Put on big hat and walk away.

'Do you think I could pay you next friday? Mike asked as Sam handed him the bag. 'Yeah, sure.' Sam replied. Wondering why Mike couldn't have informed him of this minor detail earlier. It's true, it was only fifty bucks, and obviously him being some kind of a big time drug dealer, this wouldn't be much of an issue. I mean it was only a week, and I'll get paid next Friday. In fact it was a blessing in disguise because now I have this great future money I can work with, I mean it's not like I need this money for anything, like food and gas and good the services that money can provide for. It's not like I have to compensate the individual who if funding this whole operation and needs to get his cut, or that anything matter but you getting what you want from me. Of course Mike hadn't mentioned this marginal detail earlier when he had called him a half hour before he was about to leave for work and told him he was looking for an 'eigth'. Which he had, of course, said out loud, without the use of any code words, or any secrecy as he usually did. A little while before he had called him at 7 in the morning as he was about to finish a shift on the overnight if he knew where he could get an 'ounce?'

For fucks sake, Sam had thought. You're Italian for fuck's sake. Don't you know about wiretaps? And being careful about what you say on the phone? Also you're calling me at seven in the morning asking if someone could get an ounce of weed? What the fuck. Sam had played it cool on the phone. Telling him he would talk about it the next time we saw him at work. But when that time came Sam had gone off, Why would you talk about that shit over the phone? Why were you calling me that early anyway? and Mike had backed off, saying he didn't know it was such a big deal, and that he was trying to help him out anyway. Then it had turned out that Mike's friend didn't even end up wanting the damn thing anyway rendering the whole conversation moot. All and all he was started to learn that dealing with not all that it was cracked up to be. First of all it always seemed like no one had money and everyone wanted something fronted, advanced. Then if you fronted it to them you ended up having to pay most of it back to the person who fronted it to you, things seemed skewed.

Mike had been acting strange after  Alex had been in the accident. He was in a state of limbo. It had been three weeks since the incident and F.R. Rogers had not sent anyone in to replace him. A power vacuum had emerged with the workers finally in control. And Mike had always been the scab, the informant, the first person to run to Alex if he thought anything was amiss. Anyone was going against the rules. Yet he was the first to request weekend days off every weekend, when he knew it was going to be busy, every week. Now his power had been swept from him and he seemed to be in a daze, another world. They had managed to govern themselves fairly well during this period, prep had gotten done, they had adhered their same schedules as before and things had run fine. Perhaps better than before when some macho jackass had been in control. Our commander should be chosen from among the ranks like in the Nights Watch, Sam thought, not by some unknown corporate overlord, after all we are the ones who are going to have to work with the person day to day. Still, there was no way they were going to let it continue this way.

Not that he hadn't ever thought about weed at seven in the morning but come on? Calling someone then, not thinking that maybe they might have other things to do like sleeping, or working? It was inconsiderate at best and addiction at worst. And Sam could see that Mike clearly was addicted to weed. He liked smoking weed as much as anyone else but he knew a fellow addict when he saw one. The nature of the addiction didn't matter, he could tell. The compulsiveness of the way someone did something, the urgency. He was addicted to alcohol and he knew that kind of world ending feeling one could have when it seemed like they wouldn't be able to get their drug. 'Do you want to pack a bowl?' Mike asked Sam. Sam looked up, abruptly realizing Mike was talking to him. Really? I just fronted you 50 dollars worth of weed and you also want me to smoke you up, fuck you. Sam nodded and got his pipe out of his backpack, he handed it to Mike. Mike took the pipe, 'I thought you had..' 'Nope.' Sam said completing his sentence. 'Ok I guess I can pack some.' You sure can, jackass, Sam thought. People are strange, Sam thought as Mike packed the bowl. Mike took a hit and passed it to him.  He took a hit, pondering the whole situation. Might as well take advantage of the situation for now he thought, this power vacuum won't last for much longer.  'So next Friday right? Sam asked finally. 'Yeah, next Friday.' Sam said as he passed the bowl over. 'You know, it doesn't matter to me but, we all get paid on the same day, wouldn't it make more sense just to get the bud when you have the cash and not have to keep paying me every other week?' Mike paused for a second, 'Yeah, maybe.' 'Just a thought.'  Mike got up, 'We better get back in.' 'Ill be in in a little bit.' Sam replied. Let him squirm out there for a while.