Gyro's come over to the commune I've been crashing at for a few days resting up between my journeys and says to me "Well Tai, I am going out of the business."
Gyro and I have been the best of friends for a long time and have shared many adventures together, some women and a ton of drugs. When I first met him he was selling encyclopedias dressed in a suit and tie, driving an orange BMW. He stopped by the house on 25th street on day, got stoned and within three months was living the hip life and dealing dope. He had been dealing ever since, first ounces out of his room in the City to now, pounds out of his house in San Rafeal.
He made quite a bit of money at it too but only spent it on a few things. The best dope for him and his friends consumption which he was never stingy with: Women; especially big tittied red heads. Music; he had the best and biggest stereo system that I have ever seen or heard. And his pride and joy, his vintage 65 mustang; that looked ordinary from the outside but was mechanically perfect with a killer sound system on the inside.
So when he told me that he was getting out of the biz and giving up dealing forever, I wanted to know why and here's the story he told me.
"I was sitting in my house with just my Levi’s on smoking some killer buds last Tuesday morning about 10 o clock when someone knocks at the door. I look out the peephole and see a spade I know who I’d been dealing with named James. He had been buying ounces of coke from me for the last month, so no problem. I open the door and as soon as I do the mutherfucker puts a .45 right between my eyes and yells, "Where's the dope!"
"Man, I about shit my pants. At first I thought he was joking, but then I could see by the look in his eyes that he was not especially with that .45 pressed into my forehead so I say, "Easy man, no need to get excited. I'll give you all the dope I got, just be cool."
"James relaxes a little then says, "Okay where is it?"
"I tell him that I have a quarter pound of coke and a couple ounce of MDA in my holdall over on the table."
"He tells me to get it."
"We go over to the table and I unlock and unzip the bag. James looks inside sees the dope and my triple beam. He also sees the OZ of grass that I was smoking sitting on the table then tells me to put that into the holdall too. I do. James puts the gun back up to my head and says, "This ain't much. Where’s the rest?"
"I tell him that all there is, that I sold every thing else and am waiting on my next shipment."
"James thinks it over then says, "Okay, then where's the bread?"
"I tell him that it's in my day pack hanging in my hall closet.'
"He tells me to get it but then says, "Don't try anything funny, or you'll be one dead honky."
"I assure James that I will be very cool. I get the day pack and hand it to him. He looks inside and smiles. There's close to eight grand in there. He hands it back to me and tells me to put it in the holdall with the other stuff."
"James then says, "You sure you ain't got nothing else around here cuz if I find out yer lying I will blow your mutherfucking brains out!" and presses the gun back into my face."
"I tell James that I have some pills and a few other loose drugs laying around but that’s it, and I told him the truth. All the rest of my stash and cash were at my safe house."
"James asks about the pills."
"I tell him there's about 30 Ludes on the nightstand."
"He want them too, so we go and get them, these he puts in his pocket then says to me, "You're a good lil cracker, so now as long as you don't try nuthin’ stupid, you'll end up alive. I am leaving now, you just be cool. Understand!"
I tell him that I understand perfectly and that he is welcome to the stuff, just put that gun away and go."
"He smiles and says, "I knew you wasn't no dummy." He grabs the holdall, looks inside one last time zips it shut then locks it. He then sticks the .45 in his waist and is out the front door."
"When all this started I was scarred shitless but by now I am mad as hell! How dare that chickenshit motherfucker who I had always dealt with fairly, come into my own house and threaten my life. As soon as he left, I ran into my bedroom and got my .357 from under my pillow then was out the door after him. I was going to run that nigger down and kill that son of a bitch."
"As soon as I saw that rat bastard I started running towards him screaming, "Nigger with a Gun! Nigger with a Gun!" (San Rafeal was almost all white)
"He sees me coming with my .357 and takes off running down the street. So there we are at 10 a.m., a half naked long haired white guy with a gun chasing a black dude with a gun running down the middle of the street flat out with me screaming, "Nigger with a Gun!"
"After a block I am starting to gain on him and he knows it. He drops the holdall right in the middle of the street so he can run faster. I am so pissed off and out of it by now that I run right pass the bag with all the dope and money in it and keep chasing him because I have only 1 thought and that is to empty my .357 right into his rotten thieving stinking body. I can even see me shooting him and his blood soaked bullet ridden body laying in a pool of his own blood, and as he lays there dying he's looking up at me and I am kicking him, saying "That will teach you to mess with me cocksucker!" Then I experience a moment of true clarity.
"I am outside of my body and I can see the whole scene. A half naked maniac waving a gun and screaming while chasing a black dude. I stop right there and think, 'Jesus Fucking Christ Gyro, this is totally nuts. What the hell are you doing?' "
"I look around and see the duffel laying in the street a block back. There is no one else in the street that I can see but that don't mean nothing. I think the first thing I got to do is get rid of the piece, then retrieve the holdall, and then get the hell out of there and FAST! I walk over to a house with a big hedge around it and stash the .357 in the bushes. I'll come back for it later. I start walking toward the holdall and just when I get to it here come two cop cars around the corner with their bubblegums going but no sirens. Somebody has called the cops! Before they are out of their car I pick the holdall up cradling it in my arms."
"They pull right up to me and ask what is going on."
"I tell them that I was just robbed at gun point in broad daylight by a spade that went that a way, pointing in the wrong direction because I do not want them to catch James."
"One of the cop cars takes off in the direction I pointed, the other cops get out of their car and asks me for a description."
"I give them a false one hopping James is well away. I do not want the cops knowing what he stole."
"The cops ask what was stole."
"I tell them everything I had, my wallet with all my money and ID in it, and my bag."
"They ask how it happened and I give them a song and dance about how I was just walking down the street on my way to a friend’s when this black dude jumped out, pulled a gun and demanded my wallet and bag, which I gave him. Then he just took off running. I told them that I was so mad that I without thinking chased him. I had almost caught up with him but he saw me he dropped my holdall and ran even faster. I kept chasing him but he was just too fast for me. So I walked back to where my bag was and picked it up . Then you guys showed up"
"One of the cops, while reaching for the bag now in my arms says, "We might need that for evidence."
"My heart stops until the other one says, "What for? He only stole the guy’s wallet and besides, we'll never catch him. You know how fast them niggers can run."
"The other says, "Yeah, you're right about that. But the jig stole it too so that makes it evidence."
The cop shrugs then takes my holdall out of my arms with all the dope, money and the triple beam in it.
I ask the cops when I can get it back?
"The cop with my bag tells me that if they ain't caught the guy is a week then I can come and claim it at the station. He asks me for my name and address which I have to give them if I want to see my holdall again.”
Here I break in, “Are you completely nuts Gyro? Giving your name and address to the cops with them holding 5 years in prison in their arms for you. Plus you really are not insane enough to go claim it in a week, are ya?'
Gyro shrugs and smiles saying, “The way I figure it is, first, it's locked and unless they catch James, which they won't, they got no reason to open it. Second, they already got my name and address so if they don't come for me in a week then I'm safe. I mean, I sure ain't giving up all that product and cash unless I have to.”
Anyway,” Gyro continues, “They ask me to come down to the station with them to fill out a report."
"I tell them that I am just to shook up right now but will be glad to come down later."
"They say okay and give me their card, wish me luck then leave."
"After they're gone I retrieve the .357 and hot foot it out of there as fast as I can. Back at my place I get the shakes real bad then puke up all my breakfast. After a Lude and a few joints I feel a lot better, but I know that my dealing days are now over.
I ask what is he going to do now.
“Well,,” he says, “First I got to go down to the station to fill out a report then wait a week before I can retrieve my bag After that I'm going to call Larry (another mid level dealer we knew) and asked him if he wants to buy my business for 10 grand and 10% of the first years profits."
"I'm sure he'll say yes, so then I'll introduce him around to my clientele this week because as of now, I am out of the biz except for you and a few other of my closes friends. If anyone wants anything they can go see Larry."
I ask him, “Then what?”
"I don't know.” Gyro tells me, “I'm selling most of my stash to Larry at cost, so I got over 20 grand in my pocket with Larry giving me another 10 grand as soon as he can get it together. Plus a monthly income of 10% of his sales for the next year, so I guess I will just hang out and party."
I ask him about James.
"Shit! That nigger had better not ever show his face around here again. The word is out on his ass and Kris (a Vietnam vet we know) had already said that if I ever see him to point him out and Kris will do his ass in. He said that he's already going to hell for all the innocent people he killed in the Nam and that one more rip off spade won' matter one little bit. I'm also giving up my house at the end of the month and moving back into the City. Easier to party from there anyway."
Then he looks at me and says, “By the way Tai, what are you doing a week from now because I'm going to need a driver just in case the cops did open my holdall in which case I won't be leaving there anytime soon. There would be no risk to you. Just sit there and if I'm not out in a hour then just drive away and drop the Cuda off at Larrry's”
I laugh and clap Gyro on the back telling him, “ Man if you are crazy enough to try that stunt then I would be happy to drive you.”
A week later we pull into the cop shop. Gyro shakes my hand, smiles, says, “No guts, no glory.” then gets out of the car walks to the front door and disappears into the station.
Fifteen minutes later the cop shop door open and out come Gyro, a free man with one of the biggest grins on his face I've ever seen. He hops in the Cuda and says, “Home James.” As we pull out of the parking lot Gyro reaches in to the glove box, withdraws a giant hooter and fires that puppy up.
I ask him how it went?
He replies, “Man, it was sweet. I walk in, tell them why I'm there and the cop behind the counter tell me to take a chair. A few minutes later one of the cops shows up with my holdall in his arms. He hands it to me apologizing they didn't catch the thief and for all the hassle I had to go through. I tell him it okay, they was only doing there job. He has me sign a paper and after a hand shake it's out the door I go back to freedom.” He takes another toke and says again, “Yeah, it was sooo sweet.”
When we got to his place he opens the bag and everything is there. He hands me an ounce for driving him then thanks me.
I tell him it was no biggie but after all that excitement we'd better smoke another one. Which is what we do.
I am still friends with Gyro though he changed his name. He never did go back to dealing. He met his True Love, got married and now has a nice life living in the East Bay working as a carpenter for a living. Just goes to show, some folks can learn and change from their mistakes and even prosper.