by Kiki Swinson
10
DAWN
I was a nervous wreck until I heard Reese walk through our front door. I knew he thought he was doing what he needed to do to get us out of this hole he was in, but there had still got to be some boundaries. I couldn’t have my husband getting involved in that kind of illegal activity, regardless of how our bank accounts looked. I needed him on the streets with me. Not some federal prison with limited visitation rights.
I don’t know how I fell back asleep after talking to Reese when he came home in the middle of the night. I must’ve been really tired because all I could think about was that he was home safe and that very soon Ed would be giving him the balance of the money that was owed to Reese.
I got up to greet the sunlight that was coming through the blinds covering my bedroom windows. I immediately noticed that Reese hadn’t gotten in the bed with me after he returned home.
I crawled out of the bed and did my usual bathroom routine. Normally after I exit the bathroom I always go to the kitchen and boil hot water so I can fix myself a hot cup of tea. On my way there, I walked through the living room and noticed that Reese was already awake with a cup of hot tea in his hand, his full attention on the television directly in front of him.
“Finally up?” he said after he looked at me briefly.
“Yeah, but I’m surprised to see you up though,” I commented as I continued on toward the kitchen.
“I tried going to sleep a few times last night, but I couldn’t, for some reason,” I heard him say while I grabbed a coffee mug from the tray next to the stove.
“Is that why you didn’t come to bed last night?” I asked with my back to him. I wanted to be very careful while pouring the hot water from the pot that Reese had already set on the stove. Immediately thereafter I grabbed a pack of tea from the pullout drawer in front of me and dropped it into my mug.
“Yeah, I guess it was.”
“Have you talked to Ed this morning?” I asked while I walked toward him, holding my cup of tea as carefully as I could.
“Nah, not yet.”
“Have you thought about who we’re gonna pay first? Because I think we should get the car notes and the mortgage first, since that’s the bulk of our bills. The car insurance should be next because if the policy lapses, we could get hit with a five-hundred-dollar uninsured-motorist fee, and we can’t afford to let that happen. And I think we should take care of the gas bill too. We’re behind like three months on that bill and we’re not gonna get another extension.” I took a seat next to him on the sofa.
“You got it all planned out, huh?” he commented in a cynical fashion.
“Aren’t I supposed to? If I don’t do it, then who’s gonna do it, you?” I responded sarcastically, while I gritted my teeth at him.
“Yeah, I guess. But I’ve got shit I need to do with some of that money too, so somebody ain’t gonna get paid right now.”
“What do you mean, somebody ain’t gonna get paid? Do you know how much debt we’re in, Reese? Do you know how embarrassed I feel when I’ve got to call and make payment arrangements with our creditors because I’ve already asked my parents to loan me money for the other bills we have?”
Reese tried downplaying our situation. “I don’t know why you’re embarrassed. Everybody I know is behind on their bills. Shit is rough out here. So stop whining and deal with it.”
“My parents aren’t going through financial problems. As a matter of fact, their house is paid off and their cars are paid off too.” I swear, I wanted to throw my whole cup of hot tea in his fucking face. He was getting under my skin with all his fucking excuses about why we’re struggling to pay our bills.
“They don’t even count. When they bought their house, it was only thirty-five thousand dollars back then. And besides, they’ve been saving their money since they started working in the nineteen sixties. Name someone our age that’s not struggling to pay their bills like us,” Reese protested.
“I’m not playing the name game with you. Just tell me how much money you’re giving me to pay our bills,” I insisted.
“I’m gonna give you another five grand. I think ten thousand will be enough to cover the most important bills. And whatever else we got left will be dealt with as soon as more money comes through.”
I swear, my blood started boiling rapidly. I knew that if I didn’t get up and leave this nigga sitting on this couch, I was going to say something to him that I wouldn’t be able to take back. “You’re so fucking pathetic, it’s a shame!” I roared, and then I stood up on my feet. I was losing patience with Reese and his reasoning for our financial problems. He was literally refusing to take the blame for it.
“You always run away when I’m right,” he taunted.
“I’m running away from you to keep from cussing your ass out!” I gritted my teeth once again as I stormed down the hallway toward our bedroom.
“You’ll get over it!” he yelled out.
As badly as I wanted to turn around and hurl my cup of hot tea at him, I held my composure and continued on to the bedroom. I needed to get ready for work, so that’s what I did.
11
REESE
I sat on the sofa and continued watching TV like nothing had just happened. Whether Dawn knew it or not, I wasn’t about to let her ruin my day with all the bill talk. Shit, I had other things to do. She needed to be grateful that I was giving her two-thirds of the $15,000. I knew plenty of niggas that lived with their girlfriends and wives and they didn’t pay for half of the bills Dawn’s got me paying.
While I continued to watch television and drink my tea, Dawn made it her business to open and slam every door in the house while she got ready for work. I almost said something to her after I heard her slam the door for the sixth time, but I didn’t bother. I knew she was trying to get a reaction out of me, so I decided to leave the whole thing alone.
Thankfully, all of her shenanigans ended forty minutes later when she walked out of the front door. She didn’t speak to me on her way out and I didn’t speak to her either.
Not long after Dawn left, I decided to hop in the shower and get dressed so I could be ready to leave when Ed called. It didn’t take me long to get myself together. I was out of the shower and dressed in a matter of thirty minutes. I crashed back on the sofa and waited patiently for Edward to call me with the time that he wanted to meet up with me, but he did me one better. Around ten thirty, Edward called me and asked me if I was dressed.
“Yeah, I’m dressed. What’s up?” I asked.
“Our Asian connection wants to meet everyone in our crew this morning.”
“Whatcha mean, everyone?” I asked, trying to get clarity.
“I’m talking about all of us. You, me, Gene, Todd, and Brian.”
I didn’t want to get into more of this than I had to. But I couldn’t think of a quick excuse, so I said, “Where?”
“At one of his restaurants.”
“What time?”
“At eleven o’clock, so leave your house now.”
“A’ight. I’m leaving out right now.” I got up from the couch. I grabbed my car keys from the table in the foyer and proceeded toward the front door. “What’s the name of the restaurant?”
“The one we’re meeting him at is in the shopping center off Virginia Beach Boulevard, right behind the T-Mobile store.”
“Oh, you’re talking about that big, all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet spot in the same shopping center with FedEx and the Jamaican restaurant?”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” Edward said.
“Are you there yet?” I asked.
“No, I’m en route now. Todd, Gene, and Brian should already be there because they’re all in Todd’s truck.”
“A’ight, well, I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“See you then,” Ed said, then we disconnected our call.
The ride to that Asian buffet spot in Norfolk didn’t take long at all. I arrived at the location a couple minutes before eleven. Before I got out
of my truck, I looked around the parking lot and saw Todd’s SUV two rows over from where I was.
I drove over and parked in the space next to him. He lowered his driver-side window. “Ready to meet the big man?” he asked me, giving me the biggest smile he could muster up.
No. “Yeah, I guess. But whatcha think about him wanting to see us?”
“I think he might be trying to put us on his payroll,” Brian yelled over Todd’s head.
“Do you think he may not have the rest of our money?” Gene asked from the back seat of Todd’s SUV.
“Nah, I doubt that. If he didn’t have our money, he wouldn’t have invited us to meet with him,” I reasoned. I couldn’t believe I was in this situation. If I didn’t need that money so bad . . .
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Todd chimed in.
The guys and I kept throwing questions back and forth at one another until Edward showed up. “Boss man is here,” Todd said, and we all turned in the direction Todd was looking.
Edward parked his vehicle a couple spots away from us. He stepped outside of it a couple seconds later. We followed suit. “Y’all negroes ready to take our business affairs to the next level?” Edward asked as we approached him.
Brian spoke first. “If he has anything to do with making more money, then you know I’m all for it.”
“As long as I’m not risking my life, then you know I’m down too,” Gene chimed in.
I could see this train was leaving the station, so I had to agree. “You know I need the money no matter what,” I interjected, while Todd only nodded his head. We all knew what that meant. He was down for the cause too.
The moment we were within arm’s distance of Ed, we took turns giving him the proper handshake. “You guys hungry?” he asked us.
“I’m always hungry,” I replied.
“Shit, me too,” Gene added as we all turned and started walking toward the front door of the restaurant.
A young Asian woman opened the door and greeted us. “Will you gentlemen follow me, please?” she said, and led the way to a table in the back of the restaurant, behind a privacy screen. We all took our seats. “Will you be eating from the buffet?” she asked.
We all nodded our heads.
“Can I get your choice of beverages?” she continued.
I spoke first. “I’ll take water.”
“Yeah, I’ll have that too,” Gene said.
“Bring me sweet tea if you have it,” Brian chimed in.
“I need something strong, so bring me a Sprite,” Edward told the lady.
“Yeah, me too.” Todd said.
“Okay, I’ll be right back,” she said, and walked off.
We all got up from the table and headed toward the buffet line. “This food looks good as hell!” I pointed out as I checked out the varieties of food on display.
“Yeah, this shit does look good,” Brian agreed as he piled his plate with food.
Gene, Edward, and Todd followed suit. We filled our plates and headed back to our table. We started eating immediately after we sat down. A few minutes later, the woman came back with our drinks and set them down on the table in front of us. She told us that Mr. Que Ming would be with us shortly. After Edward thanked her, she left.
While we were stuffing our faces like hungry dogs, Que Ming appeared before us. He greeted us and walked around the table and shook everyone’s hand. Que Ming was a very modest-looking Asian guy. I couldn’t say how old he was, but I could say that he looked like he was in his late forties. He was about five foot eleven and it looked like he weighed about one forty. He wasn’t stylish at all, sporting a pair of blue jeans, a plain black belt, and a beige factory-worker’s shirt with a pocket stitched on the left side of his chest. I was from the streets and I could tell you right now that this geeky-looking dude wouldn’t be able to hang out in my hood.
He took a seat in a chair next to Edward and started the conversation. “I wanna thank all you guys for a job well done.”
I gave this guy my undivided attention because for one he spoke perfectly good English and two, he congratulated us on a job well done. Everyone thanked him one by one.
“Here’s the money I owe you guys,” he said as he pulled a manila envelope from the inside jacket pocket and handed it to Edward.
“Thank you, Mr. Ming. We really appreciate this,” Edward told him as he stuffed the envelope in his jacket pocket.
Mr. Ming smiled. “You’re welcome. Now, since you guys did such a great job, I would love it if you could help me out with another shipment that will be coming our way two days from now.”
“Will it be the same number of containers?” Ed asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Ming replied.
“What time will the vessel arrive at the pier?” Ed continued.
“The same time.”
“Will the pay be the same?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, let’s do it,” Edward said without giving any of us eye contact. I mean, it wasn’t like we would’ve turned down the offer, but getting our say-so would’ve shown me that our input mattered. It was apparent that Edward didn’t see things the way I did. I guess he figured that he knew what was best for us. I didn’t agree with him committing us to this new job, but the money we were making agreed with me, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Before you guys leave, stop by the register and the young lady who escorted you to the table will give you the deposit for the new job.”
“Got it.” Edward said.
“All right, well, I’m gonna let you gentlemen finish eating your food. It’s on the house, so eat as much as you want,” Mr. Ming said as he stood up from the chair.
As he pushed the chair back toward the table, I blurted out, “Do you know that I heard someone crying in one of those containers when I was transporting it to the railroad cars?” Everyone at the table looked at me with pure shock on their faces, including Ed. We all knew there were people in those containers, so I wasn’t sure why they were so shocked by my question.
“What do you mean, crying?” Mr. Ming asked me as he gave me a stern look.
I didn’t know if I was supposed to elaborate more or shut my mouth altogether. So I chose the former and answered him. “I heard somebody crying from inside the container, so I called Ed and asked him what to do about it, but he basically told me not to be concerned with it and do my job. So, I’m asking you, what should I do if I hear somebody else crying?”
Mr. Ming stood before the entire table and said, “We’re transporting very expensive artifacts from Asia, so I’m sure what you heard wasn’t a person crying. We could get into a lot of trouble if people were inside those containers.”
I watched Mr. Ming deliver this lie with ease. I also felt heat coming at me from the seat Edward was sitting in. And I saw his expression in my peripheral vision.
“Yeah, I told him the same thing,” Edward interjected.
I immediately took my attention off Mr. Ming and turned to Ed, who was by this time looking like he could kill me. I knew then that I was talking too much and decided to change my tune. “You know what? You’re probably right,” I responded to Mr. Ming, and then I looked back down to my food and started eating again.
“All right, gentlemen, I want to thank you again for your assistance. And please enjoy your food,” Mr. Ming concluded. He turned around and walked away from the table.
“What the fuck just happened? And why did you say that to him?” Edward snapped in a low voice.
I looked back up from my plate. “Shit! I didn’t know I couldn’t say that to him. I thought he knew that we knew what was inside the containers,” I explained.
“Never mind if he thought we knew what was really in the containers. We can’t discuss that type of shit in an open environment. One of us could’ve been recording him. So, do you think he’s going to admit to that shit?” Edward was heated with me. He was so mad that he must have lost his appetite because he pushed his plate forward and just sat there and shoo
k his head in disbelief.
“So, what’s gonna happen now?” I wondered aloud.
“We’re gonna stop by the register, get the money, and then we’re gonna walk our asses out of this restaurant and get ready to go to work,” Edward told us.
“Damn, nigga, you done fucked up the whole meeting,” Brian commented.
“Yeah, what made you say that shit to the man?” Todd wanted to know.
Gene didn’t say a word. He sat there in complete silence.
“What the fuck do y’all want me to say? It was a fucking mistake. Get over it.” I wasn’t going to let these niggas dictate how I was supposed to act. Okay, yeah, I screwed up and opened my mouth when I wasn’t supposed to. Big fucking deal!
“I’ll tell you what, if that dude ever wants to meet up with all of us again, please make sure you keep your mouth closed the entire time. You got it?” Edward said.
“Yeah, I got it,” I replied, and then I continued to eat my food.
While the rest of us ate, Edward pulled out the manila envelope and handed us the rest of the money that was owed to us. He counted out $10,000 each and placed the stack of money next to our plates. I swear it felt so good to finally have the rest of that money in my hands. But what felt even better was that the Asian cat was giving us another opportunity to make another $15,000, and we were taking part of that money home today as well. I could honestly say that I was having a great day, despite the argument I had with Dawn earlier. I guess now I could give her the other $5,000 she wanted to pay the bills. It was gonna feel good to finally get her worrisome ass off my back. Things were starting to look up for me now.
12
DAWN
I sat at my desk all morning thinking about that bullshit-ass argument Reese and I had. Was he fucking serious when he said that he was only giving me another five grand? And to add insult to injury, hearing him basically say that he was doing me a favor by paying most of the bills in our household because other niggas weren’t doing it for their women. I swear, this nigga must be on drugs or something, because nothing he said made any sense. I knew one thing: If he didn’t come through with a total of $10,000, his ass was going straight in the doghouse.