The Gift
“Donnie, you notice that shite Ford been behind us all night?” I ask and check the mirror.
“I’ll bet Steve’s behind this! He’s having me followed because I left him!” Courtney rages
“It’s got be the guy in the khaki’s, you know the one who shows’s up with a newspaper everywhere we go.”
“Lets go get my car we re making this too easy.” It’s at her apartment Donnie starts driving there.
We pull into the complex.
“Blimey he’s half a block away he must’ve trained in Quantico,” I say. Inside Courtney’s flat, she makes drinks. We turn the stereo up. Don and talk she paces nervously.
“OK Love, we’re going out again you’ll sit in my lap. She is the younger soon to be Ex-wife of an oil executive, and 27 she’s a bit older than his kid, and lot older than me. She has long blonde hair a perfect tan, flawless body, and enhanced breasts. Tonight she’s wearing a little black dress and stilettos. She’s hard to miss especially in the places I go. We go to that concrete bunker, and the cathedral of 3-chord rock.
One of my friends run’s a little reconnaissance.
She walks by” 9mm. Ankle holster, and a newspaper. She smiles and keeps walking
“The port, Big Man owes us one!”
Mick comes by “I got all the film opens his jacket hands me film containers. I reach into my jacket and give him 2 glycerine packets. He hands me the canisters.
I exposed the film in the camera too, Reedy put the light from his Lambretta scooter on it.
“I’ll remember this, Thanks’ mate.” I shake his hand and slip him a 20$
“Getting in the car Don said, “II hope he doesn’t get lost.”
A candy apple red Corvette with side pipes and no top in the worst parts of town, even Clouseau can follow that, “ we laugh getting into the car. Courtney is light maybe 7 stone maybe 1.8 metres. A tall cool drink of water. We head for a bar on the port; our little friend behind us.
We file in go to big man’s table and pay respects. A waitress instantly brings drink the mountain of a black Man that, is big Man motions us to sit down. Donnie ‘s about 1.9 metres 16 stone looks smaller.
“Why you here dressed like a biker”” he says smiling.
“I got a little problem, the cracker sitting in his car looking scared,” I answer.
“He needs to go?” Big Man smiles.
“ I want him gift wrapped,” I answered laughing. Donnie and Big Man roar with laughter. Big Man signals waitress brings drinks bend over as he whispers.


He smiles folds his hands we chat while a band plays funk in the background.
The waitress hands me a paper bag in it car keys a Smith and Wesson 9 mm. a wallet a P.I. badge
Big Man laughs and says” he in the trunk of his ford.”
Don grabs the keys, and say’s Let’s make a delivery”
I shake Big Man’s hand, and ask, “We cool baby?”
He laughs “get your white ass out of my club, it’s dark out.” laughing,
Outside Donnie opens the boot says something and closes it.
When I get in the car Courtney burst with questions, “Oh my God is he alive!?! Who was that what is Donnie doing? Where are we going? “ “What exactly is it you do for a living?”
“OK yes alive, and pretty uncomfortable. Don is telling private investigator with  Chris Dell that his info has been photocopied and that if he doesn’t give us a bother he will be OK. We are going to leave him on Steve’s Porch with a note, “Do you think you’re playing with children?” “I work at clubs play guitar when I’m lucky, and that's all you want to know .”
“OK I will smile. She answers.”
“I am not just a  teenager you ask all the questions you like, I ‘m just giving you a gift.
Driving through the quiet posh neighbourhood . We pull down the street from Courtney’s soon to be ex. Don Carries the  Chris Dell private investigator leaves on the porch rings the bell runs to my car, and starts driving. Like leaving a Halloween prank. “You couldn’t drive something less obvious,” Donnie says for the millionth time.
A few months later Courtney gets a generous settlement