Mikey,
Well, I guess you guys got a lot different lot down south.  There is no
amount of anything where I live that would induce a fellow like George
to hand over $6,000, let alone $60, unless they were marked bills with
electronic tracking devices embedded in them and they were known to be
stolen from "Shorty".  I would ask myself, "Why is he giving me the six
grand, unless it can't buy him his life?"  My guess is you will never
see George again;  or maybe Shorty really likes you!  There's some
peculiar stuff goes on down in that fragrant jungle of yours.
The thing is, once you get a lot of stuff and a family, you either have
to become a full time gangster or stay completely off the radar of these
guys.  My Grandmother in Law was Joey Bonanno's sister.  When I first
married into it I thought it was cool and liked going to all the family
events, but I quickly learned that it wasn't cool or funny.  They didn't
call him "Bananas" for nothing.
Best,
Leland

-----Original Message-----
From: Easy bent lead pipe.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
[log in to unmask]
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 10:47 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BP] 9 oclock appointment


such a lovely business ...you meet only the best people.

9 o'clock appointment
George is a grifter and a con man with a dope problem who did some work
for me  briefly about a year ago; so it was a surprise  when he called
me on my cell as i was 4 wheeling through the back Forrest and swamp
with my 4 year old daughter.

'Suupp Mike ..can I talk for  a minuet ; this is George
"Whats going on ?  Im down shifting through 2.5 ft of water clutching
Mary as the bike is eating mud. through a fantastic chasm of tropical
ravine ...
"Yeah bro " I mean I got to talk to you face to face ;when can i come
over ?.
George is on the lam ;(wanted by the police) talking to guys on the
juice and on the lam is always bad business ...
"Yo bro; Im with my family just now ...Whats going on ? This is a secure
line we can talk ..whatsup?
yeah man ..well I did a very bad thing ..bad Mike bad for you ....

Talk to me man ....what do you mean ...
I mean ..well  ..a year ago Marty and I boosted some checks form you
;and well I made them out and left them with a dude to hold as
collateral and the ....MF cashed them...
can you believe that ? When I told him to hold them ...."MF"

The bike has now stopped in mid swamp ; bougainvillea and Camilla are
flowering and falling semi sweet through the trees and the abundance of
honey suckle is overwhelming, a soft blood red sun filters the canopy of
Forrest as a river of surface water moves by in colorful patterns

Im clutching Mary ; talking to some crook who wants some sort of
deal...my mind races between anger and outrage while inhaling the
perfumed air of the late afternoon bayou....

Listen man I got the cash ...Sez George
."whaddyamean ya got the cash" what-ar-we- talking here George ? Whats
my hit here
'6 large" ($6000)  sez he
"6".....I catch myself from loosing it on this no account ....
the odd thing is he is calling me so I let him talk ....

Whaty are you going to do to me ? he asks
(this is always a loaded question  thieves use   as it gives options to
them  that are never in your favor , mention the law and they are gone
,mention violence and they long gone
never give options )
Be here at 8am tomorrow morning ; 8 not 9   and  bring me what you
stole..and we'll talk...
Or? he asks like he is my girl friend now
Just get here or things will get unpleasant
I hung up...without a conversation.......this guys running scarred;They
boosted the checks out of a work vehicle
my guess is  with bench warrants over his head  he knows he is toast
...to threaten him right now is a waste of time ; best to see if he pays
you back..and go from there  ....
my leg breaking days are long behind me and the bureaucratic of the
legal system can do nothing to compensate me.
The next morning Geoge drives up with two women ; and I invite him to
sit on my porch;
where I am taking my coffee;the morning is soft with the sounds of song
birds throughout the trees
 I tell him to tell the women who are chewing gum and looking bored and
out of place  to take a ride which they do and he  then proceeds  to
explain what happened.

"On my dead fathers grave Mike I meant no harm to you ;Marty boosted it
and I just used it as collateral ...I mean heres your dough ..here take
it"
There are 60 $100 bills ..and one extra for pain and suffering
..as I re count he begins a rambling apology of blame on others...
most of it conflicting ....I wave him off ...

"Geoge" I said (counting the money)
is Shorty is looking for you ?
( shorty is a nortorious black man drug dealer and enforcer who George
is dodging)
I could see the beads of sweat forming on Georges faces and the pupils
of his eyes go small and out of touch.
A man like Shorty can be your worse night mare if you are on the wrong
side of him.
The story goes that the last time Shorty missed George it was by seconds
at some safe house or another  and Shorty pistol whipped everyone in the
house to give George up .It wasn't pleasant.

The very mention of his name to George stops his visible signs of
breathing.
Shorty? Mike you know Shorty ? His eyes study me ;and he begins to look
around
I pause ..."No I don't know Shorty ; .....but Geoge you were my 8 oclock
appointment this morning and well lets put it this way ... if you didn't
show
Shorty was going to be my 9 oclock appointment.


......Michael Stonemasons journal