clothes on, went to the bathroom down the hallway, brushed his teeth, and rinsed his face. Tired as he was, he didn’t even stop to wonder where they were going. When he came back to the room, Shadrackwas sitting on the bed. He seemed to be in the middle of some kind of deep rumination. His face glum, his shoulders hunched. He looked lost. The man was dreading something, Raymond thought.
“You got your ID on you?” Shadrack asked, looking up.
They walked to the car, the sun shining down on both of them. Shadrack said he’d had to park on South Van Ness because he didn’t have any change for the meter. No change, but a bag filled with jewels. He had an errand they had to do, he said. Before Raymond could ask, he cut him off, said he’d tell him when they got there.
They drove south on 101, Shadrack leaning toward the wheel, Raymond slumping in his seat, trying to catch some sleep. As they got closer to South San Francisco Raymond realized that Gloria had never taken him to collect his ID. He felt sweat on his forehead.
“I’m sick of playing,” he said. “Tell me where we’re going.”
Shadrack pointed at the airport. “Right there,” he said.
“You better stop fucking with me,” Raymond said. “You ain’t letting me sleep. You and Gloria both, you keep messing with me. I’m tired of it, man. You get it?”
“Well, we’re reaching the end of this little journey,” said Shadrack. “Soon enough you’ll be able to sleep all you want.” He looked at Raymond and winked.
“I’m not flying.”
“I’m not asking you to fly. Now shut your damn mouth.”
Raymond looked at the doctor’s bag near his feet and swore that if he had the chance he would take a handful of Shadrack’s precious jewels. He would take the whole damn bag. It was time to push this motherfucker out, he thought.
They moved to exit the freeway, joining a stream of taxis floating toward the airport. Raymond resigned himself to whatever was coming. He sat back and looked at the sky, watching the planes cut through it.
Shadrack stopped in front of the United Airlines terminal. It looked like a prison for rich people. After making sure they were unobserved, he pulled an envelope from his breast pocket and handed it to Raymond. It was stuffed full of traveler’s checks.
“Need you to buy me a ticket,” he said.
“Shit, man, you can do this shit online now,” Raymond said. “Do it on your damn phone. You don’t need me to do this.”
Shadrack’s eyes searched Raymond’s face. A female voice announced something about passenger pickup on the intercom. A cop walking by bent his head and looked at them.
“I need you to buy me a ticket,” Shadrack said again, when the cop had passed. “Go in there, go to the desk, and buy a ticket to Mexico City. Make it for three days from now, Friday. You hear me?”
Raymond shook his head. “And I’m supposed to pay with these?” he said.
“With those. Make it in your name.”
“My name? I’m not flying anywhere, man! I’m on parole, I can’t go—”
Shadrack raised a finger to silence him. “I didn’t say you flying. Just buy it in your name. It’ll hold a seat for me. You can’t get violated for conspiring to leave a damn state. You only get violated if you leave the state. Go on. We’ll cancel yours and change it to mine on the day of, but I’m on theno-fly watch, all right? I put it in my name today, the FBI’ll be here waiting. So we’ll come in together, switch the tickets right before the flight. Nobody gonna know, and I’ll be gone. It’s how I do it every time, dummy.”
Raymond squinted at him. It didn’t make sense. But the image of Shadrack on a plane, soaring far away, certainly intrigued him.
“Just do it,” Shadrack said. “Stop asking so many damned questions.”
“Friday?”
Shadrack nodded.
“First class?”
He thought about it for a moment. “If there’s enough money in them checks right there, yeah, first class. Go on, I’m gonna
“You got your ID on you?” Shadrack asked, looking up.
They walked to the car, the sun shining down on both of them. Shadrack said he’d had to park on South Van Ness because he didn’t have any change for the meter. No change, but a bag filled with jewels. He had an errand they had to do, he said. Before Raymond could ask, he cut him off, said he’d tell him when they got there.
They drove south on 101, Shadrack leaning toward the wheel, Raymond slumping in his seat, trying to catch some sleep. As they got closer to South San Francisco Raymond realized that Gloria had never taken him to collect his ID. He felt sweat on his forehead.
“I’m sick of playing,” he said. “Tell me where we’re going.”
Shadrack pointed at the airport. “Right there,” he said.
“You better stop fucking with me,” Raymond said. “You ain’t letting me sleep. You and Gloria both, you keep messing with me. I’m tired of it, man. You get it?”
“Well, we’re reaching the end of this little journey,” said Shadrack. “Soon enough you’ll be able to sleep all you want.” He looked at Raymond and winked.
“I’m not flying.”
“I’m not asking you to fly. Now shut your damn mouth.”
Raymond looked at the doctor’s bag near his feet and swore that if he had the chance he would take a handful of Shadrack’s precious jewels. He would take the whole damn bag. It was time to push this motherfucker out, he thought.
They moved to exit the freeway, joining a stream of taxis floating toward the airport. Raymond resigned himself to whatever was coming. He sat back and looked at the sky, watching the planes cut through it.
Shadrack stopped in front of the United Airlines terminal. It looked like a prison for rich people. After making sure they were unobserved, he pulled an envelope from his breast pocket and handed it to Raymond. It was stuffed full of traveler’s checks.
“Need you to buy me a ticket,” he said.
“Shit, man, you can do this shit online now,” Raymond said. “Do it on your damn phone. You don’t need me to do this.”
Shadrack’s eyes searched Raymond’s face. A female voice announced something about passenger pickup on the intercom. A cop walking by bent his head and looked at them.
“I need you to buy me a ticket,” Shadrack said again, when the cop had passed. “Go in there, go to the desk, and buy a ticket to Mexico City. Make it for three days from now, Friday. You hear me?”
Raymond shook his head. “And I’m supposed to pay with these?” he said.
“With those. Make it in your name.”
“My name? I’m not flying anywhere, man! I’m on parole, I can’t go—”
Shadrack raised a finger to silence him. “I didn’t say you flying. Just buy it in your name. It’ll hold a seat for me. You can’t get violated for conspiring to leave a damn state. You only get violated if you leave the state. Go on. We’ll cancel yours and change it to mine on the day of, but I’m on theno-fly watch, all right? I put it in my name today, the FBI’ll be here waiting. So we’ll come in together, switch the tickets right before the flight. Nobody gonna know, and I’ll be gone. It’s how I do it every time, dummy.”
Raymond squinted at him. It didn’t make sense. But the image of Shadrack on a plane, soaring far away, certainly intrigued him.
“Just do it,” Shadrack said. “Stop asking so many damned questions.”
“Friday?”
Shadrack nodded.
“First class?”
He thought about it for a moment. “If there’s enough money in them checks right there, yeah, first class. Go on, I’m gonna
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