THE RUNNER SCREENPLAY, BRIAN R. LUNDIN [phonics reader .TXT] 📗

them warmly and Jimmy stood behind his boss. When Pops and Cinque arrived at Vito’s office they were met by Jimmy, who gave them a quick search and led them into Vito’s office. Vito was unusually cordial to the two young men and shook their hands warmly.


VITO
Good to see youse guys come in and have a seat.

Cinque merely nodded.

VITO
You guys put up a good fight, I respect.

POPS
We don’t have the connections we need in order to get the goods, that’s why we are here can we do business?

VITO
Of course, we’ll let bygones be bygones but our goods only come in keys

POPS
What is a key?

JIMMY
That’s what a kilogram of heroin is called, its approximately 2.2 pounds.

CINQUE
How does it work?


VITO
Our goods come from a variety of sources, the cheapest shit comes from Mexico, and the best shit comes from Europe.

POPS
What’s the difference?

JIMMY
Mexican Mud, as it is called, is sometimes mixed with all kind of shit and can be dangerous. I’ve known of some junkies who have died from being poison by their shit. Our European shit is much better, but it also cost more. The Europeans don’t mix it at all and it comes straight from their processing plants, fifty percent pure.

POPS
What do you mean fifty percent pure?

Vito maintained his patience, but was thinking to himself these are the dumbest Nigras in the world.

VITO
What that means is the goods are fifty percent pure heroin and that is quality shit. The average junkie can’t handle anything over five percent pure, anything over that would probably kill him, which further means you can step on it or cut it ten times, so one key now becomes ten keys.

CINQUE

What we cut it with?

JIMMY
Baking soda is the best thing to use, it cheap and you can buy it in any store, but I’ll turn you on to my mixer, he’s a pharmacist and he runs a drug store I own at 47th South St.Lawrence, he’ll take care of that for you.
POPS
How much is that goin’to cost us?

VITO
To show you that I’m not a bad guy the first shipment I will let you have on credit, once you turn it you can pay me. It’s on me, for the good fight you Nigras put up.

POPS
How much would a key cost us?

JIMMY
One big G note
POPS
A hundred thousand!
JIMMY
Yep. How much you want to start off with.
POPS
Two keys.
JIMMY
Ok, this is how it going to work, in two days I will have the goods delivered, you tell me when and where, but you got to provide protection for my guys. You pay them for one key and you have two weeks to pay me the balance, how does that sound?

CINQUE
That’s sound fair.

VITO
Ok, you contact my man here and give him the particulars.

POPS
Done.

Vito got up from behind his desk and put his arms around Pops shoulders.

VITO
I believe we are going to have a very profitable partnership.

POPS
I certainly hope so.

Pops was anxious to get away from Vito, the cigar smoke and his garlic smelling breath was making him feel sick.
After pops and Cinque left, Jimmy started making the Vodka Martinis.


JIMMY
(pouring his boss a drink)
Ain’t them the dumbest Nigras who ever seen?

VITO
Yep, but we going to make a lot of money off them Nigras a key only cost us fifty and it’s seventy-five percent pure, so we’re making a cool 50’g’s off the top, plus we got twenty percent goods.

Vito put down his cigar and ambled over to Jimmy and gave him a big hug and kissed him on both cheeks that was a hell of an idea you had, want some black pussy?

The State Street Boys had complete and total control over the heroin sales in “Bronzeville.” They had increased their purchases of heroin from Vito from two keys to twenty keys a month. Vito was sitting in his office when Jimmy came carrying a gift-wrapped box.
VITO
What the fuck is that?

Vito eyed the box suspiciously.

JIMMY
A messenger delivered it, ten minutes ago.

VITO
Think it’s a bomb?

Vito started backing away from Jimmy and the box.

JIMMY

Jimmy held the box to his ear.

I don’t hear any ticking. There’s a card.

Jimmy carefully removing the card from the wrapping. Feeling a little braver, Vito took the card and the box, he gently placed the box on his desk and opened the card, and it read “To a good businessman, Vinnie.” Vito carefully tore away the wrapping and looked at the gold box that read “Havana Premium Cigars.”

VITO
That grease ball mutherfucker this shit cost half a grand.

Vito smiled and took one of the red cigars casing out the box.


Six months after their deal with Vito pops called Jimmy for another sit-down


JIMMY
Them little Nigras want another sit-down boss.

VITO
What in the fuck they want?

JIMMY
Don’t know boss, don’t know.

Vito shot Jimmy a dirty look, but did not say anything. Jimmy lowered his head anyway.

VITO
Alright set it up for two this afternoon.

Jimmy left the office with his head still lowered. Pops and Cinque arrived at Vito’s office on time and Jimmy led them into Vito’s office. Vito sitting behind his desk greeted them warmly and Jimmy stood behind his boss.
VITO
Good to see youse guys come in and have a sit down.

Cinque merely nodded.
POPS
We want to renegotiate our deal.
VITO
Renegotiate, what you mean?
CINQUE
We want to deal directly with the drug people.
VITO
They won’t deal with you they only deal with people they know and trust.

JIMMY
And what would we get out of it?

POPS
We would be willing to pay you a monthly finder’s fee, as we make more money, so would you.

VITO
And if I refuse?

CINQUE
We’ll end our business relationship with you and find another supplier; you can’t be the only source in the country.

VITO
(standing up)
This is bullshit, what makes you think that you little Nigras can find another source?

Jimmy knew that Vito was getting angry and could create an unpleasant incident.

CINQUE
We ran you and your dealers out our neighborhood before and we will do it again, we can stop buying our drugs from you, are probably cheating and overcharging us on anyway, and believe me, we can stop you from selling drugs in our neighborhood.

Vito ambled around his desk slammed his hand on the desk and stood up and screamed while looking up at Cinque.

VITO
Fuck you niggers in the ass, who in the fuck you think you are, threatening me?

CINQUE
We’re your best customer, that’s who we are.

Jimmy knew that his boss was tethering on the edge and at any minute might do something stupid.

JIMMY
Hold it guys, hold it, why don’t we all just cool off and let boss man think about it.

For once Vito did not reproach Jimmy for repeating himself.

POPS
He’s got a week to think about it.
Pops and Cinque left.

VITO
You think those Nigras are bluffing?

JIMMY
Nope, to be Nigras, they’re pretty smart, they know that got our balls in the ringer and they’re squeezing them.

VITO
Why don’t we just hit them Nigras?

JIMMY
We tried that before boss, remember, and it didn’t work. That nigger newspaper and Vinnie was all over our ass.

VITO
Well what in the fuck you suggest we do nothing?

JIMMY
Well, one thing we definitely don’t do is connect them with our source, you know those fuckin’ foreigners and even the Sicilians will do business with anybody who got the cash. What I suggest we do is nothin’, sure we will lose money, but so will they, and they can’t sell what they don’t have. We’ll just wait and see who breaks first, what you think?

Vito calmed down and looked for a long time at his friend.

VITO
Goddamit, if you’re not the smartest little motherfucka I know, that’s good, that’s good.


VITO
Fuck, shit!

Jimmy jumped from the couch.

JIMMY
What’s the matter boss, what’s the matter?”

VITO
Now I’ve got another problem them little Nigras have found another source, we have made no inroads into that nigger game and Calfino is dead.

For years, Mexico was the main source country of heroin for the United State. The heroin, called Mexican Mud because of its dark, muddy color contained many dangerous impurities. The Mexican knowing they had a monopoly on the drugs in the United States charged high prices and were not really concerned, about the quality. When the drugs got to the major cities in the country; New York, Los Angles and Chicago it was only fifteen percent pure which meant that the dealer could on only step on it, or cut it, three times and had to be very careful what they cut it with. The drugs were already so polluted by the Mexicans that it was dangerous to cut it too many times. Junkies all over the country were getting violent ill or dying because of the polluted drugs. A cocaine cartel based in Cali, a farming town on Colombia’s west coast was the main cocaine supplier to the world and had started looking into the booming heroin trade in the United States. The Cali Cocaine Cartel had customers all over the world and had made a connection with the heroin cartels in Asia and the Middle East. The Cali Cartel was now the main competitor of the Mexicans. Pops was determined to severe his business relationship with Vito, he knew that he was being cheated and just generally did not like him, but Vito was the only game in town, but he knew there had to be another way, he thought about Jerome McLemore.

CINQUE
What you going to do about Vito?

POPS
Fuck that greasy haired wop!

CINQUE
What you going to do, we’re losing a lot of money with nothing on the streets?

POPS
I’m going to talk with Mr. McLemore; maybe he can give us some advice.


Pop, whose real name was Jerry Washington was the leader of the State Street Boys gang and Cinque, was the leader of the Simbas the enforcement arm of the gang.


Cinque, Jerome, Madame Bourneis and Marque met in the Robert Taylor Homes Field House.

INT. FIELD HOUSE GYM-AFTERNOON

POPS
I need a favor sir.
JEROME
What can I do for you, Pops?

POPS
I want to get out of my deal with Vito, he’s a cheat and he smells bad.

JEROME
What do you want me to do?

POPS
I hear there are some guys from Colombia that is getting into our type of business, I want an in with them, that way I can eliminate that asshole Vito, do you know anybody who can hook me up with them?

JEROME
No I don’t Pops, but I will certainly look into it for you.

POPS
Thank you, Mr. McLemore; I will