“Seeing you is like seeing a ghost,” Scoop, an old friend, said, walking up to Ralphy. He gave Ralphy a thug hug, mainly because he missed him. They were like best friends when Ralphy was on the block and ever since Ralphy got married and had his daughter, Scoop only saw Ralphy every once in a while.
“Aw, playboy. Don’t do me like dat. You know ya boy still love ya.” Ralphy laughed, throwing a jab at Scoop’s arm.
Ralphy and Scoop walked down the street, catching up as much as they could with the current events going on in the neighborhood. Scoop even managed to grab a forty-ounce bottle of Olde English for old times’ sake.
“So what’s really going on, brah? I know you ain’t stop by just to catch up on old times,” Scoop said, knowing there was a reason behind this visit.
“Damn, a nigga can’t just chill with his partna?” Ralphy laughed, seeing Scoop was still sharp as a knife.
“Come on, nigga. I knew you for how long? Ten years, my nigga.” He smiled. “What, you tryin’ to get back in da game?” Scoop asked with a little excitement.
“Nah, playboy. I’m done with da game. But what I do need is some heat,” Ralphy said with a straight face.
Scoop looked at him and saw that he was dead serious. He knew something or somebody must have ticked Ralphy off for him to be wanting to deal with his problem by way of pistol. Scoop wasn’t going to ask any questions, though. The less he knew the better. Scoop reached under his T-shirt and grabbed a black ten-shot .40-caliber off his waist. He cocked it back slightly to make sure a bullet was in the chamber.
“Yo, dis my bitch. You take good care of her, and I wouldn’t care who you shoot with it. Bring my baby back to me. I’ll give you a more permanent gun tomorrow,” Scoop said, but not before kissing his gun, then passing it off to Ralphy. “Do you need a codefendant?” Scoop asked, willing and ready to ride with his boy.
Scoop was a wild boy. He reminded Ralphy of O-Dog from Menace II Society. He was young, black, and just didn’t give a fuck. He would shoot anybody, and wouldn’t care if it was broad daylight with a hundred people looking on. If it were any other type of drama, Ralphy would have taken him along for the ride. But this trip was a solo trip. Ralphy only had one person in mind he wanted to kill, so it was best that he did it on his own. Shit had gotten real now and the only thing that could save the person he wanted to kill was God.
* * *
“Happy Birthdaaaay!” the crowd yelled out all together. Bottles starting popping, the music started thumping through the speakers and everybody started dancing. Ernie had the club jumping with all of his gay friends. Surprisingly there were a lot of females there, most of whom were lesbians, but there was also a nice amount of straight women as well to support.
One thing about the gay community is they do it big. Gay men always seem to have the most beautiful female friends, so for the few straight men who were in the building, it was like heaven.
“Happy Birthday, baby girl,” Falisha walked up and said to Ernie, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. Tammy, Kim, and Annet all did the same thing as they passed him their gifts they brought for him.
“Thank y’all,” Ernie spoke, sitting up in his birthday chair. “I hope y’all brought a lot of dollars.” He laughed, swaying back and forth to the music.
On cue, the music shut off and the lights went dim. In Mandingo’s Den, the strippers had three stages to dance on so once the music cranked back up, everybody who knew better rushed the stages.
Mongoose the Stripper crawled out onto the center stage, seductively freaking his body to Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” song. He had on a pair of 7 For All Mankind jeans and some construction Timberlands boots. His tank top was ripped off immediately, revealing his cut-up body. The gay men who knew better had taken up the front of the center stage. They were throwing dollars like it wasn’t nothing.
Tyson, another stripper, came out on the other stage, but he danced his way to the floor level. He had on nothing but a pair of Speedos and a lifeguard T-shirt. He seductively ripped his shirt off as well, crunching his stomach to flash his six pack. A crowd of men, and a couple of women, gathered around him and made it rain all on top of him.
Elephant Trunk, Louisville Slugger, Bananas, and Foot Long all danced their way out from backstage onto the floor. The whole club went crazy.
“Oh, shit!” Falisha yelled out as Elephant Trunk danced over to their section.
A crowd gathered around him almost instantly, including Tammy, Kim, Falisha, and Annet. They were all yelling and screaming and throwing dollars on top of him as he humped the floor to the rhythm of the music.
“Make it rain, bitchessss!” Tammy shouted, flicking ones from her stack onto him.
Tammy was having a ball. Hell, everybody was having a ball. Ernie was really showing his ass, though. He jumped up on the table and started shaking his ass. His gay friends were throwing dollars at him like he was one of the dancers.
“Ernie ballin’ out, yo,” Annet yelled out, pointing across the room to where he was at.
After about thirty minutes of the dancers being out on the floor, all of them as if on cue danced their way back behind stage. Everybody clapped at their performance thinking that it was all over. Then, the lights went dim and the music shut off again. You could still hear clapping and whistling in the crowd.
When the lights came back on, Harold, Ernie’s best friend, was standing on the center stage with a microphone in his hand. He motioned with his hands for the people to settle down and, when they did, he spoke.
“Thanks for coming out, everybody. I wanna call my good friend Ernie up to the stage,” he said, waving for Ernie to join him.
Ernie and his chair were escorted to the stage where he sat like he was a diva.
“You know we had to save the best for last,” Harold said, smiling and clapping. “Happy Birthday, Ernie,” he said, and then backed down off the stage.
The lights got dim again, then they began flashing wildly all throughout the club. Ernie looked around trying to figure out what was going on, smiling from the excitement. Then a voice spoke through the speakers: “Now coming to the stage, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Mandingo!”
Kelly Rowland’s song “Motivation” came through the airwaves, then from behind the curtain and onto the stage came Mandingo, the best male dancer in the club. He was such a good dancer they named the club after him.
He glided out onto the stage with a cowboy hat down over his face, a pair of leather pants with fringe on them, and some cowboy boots. He danced around Ernie’s chair seductively, making Ernie have to fan himself with the stack of dollar bills he had in his hand. First, the dancer danced out of his leather pants, and then he took off his hat to reveal his face. Ernie threw the whole stack of money in the air, and then fell back in the chair like he had passed out.
When the dancer turned around to dance for the crowd, he beat on his buff chest and snarled. Falisha and the girls were sitting at their tables pouring shots of Patrón. Annet just so happened to look up on the stage, and damn near choked on her own spit when she saw the dancer gyrating his body all over the place. She tapped Falisha, who looked up at the stage. Falisha tapped Kim, who looked up and actually did choke on her shot of Patrón.
They all sat there with their mouths wide open and in total shock that, before their eyes, standing on the stage wearing nothing but a G-string and a pair of cowboy boots, was none other than their very own Lamar.
Chapter 16
Tammy pulled up in front of Chris’s mom’s house in an all-white 2009 Chrysler 300 with tinted windows. It looked just like a dope boy’s car, equipped with chrome twenty-inch rims and a touch-screen TV in the dashboard. The car was nice, and it looked pretty much brand new.
Ms. Elaine walked out onto the porch, shocked to see Tammy behind the wheel. “Whose car are you drivin’?” she asked as she came down to help Tammy unload the kids’ things from the vehicle.
“It’s a friend’s car,” Tammy respon
ded. “I’ll be back to pick them up tomorrow, and here’s a few dollars, ’cause I know they’re going to want something out of the vending machines when y’all get to the jail.” Tammy had stuck by her word and made sure that Chris was still able to see his kids. She just wasn’t going to be the one bringing them up there to see him. That job now belonged to Chris’s family.
“Tammy, are you all right?” Ms. Elaine asked with a curious look on her face. “I hope you’re not still mad—”
“You know what, Ms. Elaine? I’m actually good right now,” Tammy said as she passed her the last of the overnight bags.
“Is there anything you want me to tell Chris while I’m up there?”
Tammy just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. She didn’t have anything else to say to him. She was at the stage where she was trying to move on with her life. She didn’t want to continue to dwell on the past. She forgave Chris for having another baby on her, but she would never forget it. How could she forget? The little girl was going to be around for a very long time, and that was a reminder for Tammy in itself.
* * *
Lamar focused his eyes over at Kim, who was lying next to him with a big smile on her face. They had been having sex every day for the past week, sometimes two times a day.
Kim was really taking advantage of the “friends with benefits” deal. She hadn’t had this much dick in her life, or at least since she was a teenager. It was starting to become addictive, just like her rabbit or the bullet she couldn’t stop using. In fact, ever since Lamar had been handling his business in the bedroom, she hadn’t even been using her toys, except for the one time she brought the bullet to a sex session.
“What’re you lookin’ at, Kim?” Lamar asked, turning onto his side to face her.
“I still can’t believe that you’re a male dancer. I mean, I never pictured you being a stripper.” She laughed.
Lamar smiled. “Yeah, well, I never thought yo’ ass would be a paralegal, either. I always thought you would be a doctor, or maybe even working for NASA or some shit. But here you are, wasting ya time looking up case law all day.”
“Shut up, boy! I like my job,” Kim shot back, along with a jab to his arm. “I was thinking about taking the bar exam, maybe becoming a lawyer at my firm.”
“A lawyer? Yeah, I can see that, ’cause you sure know how to lie ya ass off!” he joked.
Kim reached behind her and grabbed one of the pillows, and then hit Lamar in the head with it. He playfully retaliated, jumping up and hitting her back with the pillow that he was lying on. The both laughed and giggled.
Kim tried to wrestle with him, but Lamar was too strong. He pinned her down to the bed, then climbed on top of her. She struggled for a minute, then stopped once he leaned down and softly kissed her lips. He pulled back, and looked down at her as she looked back up at him. He leaned in and kissed her again, this time adding a little tongue to it. Although she was enjoying it, she caught on to what was going on. She pulled back and turned her head to stop him.
Lamar immediately saw that something was wrong. “What’s the matter?” he asked, releasing her hand that was still pressed to the bed.
“Nothing. I’m cool,” Kim answered, rolling from under him then grabbing her shorts and tank top off the floor. “I gotta go.”
Lamar didn’t dig it at first, but after watching her get dressed and storm out of the room, it hit him and became clear what was going on. The boundaries that were put in place in the beginning of this sexcapade were starting to get crossed.
Kim didn’t want her feelings getting involved, and the way Lamar was treating her was starting to trigger something. It was like they were already in a full-fledged relationship, something that she was trying to avoid. Before it had could go any further, she was going to put an end to it, or at least slow things down a bit.
* * *
“I hope you put some gas in my car,” Darious joked when he saw Tammy enter the customer service area.
“Boy, shut up!” She smiled and passed him his keys.
Over the past couple of weeks, Darious and Tammy had gotten cool. They talked on the phone just about every night, mainly about life and the goals they wanted to accomplish in the near future. Darious had become somewhat of a friend, somebody Tammy could go to for advice and even, on one occasion, a loan.
“Oh, did you think about what I asked you the other day? You know the weekend is right around the corner and I kinda wanna get an idea if you wanna go with me,” he said.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure if that’s a—”
“Look, no strings attached,” Darious said, throwing both of his hands in the air. “It’s only two friends going out to the casino to do a little gambling,” he continued.
One thing Tammy didn’t have to worry about was Darious having any ulterior motives behind taking her out. He wasn’t like most guys who always looked for something in return after they had taken a girl somewhere or bought her something. He was a gentleman, which was something that was rare in Charlotte. If he said they were going out as friends, then that’s what it would be. “I’m not spending the night out there,” Tammy said with a big smile on her face.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have you home by one, maybe two. Now, if I get on a hot streak, that’s another story!” He chuckled.
They both shared a few laughs before having to get back to work.
Tammy wasn’t slow by a long shot, though. She knew that this was a date, and Darious was going at it under the friendship card to ease any pressure. It was cute and innocent, and she didn’t mind entertaining it for just one night.
* * *
Ralphy walked into the house, went straight upstairs, and got into the shower without saying a single word to Lisa, who was sitting on the couch. This had been his routine for the past week, and the only reason why Lisa didn’t question it was because she didn’t feel like she was in a position to. In her mind, she thought that he was sleeping with another woman, but even if he was, who was she to say anything? It was her fault that things were the way they were.
“Are you coming back?” she hurried up and asked as Ralphy came running back down the stairs toward the door.
“Naw. I’ll see you tomorrow. I got some shit to take care of,” he said, throwing the black hood over his head. “Is ya mom still watching Naomi this weekend?” he asked, stopping at the door.
Lisa took a closer look at him and noticed the unusual attire he was wearing. He had on all black from head to toe, and the look he had in his eyes was different. It was a look that she had never seen before, and it made her concerned. “Ralphy, what’s wrong with you?” she asked, getting up from the couch and walking over to the door.
He gave her an empty look and shook his head. “I’m good. I just gotta take care of something,” he answered.
Lisa had known Ralphy long enough to know when something wasn’t right with him. It was one thing to come into the house, take a shower, and go straight to bed, but it was another thing to be dressed in all black and leaving the house with a deranged look on his face. “Ralphy, is this about us? ’Cause if it is, I can fix it, babe. Just give me a chance; I promise!” she pleaded, not wanting him to do anything stupid.
“I gotta go,” Ralphy said, reaching for the doorknob.
Lisa stood in front of the door, blocking it. She was still very much in love with him and didn’t want anything to happen to him. If she could take back everything she did, she would in a heartbeat just to have things back to normal. “Please, babe, can we work this out?” she pleaded while wiping the tears that fell from her eyes.
The crying wasn’t going to help. Ralphy didn’t have a place in his heart for sympathy when it came to her anymore. This whole ordeal forced him to dig into his past and be somebody he used to be. There weren’t too many people who knew how vicious he once was in the streets of the Queen City. He used to go hard, and he was part of the reason why Charlotte’s murder rate was so high back in 2002, 2003, and 2004. It was as if
Lisa had woken a sleeping giant. “Look, man, I gotta go,” he said before moving her to the side, opening the door, and walking out of the house.
Lisa just stood at the threshold and watched him get into his car and pull off. She was sick. She didn’t know what he was going to do. But, whatever it was, she could only pray that it didn’t get him killed or thrown in jail.
* * *
“Do you have to go straight home?” Darious asked Tammy as they approached his car.
Stopping at the passenger side door, she asked with a curious look on her face, “Why? Where are you tryin’ to take me?”
“I know this little spot where we can grab something to eat. I know you’re hungry as hell, working in there all day,” he said with a smile.
The truth of the matter was that she was starving. The only problem was that she didn’t have any money to be eating take-out food. Rent was right around the corner, along with the electric bill, gas bill, and her cell phone bill. Money was tight right now. Plus, she already had a refrigerator full of food and her cabinets were stocked to the max. It wasn’t take-out, but it was free courtesy of welfare. “Boy, I ain’t got any money for take-out.” She chuckled before opening the car door and getting inside.
Darious got into the car too. He looked over at Tammy and shook his head. “How about dinner on me tonight? You need to stop worrying about money all the time.” He smiled. He grabbed the remote control off the center console and began changing the CDs in the changer.
Tammy couldn’t help but to find him attractive. The more time they spent together, the more things she began to notice about him, small things, like the way he walked with a slight ditty bop, the way he always talked in a calm manner, and how confident he was in himself, not to mention the fact that he had his own car, his own apartment, and he was financially stable. Plus, he was single. He was a good catch, but she wasn’t at that stage in her life right now.
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