This is the short story I wrote for Inside English magazine. I'm tired of waiting for them to post it so here it goes. This has not been edited. I do not have a degree in English but a passion for writing so please excuse any errors on my part. I hope you all like it. Thank you!!!
THE LONELY ROAD
The sound of the leaves fluttered across the ground as the slim tall man stepped out of the hard tired bus. The air was damp and the smell of decay hit heavy in the nose. It was the end of October and autumn was in full bloom. The gray sky and the brisk breeze was surprisingly pleasant as Jim made his way inside the terminal. Armed with only a small suitcase and a leather satchel he didn't look like the person you would think he was; that person was a stone cold hustler.
His hair was black and slicked to the back. He was dressed in fitted jeans with a flannel shirt and a black navy pea coat. Jim wasn't imposing on the eyes but he carried himself confidently and with purpose.
The terminal was dim, cold and very old. Probably a carry over from the golden age of bus travel of the 30s to the 50s. Nowadays the bus station is a place for drugs, bums and whatever else you want to look for at 3 in the morning on a Wednesday. The one thing it always has is a phone book. Jim picked up the directory and fingered through the brittle pages till he got to the billiard section. He copied down the two pool halls in town and approached the counter.
"Excuse me sir." he said to the counter man.
"Yes."
"Which one of these places is the closest?"
The man looked at the crippled piece of paper and squinted at the faint scribbles. He lifted his glasses and let out a long hmmmmm.
"Well... The Rack n Roll hall is close by and the Broken Cue is clear on the other side of town." said the counter man.
"Which one is the safest or stays clear of trouble?" Slim asked the man.
"Oh the Rack n Roll hall is your spot then. Loads of good people in that place. Nice and clean with good food and drinks." "Handsome guy like yourself would do well in there."
Jim then asked, 'What about The Broken Cue?"
"The Broken Cue is full of hustlers, drugs, and people up to no good. Gambling, drunks and scufflers are as common as the cockroaches near their dumpster." "Not a nice place and should be avoided." "Good place to get robbed or worse yet; murdered!!"
Jim broke a grin to the side and fluffed the collar of his coat. He thanked the man and glided out the door to the taxi stand. As he jumped into the cab the cabbie asked, "Where to fella?"
"The Broken Cue..... I hear really good things."
The cabbie glanced over his shoulder and let out a small chuckle, smiled and pulled out of the bus terminal and headed to the west side of town.
After the 30 minute trip the cab pulled into the parking lot in the back of a long warehouse. The lot was new moon dark as a trash bag swirled around in the wind and a soaked rat ran across the wall into the shadows. The sign read The Broken Cue and flickered with dull neon and had that steady electrical buzz you cant stand. The front door was a ugly forest green with a broken bench to its right. It seemed to Slim that everything here was broken. Maybe even the players if he came at the wrong time to make a score.
Slim paid the man and the cabbie said, "Best of luck to you.... This is a rough place."
Slim replied, "Ive seen rougher."
The man laughed and shot a smile at Slim and said, "I'm sure you have fella.... I'm sure you have."
The cab turned around as Slim watched the glowing taillights slowly disappear into the darkness. Slim had only one problem, his suitcase. Not wanting to draw too much attention to himself he had to find a spot to hide it. To the left of the entrance was an alley with a dumpster. Not wanting to leave it there (roaches or not) but this was his only option as he was deep in the dark and cold warehouse lot. After making sure his suitcase was out of sight he approached the front door and pushed it forward and entered The Broken Cue.
A huge spider web of smoke hurled up to the ceiling as he entered the room. The place smelled of chalk dust, stale cigarettes, old wood and the dreams of the less fortunate. There was a long bar to the right and the rest of the room sported 8 nine-footers, 2 bar boxes and a 5 x 10 snooker table in the back. It was Friday night and the place was buzzing!! Within the first few minutes he was there money was changing hands on a few tables and an old man swearing loudly at the cribbage board and threw a $20 at the round portly fella across the table. In the far back corner the snooker table had a five handed Payball game going and the players looked sharp and intense as they try to pot balls on the incredibly tight table. This place was a temple of manliness and there where only two women in the whole joint. We can only assume that they were working the bar for free drinks and the soulless men that would give an ounce of pleasure for the cost of their company.
Slim pulled up a stool at the bar, ordered a beer and withdrew a cigarette and struck a match with his fingernail. After the bright glow of the match faded his sight returned to see one of the ladies he saw earlier twirling her hair and staring at him with a seductive smile. She sauntered over never taking her eyes off of Slim and gently slide up to him and pressed her body against his. She wreaked of cheap perfume and make up but surprisingly attraction for a women of her profession. She then asked, "You're not from around these parts are you?"
Slim smiled and asked her, "Whats your name?"
"Violet." She replied.
"Would you like a drink?" Slim asked.
"Yes I would. Rum and Cola" She replied as looked up and down Slim with her bright blue eyes that sparkled like brilliant sapphires.
She took a big sip of her drink set it down and then said, "Now where were we?"
Slim softly pressed his finger on her lips and slowly removed a ten from his pocket and slipped it to her under the bar. He said, "I'm here on pool business and was wondering if you could help me out."
She replied, "That kinda information can be pretty expensive."
Jim pulled out a twenty, slide it to her hand and smiled that Paul Newman like smile he knew how to use. Violet giggled and asked,"So stranger... What do you want to know?"
"First who is the player that bets the highest in this room right now?"
Her eyes slowly looked to Slim's left and said, "Trash Can Sam over there on table 3"
"Good. Now tell me who the pigeon of the room is."
She smiled and said, "That would be Nine Ball Paul." "He has a pretty big ego and writes a lot of checks that don't cash." "He's over on table 5 playing in a 9 ball ring game."
Slim slipped her another twenty and whispered, "Thanks a lot. You didn't say anything to me and if i win big ill give you a gapper." I have just one more thing to ask of you." She leaned in and Slim faintly whispered into her ear. She perked up, looked at him almost side ways and said, "Are you sure?" Jim nodded. She got up and smacked Jim hard across his face and hissed, "Im not that kind of girl you sick bastard!!!!" and stormed off to the other side of the room. The place came to a grinding halt as Slim turned his back to the rail and said nothing. Shocked by the outburst the players slowly went back to their games knowing full well what she was up to.
After all the commotion died down Slim noticed the mirrors that ran across the top of the bar. Slim was watching everything and was casing out Sam. Sam stood around 5' 10" dressed in high dollar warm ups with brand new sneakers. He had a golden chain along with a Gucci linked bracket and balding hair. He sure had fire power and great cue ball control but his patterns were weak and he would tend to get into trouble more often than he should have which made him a score.
Nine Ball Paul on the other hand was quite the character. Small and skinny he played fast and looked like he couldn't make a ball but he was making some shots that raised some eyebrows. He was dynamic but lack consitency which lead the belief that it probably was a chemical imbalance. Paul was on the 4 ball with a hard cut down the rail. He the shot pure but hid himself behind the 7 and had no shot at the 5 ball. He slammed his cue to the ground so hard he almost cracked the butt. Paul started screeching about the cloth and the players next to him like it wasn't his fault that he screwed up. Just then Paul pulled up and so did the guy playing Sam. Jim sat up and approached Trash Can Sam.
"I wanted to see about playing a partners game of nine ball with you. Scotch doubles." Slim said to Sam.
"Looks like your partner had enough of you at the bar." Sneered Sam.
"Apparently she isn't into pool too much if you catch my drift."
Sam gave a deep small chuckle and asked, "Ok big guy who is your partner then?"
"Im not from around here so you can choose for me."
Sam laughed hard in disbelief, looked around the room and then back to Jim and said, "You want me.... to pick your partner?"
"Yup."
"Hey Paul!!!! You want to play partners 9 ball with this here fella?" Slim broke a small smile knowing that this is what he wanted to happen.
"I dont care, sure why not!" said Paul.
"What's you name buddy?" Sam asked.
"Jim." "What would you like to play for?"
Sam smelled a huge score so he said, "You and Paul can play me and Ted here for a hundred a man." Race to 5.
Paul stopped dead in his tracks and said, "I don't have that kind of money!!"
"Don;t worry about it" "I got you covered." Said Slim.
"You sure?" Paul asked.
"Yes im sure." Paul had a upside down smile with his shrugged his shoulders as to say... What do I have to lose.
Sam smirked and said, "Flip it!!"
Slim tossed the coin, "Tails!!!!"
It landed heads and Slim opted to break, He opened his case and put together a very simple plain Jane Sneaky Pete. It looked like an ordinary house cue but the difference was in the balance and the tip. Also it had the feel of a powerful cue that didn't look fancy but was just that... Powerful!!
Slim crashed into the rack as the balls cracked apart and rolled up and down the table. He made the 8 ball on the wing along with the one in the side and the 4 that slowly fell into the other side pocket. The nine looked like it was gonna go in the bottom corner but hung up. Paul got up from he's seat to have a great shot on the 2 ball. It was a tricky cut down the rail but the 9 was hanging and he hit it good and made the 9 to go up 1-0.
Slim struck the rack hard and made the 5 and 7 balls. Paul played awful position but no matter the layout Slim would bail him out and set him up good every time so he had nothing too hard to shoot and they were winning!! With the score at 3-0 Paul broke dry and Sam and Ted ran the next 3 racks to make it 3-3. Sam broke dry. Paul played a locked up safety on the 4 ball and got him and Slim ball in hand after a miss hit. They weaved the cue ball through the rack with nothing to difficult. Paul hit the 7 down the rail and the ball rattled deep in the jaws and before he let out his breathe the 7 fainted into the corner pocket. They made the 8 and 9 to get the score to 4-3 with Slim breaking.
The crack off on the one ball gave you a ringing in the ears as the balls bounced around the rails. He made the 3 the 5 and the 6. Paul had a shot on the 1 ball and was lining up a 1,9 combo. It was a hard shot but Paul did have an ego so he thought he had a good chance. Paul hit the 9 right on the face with the 1 ball and it jetted towards the corner. It was looking good until it caught a thread on the side cushion right before the pocket and hung it after a hard rattle in the jaws. Paul slammed his cue into the ground but the good news was he left the cue ball hidden behind 4 with no clear shot at the 1. Ted wasn't happy and took a long time lining up the one rail kick. The kick was on for a combo on the 9 but he had to hit it solid to make the 9. Ted got low on the shot as he slowly eyed the cue ball to the rail. A curl of smoke crossed his tuned in eyes as he drew back and hit the cue. The cue ball bounced nice off the rail and hit the 1 right on the rail and the 1 flew towards the 9. It looked like it was gonna be hill hill but the the one came up short and barely missed the 9 hanging deep on the left side of the pocket. Worst yet the cueball gave the 1 ball a double kiss and let Slim and Paul a tap in combo. Slim hit the shot and closed out the set 5-3. Slim handed Paul $100 and Paul was smiling from ear to ear.!!
THE LONELY ROAD
The sound of the leaves fluttered across the ground as the slim tall man stepped out of the hard tired bus. The air was damp and the smell of decay hit heavy in the nose. It was the end of October and autumn was in full bloom. The gray sky and the brisk breeze was surprisingly pleasant as Jim made his way inside the terminal. Armed with only a small suitcase and a leather satchel he didn't look like the person you would think he was; that person was a stone cold hustler.
His hair was black and slicked to the back. He was dressed in fitted jeans with a flannel shirt and a black navy pea coat. Jim wasn't imposing on the eyes but he carried himself confidently and with purpose.
The terminal was dim, cold and very old. Probably a carry over from the golden age of bus travel of the 30s to the 50s. Nowadays the bus station is a place for drugs, bums and whatever else you want to look for at 3 in the morning on a Wednesday. The one thing it always has is a phone book. Jim picked up the directory and fingered through the brittle pages till he got to the billiard section. He copied down the two pool halls in town and approached the counter.
"Excuse me sir." he said to the counter man.
"Yes."
"Which one of these places is the closest?"
The man looked at the crippled piece of paper and squinted at the faint scribbles. He lifted his glasses and let out a long hmmmmm.
"Well... The Rack n Roll hall is close by and the Broken Cue is clear on the other side of town." said the counter man.
"Which one is the safest or stays clear of trouble?" Slim asked the man.
"Oh the Rack n Roll hall is your spot then. Loads of good people in that place. Nice and clean with good food and drinks." "Handsome guy like yourself would do well in there."
Jim then asked, 'What about The Broken Cue?"
"The Broken Cue is full of hustlers, drugs, and people up to no good. Gambling, drunks and scufflers are as common as the cockroaches near their dumpster." "Not a nice place and should be avoided." "Good place to get robbed or worse yet; murdered!!"
Jim broke a grin to the side and fluffed the collar of his coat. He thanked the man and glided out the door to the taxi stand. As he jumped into the cab the cabbie asked, "Where to fella?"
"The Broken Cue..... I hear really good things."
The cabbie glanced over his shoulder and let out a small chuckle, smiled and pulled out of the bus terminal and headed to the west side of town.
After the 30 minute trip the cab pulled into the parking lot in the back of a long warehouse. The lot was new moon dark as a trash bag swirled around in the wind and a soaked rat ran across the wall into the shadows. The sign read The Broken Cue and flickered with dull neon and had that steady electrical buzz you cant stand. The front door was a ugly forest green with a broken bench to its right. It seemed to Slim that everything here was broken. Maybe even the players if he came at the wrong time to make a score.
Slim paid the man and the cabbie said, "Best of luck to you.... This is a rough place."
Slim replied, "Ive seen rougher."
The man laughed and shot a smile at Slim and said, "I'm sure you have fella.... I'm sure you have."
The cab turned around as Slim watched the glowing taillights slowly disappear into the darkness. Slim had only one problem, his suitcase. Not wanting to draw too much attention to himself he had to find a spot to hide it. To the left of the entrance was an alley with a dumpster. Not wanting to leave it there (roaches or not) but this was his only option as he was deep in the dark and cold warehouse lot. After making sure his suitcase was out of sight he approached the front door and pushed it forward and entered The Broken Cue.
A huge spider web of smoke hurled up to the ceiling as he entered the room. The place smelled of chalk dust, stale cigarettes, old wood and the dreams of the less fortunate. There was a long bar to the right and the rest of the room sported 8 nine-footers, 2 bar boxes and a 5 x 10 snooker table in the back. It was Friday night and the place was buzzing!! Within the first few minutes he was there money was changing hands on a few tables and an old man swearing loudly at the cribbage board and threw a $20 at the round portly fella across the table. In the far back corner the snooker table had a five handed Payball game going and the players looked sharp and intense as they try to pot balls on the incredibly tight table. This place was a temple of manliness and there where only two women in the whole joint. We can only assume that they were working the bar for free drinks and the soulless men that would give an ounce of pleasure for the cost of their company.
Slim pulled up a stool at the bar, ordered a beer and withdrew a cigarette and struck a match with his fingernail. After the bright glow of the match faded his sight returned to see one of the ladies he saw earlier twirling her hair and staring at him with a seductive smile. She sauntered over never taking her eyes off of Slim and gently slide up to him and pressed her body against his. She wreaked of cheap perfume and make up but surprisingly attraction for a women of her profession. She then asked, "You're not from around these parts are you?"
Slim smiled and asked her, "Whats your name?"
"Violet." She replied.
"Would you like a drink?" Slim asked.
"Yes I would. Rum and Cola" She replied as looked up and down Slim with her bright blue eyes that sparkled like brilliant sapphires.
She took a big sip of her drink set it down and then said, "Now where were we?"
Slim softly pressed his finger on her lips and slowly removed a ten from his pocket and slipped it to her under the bar. He said, "I'm here on pool business and was wondering if you could help me out."
She replied, "That kinda information can be pretty expensive."
Jim pulled out a twenty, slide it to her hand and smiled that Paul Newman like smile he knew how to use. Violet giggled and asked,"So stranger... What do you want to know?"
"First who is the player that bets the highest in this room right now?"
Her eyes slowly looked to Slim's left and said, "Trash Can Sam over there on table 3"
"Good. Now tell me who the pigeon of the room is."
She smiled and said, "That would be Nine Ball Paul." "He has a pretty big ego and writes a lot of checks that don't cash." "He's over on table 5 playing in a 9 ball ring game."
Slim slipped her another twenty and whispered, "Thanks a lot. You didn't say anything to me and if i win big ill give you a gapper." I have just one more thing to ask of you." She leaned in and Slim faintly whispered into her ear. She perked up, looked at him almost side ways and said, "Are you sure?" Jim nodded. She got up and smacked Jim hard across his face and hissed, "Im not that kind of girl you sick bastard!!!!" and stormed off to the other side of the room. The place came to a grinding halt as Slim turned his back to the rail and said nothing. Shocked by the outburst the players slowly went back to their games knowing full well what she was up to.
After all the commotion died down Slim noticed the mirrors that ran across the top of the bar. Slim was watching everything and was casing out Sam. Sam stood around 5' 10" dressed in high dollar warm ups with brand new sneakers. He had a golden chain along with a Gucci linked bracket and balding hair. He sure had fire power and great cue ball control but his patterns were weak and he would tend to get into trouble more often than he should have which made him a score.
Nine Ball Paul on the other hand was quite the character. Small and skinny he played fast and looked like he couldn't make a ball but he was making some shots that raised some eyebrows. He was dynamic but lack consitency which lead the belief that it probably was a chemical imbalance. Paul was on the 4 ball with a hard cut down the rail. He the shot pure but hid himself behind the 7 and had no shot at the 5 ball. He slammed his cue to the ground so hard he almost cracked the butt. Paul started screeching about the cloth and the players next to him like it wasn't his fault that he screwed up. Just then Paul pulled up and so did the guy playing Sam. Jim sat up and approached Trash Can Sam.
"I wanted to see about playing a partners game of nine ball with you. Scotch doubles." Slim said to Sam.
"Looks like your partner had enough of you at the bar." Sneered Sam.
"Apparently she isn't into pool too much if you catch my drift."
Sam gave a deep small chuckle and asked, "Ok big guy who is your partner then?"
"Im not from around here so you can choose for me."
Sam laughed hard in disbelief, looked around the room and then back to Jim and said, "You want me.... to pick your partner?"
"Yup."
"Hey Paul!!!! You want to play partners 9 ball with this here fella?" Slim broke a small smile knowing that this is what he wanted to happen.
"I dont care, sure why not!" said Paul.
"What's you name buddy?" Sam asked.
"Jim." "What would you like to play for?"
Sam smelled a huge score so he said, "You and Paul can play me and Ted here for a hundred a man." Race to 5.
Paul stopped dead in his tracks and said, "I don't have that kind of money!!"
"Don;t worry about it" "I got you covered." Said Slim.
"You sure?" Paul asked.
"Yes im sure." Paul had a upside down smile with his shrugged his shoulders as to say... What do I have to lose.
Sam smirked and said, "Flip it!!"
Slim tossed the coin, "Tails!!!!"
It landed heads and Slim opted to break, He opened his case and put together a very simple plain Jane Sneaky Pete. It looked like an ordinary house cue but the difference was in the balance and the tip. Also it had the feel of a powerful cue that didn't look fancy but was just that... Powerful!!
Slim crashed into the rack as the balls cracked apart and rolled up and down the table. He made the 8 ball on the wing along with the one in the side and the 4 that slowly fell into the other side pocket. The nine looked like it was gonna go in the bottom corner but hung up. Paul got up from he's seat to have a great shot on the 2 ball. It was a tricky cut down the rail but the 9 was hanging and he hit it good and made the 9 to go up 1-0.
Slim struck the rack hard and made the 5 and 7 balls. Paul played awful position but no matter the layout Slim would bail him out and set him up good every time so he had nothing too hard to shoot and they were winning!! With the score at 3-0 Paul broke dry and Sam and Ted ran the next 3 racks to make it 3-3. Sam broke dry. Paul played a locked up safety on the 4 ball and got him and Slim ball in hand after a miss hit. They weaved the cue ball through the rack with nothing to difficult. Paul hit the 7 down the rail and the ball rattled deep in the jaws and before he let out his breathe the 7 fainted into the corner pocket. They made the 8 and 9 to get the score to 4-3 with Slim breaking.
The crack off on the one ball gave you a ringing in the ears as the balls bounced around the rails. He made the 3 the 5 and the 6. Paul had a shot on the 1 ball and was lining up a 1,9 combo. It was a hard shot but Paul did have an ego so he thought he had a good chance. Paul hit the 9 right on the face with the 1 ball and it jetted towards the corner. It was looking good until it caught a thread on the side cushion right before the pocket and hung it after a hard rattle in the jaws. Paul slammed his cue into the ground but the good news was he left the cue ball hidden behind 4 with no clear shot at the 1. Ted wasn't happy and took a long time lining up the one rail kick. The kick was on for a combo on the 9 but he had to hit it solid to make the 9. Ted got low on the shot as he slowly eyed the cue ball to the rail. A curl of smoke crossed his tuned in eyes as he drew back and hit the cue. The cue ball bounced nice off the rail and hit the 1 right on the rail and the 1 flew towards the 9. It looked like it was gonna be hill hill but the the one came up short and barely missed the 9 hanging deep on the left side of the pocket. Worst yet the cueball gave the 1 ball a double kiss and let Slim and Paul a tap in combo. Slim hit the shot and closed out the set 5-3. Slim handed Paul $100 and Paul was smiling from ear to ear.!!
