A Losing Game

"Deals & Major Obligations"

            It was a rainy summer night when a fourteen-year-old Roderick first met Escobar. He'd just run away from a group home and hadn't eaten since the day before and needed money for food. So, he walked to a residential street with cars lined up and down. He came upon a new Escalade with a wallet sitting on the dashboard and immediately smashed the window with a brick. The alarm went off but he was able to grab the wallet quickly. However, there was no money inside. He put the wallet back on the dashboard and began searching for something he could steal and sell on the street for cash. Before he could find anything, he felt a pistol at the back of his head.

            "You got two seconds, youngin'," said the voice of the man holding the pistol.

            "I'm sorry, sir," Roderick offered, putting his hands up. "I was just lookin' for money for food."

            "You broke my fuckin' window!"

            "I'll replace it."

            "How? Nigga, you don't even have money for food!"

            "I'll clean your gutters. I'll mow your lawn! Please, don't kill me!" When he heard the sound of the pistol being uncocked, he let out a sigh of relief.

            "Turn the fuck around." Roderick turned around and the man asked, "What's your name, youngin'?"

            "Roderick."

            "Roderick, what?"

            "Roderick Payne."

            "Where are you from? Eastside? The projects?"

            "Yes, sir."

            "The Bottoms? You from The Bottoms, ain't you?"

            "Yeah."

            "I can tell. You look like shit." He laughed and put his pistol away before introducing himself, "I'm Escobar. You wanna come in?"

            Skeptical, Roderick asked, "What are you like a cop or somethin'?"

            Escobar laughed and replied, "Nah, youngin'. I ain't no cop. Come on, let's get you some dry clothes and somethin' to eat."

            It was the first time anyone had shown Roderick an ounce of compassion in his fourteen years of living. He had no idea what the man did for a living but knew it had to be major for him to have such a nice house. Escobar was more than impressed by Roderick. In many ways, Roderick reminded him of himself. He'd come from the Stacey-Brooks Housing Project himself. He'd grown up in the system and could tell just by looking at Roderick that he'd grown up in the system, too.

            "I do want you to work off your debt to me," he explained while setting a plate with a sandwich on it in front of Roderick.

            Roderick immediately began eating the sandwich and responded with a full mouth, "I'll do anything."

            "Now, that's what I wanna hear. I love that shit. Since you're familiar with The Bottoms, I have the perfect job for you. I run buildings B, D, and F. Do you know where those buildings are located out there?"

            "Yeah, those are the buildings that face the southside of MLK Boulevard."

            "Exactly. You know that little building in between buildings B and D?"

            "The custodial building?"

            "Boy, you really are from there," he laughed and continued, "I want you to stand out in front of that custodial building and I want you to shout 'timeout' whenever you see a cop car pull up and stop. If you see one roll by, don't say anything. But if you see one stop or if you see more than one heading towards you, you shout 'timeout' loud enough for everybody standing outside to hear you. Can you do that?"