Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. (Soren Kierkegaard)

I was worried that our launch party would be a flop. The tiki hut rental company (yes, tiki hut rentals constitute a lucrative business in LA) came and set up the bar in a tiki hut. Tommy and I strung lights around the courtyard.

As a recluse I was anxious about this whole event. Not to mention the fact that this was the debut of our crystal meth business. On top of all that, we were inviting high school kids in at a hundred dollars a head. Though I hired a bouncer to guard the door and collect the cash, it seemed inadequate risk management for the dubious event.

I guess I shouldn’t have offered entry to the teenagers at all. It turned this easygoing pool party into a more formal event. I was practically shaking when the bartender and DJ showed up. This party had already cost me my salary as property manager for an entire month. If it failed, it was going to be one hell of a disaster.

Tommy was even more anxious than I was. I guess he had more riding on it. Plus he was sure we were going to get busted before this business got off the ground. We had people manning the stations and Tommy had pockets of pre-packaged, ready-to-move, Grade A, homemade crystal meth.