasure. Some not all seem to find their way to people like me. I can supply happiness, relaxation or help you just lose yourself if that is what you want. If you haven't figured it out yet, I am a drug dealer.

Now I know what you are thinking, I am scum. I made wrong choices, had a bad family or hung out with the wrong crowd. The truth is that I didn't start out wanting to be a pusher of narcotics, it just kind of happened. One day I was short on cash and looking for opportunities. Working 60 hours a week with little to show for it just didn't pay the bills. So I got to hanging out with a guy who seemed to have it together. He had a nice car, nice clothes, was really living. I was working myself to death and could barley pay my bills. I finally asked him what he knew that I didn't? He had been checking me out for a long time, but I was not really seeing it. He asked me point blank, if I tell you are you down with for whatever. I wasn't sure what he meant, but if it meant more money then I said, yeah I am down. He then opened up to me, immediately I felt my stomach tighten up. He said that he could help me. I was a little unsure, I mean drugs, that is serious. He told me that if I wasn't interested that I should just walk now and forget I ever met him. After a moment of thought, I said okay I am in. He said great, he gave me 100 dollars and told me to go buy 3 flip phones and come back tomorrow at 9 am. I wasn't sure what was going to happen but I did what I was told and hoped for the best.

I got out after work and had 3 phones in my backpack. 3 phones, man I thought this is crazy. I had put them on charge in a closet at work with a power strip. They were fully charged and ready to go. I went to meet up with my friend but he didn't show up. I sat there for an hour then I walked towards the bus stop. Some kid on a bike came riding up and called my name. He used my nickname everybody calls me on the local basketball court. I turned and he handed me a piece of folded up paper and rode away. It said call me on a clean phone. So I took out one of the phones and dialed the number. My friend answered on the other end. He told me to go into an alley just about a half a block away. I was kind of scared, I mean back alleys? I wasn't sure what was about to go down, but I was committed. I walked along the sidewalk then ducked between two buildings. I saw a car parked half way down the alley. I walked up and the passengers side window rolled down. My friend told me to get in. I asked what is up with all the James Bond junk. He told me he had to be sure I was legit. He had someone watching me since I got to where we were supposed to meet. I felt kind of pissed, but I understood, he was bringing me into the fold. From that point on, I became a student. I was kind of street smart, but nothing could prepare me for what I was about to learn.

For 6 months my friend coached me. He had me making deliveries, driving him around. He must have had a dozen different vehicles. I took in the information like a sponge. I learned to be paranoid in my sleep. I began to make real money. The kind of money that can draw attention if you are not careful. He showed me how to manage my job. I used up 2 of the cell phones I had bought. He told me to stay away from smart technology. He said it was too easy to track. Simple is better he said. I learned from him until one day he told me that somebody wanted to meet me. I knew I couldn't back out now, I was too deep in. So, he took me to meet the guy above him. The man supplying the product we were selling. It wasn't like what you expect it to be. It wasn't some seedy back alley building. We took a car service to a very nice building in the heart of downtown. We got out and walked into this lobby with very ornate architecture. Everyone was well dressed and polite. I looked more like some New York rapper than anything else. We went to an elevator and went up almost to the top floor. Once we got out of the elevator, we walked down the hall. I noticed that there were cameras on both ends of the hall. They were pointed in several directions. I felt kind of uneasy, but I had been in for over 6 months and now I was going to move up I hoped. My friend knocked on the door and it buzzed. We walked into an apartment. A very well dressed gentleman with a bulge in his jacket, looked us over then patted us down. He then let us pass into the main living area. There sat a guy in a nice robe pajamas and house shoes drinking coffee and watching the business news. This was nothing like I thought it would be. The man motioned for us to sit down. He offered us coffee, not to be rude I accepted. After the formalities were over, we sat there for the next 45 minuets while my friend and the his employer talked occasionally directing questions to me. When it was over, I was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to think. We left the building and went to the parking garage where we got into a car I had never seen before. My friend dropped me off and told me he would call me soon.

I remember it like it was yesterday, but the truth is that is has been 6 years. I lived a life that I could have only dreamed of. I built myself up and became somebody that others admired. The day after I met the guy over my friend, opportunities came. I was no longer a student, but a player. My friend kind of fell away and the boss began having confidence in me. He dealt me into a bigger part of the game. I began to recruit others to work for me. The operation grew, little by little we held a large chunk of the downtown area. I kept my job at the laundry and even got a promotion. I was enjoying freedom until I wasn't. One day I am telling people what to do, now I sit here in a federal detention center in a crappy orange jumpsuit wearing shower shoes surrounded by a bunch of people I don't know. No one ever prepared me for this! My friend or the guy I thought was my friend, threw me and 2 other guys under the proverbial prison bus. The man that I thought was running the show was just a middle manager. He is no where in sight now. He is likely in Europe, Asia, hell I don't know, he might even be dead. My friend got caught up in the game, he began using his own product them started skimming off the shipments to supply his habit. Next thing I hear, some guys are looking for him. They aren't looking to talk. Then he disappears and the next thing I know, my crib gets raided by the feds. I am on the morning news. I cannot get anybody to pick up a phone. I am screwed over bad. My friend ran to the feds with open arms. Gave it all up, at least everything he knew. He had been recording our phone conversations for months. From day one he had been setting my up. It was his insurance policy, if you call it that. He made sure he would walk out, while myself and 2 others take the fall. I guess you really never know who you can trust!