Time for Frankie Coolin: A Novel by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0000000000000
Published: 2023-01-04T06:16:11+00:00

10

Hey, Frankie. Hey. I didn’t expect to see you out here.”

Pat Kennedy waved, his little pinkie ring glittering in the sunlight of early afternoon. It was three weeks later, a Saturday, and Coolin sat on a bleacher seat in the fourth row, on the Proviso West High School side of the field.

“I didn’t expect to see you,” Frankie said flatly, not turning in his seat. He stared hard at the players lining up on the twenty-two.

“I was going over by your house and my kid isn’t playing today so I thought I come by and see the Proviso game.” Pat Kennedy sat down heavily next to Frankie Coolin.

“Is that right? I never see you at Proviso games. I never see you at football games unless your kid is playing.”

“What are you talking about, Frankie? I love watching football. I gave up my Bears tickets a couple of years ago because I wasn’t going to freeze my balls off down at Soldiers’ Field just to watch them fumble it away year after year.”

“Sure.”

“I come by lots of times to watch the games. Proviso’s got a halfway team this year. Lots of shines, that’s what you got to have now if you want a good football team, I guess, you got to have shines.”

“How come I don’t see you around, Pat?”

Quiet.

The red-jerseyed quarterback faded, pumping his right arm, turning to the right, telegraphing the throw. A player in black threw his body over the guard and pushed the quarterback down.

Frankie Coolin said, “They stare right at the receiver. They ought to teach them.”

“You were looking for me?”

“I was looking for no one. I just didn’t see you around.”

“I been busy.”

“Is that right?”

“Busy time for me.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“How’s it going for you?”

“Never seen better days,” said Frankie Coolin.

“Yeah, it ain’t bad this year. Not if you hustle. Guys sit on their fat asses all year, now they’re hurting. You keep hustling, a little bit every day, and you end with something at the end of the year, you know what I mean? Take you. You hustle, Frankie, you always did and now I bet you got some money stashed away.”

Frankie Coolin felt cold; it was as though Pat Kennedy’s voice was winter, suddenly coming in the middle of an autumn afternoon football game.

“Nobody’s got money stashed away. If I had money, I wouldn’t have to hustle.”

“You’re shitting me, Frankie, you always were a guy with a shabby appearance but you got yours, I know you got yours.”

For the first time, Frankie Coolin turned to stare at the pasty face.

“What’s on your mind, Kennedy?”

“Nothing. I was just talking. I know that a guy hustles the way you hustle, you got to have yours. You got those buildings on the West Side, for instance.”

“What about the buildings?”

“Nothing. Nothing about them.” Kennedy twisted the pinkie ring and stared at other features of his hands. “I was just talking, don’t make a federal case out of this.”

Frankie Coolin stared at him.

“Speaking of that,” Pat Kennedy said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.