Big Joe had stayed in. Like he always did the night before a job.
He had drunk two shots of whiskey. Like he always did the night before a job.
It helped him fall asleep. Knew it didn't help him actually
sleep
. But shit sleep wasn't his big concern, the night before a job.
The night before a job, Big Joe's brain would be so tense that he wouldn't get good sleep anyhow. Slam two shots of scotch and he would be able to fall asleep though.
In the morning he woke up. Feeling a bit dehydrated. No hangover though. He took a piss. Chugged some water. And then went out smoked a cigar.
After that cigar he smoked another one. The morning of a job he would smoke two cigars.
Today he felt different. He decided that he would smoke the
cigars
. But triple.
He was a real man. Real men drank whiskey and smoked cigars. They also robbed people. Using a gun. The old school way. Unlike those crooks on
wall street
. He'd walk in, revolver in hand. Point it straight at the mark. Directly say. "Give me what I want."
And they would do it. Nobody cared about their job enough to risk getting shot. It wasn't a risk with Big Joe. Maybe with other bozos it was a risk. They might not have the balls to pull the trigger. There were no
real
men these days. Neither the robbers nor the workers. If someone were to rob Big Joe, he knew he'd look him straight in the eye and say. "If you wanna rob me. You're gonna have to shoot me." and then he'd light a match and start smoking a cigar.
That's what real men did. You wouldn't find anyone willing to die on the job these days though. Most people didn't even want to work. Just wanted to stay at home playing video games, drinking
bud light
and eating
Cheez-it
s. That's what was wrong with this world. There was no way
America
could beat
inflation
and
China
and
Russia
the way "americans" were.
Big Joe thought of them not as Americans, but rather "americans". Posers. A real American wouldn't be weak. They'd stand for something.
Big Joe sat on his rocking chair. Looking out into the field.