Smiling:Time To Dance

I look at myself in the mirror. With this fancy red tie the schnazzy suit is missing something. I grab a cigarette, place it my mouth and tuck in my pack. Perfect. The phone rings. I bend backwards to look out my window. My ride is here. The night is set.I run out and jump in. Scats is to my left. He leans over to me and says "The one night were you look handsome. But you still smell like shit, haha." I look at him quietly and respond "Well, you know how much I hate getting blood on my shirts." He chuckles and shows a smile.

We pull up to the ballroom. The building is magnificent. Its tall and gleaming of light. Shining in excellence and star power. The red carpet is rolled for the awaiting celebrities. Rockstar waltz's in with a dame who has glistening blonde hair and a feverish smile. The who of who is decked out in their best. As soon as we walk in, Santa tries to approach Scats. "Obi Scat Cat I need to have a wor-" I grab him saying sternly, "No you need to talk to me." He pushes me off gesturing to back off he's got the point. "Well do you got the money? We could use the financial banking of someone in his stature." I look him sternly in the eyes. "He hasn't decided yet." He slowly nods and walks away. I walk back over to Scats who's mingling with the Creeper. I get there in time to hear the Creeper say to Scats, "Ahh such would be too easy and predictable at galia event such as this magnificent room, is that uh hhhrm... ummm....Limp over there?" I shake the Creepers hand. Its oddly limp. Just then Limps approaches Scats. I gesture a hello to her. I put my arm around the Creeper and him guide away from the other two. "So Creeper, what brings to this fancy get together?" He looks at the floor then to me." Well" he says awkwardly, "An invitation for one thing...and to tell you that soon the dealer will share something with you." I knew he wasn't here for the fancy champagne or the beautiful young women. I stop us at the bar. I order a gin appletini and a pink murder."Well Creeper when can we expect the call?" I gesture to him the drink. He looks down to the floor again. "That would be too easy, sir you know I don't drink, and there is no we...It's you. He will have someone call you and only you tomorrow at 5pm. He requires, however, that no one knows of the incoming call. Good day sir." He ushers himself away while looking at the floor. I slam both drinks. Cuts approaches me from afar. "What did he want? Did Cool Hands say he was going to call?" I look at him, "What's your concern?" Cuts looks dumbfounded. "Nothing I guess, just curious. I'm gonna go make sure our exits are all secured." All I can think of is the news. Good news I guess. Good enough to smile.

I look over to the dance floor. Scats is dancing with Limps. Then the Titanic music stopped. Next thing you know Limps is rushing to the powder room. Scats walks over. His face is dragging.
"You see all that?"
"And more"
"Did it go well?"
"No man, I told her what was becoming."
"I'm going to let you in on something, but first drinks."
"Here's your yee-haw and my yoo-hoo, three days ago, Chuck and I were at Danny's eating some pancakes and I had decided to test Chuck."
"How did you plan to do that?"
"See I called up Limp and put her on speakerphone, so both Chuck and I could hear the whole thing, that way when Limp goes through 'Initiation', we'll see how faithful Chuck is. However when Rockstar came by after he called up Chuck to hang, he heard it as well. Then it was everyone except for you; happened to be around the place. She is still wanting Rockstar."
"Well I had to let her know, man, oh by the way, I got Creeper lined up for 'Initiation'
"Swell, (pulls out cigarette) we need to find Chuck, he's here I went to the bathroom and he was in the food aisle but I can't find him."
"Well are we gonna do Initiation tonite?"
"The night is young, and what we can do tonite can help us for tomorrow."
Rockstar and Chuck come out stage left laughing and smiling, what could be so funny? Chuck approaches the poddium with a grin the size of texas. "Ladies and Gentleman I would like to say a few things. I appreciate you coming, but it wouldn't be possible without the countless hours put forth by volunteers and organizers. So lets give a hand to them..." The crowd eats him up. "Lets also not forget the very giving Santa Claws organization, for their countless hard work making sure that people lives around the globe, are as fortunate as ours..." Applause, as the crowd further swallows the pill. "Ladies and Gentleman, I have to decided on the future for myself and I believe you as the loving people you are, should know first. I AM RUNNING FOR MAYOR!..." The crowd goes wild. Whistles and jeers across the now standing applause. Pigs to the troff. "And now to end the evening, Rockstar, will perform his saxophone piece,'What goes up must go down'." He waves his hand across the stage in Rockstars direction. As if he is ushering him in. Chucks grin is a wicked smile. Scat turns to me, "Listen I have to find Limps, I gotta make things better. Take the boys home, get some rest. The night maybe young but we my friend are getting old..."He starts to walk away then stops and turns around. "...And you don't worry, I'll get a cab tonight. See ya tomorrow." He's a love lost man trying to find his love. "You motherfucka!" A high squeal of an aging child. I turn to see Santa's little elves or rather Micheal, Johnny and Sam. They're Santa's little boys he's hired to ensure his safety. "So what you little bitches want?" They approach me like they're top shit. Micheal the leader of the three, speaks up again. "We here to collect, Santa says you need to pay. He also says someone he calls 'Jack Knife' deserves it." His voice attempts to be aggressive as his moguls circle around me. I walk right up to his face and quietly push my nine into his chest and whisper into his ear. "Listen here Micheal, tell Santa we haven't decided yet. I don't even know a Jack Knife. And I suggest that next time your boys try and surround me again use real guns instead of squirt guns. Next time you pull this shit, your buddy's here will telling about how you died limb by limb to your eigth grade buddies. Ya dig you little fuck?" He quivers in fear, "Yeah sir, I dig." Striking fear into children, now thats something to smile about.

I open my ice box and grab a cold 100 proof. I guzzle the bottle and head to bed. Who's this Jack Knife? Why Cool Hands Luke going to have someone call me and only me? The alcohol passes through and I pass out. I awake to a call. I grab the phone and answer in a grungy, hungover and slightly annoyed voice.

"Fuck you want?"
"We need to talk" Straight to business. It was Scats.
"Fuck yeah we do."
*click*
I head to his place. Its early in the morning, too early for someone hungover. I knock three times and walk in. Scats is gazing out the window.
"I found Limps" he mutters as a cloud of smoke comes pouring from his mouth.
"I figured you did" I mumble loudly.
He takes a deep breathe, "We went out for a late meal. Things went well."
I exhale and grab the nearest chair, putting my feet up on the table. "Don't leave me hanging here."
He chuckles then looks down. He raises his head only to peer out the window. "She took me to her place. I told her how beautiful she was. She looked me in the eyes and told me in a deep meaningful way, 'thank you'. She started to tear up. I asked her why she was gonna cry, and she said that no one has said that to her before. I couldn't hold back, so I moved forward and kissed her on the cheek. She pulled me in closer and kissed me on the lips. And this feeling overcame my body."
I inch my ears closer, "What feeling was that?" He turns to look at me. His eyes were watery and soft like a wet pillow. His body was more relaxed and focused. His voice arose "Peace.." He pauses for a moment. "I had for a moment, kissed an angel and received peace of the soul. We made love that night. The next morning after I was refreshed from spending a night with an angel, I awoke to hear a voice crying." His voice was becoming more and more sniffled and faint. Tears were starting to roll down from his eyes. "It was her crying in the bathroom mirror. Her face was flooding the sink like an angel peering into the sea of the damned. Thats when it hit me. I could feel my soul pull through my body. I asked her..." He gasps for air "...Its Chuck you love, its not me is it? She pulled her head from the sink to look at me in the mirror. She gasped for enough breathe to speak. Her voice weak from all the crying, 'I don't know'. She broke down even more. It was then I knew I had tainted an angel. Made light into dark. I had destroyed heaven. I lost everything right there. I have nothing." He burst into an uncontrollable mix of rage and morning. He collapsed to his knees. His hands covering his face like the devil asking for forgiveness through his tears. Then he went silent. I was finally able to speak. "You still have me, darlin'". He started laughing and laughing. He arose from his knees and placed his hand on my shoulder. He said calmly "Thank you my friend. Now to business. Was there something new you have for me?" I ash my smoke and light up another. "Yeah, our so called good friend Santa is in need."
"So he wants us to pay him more?" Scat says in a mockery.

"Yeah, I guess so, think we should do it?" I ask

"Do YOU think we should? His whole gang is a sham, I mean c'mon look at that some guy who thinks he's immortal, he'll get his just watch."

"Yeah that would be somethin' huh scat? Heheh" I comment

Scat now laughing hysterically, "Whaddya think, d'ya think that he'd roll on down here to talk to us about his financial windfall oohhhhhh" Scat says with his arms in the air. "My sister has her kid to raise, what's this guy think he is? No we don't pay him a dime more, leave it at that."

"Scat, I'm gonna go home and rest for an hour or so, should I swing by your place?" I ask

'Give me a call, see if I'm there, I might go pay my sister a visit."

"Okay, I'll do that then,"

"Santa, what kinda jerk does he think he is?" Scat exclaims in a laughing undertone

It draws out a smile out of my face

I enter the shabby apartment I found for myself. The place isn't all that bad, a leaky faucet, some broken plaster...It's all I could ever want for a guy like me. I throw off my coat on to the couch. The patio doors reveal a setting sun. I sit down and light up a cig. Kicking up my feet on my table there's a ring at my phone. I pick up.

"Hello?" I ask

"Talk to your boss yet?"

"Is this Santa?"

"Where's my money?!?"

"We aren't gonna pay you anything at all, you already get a lot out of----"

"OH YOU WILL, I have someone dear to your boss,"

I can hear something on the other side of the phone, a woman, could it be limps? Wait no, she's not even around that part of town at all....then I hear her.

"Help! Tell Scat I'm alive!"

The bullets that had riddled my body re-enter my psychological state of mind, there's no way it could be...

"April...?"

"THAT'S RIGHT YOU FUCK!"

"Pay us at Union Triangle in two hours!"

(click)

I dial up Scat, one ring, two rings, third ring!

"Hello?"

"Scat! We gotta pay! We gotta pay Santa!"

"What the hell are you talking about? We agreed..."

"April! I remember her voice! It sounded so clear!"

"What are you talking about? April is dead."

"I Know but I heard her! There's no way I could've forgotten that voice!"

"Get over her a soon as possible." Scat says in a gruffy voice as he hangs up the phone.

I can't even begin to imagine the sick demented smile that fuck Santa has on himself.