The Matchmakers Club (:COMPLETED:)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Rick’s POV

            The sun had dipped behind the horizon about half an hour ago. The bar was dimly lit and the strange evening shadows danced long and skinny on the walls. There were only a few patrons as it was still too early for booze. There were three other patrons, four counting myself. I sat in the booth farthest from the door.

I took a swig of my drink and could feel the amber liquid leave a fiery trail as it moved down my throat. As much as I loved to drink I was not here for drinking myself to glory. I was here on a business meeting. I had to stay alert not only because this was a business meeting but mostly because this business meeting was illegal and also because this was a shady place. Shady place as in a mobster could pull a gun on me for no reason.

I was not here for crack or illegal weaponry. I was here for a simple yet rare transistor without which my experiment could not proceed further. Whenever it takes too long to legally obtain the rare commodities or equipments required for my experiment, I’d call my acquaintance Jackal. Jackal had only a first name like Cher, Beyonce and Adele, though I don’t see this point’s relevance in my chain of thought. Anyways, Jackal had a special knack of getting his hands on the most happening technology in the world before any law abiding citizen of America could.

My dad would blow his gasket if he knew whatever I was doing right now. I mean the business and not the drinking. He had legally filled request papers regarding the import of this transistor for my experiment but I was not willing to wait.

A few years back when I needed some lithium compound with a specific molecular structure, my dad had filed a similar request and while I kept waiting for permissions to be granted, another major company had got patent rights to my ideas of improving life of reusable battery, as they had somehow got the exact compound I wanted. I’m not a believer of coincidences and that was most certainly not a coincidence. Sadly my dad was not a believer of backstabbing and he had blind faith in his employees. Hell would freeze over before I would let another crafty, thieving company have patent rights for my inventions.

Though my dad was the founder of the Castle enterprises, he was just the money behind the company as he had a huge inheritance from my granddad as investment. When my dad was behind the wheel the company was just stable and the profits were meager. My brother Albert was the business mind who turned everything he saw into solid gold. When he got into the family business after he graduated, he expanded the business and the share value sky rocketed. 

Now that I was back from wherever I was before, don’t ask where it was. My sharp minded brother wanted me in the business and since he can be very persuasive I was currently working in the R&D department of my company. My brother’s ideas never fail for the information of whoever that was keeping records. We were this three phase money making machine and all three of us thoroughly enjoyed our jobs. My dad, Al and I were a terrific trio and we were unbeatable in the market. This was probably the only reason why my dad was willing to deal with the crap I threw his way every now and then. Call me a sadist but I enjoyed getting on my dad’s nerves. I felt a certain pleasure whenever I saw the vein on my dad’s forehead twitch and I felt even more content when I knew that I was the reason why it was twitching. 

I took another sip of the bourbon and let the taste linger in my mouth. I tilted my glass to my lips again to take the final gulp when Jackal barged into the bar. He walked with a swagger and threw me a toothy smile as he spotted me almost immediately. He raised his hand to do our illegal handshake when he reached the booth. I stood up and we did the hand gripping and shoulders clashing thing which made me feel I belonged in this place.

“Ricky, my man! Long time no see?” He said with an Afro-American accent.

“Jacky, as much as I’d love to call you, you don’t talk to me unless I talk business”