The Cash, A Stash, and the Little Black Book Exchange

Born and bred in New York, from the Upper Eastside near Central Park, there was a sharp and witty youth named Kenny.

He was a typical teenager. He had a love for rap music, hip hop, and the arts. His parents, Karen and Conner, were from the hippie generation. They considered him weird. His sister, Katia, was at the tender age of thirteen. She thought Kenny was the greatest brother on earth.

It had been snowing for several days, and now the forecast called for rain tomorrow. Kenny went to bed very late, although he was scheduled to travel early the next day. Kenny’s mom woke him at 5 am. Kenny turned over and sighed.

“Mom, I am not leaving until 8 am.”

"Well, you have a lot of things to do, so get up now."

He pressed the snooze on his phone alarm and mumbled, “five more minutes, and then I will get up."

He managed to pull himself together. He went to the shower. He invited his friends, Trayvon and George, to come along as well.

George called him at 7:10 am.

“Yo, you up bro?"

“Yep," Kenny replied.

"We are on the train already, see you at 9:30."

"Ok, Yo! Yo!" There was no response; there must have been in a dead spot.

He heard his mom yelling, "Kenny, it’s getting late.”

"Yes, mom. I am done.”

He stuffed the rest of his unfolded clothes in a backpack.

Katia was downstairs eating and watching tv. She yelled, “Kenny, Are you leaving now?”

"Yeah."

"Well, I am going to miss you, Are you coming back on Friday?"

“No,” he replied. “I will be back next Friday. Two weeks kiddo, be safe, do your zoom classwork, and keep your two masks on when you go out.”

She gave him a pound. “You know, I promise you I will.”

Mom and dad said their goodbyes as well.

Kenny hurried on the way to the train. As he crossed Republican Lane, he looked down and saw a clear plastic bag, he saw some large cash bills; he looked around to see if anyone had dropped it.

No one was in sight. He pulled out a t-shirt, and with a sense of excitement and fear he scooped up the item. He was careful not to touch it, this was Covid 19 times. He sent a quick text out and continued to the train. He cautiously looked at the bag, making sure no one was following him.

He felt a sense of excitement and anxiety as he scurried along the way. He wanted to be safe, he tried to think good thoughts, but so much money made him act gibberish. He’d seen the first couple of bills were Ten Thousand Dollar blue seal bills. He recognized them because his grandfather was an avid money collector.

When he arrived at Penn Station, he ducked into the restroom, reversed his jacket, and changed his cap. He texted his friends and they went to the train together.

“Yo man, we have 25 minutes.”

“Well let’s get ready to get on the train.”

He reasoned within himself if he should tell the guys and decided against it. He reminded himself that sometimes, the fewer people who know a secret, the better it’d be for him.

He chuckled to himself and mumbled, “calm down mastermind.”

After arriving at Penn and looking around, he ducked into the restroom, reversed his jacket, and changed his cap. He texted his friends and then they met up.

They walked to the train waiting area.

George stated, “Yo man, we got 10 more minutes.”

“Well let’s get a drink and get ready to board the train,” Trayvon said.

On the train, they sat separated from each other, and since they were the only ones in the car, George practiced his belches and passing gas bombs off.

On the way to Long Island, George walked toward Trayvon.

“Tag, let one rip,” he laughed.

Trayvon managed to let it rip just as the conductor passed through the car. Her face blushed as red as a beet and she hurried along. The guys burst out laughing in unison.

The ride to Montauk took over 2 hours, but the guys had plenty of jokes to roast each other.

They arrived at the last stop around 1 pm. Kenny’s grandparent’s place was a 10-minute walk from the station. Kenny knocked on the door with a sense of excitement. Grandpa Lewis opened the door giving Kenny a stern look.

“Hello, Please use the hand sanitizer on the porch and leave your shoes at the door. Now form a line. You’ll have your temperature checked, a UV screening and then you’ll head straight to the restroom to wash your hands. Please remember to place your clothes in a bag; when you take them off head straight to the shower,” he stated.

“Yes Sir,” Grandma Lucy yelled out.

She saluted the guys offering a warm smile. Kenny and the guys burst into a hearty laugh.

“Yes, ma’am and sir,” they stated in unison.

“Dinner will be ready around 3 pm, however, there are some snacks set up for you,” Grandma said.

“Thanks, grandma,” Kenny and the guys replied.

They all showered, ate snacks, and relaxed. Around 2:45 pm, they headed upstairs to help set the table. The dinner conversation was lively and filled with laughter.

“So Kenny, what are you guys planning on doing later?” Grandpa asked.

“I think we’ll walk around the town. We have a biology project, so, we‘ll need to go to the beachfront each afternoon we’re here. We are studying tide changes at 6 pm for three days. We have to take photos and show how the tide looks and how the water responds to the weather changes at the time.”

“Wow, that sounds like fun,” Grandma stated.

“Grandpa, can we fire up the firepit a couple of nights?” Kenny asked.

“Yes, it is ready for you,” grandpa replied.

After dinner, the guys helped clean up. They went back to the man cave.

Later Kenny asked, “Yo, are you guys ready to head out? I want to get an early start so we can go to the candy shop. The line can get long.”

“Sure,” Trayvon replied.

The routine was the same every day. George said, “I can get used to this; we don’t have the freedom to walk around a quiet town or visit the beach every day.”

Trayon added, “Yes, There’s so much freedom here with no one to bother you.”

The boys were up bright and early the next day.

“Finally, our last day of observation,” Kenny stated.

“Grandpa, Do you and Grandma want to walk with us?”

“No, Kenny, I have an appraiser visiting soon,” he grinned at Kenny.

“Oh, ok,” Kenny said.

On the way to the beach, Trayvon stopped in the souvenir shop.

“I want to get my mom a gift,“ he said.

As usual, Kenny stopped in the candy store, the guys waited outside. As they were walking on the beachfront, they noticed a police car that was traveling back and forth on Money Talk Lane.

The guys kept doing the normal things on the shore, taking photos, running, joking, and laughing. Trayvon carried the backpack, however, this evening he wrote in his small black phone notebook.

All of a sudden they were surrounded by police cars.

Kenny sighed, “guys keep your hands high.”

George said, “I am afraid.”

“Trayvon, drop your phone,” George shouted.

Three officers approached them and demanded them to put and keep their hands up. Trayvon was perturbed because they were already in compliance. The officers, Owens who was black, and Rudi and Donaldson who were white, yelled and pushed them around.

George was in tears. He’d always been taught to follow the directives, but somehow, it only seemed to make the officers even angrier. Trayvon realized what was happening and told George to remain calm.

“Oh, you’re a smart azz,” Donaldson stated.

Trayvon’s skittles fell from his backpack as his bag fell open on the ground. Officer Donaldson slammed him on the ground while Officer Rudi grabbed his book bag.

“Well, Well, what do we have here.”

He showed the other officers, a plastic bag, filled with money and a little bag book.

“Hell no!” Trayvon shouted. “I have never seen that in my life! That is not mine.”

Two of the officers counted the money quickly.

“That's 20,000 dollars. Handcuff him,” Officer Rudi yelled.

Kenny thought up a plan. When Trayon was in the squad car he asked the officers if he could just say goodbye. Officer Owens obliged him.

Kenny hugged Trayvon and whispered, “Don't worry, plead the fifth. We have more than enough money to bail you out.”