The air felt thick, as if I were attempting to walk across an ocean bed.

"I really must lay my head down to rest this week", I thought.

I considered the sacrifices I would make to paddle in beautiful blue once more, back in Palermo - as care free as a child, the exuberant sun scorching my nose. I stopped in my steps and carefully closed my umbrella, moving it to my side to welcome the torrents of rain to drench my battered and bruised face.

Minutes passed, as before I knew it I felt like the tiniest piece in a matryoshka doll, but it was worthwhile. I trudged pathetically a further few metres down the effortlessly dreary streets, once more coming to a halt.

I was here, a lonesome figure, in my usual spot – a safe distance away from the stark, concrete source of ruin and regret.

The local Post Office.

I lowered my head as if it was an altar, but I knew forgiveness was too late. My warm, salty tears swam down my face, as I gawked at my fractured reflection in the puddle that lay upon my bedraggled shoes.

"Two hundred", I muttered in disgust.

"Two hundred."

{You have 200 Insta-petties.}

Ted stands there watching, notices all the I owe you a look away while you do a petty cards Phabulis has from different police officers all stuffed into one pocket and begins to think to himself and wonder,

Wouldn't it be something if people could buy or sell those from each other? I wonder what someone would pay for a bundle of these...

As Blublank1 approaches his fellow crew member, he wonders how someone could amass 200 or more insta-petties. He has personally never had more than seven or eight before they are used up.

How would you have obtained that many insta petties? Other than voting, I haven't found a way to obtain any. Maybe it's a lack of self control, but I always use mine immediately.

Wondering if there is a black market for such things, Blu leaves the area in search of an explination.

Yajirobe started to wonder about how Phabulis could complete these 200 insta petties in one go... He knew there would be barriers along the way but he wanted to see the man succeed.

We are in the big city my friend. There are more than 200 shops,liqeur stores, banks around here. The question is how do we do this and keep the pigs off our tail at the same time?

You have my help friend. He offers his hand out to Phabulis

Just then Itchy pulls up in his 1970 Orbit Orange GTO.

"Hey Guys!" he says waving and motioning them over.

 He speaks low but clear " Look what I bought with some cash I made at the track the last 3 weeks. I gotta friend who works as a driver for Winter Hill Gang over in Boston, they fix the races. He gave me a few tips every Friday for 3 weeks which horse would win what race. Great , isn't it.."

"Know of anyone in need of a get away man with a fast ride , a sharp eye, smart mind,and reflexes of an Olympic skier ? "

Yajirobe and Phabulis turn their heads, eyes meeting eyes, grins forming on theier lips, and nod.

Itchy  looks puzzled thinking about those 2 clowns those 25 years or so ago. the bootleggers and numbers were king years.

He's still perplexed, "What the hell do I do?"

He picks up the rag of a paper called  The Streets, a sleazy looking piece of pulp fiction passed out as so called  news outa Staten Island, and sees LOANS  call 555-loan

Loan & Time

               1k-5k--- 2-3 days

              10k-50k--- 5-8 days

              100k-150k--- 10-12 days

              200k-250k--- 15-20 days

                  300k--- 25 days

Daryl Defy, propri·etary

Itchys scratches his ear and sneezes, flem gets tossed out of his lungs , flies through the air and splats on the windshield.

He picks up the rag called The Statement and tears of a piece to clean the windshield.  The want ads. He scans around and theres one that interesting.

WANTED  Armored Truck Driver.

There's my ticket. I'll be able to drive around the city and find out who has cash and who doesn't and go back that night and do a break in. I should be able to do 200 or more before they get wise to me. The stevedor gangs will get a little irritated someone wtse guying on their turf, they'll come a knockin' at the door before I get home. But my little boy Itchy needs some milk.

Itchys vision was correct.

Knuckles grabed him while Irchy was stumbling out of the rigged poker dice gmes being played at the speak easy he'd got half pissed at after breaking into all the local dress shops and have such. The brass he was wearing had spikes on em, and they sheared and punctured holes in the back of his neck as Knuckles grabed him from the back of his shirt and tossed him on the ground raising his fists up to pulverize his face.

The Father grabbed Knuckles and said calm down. Knuckles takes Itchys wallet, grabs the contents as gives it to the Father.

The Father hands Itchy a 20 spot and says ,"Good work, thats just what I need in my family , a man with a plan."

"Knuckles, give the man some room. And you, when the post offices get delieveries, let Knuckles know."

The Father slowly turns away and heads out into the shadows of the street. Knuckles kicks Itchys in the groin and mutters," Don't get to wise with me on the street. Your lucky the Father saved you or you'd be stuffed in the trash can."

" You give me a list everyday of your deliveries everyday, and I'll have my thug Cohen go with ya at night to kep an eye on ya, understand?"

Itchys zigs zags his walk home in the rain, wishing he had an umbrella, but at the same time the rain felt good and kept him awake.

The grocery store was closed. Itchys got his picks out and opened the lock with easy, after 50 bugleries, he was pretty adept at this now. Hr looked over his shoulders and the man in the shadows was still there, you could see the cherry red tip of his cigarette burning as he inhaled, but back far enough from the street lamps you couldn't make out who he was. Itchys knew though.

He went and grabed quart bottle of milk for little itchy then went for the meat locker. Full cows ready to be butchered all hanging, but Itchy couldn't carry that and the milk at the same time. He looked around and found 20 lbs of hamburger wrapped up and took that instead.

As Itchys left and made his way down the block, he turned around and the man in the shadows was standing in the doorway of the grocery store, tossed his cigarette away into the gutter, and entered.

Itchys darts around the corner and runs into Phabulis