old school gangstahs

more than a few have run across my path over the years. it's a small town, and i've worked in flashy places for a long time. but my family of law-abiding italians (we are NOT sicilians, ok?) and irish cops taught me to keep my distance and my mouth shut. oh, and for god's sake don't ever ask the guy what he *does* for work.

very funny serendipity now brings me into non-work contact with a guy i've known for years. he spent some time *away*, but got released last fall and it turns out lives in my neighborhood with his wife. (his mistress with kids lives elsewhere, i guess and one long-term girlfriend just moved... don't ask me how i know!) mostly i see him at the gym, and i always know he's there because his bodyguard waits outside the fitness room reading the herald and eating chips, lol.

in 15 years of nightlife, i've only seen him behave as a complete gentleman. soft-spoken, polite, funny, and of course, a huge tipper. he's well-known and has been invited to numerous celebrity-chef weddings. he was always a handsome silver fox type, tall and lean, but prison aged him badly.

we greeted each other today, but he was already huffing and puffing under his earphones and i quickly got down to my own circle of sweat.

unbeknownst to me, kids can use the adult facilities for an hour after school. i appreciate the practicality of giving them someplace healthy and supervised to go. but even just 3 or 4 teenage boys seems like a rowdy gang, and the place is very small with floor space at a premium. they were really loud and swinging off the equipment, making me jumpy. lots of "dayum, niggah!!" and f-bombs flying about. i did my best to ignore 'em and focused on my virtual reality campus loop.

out of the corner of my eye i saw my gangster finish his treadmill, ditch his i-pod and start walking over. he placed himself, blocking the aisle, and at well over 6-feet, loomed over the boyzzzzzzzzzz. "boys. this is not the playground, and there are ladies present. stop acting like animals and watch your mouths." every one of them looked to the floor and said, "yes, sir." it was hilarious and like something out of a terrible tv movie.

he smiled at me discreetly and walked out. one of the boys said, "lady, i'm sorry," but took off before i could say anything. i was hysterical laughing in my head. my gangster would never say "fuck" in front of a woman, probably even while fucking one (or two), but would kneecap a guy for vig. these kids hear "fuck" and "niggah" in all their music and videos and those words mean nothing to them. are they truly oblivious to the power of language to offend?

sometimes i like it old-school.