When you are good, bad things can still happen. And when you're bad, you can still be lucky. (The Poisonwood Bible)

Tony sat back into his chair. With a wink he said: “Told ya!” Tony flicked the needle before firing the needle through his shirt into his forearm.

“What are you doing?” Vincent said.

“The same thing you’re doing: I’m getting high.”

“You’re shooting up through your shirt? You didn’t even hit a vein.”

“So, still gets the job done. Who has time to fool around with tracing down a vein? I like it better like this. You just pop it in.”

Vincent looked disgusted.

“New levels of laziness. You can’t even take the time to get high properly.”

Rider offered Tommy a few satisfactory insufflations from his already heated supply. Rider didn’t inject anything into his body. He ingested, he inhaled, but he never injected.

“Roll up your sleeve,” Vincent ordered Tony.

Tony complained: “I know, I know.”

“No, you forget how much better it is.” Vincent took his needle and reminded Tony of the spoils of a job well-done.

One hundred people in attendance and not a soul could argue that Penny was anything but happy.

Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire. (Reggie Leach)

Their audience broke the spell with applause when the song came to an end. The music picked up and guests joined them on the floor. Everyone wanted a piece of Penny. They had compliments, questions, and congratulations. Tommy slipped away and into the empty house.

“The happy husband,” greeted Tony as he prepared a syringe.

“Lock the kitchen door,” Rider instructed as he heated a substantial dose of heroin on a crumpled sheet of aluminum foil.

Tommy shut the door almost crushing Vincent’s arm in the process.

“Watch it brother, you think you can do whatever you want now that you’re married.” He slapped Tommy on the back as he squeezed past him before Tommy locked the door.

“Where’s Senior?” asked Tommy.

“On the smooze,” said Tony. “Where’s the wifey?”

“Same,” he shrugged.

Vincent put his tuxedo jacket on the chair back and took a seat. “You’re a lucky man, Tommy. Penny is one hell of a girl.”

“Helluva girl!” Tony cheered. “Let’s do a toast.”

Vincent rolled up the sleeve of his white dress shirt as Tony poured out four glasses of scotch.

Rider inhaled and exhaled and inhaled again.

“We’re doing a toast,” Tony scolded and slapped Rider upside the head. Rider rolled his eyes and picked up his glass.

“How is this guy the best man?” Tony handed Tommy a glass. “Do you see this guy?”

Tommy smiled and took the glass.

“To Tommy,” recited Tony, “Who is a great brother, a great friend, and will make a great husband – even though he’s here shooting up with his brothers on his wedding night.”

They laughed.

“That’s why you’ll be a great husband because you know what matters: your family. You may have found a top shelf girl who consented to marrying you but you’re still ours and no matter what we’ll always be there for you, come hell or high water. Now, we’ll always be there for her too. Penny is a sweet chick and she’s part of the family now. A great brother, a great friend, and a great husband: To Tommy,” Tony said and raised his glass with all the others.

Tommy demolished his glass and slammed it on the table. He pulled Tony into a hug. “By God, you are the best man.”

In spite of all the danger... (The Beatles)

The reception was exquisite. The grounds were freshly manicured and the smell of grass wafted through the cool air of the clear summer night. Clear lights were strung all around, illuminating the night, the guests, and the beauty of the joining of two young souls in holy matrimony.

After the last round of food had been served and the guests sat back, sipping coffee, tasting treats, and watching as the couple had their first dance.

In spite of all the danger – this was the song Tommy insisted on. It was the only legitimate request he had in the wedding plans.

In spite of all the danger

They met on the empty dance floor.

In spite of all that may be

I'll do anything for you

Tommy held her in his arms as they slowly swayed.

Anything you want me to
If you'll be true to me

Tommy whispered the words along with his heroes.

In spite of all the heartache
That you may cause me
I'll do anything for you
Anything you want me to
If you'll be true to me
I'll look after you
Like I've never done before
I'll keep all the others
From knocking at your door

Mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends wept as they watched the couple glide.

In spite of all the danger,
In spite of all that may be
I'll do anything for you
Anything you want me to
If you'll be true to me

The chorus repeated as they peacefully swayed as if they were alone not being watched by a swarm of diligent eyes. While her head rested on his chest, Tommy whispered on:

I'll do anything for you
Anything you want me to
If you'll be true to me

And she would for the rest of her life, in spite of all the danger.

If you go around angry all the time, you're the one it hurts. (Alice on her way)

The cloudy day in August gave way to blue skies. Penny’s sister was the begrudging maid of honor. A cousin she seen almost annually and a quiet friend from school rounded out Penny’s side of the wedding party. She would have been content to go to city hall and have it done in a few minutes but Senior wanted a wedding and, despite who the groom was, Penny’s parents wanted a wedding too. The church was at capacity with a healthy combination of the regular congregation who had watched Penny grow up and the curious members of the community who had heard tall tales about what went on at Senior’s estate.

Penny’s friend was honoured to be part of the day. She was polite, courteous, helpful, and she wore a bright smile in all the pictures.

Penny’s cousin was jealous of the flowers, the dress, the gifts, even the groom. She ogled all the trimmings with green eyes and when it was over she gossiped with her mother about the waste, the excess, the price. Her boyfriend was a mason and she would never have the luxuries Penny had. She longed for the grandeur and as a result Penny wasn’t invited to her modest wedding the following spring. The ceremony and reception stretched toward extravagance but reached only extraordinary levels of tackiness.

The worst of Penny’s bridal party had to be her sister. The scowl on her face in every picture was muted compared to the angst and sorrow seeping through her skin the actual day. She had prayed so long for them to break up that she had given up and began to pray instead for forgiveness for the hate in her heart. She once watched a documentary about Jack the Ripper and she cried because she hated Tommy more than she did a mass murderer. She would rather her sister be marrying him; she cried. She didn’t even know why she hated him so much. She knew he was trouble but it went deeper than that. Maybe it was because Penny loved him so much she felt compelled to hate him in equal part because she didn’t think he deserved such love and adoration.

When they ran out of the church, laughing and smiling, her sister followed with tears in her eyes. She had lost her baby sister to the bad guys.  

No matter how tough you think you are, [the world]'ll always bring you to your knees. (Rocky)

Senior broke the silence.

“We all miss him. Things are never gonna be the same around here but we should just lay low for a while and when we’re ready we’ll move more than half a dip bag.”

Rider was relieved. He was moving west to get away from all this. He didn’t want it following him.

Vincent’s jaw was hard and unmoving.

Senior continued, “Tommy gets married in August. Rider leaves us in September. Let’s just take the summer. We’ll talk when we’re ready.”

Vincent nodded but he didn’t think Senior would change his mind. As much as Vincent wanted to stay with his family, as least that was what they seemed to be to him, festering in the memory of Ricky was hard too.

Penny was busy preparing for the wedding. They would marry in her parent’s church, the church she had attended every Sunday since the day she was born and the reception would be held on Tommy’s property. A local restaurant they frequented would cater it. Senior had arranged for white chairs, round white tables, white table cloths, and a white tent in case it should rain. Senior was footing the bill for everything.

Tommy and Rider went for a drive. They were heading to Washington to visit the diplomat.

“It’s going to be weird around her without you brotha,” said Tommy.

“I can’t wait to get out.”

“You’ll miss us?”

“Yes, I’ll miss Dad, maybe Tony and Vincent. I’ll miss you and Penny.”

“I want you to be my best man.”

“No, you should ask Tony. He’ll be upset not to be asked. Besides you have to put up with him after I’m gone.”

“I know, but I want you to be my best man.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t want a bachelor party.”

They both laughed.

I always liked the story of Noah's Ark and the idea of starting anew by rescuing the things you like and leaving the rest behind. (Zach Braff)

“I don’t want to do this. I want to move west, study, write exams, and become something other than a crappy career criminal.”

“You wouldn’t have to study, Rider, you could be rich,” Tony told him.

“I am rich. We’ve been rich our whole lives. I want to be educated. I want a career outside of heroin.”

“What are you going to do?” Vincent asked.

“Aerospace, I’ve told you a thousand times. This is why I’m quiet – no one listens when I speak. I’m better off spitting words into the wind.”

The boys laugh at him.

“What does that even mean?” Tony asked. “Is that an expression? I don’t think you did it right.”

“It’s not an expression,” Rider sighed.

“What are you going to be? An aero-scientist? You’re not going to make more than you would with us,” Vincent assured. “I’ve heard it from an inside source the Golden Triangle is dying. Since the war it’s a struggle to get it out of there, but Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan – that’s where we need to be. Do you know how many immigrants leave those shithole countries for the land of the free every day? Millions and they all want to go to Los Angeles. It’s like the immigration capital of the world. Do you know how easy it would be to get drugs in there? Too easy. And the absorption rate in Los Angeles…” Vincent closed his eyes for a second as he savored the thought. “We wouldn’t even need to transport across the country. One trip to Pakistan and I’ll find some hot shot who sends illegal immigrants over here. Next thing you know you just have to make a couple trips to the docks, pick up some shipments and band we’re rich.”

“We are rich.”

“What about our clients in Philly?” asked Tony.

“We can still cover them. We have a good thing going with the dip bag,” said Vincent.

“The market is enough here,” Tony said. “We can’t even get enough to keep them going.”

Tommy nodded. “Tony’s right. We could use some more here. Why are you so hell-bent on heading west?”

Vincent inhaled a long deep breath. “We need more.”

“You want more, we don’t need more,” said Tommy. “What’s up?”

“I want to get out of here.” Vincent exhaled. “Ever since we got back to Philly without him I’ve wanted to get out. Why not leave? We can do this anywhere, why not in the sun?”

No one spoke again.

Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got. (Art Buchwald)

Vincent never made fun of Penny again from that moment on; not to his face, not behind his back. Later he would confide that he was jealous, not of Penny, she wasn’t his type, rather he was jealous of their happiness and future because he once knew love and he was convinced he would never know it again.

Penny did the dishes at their house. Tommy told her not to but she promised that she didn’t mind. She told him she wanted to help out. Despite their strict diet of takeout there were still dishes to be washed especially when Penny cooked, something she was doing there more and more.

One day Tommy was drying the dishes as she washed them and he noticed Tony tip her. The next day he hired a maid.

In the middle of the night one night in July the boys were sitting in the kitchen making plans. They didn’t make big plans anymore. Ten coffins of heroin had been their biggest plan and now that the war was over they depended on Vincent’s bullshit contact from the Vietnam embassy to smuggle half a suitcase over in his unchecked diplomatic bag when he went to Washington for business. That was what they were working with now: half a suitcase every few weeks. They mixed it and sold it small time on the streets of Philadelphia. This wasn’t an import-export business anymore.

“We’re buying half a suitcase of this once cut white gold and diluting it with powdered milk until its safe enough for Penny to dip her finger in and we’re still making 400 bones per brick, why do we need to expand our operations? We still have a pile of money and these suitcases are more than enough to live on. Why do we have to be greedy?” asked Rider.

“Shut it brotha,” said Tony, “you just don’t want to start pulling your weight?”

“Screw you! I’ve took a bullet for this family, who of you can say that?”

“Ricky,” Tommy mumbled.

No one spoke for a moment.