Hide & Seek

Hide & Seek

It was Saturday November 3, 2012.  I went to visit ‘G’ in her darkened bar.  Hurricane Sandy knocked out electricity to most of Long Island and South Hempstead was still in the dark.  

There were cute little flashlight lanterns on the pool table one neon yellow for the ladies room and a bright red one for the men’s room.  ‘G’ had a small boom box with the radio in an eerily darkened bar with at least six of her regulars in attendance.

D.B. was raising hell as everyone fought to stay warm inside the cold dark bar even though it was a bright sunny day.  I told D.B. to stop trying to give Rocco a hard time for not buying one those security systems he was peddling, besides Rocco did better and spent less money for it elsewhere.  

I walked to the local McDonalds after taking orders from the clientele because the kitchen in the bar was useless.  D.B. went with me to help carry everything back.  It amazed me that McDonalds had a generator and KFC didn’t.

When we got back into Bronkos Zed was hunched over in the corner by the door letting the sunlight warm his back.  He was agitated, he was shaking, he was scared.  ‘G’ asked him “what’s the matter with you?”  “I saw a Doctor about some problems I have and well,…I don’t want to talk about it right now” said Zed as he sucked on his bottled Bud. 

D.B.’s eyes lit up as he snapped his fingers declaring “your having freak withdrawals, I saw you with that hot little hooker at the Oasis last night, man that thang was hot, nasty and ready to rock, well did she Zed?  Did she rock your world, did she make your planet twirl, did she man, did she?  “SHUT UP D.B.” screamed Zed as he looked out the window with apprehension, pulling his hands down over his face then he got lost inside his beer.

‘G’ didn’t say anything taking a bottle of Jameson off the shelf and poured a shot for Zed and put it next to his beer.  ‘G’ knew something we didn’t but it would not be long before Zed poured it out of him like a long leak after a five mile force march.

 

D.B. was playing tunes from his I-Phone when Zed asked him if had seen his ‘freak’ and if so was she looking for him.  D.B. being the total asshole he is cut right to the chase asking Zed “what did you do to that bitch?” 

Zed looked up at D.B., his eyes as red as the Martian surface but before he could say anything D.B. went on his little inquisition about the woman, the activities and the reason Zed asked if he’d seen her. D.B. said “Zed, she was young and willing to do everything…you left in hurry last night with that hottie, did you go to the boat, the hotel or the boss-ladies dungeon?”

This time it was ‘G’, “SHUT UP D.B.  You were going to say something Zed, go ahead, I’m listening.”  Zed said, “My boat is in my neighbors yard, the hotels are all booked with survivors with no homes to go to and it was too cold and too dark to take her down to the dungeon.  I had her in my brothers RV…I promised her she could stay there, I gave her money too…she lost everything and said she’d do anything if I would help her.  At first I saw it as a fair trade, now I feel like shit.”

Before D.B. could open his mouth ‘G’ stared Zed down while holding a knife and told Zed to continue. (‘G’ looked consoling and caring but soon we would find out what she thought about this) Zed threw back the shot as ‘G’ set him down another beer, Zed said, “she wanted me to hold her, console her, love her…like I was her husband or something, like I had saved her life or something.”

D.B. blurted “whats her name Zed?” “Pia, she owned a small business on the Nautical Mile, Sandy wrecked it.  Pia's Dad died a few years back, her mother is in a mental facility and she is an only child…she’s in her late 20’s.  

Look, I just wanted to give her a few bucks a place to stay for a night and score myself a quick piece of ass but now I feel like a heel.  What’s worse she called me and said she needs me to help her.”

Zed rattled on as D.B. smiled trying to fight off laughter.  ‘G’ was still, attentive and quiet.  I was looking at the old soul at the back end of the bar who stuck around,  he was reading his paper, occasionally looking up at Zed as if he was a convict. 

Zed said, “I left her in the RV at my brothers place, I got my generator out of the boat and it is running electricity to my house.  I told my brother about Pia and his RV.  I just figure I got to kick the girl out and let her fend for herself because if I let her get attached to me I won’t get rid of her.  How would I explain it to my daughter or my other women?”

‘G’ gave a gentle smile, but her eyes were blank…I’d seen that look before and it was on her father’s face when he worked for a ‘family business’ when we were kids.  The guy her dad was talking to was never seen again.  ‘G’ was scaring me.  ‘G’ said to Zed, “this girl Pia is about…what the seventh woman you had in the last two months, right?”  “No, she’s number 8” said Zed assuredly.

‘G’ spoke softly saying “what was the problem the Doctor said you had Zed? By the way, I know what kind of Doctor you saw, be straight with me, don’t worry about these guys in here because they could care less.  So what’s your problem Zed?”  Zed took a long swallow of his beer and said “apparently the Doctor thinks I’m some kind of sex addict.” ‘G’ said “I’m listening Zed.”

‘G’ poured another shot and placed another beer in front of Zed who was now letting loose, D.B. who was listening intently went to the men’s room but left his I-phone (turned on and recording) and his money on the bar.  

Zed rattled on “after my wife gave me V.D. and we divorced years ago, I just found that sex was my way of dealing with stress and letting go.  I never dragged it home to my little girl, I keep it in the streets.  But I get these scenarios in my head and I just do what I got to.”

‘G’ said “so you do what you ‘got to’ do to make the scenario real, right Zed?” Zed nodded his head up and down.  ‘G’ then asked “how is the Doctor treating you for this problem Zed?”  “I have to go to this clinic in Manhattan and go through some kind of psycho sex therapy rehab.  But right now all I can think about is how to get out of this guilt trip and dump this Pia broad ‘G’.” 

 ‘G’ said softly and sternly, “Zed you and your brother are going to let Pia stay in the RV as long as she needs, then your going to help Pia contact FEMA and the County for help, just like your doing for yourself.  

You let Dad know what you did and what your going to do because he and Ricky nine-fingers hold the loans to your business and they don’t need the publicity of a destitute young girl claiming she was raped and abused looking for help.  

Such things could happen to you. Understand Zed?”

Zed looked up at ‘G’ and started shaking.  ‘G’ raised her eyebrows staring into Zed’s face, he shook his head and started to weep.  

‘G’ gave him his buy back and poured Zed another shot.  D.B. got back to hear the end of the conversation and he started to shake his head looking at ‘G’ like she just pulled a gun.  I knew enough to understand there was a whole lot more going on than meets the eye.

‘G’ got Zed’s phone and called Pia.  Pia came to the bar and left with Zed who was doing a lot of talking on the way to the car.  When they left I gently asked ‘G’ if she would fill in some blanks for me if she didn’t mind.  ‘G’ said Zed wanted to go out with her but she told him he would have to lose the girl friends.  

They never went out but ‘G’ talked some of her ‘family people’ into loaning Zed money for a second boat.  Zed pay’s on time but his guarantors are all business and just business.

‘G’ also made sure Zed can get some ass from the owner, boss lady.  Zed gets to fuck boss lady in her dungeon when he wants or when boss lady wants it.  You see, boss lady (owner of the establishment) is also one of Zed’s investors and a nymphomaniac. 

D.B. knows more of the situation and said he would tell me after Pia is out of Zed’s life.  All D.B. would tell me was “it’s a game of hide and seek, women in here want dick but want to hide their dirt, ‘G’ hooks Zed up with these broads and ‘G’ gets paid on both ends, when Zed used Pia it pissed ‘G’ off. 

Your girl ‘G’ is a pimp RJ, she arranges the dirt that freaks seek.  Know that.”

D.B. turned off his I-phone voice recorder editing out his dissertation, but he had recorded everything else that was said.

Hurricane Sandy brought out the best in people given a very bad situation.  Somehow right doings can be done by not so right people.

RJ