Pennies for the Ferryman - 01 Read Online Free Page A

Pennies for the Ferryman - 01
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Say five hundred?”
     
    Denise took some convincing, and it took several more jarring discussions going back and forth with Denise asking Lamont a question, and me getting the answer, before she agreed to my terms, but I eventually found myself sitting on her porch and waiting for her to come back down from the attic.
    I heard the deadbolt click and lock the door. “Hey! What gives?” The mail slot opened and a fifty dollar bill slid out.
    Through the door she said in a menacing voice, “That’s all you’re getting! Now get your skinny white ass off my porch before I yell out to the brothers on the corner and have them come beat the shit out of you.”
    Considering I was a white guy in the middle of an all-black neighborhood, things didn’t look promising. “Fine, I’m leaving, but I can tell you that Lamont’s not happy with you.”
    “Don’t you dare talk about my daddy! I should pop a cap in you right now! You start walking or I start shooting.”
    Lamont stepped through the door. He was laughing and pointing at me. I grabbed his arm. “What the hell was that all about?”
    He smiled a feral grin at me and taunted me with a wagging finger. “Tough break, whitey! She’s upstairs right now with fifteen large! I never did like your kind no how! Now go on and get outta here!”
    I punched Lamont hard, driving my hand into his gut and throwing him down the steps. My hand really stung, but the ghost actually looked hurt. Grandpa was right; brass knuckles might be a good option. With one hand clutching his gut, he started to fade from view, but not before flipping me off.
    Walking towards the nearest bus stop with not much to show for all this, I thought about the lesson that Denise and Lamont had just taught me – get my cash up front and don’t expect gratitude. I considered mentioning Denise’s windfall to the surly dudes hanging out on the corner, but I guessed I’d come out ahead, just not as far as I would’ve liked.
     
    I still had twenty dollars left by the time I ran into Jenny again. I’d told Mom I’d done a few “odd jobs” (I just didn’t want to tell her exactly how ‘odd’) and gave her thirty bucks towards groceries. Jenny and I were eating at the poor man’s haven – Taco Bell. Ten dollars there equals dinner for two plus change.
    I endured all kinds of questions about my time in Iraq. No, things weren’t as good as the politicians wanted you to believe, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the press said either.
    “So now you’ve heard all about me. Tell me something about you.”
    “Well, I live with my aunt and uncle. My dad’s a colonel in the Army. He’s in South Korea right now.”
    “What about your mom?” I knew the answer already.
    “She died a few years ago – car accident. My parents split when I was eleven and she took me back to Roanoke, which is why I still sound like a hick. After she died, I went to live with my dad at Fort Benning, but he’d already gotten the tour in Korea and if those orders got cancelled…”
    “The next set would have read Iraq,” I finished for her. I did Advanced Infantry Training at Benning. I wondered if our paths might have crossed back then. She’d have been jail bait at the time since she was barely legal now.
    “Yeah, so I moved in with Dad’s older sister and I do my best not to wreck their house.”
    “I’m sorry about your mom.”
    A dark expression crossed her face. “Don’t be. She was a hateful woman. She bled my dad dry and did her best to turn me against him. The only reason she even fought for custody was so she wouldn’t have to work any more. I’m still ashamed of her. Oh, hell! Sorry about that, Mike. I didn’t mean to spill my drink everywhere. Here, let me get some napkins.”
    I didn’t need to pull back the eye patch to know what just happened, but I did anyway. Her mother was glaring at her.
    “No worries. I’ll get you a refill and we can change the topic.” I didn’t see the need to make the
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