at 8am I walked to Maxine's Bar and Bistro on South Beach. I sat down at the bar and waited for my takeout order. A middle-aged roughneck-looking guy sat down next to me. The woman bartender brought Roughneck his breakfast: a Bloody Mary and a Corona. Good morning 8am! Roughneck said he just wanted to get this down but he might order some food. He had a raspy voice that sounded like it had been smoked, shot, and drowned in whiskey. Roughneck sipped the bloody mary and yelled 'spicy! Just like the way I like my women!' The bartender smiled and left. Roughneck brought his husky dog to the bar and gave him a takeout tray of water to sip from. His phone rang and a buddy was on the other line to lament that his new Cadillac had just been keyed by a crazy ex. Roughneck rasped 'yeah, bitches be crazy.' Convo continued for another minute and then he looked at me and said that women are crazy up in Palm Beach. He said he was from Chicago but moved down here. He asked me what I did and I said I'm here working on a play about the cocaine wars.
ROUGHNECK: Oh...I know about that world.
ME *trying to act surprised*: Really?!?
We talked about the different cartels from Sinaloa to Juarez. He hinted and ducked around a few questions I asked. Roughneck was in restaurant construction *wink wink.* I asked him what he was doing down here in South Beach and he said it was for a meeting. He said the cartels have become more businesslike these days. A lot of money "might" be going through restaurants and what not. I gently pressed for details and he insisted that he was in the legit restaurant business now. I told him to come to COCAINE COWBOYS in March. He said he would and that a friend claimed to have worked with Griselda Blanco. I told him that one of Griselda's henchman was from Chicago and started off as a car thief. He perked up: that's what he used to do as a juvey. Roughneck said he stole cars but wasn't very good at it because he got caught. He told a very explicit story of stealing a doctor's Porsche and what that doctor when he caught up with Roughneck. When he was 17, a judge told him he could either go to prison or go into the Navy. So he joined the Navy and worked in construction. The bartender brought me my takeout order. I shook hands with Roughneck. He said he would check out Miami New Drama for the play.
ROUGHNECK: Oh...I know about that world.
ME *trying to act surprised*: Really?!?
We talked about the different cartels from Sinaloa to Juarez. He hinted and ducked around a few questions I asked. Roughneck was in restaurant construction *wink wink.* I asked him what he was doing down here in South Beach and he said it was for a meeting. He said the cartels have become more businesslike these days. A lot of money "might" be going through restaurants and what not. I gently pressed for details and he insisted that he was in the legit restaurant business now. I told him to come to COCAINE COWBOYS in March. He said he would and that a friend claimed to have worked with Griselda Blanco. I told him that one of Griselda's henchman was from Chicago and started off as a car thief. He perked up: that's what he used to do as a juvey. Roughneck said he stole cars but wasn't very good at it because he got caught. He told a very explicit story of stealing a doctor's Porsche and what that doctor when he caught up with Roughneck. When he was 17, a judge told him he could either go to prison or go into the Navy. So he joined the Navy and worked in construction. The bartender brought me my takeout order. I shook hands with Roughneck. He said he would check out Miami New Drama for the play.
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