Besides that, he had to deal with Dayshawn calling twice a week trying to convince him that he needed to move to Atlanta. Even though it was a good idea, Rayshawn couldn’t leave Washington Heights just yet. He was at the height of his game and he had bigger plans. When he left Washington Heights he wanted to leave with enough money and connections that he could set up shop anywhere in the country and be okay. Dayshawn was going to be a lawyer and Jaicyn would probably be a real estate agent soon but Rayshawn had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to be a drug dealer for the rest of his life. What else could he do? He was following in King’s footsteps.
King had legit businesses all over the state of Ohio but in the end, he was just a drug dealer. Rayshawn knew the same thing would happen for him. In fact, it was the life that King had been prepping him for since he took him to the Valdez compound.
“You seem out of it,” Jaicyn commented after they’d dropped off the girls and came back to Jaicyn’s place. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Rayshawn answered dryly. “Just got shit on my mind.”
“Well,” Jaicyn said, attempting to make Rayshawn snap out of his funk, “I was thinking that we could have a big Thanksgiving dinner here instead of Sandy’s. We could invite everyone over here and I’ll see if Paula will let me get the girls.”
Rayshawn rolled his eyes. Was his girlfriend turning into Martha Stewart?
“Who’s going to cook? You?”
Jaicyn laughed. “Hell no. I can’t cook Thanksgiving dinner. I figured that we could have it catered or something.”
“Thanksgiving is in a week, Jay-Jay. Have you thought about that?”
“Damn Rayshawn, it was just a suggestion. What are you getting so bent out of shape for?”
“Do whatever you want,” was Rayshawn’s response. “You’re going to anyway.”
Jaicyn had her back to him because she was changing out of her jeans and sweater but she could detect the unbridled sarcasm in his voice.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jaicyn asked.
“Nothin’.” Rayshawn wasn’t quite sure why Jaicyn’s newfound independence bothered him. It just did.
Jaicyn pulled a tank top over her head and climbed into bed. She reached for the remote control to the thirty-six inch television and turned to the news.
“Are you mad at me or something?” she asked.
“Why would I be mad? You’re doing your own thing and making moves without telling me. Why would I be mad at that?”
“Like what?” Jaicyn asked. “What have I been doing that I didn’t tell you about?”
Rayshawn took the remote from his girl and turned on Sportscenter.
“You didn’t tell me that Paula lets you keep the girls overnight. You didn’t ask me to help you pick out this place or pick out your car or anything else that’s been going on with you since you moved out.
“I told you I was getting a Mustang,” Jaicyn said. “You didn’t need to be there when I picked it out. You didn’t pay for my car. I did.”
“Whatever. I’ve got too much of my own shit goin’ on to worry about what you’re up to.”
“Sounds like you’re worrying about it to me,” she said. “I guess you expect me to share every little detail with you like you do me, huh?” she asked sarcastically. Before he could answer she finished her statement.
“It was your idea for me to get this place. I asked you to come with me but you were busy. I told you I was going to buy a car and I did. What’s the problem?”
“Like I said Jaicyn, it’s nothing.”
It wasn’t nothing and they both knew it. Rayshawn was mad at himself. They’d been together for three years and he knew how Jaicyn was. When they lived together before she went to Job Corps, he had the feeling that she was dependent on him because she didn’t have a choice. Now she did have a choice and she chose to do things her way and to take care of herself. It was that same quality that attracted him to her in the first place.
“If it’s nothing, then don’t be getting mad at me,” Jaicyn spoke up. “You should be happy that I can take care of myself. You should be grateful that you have a woman who doesn’t need you to hold her hand and walk her through every aspect of life.”
“Drop it,” Rayshawn said, not willing to admit that she was right. “Like I said, I’ve got my own shit to deal with.”
“Yeah,” she responded with an attitude of her own. “And I have to go to work in the morning. Turn off the light please.”
Jaicyn knew that she should have pressed Rayshawn to see what was really bothering him. The only reason that he kept saying it was because he wanted her to ask what was wrong. If he wasn’t going to be supportive and happy for her, why should she?
Jaicyn pulled the sheet and comforter up to her shoulders, a sure sign that sex was not in Rayshawn’s near future. Not that he cared. He needed to get down to the Park. He hadn’t been down there all day since he was with Jaicyn and her sisters.
Rayshawn got off the bed and put the remote on the nightstand next to Jaicyn’s side of the king sized bed. He didn’t turn off the TV because Jaicyn liked to sleep with the television on.
“Where are you going?” Jaicyn asked.
“To the Park for a minute then home.”
“Alright then,” Jaicyn muttered. “See you later.”
Rayshawn knew that she wasn’t too mad because when he leaned down to kiss her goodbye she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. Jaicyn looked up at her man, seducing him with her hazel eyes.
“You know you don’t really want to leave,” she murmured. Jaicyn slid closer to the middle of the bed and lifted the covers.
“Get back in the bed. You know you want to.”
Rayshawn looked at Jaicyn’s thick bronze thighs and perfectly shaped legs. The white tank top was threadbare enough to see the dark outline of her nipples. Every time Rayshawn looked at or touched Jaicyn’s body he felt like the luckiest man on the planet.
Trailing his fingers softly up Jaicyn’s thigh Rayshawn watched her eyes close and a soft moan escaped from her lips.
“You want me to stay?” Rayshawn asked, playing with the elastic band of her panties.
“Yes, I want you,” Jaicyn moaned, feeling the warmth of her man’s fingers spread throughout her body.
“I know you do,” Rayshawn said, leaning down and kissing her again. He stepped out of his Timbalands and unfastened his belt. His jeans dropped to the floor. The Park could wait.
****
A week after Thanksgiving, Little Man and Rayshawn were sitting in the apartment at the Park trying to reorganize and restructure the crew. There needed to be some promotions and demotions amongst his twenty man crew.
“Derrick’s got to go.” Rayshawn looked down at his list of names and crossed out Derrick.
Derrick was the same boy that Rayshawn had to “talk to” right before King gave him his corner. He had gotten more careful but lately he’d just become a royal pain in the ass.
“Man, D’s been hustling down here for five years, Rayshawn. How you gonna get rid of the man like that?”
“I don’t give a damn about that nigga. He ain’t done shit but run his mouth and complain since I got down here. Tell him his services are longer needed.”
“What about his cousin?” If Rayshawn was going to put the responsibility of handing out pink slips on him, Little Man wanted to make sure he got everybody.
“Damien? He can stay but if he say shit about his cousin getting the boot, tell his little ass he can walk too. I don’t care.”
Little Man stood by the window and looked out on the barren courtyard. He didn’t know why it was even called a courtyard because it definitely was not. It was a big plot of hard dirt that had a few patches of green grass here and there during the spring and summer. A broken down swing set, a rusty jungle gym, and an empty sandbox made up what used to be the playground. A few metal benches and picnic tables were scattered around. It was a mess but f
or the drug dealers, dope fiends, and residents of the Oak Park Projects, it was the spot.
“Here comes Jaicyn,” Little Man announced and Rayshawn walked over to the window. He hated when Jaicyn came down to the Park. She always came through with a bunch of girls who distracted the dealers and he didn’t need that.
Plus drama was always popping off in the projects and Jaicyn’s attitude hadn’t changed. In fact, now that she was living on her own and making her own money her confidence level had tripled. She had a bunch of enemies of the female variety down in Oak Park just waiting for the right moment to put a hurting on her. Usually she came into the Park ready for a fight.
“What the hell does she want?” Rayshawn asked out loud.
“I don’t know,” Little Man answered. “Oh yeah, Blaque called. He said that King wants to meet.”
“Fuck,” Rayshawn groaned. “What does he want now?”
When Little Man didn’t answer Rayshawn repeated his question.
“Blaque just said for you to meet him at the car lot in an hour.”
“Damn it! Like I don’t have enough shit to do,” Rayshawn muttered. “And now this,” he said when he heard Jaicyn outside the door telling Corey that she ‘didn’t have to wait for Rayshawn to come out’ and that she ‘needed to see him now!’ A few seconds later Corey opened the door and Jaicyn pushed past him.
“What the fuck Rayshawn?” Jaicyn snapped angrily. “I have to make an appointment to talk to you?”
“You’ve never done it before,” Rayshawn fired back. “What’s wrong?”
Jaicyn flopped down in one of the chairs in the small room.
“I just left three lawyers offices,” she huffed. “I think they’re trying to play me.”
“About what? The custody thing?”
Jaicyn nodded. She may have sounded pissed off but Jaicyn looked mad as hell. Rayshawn picked up on that when he saw her stomping through the snow in her Manolo Blahniks and leather coat.
“Of course. Why else would I be talking to lawyers?”
“They won’t take your case?” Rayshawn asked.
“That’s not it! Don’t you listen to anything I say anymore? Damn Rayshawn!” Jaicyn yelled, frustrated at her situation and her boyfriend.
“Jaicyn,” Rayshawn warned, “I don’t have time for the dramatics. What the hell are you talking about?”
“Money, Rayshawn. They will all take the case. What they want is money and most of it upfront.”
“Are these the lawyers that King hooked you up with?”
Jaicyn shook her head angrily, getting more upset with Rayshawn’s questions.
“Oh my God! Did you hear anything I said to you this morning?”
Truthfully Rayshawn hadn’t heard what Jaicyn was talking about earlier that morning but he wasn’t going to say that to her. He was half asleep and half watching SportsCenter. He knew she said something about seeing the lawyers but she had a horrible habit of talking as she walked from room to room getting ready for work. He could barely hear her when she walked out of the bedroom to the bathroom or into the closet so he only caught bits and pieces of what she was talking about. That morning he didn’t feel like asking her to repeat herself.
“Are you going to tell me what happened or just continue to bitch about me not paying attention?”
“Whatever. Don’t get smart with me because you don’t pay attention,” Jaicyn answered. “Anyway, no, they aren’t the lawyers King hooked me up with. Like I said this morning, I found these guys on my own. King’s guys don’t deal with Family Court cases.”
“Anyway,” Jaicyn continued, taking off her coat and making herself comfortable, “the cheapest one wanted five grand up front and he wasn’t even the one I really wanted.”
“How much is the one you want?” Rayshawn asked, hoping that Jaicyn would get to the point soon.
“His name is Douglas Krantz and from what I read about him, he’s great. He’s never lost a Family Court case. That’s who I need to represent me.”
How much, Rayshawn questioned in his mind. That’s all he needed to know but Jaicyn insisted on rambling on about her consultation with Douglas.
“Then at the end,” Jaicyn finally concluded, “he tells me that in order to take my case he needed ten thousand up front and this type of case could easily end up costing me fifty grand. Where the hell am I going to get that kind of money?”
“Don’t worry about money,” Rayshawn said. “I’ll give it to you.”
“Ha-ha, Rayshawn,” Jaicyn responded sarcastically. “You don’t have that kind of money”
“You don’t know what I have,” Rayshawn argued. “I told you I’d get it so I’ll get it. It won’t take me long. You know that.”
“So what Rayshawn,” Jaicyn argued back. “Do I really look like I’m going to take that kind of money from you? That’s not what I came to ask you anyway. This is my problem, not yours.”
Rayshawn motioned for Little Man to leave the room and slammed the door behind him.
“What the hell you mean, this ain’t my problem?” he yelled at his girlfriend. “I thought we were in this shit together! You’re taking this independent shit too far, Jaicyn.”
“Why am I taking it too far, Rayshawn?” Jaicyn hollered back. “Because I refuse to take your money? Because I’m so through being your charity case?”
“My what?” Rayshawn yelled again. “Is that how you feel?”
Jaicyn ignored Rayshawn’s outburst and finished talking.
“Don’t go there, Rayshawn and what the hell are you getting mad about? After all the shit you’ve already done for me, I don’t feel right asking you for anything else. I don’t like handouts. Don’t you know me at all?”
“Jay-Jay,” Rayshawn said, “calm down and think about what you’re saying. I’m not trying to make you my charity case. I just want to help you get your sisters back.”
“By giving me money?” Jaicyn screeched. “You know that’s not the answer to everything.”
“Money is the answer to this fuckin problem,” he said. “You need money and I can get it for you. What the fuck is the problem?”
“Sometimes Rayshawn, all I need from you is for you to listen to me vent. Sometimes, all you need to say is ‘Baby, it’s going to be okay.’ I don’t need you to solve all of my problems.”
Rayshawn ignored her and stared out at the courtyard. Despite it being fifteen degrees outside and snowing the courtyard was just as busy as ever. Slim had just dropped off their re-up and Johnny was busy distributing the package to the other dealers. Rayshawn knew that one day he wouldn’t be caught dead in an apartment full of drugs but until then he needed to keep a watchful eye on his product. There was fifty thousand dollars worth of drugs in the kitchen and Jaicyn was interrupting his day with her bullshit.
“Fine Jay-Jay, I hear you. What did you really come down here to talk to me about?”
“I want to work for you,” Jaicyn stated as calmly as if she just asked to borrow his car.
“What?”
“You heard me. I need to come work for you.”
“Have you lost your damn mind? How is that going to help you?”
“Just hear me out,” Jaicyn insisted, getting up from her chair and standing next to Rayshawn. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot.”
“Well stop because that shit ain’t gon happen.”
“Rayshawn!” Jaicyn tugged at his arm until Rayshawn looked at her.
“Please listen,” she said. “I don’t make enough money to pay the lawyer and my bills. I need to be able to do this on my own without you footing the bill. I just need to make some fast money. You want to help, Rayshawn, then let me work for you.”
Rayshawn stared down at his girlfriend then turned his attention back to the courtyard. He saw Pete and Derrick in the courtyard watching the runners hand off to crackheads. He saw his lookouts keeping close eyes out for the police and stick up boys. The courtyard was active and he couldn’t picture the love of his life, dow
n there in the cold doing anything like that.
“Hell no! You need money for a lawyer then let me give it to you. I’m not having you out here slinging dope! How the hell is that going to help with the custody case? I was under the impression that selling drugs is a bad thing in the eyes of the court.”
“Rayshawn,” Jaicyn pleaded, her hazel eyes begging him to understand. “Don’t you get it? I have to have a good lawyer if I want my sisters. I have to have money to pay that lawyer. I can pay my bills or pay my lawyer but I can’t do both working at a damn real estate office.”
“Then stop being stubborn and let me give you the money, damn it!” Rayshawn yelled. “You’re not working for me!”
“I can’t,” Jaicyn hollered back. “I know you think I’m being stubborn and I love you for wanting to help, but I can’t take anymore of your money. I have to earn this. I have to do this on my own.”
Rayshawn shook his head and started to pace the floor. One look at his gold Citizen watch told him that he had thirty minutes to get across town to meet with King. No matter what she said or what kind of explanation she gave, Rayshawn’s answer to Jaicyn’s proposition was still going to be no. Since he had other things to take care of and this was a conversation that could last for days, Rayshawn did something he’d never done to Jaicyn before; lied.
“Jay-Jay, I hear what you’re saying and I’ll think about it. Go home and I’ll talk to you later.”
Jaicyn knew when Rayshawn was just trying to pacify her. He didn’t sound convincing and, after only a few minutes of arguing Rayshawn wouldn’t give in that easily. It wasn’t like she expected him to say yes right away. She knew Rayshawn didn’t want her involved in any aspect of his business but he also knew that he wasn’t the only one in Washington Heights selling dope. She was too resourceful to give up. If she didn’t work for him then she’d work for someone else.
Rayshawn rode to King Cars in silence with Little Man at the wheel of his Expedition. Rayshawn had put his Lexus up for the winter. It was only fun to drive in Washington Heights during the spring and summer when he could ride around with the top down and the music blasting. On the slippery icy roads during the winter it was much better to be a passenger in Little Man’s truck.
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