A Hustler's Promise: Some Promises Won't Be Broken

by Jackie Chanel

  “I want custody of my sisters,” Jaicyn said matter of factly. “Tell me what I need to do.”

  Kim had read her notes on the case. She’d written about the bond she felt between Jaicyn and her sisters and she hated to break them up. Kim knew that she’d have to face what she’d done to that family one day.

  “Well Jaicyn, it seems like the girls are doing well. The Blairs are considering adoption.”

  “My sisters are not happy there. They want to be with me.”

  Kim looked over her paperwork and sighed. “I know you want them, Jaicyn, but you have to look at the big picture. They are in a great living environment with two people who care about them. After the mother’s parental rights have been terminated, the foster parents have the option to adopt.”

  “I don’t care what the rules are,” Jaicyn argued. “I want my sisters. What do I need to do to get custody of them?” Jaicyn demanded

  “You’re not going to be able to gain custody of them, Jaicyn.”

  “Why not? I’m eighteen. I’m legally an adult. I have a job. There’s nothing that Paula Blair can do for them that I can’t. I’m their sister. DFCS is supposed to remove them from the foster home if there is a blood relative willing to take on the responsibility. Here I am.”

  Kim was surprised to hear that Jaicyn had done her research and while what she was saying was true; with Jaicyn’s history, the Blairs were still the likely choice for permanent placement. Jaicyn wouldn’t understand it but Kim tried to explain it anyway.

  “Excuse my language, Miss Hill,” Jaicyn responded, “but that’s bullshit. You can talk to my sisters and they’ll say that they’d rather live with me.”

  “That may be the case but a seven and an eight year old aren’t allowed to make that decision. The fact remains that you are only eighteen and you pled guilty to a felony which prevents you from gaining custody of your sisters.”

  “What’s the procedure is all I need to know,” Jaicyn said. “You won’t ever make me see things your way because I, not you or the Blairs, know what’s best for my sisters. Just give me the paperwork that I need to fill out and tell who ever it is that you need to tell, but I’m fighting this adoption and I’m going to get custody of my sisters.”

  “You can get what you need from the front desk,” Kim stated, feeling like Jaicyn was about to fight a losing battle and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

  Jaicyn stormed out of the office and through the waiting area. The line at the front desk was long so she continued out of the front door, thinking she’d come back the next day to get the papers. She could feel people staring at her but she didn’t care. Her mind was on stopping that stuck up bitch from adopting her sisters.

  As she hopped into Rayshawn’s car she knew exactly who she had to talk to. If anybody could help her it would be King. She never talked to King about anything specific before, but she didn’t think that he disliked her. Plus, she was with Rayshawn and he treated that boy like a son. He’d help.

  Jaicyn’s palms were sweaty when she pulled in front of Sandy’s, where she knew that King would be meeting with the top people in his crew. Jaicyn hoped that Rayshawn would already be gone because she wanted to see what King had to say before she went to her man.

  “Hey Jay-Jay,” Sandy called when Jaicyn walked through the door. “You hungry?”

  “No, I’m good,” Jaicyn called back.

  She looked around and spotted King in a booth in the corner, eating his usual breakfast of home fries, eggs, bacon, and grits. Jaicyn walked over to the table, relieved that he was alone.

  “What’s up, Jaicyn,” King said. “How are you?”

  “Can I talk to you for a second?” Jaicyn asked shyly.

  “Yeah, have a seat.” Jaicyn slid into the booth.

  “What’s on your mind?” King asked. He thought it may have something to do with Rayshawn. He’d noticed a slight change in Rayshawn ever since the dealers from New York had come to Washington Heights.

  “I just left DFCS about my sisters and they said the foster parents might try to adopt them. I can’t let that happened,” Jaicyn explained. “I need your help.”

  “What do you expect me to do?” King asked.

  “Don’t you know somebody up there who can stop this?”

  King shook his head. He was surprised that Jaicyn was coming to him about this.

  “What are you trying to do, Jay-Jay?”

  Jaicyn explained that she wanted her sisters to come live with her and Rayshawn. The more Jaicyn told him the more King disliked the idea.

  “Jay-Jay,” he said, sounding more fatherly than her own father when she told him what she wanted to do. “It’s clear that you love your sisters but this isn't a good idea. Do you realize what’s at stake here?”

  “What do you mean?” Jaicyn was confused. The only thing that was at stake was her sanity.

  “What I mean is that you might think you’re ready to raise those girls but you aren’t. You’re only eighteen. You can’t do this.”

  Jaicyn’s disappointment was evident by the look on her face. King didn’t care if he disappointed her or even pissed her off. Jaicyn had selfish tendencies and wanted what she wanted, when she wanted it without regards to anyone else. Those kinds of traits would make Jaicyn a great hustler.

  “Rickie and Bobbie want to be with me,” Jaicyn argued.

  “What about Rayshawn?” King asked. “Have you considered him at all?”

  “Yes,” Jaicyn answered defensively. “He wants the girls too.”

  King shook his head. Rayshawn was so in love that he would have agreed to anything she said and that worried King. Once again Rayshawn was showing his weak spot and letting his feelings for his girlfriend overshadow what was really important. King assumed that it was because of his age. No matter how much money he made or how much responsibility he carried, Rayshawn was still an nineteen year old boy. He wasn’t ready to take on the added responsibilities that Jaicyn was suggesting. Neither was she.

  “I don’t think you should do this, Jaicyn,” King stated. “It’s not a good idea. Do you realize what takes place during a custody battle?”

  From Jaicyn’s silence it was obvious she had no idea what she was getting herself into.

  “It means background checks and home studies,” King explained. “It means that lawyers and caseworkers will be all up in your business all of the time. It means a lot of attention is going to be on you and the people that you live with. It also means a lot of money which you don’t have. I say drop it. Talk to the foster parents and set up some type of visitation but don’t take it any further than that.”

  “I can’t do that. I love my sisters too much to settle for seeing them on the weekends. They need me.”

  “Yeah,” King said. “But do you love Rayshawn? Do you want to see him locked up over this? Because that is what will happen when you start having lawyers and caseworkers snooping around. If you love your man then let this shit go.”

  While he respected Jaicyn’s tenacity and love for her family, King would do everything in his power to make sure that she didn’t fuck up what he’d spent the last few years building. Rayshawn was a key factor in his organization and him going to jail because his girlfriend wanted her sisters to live with her wasn’t going to happen.

  In Jaicyn’s opinion there were two options. She could ignore King’s advice and move forward with her original plan. Or she could desperately try to convince Paula to work out visitation arrangements with her. The unspoken third option was that she could leave Rayshawn, get her own place, and proceed with the custody matter. That option hurt so bad that Jaicyn didn’t even consider it an option. It was just a thought that came to mind that she immediately dismissed. She spent two years without Rayshawn and she didn’t want to go through that again. There had to be another way.

  ****

  For two weeks she couldn’t make a decision. For fourteen days she agonized over what she had to do. This decision was harder to make tha
n any other decision. In the end it was Rayshawn who made the final decision.

  They were leaving Applebee’s when Rayshawn mentioned driving down to Cincinnati and taking Rickie and Bobbie to the zoo before it got too cold.

  “Yeah, that would be nice,” Jaicyn agreed. “But you know Paula is not going to let us do that.”

  “Speaking of which,” Rayshawn said, “where are you at on that?”

  Jaicyn shrugged she shoulders. “It’s hard to say. People are telling me that I need to let it go and settle for visitation. I don’t know what to do.”

  Rayshawn opened the passenger door for Jaicyn. He waited until she got settled before handing the doggie bag to her containing half of her dinner. He climbed in the car and started it.

  “Man, forget what people are saying, Jay-Jay,” he said, “we want custody. What do we need to do to get it?”

  “I have the paperwork at home,” Jaicyn answered. “The big problem is that they are going to be looking at you and me real hard since we live together. They’ll find out what you do and then you’ll be in trouble and we still won’t have the girls.”

  “So, how about getting you set up with a spot of your own. That takes me out of the picture, right?”

  “You want me to move out?” Jaicyn asked.

  “No I don’t want you to,” Rayshawn answered, “but it would only be temporary. You’ve been wanting to move anyway. We can get a better apartment in your name and you stay there until this custody shit is over. Then I’ll move in after you get the girls.”

  “But won’t they still be checking you out because you’re my boyfriend?” Jaicyn asked, doubting that this was a good idea.

  “Not as much if I didn’t live there and I can pass any background check. I’ve never been arrested, I can pass any drug test, and I’ve have a legit job.” Rayshawn laughed, knowing that when DFCS or Family Court ran his social security number it would come back with no criminal history, good credit, and a legit job as manager of King Cars.

  “Legit job my ass,” Jaicyn laughed too. “I don’t ever see you down at the car lot.”

  “I’m there all the time,” Rayshawn joked. “When you’re at work, I’m at work. So what do you think? Does it sound like a plan?”

  Jaicyn was quiet while she contemplated the idea of living on her own without Rayshawn. It wasn’t her ideal set up but it wasn’t a bad idea. She could get an apartment big enough for all four of them and after the girls were safely in her custody Rayshawn could move in. The more she thought about the idea, the more it sounded like a good idea.

  “I think it will work,” Jaicyn agreed.

  Later that night, Jaicyn called Autumn in Columbus to tell her about the plan.

  “You’re actually going to move into your own place?” Autumn asked. “What about bills and stuff?”

  “I have a job,” Jaicyn cried. “I don’t live off of Rayshawn!”

  Autumn laughed, knowing that was far from the truth. Jaicyn went to work every day and got paid every other Friday but she hadn’t paid a bill since Rayshawn started paying all the bills before she left for Job Corps. She pointed that little fact out to Jaicyn.

  “Plus, he’s the one with the car,” Autumn pointed out. “You’re going to get a place on the other side of town and not have a car?”

  “I’ll buy a car,” Jaicyn said. “You must have forgotten who you’re talking to. This is me, Jaicyn Jones. I can take care of myself.”

  “Really?” Autumn asked. “There was a time when everyone knew that you could take care of yourself,” she said, not wanting to hurt her friend’s feelings, “but since you’ve been with Rayshawn, a lot has changed. You’re different now.”

  “How have I changed?” Jaicyn demanded to know.

  “You’ve become that girl that we’ve always hated,” Autumn said bluntly. “A typical drug dealer’s girl. He pays all your bills, buys all your clothes and jewelry. The only difference between you and those hoodrats in Oak Park is that you have a job.”

  Jaicyn was stunned and a little pissed off. She wasn’t the lazy money hungry chick that Autumn had just said she was, was she? When she started to think about the situation, she realized that Autumn was right. All she did was shop, get her nails and hair done, and sit around the house waiting for Rayshawn to come home, just like all the girls she and Autumn used to talk about.

  “Oh my God, Autumn,” Jaicyn said when she realized the truth. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

  Autumn laughed. “Because you seem happy. Plus I have other things to worry about down here. College ain’t easy, you know. And as long as you’re happy, I’m not judging you.”

  “Well, thank you for being that kind of friend,” Jaicyn said. “But you know me; I don’t want to be that type of girl. I hate girls like that.”

  “Then do something about it Jay-Jay.”

  After hanging up with Autumn, Jaicyn sat alone in her room, thinking about what Autumn had said and the idea of moving out. Jaicyn was actually a little jealous that Rayshawn had come up with the idea when all she’d done was dismiss it. Lately she’d become completely dependent on him for everything, including her own thoughts.

  Rayshawn paid the rent and all the bills. He was the one with the car. She depended on him to take her to and from work, unless she borrowed his car. He gave her everything she wanted and never asked for a dime. There were nights when he’d come home and hand her money, hundreds of dollars at a time just because he felt like she needed some spending money.

  She made decent money. She had money in the bank. He felt the need to take care of her and not only that, he was coming up with a plan to get her sisters back. They were her sisters and it was her problem. While she appreciated his help, she didn’t want him making decisions for her.

  She never wanted to be that dependent on anyone, let alone a man. She could stand on her own two feet. Moving out of Rayshawn’s apartment would be the first step to show everyone that she was an independent woman and could take care of herself. Rayshawn was just her boyfriend. Jaicyn had to take control over her life again.

  Chapter 21

  “What do you think?” Jaicyn asked her boyfriend after she took him on a short tour of her new apartment.

  Rayshawn and Jaicyn stood in the living room of the four bedroom condo that Jaicyn had been renting for three months. The condo on the upper south side stood in almost the exact same spot where the twins had lived with their mother and father. Their apartment building had long been demolished and in its place expensive condos. The building held twelve units and even had a waiting list. Even though he gave her the money Rayshawn had no idea how Jaicyn had managed to rent one. Her boss at the real estate agency had to be involved somehow.

  “How’d you get off the waiting list?”

  “I wasn’t on the waiting list,” Jaicyn replied. “I told you that Darius was going to help me get this place. You still don’t listen.”

  One thing was for sure, Jaicyn had done a fantastic job of furnishing and decorating the place. She had a talent for any type of fashion. The living room had comfortable overstuffed sofas and chairs and was full of vibrant colors. It was the complete opposite of the stark black and white Rayshawn had going on in his place. For three months Jaicyn hadn’t allowed a soul to visit the new place. She wanted it to be perfect before anyone saw it. She was so secretive about it that quite a few times Rayshawn suspected that she had someone else living there with her.

  “It’s nice,” Rayshawn answered. “But it looks like you just copied everything from the IKEA catalog.”

  Jaicyn flashed an irritated look at her boyfriend.

  “IKEA? Seriously?” she said. “I like it. And the girls seem to like it too.”

  As if they could sense that she was talking about them, Rickie and Bobbie came running down the steps.

  “I like this new house,” Bobbie informed her sister. “Are we gonna live here?”

  “Eventually,” Jaicyn laughed. “But first you’ll just have to settl
e for spending the night.”

  Rayshawn felt out of the loop. Since Jaicyn moved out, things had been different between them. They didn’t see each other every day and it was obvious that they didn’t share everything anymore. Or at least Jaicyn didn’t tell him everything anymore. Not too long ago, Rayshawn knew everything that was going on in Jaicyn’s life. He didn’t have to ask where she was going or what she’d been up to. He didn’t even have to ask how her day was. She used to just tell him. Lately, that hadn’t been happening. He had a general idea of what was going on but he didn’t know the details.

  For instance, he knew that Jaicyn went to work every day but he didn’t find out that she’d made any friends there until he saw her having lunch with a couple of the administrative assistants and the receptionist. He knew that she had talked to Kim Hill and the Blairs about seeing her sisters. He even knew that Paula had started to allow Jaicyn to come over and take Rickie and Bobbie places but he had no idea that they were allowed to spend the night. Jaicyn just didn’t tell him things anymore and it bothered him.

  Of course he didn’t share every detail of his life with her. He never had before and the fact of the matter was that he was too busy to do it, even if he wanted to. Rayshawn had problems and they were bigger than Jaicyn. He knew that he wouldn’t always have the good luck that seemed to find him since he started working for King. The Park was becoming the only place in Washington Heights where Rayshawn felt completely safe.

  From his “office” in one of the empty apartments Rayshawn had a perfect view of the courtyard. He ran a tight crew but things were getting out of hand. It seemed like everybody was jealous of the money he was making. He was a little paranoid and feared that one day soon, he was going to have to blast somebody trying to make a name for themselves.

  The dealers from New York were making their move to take over and Rayshawn lost about four guys to their crew. He didn’t care too much about that. Hustlers were easily replaced. There were plenty of hungry young men in Washington Heights who were trying to make money.