Telly Tale
Telly’s dreams are diurnal; a complete contrast from his friends who party after midnight. Telly is the outcast, outlier. Smarter than the rest, he resists the urge to associate with those who have wealth and a better education. He sometimes wonders if Flair and Rollie will bring him down. Prone to infantile rages, they terrorize their lower class suburban neighborhood.
One day at noon they surprise Telly by knocking on his front door. Only after ten minutes and increasingly powerful knocks is their request granted.
“What was that noise dude?” Rollie stands eye to eye with Telly even though he’s four inches taller. Telly is just inside the doorway.
Before he can answer, Flair offers an opinion. “That music is old. No bitches gonna be humpin’ to dat.”
Telly looks at him with contempt. “That’s the blues, buddy. It’s about bitches, not for them.”
Flair is six inches shorter than Rollie and makes up for it with an amplified sense of purpose. There’s always trouble to be made. His baggy jeans are falling off his fat ass. Rollie is a bit more centered and not dumb, but he’s not a music aficionado.
“Whatever it is it ain’t comin’ out my boom. Five Gs for that, T. You gots to hear the Sonic Sniper.” Rollie waits for Telly to concur.
“Yeah, maybe. What are you guys doing up so early?”
“A dog bite, boy!” Flair is so dramatic.
Rollie tries to explain. “Zephyr tried to eat Flair’s finger.”
A small smile appears on Telly’s face. “What the fuck?”
“Pepper owes us for food. We bought him groceries, dig. He no pay. So we get his dog.” The words drool from Flair’s mouth like slobber from a small child.
Rollie wants confirmation. “That’s only fair, right Tell?”
Telly knows that Pepper is a straight player who just happens to have the worst luck. Job loss, separation, foreclosure… The banks have a bullseye on his head. So he stupidly turned to Rollie in his weakest moment. Zephyr, his 98 pound black pit, is the only thing keeping him going.
“If you take his dog you’ll never get your money back.”
This isn’t the answer Rollie wants to hear. “He needs to suffer, Tell. How’s he supposed to learn? He’s lucky I didn’t break his face.”
“And I prolly will for what that dog did to me.” Flair looks at his finger as if it were dangling from a severed hand. What does he know about ultraviolence?
Telly is getting bored with his boys. “So what’s next, what’s the plan?”
Rollie looks even more serious, if that’s possible. “We’re taking Zephyr tonight, after midnight. He likes me. Flair’ll stay in the car. When Pepper pays, he can have his dog back.”
Telly’s heart sinks, but you’d never know…
“You better keep Flair at home so he don’t fuck up your plan again.”
Flair cocks his head sideways, like a dog trying to understand English. “Talk like that get you in trouble, Tell. You lucky I’m not packin’.”
Rollie is pissed too. “He’s right, Tell, watch what you sayin’. You protected, dig. Don’t make me drop you.”
Telly feels obligated now. “Do you want me to help with something?”
Rollie says, “Yeah. We may need your backyard for a few days. It’s got a privacy fence. Perfect place for the dog.”
Telly is suddenly on his best behaviour. “Sure, he can stay there. I’ll take care of him.”
Flair starts cackling. “You don’t have a choice, homey.”
Rollie bumps knuckles with Telly. “Stay up late tonight. You’ll hear from us.”
Telly watches them ramble down his driveway. Blinding sunshine hits their gold chains and beams into Telly’s pupil. This will be the last time he does crime with them. When he first met the pair, his confidence level was low and they treated him like a friend. That dynamic has changed. Telly has risen higher while Rollie and Flair are descending into unknown depths. They believe they’re the baddest in the land. One day they’ll wake up to the cold truth and be shocked by the arrogance of youth.
Telly is holding a black and white Fender Stratocaster. It’s plugged into a small Marshall amp with the volume very low. He’s working his way through the Robert Johnson catalog, trying to surpass Clapton versions. When Telly’s fingers fail him, he realizes why Eric was proclaimed God. Now, tonight’s activities are seeping into his head. No more playing today. Fuck. Why him? Telly just wants to play guitar…
I’m chained to my liiife
With no relief in siiight
Why do they bring me down
Guess I’m hellfire bound…
Midnight
Telly is sipping coffee to stay awake. He’s been on edge for the last two hours. Now he’s getting pissed off. What are his options? Call Pepper and give him a heads up? Call the police? Both of these actions will get him killed by Rollie. Will he just have to accept Zephyr and keep his mouth shut? Maybe the dog will be better off with him anyway. Maybe they can both escape this neighborhood and be happy.
Telly paces the floor. He turned the air conditioning off in order to hear every sound. His house is slowly heating up. The coffee isn’t tasting good. He needs a beer. Wait, wait… Will they get the job done now, or wait til 2 a.m.? Will Pepper hear them and get hurt trying to stop them? Telly doesn’t care what happens to Rollie, Flair, or Pepper. As long as Zephyr is free from harm, everything is fine in the world.
1:30 A.M. — Pepper’s Backyard
It’s pitch black. The street light that normally illuminates Zephyr’s outside space is out. Flair, on the other side of a chain link fence, waits for Rollie who has already climbed over. All of the lights in Pepper’s house are out too. Is he even home? It’s creepy dark here, and quiet… Until Flair hears a growl. “Fuck!” A loud whisper from Rollie. For a large man, Rollie gets back over the fence fast.
Flair is snickering. “Thought the pooch liked you, Roll.”
Rollie is inspecting his thigh, though he can’t tell if there’s blood or dog saliva on his leg. Storm clouds move past the full moon. Lunar light is now reflecting off Zephyr’s studded collar. He’s staring at the perpetrators through the rusty fence. Flair can see a gleam in the dog’s eye. Rollie can hear him breathing. Neither one wants to confront him again.
Rollie has a different plan. “Let’s wait in the car for Pepper. A late night visit should scare him enough.”
Before they can even stand up, Pepper pulls into his driveway. Zephyr barks loudly when he hears his master.
“Hey, Zephyrrr… Sorry I’m late. Got you a burger, buddy. Wanna go inside?”
Usually, Pepper opens the gate and his dog runs straight to the backdoor. Tonight, the fierce animal heads toward Flair and Rollie, who are slowly approaching the house. With a terrific leap, Zephyr flies straight for Rollie’s throat, knocking him on his back. The dog’s mouth is a pair of powerful pliers, ready to clamp down on Rollie’s thick neck.
Flair is screaming at Pepper, waving a gun in the air. “Get him off or he’s dead!”
Either Pepper doesn’t see the gun or doesn’t care. He’s deadly calm. “I’m not afraid of you, Flair. When Zephyr chews up your boy on the ground, I’ll kick your fat ass.”
Flair knows if he fires the gun the dog will rip up Rollie’s throat. And he’s not too sure about the outcome of a fight with Pepper. He’s certainly not going to jail for murder.
“OK, OK. Get Z off Roll and we leave. Dig?” Flair puts the gun to his side.
Pepper thinks this is a good time to make a deal. “Sure. Then we’re even. Dig?”
Flair doesn’t want to speak for Rollie, but he has no choice. “Yeah. We cool then.”
Pepper walks over to Zephyr and grabs his collar. He slowly and gently pulls his dog off a very real enemy. Rollie stands up as soon as Zephyr is inside. Pepper stands on a step looking at Rollie. For a second he can see his eyes glistening. The tension is palpable between the pair, powered by the electric summer heat. Pepper diffuses the situation by opening his back door and going inside. All this gangsta shit is over.
Same Day, Afternoon
Telly sits on his front porch drinking a Heineken. He thinks of how much he used to love summer in the suburbs. The days were filled with fun and every evening ended with an exhilarating exhaustion. He liked when there were clear decisions to be made. The only thing clear to him now is his love of music. Everything else seems to be touched by chaos.
It’s unusually quiet for a sunny June day on Telly’s street. All of the kids must be inside playing video games, or committing crimes elsewhere. Telly is enjoying the peace. His eardrums are bleeding from an all night blues session. Couldn’t sleep so he stayed up and played. Loud. A rare text from Rollie came in at 3. We done. What were the details? He let it go.
Telly drinks his beer and contemplates another evening alone. His parents are on vacation for another week. This may be one of the last times he has to hang out and do nothing. He’ll be leaving for college soon, leaving Flair and Rollie far behind. Who will his new friends be? He’s done with thug life for sure. The evolution of violent behaviour scares him. It’s a dead end street.
He looks up and sees Pepper and Zephyr passing by. The dog only pulls on his leash occasionally. Telly’s impressed.
“He was never that good when I walked him.”
Pepper smiles, proud. “Yeah, I’ve worked with him a lot. He just needed some attention.”
Telly notices how well maintained and healthy Zephyr appears to be.
“Where you been? Haven’t seen you much.”
Pepper shakes his head. “Overtime. Lots. I take the pooch to the park when I get a chance. He’s alone for way too long.”
“Yeah, that sucks…” Then Telly gets to the point. “Seen Rollie lately?”
Pepper’s demeanor changes. “Yeah. That piece of shit tried to steal my dog. What a dummy. Fucking Flair was there too.”
“He said you owed him money.”
“True. Guess I’m a dummy too. Was gonna pay it. A day late and he doubled the amount. What could I do Tell?”
Telly’s hate for R and F increase. “He didn’t tell me that…”
Telly watches Zephyr watch and listen. He’s tuned in to real time. No dreams or plans. A dog day every day.
“Hey, wanna come inside and have a beer?”
“Thanks Telly. Another time. I’m taking Zephyr home and crashing.”
They bump knuckles. Pepper and pooch get back on the street. Telly watches the dog’s tail wag until he disappears…
Telly takes the last sip of beer and stands up. As he opens his front door, a white Chevy Caprice passes by his house in slow motion. Rollie, wearing aviator shades and an Atlanta Braves cap, holds up two fingers and nods. Flair is cackling and wriggling in the seat next to him, ready for more summer fun.
