Harry spoke to Sam
Who needed a caretaker
At their new (old) club
Harry sent the fare money to Louis
Who gave (most of) it to Smokey
Who didn’t have to use all of it.
Courtesy of his friend Leon
A porter on the Grand Central Line.
Who stowed Smokey in the baggage car.
Smokey gave the balance of it to his parents.
As he did the majority of his pay cheques.
The overnight trip to Montreal took 12 hours with Smokey sleeping comfortably on duffle bags. Arriving at Windsor Station in Montreal, Leo introduced him to Chicky, a Red Cap at the station. Another relationship that turned out to be serendipitous.
Chicky brought Smokey
To Harry B’s Sahara Club
Where he met Sam
Who explained the job to Smokey
And showed him his living quarters
On the third floor of the club.
Thus began a new chapter for Smokey, which for the most part was uneventful and routine. He cleaned the club each evening after closing and had tea (never coffee) with Sam each morning.
Smokey abstained from drinking liquor. He knew the adverse effect it had on so many and remembered the message his mother had left him with when they had said goodbye in Brooklyn. Liquor she told him was the devil’s handiwork and made him promise never to drink it. He never did.
Occasionally Sam and Smokey would play poker. Curiously Smokey always won. Which was Sam’s way of ensuring that Smokey would always have a little extra money.
In a way that would preserve Smokey’s dignity.
Then they would have tea.
Always tea.
And discuss what Smokey had observed at the club the previous night.
Which usually was considerable.
Smokey was not particularly “visible” to customers. It was a time when many viewed people of colour as they would a pane of glass. Looking right through them. As if they didn’t exist.
One night, Chicky, the Red Cap, was amongst the last customers in the club. He told Smokey he had overheard two guys discuss how they were planning to break into the club.
To steal the day’s receipts
And bottles of the high-priced liquor and champagne.
Next morning (over tea) Smokey mentioned this to Sam.
Sam called Johnny McGuire.
An acquaintance.
Who had handled several “issues” at the club before.
And was an enforcer for the notorious West End gang.
That night there was an attempted burglary at the club.
Attempted.
The culprits were met at the back entrance.
Before they could enter,
By Johnny
And a friend
The next day’s edition of the Montreal Star had a small article concerning two men found unconscious in a downtown back alley.
Both had suffered extensive injuries
They were expected to recover.
Eventually.
The next morning (over tea) neither Sam nor Smokey mentioned it.
Several years went by, Smokey always moving with Harry and Sam as they opened and closed and re-opened clubs.
One day Smokey received a call from his father James.
He told Sam about the conversation with his father. His family had decided to move back to Georgia where they had been able to buy a small farm. Helped no doubt by the regular cheques sent by Smokey.
Smokey desperately wanted to be with his family.
He had missed out on his childhood
He wanted to see if he could experience even part of it
He wanted to go home.
It was time.
Harry and Sam, though not pleased to hear that he was leaving
Were very happy for him.
Smokey was not just a trusted employee
They had become close
Like family
Like a band
Everyone joins a band in life
Then the band breaks up
Sometimes it gets back together
That’s what Smokey’s family “band” was doing
Getting back together
It was an emotional parting
Months went by with only a single card from Smokey
Indicating that he had arrived in Georgia
Two years later
The new caretaker, Thomas, handed Sam a leather wallet
With Sam’s initials on the front
Thomas hadn’t known the person who gave it to him the previous evening,
But did notice that he had ordered a cup of tea,
Which he thought was unusual to do in a nightclub
It was
The man had told Thomas that Sam would know who it was from
Sam did.
