“The woman I take Prince to during the day. She said she had a cop friend that was passing the info to her to see if she knew anything.”
“Oh my God, Lyric. Did she fuckin’ say anything to her? Did that bitch say somethin’?” he said, approaching me with the killer rage that boiled in his eyes whenever he was about to react. His aggression made Prince flinch in my arms, and his eyes began to water. “Nigga, calm the fuck down, aight? You scarin’ Prince.” Nas looked over at Prince, causing his aggression to switch off.
He sat down next to us on the couch as be bent over and kissed Prince on the cheek. I could tell he was nervous, I mean, that went without saying, but kings don’t react like this. Not the king I knew. He ran his hands over his face, knocking his fitted cap off his head and onto the floor.
“Look, Mrs. Butler didn’t say anything, aight? I’ve been knowing her for a long time; you know what I’m saying? She wouldn’t do that shit.”
“How you know, Lyric?”
“What you mean? I just told you.”
“Can I meet her?”
I paused. The irony of everything was coming full swing and with the state of mind he was in right now, I didn’t want him to meet her. He was anxious to do anything to cover his tracks and even though I didn’t think he would harm her, I definitely wouldn’t put it past him. “Meet her for what?” I asked, Prince cooing in the background.
“I just want to see for myself; you know what I’m saying? I want to feel her out to see what she is on.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“Yeah but shit, if you say she ain’t snitching, then what the fuck? Let me see for myself.”
“Nah, cuz I know you on some bullshit right now. Mrs. Butler is good people, Nas. She ain’t fuckin’—”
“Aye,” he said, cutting me off, “I said I wanna meet the bitch so let me meet her. The fuck is wrong with you?”
I couldn’t front, the way he snapped at me turned me on. I felt disrespected but at the same time, my pussy got wet just by him taking control like that. I glanced at Prince as he sat in my lap, looking back and forth between us. My mind put both of them in my view and for a moment, Junie sat across from me. I saw the worry in his eyes when he knew I was going to take Nas to meet his mother. Honestly, I was worried myself. Nas was a live wire, and if he ever felt threatened, he was going to dispose of whomever he felt the threat coming from. I shook my head at Junie, silently apologizing for what I was about to get his mother involved in. I considered taking Nas to another person, but if he found out it was all bullshit, then he would come at me.
“Look,” I said as a glared at him, “She is ok. She’s not fuckin’ snitching; that’s my word, Nas.” He shot piercing, constant stares at me as I held his son. It was like I was putting his freedom in danger and for a split second, I felt he saw me as an enemy. I felt a shift coming from him that wasn’t there before today. He leaned over and kissed Prince on the cheek and put his fitted hat back on as he stood up. I watched him walk to the door without acknowledging me, but before he left out, he spoke,
“Is he going over there tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I got some shit to take care of at a couple of the stash houses.”
“No doubt,” he said, walking out the door and letting it slam closed behind him. Prince jumped and spun around to look at me. I held him close, rocking back and forth. If I knew Nas like I know I did, this wasn’t going to get any better until he was completely comfortable, and I honestly didn’t even want to think about how that comfort was going to come about.
Chapter 5
“Hey, baby. Hey Mama’s baby, are you ready to go to grandma’s house? Are you?” I stood at the back seat of the car in front of Mrs. Butler’s house, getting my last goodbyes in with Prince. As the days past, he looked more and more like a mix of Junie and Big Mama. His eyes were still as gray as they were on the day he was born and the dimple on his left cheek kept sinking into his face more and more. He was the cutest little boy I had ever laid my eyes on. The clouds above us were thick and dreary, and a light drizzle saturated the atmosphere. I looked up and down the block before I took him out of the car. The neighborhood was quiet as it had been since the days Junie and I came over here after school was out. We would grab a handful of candy from the penny candy store on the end of the block that was still there to this day. As we strolled down the sidewalk, he would make a beat with his mouth, and I would come in flowing right behind him. It was a perfect chemistry between us, which is probably why I just couldn’t get him out of my head. Even though Nas was more of what I wanted, I couldn’t deny the connection I had with Junie. Not even if I wanted to.
As I crept to the front door, I saw a black Impala roll to a stop right behind me. The drizzle from the sky fell down on me as I spun around, looking to see who was behind me. I sat Prince down and put my hand on my waist near the Glock that I kept on me for protection. Suddenly, the back door opened up, and Nas hopped out the back with all black attire on and a black fitted hat. I shook my head as he walked up to me,
“Nas, what the fuck are you doing here? You following me?”
“I just wanted to see who is watching my son during the day; you know what I’m sayin’? Something wrong with that? I can’t see who is—”
“Fuck that shit, Nas. Prince been coming here for the past few months and you didn’t give a shit about knowing who was watching him until I told you that shit a few days ago. You think I’m a dumb bitch or something?”
He smiled, both of his dimples alluring me as the rain began to fall down on his face. Ignoring me, he picked Prince up and headed to the door, pointing, “It’s this one, right? Come on. Let’s get my son out this rain and meet Mrs. Butler.” I looked towards the car as Loc sat in the passenger’s seat with the window partially cracked. I huffed, my breath visible in the air as it left my mouth. By the time I’d gotten to the door, Nas had already rang the bell, and Mrs. Butler was standing right there with a surprised look on her face. She made eye contact with me then she reached to open the door, stumbling as her hand missed the handle on the first try.
“Hi… Hi, Lyric. Hey Prince!” she said, smiling in an attempt to cover up any other emotions she felt at the moment. Nas walked in, looking around the front room as if he was admiring the décor. “This is a beautiful place, Mrs… Mrs. Butler, is it?” She grabbed the car seat from Nas, “Yes. Um, it’s uhh…” I could tell she wanted to say Mom but she restrained herself, “it's Mrs. Butler. Why don’t you two have a seat? I wasn’t expecting um, the both of you.” Nas looked over at me, smiling like the vicious killer that he was, and took a seat on the couch. Mrs. Butler sat down across from him, and I took a seat right in-between them. I didn’t know if Nas remembered Mrs. Butler from the mall a while back but my guess was that he didn’t. I’m not sure what his reaction would be if he knew he was sitting in the house of his biological parents. Mrs. Butler looked at me, searching for any clue where this was headed. I gave her a life line,
“Nas just wanted to come by and see who was watching his son while we were away.”
She nodded as if she understood, “Oh, Ok. Well, I’m Mrs. Butler. I’ve known Lyric for umm… for quite some time now, you know? I’ve always considered her as a daughter to me so, by circumstance, I guess I will consider you… like a son.”
“Nah, that’s not necessary Mrs. Butler,” he said. I glanced at her, and I could immediately tell that her heart broke into pieces when he said that. She could hide it from him, but not from me. Just then, Serena burst into the front room from the back, “Heeeeeey Prince!” she said, a big smile plastered across her face as she ran to him, “Hey Lyric, Hey…,” she stopped, placing her hand over her mouth. Mrs. Butler and I looked at each other as Nas smiled, “And who is this?” he asked in a way that contradicted every inch of the thug inside of him. He stood up, extending his hand to her as she kept her mouth covered,
“Oh my God, is this… is this—”
I interrupted her, “Yes, this is Pr
ince’s Dad, Nas,” I looked at him, “I’ve told all of them so much about you. They were just surprised to see you come by.”
“Oh, you’ve told them so much about me, huh? Well, what exactly did you tell them, Lyric?” he said, venom dripping from his lips.
“Just how much you love Prince and how he just looks so much like you.”
Serena sat down on the arm of the couch next to Mrs. Butler, looking back and forth between Nas and Prince. “Oh, that’s it?” Nas stated as if I was leaving something out, “you didn’t tell them how much of a good guy I am?” I put my hand on his leg, laughing to cover up the tense situation that was beginning to unfold, “Yes, you know I did. You have to be a good guy if you’re helping me raise a son like this.” He turned his attention towards Mrs. Butler as she held Prince, “We are a loving family, you know? I mean, I would hate if something were to happen to keep Lyric or me away from Prince. I mean, I don’t know what I would do, you know? As a loving parent, you understand, don’t you?” Mrs. Butler glanced at Nas curiously, “I understand completely. I also understand that I wouldn’t do anything to cause my children to be taken away from me, and if I did, then I would just have to deal with the consequences.”
My heart skipped a beat as Nas sat in his seat with an old, awkward smile on his face. Prince rocked back and forth on Mrs. Butler’s lap, slobbering down his mouth without a care in the world. Serena sat quietly, glancing at Nas just to quickly look away whenever he turned towards her. I figured she was still processing everything that was unfolding in front of her. The tension in the front room reached its boiling point. Nas stood up abruptly as I mirrored his movement, standing between him and Mrs. Butler. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do at that moment, but I wanted to be as much of a roadblock as I could if needed. He looked at me curiously, “Are you alright?” he pleasantly asked as he continued to contradict his true nature. “I’m good, I just… I was getting ready to walk you out because it looked like you were leaving.” Mrs. Butler looked back and forth between us as if we were both crazy. The thing is, we both were, she just didn’t know to what extent. He reached his hand out to Stacey,
“Well, Mrs. Butler, it was a pleasure to meet you finally.”
“You as well.”
“And the same to you, Serena. I’m sure I will see you two again you know, I mean, with Prince here and all.”
“Please. Please do come back,” Stacey said, “You are more than welcome anytime you want to come by. I would love for you to meet your… um, my husband.”
“Oh, absolutely. I would love that. Now, you ladies have a wonderful day, alright?”
It was frightening how well he switched his demeanor in front of them. He reminded me of a schizophrenic or even worse, a sociopath who was considering killing his mother to keep her from talking. We walked outside into the pouring rain, he a few steps in front of me. “Nas!” I yelled as he kept walking at a brisk pace. I finally caught up with him and yanked on his arm, turning him around to face me,
“Nas, what the fuck was that, huh? Did you hear what you wanted to hear?”
“Yeah, I heard it and what I heard is that she is a fuckin’ snitch.”
“How did you even hear that?!”
“The fuckin’ question is, how didn’t you hear it?! You must’ve forgotten that we both killed muthafuckas that night, and if you ain’t tryin’ to tie up loose ends, then I probably got the wrong bitch by my side. You need to get yo’ fuckin’ priorities straight, Lyric. Now ain’t the time to be bullshitting!”
He yelled as rain drops exploded all around us. Water fell from the bill of his fitted cap as the rain wet my hair, causing it to stick to my face. I looked at him, then back towards the house as Serena stood in the door. When I turned around, I heard a car door slam shut and just like that, he was gone. I stood in the rain for a few moments before I got in the car myself and left.
Later that day, I drove out to Allen-Bradley, the spot where Vinny worked. I texted him to let him know I was outside, and he came out on his lunch break to chill in the car with me. My hair and clothing were still wet from when I was outside talking to Nas.
“Damn, Lyric. What is the fuck you do? Take a shower in the rain and shit?”
“Nah. I was just talkin’ to Nas in the worst place and shit.”
“Oh,” he looked at me, knowing something was wrong. Vinny wasn’t “like” a brother to me; he was a brother. He could pick up on little shit like that about me even when I tried to hide it. “What’s up, Lyric?”
“Nas is some bullshit, man. Some straight bullshit.”
“What you mean?”
“You remember that Big Tuck shit?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I fucked around and told him that the police was startin’ to look at us for that shit. But that ain’t it; I told him who I heard it from.”
“Ok… who did you hear it from?”
I sighed, “Mrs. Butler.”
His mouth hung open, “Damn, Lyric. Fuck. Fuck. That shit is fucked,” he paused, “Wait a minute, ain’t that his mama? And Prince grandmama?”
“Hell yeah.”
“Do he know that shit?”
“Nah. I mean, I told him a long ass time ago, but it seems like he forgot and shit. Even if I did tell him, I think the only thing it would do is piss him off even more.”
“Fuck, Lyric. So, what he gon’ do?”
“The nigga followed me to her spot this morning when I was dropping of Prince,” he put his hand over his face as I continued speaking, “he went in and talked to her. The shit was mad awkward, though, you know what I’m sayin? I’m sittin’ in there talking to the mother of a son I used to fuck with while her other son, who I am fucking with now, is in the front room, but the nigga doesn't even know that the woman he is talkin’ to is really his mother.” Vinny’s eyes opened wide, seemingly confused at what I just said, “That’s some fuckin’ Jerry Springer ass shit if you ask me, Lyric.” I laughed, “I mean, the shit ain’t funny but you ain’t lying. Fuck man, I know this nigga is gon’ try some off the wall fuckin’ shit. I can’t even let that shit happen to her, though, you know what I’m sayin’ Vinny? She ain’t snitchin’ on him or me. You know she ain’t.” He sighed, glancing out the window as the raindrops exploded when it made contact, “Yeah, but that nigga doesn't, and a nigga like that don’t give a shit when his freedom is at risk. I already know.”
We sat in the car silently for the next few minutes like we normally did when we were both hit with some heavy stuff and didn’t know how to respond. Another silent conversation between us that only siblings could have with each other. The thunder grumbled above us as he turned to me, “You heard from Uncle Stew?” he asked, his eyebrows wrinkled up.
“Nah, why?”
“He ain’t been in the crib since that day he said you came through. That was, what? A few days ago? Anyways, I saw him sleep in Big Mama room, and whenever he in there, I don’t fuck with him, you know what I’m sayin? I mean, out of respect and shit, but I went to sleep that afternoon, and when I woke up the nigga was gone. Ain’t seen him since.”
“For real?”
“Yeah. I figured he just needed some time to himself or some shit, you know? So I didn’t think nothing of it after the first day or so but it been a few days now, so I just figured I’d tell you about it.”
“Aight. You good at the crib by yo’self?”
He laughed, “The fuck kind of question is that, Lyric? I’m a grown ass man. You think I’m scared to stay in the crib by myself?”
“I’m just sayin’ I heard you scream when you told me you thought you saw Big Mama walking into the kitchen.”
He laughed, “Fuck that shit, man. Them fuckin’ spirits and shit? I don’t fuck with them. You can’t shoot that shit or nothing, and I did see enough of them in my life to know that I don’t want to fuck with them. Ever.”
I laughed, “Aight, nigga. I’ma let you get back to work, though.”
“Aight. Hit me up, Lyr
ic.”
“Aight.”
He got out of the car and ran through the rain back to his building. The shit on my mind was piling up by the second; first, this shit with Nas and Mrs. Butler had me worried for her life and preparing a way to keep her safe; second, Vinny just dropped this shit on me about Uncle Stew. I was hoping he didn’t find his way back to the drugs because he was doing so well for so long without them. I would hate to see him go back, but I heard them relapses aren't nothing to fuck with. I could only hope and pray that he was alright, but I had my ear to the streets so I knew I could get a beat on him sooner or later.
The stash house was quiet. The niggas Nas put on were all on they shit, even in the rain. They had the fiends coming to them like clockwork every day. I pulled up to the curb and waved Peabody, one of the boys, over to my car. He was a young ass nigga, hard as fuck, though. He couldn’t have been any more than 16-years-old, still had the baby face and everything, but the nigga carried himself like a grown ass man. He walked to the side of my car, his gold grill glimmering inside of his partially open mouth,
“What’s good, Lyric?”
“Shit, you tell me? What’s count?”
He pulled a roll out of his pocket, “This about $14,000 right here. Doobie got the rest of the dope over at his spot. You want me to grab him?”
“Nah, nah, you good. Give me that roll, though.”
He handed it to me as he stood there in the rain, waiting for my next move. I unrolled the money, counting out $800 and giving it back to him, “Here, that’s just for bein’ the nigga you are right now, handling yo’ business. You keep this shit up, we gon’ put you over on the 21st street so you can put that shit in line over there.” He took the money from my hand, “Aight, no doubt. I can handle that shit.” I smiled, “Yeah, I know you can Lil’ nigga. You runnin’ this shit over here.” He stood there with his hands in his pockets.
“Well aight,” I said, “get back to it. Fuck with Nas or me if you need anything.”
“Aight.”
Queen of the City 2: The Life of a Female Rapper Page 4