“What!” I commented with uncertainty.
“Yes. He told me that whoever answered the phone, just say the words, she’s home. And then they would take care of the rest.”
“Oh, my God! This nigga is trying to have me killed for real!” I said in a somewhat frantic way.
Nikki pulled me into her arms and said, “That bastard is crazy! So come on and let me get you out of here.”
“Yeah, get her out of here. Because for all we know, he could have somebody watching me talking to y’all right now.”
“We wouldn’t put it past him,” Nikki commented as she took a brief look around our immediate surroundings and then brought her attention back to me, to help me get into the car. “But I hope you’re learning something from this,” Nikki continued. “Because sooner or later, he’s going to turn on you and do the same thing he’s doing to her, to you. So you better get as far away from him as soon as you can.”
“Trust me, I’ve already seen it coming. When I told him I wasn’t up for watching Kira’s place, he threatened me. So that’s when I called it quits and put in my transfer papers. But before I bailed out of there, I felt it was my duty to let you know what he was trying to do.”
“Thanks, Lena. I mean, you have no idea what you’ve just done for me.”
“She just saved your life. That’s what she’s done,” Nikki interjected.
“Don’t thank me. Just get your butt out of here.”
“You ain’t got to tell her twice,” Nikki spoke out once again as she got into the driver seat of my car.
“Be safe,” Lena told us.
“We will. And thanks again,” I told her and then she drove off.
Nikki pulled off right behind her, but made a detour at the next block.
“Can you believe that shit we just heard?” she asked me.
“Girl, nothing Ricky does surprises me anymore.”
“But did you get a good look at home girl?”
“Yeah, I saw her. She’s definitely his type of woman. That’s why I believe everything she said. I just can’t stop thinking about how fast he got her to give him some pussy.”
“He sho’ knows how to work his magic, huh?”
“Oh yeah, he’s definitely a wiz when it comes to that type of shit! But what’s getting me is the fact that he’s going out of his way to get one of his people’s to knock me off.”
“But why, though?” Nikki wondered out loud.
I didn’t want to tell her about the deal he tried to set up with me because then she would know that her head was also on the line. But now I figure that it was too late for that.
“Because I won’t help him get out of jail,” I finally said.
“Get out of jail, how?”
“Listen Nikki, Ricky knows about all the information you and I gave to the Feds to have him indicted.”
“You’re lying!” she commented with a frightened expression on her face.
“No, I’m not.”
“So how did he find out about this?”
“Well, this chick who’s friends with his baby’s mama Frances told her that she saw me coming out of the FBI building right before Ricky got arrested. So ol’ big mouth waited around for Ricky to call her and that’s when she spilled the beans.”
“So, how did I come into the picture?”
“Well, because he got his lawyer to check Frances’ story. And when he did, that’s when he found out about you and the information you gave, too.”
“So does he have a hit out on me, too?” Nikki asked me as the pitch of her voice turned up.
“If he did, don’t cha think that chick Lena would’ve mentioned it?”
“Well, tell me how you were supposed to help him get out of jail.”
“Nikki,” I said and then I sighed heavily, “Ricky wants me to help a couple of Feds set up a buy for a couple of bricks from this Spanish guy named Papi, so they can bust him. And then after that happens, he can get his prison sentence reduced significantly. But I refused to do it. So he told me over the phone that he’s going to have my head.”
“Damn! That nigga is crazy!”
“You’re telling me!” I replied sarcastically.
“So who’s this Papi cat?”
“He’s a rich-ass, older guy from Costa Rica. But he’s been living in D.C. for about fifteen years and owns a couple of stores out there, too. Ricky has been knowing him since he was about sixteen. As a matter of fact, Papi took Ricky under his wing, showed him the ropes and gave him his first package. And from there, Ricky has always looked at Papi as being like a father to him.”
“Well, I wonder what Papi would say if he found out that his fake-ass son is trying to build a Fed case against him?”
“I don’t know,” I began to say as an idea popped into my mind. “But I will find out,” I continued, pulling my cell phone from out of my hand bag.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m gonna call Papi and let him know that I’m going to be taking a trip up to D.C. to see him,” I said, searching for his phone number through the list of numbers I had programmed in my phone.
“But you’re not in any shape to drive that distance.”
“I know. That’s why you’re going with me,” I continued, and then I pressed the talk button.
“But...” she tried to say.
I interjected by saying, “Shhhhhh...” because by this time, Papi had picked up his line.
“Hola,” he said.
“Hi, Papi.” I replied.
“Who is this?”
“This is Kira. Ricky’s wife.”
“Oh, hi love. How are you?”
“I’m okay. But I could be doing a lot better.”
“Well, where have you been? I thought you were going to come out and see me.”
“I was. But something came up.”
“Is there any way I can help?”
“Well, yeah. But I would like to come by and talk to you about it in person, if that’s all right.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s fine. So when are you coming by?”
“In the morning.”
“Okay. Well, I guess I’ll see you then.”
“All right. Thanks.”
“No problem, baby. Now drive safe.”
“I will,” I assured him.
Taking it to Da Streets
It’s only been about six months since I last saw Papi, with his shiny bald head and silver-colored beard. But I must say that he ages pretty damn fast. And he’s put on a lot of weight, too, with his stomach poking out, looking like he’s nine months pregnant. It’s probably all those plates of stew chicken and red beans and rice that’s blowing him up. But hey, if he likes it, I love it. So as I walked slowly towards him, he stood up from the chair by the register and said, “Welcome, mamí!” And then he kissed me on both sides of my cheeks and embraced me with one of the tightest hugs he could muster up.
I hugged him back and said, “Thanks for having me.”
“Here, have a seat,” he insisted as he pulled out a chair from a nearby table.
As soon as I sat down he yelled out the name Sara, who had to be the pretty, young looking woman watching TV over by the glass refrigerator that stored the cold drinks. She was the only other person in the store. When she finally responded, he said, “Get Kira a cold soda.”
“No. I’m fine,” I told them both.
“Are you sure?” he wanted to know.
“Yes, Papi. I am sure.”
“Okay. So, tell me what you want to talk to me about.”
Before I opened my mouth to utter a word, I pulled my blouse up high above my gunshot wounds so he could take a glimpse of them.
“You see this?” I finally said as my eyes began to fill up with tears.
“What happened?” he asked me as he got a closer look.
“A couple of guys ran up on me and shot me a few weeks ago.”
“Well, I see that. But who did it?”
“Ricky had a couple of
his peoples from the streets to do it,” I lied and said.
Now, I did this because I needed something to back up the true part of the story I was about to tell him.
“But why would he get someone to shoot you?” he began to ask. “Are you cheating on him?”
“No, Papi. I’m not. Remember when I called you a few weeks ago, with Ricky on three-way?”
“Yeah.”
“And remember when he said he wanted to make a big hit so he can come up with some money to give to his lawyer?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, that was a lie. Because we don’t have that type of money he was talking about laying around. The Feds took everything we had, which is why he’s working with them.”
“Wait! You said he’s working with them?”
“Yes, Papi. And he’s trying to set you up, too.”
“Set me up!” Papi said in a baffled kind of way.
“Yeah. That life sentence he’s got is starting to weigh him down. So he wants out. And the only way to do it is to help the Feds bring somebody like you down with him.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really. And he told me that if I didn’t help him carry this thing out, then he was going to have my head, which is why I’m like this.”
This time Papi didn’t speak nor respond to the words I had just spoken. I’m guessing he’s probably bugging out in his mind right now. I continued by saying, “Now, I know what I’m saying to you is kind of a hard pill to swallow. But I would not have come all the way up here if it wasn’t true. Ricky is grasping for straws, Mr. Papi. And when he ran his whole scheme down to me, he told me that the Feds were going to provide me with the money and a wire to wear. So I flat out told him no and that he was wrong for trying to do this to you, because of the history y’all had and all the years that you’ve been good to him.”
“And what did he say?”
“He said, ‘fuck you!’ And that it’s every man for himself.”
“Oh, he did?” Papi commented like he was truly appalled.
“Yes, he did.”
“Well, does he know that you’ve come here to see me?”
“No. I didn’t tell him.”
“Where is he?”
“The Feds got him housed in federal lock-up at the Virginia Beach City Jail.”
“Do you know how long he’s going to be there?”
“No. But I do know the reason why Russ didn’t get Fed time like everybody else did.”
“Well, tell me,” Papi insisted.
“Because he was supposed to help Ricky build a case against you,” I lied once again. Hey, Russ is on my shit list, too. And why not kill two birds with one stone?
“Oh, really.”
“Yes. I was told by Ricky’s attorney that Russ had already given them a lot of information about you, he just didn’t go through with everything else. And I was told that the Feds are looking for him right now.”
I continued pouring the lies on thick because at this rate, there’s no question that Papi would eliminate his ass too. So, so long ex-baby daddy!
“Is that so?” Papi finally said.
“Unfortunately, that’s the way it is.”
He stood up from his chair, throwing both of his hands in the air and said, “After all the shit I’ve done for the both of them, and this is how they repay me!”
Then he picked up the chair he was sitting in and threw it across the room, which scared the hell out of me. I was ready to leave right then and there. So I stood up and said, “I’m sorry about everything, Mr. Papi. But I couldn’t sit back and let you wander around in the dark about all the stuff that’s going on.”
“No, love!” he said, turning on his charm. “There’s no need for any apologies from you. Because you did a very good deed. And that’s why I’m going to reward you. So, wait right here.” He walked behind a black curtain, which led to the back of the store. About one minute later, he reappeared with a package wrapped in a brown paper bag.
“Here’s something for your troubles,” he said, handing me the package. “Now, I want you to take a trip. Stay out of sight for a while until all of this blows over.”
Now, I started not to take the package, but I figured it had to be money. But I said, fuck it! And took it!
“Thanks,” I said.
“No problem. Now, do like I said and go away for a while.”
“Don’t worry! Because I’m going to do just that,” I assured him. And then I kissed him on his cheek and said, “Goodbye.”
***
The moment I stepped foot out of the store is when I felt a sense of relief. It just felt like all the weight I had piled on my shoulders had been lifted off. And knowing that Papi was going to take care of the situation put me even more at peace. So now it’s time to celebrate.
When I got back into the car, Nikki was on her cell phone feeding Syncere a whole bunch of lies about where she was. Once she managed to get him off the phone, I pulled the brown paper bag from out of my purse.
“What’s that?” Nikki wondered aloud as she sped off into the road.
“Money.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know,” I replied as I unraveled the bag and then I pulled the stack of bills out.
“Goddamn!” she commented as her eyes caught a peek. “That’s a lot of damn money.”
“I know,” I replied, agreeing with her. Then I started counting it, which didn’t take long to do, because all five stacks of bills were sectioned off with labels marked with the sum of $5,000 on each. “It’s $25,000,” I finally said.
“It’s what?” Nikki asked, like she wasn’t sure about what I had just said.
“I said, it’s $25,000.”
“Wait! He gave you that?”
“Yep. And I didn’t even ask for it.”
“So, why did he give it to you?”
“He said he was giving it to me as a reward for the good deed of telling him what Ricky was trying to do to him.”
“And what do you think he’s going to do about it?”
“Let’s just say that I’m not gonna have to worry about my life anymore.”
“Did he say he was going to have Ricky killed?”
“No. But Papi has a reputation for keeping thieves and rats away from him. So it wouldn’t surprise me if he did.”
“Well, what are you going to do with that money?”
“Papi told me to take a trip with it and stay out of sight for a while. So I guess that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Well, where are you going?”
“You mean, we?” I said smiling.
“Okay. Where are we going?” she rephrased her question.
“How about the Bahamas?” I suggested.
“The Bahamas!” she replied with excitement.
“Yeah, the Bahamas.”
“Are you for real?”
“Yes, I’m for real. Because it’s time for us to chill out and unwind,” I continued, and then I looked out of the window and began to stare at the sky, wondering what Papi was doing back at his store. I know he’s gotten on the phone with at least one of his hit men by now. So I know it won’t be long for Russ and Ricky’s demise.
“Okay, can we stop and get something to eat?” Nikki interrupted my thoughts.
“Yeah, c’mon,” I insisted.
“Where you want to go?” she asked me.
“I don’t know. But take a right at this next block and let’s see what we run into,” I told her. So she took heed to my instructions and did just that. We rode for about two more blocks and saw a West Indian spot to our right. So we stopped.
Nikki decided to go in and get two take about orders of oxtails with rice and peas while I stayed and waited in the car. And to my surprise, it didn’t take her long at all to cop us some food because she was in and out of the restaurant in seven minutes flat.
“Damn! That was quick!” I commented as I took the two food-filled containers out of her hand.
“That’s because there wasn’t nobody in there.”
“Well, that’s sure a red flag that their food might be garbage.”
“No it’s not. It’s good.”
“How you know?”
“Because I asked them to give me a sample.”
I giggled and said, “Girl, you are so ghetto.”
“Oh, nah! You ain’t seen ghetto until you see me tear into my food while I’m taking us back down the road.”
“We ain’t got to leave right now. So relax yourself and enjoy that food, ’cause, I sure am.”
“Well, since you insist,” she commented stopping her words in mid-sentence to inhale the aroma of her food. “Goddamn! This shit smells good as hell!” she continued immediately after opening up the lid to the container.
“Oh yeah, this is good,” I said.
“I told you,” she agreed plowing a forkful of meat and rice into her mouth.
And then with the help of her peripheral vision, her attention shifted to the left side of the car. She said, “Look at this fucking Benz. Now I know that joint got to be a ‘06model, ’cause niggas down our way ain’t even pushing one yet.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely a ‘06. And it’s hot, too!” I commented as I watched the driver park the car directly in front of us.
“Check out the thirty-day plates.”
“I see them,” I said taking another bite of my food as we both locked eyes on this 4-door, pearl white E-Class Sedan.
Then only seconds later, a very attractive, light-skinned, nicely shaped woman with long hair hopped out of the driver side like she was mad at the world. Immediately after she slammed her door, the passenger side door opened up and fate reared its ugly face.
“That must be her man,” Nikki commented.
“It wouldn’t surprise me because that’s the no-good muthafucka’ who I was pregnant by!” I replied after adjusting to the knot in my stomach.
“That’s Russ?” Nikki asked me as if it was very hard for her to fathom the idea.
“Yeah. That’s the bastard that ran off with all my fucking money,” I said as I shoved my food near the armrest. And then I abruptly forced open the passenger side door and got out.
“Hey Kira, whatcha getting ready to do?” Nikki began to ask me, stuttering her words as she scrambled to get out of the car behind me.
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