the table.
“Powwows are all about flash, aren’t they?”
Calvin Johnson
THEY’RE ALMOST DONE with their breakfast before anyone says anything. They’re at the Denny’s next to the coliseum. Calvin got eggs over easy with sausage and toast. Charles and Carlos both got the Grand Slam. And Octavio ordered oatmeal, but he’s mostly just been drinking coffee. Shit had gotten more serious as the day drew closer, and as it got more serious, they all got quiet about it. But Calvin is more worried about making sure they steal the money sooner than later. He’s more worried about getting away with it than getting the money. He’s still pissed at Charles for involving him in this shit plan. That Charles had smoked up all his shit. That that’s why they’re here. He couldn’t get over it. But he couldn’t get out of it either.
Calvin cleans up his yolk with toast, washes it down with the last of his orange juice. It’s sour, sweet, salty, and that thick specifically yolk flavor all at once.
“But we all agree it needs to happen sooner than later, right?” Calvin says out of the blue.
“How’s she not gonna come around to ask about refills after this long?” Charles says, holding his empty coffee mug in the air.
“We just won’t tip, that’ll be like getting our coffee for free,” Carlos says.
“Fuck that,” Octavio says.
“The tip is supposed to mean something. People have to be held fucking accountable,” Charles says.
“That’s right,” Carlos says.
“She already refilled you twice, motherfucker,” Octavio says. “Now shut the fuck up about the tip. You said they’re keeping it in a safe?”
“Yeah,” Calvin says.
“Big dude we’ll recognize ’cuz he’s big,” Octavio says. “And like a forty-something-year-old woman with long black hair, kinda pretty but not, with bad skin?”
“Right,” Calvin says.
“I say we just take the safe and figure out how to open that shit later,” Charles says.
“We’re not gonna rush it,” Octavio says.
“It’s probably better to do it sooner than later, right?” Calvin says.
“There’s gonna be a lotta people with phones who could call the cops while we wait for some fat ass to cough up the combination. Charles is right,” Carlos says.
“We’re not gonna rush it if we don’t have to,” Octavio says. “If we can get the combination, we’re gonna get it and not fucking walk out of the place with a fucking safe.”
“Did I tell you guys it’s all in gift cards? Like a whole bunch of Visa gift cards,” Calvin says.
“Same as cash,” Octavio says.
“Why the fuck is it all in gift cards?” Charles says.
“Yeah, why the fuck is it—” Carlos says.
“Would you shut the fuck up already, Charlos? Just keep your mouth shut and think before you speak. It’s the exact same fucking thing as cash,” Octavio says.
“They needed receipts, for the grant,” Calvin says, then takes a last bite and looks to see how Charles is taking what Octavio just said. Charles is staring off, out the window. He’s pissed.
Daniel Gonzales
DANIEL BEGS to go. To see it happen. He never begs. Octavio says no. Says no again every time after. Up until the night before. It’s just the two of them in the basement.
“You know you have to let me go,” Daniel says from his computer. Octavio is on the couch staring at the table.
“What I have to do is make sure this shit goes right. So we get that money,” he says, and walks over to Daniel.
“I’m not even talking about going, I’ll be here. I can fly the drone over to the coliseum from here. Or let me go then—”
“Hell no, you’re not going,” Octavio says.
“So just let me fly the drone over.”
“Man, I don’t know,” Octavio says.
“C’mon. You owe me,” Daniel says.
“Don’t make this shit about—”
“I’m not making shit about shit,” Daniel says, and turns around. “It’s been about it. You fucked this family up.”
Octavio walks back to the couch. “Fuck!” he says, and kicks the table. Daniel goes back to mindlessly playing chess on his computer. He suicides a bishop for his opponent’s knight to mess up his formation.
“You gotta stay here. You gotta get that fucking thing outta there and not get caught up, they can trace that shit back if it falls.”
“I got it. I’ll stay here. So we good?” Daniel says.
“Are we good?” Octavio says. Daniel gets up and walks over to him. Sticks his hand out.
“You wanna fucking shake on it?” Octavio says, laughing a little. Daniel keeps his hand out.
“All right,” Octavio says, and shakes Daniel’s hand.
Jacquie Red