Monday, March 24, 2014

Barry Clifford: Tales from New York- Mad Bob (Part 4)

Bob’s habit now and again was to ask me to go for a drink every Friday the day after we got paid. After I gave him one too many excuses before to avoid that day I sensed Bob was getting pissed off today, so for self – preservations sake only, I finally agreed. It went well, sort of.

The key to Bob was to be agreeable in nature and not to disagree at all on the many subjects that he considered himself the final word for that could well be the case. Even as the cold beer buzz of a Heinekan loosened my tongue and gave me dutch courage to tease Bob a bit, it was gentle as to be unnoticed. So, the night dragged on slowly and I was happy to eventually get the taxi home to bed. Where Bob normally went in the early hours on a Saturday was to some drug fuelled party and where he went this night. It did not go well.

In the haze of opium, cocaine and crack, others at the party perhaps did not know Bob as well as I did, or at least the rules that applied in dealing with him, and an argument ensued. A man in a drug fuelled rage there told Bob he was going to shoot him if Bobby did not shut his mouth. Bob replied: “Not if I don’t shoot you first.” Bob then pulled out his 34 revolver and shot the man in the stomach. The man, held alive by the drugs that stopped him going into shock, fell to the floor. The ambulance was called as Bob left the building.

Bob was at work that Monday and very nervous. He knew he was in trouble for he was still out on parole. The following week he brightened when he was told that the man refused to press charges such was his fear of Bob. His stomach pains made sure he kept that point of view. The week after that Bob was back to his old self at work or at the least the one that was easier to deal showed up most of the time. But it was not to last.
To be continued.

By Barry Clifford 
        


   

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