The Treaty

We agreed upon so many things, the bloys and me, you'd think we was friends, that the meetin' was just a formality - 'Formality, what's the - ' Formality, like goin' to church on Sunday with your family all gussied up. 'Oh, I get it, like tellin' the girl you're with you love her! Girls like that.' Hey! See me by 12: 30 pm at the same place. 'Righto. Be there - you too - by 12: 30 pm.' You see how easy it is for me and the boys to talk. It's 'hood talk, lots of code words, sometimes ya have to fake it. Yeah, fake till ya make it. Understand? Got it? 'Yeah, I got it: a poke means it's for real, a nod means ya gotta speed up, or we're burned. I got it. Just squeeze the trigger real gentle. Don't want to make a mess, huh. Ya see? I got it.' I'm getting tired of all this indirection. Why? 'It's called strategy, little brother, strategy, and that's what's special about the Bosses, they do strategy like we do a car theft, real smooth.' Can't we just blast 'em to hell? Why not the Big Blast? Clear the streets for a week, make our mark, impress the Bosses like there's no tomorrow. How 'bout it? 'Hmmm, are thinking for your self again? Not waiting for the Bosses again. Do ya want to do time in the Solitary again? It's June, they might give ya fruit.' Hey, wait just one - What about Lake St. and 46th Ave.? Whose is it? Your boys or mine? We both, you know, can't be there, but the lake is free - 'OK, OK. You know the drill. Same place, same time, same talk - ' - OK. See ya, man. - 'Yeah, man, see ya.'