Jecht's a bit different.  Sometimes, I think I got him all figured out.  Other days, he says or does something and I wonder who the hell I'm talking to. 

"Pass me an Asahi."

I've known him about a year.  We met by accident three days after I showed up in New York.  I was learning my way around and stopped at a liquor store to pick up some bourbon when Jecht pulled up on that bike.  It's a sweet fucking bike.  I told him so.  Twenty minutes later, I was on the back of it headed to his apartment uptown while we talked about motorcycles.  After a fifth, we were best buddies and I crashed out on his leather couch for the night.  I don't think we've gone more than a week without hangin' out.

"Thanks.  Want some more pizza?"

The night his wife came home and announced she was leaving was a bit harsh.  Didn't even care there was company over.  She took off with the therapist and left Jecht to deal with Tidus.  Not the best of moves. I don't know if they ever bothered with a divorce.  Jecht's too lazy and self-absorbed to get his ass a lawyer and I don't think the cunt really cares.  What a fucking pair.

It's no wonder Tidus is such a screw up.  Of course, that's easy for me to say.  I never got married to a slut and I don't have rug rats. 

"Mezcal me."

Sometimes I think Jecht just hangs with me to go slummin'. 

He got here about an hour ago with the pizzas.  I must say that Sal really knows his shit.  It tastes incredible.  We scarfed half the first one in about twenty minutes while Jecht bitched about the refs that called his last game.  According to him, it's never his fuckin' fault they lose.  Right. 

"Fuckin' A."

After he got done whining, we lit up on the couch, put our feet up on the coffee table, and did some serious smokin'.  Between the Mary Jane and the imports, we're feeling pretty good now.

So how do I do this?  I mean, seems kinda hypocritical of me to point fingers at Tidus when I'm currently high and handing his dad a joint.  However, I don't do that much coke.  I push it, but I only snort a line about once every other month.  I feel I need to test the shit I give my customers.  Call it quality control.  At the rate that boy is goin' he's gonna be face down in an alley pretty soon.  I can bet good money he's tried smack.  That shit's just no good.  I get it on request for a few people, and keep ties to dealers who carry it, but I try to stay out of that.  I can't blow my cover by refusing to sell it and the fuckers that make that opiates, LSD, and get young people hooked on heroine are the ones I want behind bars. 

Don't get me wrong here.  I think getting high is beneficial.  I couldn't have survived the shit I did in Nam, much less lived with the aftermath, if I hadn't been able to take a hit or two.  But, I also think that man-made stuff tends to have a few too many side effects.  I like to stick to 'shrooms and marijuana myself.  God put them on this planet for a reason.  I'm just takin' advantage of nature.

"Jecht, we gotta talk."

I'm getting the look.  I think he knows what I'm gonna say.

"Tidus is gettin' to be a real prob.  The guy he's running with is bad news and I think the kid is about to ante up.  You gotta do something."

Here we go.  Time to get on the "what the hell can I do about it" train.  I know the guy has tried everything he can think of short of booting the kid out, sending him to therapy, or lettin' him get thrown in the slammer.  Honestly, given the way his wife left, I can't blame him for thinking shrinks suck.  However, we're not talking about him and his fucking problems.  We're talking about Tidus. 

"Dude, calm down.  Take a drag.  I know you're tryin'.  I'm just saying that I think it's time to get someone else in the picture."

Time for the tirade.  You know, it wouldn't be so damn bad if that bitch of a wife hadn't spent all her time making Tidus hate Jecht.  She turns the kid against his dad and then up and leaves the kid here.  What a piece a work.  I swear, if the whore hadn't taken off to live in Paris I might feel the need to do a bit of payback.

Well, at least the joint is doing its job.  He's too damn mellow to stay pissed.  However, now he's getting all emotional on me.  Hmm.

"Just give it a try.  What can it hurt?  Send the kid to Betty Ford and see how it goes.  Or Scripps.  Or somewhere for Christssake.  It can't make the situation any worse than it is."

Hell. I wasn't expecting this reaction.  He's crying!  What do I do?

"Jecht, it's ok.  Really."

I'm not very good at this comfort thing.  Crap.  Uh.  Hug him I guess.

"You aren't a failure.  The cunt fucked with his head.  You can't do much about that."

This is kinda strange.  I really didn't expect this at all. 

"I'm just tryin' to look out for you.  Anybody would do that for a friend.  It's not a big deal."

I wasn't going for some declaration of undying devotion here.  I just wanna keep Tidus away from that little prick Seymour.  The kid is just taking up too much of my time and I need to focus on the matter at hand – how I can slit the blue haired punk ass pimp's pretty little throat and get away with it.

"Uh, yeah, I love you too, man."

I gotta change the subject.  This is starting to weird me out.

"So, what's in the box?"

Wow.   I haven't seen many video recorders outside of professional equipment.  The government uses quite a lot of video for surveillance.  NYC and San Fran are big enough to afford the stuff too. 

"What brand is it?"

Philips.  Pretty nice.  Had to cost a mint.

"You brought what?"

Oh my god!  I'm gonna split my sides!  This is great!  I can't believe I've known Jecht this long and didn't know he collected porn videos!  Not only that, but he's into Asian girls.  Sweet.  I've got to get him together with Masao-san.

"No! Don't put it on the record bin!  The heat will screw my LPs!  Let me do it."

So, this wire goes here.  And this plug can go here.  Um.  If I move this set of leads then I can run the sound through my speakers.  Damn.  I'm too stoned to do this.  I hope I don't blow a fuse or something. 

"What titles do you have?"

Now I know where Tidus learned to do a blowjob.  He's been sneakin' peeks at daddy's video collection.  Damn sight better than the playboy I managed to steal from my dad when I was fourteen.

Lucky bastard.

"Any thing named "Ooru naito rongu" has gotta be hot.  Put that one in."

Wow.  I'm tellin' ya.  Ya just never know what Jecht's gonna do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Notes:
Mezcal is a cousin to Tequila. It is an Agave distillate and true Mezcal is "100% blue." Bottles of "Mezcal con gusano" are "with Agave worm." These are bottled about 4-6 weeks after distillation and take their straw yellow color from the Agave worm which is placed inside the bottle. When you drink this kind of Mezcal, you normally pass the bottle back and forth and see "who eats the worm."
Asahi is a light crisp beer produced in Japan.
"Ooru naito rongu" is Japanese for "All night long." This is an actual series of porno flicks but they weren't made until the 90s. Sue me. I liked the titles. And no, I haven't watched them you sick person...
^_^