“They better not turn around and try to arrest you, Axel.” She blurted the words as if the notion had been keeping her up all night.
“My situation was ruled a self-defense killing, but see, these folks this guy ran with are upset not just because I shot him, but ’cause now the police know this was no suicide after all. He’d killed him.”
“Axel, they need to put you in witness protection! You’re my only son! Oh God, I swear if you’d just—”
“Mama, I’m not scared of these people. He tried to destroy evidence, including me, since I became a witness. I’ve seen far worse in my lifetime than him and his little druggie squad. He’s a dime a dozen. Hell, I’ve got friends that work in his ‘industry,’ and they’d put him to shame.”
It was a bunch of bullshit. Instantly, my name was wrapped up in this crap like a burrito. I’d never sold narcotics a day in my damn life, and I’m no drug user, either. Never been convicted of a felony, either. I’ve done enough unscrupulous things in my life to understand how these things work, though. Definitely not an angel, but I know right from wrong. The police looked at me sideways after the second murder. Again, self-defense, as if I had anything to do with this shit. I was minding my business. Had to kill the drug dealer, and the guy sent to kill me, too. Wasn’t about to wait around after a call to 911.
The police had the boldness to say to me, ‘Well, Axel, you don’t seem too shook up about it.’
You motherfucker… I clean up gore for a gotdamn living! Why in the hell would I be moved by this?! I see death on a daily basis, for God’s sake. Don’t bring no slow drawin’ water gun to the O.K. Corral. Knuck if you buck.
“Axel, what if they’re not done?” Mama’s voice trembled, interrupting his thoughts.
“I’ll handle it. We’ve all got enemies. Some just fall off the rails faster than others.”
“I wish you’d listen to your doctor, if not to me, Axel. You’re moving around like nothing happened. Take those pills!”
“Not this again… Mama, I can’t just ball up somewhere in a corner feeling sorry for myself, and not move another muscle. Bills still need to be paid, and I have employees. They have families. They gotta eat.”
“Axel,” Mama’s voice got shrill, “if you don’t stop boppin’ around everywhere, you’re going to land yourself right back in the hospital. The doctor said that arm of yours needs to be still. You had to defend yourself against an attacker, again, and if bad luck was a lady, you’d be three-times divorced, and engaged to another. Now you’re off the pain pills, which is against doctor’s orders. I understand you were concerned about getting addicted to them, son, but I could tell you were hurtin’ when I came by yesterday. You have refills. Get them. That’s all I’m saying.”
“No pain, no gain. Mama, I appreciate your concern, but I’m just fine. You can stop your worrying. That goes for Dallas, too. Your partner in crime.”
“Ohhh, don’t you start! You should feel blessed you’ve got a sister who cares about you like she does! ’Specially after how you did her when you two were little!”
“She come calling here this morning, waking me out of a sound sleep.” He reclined in his seat, praying the conversation would end soon. He hated talking on the phone, especially to his mother. More times than not, she was worried about something he said or did, and trying to force him to make promises he couldn’t and wouldn’t keep.
“She’s your sister, and she’s worried about you, Axel. We all are.”
“I appreciate your concern, Dallas’ too, but it doesn’t change nothin’.”
“Axel, everybody needs help from time to time. I don’t know why you act like you’re the exception.”
“Show me one time in history, Mama, when worrying solved a problem?”
Mama sighed, frustration shining through. “I’ll let you go, but I’m coming by tomorrow anyhow, whether you like it or not.” She chuckled.
He could hear her draw on her cigarette, then sip her coffee once again. It gave him a sense of comfort knowing that she was okay, and despite the conversation, in her happy place.
“Love you, Mama. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye. Love you, too.” She disconnected the call.
He sat there, minute after minute, enduring a forced day off. Doctor’s orders. He asked Alexa to play a some of his music, and mndsgn’s, ‘Rare Pleasure’ started to play on low volume. He raised his arm and rotated it, working out the kinks. It hurt a lot less today. Picking up the remote, he channel-surfed. There was ‘Money Heist,’ on Netflix, but he feared being sucked in, unable to relax.
I need to watch something I don’t care about. He kept changing the channels until he landed on an old black and white film, ‘A Streetcar named Desire,’ featuring Marlon Brando. Indulging another yawn, he rolled over to his side and pulled a thick white blanket over his body. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes before he was sound asleep.