In Like Flynn

I finally received the greatest honor on the Fourth of July. We were at a party being hosted by the Don in his mansion in Chilton and I was given permission to move in with Elizabeth. They had judged me worthy of the position, though I had to still put up with Elizabeth still giving services when demanded. We watched fireworks in The Don’s backyard to leave to go to work on Danny’s rave he had to put on for the holiday. Danny crossed the room with Constanza to give a speech standing next to the DJ. He thanked his customers for coming and announced the hundred-dollar challenge for the dancers. He then went up to the balcony to toss beads to the audience who adored him. Elizabeth and Constanza danced on the balcony while I helped Danny toss beads. Elizabeth and I snuck into the room behind the balcony where chairs and sofas were located. It was our break room complete with a cooler full of beer bottles. We came home to the apartment that would become my new home. A week later, we celebrated her son Mickey’s seventh birthday at the café bar where my former employer had made him a cake. We helped carry the presents to Francie’s apartment and she cooked spaghetti and meatballs for us. Mickey enjoyed the toy planes I brought for him. Cameron loved the toy cars Francie gave him. The girl Betsy clung to her Rugrats Angelica doll and showed us her triumph walk using her walker. Francie said the priest in charge of the church school offered to have a therapist come to the preschool with the hope that Betsy could learn to walk. It was mentioned the pilot of the Don’s private plane came down with the flu and they needed a quick replacement. I was offered the privilege of flying down to Texas for them. I was soon going on trips to California, Arizona, and New Mexico. I signed out of my hotel room forever and turned in the key (which shocked the front desk guy). I slept on the sofa bed with Elizabeth and got accustomed to cold showers. Life in the project building wasn’t that bad. Fist fights were entertainment around here and listening to music was free. Every weekend had a party in someone’s apartment. Constanza and I did the laundry to take Cameron with us to the laundromat down the street. We read books and Constanza practiced her English. I would spend time with him listening to him read and encouraged him to practice writing. It was nice acting like a parent again. Elizabeth said I smiled when around the kids. I missed my daughter who would be turning eight this year and I wouldn’t be there. Soon Constanza was pregnant and I was certain Danny was praying for another child. He would take extra care of Constanza and released her from dancing at raves. We celebrated Betsy’s fourth birthday and I gave her a coloring book with new crayons. We shopped for school supplies for the kids and made a donation to the cathedral’s drive for their school.

When school began, Cameron was picked up in the morning by neighbor kids and walked to the bus stop together so the adults could sleep in. I always got up to fix him breakfast. He was accustomed to eating cereal by himself so he enjoyed the novelty of French toast and scrambled eggs added to his diet. We took him out to buy his Halloween costume. He chose Darth Maul from the new Star Wars movie. We went to the mall for our trick or treating with the other kids dressed as Darth Vader and Cinderella. Then we left Cameron at Francie’s to enjoy a costume party at a rave in an abandoned warehouse Danny found after the cops busted his abandoned store place during Labor Day Weekend. Most of the time he arrived for a few hours, then leaves. Danny was The Joker from Batman, with Constanza as Harlequin. Elizabeth and I went as Poison Ivy and Bane. My undercover friend showed up as a jailbird and his date a sexy cop. I found out later she was a coworker of his who wanted a night of undercover. While the party was going on, a shipment of crystal meth from Mexico arrived late in a van. We employees had to go to the back room and divide it into packets for the pushers. Each candyman came for a package to sell to the crowd and it quickly disappeared. One member of the crew pocketed some of the packets of the finished product before it was counted for delivery. Danny lost it and grabbed his shirt collar. He forced the guy to the floor and shot him in the head. He removed six packets from the guy’s pockets and we stood in silence. He asked me to help him dispose of the vermin while the last of the packages were given out. We carried the dead guy to the dumpster out back. Then my cell phone buzzed and I checked the caller ID to find it was my undercover friend. He sent a text message to find him asap. We entered the back room to find Elizabeth asking for binoculars. There were flashing lights a block away and wanted to check it out. We found my undercover people and went up to the third floor offices full of people smoking and necking. Danny said the flashing lights were by Nico’s rave in an abandoned factory. He gave the order to close up shop. The announcement was made and the crew quickly filled a van with boxes of leftover booze. We rushed to remove the DJ table and speakers.

Then, we met the police’s SWAT teams. We all got hauled to the county jail. During my questioning, the police said they matched my prints to an FBI agent. I replied that there were two others who were undercover as well. I asserted I was an inch away from discovering the source of their drug supplies, their fencing contacts in electronics and jewels, and their gun suppliers. I begged for them to release me to finish my job and put The Don away for the rest of his life. I was brought before a judge and pleaded not guilty to anything beyond attending an illegal rave. It was illegal from not having a liquor license, underage dancers, and not checking for underage customers. We were inside taking apart the speakers when SWAT barged in. The crowd rushed them trying to escape, but we were in the corner and were last to leave. So, you could say they didn’t really have a good view of what we were doing when they came in. Danny crawled under the DJ stage and moved a board that revealed a safe he stuffed his money in. Nobody from the crew caught outside with the van told the police who they were working for. The packets of meth were given to the pushers who went out into the crowd so there wasn’t more than a few grams left in the whole place when they arrived to charge us with. Any unsold packets and some large bills were tossed on the floor to avoid giving themselves away as a dealer. The staff wore regular clothes so they all stated they were just there to party to the music. Francie arrived to bail the three of us out and Danny paid her back. The cops failed to find the safe under the floor boards and we went back at night to recover what we could. Soon after, we had to find another place for the raves.

We found another abandoned store with a very large backroom. We quickly set up shop and held another Grand Opening. This time Danny stayed away more and made an appearance for an hour before leaving. Our trial dates were set in January and I had two months to close my case. With my stories of telling off the police in the interrogation room, I impressed my crew and got offered another job. This time I was going to Paris. The Don wanted to visit his business contact there and even got tickets to the theater. I was given a gun to act as his bodyguard. I never felt so trusted in my life. Elizabeth came as well as his arm candy. His business contact adored her and she gave him service in his bedroom. I got my first lesson in stealing jewels. I was rehearsed in costume changing and geography. I had to know the subways, alleyways, and streets to get away quickly. We went inside the shop acting as a couple looking for an engagement ring. Two days later, I guarded the door while Elizabeth and a French guy of the business contact robbed the place. We ran down the street and into the subway station. We dropped our wigs and outer clothes in the rest room to walk out of the subway exit calm as can be. I thought that was a nice ruse. The Don and the business contact split the jewels. We hid the real stones to smuggle into the States and replaced them with cubic zirconia to sell. Elizabeth kept a fourteen karat gold ring with fake sapphires. We sold the twenty-four carat gold pieces to a jewelry dealer who also sold coins.

Once Cameron blabbed about Constanza’s and my presence in the apartment at school, social services arrived to question relationship with the couples. He received the belt from Danny when social services called the apartment. When the woman arrived, I presented myself as Valerie’s cousin who just lost a job and sleeping on her sofa bed temporarily. Constanza was my girlfriend. I ordered Cameron into his room to play so the adults could talk. I leaned over the nervous woman and whispered how I was really an undercover agent to give her the number of my office to confirm the information. I assured her the apartment was bugged and no harm would come to the boy. When the tenants would be sent to jail, Cameron would be happy with Francesca and the kids. I told her about Constanza’s pregnancy and assured that the visa holder was not involved in their illicit activities. She left in shock, but assured me of her silence in this matter. We celebrated Cameron’s seventh birthday at Laser Tag and invited friends from school. Then we attended the Shakira concert and Cameron got an autographed poster from Danny buying Meet and Greet tickets along with our front row seats. Had Thanksgiving dinner at my former employer’s café bar. Next thing I knew, I started flying to Mexico as my reward for smoothing things over with the social worker. I flew to Cancun and visited the Mayan ruins with Danny and Elizabeth. I bought her a turquoise necklace and souvenirs for the kids. Met Danny’s Mexican business contacts over dinner in the hotel café. Elizabeth and I enjoyed a romantic weekend.

The return flight was uneventful. The cargo-hold held our luggage and several crates of tequila, mescal, and rum for the clubs. Danny explained to the customs officials he was in Mexico obtaining liquors for his boss who owned the plane. The drugs were in sealed bags in false bottoms and packed in coffee grounds to throw off the drug sniffing dogs. When we arrived home, Elizabeth removed the jewels from her clothes and fake hair. We delivered the goods to their proper destination. They gave me several passports to use as we imported liquors for the clubs. During the Christmas shopping season, we went on vacation to Australia. I did my Christmas shopping there. I whispered to Elizabeth that I loved her and was uncertain if she was asleep when I said it. She didn’t seem to respond to my long withheld words. Danny, Elizabeth, and I returned after a few days with beer and wine. I celebrated my thirty-first birthday at the strip club complete with a dance and service from Elizabeth. Danny gave me a watch that I was sure was fenced. We later set off for Amsterdam and Rome for gin and amaretto. Hidden from view were stolen jewelry, electronics, among other things. Christmas Eve was spent at the café bar and The Don came for dinner carrying a turkey for tomorrow to drive us to the cathedral for midnight mass. Christmas Day Cameron woke up to a toy gun in his stocking. He got video games, movies, Legos, and a dump truck from me to occupy his time. Elizabeth gave me a gold ring I recognized in the Sydney shop that I had said I liked, but was shopping for other people. I gave her a mink fur coat and a diamond bracelet. Danny and Constanza gave me action movies with lots of karate scenes. We walked over to the café bar to taste The Don’s turkey. It was a happy day. When The Boss wanted his plane for vacation in Aruba the day after Christmas, I flew the plane and drove the car around. His family was very quiet and hardly spoke to each other. I showed the false ceiling I added to the plane so they could store any valuables in it. I forgot about the portable DVD player we had up there to watch movies during the flight. The kids enjoyed the discovery and bought some new movies in Aruba to watch on the way back. I actually missed Elizabeth and was told I spoke her name in my sleep. I woke up to find Mrs. Pesciano drinking gin in the moonlight. I asked her opinion on falling in love with an impossible relationship. Elizabeth could never really be mine and we would never live happily ever after. She simply stated love has no boundaries and returned to her husband.