Fragment 7: Tango

Fragment 7: Tango

I guess Nick was trying to do me a favour. Twenty-two years of friendship so he wanted to give a head's up.

"Tomorrow in the a.m....its done"

All of us know we are going to go one day. Some of us, with cancer or some other godforsaken condition, find out we have weeks or months.

But one day...

What the fuck are you going to do with one day?

It is not like I could run. I knew the deal. Just in case they would have a team in place outside the house. If they couldn't get me it would be Jessica and the kids.

I had no idea what I had done. Said something wrong. Had the wrong friends. Maybe I had looked at Saul wrong.

Wrong...wrong...wrong...

It doesn't really matter now.

I thought of going and getting one of the girls.

In my business there are always girls. There were even guys too, but my associates would make it a bad day for you if you noticed them with one of the boys.

I had never really been fair to Jessica. She'd had three kids and I had tapped every bar gal and pole dancer between here and Hamilton. Some of them hadn't even been that good looking.

It was like a compulsion.

There was only one place to go and that was to Jessica. To home.

Modest four bedroom. Nice side street. Quiet. Always quiet.

Jessica had cried with joy when the agent had handed me the keys.

Pulling into the driveway I could see her through the window. Full bodied and plain.

I wasn't supposed to come early and she was so happy to see me. Smiling and laughing.

Let's go out...I said...anywhere you want...

The great thing about my business was that we had no shortage of money. The nanny could watch the little ones.

...and then off...

First for dinner and then a show. We were on the way home when she suddenly said " You seem so different tonight...just like the old days."

Ha!

Tentatively, as though pushing her luck she ventured "Look, I know you've never wanted to, but let's take those dancing classes..."

What are you going to say?

Excited now, she looks at me, bangs just above eyes and...

"Oh it's so great...next week they start the Tango."

I can hardly wait.