Success, Opulence and Power by Hebru Young (the unexpected everything .txt) 📕

much of a choice. We were about to lose the restaurant. What would we have done after that, who is to say the cartel wouldn’t have just killed us if we had chosen not to cooperate?” Eddie said.

“You make a good point, but I don’t like it all the same. I mean, you’re still in high school for crying out loud. You are still a kid,” Isabel said.

“And I understand how you feel, Isabel, I completely respect your feelings on the matter. Unfortunately, we need to make the best of the situation we find ourselves in. I’ll be careful, don’t worry,” Eddie said

“Anyway, I got back from work about an hour ago and I’m tired, I’m going to bed. See you later, little bro,” Isabel said.

“See you later, sis,” Eddie replied.

Eddie rushed for the shower and got ready for the trip to Fynnwood. He received a couple of text messages from Alex and Chris, saying they were on their way. Eddie waited for the boys in the living room, leaving the suitcases in his closet until the taxi pulled up. When the boys arrived, there were dressed up with their uniforms neatly ironed, as instructed by Eddie.

“Hey guys, we all set?” Eddie asked.

“Yes, Dom. I have been looking forward to this, man. Chris, you’ve been looking forward to this as well, haven’t you?” Alex said.

“Of course, our lives are about to change, I’m pumped,” said Chris.

“I’m glad you guys are pumped about this, but we gotta keep our voices down, I don’t want to wake Isabel,” Eddie said.

At exactly 7:30, Eddie received a text message alerting him that his taxi had arrived and was waiting outside. He peeked out the window and saw the red MPV. He didn’t like the fact that the taxi was red. He remembered his dad telling him that red cars attracted police attention. The cars that Eddie saw being pulled over by the police were mostly red or some other bright colour. There wasn’t time to cancel the taxi and book a different one, and there was no guarantee that the next one wouldn’t be red as well. For all he knew, this was the taxi company’s colour. Eddie could see that there were a couple of cartel goons across the street, watching their house. This was part of the agreement—Hector Gallegos kept his end of the bargain.

Eddie grabbed the suitcases and gave one each to Alex and Chris. There were only two bricks, so he put one in the suitcase that went to Chris, and he put the other in Alex’s suitcase. As they were heading for the taxi, Eddie glanced at the cartel goons and gave them a nod. From time to time, the goons offered to provide Eddie with security away from the house, depending on where he was going. They never followed him to school or church, because turf wars or any other cartel-related incidents never extended to such places.

“Hey Soap, you need off-site support, my friend?” asked one of the goons.

“Nah, don’t worry, Chiquito, it’s just a school thing. I’ll be all right,” Eddie replied.

“Okay, see you later,” said Chiquito.

“Cool, see you later,” Eddie replied.

The driver got out of the vehicle and opened the trunk. He grabbed the suitcases from the boys and placed them inside. Once the boys had gotten in the car and fastened their seatbelts, the driver drove off. Eddie told the driver about their school event and that they needed to make a stop in Fynnwood to pick up their coach. The driver nodded and keyed the destination into the navigation system. They were almost halfway to Fynnwood, the boys trying their best to act natural. They talked about clothes, sneakers, and the fictional debates. The driver didn’t say a word the entire time, he just drove. Every now and then he reached for the thermos in the console cup holder near the dashboard. It was really strong coffee, the smell made its way into the back seat. Alex made a comment to the guys that the coffee smelled nice, and they started a conversation about coffee. The driver didn’t respond, he just kept driving.

They were getting close to Fynnwood when they heard a couple of bleeps from a car behind them—the sound of a Miami PD siren. The driver pulled over, and the boys went silent, tension engulfing the back of the car. Although Eddie had gone over this scenario with his Assembly, the police confrontation still came as a shock. The officer didn’t get out of his car for almost four minutes. The driver and the boys stayed put as well. When the policeman finally stepped out of his vehicle, he put his left hand on his sidearm. He walked up to the taxi, headed for the driver’s side. As he approached, he looked towards the back seat and saw the boys there.

“License and registration, please,” said the police officer.

“No problem. I will need to reach in the glove-box, okay?” said the cab driver.

“Yes, do that slowly, please, and keep your left hand where I can see it,” said the police officer.

“Could you please tell me why I was pulled over?” asked the cab driver.

“You slowed down a couple times, and your right brake light didn’t come on. Where are you headed?” asked the police officer.

“These kids have a school event to attend, we are making a stop to pick up their coach in Fynnwood. After that, I’m taking them to the airport to catch their flight,” replied the cab driver.

“Are you carrying any weapons in this car?” asked the police officer.

“Absolutely not, officer, I hate guns,” replied the cab driver.

“How about you guys, are you carrying any guns or drugs?” asked the police officer.

All three boys said “no” to the officer’s question. The officer stood and stared at the boys for what seemed like an eternity.