The durham mob, p.26
The Durham Mob, page 26
CHAPTER 47
William’s friend Bill called to tell him that Dr. Beny Prim had started a methadone drug program called Addiction Research and Treatment Corp., and if he was interested and could use some money, he should call Dr. Prim. Dr. Prim had been Bill’s boss at a hospital that he ran several years earlier, and Bill was the dietician there. Although he was a prominent doctor with many political connections, he was genuinely friendly and down to earth. Coy, William and Bill had been at parties together and socialized with him often. They were all good friends. William called and made an appointment to see him. The main office was in Brooklyn.
“Hi Beny, how’ve you been?” His friends called him Beny.
“Just fine. How’ve you been handling all the noise around you?”
“I don’t hear it. I just keep moving.”
“How’s your brother? Have you seen him lately?”
“I go to see him weekly. He’s weathered the storm. He was treated well in prison. In fact, he’s in another facility where the white-collar criminals go. He’ll be getting out in seven months. He’ll need a job.”
“I will always do whatever I can for you two. When was the last time you saw Bill?”
“It’s been about two weeks. He had some people over for a small party at his new apartment. You know how he likes to entertain and he makes all that good food.”
“He didn’t invite me!”
“Call him and tell him.”
“It’s okay, he knows I don’t like those small intimate parties. When he has a big one, I’ll go.”
“Beny, tell me about this program.”
“It’s a program that tries to get heroin addicts off of heroin. We give them methadone in liquid form, mixed with an orange juice solution that they come in to drink, daily. The Methadone stops them from having the desire to use heroin. Since they use needles to inject the heroin, this stops the use of needles. We have a medical division that treats their medical issues, a great deal caused by the use of the needles over a long period of time. This program is funded by the Federal government. I believe we can make a difference.”
“You’re an administrator now. How does it feel not practicing medicine?”
“I’m still practicing, but indirectly.”
“I like what you’re doing. We both know about people who are making your job harder.”
“That’s the law’s problem. We’ll just have to do what we can and not concern ourselves about that over which we have no control. Now, let’s talk about you. What do you need?’
“I’d like to work and do something interesting.” Beny probably thought he needed a job and an income as a front to appear to be able to afford to live a certain lifestyle. But, as a friend, Beny would never ask him about the ill-gotten money.
“I thought about this before you got here. I have a job as assistant to the director of my Harlem branch. We are setting up a clinic there. The director is a great guy named Frank Graves, and he can let you know what he needs. You won’t have to kill yourself. It’s not like breaking rocks. The job pays well and there are benefits.”
Beny was thinking that the salary would not be a major issue, but he wanted him to know that the job did pay a good professional salary. He certainly wasn’t going to insult him.
“You’d be working out of Harlem on Lenox Avenue and 116 Street. What do you think?”
“If you say it’s a good situation, I’ll buy it.”
“I’ll let the Administrator here and the director there, know. Go by the office down the hall to fill out the application. Don’t worry about the paper work. It’s a done deal. When do you want to start?
“You’re the boss. You tell me. I’m available.”
“Okay, I’ll call the director, Frank Graves, and tell him you’ll be there on Monday at eight. I’ll have my secretary take care of all the paperwork. You and your brother are smart guys and I’m glad to have you working in this program, and as a friend, I’m glad I’ll be seeing you more often.
“Thanks a million, Beny.”
“You and your brother are like brothers to me. I worry about him. I know he has some health issues and I hope he’ll be okay. Let him know, I’m here if he needs me.”
“Thanks again and I’ll tell him what you said.”
William reported that Monday to the office on Lenox Avenue. He met the director and introduced himself.
“Dr. Prim told me to expect you. You have an office next to mine. I won’t be here much, so you’ll be in charge.”
“I have no idea what I’ll be in charge of.”
“All the people in this office know what they’re supposed to do. You can call me if anything you can’t handle comes along. You’ll also go with me to scout other potential locations. We’re looking for more space that is reasonable. Let me introduce you to Frank Rivera. He’ll be your assistant. He’s been here for a while and he can help you get adjusted. Frank, this is William Smith. He’s going to be my assistant. You can let him know what we’re doing here.”
“Good to meet you,” said Frank.
“The pleasure’s mine. I’m gonna have to depend on you for a while,” said William.
“No problem, I’ll let you know what I know.” Frank was a short Puerto Rican guy who dressed very professionally. He was working in a program that was run by black people, but since there were just as many Puerto Rican drug addicts as black, they certainly would need Puerto Rican employees; people who could speak Spanish.
William had a nice little office with very little to do. There were only four people working in the office. They worked for the lawyer, the social worker and the security chief. They didn’t bother him and he didn’t trouble them. William saw an opportunity to get Iliana and her friend Nurys a job there. They were recent college graduates and were working on unprofessional jobs. He got the information, called Iliana and told her that she and Nurys could apply for a job. He spoke to Beny who paved the way for them. They both got hired and Nurys went to work in the Social Services and Iliana in Legal. Iliana worked with a brilliant white lawyer who could have been making much more money with a law firm but devoted his services to the good cause for much less money. Everything was smooth in William’s life. He had not worked for a while and needed structure and an income. This job gave him that and more. He was working in a job that did not exhaust him, and with new and interesting people with only a fifteen-minute drive to get there. He felt that he needed to meet new people who were not doing illegal activities. He felt good about getting Iliana her first professional job where she was earning more money than she had ever earned and she could see her friend, Nurys who was working nearby. So now, again, there was routine in his life; a nine to five job that paid well, new, interesting people, and lunch every day with Iliana, Nurys and a few others.
CHAPTER 48
This was a nice routine. William had his easy, good paying job to which he drove his Cadillac. The Cadillac caused the people on the job to think that he had money, even though most didn’t know him. Iliana came from the Bronx by subway, and Nurys took the bus from 128th Street. He reported to his office on Lenox Avenue at 8:00 a.m. Occasionally, his boss (not really his boss but the director) would send him and his assistant, Frank Ramirez, to look at certain addresses in Harlem for additional sites for their program. His official title was Assistant Administrative Director. The director was not very bossy to him, mainly because he knew that William was a friend of Dr. Prim. So, he spent a lot of time “in the field.” Iliana and Nurys were outside his office at their desks. Their immediate bosses worked there too. It was all easy and convenient. At lunch, he would take Iliana, Nurys and a few others to a popular soul food restaurant. Everybody was happy.
William continued to visit his brother weekly as usual. They didn’t have anything of significance to talk about, but William would simply tell him about his comings and goings. Coy would talk about the politics inside the Facility in which he was doing “easy time.” Coy was counting down the days until his release. William continued to repeat that he had a job for him as soon as he got out. Coy would only say, “We’ll see.” William never thought about this response. He had no idea if Coy had any other plans. They just passed the time.
After a month on the job, his office was moved to a large office building on 125th Street where all of the Harlem employees could have their offices and where the drug addicts could come in daily to get their Methadone. The director had a big office and he had a smaller one adjacent to the director’s. There were about forty employees. The facility had a methadone dispensary. The drug addicts would come in once a week to a window, show their ID cards and drink the methadone. William and his small group continued to go out to lunch together. He had even less to do, now that they were in the new facility. So many people were doing so much work. He could do whatever personal things he wanted as long as he was professional outside the door. He spent time in his office reading. He, also did what the director told him to do which were little things which to William seemed more like busy work. The director did most of the heavy lifting. Everything was great. He had not had a routine life without stress in a long time and he was financial situation was excellent. Most days, he would often drive Iliana and Nurys home after work.
William continued the routine with his life and his job and the time flew by. Before he knew it, it was almost time for Coy to be released.
CHAPTER 49
Coy got out of prison on a Monday. He didn’t notify William to pick him up. He called around 6:30 PM and said, “I’m here.”
“Where?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” William was standing at the open door. “Hey man, I’m home!” They embraced briefly but Coy was a little distant. William noticed, but he assumed he was getting used to being free.
“You shoulda called me to pick you up at least, to get the place ready.”
“I didn’t want any fuss. You just get home from work?”
“Yeah, I started to go someplace before you got here. I dropped Iliana off and her friend. So, what’s on the menu?”
“I just want to relax and get some sleep.”
“You hungry? I got some leftovers in the fridge.”
“Naw, I ate before I left the joint. I’m good.”
“I talked to Beny and he said there’s always a job for you. I know you’re not ready right now, but when you are, it’s waiting for you.”
“I need some clothes first. I’m gonna call Swazy. I need some money too.”
“You know I have a few thousand of your money.”
“I’ll need it tomorrow.”
“Before you went in, my clothes were too large for you. Now, you’ve gained weight and my clothes are too small. I do have a few top coats that will fit you, especially the long brown one. What are your plans?”
“Not now, I just want to relax. I’ll try on the brown one. “William was very surprised, and he was very curious about the way Coy was acting. He was evasive and a little cold. He thought that, usually when guys got out of prison, the first thing they wanted was some pussy. Coy didn’t say a word about women. Strange, William thought. But he had never been to prison and he had no idea what was going through Coy’s mind. He had no idea what prison had done to him, how much it had changed him. They weren’t getting along before he went in, and they hadn’t lived together for a little more than four years. He wondered how this was going to work; how they were going to coexist after such a long time. He had tried his best to be brothers before he went in. He had tried to be helpful and a comfort while he was in prison, in spite of the fact that he didn’t believe Coy deserved it. He would just have to wait and see, especially since Coy was being cold and evasive.
“I’m gonna take a shower and wash the prison off me and go to bed.”
“It’s early. Don’t you want to go someplace, do something?
“Naw, I’m good.” William was puzzled. He wanted to talk, to bring him up to date, and to tell him what was going on and hopefully to find out how he was feeling about being out, about his plans. Coy gave nothing. All William could do was to leave him in peace, hopefully, he was in peace.
The next morning Coy got up early, as early as William. “Can I drive you to work and use the car?”
“Sure.”
“What time do you get off?”
“At five.”
“I’ll be in front at five. Oh, I’m gonna wear your coat.”
“Okay, but make it five fifteen. You know you can’t park on 125th Street at that time of day and I have to wait a few minutes for Iliana and her friend, Nurys.”
“Okay, I’ll stop in front at five fifteen.” He drove William to work and dropped him off in front.
“See you at five fifteen.” He drove away. He was so mysterious, but there was nothing William could do. He went to work and told Iliana and a few other people on the job, who didn’t know Coy but had heard or read about him. He called Beny and told him, and Beny assured him that Coy could have a job if he wanted it. Your brother is my brother.”
At five fifteen exactly, Coy was outside. William had gathered Iliana and Nurys and they were waiting at the curb. William opened the back door for the ladies and he got in the front. Iliana said, “Hi, glad to see you.” He introduced Nurys and noticed Coy’s eyes light up. He knew what he was thinking. They dropped off the ladies and headed home. “Who is that fine chick?
I told you about her. She’s Iliana’s good friend. I got her a job there too. She’s also one of the girls I brought up to prison. Remember, three girls stood out in the parking lot and you guys looked out of the window?”
“Oh yeah, I remember. You screwing her?
“No.”
“You oughta give her to me.”
“Don’t work like that anymore. Plus, she’s been after me behind Iliana’s back.”
“That’s kinda selfish, don’t you think?”
“Whatever you say, but she’s not mine to give. I think she might have something to say about it.”
“Ask her.”
“Absolutely not. You ask her.”
That was the kind of thinking all the hustlers had in the past. Some still used women like that. The women went along. William never had and didn’t plan to start.
“What’ve you been doing all day?”
“Taking care of some business. See that bag back there? Swazy had a suit tailor made for me.”
“He give you any bread?”
“Some.”
“Beny said you can come to work whenever you want. He’ll put your accounting skills to good use. Don’t you have to have a job to satisfy the parole board?”
“I didn’t get a parole. I did my time. Tell Beny I can be there on Monday. Is the job in your building?”
“Yeah.”
“So, you’ll be my supervisor?”
“No, I’m assistant Administrator of the whole building. Each department has its own head. I’ll tell Beny to have everything ready for you for Monday. You can ride to work with me.”
Coy drove William to work and picked him up for the next few days. He used the car to make contact with people, but didn’t tell William anything he was doing. Since he was operating this way, William didn’t ask any questions. He did notice that in one week, his nice light brown and white sofa was very dirty. “What’s going on with the sofa?”
“Some of my buddies from prison come by every day and spent some time.”
William didn’t say more at that time, but the sofa was suddenly looking too dirty for just a few guys to be sitting. It looked like either the guys were filthy or they were deliberately trying to get it dirty. He was very annoyed but he didn’t say anything more at that time. He didn’t want to make a fuss, but he had planned to tell Coy later that he would have to get the sofa cleaned. Since Coy didn’t have much money, and he was trying to get along with him, he decided to wait. He did give Coy two thousand dollars which was all of the money that was left of the money he was holding for him.
The week-end came and he asked William to rent a car for him since William would be doing his own thing. William obliged. All week-end, Coy came and left mysteriously without disclosing anything. He never acted like that when they lived together but that was almost five years ago. He seemed the same to some people, but William realized he was a different person. He just waited for him to make it clear what he was going to do with his life. Coy gave no clue. He assumed that was what all the mysteriously disappearing was all about.
Monday morning, he rode to work with William since he had returned the car he had rented. William introduced him to the administrator, Frank Graves, who knew who he was and the circumstances of his hiring. He knew that Coy, like William was a friend of Dr. Prim. Frank gave him papers to fill out, but said, “You don’t have to rush. Finish when you have the time.”
