Grace In The Alley

Mr. Grace lifted his great tattooed arm, grabbed me by my extra starched, already blood-stained, three-hundred dollar shirt collar, and threw me against the alley wall, shouting, "You knew the rules and you broke them! You looked directly into my face and broke them!” I hit that wall, lined with putrid smelling garbage cans and the subsequent stone pavement with a crash and a thud.

“You are no longer welcome in this establishment! We invite a higher class of clientele to walk through those front doors. That is NOT you, and it will NEVER be you! Get out and STAY OUT!"

I couldn't argue! I certainly wanted to, but he spoke the truth. I am, and have always been a con and a traitor. A lascivious, lecherous, liar. Like a preacher with a greasy handshake and a shiny white smile! I had a taste for a scheme. I cheated! I stole! I would have taken much more if I had gotten the chance. I already spent my ill-gotten gain on certain items that make a man feel as though he isn't quite the lowlife he suspects he really is: new fancy clothes, a girl to walk around town with, a temporary residence in a swanky hotel. There was no chance of paying it back! I was a man, completely out of options. I had no job, no prospects, and I had already drained all of the suckers I knew of every last penny. I was down to my last dime.

Purposeless...worthless...hopeless.

I lay there, motionless.

I felt the sting of the hard pavement against my battered face, as I took a physical and emotional inventory. I hurt all over. I should have never tried to play my kind of game here! Not in this sort of place. The jig was up, and the cops would be here soon. I heard the alley door slam shut as Grace stormed back inside.

"I could NEVER make it in there! I just don't have what it takes!" I shouted with slurred speech at the empty bread sack lying by my head, "Those people can see right through my act!"

The siren's wail was now audible and getting louder, and I tried to get up to run away, but my legs wouldn't move. I wasn't even able to struggle to my feet.

In an instant, tires squealed around the corner as pristine and detailed cop cars filled the alley. All of the intensity of their brand of cold, swift justice was trained on this rumpled, bloodied drunkard in the alley ...all eyes were focused on me. Out of the front vehicle stepped a large uniformed figure who carried the serene aura of someone who was graciously permitting other citizens to occupy these streets - but only just.

“My name is Officer Law, Jackie! Looks like you’ll be taking a ride with us to the station!”

Had the prospect of being treated to a stay with some of the most notoriously brutal cops in a city known for its brutal treatment of scum like me not scared me so badly, I would have taken humorous note of the fate that brought together a man, his career, and his last name. Instead, I just groaned my compliance. He gestured with his hand for his men to remove me from my position of restful repose.

The alley door flew open with a hard CRACK, scattering a flurry of chipped red paint from the back of its ancient, wooden surface. Mr. Grace stormed out into the alley and boldly approached the officers. "How dare you come barreling into this alley, like you own the place!” He pointed a thick powerful finger into Officer Law’s proud chest. “I am running a legitimate business! What are you trying to do to me?!?”

There was some discussion, there was pointing, and there was recognition. My goose was cooked!

"...But, sir, someone called in a tip... a Mr. Kategoros. He said he was some sort of lawyer, saying something about a con man named, Jackie Royale, whose detailed description bears quite a resemblance to the upstanding citizen displayed before us. I figured the caller was your mouthpiece!”

I buried my head in my arms. I knew what was coming. I had always known what was coming. It was only a matter of time until I made a wrong step and was exposed for the pick-pocketing peddler that I was. I waited...and then I heard the sound...

...of laughter?

Not just laughter. This was snorting, unhinged, deafening, red-faced, side-splitting laughter. Something struck Mr. Grace funny and he could not contain himself!

Even the officers began to smile through their irritation, but held it close to the vest, their nervous eyes darting toward each other to gauge what their reaction should be, believing that possibly the joke was on them.

Finally after wiping the tears from his now bloodshot eyes, Mr. Grace said with a remaining chuckle, "My mouthpiece?? Mr K.?? MY mouthpiece??? I haven't had anything to do with that snake since I kicked him out of here ages ago!

“Well, the story is that this gentleman here stole 70K of house money! Is this bum the guy who ripped you off?" The officer pointed and squinted at me.

Grace stepped in front of the officer and met his accusing gaze with an other-worldly intensity of his own. Boldly, he rested his hand over the pointing finger and pressed the man's arm down to his side and there was a kind of strained silence that seemed to last for minutes as the officer lost his will to let things escalate into a brawl, or worse.

“I will tell you this, fellas.” He continued semi-seriously “This shadowy character, 'Jackie' you are talking about has been caught hanging around here before. I threw him out myself, and I can assure you that he bears no resemblance at all to the man you see here! This man's name is John! John Basileia!”

I had gone by Jackie for as long as anyone around here had known me! Even I had forgotten that I had been using a pseudonym! How would HE know?

Mr. Grace continued, “Let me explain something to you! While I have extended John a lot of credit in the past, as of today, that debt has been completely paid in full. In fact, he works for me now.” He motioned to the officer to come in close, cupped his hand by his mouth and in a mock whisper said “Truth be known, He's actually one of my best employees!"

Officer Harvey looked down at my broken body, as I lie in the undefinable sludge of spilled beer and chew spit. "H-he’s one of your b-best employees? Are you sure?"

"Am I sure? Are you kidding me? Of COURSE I am sure!" he stated authoritatively. "Why don't you go arrest someone who has actually done something wrong?!?"

Officer Law tucked his tail between his legs, begged pardon, and reluctantly, after one final dismissive signal to his seriously confused men, left the two of us alone in the alley as abruptly as they'd arrived.

I waited to find out my fate as the sound of their purring engines sped off into the bustling city. I lie there searching for words, I couldn't come up with a thing!

Breaking through the glazed crust that had formed over the moment of my exposed shame, and subsequent unexplained rescue, Grace spoke the first word.

"Well?" a heavy, almost comical sigh escaped through his knowing smile, "Let's move you inside so I can get you cleaned up!”

Through my swollen lips and labored breathing I said, "I thought you said I could never come back!"

"Not as one of those stuffed shirted patrons you couldn't...HA! You wouldn't last a DAY with that crowd, Trust me. I saved you some serious heartache! I will hand it to you though! You were determined to make it work! And you’d have died trying! But…I think you've had enough."

He came close to me, and knelt down to carefully prop my head up against his bent knee. He took a clean white handkerchief out of his pocket, and pressed it into wounded side of my sagging, disfigured face. My neck turned slightly to lock onto the eyes of this wounding and saving force of nature, and as I did, I saw that he was already looking deeply into my soul.

"John, you will never come through those front doors again! No, you'll be coming in through the old red door in the alley from now on.”

His resonant voice now reverberated warmly through my chest as his eyes welled up.

“John, you need to know… only my very own children are ever welcomed through that door."