Splitting the Spoils

In the Jamaica Community, on the third floor of a certain building, the curtains were drawn tight, leaving only a single desk lamp lit inside.

The items spread across the living room table looked like a small-scale auction: three down jackets with the tags still on, two pairs of nearly brand-new Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, five pairs of Levi's jeans, and a PSP console.

Other clothes of unrecognizable brands and miscellaneous items were piled on the sofa—gloves, hats, a gray coat, an Apple charger, and even an unopened pack of Oreo.

Three young Black men, whose full names Lin An couldn't quite recall, hovered around the table, their eyes gleaming, their mouths filled with a constant stream of "yo," "damn," and "this is crazy."

One of them, nicknamed Fatty, had already put on one of the down jackets.

Darnell stood right in the middle of the table, hands pressed against the surface like an auctioneer, his expression serious:

"Quiet, everyone be quiet. We're splitting the loot, not playing poker. Can you guys show a little professionalism?"

Lin An leaned against the wall by the door, holding a cup of hot coffee gifted by his viewers, watching the chat in the stream, completely indifferent to the division of the spoils.

Fatty moved his limbs, feeling the warmth of the down jacket, and said:

"Darnell, your friend is really smart. Before, we were always thinking about how to snatch things from the store and run from the police, but he just took us straight to the small warehouses near the back alleys of the shops to stock up.

This is the first time our zero-dollar shopping has been as easy as strolling through a supermarket. As long as you open that damn door, no one comes to bother us!"

The other two laughed and nodded in agreement.

Darnell rolled his eyes.

"You guys don't get it. That's what a genius is. He can always see further and understand more than us ordinary Ni Ge."

He turned to Lin An, crossing his arms.

"OK, genius, you're the star of the show today. According to the rules of the Jamaica Community, you pick first."

A genius?

No, it was just that Lin An had the guidance of the stream, which was how he knew about the tiny supply warehouses the merchants had set up near their shops.

At Darnell's invitation, Lin An set his hot coffee aside and walked to the table, his gaze sweeping over the items.

Then, he picked up a thin black hoodie, a pair of dark gray cargo pants, and a beanie.

These three items were all in his size.

He then stepped back and continued drinking his coffee.

The room went silent for about three seconds.

"That's it?"

Fatty's eyes widened.

"You're only taking that much?"

"It's enough."

Lin An said.

"These clothes fit me, and I don't have a use for the rest."

Darnell's brow furrowed.

"That's not fair, and it's not according to the rules, Lin An, we..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a familiar, fast, and sharp Nokia ringtone blared from his person.

Lin An's hand jerked, nearly spilling his coffee, and the stream chat rapidly flooded his vision.

[Damn hahahaha what kind of trash ringtone is that, it scared me]

[Classic Nokia, if you know, you know]

[I saw Lin An's hand shake, dying of laughter]

[Darnell, don't you think it's time to change your phone?]

Darnell, however, remained quite calm. He pulled the Nokia with the cracked screen from his pocket, glanced at the caller ID, and his expression immediately turned subtle.

"Shh..."

He pressed his index finger to his lips, the intensity he had just used to argue about the loot dissipating for the most part.

"Everyone be quiet, it's my sister."

Fatty was about to say something, but Darnell silenced him with a glare.

He answered the phone, his voice dropping to a whisper, laced with obvious guilt.

"Hey? Meiling... Yeah, I'm at Fatty's place, just... discussing some things. School stuff."

Fatty opened his mouth silently—when have we ever studied...

Another Ni Ge nearby kicked him, and Fatty shut up.

Whatever was said on the other end of the line, Darnell's shoulders visibly slumped, and he transformed from the "Godfather of Brooklyn's Underground" into a "schoolboy being called out by his teacher."

"The subway station, right now? No problem, Meiling, I'm heading over. I'm even bringing a friend along who can solve your trouble... definitely can."

He paused, clearly listening to the person on the other side, and then his voice grew quieter and quieter.

"Fine, fine, I'll be there in fifteen minutes..."

The line went dead.

Darnell stared at his phone screen for two seconds, took a deep breath, and then turned to face the group.

In just a few seconds, his expression completed a triple jump from "guilty" to "serious" to "I am the one in charge here."

"OK. Listen up. I've got stuff to do, I'm out."

He walked quickly to the table, grabbed the black The North Face puffer jacket he had been eyeing, tucked it under his arm, and pointed at the others.

"Fatty, you're in charge of the split. You know the rules... based on how much work everyone put in. The idea was Lin An's, and he found the warehouse, so he gets the lion's share. But he doesn't want it, so the clothes he's taking don't count toward the split. You three divide the rest."

He paused and added.

"Take the PSPs to school to sell and split the money. The Oreos are mine; my sister loves them. Anyone got a problem with that?"

No one had a problem.

Darnell put on his shoes, pulled the door open, and looked back at Lin An.

"Genius, come with me."

Lin An raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going too?"

"Yeah, my sister's got a problem, and you're just the guy to fix it."

He paused and added.

"Plus, I need to borrow your bike. If you're with me, the cops won't think I'm a bike thief; they'll think we're just two lost Asians. It's safe. That's called strategy. You know what I mean?"

The chat stream started scrolling again.

["Two lost Asians" hahahahaha]

[Darnell, have you looked in a mirror? You're Asian now?]

[Lin An: I've become your lucky charm, haven't I?]

Lin An stood up, picked up the half-cold coffee, and walked toward the door.

As he passed Darnell, he said.

"Your strategy is very creative."

"Of course it is. Who am I? Darnell Washington... the smartest guy in the Jamaica Community... yeah, the smart one among the brothers."

He closed the door, then pushed it open again, poked his head in, and said:

"Fatty, don't take extra, especially that The North Face you've got on. If you walk out wearing that, I'll make you swim across the Atlantic in it... you know what I mean?"

Door closed.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, along with Darnell's voice:

"Genius, why didn't you take your share earlier? I really don't get you. A guy like you, if you were in a church in the Jamaica Community, the pastor would say you're unswayed by worldly things. But on the street, you're just a fool with a broken brain. Which one are you, really?"

Lin An's voice came back, calm.

"Maybe both."

"Both... listen to yourself, maybe both... God, I'm starting to regret taking you to meet Meiling. I'm afraid you're going to be a bad influence on her... oh, right, how are your grades?"

The voices faded into the distance.

Inside the room, Fatty looked at the items left on the table, was silent for three seconds, and said to the person next to him:

"That friend of his seems a bit crazy, but Darnell... Darnell seems to really like him."

The person next to him nodded.

"Didn't you hear what he said? That's how geniuses are. He can always see further than us regular brothers... when has Darnell ever complimented anyone?"

Fatty picked up the pack of Oreos, looked at it, and put it back down.

"Forget it, leave them for him. His sister likes them."