Tales of the Toke

Tales

of

The Toke

Volume 1

Chapter 1:

“RockTown”

This story starts with a man named Milky and his friend, who goes by the name Mavrik. Milky is a big man that resembles Jack Nicholson from certain angles when you look at his face. His tattoos establish his Irish Pride without a doubt. He is a cool guy with high rising red cheeks, pale skin tone with black thick-rimmed glasses, and most of the hair on his head has turned grey at this point in his life. He usually sports a goatee but never could grow a full beard. Milky is from Chicago as that is the hometown he has always claimed, and he is damn proud of it. Mavrik is from RockTown, where all the RockTown boys are loyal to their soil, even in death.

Milky is a loyal person; everything he does at this stage of his life is influenced by what he did as a youth (run the streets), growing up in Chicago. All in all, Milky is a cool motherfucker that is down to ride, down to smoke, and down to do whatever to pay the house note. He has friends all over the country that he sees now and again. One of these particular friends is Mavrik, who is loyal to Milky. Together they’re a lean, mean, rhyming machine. They both make music and come from different eras of hip-hop or rap music.

Another thing they do exceptionally well together is vast smoke amounts of weed. They can smoke blunts all day and never take a break. Of course, they are not the only people that smoke marijuana like that. Both men have friends that are on the same level of marijuana usage. Different social groups have other smoking habits. RockTown people choose to ride and smoke while listening to the newest music at the loudest volume possible on a custom deck hooked up to some subwoofers. Late at night, the deep conversations take place, and there's a lot of knowledge to be gained from these conversations. Smoke and ride, that’s the motto, but sometimes that way of life can lead to different situations or scenarios, whether good or bad. If you ask Milky’s wife, she will tell you all about their “adventures in RockTown,” she will tell you that they take too long, even though they start these adventures with intentions of being as quick as possible, but sometimes unexpected things pop up. A simple something like going to get some herbs can go from a small smoke session to a party quickly because surprising things happen in RockTown.

On a beautiful evening in May, Mavrik and Milky were desperate for their beloved Maryjane, a blunt, to be specific. Both men were pacing the floor, thinking, scheming, and searching for a way to make enough money to get what they seek so severely. They had gone all day without it, and even after they get the money, they will still have to deal with the process of acquiring the plant, and it will have to be some good stuff. It shouldn’t be a problem because Mavrik has friends, lots of friends, and connections.

After a couple of hours had passed, the two blunt smokers (those that choose to smoke blunts over anything else) had given up. They had almost given up hope. Mavrik’s determination is militant by nature, so one can assume he was still trying to think of a way to get the money. It was either pure luck or a simple coincidence when one of the people who had owed Mavrik fifty dollars had just texted back. He had not read the text yet, but every possible response in that text cycled through his brain. Michelle had borrowed fifty dollars from Mavrik, and she was good for it. He had to read this text and answer it back fast because it was the only response he had gotten. So he opened it, and to his surprise, it contained a positive message that instantly fixed their current issue. The text message said that they could meet up when Michelle goes on break in thirty minutes to collect the money, which was more than enough to get what Milky and Mavrik needed so badly. Mavrik jumped from his seat and ran to yell at Milky that it was time “to ride” “I got the dough!” said Mavrik. They didn’t even bother to secure a connection to get the herb before they had hopped inside and started the car. Mavrik knew precisely where to go to get some good weed.

The drive from where the two blunt smokers live (the country) was 15-20 minutes from RockTown. RockTown is what the country folk call the city. The drive was mostly silent because they were both itching to get to their medicine. Mavrik turned on the radio to a local college station that played classical music. Mavrik insists on playing this type of music. He feels that it is peaceful, and it opens up doors in his mind. Just like the music, the herb would open doors in both men’s minds. They are dependent on the herb to open those doors every day because it’s what they have become accustomed to in their daily lives.

Mavrik used to drink. Alcohol ran his life, among other drugs and vices, for a long time. He quit cold turkey, but it took a doctor and some severe health issues to do some damage to his health before he would start to make some changes in his life. Milky spent some of his younger years drinking but never enjoyed it much. Both men just want their weed, and that is all. It does everything they need it to do, besides the expense of the habit, but they had managed to support the habit for over half of their life. They always paid their bills, so it's all good in their eyes. They listened to classical music with various instruments played to uncanny perfection. The sheer thought of this level of discipline blew Mavrik’s mind every time he heard the local classical radio station.

Their first destination was a house in RockTown because another text came from Michelle, saying that she had gotten off early by chance and awaited their arrival at her home. Mavrik knew where she lived because he had gone over there on many occasions, sometimes late at night for reasons one can only imagine. When they pulled up to her house, Michelle sat outside on the front steps; she immediately walked up to the car and tossed the money in the car through the window. Mavrik said thank you and said he would call her soon. Milky handed Mavrik the money, and the two drove away, going on with their business.

Mavrik and Milky were on their way to Mavrik’s favorite gas station in RockTown, on 7th Avenue. At this particular gas station, Mavrik knew the owners and a large portion of the recurring customers. This gas station had a large, loyal, and committed list of clientele, and the Swisher Sweets are always fresh. If they were stale, they were placed into a basket and sold at a discounted price. Swisher Sweets are precisely what the two blunt smokers were going to get. As they pulled up to the gas station, Mavrik sent a text to a buddy who we will call “E” for this story. The text message indicated that Mavrik needed some weed and let E know he was in the neighborhood. Mavrik got out of the car and walked into the gas station. Mavrik waited in line patiently for his turn. When he got to the front, he flashed a peace sign with his fingers, indicating that he needed two packs of Swisher Sweets. Mavrik got what he wanted, greeted the cashier, and walked out of the gas station. Mavrik left his phone in the car. When he got back into the car, there was another text from E. It was an invite for the two blunt smokers to come over to E’s house for a small party. Mavrik drove toward E’s home, which was not too far down the road. As the two men rode down the street, they noticed the RIPD sitting in the grocery store parking lot, watching the traffic like a hawk. Mavrik told Milky not to worry because the cops were always in that parking lot watching, and as long as they obeyed the speed limit, they’d be fine. They passed by the cop without a problem, then Mavrik took a right turn, driving up to the top of the hill, and made another right turn from there. Mavrik parked the car on the side of the road, hugging the curb tight, then Mavrik sent a text to E, letting him know that they had arrived. The second that Mavrik and Milky got out of the car, they could hear a loud group of voices not far down the street. Mavrik said, “that must be them; they like to party.” They walked down the street and made a left into a driveway that leads up to a second-story deck that overlooked the west and north side of RockTown. This scenario was familiar to Mavrik. The blunts and alcohol, the grill, and music playing in the background. Same old stuff for Mavrik, but Milky, this was what he needed to unwind his mind. Mavrik introduced Milky to the group as the man from Chicago. Mavrik also let the group know that this was Milky’s first time seeing this side of RockTown because Milky is an outsider (Milky being an outsider was not a problem but something that just needed to be known). Milky possesses a specific type of social skills that he picked up from growing up in the streets of Chicago, so his adjustment to the situation would be no problem.

On top of the blunts that were already burning in rotation, there was also a medium-sized bag of weed on the table that served as everyone's resting place for their personal items. The bag of weed sat between the bottle of rum and the seasoning for the food on the grill. Mavrik walked over to E, and they started a hushed conversation because there was an uncomfortable amount of ears and eyes that could be eavesdropping. E is a dark-haired young man with a large potbelly. E is the definition of a hustler, and he loves smoking weed. Mavrik and E go way back, back to high school days. There were also other friends of Mavrik’s in the group of people. There was Donee, Andi, E’s girlfriend, Pops, and Cris.

Everyone dressed in a similar nature, and to a specific fashion style. Jeans that sag below the waist, Jordan or Nike shoes on their feet, a t-shirt with matching hat, and blunts in their ear, waiting to be smoked. E’s girlfriend did not dress like a guy, but the style she embraces is similar to that of the guys. The music being played as loud as possible from a small wireless Bluetooth speaker. A group-wide note was made about how loud the little speaker was; it was impressive. Donee played some of his own music for Mavrik to analyze, while the group discussed music politics, such as rappers’ authenticity and who’s making the most money. Milky had begun a random conversation with each person in the group individually. Mavrik kept an eye on Milky and would continue to do so all night long. Mavrik was uneasy. He felt awkward, even though everyone seemed to be getting along just fine. Everyone getting along wasn’t something that Mavrik is familiar with. He considers this kind of peace a privilege, or a gift even. Mavrik had high hopes of everyone getting along before he got there because he was more than tired of the fighting. He was also anxious to see how the rest of the night played out as he took long drags from the blunt he smoked. Mavrik’s mind raced from the alcohol, but he planned to limit himself on how much alcohol he would be consuming tonight. Smoking was all he needed to be doing.

When the bottle of rum had run dry and the Swisher Sweets were gone, E said that it was time for a run to the liquor store on top of the hill. E asked the group who had some money to throw down for more liquor and Swisher Sweets, as he threw some money down on the table himself. The money piled up slow, as E picked it up to organize and count it to see how much there was. E asked Mavrik if he would drive to the store since he seemed to be the soberest person in the group. Mavrik said he would drive and said to E, “let’s ride.” Milky stated that he would be staying here during this run because he was having a good time and was not ready for it to stop. Mavrik felt he should not leave Milky here alone but decided that he was a big boy and could handle himself. With that, E and Mavrik walked to Mavrik’s car. Mavrik’s car was a 2004 silver Saturn sedan that he consistently made payments on for the first time in his life. Mavrik was intoxicated at that moment, but he feels that this is how he operates twenty-four hours a day, intoxicated. E asked Mavrik if he was okay to drive. He shrugged it off, letting E know he was fine. Mavrik’s driving was slow and precise on the way to the liquor store on top of the hill. During the drive, he thought to himself about how much he loves his home and that he does not ever want to be far away from home. Right then, he decided to clear his mind and stop thinking about this sore subject, as they were pulling into the parking lot of the liquor store on top of the hill. E got out of the car and went inside the store to handle his business. Mavrik sat in silence, trying hard to think of nothing, as he waited for E. His patience could be non-existent at times. Trying to clear his mind helped with his patience. As long as he was able to keep his thoughts in check, he would be fine. E came out of the store with two bottles of rum. One bottle was 750 ml, and the other was a half-gallon or handle (drinker term). Mavrik made a mental note of how much alcohol was in E’s hands as they drove back to E’s, leaving the liquor store in the rearview mirror. Mavrik likes to drink, but only in moderation and with discipline, even though he has been drinking for years, and that’s all he did growing up in RockTown. E was in his zone, drinking straight from the bottle in the car. The drive is short, so it did not take long for them to get back to E’s house. Mavrik pulled up, hugging the curb as tight as possible. As Mavrik and E started walking up to the house, they could hear loud voices coming from E’s house, and they couldn’t determine whether there were good or bad vibes in the air. They both asked each other the same question at the same time, “what the hell’s going on down there?” They both ran to and up the stairs, and when they made it to the top, their worries were laid to rest. Milky had started a cipher and started singing at the top of his lungs, and everyone in the group stood around him in awe. When the group saw that Mavrik and E had returned, they told Mavrik and E that Milky could sing and freestyle. Mavrik was just happy that everyone had gotten along. Mavrik already knew that Milky could sing, so that wasn’t anything new. The morale of this party was definitely on the rise, and the group had a song to show Mavrik and E that talked about getting wasted on Xanax. Everyone had gotten along, and that is all that matters to Mavrik because, in the back of his mind, he knows that this time of peace can be destroyed in an instant. The night wore on, E looked over at Mavrik and noticed that he was in his head, so he threw a pack of Swisher Sweets at Mavrik and told him to roll some blunts. E also offered Mavrik the bottle, but he declined because he felt he had drunk enough alcohol for now, and all he needed was the weed. While Mavrik rolled the blunt to perfection, the rest of the group enjoyed music and Milky’s company. A few other people stopped over, but they left 10-20 minutes after their arrival. Most of the extra people that showed up were there just to attempt to catch a free buzz from this little party, and because they too are from RockTown, so everyone knows each other to certain extents besides Milky, who knew no one. Milky is the outsider of the group, and there was no way around that, although he did a damn good job of fitting in with the ways of RockTown. During this party, a blunt had never left Milky’s hand for more than three minutes. This is the way Milky and Mavrik live, and it is also the way of the RockTown boys. So Milky does have a connection to the RockTown boys. Keep them blunts burning is the motto. It’s a never-ending circle that everyone comes together to sustain to keep it going. Blunts are a habit and a tradition for the social group of potheads from RockTown, long before Mavrik’s generations time.

As the night went on, the group had grown closer because of how much fun they all had. Everyone was toasty if not fully intoxicated. The bag of weed that Milky and Mavrik had initially come for had run low, and the alcohol was gone entirely. Mavrik decided that he was ready to go home because even though RockTown is home, he had to keep his distance from these streets. These streets lead Mavrik to trouble, so relocating his life was the only thing he could do to distance himself from trouble. So far, it has been working for him, but he still had to deal with people questioning his loyalty to RockTown. Mavrik looked at each person in the group individually, and then he walked over to Milky to let him know that they were going to be leaving soon.

Milky started saying his goodbyes to everyone. Milky was in the middle of an intense conversation with Andi, which had to be finished before they could leave. When the conversation was over, Mavrik and Milky started walking to the car. When they both were sitting in the car, there was a moment of silence as Milky stared back at E’s house, with a satisfied look on his face. Milky opened his mouth and told Mavrik that he had a great time. It had been a long time since he had fun like that. Milky was happy, and Mavrik could tell. He could also see inside of Milky’s eyes, they told the story of a lost man that felt like he was at home for the first time in a long time. It was at this moment that Mavrik decided to show Milky the other side of RockTown, the side where a man could smoke weed all day in his car and be in peace. Mavrik did not tell Milky of his plan as he started his car and drove in the direction of the destination he had in mind.

Milky was ecstatic from the fun he just had, and his perception of RockTown had changed. He never had the pleasure of meeting the people of RockTown before tonight. Mavrik passed an old pickup truck, with scrap metal stuffed in the bed, that sat on the corner in a neighborhood where Milky had never been. Mavrik turned right on that street and parked in an alley between 10th street and 18th avenue. Mavrik turned the car off, leaving the windows down, and then he paused the music with the push of a button. Milky was shocked by the sudden silence and the rugged look on Mavrik’s face. Milky asked Mavrik what’s going on? Mavrik told Milky that he would roll one more blunt for the night and that he parked here because it is safe and quiet around here. As Mavrik worked his magic rolling the blunt, Milky surveyed his surroundings, examining RockTown. He noticed that all of the trees created a cover for the streets. It was quiet, calm, and still. Mavrik was correct when he said that they would be left alone down here. After Milky finished thinking about all of this, he looked over at Mavrik to see that he had finished rolling the blunt. “Mavrik is fast at rolling blunts, like an Indycar,” Milky thought to himself.

Mavrik sparked the blunt, and inhaled the smoke deep into his lungs, then blew the smoke at the cherry of the blunt. The two men sat in silence and got stoned for the last time of the evening. When the blunt was finished, they headed home in a relaxed mental state. After a good ole time, home sounded excellent to both men, but this is just the beginning of the night for Mavrik. Mavrik had extra-curricular activities planned for later. The trip back was silent because Milky and Mavrik were so high. Milky thought about how much fun he had tonight and what excuse he would give his wife for being gone so long. Mavrik thought about the extra-curricular activities he had planned for later. He had put in a lot of work for this, and tonight was the night. It needed to go as smoothly as possible because he didn’t need any more problems in his life. As Mavrik pulled up to the house, Milky sprayed his whole body down with cologne that Mavrik always kept in the car. Mavrik didn’t care about the smell, so he never sprayed himself because weed is his natural scent, and he liked to keep it that way. After Milky sprayed himself down, he fired up a cigarette, then started walking into the house to face his wife, while Mavrik followed behind him. When they got into the house, they both went to their usual places. Mavrik went into his room, locking the door behind him, and Milky sat on the couch to watch TV and finish his cigarette. Milky got lucky because no wife was to be found tonight.

As Mavrik stood in the center of his room, he felt like he had stepped into a different world. His room was small, tidy, and his OCD was apparent in the organization of his room. On his bed were various black colored clothing items. As he stood there, he started talking to the person in his head whom he has spoken to for over half of his life. It was not god, it’s his deceased grandfather that he has missed every day since he left this earth. The talk with his grandfather was to justify what he was about to do. He had to be prepared and ready to tackle the worst-case scenario should it happen.

On the bed, there was the clothing and the gear needed to pull off a successful robbery at night. Everything was black so that Mavrik could move through the night in the shadows. The silence was the key to his secrecy. He set the items out before he left the house earlier today. This is a ritual that he stays loyal to because it let the task at hand marinate in his mind before he made them come to life. He also understands that things can change instantly, so he had to be prepared for the worst at all times, every time. This kind of preparation had made him become a stressed person, causing his hairline to recede by the time he was 25 years old. He stripped naked and started to dress in black clothing in a slow and precise manner. First, he put on all new undergarments that were all white. He then began to put on the black garments over the white clothes. He put on long black thermal underwear and a thermal long sleeve shirt, followed by black cargo pants and a black t-shirt. He put on a pair of black combat boots that he had removed the tread from so that no footprint would be left behind at the crime scene. He also put a black balaclava in his right cargo pocket and put a black stocking cap on his head. He also had a day pack that was made of fine material, military-grade, and it fit into his left cargo pocket. He put three pairs of black vinyl gloves in his right back pocket. He looked around the room, and then at himself up and down, to perform a final check. He finished his mental checklist, then put a white t-shirt on over everything else so that he could blend in until it was time to do the job. He walked out of his room and told Milky that he had an errand to run and that he would be back later tonight.

Mavrik walked to his car, started it up, and started driving back to RockTown exactly two miles over the speed limit. You see, in the country where Mavrik lives now, there aren’t a lot of cops on the force, so they tend to stay in the same place most of the time. Mavrik has always been a paranoid person when it came to authority. He liked to tell himself that he was “paranoid in a perfect way” because it kept him on his toes. When he got into RockTown, his blood pressure rose, and he experienced a small panic attack. He suppressed this feeling and continued on his path to his destination.

The streets in RockTown are dark and have a lot of tree cover. Most of the streets have corner lights, but chances are they are not on or have been shot out by the hoodlums for better cover in the street. Mavrik parked and started walking down the road until he came up to a house surrounded by a chain-link fence. He went through the front gate and walked to the back of the house. The backside of this house was littered with junk and salvage vehicles. Mavrik came to a stop in front of a deep freezer with old milk crates on top of it. He set the milk crates down on the ground, then he pulled the black vinyl gloves from his right back pocket and put them on in a quiet and precise manner.

Inside the deep freezer was a large brown leather bag, containing more than thirty “throw-away” pistols. Mavrik stood still as he admired the illegal firearms. In his mind, he thought of the consequences if he were to get caught with one of these in his possession. He decided to go with two pistols that he was familiar with because he grew up obsessing over them. A black .38 special by Smith and Wesson, a stainless steel .357 magnum with a ½ inch barrel, and a rubber grip. Neither of the pistols was loaded at this time, but he knew where to get the ammunition he needed.

Mavrik turned around and walked over to a red Pontiac with a black bungee cord holding the trunk lid closed. Inside the trunk were two solid wood crates with multiple calibers of bullets. Mavrik picked through the crates until he found the calibers the guns required. He put two handfuls of the ammunition he needed in his left pocket and started to walk over to the house. Once he got through the door on the backside of this house, he walked down the stairs into the basement. This basement had no electricity running to it, and it reeked of the stench of crack rocks being chopped up all day. A flashlight sat at the bottom of the stairs, so he picked it up, turned it on, and flashed it at a card table in the middle of the basement. There were two folding chairs folded and leaning against the table. This table and chairs were the only furniture in this basement. Mavrik walked towards the table, he pulled the balaclava out of his right cargo pocket and set it down. He put the guns on the table, next to the bullets placed on top of the balaclava. Mavrik wiped the firearms and bullets down in a precise and silent manner. Even though he had chosen revolvers, he still ran a weapons check before loading them. He put the balaclava on, then stuffed the pistols and the extra ammunition in his pants. He removed the white t-shirt, stuffing it in his left cargo pocket, and walked out of the basement.

Mavrik stood in the yard, staring at the alleyway. He walked across the yard and slipped through the alleyway, staying in the shadows and alert to his surroundings. His destination was three streets away, he moved in silence, walking through the yards and alleyways. The destination was a dope house full of enemies, who have yet to realize they are Mavrik’s enemies. These “dope boys” have been terrorizing the neighborhood recently, and Mavrik had to fix that. You see, they made the mistake of robbing and beating a close friend of Mavrik’s. Loyalty and brotherhood run deep in the streets of RockTown, so he would never let it go without serving justice. Mavrik planned to make them all kiss the ground and empty their pockets. This was his way of fixing it, and he justified his actions by telling himself that they hurt people close to him, better them than him.

As Mavrik came to the final street, he stood in the shadows, in silence, across the street from the house he planned to enter. He would enter by force on the side of the house. All the curtains were down in the place, and you could see the silhouettes of the people inside the house. The sound of loud bass could be heard coming from inside of the home. Mavrik continued to stay in the shadows and examine the situation. In the front yard, there were various pieces of condemned furniture, like mattresses, entertainment stands, and computer desks scattered throughout the yard. These pieces of furniture will provide the perfect cover when he started to make his entrance.

Mavrik slipped across the street like a black cat in the night. He took cover in between a computer and an entertainment stand that had a mattress blocking the view from inside of the entertainment stand. Mavrik’s heart started beating faster as he moved across the street and took a knee behind cover. He focused his energy on relaxing his mind, taking deep breaths for a few moments. He looked down the walkway to the side door of the house, making a note of it being clear of obstructions and people. Any opposition with lethal intentions standing in the way when he entered would be taken care of right away. Mavrik stood up and right as he did, his eyes locked on to four dark figures, walking up to the yard he was in too. Mavrik hit the deck, he could feel the moisture in the grass soaking his clothes as he lay there, getting a better look at who had interrupted his mission. He saw four guys blacked out with guns in hand. Three of the guys had blue bandannas covering their faces. One was without a mask as he lead the guys into the house that Mavrik planned to enter before they showed up, and spoiled his plan. As the group passed the cover Mavrik was using, Mavrik made direct eye contact with the leader that chose not to cover his face. This eye contact alerted Mavrik, but the group never stopped and proceeded to walk right in the house as if they owned it. The doors were not even locked. Mavrik remained on the ground as the group made their entry. From outside, he could hear loud voices, and then he heard the unmistakable sound of gunshots followed by the sound of lead ripping apart human flesh. Those gunshots could be heard for blocks, he thought to himself, and no more than thirty seconds after they rang out, the group ran out of the house. The man with no face cover ran at the back of the pack this time. Mavrik told himself that it was time to go as he made eye contact with the leader (who was at the end of the pack) for the second time in two minutes. The group took a left in front of the house and vanished down the street, from whence they came.

Mavrik stood up and started to jog back to the house where the guns had to be returned. As he raced back, he thought about what just happened and became angry that he did not get to do what he set out to do tonight. Once he reached the backyard of the gun house, he put the guns back, leaving them loaded. He emptied his pockets and took the gloves and balaclava off, tossing them in with the guns in the deep freezer. He put the white t-shirt back on and walked around to the front of the gun house, through the gate, and back to his car. During the walk, he kept doing slow breathing techniques to calm his nerves. The vehicle was parked six streets away, so the jog was no more than three minutes. Once inside the car, Mavrik sat in silence to process the situation and catch his breath.

Mavrik was not able to serve the justice that he had planned on serving tonight. Instead, someone else had done it before he could. If they had not had weapons on them, Mavrik told himself he would have stopped them, but he did not want to have a firefight with the wrong people. This was a good and bad thing because he did not have to face any consequences now, but he did not get to serve justice himself. He brushed off the anger of preparing and getting ready for nothing. Maybe he was saved from a potential shit storm of a situation, or perhaps he was screwed out of justice and some good money. Either way, he would have to accept the outcome for what it was, and with that thought, he fired up a blunt for the last time tonight.