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Authors: Jay Carter Brown
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shakedown, with the pitch that what had happened was all a misunderstanding. He even came over to my house with ten pounds of weed as partial repayment for the six grand he and Jean Paul had ripped off from me. I took the weed and accepted his apology, but inside I was still boiling about the incident.
For a while, I had daily fantasies about killing both Jean Paul and Ryan and I thought seriously about getting myself a clean piece for the job. Ryan’s apology and the ten pounds of weed helaid on me made the entire incident even more confusing. One part of me wanted to continue on as friends with him, but another part of me wanted revenge. I figured that Ryan must have been successful in one of his importing scams and now that he was back in the chips, his conscience was bothering him. By dropping ten pounds of weed on me, he was trying to make up again. As time moved forward, I tried to forgive and forget, but the incident in Jamaica burned inside of me like a hot iron. Jean Paul’s part in the shakedown was less upsetting than Ryan’s betrayal because I saw that French little prick as a trained wolf rather than a person. I would have choked the life out of Ryan and Jean Paul in a second, if I thought I could get away with it. What Ryan pulled on me was an experience that left an indelible mark on my memory that no amount of time could wipe away. It wasn’t about the money. It was about friendship and trust and loyalty. When Ryan called on me for backup at the printing supply firm where we both worked years before, I did not hesitate to help him, even though it cost me my job. When he was out of town scamming, I was available for anything he asked of me, including keeping an eye out for his wife. Ryan and his wife were like family to Barbara and me. We had spent countless hours together dropping mescaline and doing coke and laughing while we discussed our lives and expressed our innermost feelings to each other.
Before the Jamaica incident, Ryan and I once shared in the purchase of a board game called Swingers. After a little tequila and a lot of smoke, he and I ended up nude and making out with our wives on the carpet in the same room. Some people in our group actually thought we were swinging together, but that was never destined to be. After the shakedown visit from Jean Paul and Ryan in Jamaica, there were more poker games and there were more parties, but there was never again anything like that board game closeness Ryan and I once shared.
Shortly after Ryan’s apology, I found myself invited to a birthday party at Jean Paul’s house. The house was located on a cul-de-sac in Laval, and only the loan shark’s closest friends were privileged to know its whereabouts. It was to be a surprise party,which was spoiled when Jean Paul and Ryan came across me and my wife as we drove into Jean Paul’s subdivision. Ryan and Jean Paul were driving out for party supplies, when Jean Paul saw me and slammed on the brakes to ask me what I was doing there. I was secretly pleased to see what was, undoubtedly, a trace of fear and apprehension in Jean Paul’s eyes. It lasted until Ryan explained to the loan shark that I was there for his surprise party. I could see that Jean Paul was angry about not being informed about the party and, particularly, about me coming. I thought the entire scene was as ridiculous as a Monty Python movie skit, and if I could have turned around and left right then, I would have. In my mind, throwing a birthday party for Jean Paul was like trying to domesticate a wild animal. I was only going to the party to break the ice, and I had gone there with mixed feelings.
I joined the party and spent most of my time in the kitchen with the guys while the girls sat in the living room doing their own thing. Ryan was there with his wife. Robby was there with Paula. Jean Paul’s brother-in-law, Rene Lemieux was also there. At one point during his birthday celebration, Jean Paul separated the guys from the girls
For a while, I had daily fantasies about killing both Jean Paul and Ryan and I thought seriously about getting myself a clean piece for the job. Ryan’s apology and the ten pounds of weed helaid on me made the entire incident even more confusing. One part of me wanted to continue on as friends with him, but another part of me wanted revenge. I figured that Ryan must have been successful in one of his importing scams and now that he was back in the chips, his conscience was bothering him. By dropping ten pounds of weed on me, he was trying to make up again. As time moved forward, I tried to forgive and forget, but the incident in Jamaica burned inside of me like a hot iron. Jean Paul’s part in the shakedown was less upsetting than Ryan’s betrayal because I saw that French little prick as a trained wolf rather than a person. I would have choked the life out of Ryan and Jean Paul in a second, if I thought I could get away with it. What Ryan pulled on me was an experience that left an indelible mark on my memory that no amount of time could wipe away. It wasn’t about the money. It was about friendship and trust and loyalty. When Ryan called on me for backup at the printing supply firm where we both worked years before, I did not hesitate to help him, even though it cost me my job. When he was out of town scamming, I was available for anything he asked of me, including keeping an eye out for his wife. Ryan and his wife were like family to Barbara and me. We had spent countless hours together dropping mescaline and doing coke and laughing while we discussed our lives and expressed our innermost feelings to each other.
Before the Jamaica incident, Ryan and I once shared in the purchase of a board game called Swingers. After a little tequila and a lot of smoke, he and I ended up nude and making out with our wives on the carpet in the same room. Some people in our group actually thought we were swinging together, but that was never destined to be. After the shakedown visit from Jean Paul and Ryan in Jamaica, there were more poker games and there were more parties, but there was never again anything like that board game closeness Ryan and I once shared.
Shortly after Ryan’s apology, I found myself invited to a birthday party at Jean Paul’s house. The house was located on a cul-de-sac in Laval, and only the loan shark’s closest friends were privileged to know its whereabouts. It was to be a surprise party,which was spoiled when Jean Paul and Ryan came across me and my wife as we drove into Jean Paul’s subdivision. Ryan and Jean Paul were driving out for party supplies, when Jean Paul saw me and slammed on the brakes to ask me what I was doing there. I was secretly pleased to see what was, undoubtedly, a trace of fear and apprehension in Jean Paul’s eyes. It lasted until Ryan explained to the loan shark that I was there for his surprise party. I could see that Jean Paul was angry about not being informed about the party and, particularly, about me coming. I thought the entire scene was as ridiculous as a Monty Python movie skit, and if I could have turned around and left right then, I would have. In my mind, throwing a birthday party for Jean Paul was like trying to domesticate a wild animal. I was only going to the party to break the ice, and I had gone there with mixed feelings.
I joined the party and spent most of my time in the kitchen with the guys while the girls sat in the living room doing their own thing. Ryan was there with his wife. Robby was there with Paula. Jean Paul’s brother-in-law, Rene Lemieux was also there. At one point during his birthday celebration, Jean Paul separated the guys from the girls
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