Werner Schwab By Aryan Kaganof
It’s Charlie Manson’s birthday. He offers Sammy The Shake a drink. Sammy asks for a double of whatever Charlie’s having.
“No. Make that two doubles.”
Charlie’s amused by Sammy’s lack of tact. After a while the alcohol has loosened them both up to the point where they could pass for mates. Charlie tells Sammy that he’s just broken up with Cortado. That she was wonderful in bed but he felt the need to roam. His eyes glaze up. Sammy suspects that Cortado did the breaking up. Charlie Manson admits to treating Cortado shamefully in order to find out how much she loved him. If she really loved him. Then the truth spills out.
“She dumped me.”
Just then Cortado bursts in to the Winston. She’s come for Charlie Manson’s birthday. She kisses him full on the lips. Her lips are juicy as are her ripe paps. She stares at Sammy The Shake frankly.
“What’s it like to be famous?”
These things happen instantly. Only idiots “chat up” women.
Sammy suggests to Charlie Manson that they all move on from the Winston to a fabulous night bar on the Zeedijk called the San Francisco, which is open for an extra hour. They dash through the tedious Amsterdam rain. Cortado covers her head with her leather jacket, her melons stick out at the moon. The moon is impressed, as is Sammy. Cortado confesses to him that acting is her passion.
Charlie Manson sits in between Cortado and Sammy The Shake. Sammy leans over Charlie and asks her to sit next to him, “The view’s better.” She does. Everything’s clear now. She wants to punish Charlie. He needs to be punished. Sammy’s a form of poison. What the hell, it’s better than nothing. Charlie Manson leans over Sammy to his ex, who has ostensibly come out to “support” him on his birthday, warns her about Sammy The Shake’s reputation…
(The complete version of this story has been anthologized in the collection called Year of the Thief. Please visit www.thievesjargon.com/press for more information.)
–Ed.
Leave a Reply