Linguini's Car Repair, Part 2

Two pairs of widely-opened eyes took in the scene in front of them.  There were the two cars, of course.  One was a sleek, black Cadillac.  The other was an average-looking, dark-colored car.  Standing around the cars were three men.  One of the men looked to be several inches shorter then the other two.  He was bald and wore a ring on his pinkie finger.

“Momma, is that a diamond ring on that guy’s hand?”

“I guess so.  It keeps reflecting a light from somewhere.”

The man was smoking something.  It was too dark to tell what it was, though.  The second man was average height with a head full of dark, slicked-back hair.  When he turned his head, Carrie shuddered.  His sinister eyes were as black as coal.  For a split second, Carrie could have sworn that he was looking straight at her.  She turned her head away.  When she looked back toward to group, the man had turned his head.  He was towering over the third man.  As much as a man could tower over someone a half of a foot taller than he.  Carrie giggled at the sight.  The third man was obviously taller than the others, even while straining under the weight of the box.  He was not nearly as nicely dressed as the other two men who were wearing expensive-looking suits.  The third man was wearing dark jeans and a tight black shirt.  His muscles bulged under the sleeves of his shirt.  It seemed obvious that the shiny, black car belonged to the short man and the less impressive car was the third man’s car.  It turned out that the box was being taken from the Cadillac to the other car.

“It’s a box of drugs, I just know it is.”  Carrie’s mom didn’t stop looking out the window.

“Which is why it says ‘Linguini’s Car Repair’ on the side, right?”

“Oh, shush, I bet it’s just a cover-up.  That way no one thinks that it’s drugs.”

“Oh, brother.  I’m going to say hello to them and ask what’s in the box.”  Carrie straightened up and turned to the door.

“No!  Even if they weren’t the mafia, which, I must admit, they probably aren’t, I would never let you go out by yourself to meet three men who are strangers.”

“Well, then you can come with me.”  Carrie turned on the light.

“Oh, I don’t think so, young lady.  I wouldn’t provide protection in the least from just that guy in the jeans alone.  Now if it were just the little short guy alone, that wouldn’t be much of a problem unless he had a gun.  Anyway, there is no way I’m going out there.”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.  Carrie headed to the stairs.

“You’re not opening that door without me there, Carrie.”

“But you just said that you wouldn’t be any protection.  What difference would it make if you were there?”  Carrie continued down the hall.

The knock sounded once again.  Carrie’s mom ran to catch up.  The two arrived at the door at the same time.  Carrie reached for the doorknob and turned it.  The door swung open.  There stood the man in the jeans.  Carrie and her mom froze.

~Caroline