Day CLXXXVIII

Bamboozled

     Gus was a customer of mine, a good friend, and since often times I passed by his place on my way home, (his store was a block away from my place), we’d share a couple of glasses of wine before he closed the store. We became pals, we enjoyed our wine, laughed, and shared tales of the day’s happenings, the sad, the stupid, and the funny.

     Sometimes he would tell me about Red’s misadventures. Red was a pal of his who would always call Gus up with one scheme or another. When Red went shopping for his store, sometimes Gus would tag along, and watch Red steal something. He just had to take something, always, anything, it didn’t matter as long as he didn’t have to pay for it.

     “These facking teeves, man. They ripp ya off wit alla deeze trinkets, so it rite I should take sompen too, man, ya na.”

     So it was always something, a pencil, a nic nack, anything, so long as he didn’t pay for it. It made his day.

    Red’s store was on Broadway, near a hundred and twenty fifth street. One day a Junky walked into his store, wearing a beautiful heavy gold chain around his neck. He was just looking around, but Red kept his eagle eye on him, because he just knew junckies only came into the store to steal something. But on this day, he immediately became fascinated by the chain, which had a large, colorful enamel, medallion of St. Nicholas, (the patron saint of archers, sailors, children, merchants, and thieves), dangling from it.

     “Hey kid, wanna sell det chain?” He asked matter of factly, as he didn’t want to seem too interested in it.