The Bed You Make: An Urban Hood Drama

by Tamicka Higgins

  “Oh, you still got the key? Okay, you gon’ go over there and check on him? Good, girl. ‘Cause I ain’t wanna get the police involved. I ain’t seen him today, but he did come in here yesterday… Okay… Okay… I’ll tell him. You probably don’t know him, but you know that John got all kinds of friends around here… Yeah, girl. Stop in here when you leave there or whatever. He prolly just in there knocked out asleep or somethin’ like that.”

  The gas station attendant hung up and looked at Drew. “She gon’ go over there and check on him. She said that she would be over there in like thirty minutes. I don’t know if you wanna wait or what, but since you already over here, you might as well.”

  Drew tried his best to contain his happiness. He never thought that he’d be able to get such good information out of the chick that worked up at the gas station. Drew thanked the girl then went out to the car. He talked to his goons, smiling from ear to ear. “We goin’ back over there tonight, niggas,” he said. “Race gon’ be real happy when he hear this shit.”

  Drew went ahead and filled the car up then waited for Race to pull up. He parked over by the air machine, thinking. When Race pulled into the parking lot, he jumped out of the car and walked up to Race’s window. Race, who still wasn’t one hundred percent happy as he had been before the horrifying night at Blue Lights, looked into Drew’s eyes.

  “Wassup?” he asked. “Y’all ready to go back over there or what? I don’t care how long we gotta wait. I just lost a buncha money cause of that nigga, so I’mma make sure I fuck him up.”

  “And it just got easier,” Drew said. “I was in there askin’ the girl workin’ in there and she told me that that nigga got a baby mama that was stayin’ with him. I went in there talkin’ like I was that nigga’s friend and was real concerned cause he ain’t answerin’ the phone or none of my texts, even though he told me to come right now. Nigga,” he pointed toward the gas station, “that chick in there got right on the phone and called the baby mama cause she and her is real cool. The bitch’s name is Sparkle and she supposed to be on her way up here ‘cause she still got the key to that nigga’s place.”

  “Okay,” Ray said, not fully connecting the dots. “So, what the fuck you wanna do with that shit? I mean, y’all niggas already got in the house and shit, right? So, what we need somebody runnin’ over here with a key and shit if y’all niggas already been in there?”

  “Think about it, Race,” Drew said, thinking that his boy truly wasn’t on his game. “This Sparkle bitch that supposed to be comin’ up here is the mother of that nigga’s child. I mean, if we get her then we get that nigga cause he ain’t gon’ want shit to happen to the mother of his child.”

  Race chuckled and nodded. “I see what you sayin’,” he said. “Shit, imagine if we got that nigga’s child.”

  “Race, man,” Drew said. “You not really thinkin’ about actually goin’ after the kid and shit, is you?”

  “Naw, nigga,” Race said. “You know I’m not gon’ go after no kid or no shit like that. But, you know what? I like what you thinkin’. That shit was smart. And I bet all you had to do was show the girl in there a little attention and she opened right up, huh?”

  “Yup,” Drew said. “You already know. Shit, after we get done with this nigga John, I might have to stop back by this gas station and see about her. She kinda big, but she got a shape and a pretty face. Just my type, nigga. You know?”

  Race chuckled and looked over at Drew’s car. “Okay,” he said. “Nigga, let’s head up there and see what this Sparkle chick look like. I mean, if we can get her and shit, then even better.”

  “Then we gotta get movin’,” Drew said. “I wanna get her inside the house then let that nigga John know that we got her. He gon’ come runnin’ then, I fuckin’ guarantee it. He gon’ come right there and you can get him then.”

  Race smiled and threw his car into drive. “Okay, let’s hurry up and get over there,” he said. “I’ll follow y’all since you already know where to park and shit.”

  On that note, Drew hopped into his car and led Race back to John’s house.

  ***

  John sat out front for several minutes, contemplating what he would do. In so many ways, he felt vulnerable because he didn’t have his two boys with him. He never realized until he didn’t have them at his sides just how valuable their friendship had been for so long. If Judge and Camron were there in the car with him, they’d come up with a plan to run into his house and take care of whoever was inside. Nonetheless, he had to think about his next move.

  John noticed a car pulling down the alley from behind his house that he’d never seen. Then he saw the same car in his rearview mirror, turning down the street and heading toward the gas station. Something was telling him that whoever had been waiting inside of his house had left. He moved quickly, loading his gun and parking his car in the next block. He rushed up the street and up to his front door. He listened for a moment, seeing if he could hear any kind of steps or voices inside. When he didn’t, he let himself in.

  With his gun already aimed in the air, John slowly walked through his dark living room. Five minutes had passed and he’d checked most of his house, realizing that whoever had been in there had left. Finding his backdoor slightly ajar, as if someone had left in a hurry, told him just how real the situation had gotten. That, on top of there being nothing missing, told John that whoever Mel saw wasn’t anyone coming into the house to rob him.

  A little more relaxed, John locked his door and stood in the kitchen for a moment. He decided that he’d need to probably go somewhere else. After all, there was a very good chance that Race and his boys would come back. And he still wanted to know who in the hell told Race where he stayed, especially since he didn’t let a lot of people into his circle to where they would know that kind of thing.

  John headed toward his bedroom, looking through his contacts as he tried to think of who he could call. He cracked a smile when he reached his bedroom. He came to the conclusion that he could go and stay with Sparkle, especially since there was a spark between the two of them again. John piled some of his clothes into a duffle bag as quickly as he could, making sure that his gun was in sight at all times.

  As John was heading out of his bedroom, turning the lights out, he noticed Sparkle’s car pull up outside. Immediately, something felt very strange. He checked his phone to be sure he hadn’t missed a call or text from Sparkle. He hadn’t. His face scrunched up as he tried to reason out why Sparkle would come pulling back up.

  John dropped his bag in the hallway and walked to the living room. As he reached the living room the door opened, and he immediately raised his gun. But it was only Sparkle. She flipped the lights on and covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped. John noticed the way Sparkle’s eyes were focused on his gun, and lowered it, putting it behind his back.

  “Sparkle, what you doin’ here?” John asked. “You ain’t text me or call me or nothin’ like that, tellin’ me that you was comin’ over here right now. If there was somethin’ you forgot or wanted me to bring you, I coulda brought it for you with no problem.”

  “No, John,” Sparkle said, shaking her head. She walked up to him. “That’s not why I’m here at all. This chick I’m cool with down at the gas station just called about you.”

  “A chick at the gas station called about me?” John asked. “What the fuck you mean she called about me? What chick are you talkin’ about?”

  “You know,” Sparkle said. “The chick that probably work the most hours up in that place, for real, for real. That’s my girl. When I saw her callin’, I actually thought that she was callin’ to see about us hangin’ out or somethin’ like that, but no. She said that some nigga you real cool with was up at the gas station—she called like thirty minutes ago or somethin’ like that—and that you had told him to come up here but when he got here, you wasn’t here but your car was out front. Where’s your car, John?”

  “It’s parked in the next block,” John said, p
ointing to his right. “But we gon’ have to hurry up and get the fuck up outta here, Sparkle. Seriously.” He reached for his bag. “I think some shit about to go down up in here and we gotta get the fuck out quick as fuck.”

  “What?” Sparkle asked, totally confused. “What you talkin’ about, John? What’s about to go down in here?”

  “Sparkle, I ain’t tell nobody to come over,” John said. “The only niggas I ever had up in my house was Judge and Camron. I ain’t tell no nigga to come up here. This shit is a fuckin’ setup, Sparkle. It’s a fuckin’ setup. I ain’t tell nobody to come over. And if I did, anybody I have up in here would fuckin’ no betta than to go talkin’ at a gas station about me and shit.”

  “Is you fuckin’ serious?” Sparkle asked. “What kinda shit you done got into, John? I need to know what about to happen.”

  “I don’t know what the fuck is about to happen,” John said. “But I know I don’t want to be here for it. When I pulled up, there was some niggas in here. They left and I came in here to get my clothes and shit. I was just about to call you and see about comin’ to stay with you and shit when you came pullin’ up and walked in here.”

  “Shit,” Sparkle said, hurrying toward the door. She parted the curtain to look out. Her eyes bulged as she saw two men were already headed up the sidewalk. “There’s two niggas already comin’ in here. What the fuck we gon’ do?”

  John felt his heartbeat speed up and his blood pressure rise. He looked toward the kitchen, which was still dark. Because of the streetlight out at the alley, he could see the shadows of heads moving around just outside of the door. This was an ambush—an ambush that was meant for Sparkle, which made things even worse.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” John said. “What we gon’ do?”

  “You got your heat, John,” Sparkle said, jumping behind him. “Shoot these niggas. What is goin’ on? Why they comin’ in here?”

  John only had minutes to think, knowing that both doors were locked. He heard the sound of whoever was outside trying to get inside. More than anything, he wanted to make sure that nothing happened to Sparkle. “Go hide,” he said. “I’m ‘bout to kill some niggas.”

  “No, John,” Sparkle said. “They came here ‘cause they thought that I was gon’ be here. And you only got one gun with niggas try’na come into the house from both the front and the back. Let them find me and then they can walk into a trap with you bein’ somewhere else cause they don’t know you here. You said your car was parked down the street and shit, right?”

  “Yup,” John said, putting his bag down. “The attic is kinda low, but I can go up there and get them niggas without them even seein’ me. You sure you gon’ be safe?”

  “Hell yeah,” Sparkle said, just wanting to get out of this alive. “Just go so you can get these niggas without you knowin’.”

  John rushed away, heading down the bedroom hallway. He still wasn’t sure if he’d actually hide in the attic, but he needed to get out of sight. He ducked in the bedroom, lying on the floor beside his bed, as he listened.

  Sparkle had never been so nervous in her life, but she’d rather have something strategic going than to find herself in the middle of a full-blown shootout. She waited as whoever was coming in the front got in. When she looked into the faces of two men she’d never seen, she screamed—a scream that shook John to his core, making him wish it was a good idea to come running out into the living room. At this point, though, that would only hurt him and Sparkle.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Sparkle asked.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Drew said, pointing a gun at Sparkle. “Shut the fuck up, bitch!”

  Sparkle screamed, wondering what she’d gotten herself into. Before she knew it, a few more guys were coming in through the backdoor. They all had guns—all four of them—and they crowded around her. She glanced down the hallway, wondering what the rest of John’s plan was.

  “What? What?” Sparkle asked. “You can just take whatever you want. Just don’t kill me! Just don’t kill me! I got a kid and shit, so please don’t kill me.”

  Race slapped Sparkle on her ass. “Shut up with all that bullshit you talkin’,” he told her. “Calm the fuck down. We ain’t come to kill you or take none of this trash in this nigga John’s house. We came for that nigga, John.”

  “Okay, what about him?” Sparkle asked. “He ain’t here, he ain’t here. I don’t even live here. I’m his baby mama. I got a call that somethin’ might be wrong with him or somethin’, so I came over here. I swear, he ain’t even here.”

  “I know he ain’t here,” Race snapped.

  “Yeah, we know he ain’t here,” Drew said. “We been lookin’ for this nigga since this afternoon. Where the fuck he at? I know you know where the nigga at. I mean, I know he breakin’ you off with some money or somethin’. So, tell us where the nigga at right now.”

  “I don’t know!” Sparkle said. “I swear I don’t know where John at. I got a call sayin’ that somebody was lookin’ for him and that his car was parked out front but he wasn’t comin’ to the door. I just got here like five minutes ago and he ain’t here. He ain’t even fuckin’ here.”

  Race slapped Sparkle’s ass again. “I know the nigga ain’t here,” he said. “We know the nigga ain’t here. That’s why we got you here ‘cause we need to find this nigga real quick. He did some fucked up shit that he gon’ have to pay for and now I’m lookin’ for the nigga. I know that if I don’t find that nigga John soon, then I’mma just have to start killin’ folks and shit. That’s what’s gon’ have to happen if you don’t figure out where that nigga is.”

  “How I’m supposed to know where he is?” Sparkle asked. “I mean, really. We ain’t even together like that. How in the hell am I supposed to know where he at if he ain’t even answerin’ the phone for his friends?”

  “Did he answer the phone for you?” Race asked. “I know he answered the phone when you called. You the mother of his child. Then again, y’all niggas prolly got one of them situations or somethin’ where you and that nigga don’t get along. Is that it?”

  “I mean, we coo,” Sparkle said. “I just came over here to see what was up. That’s all.”

  “Okay, well, baby,” Race whispered into Sparkle’s ear. “Why don’t you get the phone out and call him? Tell him some shit went down with his son and he need to come and meet you real quick.”

  If it was even possible, Sparkle’s heart beat even faster. With John only being feet away, the last thing she wanted to do was to call him. The phone ringing would certainly be a dead giveaway that she’d been lying. And these four guys didn’t look like the kind of people that needed to be lied to. She hesitated to pull her phone out of her pocket, only moving faster when she felt the cold metal of Race’s gun against the back of her head. Her eyes swelled with tears then she yelled, “Okay, okay,” purposely being loud enough for John to hear, “I’mma call him! I’mma call him!”

  Hearing those words sent volts of fear through John’s body. Listening to Sparkle being talked to in such a demeaning way and held at gunpoint was just too much. He wanted to be brave and go out there shooting, but he knew that wouldn’t work. Quickly, knowing that time was truly of the essence because Sparkle was being forced to call him, John reached down toward his pocket and pulled his phone out. He usually kept the ringtone on, rarely using the silent mode. However, he soon saw that the phone ringing could very well work in his favor.

  Like a soldier in a violent Vietnam warzone, John crawled on his knees and elbows over to the door. He thanked God that the hallway light had been out, as the darkness was surely working to his advantage. He stuck his head out into the hallway and looked at Sparkle, being held at gunpoint and looking into her phone with a face full of horror. Moving swiftly but silently, John tossed his phone across the hallway carpet and into the spare bedroom—the bedroom where Isaac and Sparkle had been staying when they were staying with him.

  No sooner than the phone landed in the room across the hallway, did it start r
inging. Quickly, John backed up and stood up. He ducked behind the door and waited, listening. Sparkle was being slapped around for lying—for saying that John wasn’t here when his phone was ringing from the other room.

  Race shoved Sparkle to the side, falling over the couch and onto the floor in front. She moaned from the pain, especially in her arms. Race pointed toward the bedrooms, indicating that Drew and one of his boys should go back there. “Don’t kill him,” Race said. “I want him alive so I can kill him. Do whatever you gotta do to make sure you don’t kill him.”

  “Got it,” Drew said.

  Race stood to the side as Drew and one of his boys slowly made their way down the hallway. With their guns up and their walk steady, the two men walked down the hallway. They checked the bathroom—found nothing. They then checked behind the second door, finding only a closet stuffed with clothing. Then they came to the bedroom where John’s phone had been lying on the floor. Drew pointed toward the bedroom behind him, letting his boy know that he needed to go check it.

  Just as Drew was bending over to pick up the phone, his boy yelled, “Watch out nigga!”

  A gunshot rang out in the house. It rocked the light fixtures and windows. Drew’s boy was instantly shot in the head, sending his body falling forward like a tumbling building. Just as Drew had processed what was said, pain in his ass jolted through him. John had shot him in his butt, causing him to fall forward. His gun flew out of his hand.

  John felt a brief sense of accomplishment in seeing that he’d gotten two of the guys; however, he knew he still had half of the battle left. He quickly grabbed the gun of the guy he’d shot in his bedroom then rushed out into the hallway. Without thinking, he fired one more shot into Drew’s body then turned his gun toward the living room. Everything had gotten strangely quiet. It was as if Race and the other guy had disappeared.

  John, walking as quietly as possible, walked down the hallway until he came to the living room doorway. There, he saw a terrifying sight: Race had Sparkle held closely and a gun to her head. “No,” John said, the word slipping out of his mouth. “Don’t kill her, get me. Don’t kill her.”