The Past

I haven't always been such a beneficent person. Before I retired, I lived a life in a tumult of anger. After bouncing around through society's institutions, I came to see the error of my ways. Now I am awoken and I can never go back to sleep.

But early on, I was in it for the quick buck. I ran with the wrong crowd. My ideals got all twisted up in a neighborhood more full of piss and vinegar than of knowledge. Boy, I thought I knew then.

I knew how to make money using my hands and an upside-down smile. Me and the local guys started a card game for degenerates to piss away their electric bill money on. I collected the vigorish debts.

Most of the time people paid right on the spot. Other times we'd track them down. Not like Unsolved Mysteries or anything like that. More like a knock on the door asking for the money. Nobody was out to get hurt. These guys had families and didn't want their bad habits to follow them home. Sometimes it was more than just a bad habit that could follow you home. Eventually you were the bad habit. You did the following. And you could follow someone further than home.

The stories were always the same. He'd been in debt for weeks. He meant to pay but he couldn't. He'd have it if you just gave him another day. A day turns into two days. Word gets around that you're a fool. And then one night you'd cave in his fucking skull with a claw hammer.