smiles
revealing two gold teeth on his canines. He states, “Carlo
called.”
Greylan nods
again. He asks apprehensively, “Do you have any more room?”
Jackson
chuckles and asks Greylan, “What you really want to know is am I
ready to make the jump? Are you ready? Carlo isn’t sure if you
still have what it takes.”
Hearing
Carlo’s thoughts from this guy hammers it home yet again how things
have changed. Greylan suspects that those are supposed to be
motivational words. Greylan drops his hands shoving them into the
pockets of his jeans.
He eyes the
man for a moment and answers, “Carlo’s right. I’m not sure either.
It’s been a long time and things have changed…”
Jackson cuts
him off releasing the rope he was leaning on.
“I don’t have
time for bullshit. I watched your career and you would have been
sitting exactly where Parker Harris is. You’re not but it can
happen again. No, I don’t have room for a has been working out just
to pass the time away.”
Greylan looks
away pissed at himself even more for all of his choices.
Jackson begins
to walk away but stops and turns around. He is playing with a
toothpick in the corner of his mouth. He removes it and looks
Greylan up and down.
“Do I have
room for you to make a comeback? Yes, but be forewarned I will work
your ass off. You’ll be wishing for that pussy assed trainer,
Carlo.”
He walks away
before Greylan can say anything in response but his guess is that
Jackson doesn’t want an answer right away. He’s thankful for that
fact. He obviously has a lot of thinking to do.
As darkness
threatens the sky, Greylan makes his way to his hopeful new place
of employment known as Juno’s Jackpot Bar. The entrance is
non-descript. It’s situated snuggly into a front lined with other
establishments in the lower part of West Brunswick. The sign over
the door displays a treasure chest with a crab peeking out and
coins flying all around the letters spelling out the name. Greylan
spoke to Juno on the phone and she instructed him to come in that
evening. He makes his way around to the back of the building
because it’s not yet open. The alley behind the building is
littered with cans and boxes next to a dumpster emanating a putrid
smell. Greylan holds his breath as he knocks on the heavy looking
metal door. A moment later it opens to reveal a small framed woman
with long black hair peppered in gray streaks. Her T-shirt
showcases the same treasure chest and lettering as the sign out
front. Her warm brown eyes seem kind but her set mouth tells him
that she won’t put up with anything. He imagines she is rightly
named Juno. She looks fifty something and seems as though she has
definitely seen her share of life’s ups and downs.
She takes a
drag on a cigarette burning close to her fingers and mutters in
surprise, “You showed up.”
Greylan
doesn’t know why he’s surprised by her comment but knowing Jimmy he
told her about his history already. The day before on the phone she
didn’t ask about his background so he didn’t offer. He needs this
job badly.
She states,
“You must be Greylan.”
He nods
realizing that statement is a common one today. She smiles and
tells him, “Come on back to the office.”
She opens the
door to a clean space. A computer monitor displays camera shots of
the bar and building beyond. Greylan is surprised by the neatness
because he had her pegged as messy based on her haphazard hair and
clothes. She produces paperwork that he quickly signs.
She takes a
quick breath once the papers are finished and explains, “Christina
is behind the bar with you tonight. It’s Saturday night, the
busiest of the week so you get a crash course.”
She stands
putting her cigarette out in an empty ash tray on her desk. She
turns and winks as the meeting wraps up, her eyes lingering on him
like she wants to add something. He knows that look, fighting for
as long as he did, he had his share of women throw themselves at
him. He turns
revealing two gold teeth on his canines. He states, “Carlo
called.”
Greylan nods
again. He asks apprehensively, “Do you have any more room?”
Jackson
chuckles and asks Greylan, “What you really want to know is am I
ready to make the jump? Are you ready? Carlo isn’t sure if you
still have what it takes.”
Hearing
Carlo’s thoughts from this guy hammers it home yet again how things
have changed. Greylan suspects that those are supposed to be
motivational words. Greylan drops his hands shoving them into the
pockets of his jeans.
He eyes the
man for a moment and answers, “Carlo’s right. I’m not sure either.
It’s been a long time and things have changed…”
Jackson cuts
him off releasing the rope he was leaning on.
“I don’t have
time for bullshit. I watched your career and you would have been
sitting exactly where Parker Harris is. You’re not but it can
happen again. No, I don’t have room for a has been working out just
to pass the time away.”
Greylan looks
away pissed at himself even more for all of his choices.
Jackson begins
to walk away but stops and turns around. He is playing with a
toothpick in the corner of his mouth. He removes it and looks
Greylan up and down.
“Do I have
room for you to make a comeback? Yes, but be forewarned I will work
your ass off. You’ll be wishing for that pussy assed trainer,
Carlo.”
He walks away
before Greylan can say anything in response but his guess is that
Jackson doesn’t want an answer right away. He’s thankful for that
fact. He obviously has a lot of thinking to do.
As darkness
threatens the sky, Greylan makes his way to his hopeful new place
of employment known as Juno’s Jackpot Bar. The entrance is
non-descript. It’s situated snuggly into a front lined with other
establishments in the lower part of West Brunswick. The sign over
the door displays a treasure chest with a crab peeking out and
coins flying all around the letters spelling out the name. Greylan
spoke to Juno on the phone and she instructed him to come in that
evening. He makes his way around to the back of the building
because it’s not yet open. The alley behind the building is
littered with cans and boxes next to a dumpster emanating a putrid
smell. Greylan holds his breath as he knocks on the heavy looking
metal door. A moment later it opens to reveal a small framed woman
with long black hair peppered in gray streaks. Her T-shirt
showcases the same treasure chest and lettering as the sign out
front. Her warm brown eyes seem kind but her set mouth tells him
that she won’t put up with anything. He imagines she is rightly
named Juno. She looks fifty something and seems as though she has
definitely seen her share of life’s ups and downs.
She takes a
drag on a cigarette burning close to her fingers and mutters in
surprise, “You showed up.”
Greylan
doesn’t know why he’s surprised by her comment but knowing Jimmy he
told her about his history already. The day before on the phone she
didn’t ask about his background so he didn’t offer. He needs this
job badly.
She states,
“You must be Greylan.”
He nods
realizing that statement is a common one today. She smiles and
tells him, “Come on back to the office.”
She opens the
door to a clean space. A computer monitor displays camera shots of
the bar and building beyond. Greylan is surprised by the neatness
because he had her pegged as messy based on her haphazard hair and
clothes. She produces paperwork that he quickly signs.
She takes a
quick breath once the papers are finished and explains, “Christina
is behind the bar with you tonight. It’s Saturday night, the
busiest of the week so you get a crash course.”
She stands
putting her cigarette out in an empty ash tray on her desk. She
turns and winks as the meeting wraps up, her eyes lingering on him
like she wants to add something. He knows that look, fighting for
as long as he did, he had his share of women throw themselves at
him. He turns
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