Part II
The man…read morestood at about only my height, but he carried a presence. He had, "aura" as the youngin's call it these days. He wore the finest tuxedo that I've ever seen. It was so clean that it burned my eyes to look at. He looked like a boss. His posture exuded confidence and power. He looked like a man who could have you killed with the snap of a finger, or the wink of an eye. His arms were extended in front of him, hands one on top of the other grasping onto a Crystal lion skull that sat on top of a black staff. You could barely make out the lions face through his thick knuckles that were dressed with the big diamond rings. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes piercing through the silence. He also wore a fitted fedora, and had the cleanest goatee I've ever seen. He was a boss.
Standing behind him was a unit of a man who stood at least 6-feet tall with broad shoulders and muscular legs that bulged through his black shorts that were cut off above the knees. He wore a long black coat like he was secret service, and a gangster hat. His face was chiseled like the David, and he also sported a clean goatee. This man was handsome. I mean, seriously good looking. As soon as I made eye contact with him, I felt the butterflies in my stomach start fluttering. Bistros walked over to the boss looking figure and his guard, and greeted them both. It appeared as Bistors knew them. He definitely knew the body guard because they exchanged a bro hug and cheek kiss like true gentleman, and I swear I saw the guard slide a piece of paper into Bistros right pocket. "It's good to see you, Bruiser," Bistros said under his breath. "Always a pleasure," the guard named Bruiser whispered back, before ending the embrace and walking the boss to the table.
As the boss approached the table, I had this urge to stand and greet him. Myself and the penguin looking man rose to our feet when Bruiser the guard pulled out a chair for the boss to sit in. The boss didn't say a word. Instead he stared at us intimidatingly and extended to us his right hand. The penguin and I knelt down before him and kissed the rings. The cowboy laughed and muttered something to himself. At seeing this, Bruiser moved behind Cowboy Soriano and whispered something into his ear. It clearly left the cowboy shook because he jumped to his feet and kissed the rings of the Boss before offering an apology.
Five of use were seated at the table, and Bistros stood behind the one vacant chair and his eyes darted from person to person nervously. The boss finally spoke. "Where's the sixth," he said in a strong New York accent while staring at Bistros.
"He should be arriving shortly," said the skittish waiter. "He just flew in today from Las Vegas."
"Vegas?" I thought to myself. Who could possibly be joining us all the way from Vegas, and why?
It didn't take long for me to get my answer. The door flew open once more and another man entered the restaurant. He was a lively gentleman who wore an oversized New York Rangers jersey to go along with navy dress pants, blew high tipped dress shoes, and a sun visor that read "Big Winner" on the brim. He was holding a golden guitar from guitar hero and wore tons of high roller bling around his neck. "Wassup you clowns," he said jokingly when he reached the table. This was a man that I could appreciate. Someone who didn't take themselves too seriously and was around for a good time. I could tell he was a good soul.
"Welcome," Bistros said to the man. "You must be Vegas Strickland."
"One and the same, but please call me 'Always Winning'," said the man. "Winner of five streak Big Pot Jackpot tournaments." He sat down and asked for a large glass of lemonade with a fork inside the filled glass. It was an odd request, but hey, to each their own.
The table was now full, but no one knew why we were there, who invited us, and what the reason was for this meeting.
"So, I'm guessing you all got the same invite that I did?" I asked. "I guess so," responded Soriano. "That appears to be the case," said Monsieur Huile. "Mine was delivered to me at the card table," explained Vegas. "We found ours on our car windshield two days ago," mentioned Bruiser. "I'd love to know who is wasting my time," the Boss added, looking impatiently at Bistros, who was standing in a puddle of his own sweat.
"This is very peculiar," I said. "What may we all have in common?"
"Gentlemen," Bistros said through quivering lips. "I...I..."
Suddenly, Bistros whipped out two from his pockets, aimed them, and...
