Acorn

Acorn Step was not a smart dude. Choose whichever stupidity inducing nature/nurture event you like - inbreeding, abuse (both physical and narcotics), something in the water - and yeah, Acorn was a product of that. It was a miracle that he’d lived to see his twenty-eighth birthday, but dressing the boy up in a $180 funeral suit some three days after the above mentioned milestone, Acorn’s moms, Bunny Step, didn’t see it that way.

I know something fucked up happened to Acorn, BigJon, and you know something fucked up happened to ‘im cause it was your retarded deputy what did that shit. I’ll be going over to Judge Thames in SK. Don’t send nobody round my shit. My kid’s gots orders: Shoot first, no questions.

BigJon nodded, still trying to wrap his gigantic cranium around the words tumbling and frothing from the old Nigress’s mouth. He smiled, not entirely sure he should be doing so. He was still smiling, looking at the space in his open car window where Bunny had just been. This was definitely a problem, and he would have to talk to Beef, but right now he was so full of illegal narcotics that he was content to sit and smile a feeble smile at an empty window. Answers had been coming easy and by the dozen for the SK - Precinct Two-Chief, and he knew if he was patient, and if he listened, that he’d be told how to act in due course.

***

Acorn’s little brother Craig was in the back of the place smoking sour diesel and trying to forget everything that had happened to him in the past two days. Instead though, the tree was multiplying his questions and his confusion. He’d found a roach as big as an actual roach from Bunny and Frank last night (last fuckin’ night!) and he meant to smoke it and sleep until three days from now. Instead the potent Diesel had left him sitting here like a mannequin after only two hits, watching the joint burn away and remembering things:

Frank shows up after a weird phone call last week. Frank with a tale of big dollars for a dear family member who could help him out of a spot. Frank giving him a big sack of weed so good it would last even Craig - a dedicated everyday/many times a day tree-smoker - until next week same day.

Frank is bullshit

He thought.

Frank’s talkin’ shit like always.

But then Frank’s here. Showing up at the house two nights ago. He’s got the package. Frank’s got the package that he was bullshitting about last week. Same Money?

Same Fuckin’ Money…You still in?

Y’all ready know.

And he was still in. He bought two movies from the bootlegger and prepared to spend an evening watching a package. He got “Rocky IV” and “Godfather III”.

***

That’s illegal Craig.

BigJon gesturing a little toward the huge joint.

Oh no. Oh FUCK NO! BigJohn y’ain coming in here widdat bullshit. All you need from us you got last night‘s ago. Now Frank’s gonna kill me, prolly you too Sherriff. Bunny’s pissed at you, she say she gon to see SK.

Uh huh. OK. I just talked to her outside, seems it was just a misunderstanding. She told me everything about Frank as well Acorn, and good news! He can’t hurt you. As a matter of fact. All you have to do is let me know when he shows up. I’ll be here before you can say “dumb nigger.”

Fuckyou BigJon. My mama just told me what y’all talked about.

He held up his phone and after BigJon looked at it, he looked at it.

Yeah. Surprise. She gonna see SK. And they can take care of Frank when he gets in tonight, an everybody else. Steps ain’t in this anymore.

***

Beef sprung into action as soon as he got BigJon’s text. Well, not immediately. When he got the text he’d been smoking weed with a hooker named “Mascara”. Beef thought it only fair that he allow Mascara to finish her work before he got to his. When she was done though, as SOON as she got done, Beef was in hot pursuit. He picked up Bunny Step on Old Main Street. She was processed and in custody when the boss made the scene an hour later.