“Dennis, I want you to do me a favor,” Charlie said. “I need you to keep an eye on Tommy for me.”
“Sure,” I said. “What’s the problem with Tommy?”
“He turns seventy-nine on his birthday this weekend and he wants a big celebration. The old fool met up with a twenty-two year-old girl yesterday who is after him for nothing but money.”
“I didn’t know he had any money. Where do I come into this?”
“He wanted me to go to the jewelry store with him to buy her something and I want you to go instead of me. I have to stay here at the restaurant. Try to stop him from doing anything stupid.”
Tommy arrived with Keisha, his new girlfriend, and we headed to the jewelry store.
“Oh, Tommy! That’s the one I want,” Keisha said, pointing to a necklace of jade and a few diamonds.
“That one is twelve thousand and fifty-nine dollars,” the store owner said.
“If that’s what you want, my dear, that is what you will have,” Tommy said, whipping out his checkbook.
In spite of my begging and pleading he wrote out a check for the amount and gave it to the store owner.
“Sir, take that over to the bank and cash it we will take the necklace,” Tommy said.
“But the bank is already closed,” the proprietor said. “I won’t be able to cash it until Monday.”
“That’s fine. I will leave the check and Keisha can pick it up on Monday.”
“Oh, Tommy! I really love you,” Keisha said.
She was on Tommy like a cheap tattoo; the kind you get when you’re drunk and then regret for the rest of your life.
Late Monday morning as Charlie and I had coffee at Estel’s Tommy came through one door and the jewelry store owner entered through another. He followed Tommy to our table.
“Mr. Tommy,” the store owner said, “The bank says you have only seventy-five dollars in that account.”
“That’s true,” Tommy said, “but can you imagine what a weekend I had with Keisha?”
