Capítulo 4: 2. Stupid Donnie Block
After settling on a delivery time with Donnie, Olman left the bar. Korla Bar wasn't large, with two floors each covering just over a hundred square meters of space.
In the main hall on the first floor, there were several mahogany tables and chairs that had begun to show signs of reddening, as well as a bar. Behind the bar were all kinds of beers, rums, whiskeys, and more.
Additionally, on the first floor was a small storage room for various types of liquor, and a restroom, while upstairs there were three rooms: one for the tavern's sundries, a bedroom, and another restroom!
Originally, Korla Bar also had a bartender, but with the approach of Prohibition, everyone believed that alcohol would disappear in the United States; hence, the bartender resigned early on and went to work in the casino next door.
So now, the entire Korla Bar had only one person, Donnie.
Atlantic City was a tourist city, a pure tourist destination with no other industries. In this place, the bars, casinos, brothels, boarding houses, and hotels were the mainstay.
The primary patrons of Atlantic City were the blue-collar workers from Philadelphia, less than a hundred kilometers away!
"So you're the unfortunate new owner of Korla Bar?"
A white man wearing a poor-quality cotton jacket, with thinning hair and a listless spirit, stumbled over to the bar.
"If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't be able to drink the fine liquor you want!"
Donnie put down the glass in his hand and looked at the man, knowing he must be a worker from a factory in Philadelphia, who had come to Atlantic City to try his luck over the weekend.
"Ha!" The man laughed loudly, "That's correct!"
After laughing, the man's spirits seemed to sag as he said, "No more, I'm not coming to Atlantic City again. This place just empties my wallet!"
Donnie just smiled, not responding, as such people always say that. By the next weekend, they would definitely be on the first train, continuing their journey to Atlantic City!
"What will you have?"
"A glass of rum!" The man put 25 cents on the table.
Donnie poured him a glass of rum and put the money in the drawer.
"Ha!" After taking a sip, the man's rugged cheeks suddenly bloomed, the previous dejection vanished, and he laughed, "My name is Aiden!"
Donnie just nodded in response.
Aiden didn't seem to mind Donnie's silence and laughed, "Although I'm very fond of rum, I'm still very happy that at least my children will be spared from the troubles of alcohol!"
Donnie casually asked, "You have children?"
Aiden's expression faltered, and he replied with a forced laugh, "I soon will!"
Donnie didn't say anything more to Aiden, just watching the customers who were coming in one after another; he was waiting for someone.
Customers came and went in a steady stream, believing that it wouldn't be long before they wouldn't be able to drink anymore, indulging in their last frenzies.
So each person was drinking more than before; those who used to have one glass were now having three, and those who could previously walk out were now being thrown out by Donnie.
It wasn't until late at night, after the last customer had left, that Olman returned to Korla Bar with the weapons Donnie had requested.
"With such good business, do you really plan to close for two months?"
Olman set a Colt 1911 and bullets brazenly on the bar and couldn't help but ask curiously.
Donnie fended him off with the same reason he used before, "One always has to look at the bigger picture!"
After saying this, Donnie handed over the remaining 25 US Dollars to Olman.
Olman picked up the bills, savoring the smell of the US Dollars, "Alright, I've talked to Nucky. For the next two months, Nucky will charge you only 25 US Dollars per month, but there can't be any issues with the timing!"
By now, Donnie had picked up the handgun from the bar, feeling a familiar sensation from the gun's body, and he smiled, "Of course!"
"As for the purchase of whiskey and rum you mentioned, I've already arranged the contact for you. When do you want it?"
"The sooner the better!" Donnie eagerly said, knowing from history that once Prohibition began, Atlantic City didn't enforce the constitution; meaning that the bigwigs in the city must have already set this rule in advance, so they would surely be prepared beforehand.
What Donnie had to do now was to prepare even earlier than they did.
Olman didn't comment on Donnie's decision. If someone wanted to die, Olman was naturally ready to sit back, pour himself a glass of whiskey, and watch the show!
"Great, I'll contact you tomorrow!"
After finishing, Olman stood up and left. Donnie declined the invitation from Lisa at the nearby brothel and locked the tavern's main door from the inside.
The next day, Olman brought a man who was bigger and rounder than himself.
"This is William, William James. Half of the whiskey and rum in Atlantic City is supplied by him!"
Donnie didn't believe Olman's introduction at all. If this William James was really like what Olman said, he wouldn't necessarily be selling his whiskey and rum at this time. More importantly, there was no memory of such a person in Donnie's mind about Atlantic City.
Since Donnie had taken over Korla Bar, he naturally knew the suppliers well. In fact, before asking Olman, Donnie also tried to contact his own supplier but was met with an exorbitant price, prompting him to turn his attention to Olman.
"Mr. Block, you really have an eye for opportunity," William said with a handshake as genuine as his smile. "I've heard from Olman that you plan to sell off all your liquor stock in the days before Prohibition. I must say, it's a stroke of genius!"
William's enthusiasm was contagious as he shook Donnie's hand, his face beaming with sincerity.
Donnie managed only a brief smile in response. If William truly believed in his idea, he surely wouldn't be selling him more whiskey and rum at this time.
The deal between the two went smoothly. Donnie wanted to buy, James wanted to sell—it was as if Pan Jinlian had met Ximen Qing, no matchmaker needed!
With the 500 US Dollars he had earned from Donnie, James couldn't wipe the broad grin off his face.
"Olman, that fool is alright, just too poor. If only he could spend a bit more, I could have sold him all my stock!"
James took 20 dollars from the 500 in cash and handed it over to Olman, wincing at the parting of each bill.
Olman's smile was just as bright, having done nothing but make an introduction and earning himself 40 dollars for it. This was money going straight into his pocket, not like the usual earnings from the Korla Bar or selling guns to Donnie.
"Just another dummy fresh from the battlefield, probably got his brains addled by the German artillery fire. Where else can you find such a ripe sucker?"
James nodded in agreement, somewhat regretfully saying, "If only all those who came back from the battlefield were like Donnie!"
The two chatted and walked away from the boardwalk.
The news of Donnie's purchase of 500 US Dollars worth of rum and whiskey from James quickly spread among the other bars on the boardwalk.
'Foolish Donnie Block!'
Before long, the derogatory nickname was on everyone's lips.
Donnie had heard the epithet, too, but he didn't care. He believed in a little more than a month's time, everyone would know who the real fool was.
After hiding the whiskey and rum he bought from James, Donnie decided to visit home first. The stock from James and the existing inventory at the Korla Bar were not enough to satisfy his appetite.
Moreover, he was not interested in such one-off transactions.
Having packed his luggage, Donnie set off on the road back to Elwood Village.
What Donnie didn't know was, as he had just left, two men wearing duckbill caps, brims pulled low, followed in a Ford Model T heading in the same direction Donnie had gone.
The cool weather left by the light rain of late autumn made Donnie instinctively tighten his collar as he walked on the dirt road.
Donnie Block's hometown was called Elwood Village, located 15 kilometers north of Atlantic City. He was now leaving Atlantic City to return to his hometown.
"You can't make it big on your own. I don't have any friends in Atlantic City, and instead of working with acquaintances I barely know, it's better to bring some people from home!"
Donnie carried only a hemp rope backpack with some daily washing items and all his belongings. The rest was left at the Korla Bar in Atlantic City.
Actually, Donnie had wanted to take the train back to Elwood Village. Although there were trains from two railway companies in Atlantic City that went directly to Philadelphia, there was no stop in Elwood Village.
Fortunately, 15 kilometers was not too far, so Donnie became a backpacker by default.
Yet, the muddy and slippery road wet from the rain and the trees shedding their leaves on either side took away the relaxed mood he had when leaving Atlantic City.
With no scenery to admire, Donnie continued thinking about what his future path should be.
"After Prohibition starts, there will be only two ways to get liquor in the United States—one is to brew rum and whiskey illegally, and the other is to smuggle alcohol from Europe or other countries."
"To smuggle, you have to deal with the Coast Guard..."
Thanks to his participation in World War I, Donnie still had some connections in Europe, but trying to get through the domestic Coast Guard was a worry—he didn't have any contacts there.
"It looks like I'll have to find an opportunity later!"
Donnie shook his head with a somewhat helpless expression. Getting that first pot of gold was always the hardest when starting fresh.
"If smuggling isn't an option for now, then I'll have to take the road of brewing my own liquor!"
This was another reason why Donnie wanted to return to Elwood Village. To brew his own whiskey and rum, he would need distillers, raw materials, and a master brewer!
Distillers and materials needed to be bought with cash, but Donnie didn't have much cash on hand anymore. Moreover, he even wanted to see if he could buy more whiskey and rum from James, and all of that required money.
He would have to see how much help he could get from back home!
Even with not much cash left, Donnie had no regrets about spending his last bit on firearms. If he had enough money, he would have even bought more handguns.
This time he was definitely going to bring some people from Elwood Village back to Atlantic City. One person with a gun was hardly enough for self-protection.
"If only a few thousand dollars would fall from the sky right now, that would solve all my problems!"
Donnie thought with a bit of self-mockery.
Little did he know, at that moment, danger was slowly creeping up on him.
ps: As a fresh and rosy newcomer, I've passed the internal review. You can confidently add to your collections, recommend, and follow the read~ Continued readership is the lifeline for a new book, humbly begging for your support~~
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