Miss Opportunity - Ch. 6.4

Millsap and Mike-Mike headed back to Enfield without their intended package. They had to cancel today’s purchase on account of all the publicity they’d gotten at the track. Before the old generals retired they’d laid on a bit of sage advice to the new generals.

1. All strangers are the police.

2. All phones are bugged.

3. Never write anything down that can be used against you later.

4. If you get caught, you don’t know anything and can’t recognize anybody.

5. Stay off all public audio and visual recordings. Private audio/visuals should be regular family stuff with nothing criminal included.

Due to the incident at the track, Millsap and Mike-Mike were unable to adhere to the last piece of advice. They had been filmed thoroughly today. This meant their whereabouts could likely be traced to a drug buy in the future. They couldn’t have that. Especially not with all the busts that had been going on lately in the two-state area. Thus a new appointment would have to be made.

We need to set up another gig ASAP, Millsap mused, thinking about all the customers they had. About all the money they stood to lose if they lost those customers due to delays. And one thing Millsap didn’t play with was his money supply.

But like the wise general he’d replaced, he knew that timing was everything. Patience, man. Patience, Millsap told himself.

* * *

Later that night, Millsap thought about something he hadn’t thought about in a long time – college. He’d already completed two years of his Bachelor’s degree before he fully immersed himself in the drug game, rising from part-time street dealer to full-time drug lord. Now he was thinking about finally completing that degree.

For years, Millsap rebelled against finishing his college education because his mother convinced him that too much formal education could weaken a man. Bonita ‘Bonnie’ Monroe used his father as a prime example since Millsap Sr. was a PhD nerd with no backbone whatsoever.

But after being around Royal, Millsap saw that he could expand his education and still be strong. Not to forget the example of Bonz, who still had his street cred even though he was now a licensed pharmacist.

If they can get all that education and not get soft, then I can, too, Millsap decided, ready to call a few admissions offices first thing tomorrow morning. He might even go back to the college his father worked for since children of employees were eligible for free tuition. Anything to keep more money in Millsap’s pocket.

Incidentally, Bonnie said the same thing about religion’s ability to weaken a man. Though Millsap could also see that religion hadn’t weakened Bonz, Racker, or Royal, he would not dabble in that yet. Especially since it stood to interfere with his accumulation of fast wealth among other things.

Interestingly enough, when Delia and Royal mentioned putting Millsap and his crew on their prayer list before saying goodbye today, he hadn’t refused. Nor would he ever. Millsap might be a sinner, but he wasn’t stupid.

© 2008 by Suprina Frazier