Crenshaw McMurphy ( 2 Scenes)

Crenshaw stepped through the open door that led to the small, one bedroom home of his father Frank McMurphy. Slowly, cautiously he crept in; as his eyes swept the room he noticed bloody footprints smeared across the floor leading towards the laundry room. Chills shot through his body, his knees became weak causing Crenshaw to collapse onto the welcome mat that was caked with dirt and blood. "No," he whispered. "No. No. No." Tears rolled from his eyes, painful chunks of air forced their way out of his mouth as saliva and tears dripped into the crimson red puddles. His arms were shaking as he forced himself up, stumbling in a sickly manner towards the open doorway where the tracks turned the corner. Stopping at the door jam to wipe the spit and tears from his face, Crenshaw pulled himself through only to find the dead and bludgeoned body of his father, Frank McMurphy.

Shooting up from his pillow in a cold sweat, Crenshaw was greeted by his roommate, Harry, who was packing cigarettes at the foot of his bed. "Shit. You look like you just saw a ghost. Come on, get dressed. I told Rico I would be there by 3. You know how he is about time; the fucker is paranoid as all hell. Any glitch in his schedule and he goes into hiding." Crenshaw just stared at Harry, breathing heavily, relieved that it was only a nightmare. The scene that had shook Crenshaw from his slumber was an overwhelmingly bitter bite of reality only a few weeks back, when he went to visit his father, only to find him lying dead, propped against a washer in a dingy pool of blood.

Rubbing the morning crust from his eyes he made his way towards the bathroom to provide relief for his bladder while Harry rambled on from the doorway, puffing away on a menthol cigarette. "Crenshaw you really need to get you a woman. For fuck's sake that chick with the nice ass last night was really into you. Why did you just let her go home? I would've brought her back here and fucked the pubes off of her."

Flushing the toilet, Crenshaw turned around and responded, "For one, you were the one who rushed me out of the bar. Besides I like to get to know someone before I go throwing my dick around."

"You're gay, that's what it comes down to. Each night you dream of big fat cocks all over you. Fuck, I bet the nightmare that woke you up was of you surrounded by a bunch of nude firmed breasted women rubbing up and down your body."

Crenshaw stared blankly at the ground, "It was my dad again."

"Oh." Harry took a drag from his cigarette, "I'm sorry. Your dad wouldn't want you to go crazy over it. You remember what he used to say: 'Death is a part of life and like life it should be embraced'."

"But death by murder is different. My father was murdered. He never harmed anyone...Forget it lets just go. I feel sick." Crenshaw pushed past Harry, moving towards his closet where he threw on a green t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The two hurried out of their apartment after locking the two extra dead bolt locks that Crenshaw bought as the result of their apartment complex being robbed 5 times in the past month.

"I'm telling you there was no reason for you to get those locks. All of the break-ins took place on the opposite end of the complex where it is much more secluded. Our apartment is right near the security office," said Harry.

"Better safe than sorry, and what's it matter to you? You didn't pay for them. As we speak you are on your way to spend rent money on drugs."

"Oh don't get on your high horse Mr. Ounce of weed a month."

"Unlike you, my dear friend Harry, I work for my money."

"I also work for my money," said Harry as he stopped in his tracks due to Crenshaw's verbal attack.

"You stand outside of grocery stores with a fake UNICEF can. God knows what else you do."

"Hey those charities are scams to begin with. Besides I am usually on time with my share of the rent."

Crenshaw laughed, "Key word is 'usually'."

"Whatever. Rico is waiting; lets get there before he goes into lockdown," said Harry as he sped down the sidewalk.

Rico's house was only a block away and due to the crisp spring conditions Harry and Crenshaw decided it would be best to walk. Rico was the biggest drug dealer in New Jersey, anything you needed he had it and in bulk. Harry became good pals with him during a 4 month stint in Juvi many years back. Since then Rico had built himself quite an illegal empire. Drugs and guns were his main products, but he was an opportunist and was beginning to get into the car trade. Crenshaw and Harry arrived at the small suburban home located in an innocent suburban neighborhood. Kids were playing in the lawns that ran parallel with the sidewalk, dads were tending to the car and moms were reading family magazines as they kept one eye on the children. No one knew that just next door was a raving lunatic of a man, half mad that his time was almost up; that any day the law dogs were going to run down on him and drag him off to spend 50 years as a resident of the system.

Ah and that is the catch 22 of the street pharmacist, easy money, but money never brought anyone peace of mind, especially was the case with drug money. Harry knocked three times, two soft and one firm as a means to inform Rico that it was business and not trouble. The door opened, stopping as the chain lock pulled tight, "One sec," said Rico. He closed the door, leaving Crenshaw and Harry stranded on the porch.

"This guy makes me uncomfortable," said Crenshaw.

"Chill out man. You have to understand what he is into. It is just the nature of the beast, you know?" said Harry as he shuffled through his pockets. "Shit. I left my money back at the apartment, can you spot me?"

"Goddamnit Harry."

"Come on I'll pay you back when we get home," pleaded Harry.

Crenshaw sighed, looking up towards the porch overhang, "How much?"

"One hundred..."

"You're fucking ridiculous," said an angered Crenshaw.

"Thanks man you are the best. I swear I'll make it up to you."

The chain lock clanked against the door, and the solid oak door swung open, "Quick get inside," said a beady eyed Rico. The two shuffled inside as Rico quickly closed the door locking the vast array of locks. "See that van across the street? It is DEA."

"What? How are you sure? It says 'Terry's Pool Cleaning'," said a befuddled Harry.

"Trust me those people don't have a pool."

"Have you been in their backyard to verify this?"

"Trust me...I know these things; Google earth."

Harry looked at Crenshaw with a smirk as Rico peered out the porch window watching the van. "So do you got that booger sugar and the brain bombs?" said Harry as he rubbed his hands together in an eager fashion.

"Yeah man, how much you looking for?" Rico was now in business mode. His previous paranoid state switched to a suave and level headed condition as he threw a brick of coke onto the glass coffee table.

"Fucking Christ! I only need a gram, but can I hold it?" said Harry as he stared wide-eyed at the flat white rock resting on the table.

"This ain't a pet store. I have to weigh that fucker out, but if you get the bags ready I will let you be the first to test it."

Harry quickly began separating the glassine bags and piling them neatly next to the scale that was caked with felony charges. Crenshaw sat quietly, observing as Harry worked diligently.

"All right man, bust me out a few," said Harry as he finished the last bag.

Rico took the switchblade that was resting on the table and cracked off a corner of the coke rock, flicking it towards Harry who began crushing it up. "Look at you. Like a child getting that brand new toy at Christmas. Make sure you don't forget to breathe now," said a grinning Rico.

Cutting the pile of powder into lines Harry looked up, "Ah fuck man. You throw a fresh rock of that size on the table and then break me off a corner. How do you expect me not to get excited? Shit I'm just happy I know you haven't had a chance to cut it yet. You're sadistic enough to cut it will Ajax."

Rico began laughing, "Aspirin, but you were kind of close." Harry smiled and tilted his head down as he zigzagged through the lines using a dollar bill to quickly force the coke up into his nose. After he finished off 3 lines he shot up like he had just pulled his head out of a bucket ice water.

"Rico, Rico, Rico," he said shaking his head, "You silly son of a spic this is some quality stuff." Harry was never one for common courtesy nor did he realize that there were lethal weapons all within reach of Rico's hands, which were busy bagging out grams of cocaine.

"Hey! You call me a spic again and I will fit you with a Columbian necktie."

"Calm down man. Besides I called your dad a spic and you know I don't mean shit by it. Just excited that's all."

Rico calmed down, "You need to watch your tongue. It will get you in trouble and you might find yourself with your tongue hanging out of your neck." With that said Harry figured it would be a good time to head towards the bathroom to freshen up, leaving Crenshaw alone with someone he feared, but more importantly, loathed. This was always an uncomfortable situation for anyone yet Crenshaw didn't let the silence grow to the point where Rico might become paranoid again-an always dangerous situation especially when the paranoid person has a .45 resting only inches away.

"So," Crenshaw paused, "you got any grass?"

Rico wiped his hands as he looked up, "You don't know...," Crenshaw's stomach dropped as he thought he crossed the line, "...how relieved I am to hear you say that. All I do is smoke weed. That other shit just pays the bills you know?" Crenshaw was also relieved to hear Rico say that causing him to smile and settle back into the couch as Rico went to get his pot. He re-entered minutes later with 3 big bags and 1 smaller Ziploc bag of about 100 or so pink and blue pills that he dropped on the table in front of Crenshaw. "You said you wanted some X so your choices are either the Pink Panther or the Blue Ball. Now for weed I got some watermelon dro, some silver haze and some northern lights. What are you looking to smoke?"

Crenshaw remembered that Harry wanted e-pills so he didn't bother to correct Rico and simply said, "For those pills give me 2 Pink Panthers. And for the bud it doesn't matter to me."

Rico smiled as he threw 2 Pink Panthers into one of the stray glassine bags, "We'll go with the northern lights then. It will get you home if you know what I mean." The two puffed away not speaking much but at peace with one another. That peace was abruptly interrupted when a hard smack found its way across the back of Crenshaw's head as Harry emerged from the bathroom fifthteen minutes later.

"You ready to go Crenslaw?" said Harry as he rubbed his nostrils.

"Yeah," Crenshaw turned to Rico, "Thanks for the smoke. I'll see you around." The two then turned and moved towards the door not really knowing what to do next.

Crenshaw ambled along the gray sidewalk lost in peaceful reverie. His mind, like his body, was wandering with no real destination. Heading towards his apartment, unsure if that was where he wanted to be, his mind snapped to a memory of the previous night's activities. The red-haired girl he had spent the entire night talking with was suddenly a vivid image in his mind and he couldn't get her out. A mental destination had been reached in his careless and curious wandering; it was Wilma. There was something mysterious about her and it intrigued Crenshaw immensely. He had never spent an entire evening casually speaking with a stranger crossing his path for the first time. The entire conversation flowed, never once having to be forced forward. Even the subject matter was out of the ordinary for a first time verbal romp. And as Crenshaw pondered the strange beauty of the prior night he couldn't help but remember that he forgot to get her number. The moment of gleeful recollection turned horribly sour as he began to mutter quietly to himself, "I'm a fool. A goddamn fool; fuck me."

The reason for his clumsy mistake was due to a flustered Harry hurrying him out of the bar for reasons that were unknown at the initial interruption. It was more or less the look on Harry's face that caused Crenshaw to get up and go, never really getting a chance to wrap up his and Wilma's conversation. Wilma was confused as Crenshaw jumped up in an unexpected frenzy, extremely apologetic all the while thanking her for a fun night. The realization of this caused Crenshaw to snap out of his now melancholy trance, turning around to notice Harry was nowhere in sight. He should have known better as the walk was free of any coke inspired jabbering that would have surely prevented Crenshaw from being able to get so far into his own mind.

Trying to think of all the possible locations that Harry might have scurried off to Crenshaw remembered that Harry was under the impression that the e-pills were never acquired. Crenshaw realized that he had probably gone back to Rico's to get what he had left behind. Figuring that he had time considering Harry had no money, Crenshaw decided to walk back to his apartment to get his car since he had no desire to spend the nice spring day inside of his tiny, Closter phobic apartment.