The Bed You Make: An Urban Hood Drama

by Tamicka Higgins

  Race snickered and John looked into Sparkle’s eyes. There was something eerie about them. It was as if she was looking past him. This caused John to turn around swiftly. There, he was met with a gun to his forehead. He immediately froze.

  “Yeah, nigga,” the guy said. “Drop that shit.”

  Moving as if he were dealing with the police, John leaned over and dropped his gun on the floor. “Okay, okay,” he said. “Okay. Just don’t kill her.”

  “Nigga, you know you fucked up real bad, right?” Race asked. “I mean, you really know that you fucked up at Blue Lights that night. I been waitin’ to catch up with you, nigga. I been waitin’ for just the right time to catch you nigga. You know that was some fucked up shit you did. And now you done killed a couple of my niggas back in that bedroom and shit. Nigga, you might as well go on over to the cemetery and pick out your own grave.”

  “What the fuck is he talkin’ about, John?” Sparkle asked. “What the fuck happened up at The Blue Light?”

  “Nothin’, Sparkle,” John said. “Don’t worry about it. It’s between me and this nigga. And the shit happened cause of some shit this nigga did to me and shit.”

  “Some shit I did to you?” Race asked. He laughed out loud then pushed Sparkle to the side so hard that she flew into the wall. He turned his gun toward John. “Nigga, I caught you in my bed with my chick and sent you walkin’ naked and shit. What the fuck you mean what I did to you? You had no business even fuckin’ bein’ there, so I don’t even know what the fuck you talkin’ about.”

  “Nigga, she told me that you don’t stay there,” John said. “Shit, blame it on her and shit cause I ain’t have shit to do with it.”

  “But you knew that she was my chick, nigga,” Race said. “That’s the fucked up thing. You knew that I was fuckin’ that pussy and that’s why you wanted to slide up in it.”

  Since there was some truth to what Race said, all John could do was be quiet. Race stood there, not trembling the least bit, with his gun aimed at John. “Nigga, I’m done talkin’ and shit,” he said. “You about to fuckin’ die for that shit up at The Blue Lights. Havin’ a nigga walk around the parkin’ lot on a fuckin’ leash and naked and bein’ pulled by a fuckin’ car? Nigga, you ain’t have to do all that.” He chuckled. “And you think that you just gon’ be able to walk around Cincinnati without no fuckin’ problems after doin’ some shit like that. Nigga, you stupider than you look.” He glanced down at Sparkle. “Look like your kid is about to grow up without they daddy.”

  John watched as Race smirked then turned back to him. He saw his life flashing before his eyes as he realized Race was about to pull the trigger and end his life. Just as John had closed his eyes, thinking of his son Isaac and how much he’d miss him, the front door came flying open. Mel, with a gun in his hand, aimed for Race and shot him in the leg. Then, like a flash of light, Mel aimed for the guy standing behind John. John ducked out of the way, allowing Mel to hit the guy in his stomach.

  John only came out from behind the hallway wall when he heard the groaning of two shot men. He looked at Mel and smiled. “Nigga, what the fuck is you doin’?” he asked. “Where the fuck you learn to shoot like that?”

  “Nigga, I guess you forgot,” Mel said. “I was in the military before I came back to Cincinnati. I used to wind marksmanship contests and shit. I used to shoot better than them white boys and shit when I was deployed. I saw them same niggas I saw out back comin’ in the door when Sparkle came in here, so I knew some shit was fucked up on top of what you called me and said.”

  John, relieved that his neighbor had come to his rescue, saw Race trying to reach for his gun. Quickly, John rushed over to Race and kicked the man so hard in his head that he was immediately knocked out. He glanced back over at the guy who’d been holding the gun to his head—the guy who Mel had shot in his stomach. From the looks of it, whatever Mel hit in his stomach was enough to make him limp and lifeless.

  With his heart beating quickly, John looked down at Race, knowing that he’d have to find a way to get rid of him. If nothing else, it would be revenge for not only having him walk home that night naked, but also what happened to Camron and how Judge’s life wound up being taken as a result. Sparkle came over to John and Mel, hugging John with so much love.

  “This nigga really fucked up,” John said. “But we all good now. Now, I just gotta figure out what to do with this nigga…and the other two in the back.”

  “This like some mafia shit, John,” Sparkle said. “I gotta know what all happened.”

  John, realizing that he was really looking at a woman who loved him because of how she was willing to risk her own life, smiled and kissed her on her forehead. “Calm down, baby,” he said. “I’mma tell you what all went down. I’mma tell you. I’m just glad that it’s finally over now.”

  Bonus Chapter 13

  That fateful night wound up having some sort of silver lining, if such a thing was even possible. After watching four guys invade John’s house then get shot not only by John, but also by his neighbor Mel, could have been much worse. Once Sparkle’s heartbeat finally slowed down, she could take a moment to breathe and think. Like any woman who has had a child, the first thing that came to her mind was her son Isaac. This situation could have been so much worse if she’d gotten Isaac back from John’s mother and had come over here from there. Her just thinking about how easily something like that could have happened nearly made her want to cry.

  “So, what we gon’ do with them, John?” Mel asked. At this point, he’d put his gun down and closed the door. The guy over in the dining area had long lost his life. His cold, stiff body lay in a puddle of blood that was slowly growing larger by the minute. Two dead bodies back in the bedroom, both verified by John and Mel. Then, right before them was Race: knocked out, but not dead.

  “Shit, I don’t know,” Jon said. “It ain’t like I came home tonight plannin’ to find some niggas in my house then comin’ back and shit. They fuckin’ set up the mother of my child. Watch what you say to that one chick that work down at the gas station. Just watch what the fuck you say to her.”

  “She coo, though, John,” Sparkle said. “I ain’t think she knew that this was gon’ happen. That’s my girl.”

  “I ain’t try’na hear all that bullshit,” John said. “I mean, for real. That nigga went into the fuckin’ gas station talkin’ like he was my friend and shit and got that bitch to talkin’ and callin’ you and shit with some bullshit lie. But fuck all that right now. I got three dead bodies and a nigga that won’t let shit go in front of me. Camron at home with nerve damage cause of this nigga. My nigga Judge is dead. I had to watch his father bury his own son over some shit that shoulda only affected me. I did what I had to do to send a message to this nigga and he just took it too far. Shit, me and the nigga coulda just boxed the night he found me in bed with his chick. But naw, this piece of shit nigga right here had to hold a fuckin’ gun up to my head and make me walk home naked and shit. Shit, I ain’t even know the nigga was stayin’ there cause that chick was sittin’ up lyin’. Now I got three dead niggas to deal with too cause of that nigga. I don’t know what the fuck I’mma do with’em.”

  Mel, with his hands on his hips, paced around the couch. Not only were there four dudes to handle in some ways, but they were also sizeable guys that wouldn’t be easy to carry. “Man, these niggas is kinda bit,” he commented.

  “Yeah, I was just thinkin’ that same thing,” John said, shaking his head. “Fuck! I was just comin’ home from makin’ some money. Was gon’ take a shower and smoke or somethin’ and I wind up with three dead niggas. Goddamn, why do this shit have to happen to me? Fuck!”

  Sparkle noticed the concern in John’s eyes.

  “I can’t be goin’ to prison for killin’ three niggas,” John said. He was clearly getting frustrated. “I mean, for real, y’all. I can’t be goin’ to prison for killin’ these three dudes. You know how them white people are. You know they gon’ use this to put me away for
life three times.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Mel said. “And I’m an ex-serviceman, so I don’t know how this kind of situation could even turn out for me. But I do know one thing…. It probably ain’t gon’ be too long before the cops come looking around here. I mean, I know I don’t think that anyone on this block would actually be calling the police, but that don’t mean that they won’t come lookin’.”

  “Well, then, we should be talkin’ here with the lights off,” Sparkle said. She quickly stepped over to the switch by the door and turned off the lights. “We don’t need nobody thinkin’ nothin’ is up.”

  “Before I can even think about what to do with the bodies,” John said, “I gotta find somewhere to put’em. I mean, they can’t just lay in here. And I damn sure ain’t gon’ call the police to come and get them. And this ain’t Chicago. We can’t just leave them behind garages in alleys and think that ain’t nobody gon’ find out who put’em there and shit.”

  “Naw, that ain’t gon’ work,” Sparkle said. “Maybe you need to find some abandoned house or somethin’ that clearly ain’t nobody looked at or even been in a long time and put these niggas in there.”

  John nodded as he looked into Melvin’s eyes. “Okay, that could work,” he said. “”Shit, you know that Cincinnati got all kinds of neighborhoods that just have blocks and blocks of abandoned shit, and the shit be super dark at night.

  Mel mentioned a couple of places then said, “And you know I got that pickup truck out back that I never use. We would just have to find somethin’ to cover them in.”

  “Yeah, and hope to God that we don’t get pulled over by some cop that’s out there lookin’ to fuck with niggas,” John said. “That’s the last thing I need.” He glanced at Sparkle. “I got too much to lose for some shit like that.”

  Sparkle smiled. “Okay, so then what?” she asked, pointing at Race. “We still got this big mothafucka here.”

  “Awe, naw,” John said. “We ain’t got to worry bout this nigga. He gon’ be my guest for the shit he did. Had Camron beat up, Judge wound up gettin’ killed, and he used the mother of my child to come after me….all after makin’ me walk home naked in the middle of the night. Fuck this nigga. He keep comin’ back for more then more is what I’mma give him. Shit, the nigga wouldn’t even have this problem if he didn’t come up in my house in the first place. Simple as that.”

  Mel chuckled. “Okay, so then what the fuck you gon’ do with him then?” he asked. “This nigga right here.”

  “I’mma spend a little time with him,” John said, chuckling. “And I know somebody else that wanna see him too.” He smiled, causing Sparkle and Mel to wonder to whom he was referring. Only time will tell.

  Mel went and pulled his truck out of the garage. He drove over into John’s backyard and backed up against the house, allowing them to put the three bodies into the back of the pickup truck easily. They hated that they were going to have to take the risk of driving, even if only for a few blocks, to stash them away inside of an abandoned house or building. They’d already decided that one of them would go sort of scout out, as in look for places that would be good and secluded.

  Once they’d gotten the bodies onto the back of the truck, Mel drove back over into his yard. He had tons of tools and supplies in his garage and basement, so he went to see what he could find that would cover the three bodies up and not look suspicious. His motivation was rather self-driven because he knew he could be facing serious prison time as well. In the meanwhile, Sparkle watched John jumped onto the phone, in the living room, as Race still lay on the floor.

  “Who you callin’?” Sparkle asked. “Don’t you need to bet gettin’ rid of these bodies or somethin’, John? I mean, who the fuck could you be callin’ after three niggas just got killed?”

  “Wait a minute, wait a minute, Sparkle,” John said, waiving him hand. He then spoke into the phone. “Hello? Hello? Imani?”

  ***

  When Race finally came to, the excruciating pain in his right leg was absolutely agonizing. However, this pain wasn’t what had woken him up. Rather, it was the sting of a hand slapping across his face – a slap that came over and over and over. Foggy and in pain, he looked around and realized that not only was he in a basement, but he was also tied in such a way to where his hands were behind his back then connected to old pipes. He immediately, after seeing his situation, tried tugging and pulling.

  “Nigga, what the fuck you try’na do?” Imani asked.

  “Imani?” Race asked. This was a voice he certainly didn’t expect to hear after what happened upstairs. “What the fuck?”

  “Shut the fuck up Race!” Imani snapped. She stepped closer to Race and looked him dead into his eyes. The scars and bruises on her face from the third ass-beating she’d gotten from Race’s sister Maya, just a few days ago still hadn’t healed. Both of her lips were so swollen Imani could hardly pronounced her words. Both eyes were blackened and puffy. Scratches covered her face as if she’d gone running blindly through a field of cactuses.

  Race snickered then looked over to the other side of the room. There stood John, Mel, and Sparkle. He looked into John’s eyes and shook his head. He then broke down in laughter. “Okay, nigga,” he said. “You win, you win. You can keep psycho bitch right here, nigga. It ain’t even that serious.”

  “Nigga, I ain’t tell you to speak,” John said. “I ain’t fuckin’ tell you to speak.”

  Race snickered. “Okay, then.”

  John, furious from everything that happened, stepped forward and punched Race across the face. Blood spewed out of his mouth as his head jerked to the side. This was when he’d gotten his first look at his leg – the gunshot wound. His captors had at least enough consideration to wrap a t-shirt around the wound. He looked back up at John, not daring to open his mouth.

  “You had your bitch-ass sister come and beat my ass three times!” Imani yelled, her eyes swelling with tears. “You had that bitch come and beat my ass three fuckin’ times, in front of every fuckin’ body. I’m fuckin’ tired of havin’ to go to the hospital for the same shit, Race! I’m sick of this shit! Why you ain’t tell her to just leave me the fuck alone?”

  “I mean,” Race said, not knowing what to say. “I don’t know what to tell you. You the one that got caught with another nigga.”

  “Nigga, fuck you!” Imani yelled. “You ain’t pay no attention to me until you see some otha nigga is interested and shit. That’s the only time you fuckin’ care. And nigga, you know you really one to talk about somebody gettin’ caught up cheatin’. If you really wanna know the truth, the only reason I stayed with you is cause you got money. I know you be havin’ them stripper suck on your dick when I ain’t around. I know. I heard you was gettin’ some head in a car one night out in the parking lot of a strip club, but I ain’t say nothin’. I ain’t fuckin’ say nothin’ cause I was like I don’t wanna let go of the shoppin’ and the trips. But I swear, nigga. The shit ain’t even worth it. It ain’t even worth it. You had that bitch Maya come and beat my ass three times, nigga! Three times!”

  Race snickered. “So, what the fuck you want me to do?” he asked. “I mean, shit. You got caught suckin’ on that nigga’s dick.” He snickered softly then pushed his head forward. “Was it big enough for you?” he asked.

  Just then, in a swift move, Imani pulled a knife out of her purse and stepped up to Race. At first, he assumed that she was going to hold the knife up to his throat – the most common way. Soon enough, though, after closing his eyes and not feeling a sharp blade against his neck, he felt his fly being undone. The sound of the zipper, and knowing that a knife was out and ready and nearby, caused beads of sweat to pop up out of Race’s skin and fall.

  With Race’s soft dick and balls hanging out of his fly, Imani grabbed them tightly then held the knife close. As any man would, John and Mel looked away and winced. Just imagining being in Race’s position at that very moment made them cringe and want to run away like two scarred little boys.

&nbs
p; “Nigga, you gon’ watch how the fuck you talk to me,” Imani told Race. “I swear to God, I will cut your dick and balls off and make you my little bitch.” She smiled. “I wonder what your sister would do then.”

  “Okay, Imani!” Race yelled. “Okay! You ain’t gotta do that! Okay, okay, okay! Watch what the fuck you doin’ with my junk.”

  Imani laughed then yanked Race’s private parts as hard as she could, pulling it all away from her body. She then gently tapped his balls with the edge of the night, causing Race to squeal like a little girl. The armpits of his shirt were soaked. Imani looked him up and down then backed away.

  John now walked up and looked into Race’s eyes. “You know you was wrong about what happened at Blue Light,” Race said. The entire time he spoke, he never broke eye contact with John. He kept his lips tight. “Nigga, you know you ain’t have to do all that at my birthday party and shit. You know that was some fucked up shit… Comin’ into my fuckin’ birthday party, havin’ me get naked and then walkin’ me like a fuckin’ dog around a parkin’ lot.”

  “Nigga, shut the fuck up with your whinin’ and shit,” John said. “For real. You sound like a fuckin’ bitch. Nigga, you had me go home without my clothes on and without my car and phone and keys and shit. Nigga, I don’t give a fuck what you say. Like I said to them earlier, we coulda just boxed it out like normal niggas without all the extra shit. Nigga, you brought this shit on yourself.”

  Just then, Mel got a call and headed upstairs to take it. The three of them could hear his muffled voice coming through the floor. After Race looked up at the ceiling then back down at John, Imani, and Sparkle, he noticed Drew and his boys weren’t around. “Where the fuck my nigga Drew at?”

  “Who?” John asked. “Who the fuck you talkin’ about? Don’t you think you need to be worryin’ about you and your situation right now rather than some other grown ass niggas?”