Chapter Forty: Shady, Shady, Shady:

We went to a downtown deli. Looks normal so far. In fact, I’ve passed by this place before when I was a kid. Moe’s hadn’t changed at all.

“Whoa, this takes me back,” I said. “They are still in business?”

“Yeah,” Spoony said, nodding and shrugging. “You see them open, right?”

“Ha-ha,” I said in a flat tone. He walked up to the door and pushed it open. I followed behind. There weren’t many people around. I guess it’s still morning. I walked up to the front counter.

“Sal? Mr. Sal, are you still here?” I asked. An old man stood up from a wooden chair near the desk.

“Nate?” he asked. “Nate, is that you?” I ran up to the counter. His face looked like it was glowing.

“How have you been? I haven’t seen you in so long!” Mr. Sal said.

“Not so good,” I said. The glow died away from his face.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, I’m fine,” I said.

“You sure?” Mr. Sal asked. “On the house.”

“Really?” Spoony asked. Mr. Sal glared at him.

“Not for you!” he snapped. “You still haven’t paid your tab!” Spoony pouted at him.

“Oh come on, old man!” he shouted. “Can’t you let it go? How many years ago was that? Like twenty?”

“No,” Mr. Sal said, crossing his arms.

“I’ll get you your money back,” Spoony said. The old man with the bushy mustache rolled his eyes.

“Where have I heard that one before?” he asked.

“I mean it this time, I swear!” my friend shouted. I put my hand on his shoulder and pulled him back.

“I’ll just have some pop,” I said.

“Which one?” Mr. Sal asked.

“Mountain Dew?” I asked.

“Coming up,” he said. He turned and picked up a cup.

“Come on, let’s get a seat,” I said. I walked a pouting Spoony to a table.

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“So who are we meeting again?” I asked. Spoony perked up.

“His name is Bob Moon,” he said. “He’s an investor. I spoke with him over the phone.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Relax, relax,” he said with his hands up. “It’s all legitimate. I swear.” I wanted to believe him. I didn’t have anything else at this point.

“Where did you find him?” I asked.

“Craigslist,” Spoony said.

“You what?” I asked.

“It’s all legitimate,” he said again. I wished that he would stop saying that. He’s not helping his case at all.

“Here is your Mountain Dew,” Mr. Sal said. I stood up and walked over to the counter.

“Thanks,” I said. “How much do I owe you?”

“On the house,” he said.

“You sure?” I asked.

“Go ahead,” Mr. Sal said. I shrugged and walked back with my drink to the table. Spoony looked up at me.

“You should’ve asked for more,” he whispered. I waved him off.

“I don’t want to take advantage,” I said. “Besides, I’m not really hungry.” I took a sip on the straw.

“Okay then,” Spoony said. I ignored his tone.

“So when is this guy going to get here?” I asked.

“Soon,” he said. “I could text him and tell him we’re Sal’s Deli.” He pulled out his phone and started typing. I turned and looked over at Mr. Sal. He shook his head, shrugging with a stern look on his face. I sat back in my chair. I had a bad feeling about this. I looked back at the door. Was it too late to get up and walk out of here?

“He responded back,” Spoony said. I turned my head. He held up his phone to me. I leaned in and read the text.

“He’s coming in ten minutes?” I asked. I looked over at my friend. Spoony was grinning at me. There goes my chance to escape. Looks like I am going to have to go through with it. I looked over at Mr. Sal. He stared at us with his eyebrow raised. I drank down my soda.

“Can I have another Mountain Dew?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said. I got up and threw my cup out in the trash as he filled me another cup. The first chance I get, I am trying to get out of here. As I walked by, I tried to look all the way down behind Mr. Sal. He could help me escape. I just need to get his attention and try to get away. He would understand, right? This was Mr. Sal after all. He’s always been there for all of us. (Well, not really for Spoony. He abused the freebie train a long time ago. I don’t have any sympathy on that one. That was his own fault.) I just needed the right time to do it.

I looked up when I heard the bell ringing above the door.

An old man in a thick black coat stood in the doorway. What the hell was he doing wearing a coat in the middle of summer? Already, red flags went off in my head. This is shady as fuck. And here we go…