Mickey - The View From Here - Gallavich

The Cop

The next day, Kev came by to let me know the Alibi had been robbed, which meant I’d been robbed as well. As livid as I was, I had something I needed to do today. I would deal with Kev and the rub and tug after I found Ian.

Lip had explained that Ian was serving drinks at a club in Boys' Town. “I think he was on something,” Lip had told me. “I don’t even think he noticed us getting kicked out.”

“What’s he on?”

“My guess is coke,” he had said before scoffing. “Fuckin’ coke, man.”

Lip was having his own time of difficulty. Their older sister and guardian was in prison awaiting trial. I could lack sympathy most of the time, but hearing about little Liam really got to me. I had to find Ian and let him know he needed to go home; his siblings needed him. The Ian I used to know would want me to track him down for something like that.

Knowing my mission wasn’t completely about me, but about lending another hand to the Gallagher family, I was able to rally some courage to face Ian again. I had put on my best clothes and slicked my hair back. I might have overdone it with the cologne, Kev had noticed it when he stopped by earlier to give me the bad news. I had given him a gun and told him to use it like a normal bar tender the next time he gets robbed.

On the way to Boys' Town, I stopped at a convenience store for a pack of smokes when I noticed a shelf of cheap toys under a buck. I grabbed a plastic police badge that came with a little blue police hat and added it to my bill.

I took the train the rest of the way and found the club Lip had told me about. The White Swallow. That’s exactly where I want the love of my life working, I thought sarcastically. Awesome.

As soon as I walked into the club, I was overcome with discomfort. Images of the club owner Joey and I had beaten half to death flashed into my mind like a strobe light. It seemed so long ago, now. I was a frightened kid at the time, believing Terry when he promised to kill me over my sexual preferences. Lucky for me, I’d grown up a bit over the last year.

I started searching for Ian's red hair, hoping I would easily spot him. If I literally bumped into him, he might’ve even laughed before he recognized me. I knew he didn’t want to see me, that he wouldn’t pull me into his arms with joy. It didn’t matter. If Lip couldn’t talk some sense into Ian, I was the next best shot at it.

“Lookin’ fine,” an unfamiliar voice called to me.

I turned to find a tall, round man with thinning long hair, drinking his cocktail as he eye-fucked me. “Fuck off.”

“I like ‘em rough,” the man replied, smiling to his friends. Focusing on me, he said, “I'm Scott. You wanna get out of here?”

I disliked this. Anyone, man or woman coming on too strong freaked me out. “No, I don’t wanna--" I stopped, pulling Ian's picture out to show Scott and his friends. “You seen this kid?”

“Oh, you like ‘em skinny. I could lose 30 pounds if you wanted.”

“Thirty poun-- Where's the manager?”

Disappointed, Scott pointed me in the right direction.

I walked up to a hipster doing paperwork. “Yo, you the manager?”

“Who's asking?” the hipster wondered without halting his work.

“Since you just saw me speak, I’m gonna take a stab at it was me,” I spat with impatience as I showed him Ian's picture. In a calm but stern tone, I asked him, “you see this kid? His name's Ian.”

The hipster leaned forward to get a closer look at his work, ignoring the picture. “Never saw him before.”

I’m gonna have to hurt you, I thought, keeping my voice as calm as I could. “Why don’t you take a look again? He used to work here so I’m pretty sure have.”

The hipster rolled his eyes, finally putting his work down. “I can’t keep track if every twink who comes and goes in this place.”

Oh, I’m definitely gonna hurt you.

“Okay,” I said. “This twink went AWOL a couple days ago after your bouncer kicked his brother and kid sister out into the street. You remember that?”

“Look, you little tweaker, you think you’re the first one to come in here boo-hooing about some cocktail slut who jacked you off in the bathroom, told you it was true love and then disappeared?” he squared his eyes with mine. “Trust me, you’re not. So why don’t you just buy a drink and fall in love with somebody else.”

I tried that already.

Staying true to the role I was playing, I puffed out my chest. “You calling me gay?”

The hipster gave me a once-over. “Oh, please. Honey, you make Justin Bieber look straight.”

Having heard enough of his talk without any answers, I grabbed the back of the hipster’s head and slammed his face down on the bar on top of his paperwork, breaking his nose.

He cried out in pain, but I held his head down.

“Now, I know you know where he is, dick breath. So you’re gonna tell me,” I slammed my plastic badge onto the bar next to his face, “or I’m gonna shut this cumhole down over possession, intent to sell and prostitution, okay?”

The hipster had no issue with his memory now, telling me exactly where I could find Ian at the club's sister location.

“Thank you,” I smiled, giving his cheek a few smacks before I twirled and yanked at his hipster mustache. “That so difficult?”