Cup of Crime

Chapter 12 : The Vipers' Boss

Outside an apartment in Oakland Gardens, Queens, an older gentleman in sportswear touched his toes and stretched his limbs preparing for an early morning jog. But just as he was about to leave, out came his next door neighbour, a young man by the name of Max. Max who met the older man in the hallway greeted him with a smile.

"Morning boss! Why are you up so early? Out for a run? Try not to pull your back," Max reminded while occasionally yawning.

"You brat! I'm not that old!" the old man clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"That's not what your doctor said!" Max rushed back into his apartment not giving the man a chance to refute. "Bye! Have a nice run!"

Clay Claus was a well-tempered and carefree old man who enjoyed bantering with his juniors and the younger generations. As the boss of the Northern Vipers, he was no stranger to flattery but what he liked most were the cheeky and harmless critics of his right hand man. Don't take him as a grumpy old man with his stone cold face, Clay Claus was an easy going man and a by standards friendly gang boss.

Walking down the graffiti covered stairwell, Clay came out of the five story building. Once outside, the gang boss took a deep breath of autumn morning air. Without the thick exhaust from the cars on the road during rush hour, the air was clean and cool, refreshing and waking up the old man's mind. With newfound energy, Clay began his morning run. Passing by the pet shop next to his apartment building, Clay sprinted up the streets at a steady pace while occasionally waving to the passer-bys he came across.

An hour into his run, Clay found himself near a bus stop where a familiar purple haired man sat texting on his phone with a smile that exuded love. Clay was slightly disgusted by the show of love and affection but he still stayed and watched for awhile. Waiting for the young man at the stop to notice him, Clay the big bad boss of a gang decided to be a little cheeky and childish.

Clay took silent and small steps closer to the purple haired student while trying to hold in his laughter. The young man named Corry was too defenseless and unaware, Clay thought. It was only when Clay was close enough to breathe down his neck that Corry finally reacted. Before Clay could make a move, the young man he was trying to scare lunged forward without a sound and spun before landing a right hook on the old man's face.

"Mr. Claus! I'm so sorry! I thought you were a criminal!" Corry emphasized the 'so'.

"Well hello to you too, Corry. No worries, my fault for sneaking up on you. And I am a criminal, technically so... That was a good right hook," Clay was a little embarrassed. "So, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"Oh. I was just going to visit Maxy! But I woke up too early so I've been waiting her for awhile. I don't want to disturb his sleep."

"By the way, he's already awake," Clay informed.

Corry thanked the man before running off. Now left alone at the bus stop, Clay began to nurse his bruised nose. The fighting power of a karate champion was no joke and it would be an invaluable asset to his gang but sadly that was not the case.

Though tried as he may to recruit his right hand man's brothers into his gang, the two were never moved no matter what benefits he promised them. Besides that was the strong opposition from Max himself, so he gave up right before touching his right hand man's bottom line. While wiping his bloodied nose, the gang boss reminisced about the countless failed attempts in the past and laughed. Guess some things were just not meant to be.

When the blood finally stopped flowing down his nose, Clay got up and had the spontaneous idea of changing his jogging route. Seeing that Corry was there to visit Max, the old man didn't want to disturb their rare time together and decided a jog around his neighbour's territory was a must.