By the time Jack managed to get rid of the Harvest Sprites, he could hear
the church bells ringing in the distance. He was walking slowly, enjoying
the cool evening air with his dog Bandit at his heels. He passed the
chicken farm, and then the Yodel livestock farm. He waved at old man
Barley, who was taking pictures of his granddaughter, May, in a skimpy two-
piece swimsuit, but when the old man saw him, he hastily closed the bedroom
window curtains.
He's probably taking lots of pictures to send back to his daughter in the big city, Jack thought cheerily. Now she can see how much her daughter's grown! How nice of him! But I wonder why Pastor Carter was visiting this late at night?
Jack also passed the town square, where the lumberjack, Gotz, was rooting for recyclable cans in the trash bin, and then finally arrived to the Seaside Inn Resort, where Kai's brother, Jamal, had taken over.
He'd never visited Jamal at the resort, but Jack knew he was going in the right direction; he'd visited before, when Kai was around, and even then, he could hear rap music blasting from as far away as Yodel Farm.
"Yo, Jack! Whuddup?"
Jack turned and saw Jamal waving him over from the entrance to the resort. "Good evening, Jamal. How's the resort business going?"
"Aww, man, it's da shit!" Jamal grinned as he took a long drag from his oddly-shaped cigarette, which was pinched at either end, and then sighed contentedly. "Hell yeah."
"That bad, huh?" Jack shook his head, and was about to say something else, but was interrupted.
"Whut? Hell no, mah nigga. Ain't no one staying here, man. But ah gots me a little sumpin'-sumpin', know what I mean? Something on the D.L. that provides me the bling-bling and the kaching-kaching."
"The what?" asked Jack, confused.
"It's all about the Benjamins, homedawg."
"The who?"
"Awww, yeeaaah. Here, let me show you." Jamal was about to admit Jack in, when he whirled around and planted a hand on the farmer's chest. "But first," he said.
"First what?"
"First, ah gots to know if you're down with the Man, know what I mean? A man's got to protect his livelihood from da Five-Oh. ESPECIALLY the Five- Oh."
Jack stared at him for a minute, face scrunched up in confusion. He never realized it before, but Jamal was an incredibly big guy, almost bigger than Zach. Not only that, but the Seaside Resort was far away from the town proper, too far for anyone to hear him scream. Images from movies Pastor Carter had shown him were beginning to flood his head one after another, and here he was, all along with Jamal... oh so very alone...
"Daddy, don't!" screamed Jack.
"Yo, nature boy! You wid me, or what?"
With a start, Jack snapped awake. "Huh? What? Sorry?"
Jamal cracked up, doubling over with laughter. "Shit, man. Thought you wuz a goner. I was askin' if you were down with the Five-Oh!"
"Oh!" Finally, Jack realized what was saying, and with some reluctance, took out his wallet and put $50 in his hand.
"Heh! You're crazy, but that's what I love 'bout you white people," Jamal said as he crumpled the bill into his own pocket. "Aiit, homeboy. C'mon in to Casa del Jamal."
[ to be continued ]
He's probably taking lots of pictures to send back to his daughter in the big city, Jack thought cheerily. Now she can see how much her daughter's grown! How nice of him! But I wonder why Pastor Carter was visiting this late at night?
Jack also passed the town square, where the lumberjack, Gotz, was rooting for recyclable cans in the trash bin, and then finally arrived to the Seaside Inn Resort, where Kai's brother, Jamal, had taken over.
He'd never visited Jamal at the resort, but Jack knew he was going in the right direction; he'd visited before, when Kai was around, and even then, he could hear rap music blasting from as far away as Yodel Farm.
"Yo, Jack! Whuddup?"
Jack turned and saw Jamal waving him over from the entrance to the resort. "Good evening, Jamal. How's the resort business going?"
"Aww, man, it's da shit!" Jamal grinned as he took a long drag from his oddly-shaped cigarette, which was pinched at either end, and then sighed contentedly. "Hell yeah."
"That bad, huh?" Jack shook his head, and was about to say something else, but was interrupted.
"Whut? Hell no, mah nigga. Ain't no one staying here, man. But ah gots me a little sumpin'-sumpin', know what I mean? Something on the D.L. that provides me the bling-bling and the kaching-kaching."
"The what?" asked Jack, confused.
"It's all about the Benjamins, homedawg."
"The who?"
"Awww, yeeaaah. Here, let me show you." Jamal was about to admit Jack in, when he whirled around and planted a hand on the farmer's chest. "But first," he said.
"First what?"
"First, ah gots to know if you're down with the Man, know what I mean? A man's got to protect his livelihood from da Five-Oh. ESPECIALLY the Five- Oh."
Jack stared at him for a minute, face scrunched up in confusion. He never realized it before, but Jamal was an incredibly big guy, almost bigger than Zach. Not only that, but the Seaside Resort was far away from the town proper, too far for anyone to hear him scream. Images from movies Pastor Carter had shown him were beginning to flood his head one after another, and here he was, all along with Jamal... oh so very alone...
"Daddy, don't!" screamed Jack.
"Yo, nature boy! You wid me, or what?"
With a start, Jack snapped awake. "Huh? What? Sorry?"
Jamal cracked up, doubling over with laughter. "Shit, man. Thought you wuz a goner. I was askin' if you were down with the Five-Oh!"
"Oh!" Finally, Jack realized what was saying, and with some reluctance, took out his wallet and put $50 in his hand.
"Heh! You're crazy, but that's what I love 'bout you white people," Jamal said as he crumpled the bill into his own pocket. "Aiit, homeboy. C'mon in to Casa del Jamal."
[ to be continued ]