Detectives, mobsters, Hasidim and gun runners as well as an occasional asshole and the regulars that came into the cigar shop. That’s the clientele. We do get a fair amount of police officers and detectives, some working undercover.

So deep undercover that you’d think they were hip hop kids from John Jay or Fordham. Sometimes a detective comes in wearing a bulletproof vest underneath their street clothes. Or sometimes we get uniformed officers, coming in for a few cigars. And an occasional fireman will also come in for a few sticks.

On the flip side of all that, we get some mobsters. Today the detectives were in first and the mobsters were quite nervous, unable to do their thing, nervously looking over their shoulders. They didn’t stay too long, but the detectives did.

And then there is the Hasidim, Moises who comes in every now and then, who today, was sitting across from Rick. Rick says that he’s a gun runner. Goes to Russia and buys artillery and sells to the Mossad as well as Hamas.

Rick is pretty free with his mouth and makes one think that if someone was a gun runner, would they be shooting their mouths off so freely? Pun intended.

Overall, it was a weird day today. It was Calvin and Don with Marcus making an early appearance. Calvin is trying to be very nice since now that Don is leaving. Offered to take me to a jazz show tomorrow night after work.

I, of course, begged off. I don’t like jazz much and I do like to go home immediately after work. Been that way I suppose since 2006. That was when I last had access to a car service to go home. Nowadays, I see those town cars going past me as I walk to the bus.

Going out after work lately is a invitation to trouble, and let’s face it. I’m not much of a drinker these days. That was a surprise to Juan last week when he popped by last week. I don’t care if people want to have a drink or two. I prefer the jazz cigarettes myself.

I will go out for a pint or a cocktail on occasion and enjoy myself as I imbibe, but given the choice I’d take the herbage. It takes longer to recover from booze than it does for the herbs, at least it does for me.

Back at work, Calvin punished Sean a few weeks ago for an infraction that I can’t remember. Reduced his hours from 30 to 16. Now with Don departing, Calvin mentioned to Sean that he was going to increase his hours.

Calvin did not know that Sean has taken a second job at a shop nearby to make up for the hours he lost. And now Calvin is upset with Sean over that. I can’t blame Sean. He needs the work and did what he had to do to make up for the hours missed.

With Don on the way out, it’s almost like it is turning into the blessing/curse for a toast, ‘I hope you live in interesting times’.