Deamons

Chapter 21 Nickel Bag part 2

     Addiction presses into the mind. He wanders over to Rejection at the orbs of the eyes. "What's going on?" Addiction asks. "It's your time, but go easy. We work best when we are as undetectable as feasible," Rejection instructs. Addiction pushes over to the inner ear. "Take you away. Make this world a dream and bearable. A more colorful world. Nothing hurts make the world like a perfect movie," Addiction whispers.

"It's summer time air mom! Everything summer condensed in this trashcan," John says as proud as a new momma. His mom looks back smiling at Starke. "You in on this?" she asks. She is smiling at him, always so nice to him and praising him. Starke wishes she were his mom, but she is not. He has to go home before long and it is hell back there. "Yes, it's great. We are going to sell this to places like Alaska where it's cold most of the year." "You think people will buy this?" she asks. "Oh yea, women up north will be putting this perfume behind their ears," Starke replies with s gracious smile. "Oh really," she says pruning up her face while still managing a smile. "Yeah ma!" John says happily stirring. His mother goes back inside. Jeff is heading out to his car.

"Hey John, you know what would go great with summertime air?" Starke asks. "What?" John replies. "Some Jamaican air," Starke says. "Jamaican air?" John asks. "Yea like Jeff smokes. Come on," Starke answers. Starke hops up and starts walking out to the road where Jeff is parked.

Jeff is in the driver seat. His car is running. Starke picks his pace up to a jog to get over to him before he pulls away. "Hey Jeff!" Starke calls. "What's up man?" Jeff asks. "Hey I need to get some of that smoke," Starke says. "Smoke?" Jeff says furrowing his brow. "Yea you know. The pot. I want to try some of that," Starke says.

John followed around walking. He comes up behind Starke. Rejection is watching inside noticing the worry come over Jeff. He can feel the man wants to roll out. "Look I don't know what you are talking about," Jeff says. "Yea you do," John says surprising Starke, "Come on Jeff help us out."

"Press him. Reel him in. Don't let him leave without getting some," Addiction whispers inside Starke. "Come on Jeff please," Starke says. "Look, I don't have any today," Jeff says. Addiction runs over to the olfactory sense base then runs back to the inner ear. "Yes, he does I can smell it. Press him! Press him!" Addiction orders.

Starke's palms are sweating. He feels uncomfortable and antsy. Inside Addiction is pacing. "I got go man. My girl is waiting on me I told her I was going to be home hours ago," Jeff says. "I got money Jeff. Here how much do you need?" Starke asks throwing the folding money in his pocket through Jeff's passenger side window and onto the seat. "Jeff just sell him some pot. We've been high before and we won't tell my dad no matter what," John says. "You won't?" Jeff asks. "We won't," Starke answers. "Well I don't have much in here. Maybe a dime," Jeff opens up his ashtray holder and pulls out a cigarettes cellophane with a couple of buds in it. "Look I will give you half of this for five bucks. That's a nickel," Jeff says. "A nickel! Then why are you charging him five bucks?" John asks. "Hey you haven't smoked pot," Jeff says and starts to push the weed back. "Hey I won't let him smoke any. I want it. Sell me the nickel. Come on before his dad comes back out," Starke says. "Sell him the dubage Jeff!" John screams. Jeff looks around his head on swivel like he is expecting to charged upon by some horde. "Ok here. Take it," Jeff says taking all but one bud out of the cellophane and handing it to Starke. "Don't give him any he is goofy enough," Jeff says about John and takes off.

"We going to toss that in the summer time air?" John asks. "Are you crazy? I just spent ten dollars on this," Starke answers. "let me see that," John says and grabs the cigarette cellophane. "That ain't no dime! That's a nickel. He owes you five bucks," John says tossing the cellophane back to Starke. "How do you know that?" Starke asks. "Kevin smokes next door," John answers. Kevin was a juvenile delinquent. "Kevin smokes pot?" Starke says in disbelief. "Yea amongst everything else," John answers. "How does he do it? You know how do you smoke it?" Starke asks. "He rolls up a piece of aluminum foil and bends the end, but don't mess with that toss it in the mix out back. You don't want to be like him," John says.

Starke looks over at the white painted brick house of Kevin. Was he going down the right road. Addiction poured in throughout his mind. "That's not you. You are different. You are something else. This will make you better," Addiction says. Starke hears the thought then the picture of Kate with all her innocence and beauty floods in. He wants to grow to be a better man. He thinks about tossing the pot into the summer time air brew. "You will never have her like this. Mommy will humiliate you and bring you down. You need to stand up against this," Rebellion chimes in and high fives Addiction. "And you need the dubage to do it," Addiction says.