26.5.2009

DEEP DOWN WHERE THE BIRDS DON'T FLY.

 

    DEEP DOWN WHERE THE BIRDS DON'T FLY.


http://www.netsaga.is/media/files/Melody.mp3

    Ben sat himself down in his little used office deep down in the depths of the Coffee Club. It was a very peaceful area where sanity ruled supreme. Insane was this world and getting more mad by the day. This country was hell bent on petty rules and regulations, frowned on crime and other dishonest things. Yet it overlooked crime bosses and their strangle hold on parts. It made him angry that the police couldn?t stop this. Still there would be a time when he would get this place back for Shaz. Sat in his own safe was close to five hundred thousand. Chino would have to sit up and note that cash and may be he would agree to leaving them alone. Then again Chino might just take it and forget he ever received it. This would require time to think through and work out the best plan of attack.

    He opened up the safe and smelt the air of money. This money had been given him by Sharon. He had a dream along with many others to purchase a plot of land and grow a forest upon it. Okay so two hundred thousand wasn?t a lot to some. It was certainly enough to buy the land and plant oaks and other trees in there and just sit back and watch it grow. Ben viewed it as something to give back to nature. He felt strongly about green belt being eaten up and all the animals of this country homeless. The invasion of foxes was only due to their woodland being extinguished. A man purchased an initial piece land for a house and other things, sold it cheap to Ben, then Ben got an offer he couldn?t refuse. Now he had from fifty thou to what you already know, two hundred. He never told Shaz he sold that land. Still it wasn?t any good right near that town. He required something more further away from the pollution of the roads.

    He fingered through a small batch of it, okay it would get a little interest in a bank, but he didn?t trust them.

    "Now that?s a lot of readies in there!"

    Ben quickly shoved the cash back and closed the safe. It was Chang.

    "What do you want? And who gave you permission to just waltz in here?"

    "Sharon figured you were down here. I needed to see you."

    Ben finished locking up the safe and returned to his desk. He still had the hump and let it show, "What do you want number two to the illustrious master Chino?"

    "Look pal, I ain?t on Chino?s side." Chang spat back.

    "Oh yeah, you could have fooled me," sarcasm the lowest form of whit, then again who cares at this point.

    "Yeah!" Chang replied with iron before relaxing again to confess, "Look, if I can get this club back into your hands I will. Though I ain?t sure I can, cause Chino suspects me."

    "Of what?"

    Chang looked to the ceiling noting it was closer than he expected. He felt claustrophobic, along with these next words this whole place was closing in on him.

    "I want to defect from the Triad."

    "You want to do what?" Ben almost fell off his chair in shock.

    "I want to leave the Triad. I?m fed up with going round threatening people, hurting them because they did wrong against the organisation. I hate the protection racket and the drug scene. Okay so I used to like doing all that stuff."

    "What made you change your mind?"

    "You did. That night at the pub, you stood up to me. It was no macho thing, those punks just die. No, this was of genuine concern for others. You showed you cared for them. I thought guy?s like you were just in those dumb history books. Here you are in the flesh. You and Sharon are like that and it reflects in the way the staff here care for each other and stick together. When I was here I started to care and wanted to be in on this circle of friends." His chest was hurting here as he spilled another few words, "I care about you all."

    There it was, Ben?s suspicions about the guy, right from the time they first met. He cared, his heart wasn?t cold, it was warm and beated for unity and love. Oh yes the love word all men seem to have problems in saying especially to other men.

    "But what can I do? This is just one small club against Chino?s big organisation."

    "That?s just it, there is nothing you can do to help me. Chino has put me in charge of this place. I will do all I can to give you guys a break. I will find a way to get this all back for you. Only you will have to trust me like a brother."

    Ben leaned back on his chair as he took a mental step back in his mind, "A brother?"

    "You are the brother that I lost."

    If he back tracked in his mind even further on this male bonding he?d be through that wall. "The brother that you lost?"

    "My father drove him away when I was young. I never saw him again. I was determined not to follow my father?s footsteps and avoid any mafia connections. My resentment grew till I mistrusted all who fell into my view. I felt good in beating the living daylights out people. Before long I was making a name for myself and I was sucked in by the Triad. I miss my brother, though I feel he is dead. He would have come back for me if he was alive. The past is ugly, the present I feel I am with my family here and my new older brother before me."

    "What me?"

    "Yeah you!" Chang wondered if he was really paying attention to this heart being poured out before the guy.

    Ben rubbed his face as another question came to the mind, "Wasn?t the living daylights a James Bond film?" No not that question the other one! "What about Sam, do you hate her or do you love her?" That?s better.

    Chang blinked before the answer came forth, "What her? I hate the sight of the woman."

    "No, you love the sight of her." Ben replied as he waved his right hand.

    "No, I hate the sight of her!"

    "You love the sight of her!"

    Chang finally tired of this. "What you think you are some kind of Jedi waving your hand like that? I am half Italian and Jedi mind tricks do not work on me. Only pure love."

    "Never the less, you love the sight of Sam."

    "I hate the way she speaks, one reason."

    "You love the way she speaks."

    Chang was really getting irritated with the prune and came up with another reason.. "I hate the way she?s accident prone."

    "You love those things about her."

    "I hate her beautiful smile!"

    "You love that smile."

    "I hate her wonderful eyes and the way they hang on my every word."

    "And you hate her hair?"

    "I do, it?s so light and smells of strawberries."

    "I take it that you really hate Sam then?"

    Chang frowned, "What are you talking about? I love her!"

    "I?m glad you do."

    "I do!" The penny dropped. Chang wanted to be angry at this Jedi mind trick, but it had worked, he was in love with the stupid girl. "I really do love all her silly ways. How will she know? How can she know? I?ve been horrible to her and probably lost her by now. I pushed her away because I really wanted to be near her. No that?s crazy I need to see a shrink to lock me away. Ben I?m nuts!"

    Ben saw this wide eyed maniac in front of him and agreed, "Yeah certifiable. Only that you are nuts about Sam. Just go to the girl and tell her how you feel. She?ll understand. I will tell the ones I trust about how you feel about us all here and keep it under your hat. We don?t want Uncle Chino finding out do we?"

    "No, I can certainly do without that."

    "I also need time to formulate a plan on how to get you out of the mafia. After all I can?t let my brother down can I?"

    Chang grinned, "No you can?t. I am very grateful." Both men walked towards the door and just as Chang went to go he hugged his older brother. Then as time and unforeseen occurrence, um, occurred Sam walked in.

    "I?ve got to stop walking in on strange things occurring." She said as visions of Clive up the top suite came to her mind. "I?ll come back later."

    "No Sam, please come on in. I was just on my way up and Chang was telling me that he needed to see you alone."

    Sam looked away before replying, "But Sir, I have to go back upstairs and finish my chores. I only came down to inform you that Miss Sharon would like to see you up in the bar area."

    "Don?t worry Sam. I?ll cover your chores while you stay here and talk to Chang." He was out of there before she could protest.

    Sam looked up at him before looking away, "Glad to see you are alive. Many thought you had gone for good."

    Chang didn?t have much time. So cutting the chase he came in a round about way to the point. "I have a secret that only you and Ben can know about at this moment."

    "Why me?" This was a puzzled reply.

    "Because you are the very key to this secret. Please sit down."

    Sam sat down noting this was taking him a lot of effort to spill. Then in one unbridled burst it all came out!

    "I?m in love with you!" Chang felt pleased he had finally come out with it, only to see the girl pass out hitting her head upon the desk on the way down to the floor.

    "So boss, would you like a drink?" Frank asked as he noted Miss Sharon was on edge waiting for her husband.

    "No thanks, I have a baby to think about."

    "Don?t worry about that, he will grow up one day, have a drink."

    "What?"

    "Your husband, he will grow up. As soon as you reach forty it?s all downhill."

    Shaz frowned at the guy with his downhill dodgy hair cut as it slipped in time to his talk. "I?m not talking about my husband. My baby inside of me," She finally replied while giving an obvious point to her lower regions.

    "You?re having a baby! Congrats to yah. You know, my misses and I would like kids. Sadly she has a lot of trouble with her tubes. Shame really, then again never mind."

    Sharon hadn?t heard of him having a wife, this intrigued her. "What?s she like?"

    "Alright, a bit on the stupid side. Hey I have a thought!" His face suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. "How about you and your husband comes round to mine for dinner one evening."

    Sharon noted the looks of the other bar staff as they were shaking their heads at her, some were even wording out ?no?. Why? She didn?t know. "Okay when?"

    "My evening off is Friday how about then?"

    Committing herself she agreed to Friday.

    "Friday is what then?" Ben came in interrupting the conversation.

    "Round mine for dinner."

    "Ur, round yours for dinner."

    There was panic in her husband?s eyes and fear in his voice. Shaz confirmed her husband?s question. "Yes, round Frank?s for dinner."

    "Seven thirty!" Frank added with zeal. It was a long time since he?d had guests round for a meal and fun.

    When stuck up against a rock and a hard place a man will do almost anything to keep the peace. "Oh, okay, if we have to." Now with that conversation over with he decided to ignore one grinning Frank to urge his wife to take a walk and talk about Chang.

    "Darling I have something to tell you about Chang."

    "You do huh."

    The look on her face said it all, distain. He carried on, "Yes I do, it?s very important."

    "As important as Chang and Chino are leaving us alone to run our own show."

    "No, not exactly."

    Out of sight of the staff by one of the smaller waterfalls she let out her soul, "Oh Ben, will we ever be rid of his evil influence?"

    He noted that his lovely woman was way too upset to mention anymore about the Chang incident. He chose different words to say, "The time will come, our time will come when we will be left alone."

    Shaz held back the tears as she noted the piano was being played. "Who?s that girl with Clive by the piano." The two were grinning and giggling together.

    Ben had been caught up in loads of things and failed to listen to anyone who had told him stuff. Spying Tiffany he asked her.

    "That is Clive?s fiancée, they got engaged this morning."

    "How come I never heard anything about this?"

    Tiffany looked down feeling embarrassed, "Because we that?s the staff felt it to be inappropriate to mention this as you and miss Sharon were still in distress over yesterday?s events."

    Shaz smiled through the tears, "Miss Tiffany, our problems are small and I never want to be left out of any good news which will serve to lift my spirits. Come, we must congratulate them."

    "So, the old dog got her back!" Ben grinned feeling another victory. He knew people and knew what they could make of their lives. Chang was on his way and Clive had made it.

    "Bob, please fetch us our finest champagne."

    "Yes, miss Sharon," Bob ?b? replied in his broad Devonshire accent.

    Walking over both congratulated the happy couple and asked why he never came up and told them.

    "I thought, this being a black day for you guy?s asking for champagne and chocolates would be an unwise move."

    "Nonsense never do that again buddy!" Ben shouted as a cork popped hitting him on the back of the head. He laughed at the shot from Frank.

    Sharon was in conversation with Gloria, "You are the love of his life then?"

    "I have always been."

    Shaz wanted a look at the ring and was duly shown it. The ring was so beautiful and her emotions was such that she gave the older lady a big hug. It was at this point Sharon realised they had a big audience. The lunchtime customers turned up and like rabbits, some were already noshing on starters while looking over at the distraction waiting for the pianist to play.

    Beckoning for the microphone Ben got it in the head before catching it in his hands after a lousy throw from Bernard.

    "Ladies and gentlemen. Sorry for the disturbance during your meal. It is just that I?d like to announce the most wonderful news I could possibly hear at this time. I want to share with you and announce the engagement between our pianist Clive and the love of his life Gloria!"

    As the guests were clapping Sharon gestured for Tiffany to lay a table and get Clive and Gloria to sit at it.

    Tiffany in turn made a table ready by her crew within the minute time schedule and grinned as the honour guests were seated and drinks were poured. Yet there was always something missing or ready to go wrong. Sam was missing and her team were covering her. "Bob ?C?, where is Samantha?"

    "Don?t know miss Tiffany."

    Tiffany frowned before informing her superior, "Sorry Miss Sharon. It appears Sam has gone walkabout. I should have noticed this earlier."

    "She?s not missing, she?s on another engagement," Ben came in with as he grinned.

    Tiffany found this to be of no laughing matter, "But sir, I must protest."

    "I?m sorry Tiffany. She is currently in a meeting with our caretaker Chang. There was nothing I could do."

    "No sir, there was nothing you could do," she said to him as she turned away before muttering, "but there is something I can do." Walking out of the dining area and enquiring where the illustrious fraud of a leader was, she headed right on down to the basement. Coming out of the lift, passed the laundry workers and onto the cellar she came towards Ben?s personal room and bumped into the guy coming out.

    "She?s in Ben?s study," Chang replied as he dodged out of the way of those evil looks.

    Tiffany said nothing else as she stormed into her bosses office to find Samantha in tears. "Why that ugly brute, I?ll kill him! What has he done to you now?"

    "Nothing." Sam sobbed.

    "He must have done something," Tiffany replied, "You have a bump on the head and are crying like he has verbally assaulted you and other things."

    "He hasn?t. I hit my head in an accident."

    "Shyeah right! I?m going to report him and lodge a complaint with the police. I can at least get him done for assault. I have a damn good lawyer."

    "You can?t do that?.it?s?.nothing." Sam sobbed even more now.

    Tiffany wasn?t the most patient of women and so shouted, "What is it then?"

    "I shouldn?t tell you, but I must."

    "Yes?"

    "He?he loves me!"

    Tiffany almost fell and was glad she held onto the corner of the desk, otherwise as the pieces fell into place, she?d done a Sam and caught the edge with her skull. Her mind stated the obvious, "He loves you?"

    "Ahuh. But he can?t do anything about it because of the situation he?s in."

    "And you believe him?"

    "Yes."

    Maybe it was the sceptic in her along with the other faults rose to the surface to voice her concerns, "but he?s a criminal."

    "Only because he has to. If he tries to leave he?s as he put it, dead meat."

    "Yeah and I don?t want you joining them, otherwise that puts you under the same oath. I?ve read about this you know."

    "That?s why it hurts. We can?t do anything about our mutual love."

    As the girl cried again, Tiffany wanted to do something to comfort her. Sadly she was never any good at things like that. Instead she chose, "I?d better get back upstairs before I?m missed. It will be better if you stay here until you stop looking like death and smarten yourself up. Is that a deal?"

    "Thank you miss Tiffany. Oh and can you keep our conversation secret for now. Only Ben knows and you, besides me and Chang."

    The girl started crying as Tiffany advised, "I would try and avoid using his name if it makes you upset like that."

    "What Ben?"

    Was this girl dumb or what? "No Chang." Wrong word the dumb broad spurted fresh tears all over again.

    When Tiffany had finally made her way upstairs to the fresh air by the front door she pondered over this new development. What is it with love around here today? Was there something in the food? Maybe it was the water? The coffee perhaps? Love was stupid, it makes you turn from a confident person to one with vulnerabilities, one who has to rely on your loved one. It was a weakness that she would not allow in her life. Not now, not ever. Suddenly she found herself in front of Bernard.

    "Everything alright? He asked with a very concerned look upon his brow.

    "No it damn well isn?t. It?s that crazy thing called love. It?s got everyone all to emotional, its a pain in the arse!"

    Bernard took a giant step back from this raging volcano of a woman, "Anything I can do?"

    "If it shows it?s ugly face in here anymore today and any other day. Show me where it lies and I will kick it right up the backside!"

    Then the girl was off on a quick walk towards the dining room, leaving poor Bernard in a flap.

    There he sat, the man who was causing Ben so much grief. Chino downed another glass of wine as he cavorted with his loose women.

    "What is he wanting to try now?" Ben asked Bob ?a?.

         "The Salmon Royal."

    "Carry on making sure he gets the best of everything, even though he only takes a mouthful."

    Bob went on into the kitchen leaving the grunts of annoyance on his bosses breath. "Hey Bernardo, the mafia leader guy wants to try the salmon royal. Ben said the best piece you can find."

    "Abonerstickyuphisarseholy!"

    Bob like most of us was getting used to the lingo and felt the need to caution the guy, "You cannot do that, the boss said the best one."

    "Illsticketinthetoiletoandweeuponit, thengiveittochinothescummer."

    Bob sighed, after all a Chef in a mood is best left alone, especially one with such a big knife in his hands. "Okay, he gets the one with the most bones in it. Don?t blame me if Ben fires you."