by Chunichi
“Jewel, hurry up!” I shouted. “Give me ten minutes,” she yelled back. “I’m almost done.”
We were on our way to pay my lawyer a visit, and if Jewel didn’t hurry, we were gonna be late. Mr. Schultz was all about his business, and time was money. This dude actually charged extra for each minute you were late. I didn’t blame him. With the clients he had, he needed to be a ball-buster. I’d been dealing with him since the start of my criminal career, but that made no difference to him. This man didn’t deal with credit, good faith, or give a fuck about all the other times I’d paid him up front. Times are now, and he wanted his money right now. I couldn’t argue with him. He was good at what he did, and I respected his game.
“Jewel!” I yelled out to her again.
She shouted back, “Trayvon Davis, leave me alone!”
What the hell she could be doing that was taking so damn long? For a minute I wondered if she was stalling on purpose. It wouldn’t be the first time she would have done it.
Jewel always hated going to see the lawyer. What she feared the most was the unknown; not knowing how much time I may or may not get was probably driving her crazy. I admit I had put my baby through a lot. Every woman has a limit. I had to wonder if I had pushed Jewel over hers. I constantly thought about blowing the trial and just copping a plea, but my rap sheet was fifteen years strong. There’s no telling how long the
D.A. would want to put me away. I couldn’t take that chance. I’d rather take my chances with a sympathetic jury and let the chips fall where they may. Damn! This wasn’t how I imagined my life would turn out. I was supposed to be living on some private island by now.
I got tired of waiting and even more tired of thinking about court and all my problems. I headed to our bedroom to drag Jewel out. As I approached the bathroom door, I could hear her talking.
“I’ll call you back.” She hung up the phone just as I was walking in the bathroom.
“Oh, that’s what’s taking you so long. Who was that?”
I was a little heated but tried to stay calm. “One of my girls.”
Now I was suspicious. “Girls? You ain’t got no girls.”
“You don’t know what I have,” Jewel snapped. “You’ve been ghost for over three months, remember?”
“A’ight, Jewel. Let’s roll,” I said, still trying to avoid an argument. She was right. I had disappeared, but now I was ready to make it up. For Jewel and my baby.
“Okay. I’m ready,” she replied with a fake smile going through the motions.
Jewel seemed a bit on edge all morning. At first I just figured it was because of our upcoming visit with the lawyer, but the more I observed her, it seemed like it was something more. I started tripping, thinking it had to do with her pregnancy and that the phone call earlier was to her doctor.
I started feeling guilty on our ride over to the lawyer, thinking Jewel deserved way better than this. The funny thing is, I think she had realized it faster than me. But that’s life. I learned a long time ago the sun will still rise whether you stand alone or with someone by your side. That’s why my loyalty was always to the almighty dollar and the streets. They came before anyone and anything in my life. Now I was starting to rethink that motto. Jewel was breaking down that code.
As we drove, Jewel’s phone was constantly buzzing. It was seriously starting to bug my ass. I couldn’t even enjoy the tunes on my mixed CD because of it.
“Damn, Jewel! Who the fuck keeps calling?” I asked,
annoyed as hell.
“It’s that same person that’s been calling private. I have answered the phone a thousand times with nobody talking on the other end. You know how it goes, Touch.”
“They still calling? Why don’t you just change your number, babe?”
“I thought about it, but so many important people have this number, and so many things are going on right now, I just really don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Although I felt what Jewel was saying was a bunch of bullshit and the person calling was whoever she was talking with earlier, I didn’t even bother saying anything. I didn’t have the energy to fight with her at the moment. I was trying to get rid of the drama between the two of us, so instead of slapping the bitch for lying to me, I just turned up the volume and let the music take me into a deep zone.
As I bobbed my head to the words of “6 Foot 7 Foot” by Lil Wayne, my moment of attempted meditation was interrupted by Jewel’s constant texting. Now my patience was starting to run thin with her, and I felt like I was gonna explode.
Without hesitation, I snatched Jewel’s phone from her hand and started going through her call log and text messages. Jewel had been acting real suspicious lately, and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I knew she had been sneaking to the garage and various places throughout the house to use her phone while she thought I was sleeping. There was no doubt in my mind Jewel was hiding something, and I was about to find out what it was.
I read the text in her phone aloud–“I haven’t heard from you. Call me. You did some real fucked-up shit. Jewel, I know you’re not in school. You’re a fuckin’liar. I would have given you anything.”
“Okay, you happy? Now please give me the phone back, Touch,” she said, trying her best to stay cool.
“Jewel, who the fuck is Rico?”
“Oh, you want to go there?” Jewel said in a sarcastic tone.
“I’ma ask you one more time–Who the fuck is Rico?”
I had her in a semi-choke hold, causing her to almost hit the person in front of us.
“Get your fuckin’ hands off me,” she struggled to say, but I wasn’t letting up until she answered my question. She pulled the car to the side of the road, and within seconds she somehow pulled out a taser gun.
“What the fuck is this?” I laughed as I released her.
“Now, nigga, you listen to me. You fucked up our relationship a long time ago. Then you were on the run while I was alone and pregnant. On top of that, your sorry ass is up for domestic violence charges for another bitch! So, please, I beg you, don’t come at me with a whole bunch of questions!”
Damn! I thought as I listened to Jewel. There was nothing I could say in response to that. Everything she said was true. Her words rendered me silent. The only good response would have been to apologize, but there was no way in hell I would have done that at that moment.
“Oh, you quiet now, huh? You don’t have shit to say.” Jewel put the car in park.
“Nope. No time to talk right now. We’ll talk later. We got more important things to take care of,” I said, blowing off the conversation then stepping out the car.
“Fuck you, Touch! Go handle your business by your fuckin’ self. You’ve done this plenty of times before. You know the routine.” Jewel then drove off.
I didn’t have the time or energy to chase after her. I just shook my head in disbelief and began walking to my lawyer’s building. Everything seemed to be spiraling out of my control, and I had no idea what to do about it. I wanted to make everything easy for Jewel, but sometimes I got the feeling she didn’t want me around. Nothing I did was right.
Fuck it! I thought. I’ll just do me from now on.
I somehow reached Schultz’s building on time. I pressed number eight on the elevator and walked in the office. As I sat waiting to see Mr. Schultz, I thought,
What bullshit is this? He would make me pay extra for being late, but when I was on time, he made me wait and wouldn’t give me no damn discount. That’s the price I had to pay for having the best attorney in town. I’d rather pay his ass than do time.
The receptionist said, “Mr. Schultz can see you now.”
“Thanks,” I said while walking toward his office.
“Mr. Davis.” Schultz greeted me with a handshake.
“Thanks for taking me at such short notice. Here’s your money. It’s all hundreds, just the way you prefer.” I bit my tongue and didn’t say nothing about the double standard.
“You know me well.�
� Mr. Schultz accepted the money and motioned for me to have a seat. “Listen, let’s get to it because I don’t want to take too much of your time. I’ve already talked with the district attorney.”
“Wow! That was fast. That’s why I fuck with you, Mr. Schultz!”
“Yeah, I took her out last night, so I figured I may as well discuss the case while I had her eating out of the palm of my hand. Everything in life is about who you know and how much power they hold. From church to the law, it’s all politics, my friend.”
“I know all about. I’m just glad to have you in my corner.”
“Money talks!” Schultz laughed. “The conspiracy charges will be dropped due to the lack of evidence. As you may already know, the police officer working undercover on your case died in the line of duty. She was involved in a tragic high-speed chase.” Schultz cut his eyes at me. He knew it was me she was chasing. He took a sip of his coffee. “The prosecutors hoped to still be able to go on with the case, based on the reports from the officer. But the files from the case have mysteriously disappeared.” Schultz cut his eyes at me again. Now I knew nothing about the missing files. I damn sure was glad to hear the news though. “As far as the domestic violence and the auto theft charges, you will have a hefty fine, be required to go to anger management class, and unsupervised probation for a year. So I need you to stay on your best behavior at all times. No fighting, smoking, drinking, or drugs. And if you decide to do it, don’t fuckin’ get caught. You got it?”
“Damn right!” I said. This was the best news I could have possibly heard. Way better than I’d expected.
“This time, you got real lucky. Your court date is in two weeks. I will have my receptionist send you a reminder in the mail.”
“I’ll be there. Thanks, man! I’ll see you in court,” I replied, happy as hell.
I walked out of the office with a big-ass Kool-Aid smile across my face. To my surprise, Jewel was waiting for me in the parking lot with the tazer gun still in her hand. Believe it or not, not even that was able to ruin my joy. With her being pregnant, I knew her hormones were all fucked up.
I gave her a hug. “Thanks for coming back for me.”
She looked shocked as hell. She didn’t know how to respond to my friendly attitude. She just got in the car and started it up. I had just gotten the best news in my life and didn’t want to ruin the moment. I just wanted to go home, smoke a blunt, and lay down. I know Schultz told me to stay away from drugs and alcohol, but I had been up the last two nights awaiting my fate, stressed as a motherfucker. For the first time in months I was stress free! I needed a rest.
The entire ride home, Jewel and I didn’t say a word to each other. She didn’t even ask about what happened with my lawyer. I didn’t know if it was because she was scared to hear or if she didn’t care. Either way, that was cool with me. I was finally able to listen to my CD and zone out without interruption. I blasted the radio, leaned my seat back and turned up the tunes of “I’m on One” by DJ Khaled. I sang along.
When we arrived home, Jewel didn’t even pull in the driveway. She dropped me off and pulled right back off. I didn’t even question it. There was no way she was going to ruin my good mood. I walked right on to the crib and didn’t even look back. I figured she was acting out because she wanted a reaction from me. And, more than anything, she wanted an explanation and an apology. True, she deserved it, but I wasn’t quite ready to give in yet. She would get what she wanted but on my terms.
When I got in the house, I did exactly as I’d planned. I rolled a blunt, grabbed the remote, and got comfortable in the bed. I hadn’t taken two pulls from the blunt before my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, but I didn’t recognize the number. I wondered if it was that bitch Lisa, who had been blowing my phone up on the regular. It was time to put an end to this shit.
“Hello,” I answered full of attitude, ready to let Lisa’s ass have it.
“Yo, Touch, this is Jimmy. What’s been going on?”
“Oh, damn! Jimmy, it’s good to hear from you. I just left my lawyer’s office, and shit is lovely right now. Those conspiracy charges are dropped. Somehow paperwork got fucked up.”
“Like I told you when you were in here, it’s all about who you know. You’ll be surprised the things people will do for money.”
“True, true.” I wondered if Jimmy had anything to do with my good fortune. I wanted to ask him but knew that “the man” was probably listening in on the other end. “I need you to check out something for me. My boy
Deuce called you on three-way for me. He gon’ call you back a little later.” Jimmy abruptly hung up the phone. Ten minutes later I got a call from Deuce, just like Jimmy said.
“Talk to me,” I said after answering the phone.
“You a cocky muthafucka,” the voice responded, laughing.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I was hoping I didn’t fuck myself by saying that.
“This is Deuce. I don’t do too much talking on the phone. Meet me at Tiny’s Bar. Can you make it there in thirty minutes?”
“Yes, I can.”
No sooner than I hung up the phone with Deuce, I realized I didn’t have a ride to meet him. Jewel hadn’t returned home yet, and my car was still in Lisa’s garage. I needed to get my shit back.
With no other choice, I called a cab. Fifteen minutes later, I heard a horn blow outside. My cab had arrived.
I hopped in the backseat. “Tiny’s bar,” I told the driver.
“You got it.” The fat, greasy-haired, white dude put the car into drive. As I was riding to meet Deuce, my thoughts turned back to my car and Lisa. I can’t believe this bitch has been calling Jewel’s phone. How the fuck did she get her number? I’ve really gotten myself in a fucked-up situation.
A side of me wanted to go to her house and fuck her up again, but another side of me thought, Maybe I should bait her in. After all, that bitch had my car, and if I gave her a little attention, said the right words, I could not only get my car back, I could probably convince her to drop the charges.
I had to clear my mind as we pulled up to the lounge where I was meeting Deuce. I paid the driver and hopped out the funky-smelling taxi. Homeboy needed a shower bad. With two football games set to air that night, the bar was packed. I walked in, grabbed a seat, and ordered a bottle of Guinness. I sat thinking about the risk I was taking, dealing with Jimmy and his friend. I didn’t really know these dudes at all. Yeah, Jimmy knew my pops, but what if they were actually enemies and he was setting me up to get revenge? Why was he so eager to help me in the joint? I decided I needed to be on guard while dealing with these dudes.
The fucked-up thing was, no matter how much doubt I had, I had no other choice than to fuck with Jimmy and Deuce. The word on the street was, I was on the run at one point and just got out of jail. When niggas hear shit like that, they scatter away like roaches when the light comes on. No one wants to be seen dealing with a wanted brother. Some real disloyal motherfuckers out here on the streets.
An older dude sat down next to me. “Touch.”
“Deuce?” I replied, unsure if this was him.
“That I am. What’s up, man?”
“Chilling.”
We dapped each other up.
Deuce told the bartender, “Can I get two shots of vodka?”
Dressed in a grey sweatshirt, dingy jeans, sneakers and a Pittsburgh Steelers hat, Deuce smelled of oil, so I assumed his day job had to be working on cars. I could tell by his demeanor that he was old-school just like Jimmy.
“Jimmy must really like you, youngblood,” Deuce said. “He doesn’t usually take such risks.”
“Risk?”
“You heard me right, son. If it was up to me alone, you wouldn’t be in on the business. I don’t need no youngblood fuckin’ up my paper.”
“Well, lucky for me, it ain’t up to you,” I spat, a little offended. “I’m gonna get mine, just like the next man. I don’t want to mess with my paper or anyone else’s.”
; Deuce didn’t say anything after that. He just stared me straight in my eyes. I wasn’t going to be intimidated by him, so I met his eyes with the same intensity. I knew I could probably take him if it came down to fists, so I challenged him with my eyes for him to make the first move.
Deuce ended our little game of chicken by saying, “Well, you have an opportunity to make some money. Are you in or out?” He broke eye contact and took a sip of his drink.
Without even knowing what I was agreeing to, I said, “I’m in.”
Our handshake symbolized me signing my name on the dotted line of a contract.
“Well, you start tonight. Don’t fuck it up,” he informed me. “This is the deal–I’ll give you the product, you get rid of it and bring back 50 percent of the profit. That goes to Jimmy.”
“Just like that, huh?” It was a hell of a deal, but I was a little leery. It was almost too good to be true, but I couldn’t afford to say no. I needed the money, and Jimmy was the only one willing to deal with me.
“That’s it. You keep the money coming, and I’ll keep the product coming.”
Then we made arrangements for me to pick up my first couple kilos of cocaine. I really didn’t like working on consignment, but a nigga was broke and needed a start.
I left the bar feeling on top of the world. My case was dropped, and I got put on to a way to make some major cash. This was the best day I’d had in a long time. I hopped in the cab humming the tune of “It Was a Good Day” by Ice Cube.
Chapter 6
“Baby Snatcher”
Jewel
After dropping Touch off at the house, I barely gave him time to close the car door before I sped off. I wouldn’t have minded running over his pinky toe in the process. Touch had truly pissed me off! True, I was guilty for not telling him about Rico, but he had the nerve to question me, when he’d been living with another chick! I needed a little relaxation, so I decided to make a last-minute spa appointment. Luckily, I was a loyal customer, and they fit me right in.