Excerpts from Angelo Ultimatum and Confrontation

Ultimatum

Oscar’s face tightened as Angelo walked through the door.

“Don’t I have rights?” he screamed angrily. “What do I have to do to get you out of my life?”

“Relax, Oscar. I come in peace,” Angelo replied, smiling as he approached the bedside. “Remember, I’m not Escobar.”

“The interrogator! Is he the best you got?  I spit on him!”

“Calm down, my friend. I’m here to save your life  --again.”

“You did that once and where did it get you? You act so proud, like a peacock. You shoulda put me away.”

Angelo lowered himself into the chair next to the bed and said nothing. Oscar looked away, his eyes closed. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Then forty.

“Jackal,” Angelo said, his voice barely audible.

“Jackal, Hand Job.”

“Jackal, Hand Job, Lotus Blossom.”

He continued the process, adding a new name each time until he’d gone through the list. Oscar maintained his silence.

“Three of them are dead. And we have you. 

"Soon another three will be dead. And we’ll still have you. 

"By next month, only three will be left, and that’s only because they have valued skills.

“I’m worried about you, Oscar, my friend. Between then and now you might be dead, too.

"Your skills, as good as they are, are no longer available. You’re out of the game. You no longer have a reason to exist but they have every reason for you to die.”

“Is that all you got? For Chrissakes, get Escobar back. You’re a pussy compared to him. And he’s nothing!”

“Maybe, but he wants something from you. You’re a rung on his ladder of success.

"I, on the other hand, have something for you.”

“Like what?”

Bingo! A break through.

“Like your life. I told you the first time, my questions are personal. I want to understand ‘why’; why you’re alive and why I saved you. If you’re killed, I’ll never get my answers..”

“They can’t kill me.”

Angelo’s confidence grew with each response. “Jericho,” he thought, “ The walls are coming down.

“They can’t?” he said, laughing. “I almost did. I could have, but I chose not to. What’ll stop them if they choose to?”

Oscar went silent. Angelo followed suit.

A half-hour want by, when neither seemed willing to budge. Angelo broke the stand-off. He stood and touched Oscar’s arm. "I’m going home to dinner. I have writing exercises to do tonight.

“We’re pulling the uniforms Friday, Oscar. I was hoping we’d have more time. It looked like the Feds wanted to leave you here so they could use our budget to cover you medical costs. Then it looked like you had fallen through the bureaucratic cracks. Now you're on their screen again, and they want you.

“I’ll try to get back to see you before you go, once I’m sure where you’re going.”

Oscar’s face turned to look fully into Angelo’s. Still he said nothing.

“Truth is, you’re right, Oscar. About Escobar. He’s a pussy. No way he could get to you. His superiors know that. They sent him in first string so he’d learn some humility.

"He’s not a bad cop, really. He’s just so full of himself. This’ll make him a better cop in the long run.”

Angelo’s face lit up as he attempted a bit of humor. That’s if you like long, runny cops.”

Oscars head shook in response. “Your humor sucks,” he said in a muted voice, "just like your interrogation skills.”

Angelo’s voice trailed off as he headed for the door. Oscar strained to make him out.

“So, what’s gonna happen? Where am I going?”

“Cuba.”

Angelo was half way out the door when Oscar screamed, “Wait! Come back.”

He paused outside the closed door. Patience.

“Wait! D’Angelo!” 

D'Angelo re-entered the room, and paused just inside the door.

“What do you mean, Cuba?”

Angelo moved slowly toward his bed.

“I don’t know. All I heard was Gitmo.”

“Gitmo!,” Oscar screeched, his face pale. “With those Muslim camel jockeys?’

“I said, I don’t know."

His eyes drilled into Destrades'. 

“Is it true that you pissed off some people on the island before you left? They said you killed some guy and his bride.....

“On his wedding day.....

“At the reception.....

“And his new bride....

“In front of their families. Is that true?”

“Hey! It was business. That mother fu...”

“So, it is true.”

“Yeah, but she wasn’t supposed to die. The dumb bitch jumped in front of him, like a shield. She wasn’t supposed to die. Not for that asshole.”

“Then maybe you’re a gift.”

“Whadda you mean, gift?”

“Just thinking out loud, Oscar. A gift from us to some important families in Cuba. People of influence. Could be, no?”

Angelo reached his hand out, placing it gently on Destrades’ arm.  ”If that’s true, then maybe I’ll never get my answers. But, hey, like you guys say in Cuba, ‘Así és la vida’, hermano.”

The door shut quietly as he left.


Confrontation

Angelo sipped his coffee as he read the morning paper at Vinnie’s. Satisfied the world was just as screwed up this morning as previous days, he moved to the crossword section.

A good writer needs a full vocabulary and, for him, crosswords provided a daily regimen of synonyms. He had just put pen to paper to enter the nine letters for 'Halloween ghoul' when a voice asked, “What’s a six letter word for ‘Asshole’?’”

He looked up to watch Detective Escobar move into his booth.

“What did you say to Destrades?”

“It’s personal.”

“Personal, my ass. Look, I told you to stay out of my investigation...”

“And I honored your request. We haven’t shared a word about the heist. Though, he did mention your name.”

“Oh?  What’d he say?”

“He says you’re a pussy. There’s no way you’re going to break him.

"I think he doesn’t like you.”

“Look, you interrogate your way, I’ll do it mine. Stay away from him.”

“He asked for me to stay away?”

Escobar’s chin dropped to his chest. He was momentarily quiet.

“He wants to talk to you. He sent me to find you.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I think you’re an asshole. And a dick. You have no business screwing with another man’s assignment.

When we’re done, I’m going to your captain.’’

“Pardon me for not quaking in my shoes. What are you going to tell him, that Destrades prefers talking to me? That you haven’t gotten jack from your interrogation? That little Johnny is in your sandbox?”

Angelo flagged the waitress and pointed to his coffee. Her response was immediate. As she filled his cup, he asked, “Share a coffee?”

Escobar nodded.

“Whatever you said to him has him freaking out. He won’t tell me what it is but you got to him. How’d you do it?”

“Patience. I followed my captain’s lead. Patience.”

“Captain’s in on this, too? That son of a ...”

“No, Jaime, you’re missing the message. In this business, patience is your friend. If you’ve got to sit there for an hour in silence, you sit there. Simple as that. It may seem like a waste of time to you, but it’s effective. You can be quiet, bored to tears. But for him, just having you sit there, it’s disconcerting for him.

“Think about it. You’re sitting there like a Buddha. No words, no actions. Just sitting. No questions, no demands, no value judgment. You’re just there. That’s not what cops do. And that’s what fucks with his mind.”

“That’s it? Just sit there and wait, and he’ll spill his guts?”

“Not on a bet. It’s part of a process.”

“What process.”

“That’s all for now, Lotus Blossom. What did he say, specifically?

The waitress placed Escobar’s cup gently on the table so as to remain inconspicuous. He reached for the sugar and tore open three packets.

“Careful, Grasshopper. Sugar is bad for you long term. Learn now, and change your ways for the better.”

Escobar shook his head angrily. “Grasshopper. Lotus Blossom. Stop being an asshole.”

“Sugar promotes aggressive behavior, I think. Listen to the wise one.

“What did he say? Specifically.”

“He’s afraid. Whatever you said put the fear of God in him.  He said he wants to talk to D’Angelo, and no one else. I think my job there is done.”

“Not so much melodrama, Jaime. We might have something here. And, if we do, you can have the credit. I’ve got less than three years left. You’ve got over twenty. If I’m a hero, they add a letter to my jacket. If you’re the hero, you move up a rung.

“ I am not your enemy here.”

Career paths are important when you’re young. There are goals to achieve, mountains to climb. Pecking orders matter. The opportunity is evident and many vie for the brass ring. Most will fail but they’ll still be there. Only one man fills the top spot. Staying there requires the support of those left behind, so it’s best to tread lightly on the shoulders you’re pushing down.

After 28 years, with a career nearing an end, all the angst, the passion, the internal fire in the belly cedes to the young. Angelo still had a compelling commitment to succeed but the definition had changed. He wanted to go out at the top of his game. He still wanted to have the edge as he exited the stage. But he had nothing more to prove, no one to impress. Everything he had ever done was expressly available in his personnel jacket. He was proud of its contents. But the future lay ahead, and there was no badge and no gun in it.

Jaime got it. And, as he internalized their dialogue almost line by line, he came to realize Angelo’s value -- to his precinct, to his fellow officers and, now, to him. Coming down a peg was not so bad. The lessons will make the climb back up more meaningful. He would be better for it. Patience goes hand-in-hand with wisdom.

------------

To the Children We Don't Know -- and Our Spouses

I recall this morning a man I met who wanted to sell me his business. It had $200,000 in sales, and $30,000 in profits. Yet, he was asking $1 million for it.He was a one-man band, of no interest to me, really. But it was the rationale for his price that hit me this morning. I share it with you.

He said,

I worked for General Motors for over thirty years. The hours were long and grueling, especially when sales were booming. It was common practice to work 60-70 hours a week, including Sundays. Sometimes we'd get every other Sunday off. Sundays may have been the days my children were conceived.

The money was terrific. Straight time, overtime after eight hours. Double time on Saturdays, triple for Sundays. But I never saw my family.

I knew my family was well taken care of -- but I did not know my family. Not really. It never occurred to me until the day of my daughter's wedding. 

Here, walking down the aisle, a flower girl spreading flowers before her, was this young, radiant woman, a smile filling her face and a glow lighting her visage -- and I didn't recognize her. Twenty - three years, and I didn't have a clue who I was watching.

I didn't know my son, either, or my wife, and they didn't know me.  For all intents and purposes, I was a paycheck, the source of revenue that gave them a good life. I was divorced shortly afterwards.

So, I need to sell my company for $1 million so I can use the time I have left to spend with my grandchildren and have a legacy to leave them. 

My daughter and son-in-law both work long hours. They make great money. The kids spend most of their time with their grandmother. My son doesn't work. He can't seem to keep a job. He got caught up with drugs, with my money in lieu of a father.  He's not much of a role model for his kids, either, my grand children.

Today, millions of Americans work long hours, many seven days a week.. But they do it for far less money than he received. They're working two, perhaps three jobs at minimum wage or just over. Their children, like his, are directionless. too.

Many are single-head-of-household, latch key children, without guidance and with only their peers to learn from. They don't eat as well as his children, for lack of money for food. When they perform poorly in school, for lack of a full stomach or proper parental direction, their teachers bear the brunt.

Where are the 8:00 to 5:00 parents, the ones who come home each night to eat dinner together with their families and share the highlights of the day? Where are the parents who have time to listen to their children? Where are the fathers who camp out with their sons at Boy Scout camp on weekends, or who swim at the beach on long, sunny weekends?

Where are the men and women who know their spouses because they had time together and the quality of life we are now recognizing o longer exists, if it ever did.

As you read this and ponder the questions, what will you do differently so that, when your daughter gets married, when your children leave the nest, you will have rich memories of your lives together and the joys of really knowing each other?

Any Takers?

Proposed: ATennessee Time Capsule   Any Takers?

I propose we, you and I, create a Tennessee Time Capsule to be created between April 1 and November 15, this year.

In it, I suggest we place information about our times, to be shared with whomever finds it some fifty years hence. One hundred years is too long to wait. I want those people to learn from us while they can see the link between the decisions made in 2014 and the impacts of those decisions on the people who are affected at the time it is opened.

Imagine the impact of decisions we make today about issues like poverty, education, global warming and healthcare; water, fracking, energy, and air quality; jobs, social conditions, arts and culture; militarization, deforestation, destruction of sovereign nations for profit.

People just fifty years from now will have lived through much of it. Not only those born today, but those who are our children and grandchildren. My grandchildren, ages three and younger today, will have felt the full impact of the choices we make in 2014. While their parents may be in their 90s or younger, enough of them would still be living. They could be tapped by academics and asked to relive their life conditions based on what actions their parents chose to take – or not.

“Is it true, Dad, that the politicians of the day deliberately elected to deny global warming, and for that, we lost half the water on the planet? Where was Gramps during all this? Are we paying for a gallon water what people used to pay for a custom hand-made suit because legislators approved fracking near aquifers? Did our grandparents actually have access to medical care and social security -- before it was ruined through privatization? Were you too young to understand this, Dad? Wait! Dad, where were YOU and MOM while this was happening? Did you say anything, do anything?

"Are we fighting with such ignorant people now because we elected to deny adequate education to the poorest of our own citizens, and they couldn’t find work for lack of training, so we kept them in prisons until our system ran out of money?

"Dad, why is it that, when guys like Fleischmann and the Congress were waging war on women, the poor and disenfranchised, the state of UTAH was eliminating homelessness? Or the state of Maine was legalizing the importation of prescription drugs from Canada? Even Kentucky implemented Medicaid expansion. What were these guys in Nashville thinking?"

I propose we, you and I, place books, CDs, DVDs, digital media with records of the words and actions of the likes of Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Eric Cantor, and others on the national stage, along with the records of lesser know national legislators like Chuck Fleischmann and Marsha Blackburn, along with State officials like Sen. Stacy Campfield and Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey and Governor Bill Haslam.

We can categorize the issues and contrast their statements and actions with those of the sensible people who committed heart and soul in an attempt to build a better Tennessee.

Fifty years is just long enough that the progeny of those legislators will also feel the impact of their actions, especially in the eyes of those who were most egregiously harmed, that they might learn valuable lessons as well.

We can learn why they thought that putting trillions in military spending was preferable to building a sustainable society. Why enriching themselves and their business friends came first, and at the expense of the environment. Why the anarchy fifty years later was an acceptable trade off for their personal enrichment in their time.

We can plant capsules with the same contents in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville and other communities that contribute.

Let me know. There's much work to be done.

PS  Since many of us will not be there for the opening, it might behoove us to craft a missive of our own, to wit, we share with our successors the action WE TOOK to improve lives for all our fellow citizens and the planet, OR the reasons why we we stood by while elected officials betrayed our trust ON OUR WATCH, with our implied consent. I'd really like to read some of THOSE letters.

Joe

You Paid for THIS?

In 2012, the voters of Tennessee’s 3rd District elected Chuck Fleischmann to Congress . 

In 2013, the taxpayers paid his $174,000 salary plus benefits and perks (For just over 100 days/year). And we're still paying him this year, too.

For What?

In return for that, Chuck introduced four bills in the House of Representatives which, by one account, govtrack.us*, had between ZERO and SIX percent chances of being enacted.

What were these bills that received such little attention?

H.R. 282: REFUND ACT                   January 15, 2013

What does that name tell you about the bill?

The full title reads:

To rescind certain Federal funds identified by States as unwanted and use the funds to   

        reduce Federal debt.

Out of 434 other representatives in the US House of Representatives, Chuck was able to find only 33 to co-sponsor his bill. Chances of being enacted: 6%

H.R. 283: Account Act                    January 15, 2013

What does that name tell you about the bill?

The full title reads:

To require the approval by the head of an agency for any conference costing more than 

         $25,000, and for other purposes.

Out of 434 other representatives in the US House of Representatives, Chuck was able to find only 20 to co-sponsor his bill. Chances of being enacted: 1%

H.R. 1931: EASY Savings Act of 2013                               May 9, 2013

What does that name tell you about the bill?

The full title reads:

To amend title 5, United States Code, to enhance the authority under which Federal 

        agencies may pay cash awards to employees for making cost saving disclosures, and  

        for other purposes.

Out of 434 other representatives in the US House of Representatives, Chuck was able to find 15 to co-sponsor his bill. Chances of being enacted: 1%

H.R. 2885: Growing Jobs Through Capital Act of 2013              July 31, 2013

What does that name tell you about the bill?

The full title reads:

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to temporarily exclude capital gain from   

         gross income.

Out of 434 other representatives in the US House of Representatives, Chuck was able to find NO ONE to co-sponsor his bill. Chances of being enacted: 0%

For this performance, Tennessee taxpayers paid Chuck over $174,000 PLUS.

Let’s not forget that Chuck did sign on to over 300 bills introduced by others, some of which damaged the lives of many of his District 3 constituents, including hospitals, nurses and doctors; teachers, fire fighters and police; low income parents of children ranging from new borns to school age; seniors, the underemployed and unemployed.

For this performance, Tennessee taxpayers paid Chuck over $174,000 PLUS.

While There’s Time, Ask Yourself,

“Is it possible to elect to office a person with the competence to represent Tennessee’s interests, to work on issues that mean something; someone who is committed to the benefit of All Tennesseans?”

“Is it possible that there is one candidate on the ballot who has a proven track record of achievement in professional life whose work demonstrates the caring, commitment and competence our state needs in these chaotic times?”

I leave it to you to answer. I know for whom I would vote. It’s not Chuck.