Even in the seedier sides of cities across America, friendship exists. This week, we dive into a topic whose ramifications run rampant from shore to shore. Where do you land on when it is OK to lie? Is there a line in the sand for friendship over doing the right thing? Don’t miss our latest Smirk.
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Welcome to Smirk. A podcast that covers society and culture through a storytelling lens. Part creative writing, part discussion, and always interesting. Each week our hosts brings a story to the show, a story they wrote themselves, which is immediately followed by discussion on the author’s moral or theme.
These stories can cover any topic the host wants to discuss, it can be lighthearted or more serious. No one but the author knows if these tales are truth or fiction, and part of the fun is guessing while you’re listening before the reality is made clear.
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Want to read Zack’s story “You Can Never Know A Person” in full? Think you can identify the moral or theme for this episode? Read it below, and then take a listen to the podcast.
You Can Never Know A Person
I’ve been waiting for what feels like hours, but in reality, has only been maybe ten minutes. George always liked to play for theatrics, why should this week be any different. On the couch opposite me, as always, was his big buddy Carl. George and Carl, heh. Guess I never figured just how white those names were.
Every Wednesday, I’ve been through this same routine. For months now, going way back. Carl never spoke, maybe he couldn’t speak. Maybe he got too chatty once, and George saw to it that it never happened again. Could be a stretch, but George was known for going the extra mile.
He came to the table with what we all knew he had. White, powdery, crystalline. Some guys, they cut it. Baby powder, talcum, stuff like that. George, nah. George was a great many things, but I could always trust him to be straight up. Which is why this mind-numbing routine always felt too long.
“Go ahead.” George said laying the brick on the table. You could feel his grin in the words he spoke.
I pulled my knife, and sure enough it was good to go. Two licks and a line, I could already feel it. “It’s good,” I told him. Trying to hide my annoyance.
“I like you, you do good work. No complaints. My guy.” He said this every damn week. “Few more weeks, we’re gonna step you up. My boss, swell guy, my cousin actually, he’ll see you. We can be partners, bro.” Again, you could feel his glee. What the hell made dealers so happy? Redundant question, I suppose. My ears were piqued, though. More money, more power, more responsibility. This is the guy I wanted to see. I could only do this two-bit game for so long.
“Count me in.” I told him, careful not to reveal my excitement. Would hate to give George the indication that we’re friends.
“See you, buddy!” He exclaimed as I left. The money was already on the table, as always. A wave of the hand, and I was outside.
I got to my car, and whispered to myself, “Finally.” It would only take a couple more weeks, and I could finally meet George’s boss/cousin. Almost there. Soon we could begin taking down the Kingpin of Coke.
Now, listen to the full episode as we dissect Zack’s story.