by K Elliott
Jada began to have second thoughts about coming over. Why had she listened to Shamari? She should have just stayed at home and blocked out any memory of a family. She hated this hand she was dealt. Seconds later Louise entered the room with a forty ounce Colt .45. "What the fuck do you want, bitch?"
"I love you too, Mom."
"Louise, don't be mean. You haven't seen Jada in ages."
Louise took a swig of beer and said, "Fuck you and fuck this bitch." She then stared at Charles. "And if you want to defend this bitch, you can take yo ass to the Atlanta men's shelter. I pay the cost to be the boss in this motherfucker, and don't you forget it."
Charles sat his skinny ass on the sofa without uttering so much as another word to Louise. He knew when she was drunk not to say much because she would often become violent, and the first thing she would do would be to crack him upside his head with the forty-ounce bottle.
Louise turned her attention to Jada. "What the hell brings you here, Jada Simone?"
"Well, if you must know, I came to see how you're doing. Shamari told me to check on you."
"How is he doing?'
"Good."
Charles reached for Louise's forty ounce and she refused. "Get your own, motherfucker. There ain't no telling where your mouth has been."
Jada sat on the armchair. "So you plan on staying?"
"Mom, why are you acting like this?"
"Like what?"
"I mean I'm coming over here to check on you and you act like you could care less about me."
"That's because I don't give a damn about yo ass."
Jada stood up from the chair; there was no way she was going to sit there and take too much more of Louise's abuse.
"That's what the fuck I thought." Louise said.
"Why must every second word be a curse word?" Jada said.
She stared at Jada then said, "Like I told Charles, I pay the cost to be the boss."
"I heard that every day when I was a little girl."
Louise said, "I raised you. I may not have been the best mama in the world, but I raised you and Lisa the best way I could and you ask me why I don't give a fuck about you?" She smacked Charles on his shoulder and said, "Scoot yo ass over." Charles moved to the very edge of the tiny sofa because Louise was a wide woman. Short in stature with a humongous ass and a cute brown face and a slight mustache that needed to be waxed.
"Mom you gonna keep living in the past? There is no way we can repair what happened in the past" Jada said.
"You the one keep holding my past against me-"
Charles had the nerve to turn the volume up on the TV and when Louise was drowned out, she slapped him in the mouth so hard that his lip started bleeding.
"Turn that goddamned TV down! Can't you see me and my daughter is talking. As a matter of fact, get the hell out of here!"
Charles stood, pants falling off his rail thin body. He said to Jada, "Good seeing you again."
"Likewise."
When he was gone, Louse said, "You think you're better than me and Lisa. You always have."
"That's not true, Mom."
"Well why don't you come see us? I tell you why, because you think you're better than us." Louise finished off the beer then burped loudly. "Well, I got news for you, Ms. White Woman, you ain't no better than us. You can live in that big house and drive all those expensive cars, but at the end of the day you still a nigger."
Jada sat back on the armchair. "I never thought I was better than nobody. But how you think I felt having a big sister on crack and a Mama that's an alcoholic?"
"Lisa just got out of rehab and she has a job. You would know these things if you were part of the family."
"Well that's good."
"And the court gave her custody of Niya."
Niya was Jada's niece. Niya had been in and out of group homes because of Lisa's struggles with her drug addiction.
"How old is Niya now?"
"That's a goddamned shame you don't know how old your own niece is," Louise said.
"Well I haven't seen her in like three years."
"She's twelve, I think," Louise said then she yelled, "Charles come here."
Charles appeared with a wet spot on the front of his jeans.
"Did you piss in yo clothes, nigga?" Louise said.
Charles looked down and when he saw the wet spot he said, "I'll be damned."
"How old is Niya?"
"Eight."
"Hell no, Niya ain't eight! She got to be at least eleven or twelve. Lisa had her when she was twenty and she's 31 now."
"Oh yeah," Charles said staring down at the piss spot. Feeling embarrassed only because Jada was there.
"Make yourself useful and grab me another beer," Louise said.
Charles took off toward the kitchen and Louise said, "Not before you wash yo damn hands. Didn't you say you just pissed?"
Jada laughed. Her mama was a trip. Same old Louise paying the cost to be the boss. At that moment she realized how much she'd missed her mom.
When Louise saw Jada laughing, she smiled. "If this nigga had a brain, he'd be dangerous."
"Mama, you're crazy."
"And you're crazy too."
"The apple don't fall too far from the tree."
Louise smiled and said, "Come here and give me a damn hug."
Jada made her way over to the sofa and gave her Mama a big hug.
Louise said, "I know I wasn't the best mama in the world. But I tried my ass off. When yo no good ass daddy left me, I did what I had to do to put food on the table even if that meant selling ass. I made sure y'all had the best of everything."
Jada didn't want to hear about her mama selling ass but she knew that it was true. She remembered the men coming in and out of the house every day when she was growing up. But she and Lisa always had the best of everything growing up. The best clothes. They kept their hair done. Always the latest Jordans when she was in the tom-boy phase of her life.
"Mama, I don't want to hear about you selling ass."
Louise smiled. "You know what I don't want to hear about?"
"What?"
"I don't want to hear about how life was fucked up for you growing up? That's the past. Can we work on the future?"
"I guess we can, " Jada said.
Louise and Jada hugged each other, neither wanting to let each other go.
Charles appeared with the beer standing there looking dumb. Finally he twisted the top off the beer. Louise let go of Jada and said, "Motherfucker, I wish you would put your lips on my goddamned beer."
Chapter 10
Lani sat at the table eating baked chicken and brown rice when Chris came in and said, "Your motherfuckin' ex had something to do with me getting robbed."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, Black had this shit set up."
Lani scooped some rice with her fork and said, "What the hell are you talking about? Black don't know shit about your business." She drank some water then said, "Wait a goddamned minute! Are you saying I had something to do with what happened?"
Chris took a seat at the table and said, "Hell no, babe. Never would I ever think you would do anything like that. I'm just saying-"
"Saying what?"
"Me and Mike found Rodriguez and fucked him up pretty badly. He told us that Kyrie and Black put him up to doing this."
Lani dropped her fork. "Are you serious?"
"I'm dead serious?"
"So Rodriguez knows Black."
"Well he and Kyrie are cousins."
"I don't believe that."
"Why I gotta lie about this?" Chris said.
"This just doesn't sound like Black, that's all. I was with him for a long time and I've never known him to rob anybody. I mean this dude got money. Why would he have to rob anybody?" Lani said.
"Come on Lani, I know that's your boy but he don't like me and you know it." Chris stood from the table and said, "I can't believe you even defending this dude."
"I'm going to get to the bot
tom of this" Lani said.
"You stay out of this!" Chris said.
"What are you gonna do?"
"I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I don't need you asking him about shit. That will put him on alert."
"What about Rodriguez, you don't think he's gonna say anything?"
"What is he gonna say? 'I told Chris that you put me up to doing this bullshit.' That will get him killed. Naw, he ain't gonna say shit."
Lani pushed her plate aside. She couldn't finish her food. She didn't want to believe the man that she had once loved had done something so damn cruel. Now her current love was out for revenge. There was no doubt in her mind that Chris and Mike were going to get it. But how? She just hoped nobody would get hurt too bad.
Chapter 11
It was 2:30 when Trey strolled in to Dr. Rozelle's office carrying a briefcase with a hundred thousand dollars.
Dr. Rozelle was a small white man with thinning hair and expensive eyeglasses. He had a permanent look of skepticism on his face and he was always thoughtful before he spoke. He stood and closed the blinds, then he shook Trey's hand.
"Good to see you"
"Same here'
"Did you bring the cash?"
"Yeah, I didn't know what to bring, so I brought a hundred thousand dollars."
"Well, you're going to need another twenty thousand."
"Why so much?"
"Matlock's fees are ridiculous, plus your friend is not from Texas, so most bondsman won't touch him, but Matlock has one that will."
"Okay I'll have to bring it back to you later."
"Bring me big bills this time?"
Trey said, "Yeah, it's mostly hundreds. There are a few fives and tens."
Dr. Rozelle sighed and said, "Jesus Christ, Trey, you make my job so hard."
"I'm sorry, man. I mean that's all I had."
"I have been telling you for years. Start a business, a cash business. A dry cleaners, pay taxes on the money, and write checks."
"Yeah but I don't want to be associated with this case. You know that."
"You would write the check to me, and I would write one to Matlock."
"Listen, I'm gonna take your advice. The next time I need you, I will write a check"
Dr. Rozelle thought for a moment then he said, "When Monte gets out, don't say a word to him."
"He doesn't know where you live right?"
"Never been to my house."
"Good."
******
Jada was dressed in a simple white blouse and skinny jeans with a leather jacket and the wedges that Craig had purchased for her. Craig greeted her with a big hug when she entered Halo, a local lounge with a chic ambience. He led her to a table in the back corner of the lounge. She ordered an apple martini and he ordered water.
"Not drinking today?"
"Trying to lose ten pounds."
"Not fair that I'm drinking and you're not. You trying to make me look like a slush?"
"Not at all, just trying to stay in shape. I'm approaching my 50th birthday and I damn sure don't want to look 50."
The server came back with the drinks and Jada said, "I don't think it's a good idea for us to keep seeing each other?"
"Why not?"
She sipped her martini and said, "I just feel so guilty."
"You shouldn't feel guilty."
"But I love Shamari. You just don't understand. I love this man. I owe this man; he was there for me when I didn't have nobody. He pulled me out of a bad situation."
Craig sipped his water. He knew that no matter how much money he spent on her, it would hardly create the kind of bond she had with her man. Hell they were from the same place. They were the same color.
"You don't understand do you?"
"Actually I do. My wife Anne was there for me when I didn't have a damn thing. Even though things have been really vanilla lately with our sex life, I feel indebted to her."
"Indebted is not the same as guilty."
"True." Craig was quiet. Taking it all in, he didn't want to stop seeing her. He flagged the waitress and said, "Give me a scotch on the rocks." He took a deep breath and then said, "I really need a drink now."
The waitress came back with the drink sat in front of him.
"I had sex with him the other day, and I realized how much I missed him holding me."
Craig sipped his drink then said, "I can give you a better life and you know this."
"Did you know my mama was an alcoholic?"
"No."
"So is my stepdad."
"Really?"
"My sister is an ex-crack head."
"Okay where are you going with this?"
"This is a lifestyle you wouldn't understand."
"No. Can't say that I would, but what does that have to do with me and you?"
"It has everything to do with me and you. We're not the same; I can tell Shamari about this because his family is just as fucked up as mine. He understands me."
"You're saying y'all are more compatible?"
"Yes."
"Can we be friends? Platonic?"
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
"Because I am attracted to you. But not in that way."
"So you're going to cut me out of your life?"
"Don't look at it like that. You're still my favorite surgeon." She stood and said, "I have to go."
He stared at her, observing how her jeans were gripping her ass. His mind went back to the sex on top of the Maserati. He didn't say anything as she walked away, but there was no way he would let this beautiful ass woman walk out of his life.
Black was pulling out of a neighborhood in southeast Atlanta when a Chevy Volt pulled alongside his Porsche. When he noticed the men wearing ski mask, he knew it was bad news. They opened fire. Sixteen shots fired into the side of Black's Porsche. He lost control and hit a telephone pole. The men sped off. A concerned citizen driving a Jeep Cherokee tried to call 911 before a shot was fired into his car barely missing his head. The operator was on the line. The concerned citizen gave 911 the whereabouts of the incident. The paramedics were there a few minutes later, along with the firemen. The Porsche was so mangled, they had to cut the car open to remove Black from the car. Black was barely breathing. They transported him to Grady Memorial.
It was 2:00 when Lani got a call from Nana, Black's grandmother.
"Hello."
"Hey I was just calling to tell you that Tyrann is in the hospital and it ain't looking too good."
"What happened?"
"He got shot this morning. That's all I know. I told that chile' to get out of the drug business."
Lani didn't say anything. She knew what had happened, Mike and Chris had retaliated. Though Black brought this on himself, she felt bad about the whole situation.
"I know you and Tyrann ain't seeing each other no mo', but I thought you might want to know about this. I'm sorry if I bothered you."
"No Nana. I have been meaning to come see you anyway. Other than this terrible news, how have you been?"
"Well I lost one of my breasts but I been hanging in there. The best a woman my age can do."
"Tyrann didn't tell me that."
"You kidding me? I always tell him to tell you I'm thinking about you and think you're the best girlfriend he ever had."
"Thank you Nana."
"I'm going back up to the hospital to see Tyrann. He's in the intensive care unit if you want to come see him. Grady Memorial Hospital."
"Okay Nana." Lani didn't want to commit to going to see Black.
"And if you ain't able to come see him, I'll understand, but please pray for him."
"I will." She ended the call.
Chapter 12
When Chris entered the house Lani said, "What the fuck have you done?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Black got shot this morning. I supposed you didn't have shit to do with it?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"What the fuck do you mean maybe, maybe not?"
Chris made eye contact with Lani. "Let me get this straight. This nigga damned near killed me, and you worried about that bitch ass nigga?"
"He didn't shoot you."
"He threatened me at your mama's house."
Chris licked his chapped lips. Not wanting to respond to Lani and couldn't believe this chick was going on about this nigga.
"Why did you shoot him?"
"I ain't shoot nobody."
"You had him shot?"
"You don't know that."
"Dude, I hope you know if he dies, you got a murder case on your head."
"You must still be fucking this dude. Why the fuck are you worried about him? I don't remember you being this worried about me when I was in the hospital."
"You were in a coma. You don't remember shit."
Chris paced the floor, wanting to slap the shit out of Lani. But he'd never hit a woman and he never would. He didn't get down like that.
Lani approached Chris and wrapped her arms around him and said, "Did you have to take it to that level?"
Chris removed her arms and said, "He tried to kill me."
"You put me in a bad position. I know his family and they're calling me, asking me to come see him at the hospital."
Chris leaned against the door and said, "Is that so?"
"Well, his Nana called me."
"I told you a long time ago if he kept fucking with me, his Nana was going to be burying him."
Lani thought about the possibility of Nana having to bury Black. She didn't want to think about that, but she knew that if Black was able to walk out of that hospital, he was going to retaliate. This stupid ass war would go on forever.
"Was all of this worth it?"
"I lost money and time when they put me in the hospital."
"I'm sorry about that."
"Are you really sorry? A few minutes ago you were worried about his old gray ass Nana."
Lani slapped the shit out of Chris. She'd slapped him so hard you could see her hand print on the side of his face.
When she realized what she'd done she came to his side and said, "I'm sorry."
"Get the fuck away from me, Lani!"
Lani wouldn't budge so Chris shoved her to the floor.
"So you're beating women now?"
"I didn't do shit to you, you're the one that hit me!"
Lani picked herself up off the floor, stood in his personal space again and he pushed her again and she yelled.
"If you put another goddamned hand on me, I'm gonna call the police on yo ass!"