by Styles, T.
When he got out he grabbed his book bag and opened the bank door. There were a few people standing around handling business. It took ten minutes to get the attention of one of the bank employees. But he was patient because he’d just done more time behind bars. Finally a thin black woman asked if he needed help when a young man bolted pass him.
“Excuse me, can you get somebody to let me into my safe deposit box?” The young man appeared to be in an extreme hurry.
Kavon remained calm.
“Excuse me young man but I was next.” Kavon replied.
“I’m sorry sir…but if I don’t get in there right now, I’ll lose out on a woman I’ve been tryin’ to get at for a minute!”
Kavon smiled and said, “Go head. I know how that is.”
“Thanks.” He smiled before the attendant let him in the back.
Kavon waited for ten minutes before the young man thanked him again, ran passed him and out the door.
“Right this way, sir.” The attendant said walking over to Kavon. He followed her to the back signed in and proceeded to his safe. “Let me know if you need anything.” She said as she gave him some privacy before closing the door behind her.
When she was gone, he removed a shoebox from the safe and placed it in his book bag. Judging by its weight, it was all there. He wouldn’t bother counting it at the bank. He’d do that in the car.
He walked back to his cab and paid him handsomely for waiting. Then he opened the shoebox and checked the contents. Yep, it was one million in cash. Before he went in he gave Kurt access to the other key and told him to handle two million dollars. Five hundred thousand was for him the other money was to care for his wife and baby. The only thing Kurt took off the top was his share. But with all of the drama he experienced with Tara trying to get more than Kavon allowed her to at one time, he was certain, the 500 thousand was not enough.
People were telling him all kinds of shit about his wife when he was locked down. He heard everything from her being on heroin, to her selling her body for crack. At one point he tried to reach her but the phone was turned off. And he wasn’t able to get a confirmation from Kurt, because he was doing time on a manslaughter charge, unrelated to anything he did for Kavon. Instead of believing rumors, he wanted to see her for himself. He couldn’t believe Tara would go that route. He knew the moment he laid eyes on her he’d be able to tell if everything he heard was true.
The cab driver stopped in front of his old house. He shook his head in disgust after seeing how unkempt the grounds were. A few of the windows were boarded and the others had cracked glass. What hurt even more was that it was the only house that was uncared for on the block. When he saw a black woman tending to the small garden in the front of her home, he knew the white family who lived there had moved on, probably cause of whatever Tara had going on.
The woman rolled her eyes at him, and he imagined how many had traveled in and out of his home.
“Keep it runnin’,” Kavon told the driver. He grabbed his book bag and walked to the house.
When he approached the door, he was surprised to see the key still worked. But the moment he opened it up, a gust of foul smelling wind hit him. The door could hardly open due to all the clothes amongst the floor. All of their furniture was gone. The brass table that cost him over four thousand dollars and the frames on the wall were all gone. He held his nose as he pushed past all of the junk.
Looking at his daughter’s bedroom door, he noticed the wooden sign that spelled Tiara was missing the T. And when he opened it, he saw a dirty mattress on the floor covered with filthy clothing.
A dim nightlight lit the room, just enough for him to see her face. When he walked toward the bed, he stared down at his daughter. Tears filled his eyes. How could he do her like this? How could he abandon his only child? He knew Tara wasn’t strong enough. She told him. The child he prayed to God for every night, in the end, he abandoned.
Kneeling by her bedside, he looked at her some more. Her beauty surpassed even that of her mother. Her chocolate skin belonged to him, yet her eyes, hair and even her nose were all Tara’s. Her eyelashes were extremely long and her face was clear and without flaws although she was too frail and skinny to be seventeen.
It was settled, he was taking her out of there. When he touched her gently, a teardrop fell from his eyes and onto her cheek. She opened her eyes, smiled and hugged him tightly. She knew him. But how? He had no contact with her in all these years.
“Daddy…I knew you’d come for me!” Tiara said, hugging him closely.
He was speechless.
After twenty seconds he said, “I’ll never leave you again.”
“I know, Daddy.” I prayed for you. Every night.”
“Get up, we’re leaving.”
With her hand in his, he moved toward the front door. When he did, he saw a tattered picture of himself and Shy at the cabaret the night he raped Tara. That’s how she knew it was him. He told her to leave it wanting no memories of that beast around her.
When he walked to the front door, Tara appeared from her bedroom. He turned around and faced her.
“Daddy, please…let’s go,” Tiara begged, trembling. “I don’t want to be here anymore.”
What had her so frightened?
“Kavon!” she said, softly. “Oh, my God, you’re finally home. It’s really you.”
Despite years of drug abuse, she was still beautiful to him. Her skin looked dry and she had a small cut in the corner of her mouth.
He heard of people recovering from drug abuse and getting back on track. Maybe with a little help, he could see her through this. At the same time, she did a terrible job as a mother. He looked at Tiara who was almost as tall as her mother and decided to go with his heart. He just hoped that he’d make the right decision.
Kristina’s Diner
Current Day
The girl sat in amazement at the stranger’s story. Although the restaurant was even more crowded than when he first started, to her it seemed as if they were alone.
“Well?” she asked as she occupied the seat between them that at once held her purse.
“Well, what?” He laughed as he sipped on his hot chocolate before ordering another one. “I’m gonna tell you, Tammy.” He laughed at her apt attention.
“Tammy?”
“Yeah…that is your name right?” He knew she lied from the beginning.
“Oh…no…sorry. I thought you were trying to come on to me earlier. My name is Beliza. Sorry for lyin’.”
“Not a problem, shawty. I rarely use names anyway, but if I’m gonna tell you the rest, I need to know who I’m talking to.”
She smiled to shield her embarrassment.
“Sure. I’m just happy to know it’s not going to end there. You have to tell me the rest!” Beliza was definitely interested and it amused him. “So what happened next?”
“There is more…a lot more.” His voice was serious but calm.
“Oh, no! Please don’t tell me something happened to the Tiara!” she placed her hand over her mouth and looked at him with saddened eyes.
“Let’s just say this. Before anything good can happen, tragedy has to take place so that it can be appreciated. And this story is no exception.”
The Saga Continues
What's beef? Beef is when you need two gats to go to sleep
Beef is when your moms ain't safe up in the streets
Beef is when I see you
Guaranteed to be an I.C.U, one more time
What's beef? Beef is when you make your enemies start your Jeep
Beef is when you roll no less than thirty deep
Beef is when I see you
Guaranteed to be an I.C.U, check it.
-Notorious B.I.G
Nyzon Peate
Washington, D.C., 2006
Everything Known Was A Lie
Nyzon stared at the woman in the kitchen and wondered what she meant. He watched as the niggas who kidnapped him moments earlier helped her
up from the floor. Her eyes were filled with amazement as she shook them off to let her go.
“Look at you….you’re so handsome.”
His head was between her large soft hands as she examined every inch of his face. Any other time he’d be apprehensive about someone touching him but this was different.
“And…what happened to your face?!” she asked briefly skipping the subject. “Which one of you niggas beat this chiyald?” She looked to them for answers but they kept their heads hung low.
“We found him like that.” The oldest one lied giving Nyzon the look to keep their secret.
“Yeah right! Hand me a napkin and some water.” She said directing everyone around her. “And Monesha, go in the bathroom and bring me the peroxide.” When Monesha left she remembered something else. “And the Band Aids too!” her outburst rocked Nyzon’s eardrum.
With everything sitting neatly on the yellow kitchen table, she went to work at once on his bruises.
“Sweetheart, I’m your aunt Jackie.” She dipped the napkin into the peroxide and tapped his face. It stung slightly. “And I’ve spent most of my life looking for you.”
“My aunt? I ain’t got no folks out here.” Jackie patched his face up with a Band Aid.
Her eyes widened at his response.
“Baby…I don’t know what you’ve been told, but you have a huge familee in D.C., Maryland’ and Virginia!”
Nyzon sat down at the kitchen table, rubbed his head and unconsciously placed his gun upon it. Her statements confused him. Family? Locally? If what she was saying was true, it meant everything he’d ever known his entire life was a lie. Than he remembered all the times his mother moved him from school to school almost as if she was running from something or somebody.
He was still taking everything in when she screamed, “Oh my LAWD!” She jumped back against the refrigerator rocking the entire unit.
Nyzon realizing what upset her tried to tuck his gun back in his pants. “My bad.”
“Get that shit OUT my HOUSE! Jesus…my Savior….thy God! Help me please Father God!!!”
“Let me get that up off you.” The oldest one said walking over to him, his hand extended for Nyzon’s heat.
He handed it over to him willingly and he walked it outside.
“Listen son…now I know ya’ll gots to do what ya’ll gots to do when you out dere in dem streets, but don’t ever bring no weapons in my house again. You hear me?”
He nodded yes.
He’d only been in her presence for only five minutes and already he had Great respect for her. When she felt he knew how serious she was, she said, “Let me introduce you to the rest of the familee.” The older one walked back inside. He made mental notes to check him for his piece before he left. “This here is your cousin Dyzell, he’s my oldest son.”
“But everybody calls me Cooks.”
Cooks was so tall he had to stoop down just to walk through most doorways. With medium length dreads, you could see the streets written all over his face.
“Everybody but your motha!”
“I know ma.” He said under his breath. “Ever since they been callin’ you that you been in and out of trouble!”
Silence.
“Now this one right here is my second to the oldest son Simon.” She pointed.
“And they calls me Simon.” He responded laughing at his own joke. Simon was a little shorter than Cooks, with a ball head and chubby waist.
“Shut up fool!” she gave him a serious look. “Lastly this is Monesha, the only girl of the family. She’s like a daughter to me.”
“Stop playin’ ma! I am your daughter.” She giggled.
Hold up. He thought. Her daughter equals my cousin. Fuck!
Jackie gripped her while Monesha and Nyzon’s eyes locked. If they were really family, that would be the worst part about it.
“She lives in D.C. with her father and my ex-husband Rob. Have you two met?”
There was no way he could tell her yes when just last month, Monesha had his dick in her mouth.
“Naw…they don’t know each other.” Cooks interrupted. “He knows one of my friends, and I was bout to give him a ride home when I noticed he looked familiar.”
Nyzon breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh. I see.” Her face softened as she looked at Nyzon again. “I still can’t believe you’re here. My baby sister’s only son.” She wiped her sweaty face with a napkin from the table. “I miss her so much.”
She became dejected as she thought about her sister.
Cooks consoled his mother by rubbing her back softly.
“If what you sayin’ is true, and your sister is my mother, she’s still alive.” He said although his gut told him something was up with his mother’s story. He’d always believed that the woman he knew all his life, was not his mother. “We live in Southeast.”
They looked at each other like he’d lost his mind.
“Son what are you talkin’ about?” She walked up to him. “I buried my sister many years ago.”
“I guess we’re not related then.” He stood up. “Can somebody take me to the city please? Cuz I gotta get my ride.”
“Get the photo album Monesha.” Her eyes were planted on Nyzon. “And sit down, son.”
Nyzon obeyed.
Monesha returned a few seconds later with a huge yellow photo album and placed it on the table.
“Open it, Shelton.” She was speaking to Nyzon.
“Shelton?” he repeated raising his brow. He’d heard that name before, but where? “I mean…open it, son.”
His expression told her he was unaware of his birth name.
When he opened the album, the pages made the crackling sound most photo albums due when it hasn’t been opened in awhile.
“Keep flippin’ son.”
He continued to turn the pages until she stopped him by placing her hand over his.
“There. We took this on the day you were born.”
A sparkle entered her eyes as she stared at the photo. “The doctor told your mama she couldn’t have kids. They were wrong.” She touched his face again with the back of her hand.
Nyzon slowly pulled the plastic back, removed the photo and stared at the picture closely. The baby in the photo looked like him, but it looked like it could’ve been any one of them.
“And this is your mother.”
The woman in the photo had auburn colored hair. He examined it closely. A sporadic smile spread across his face. She was exquisite. Her large eyes matched his perfectly. Suddenly the room began to spin as he realized, she was also the one from his nightmares.
“She died in a car accident.” Jackie continued. “I was the last person to see her alive. Alls I really remember, is that she was upset about somethin’. She never told me what. I shoulda forced her to stay, but I didn’t. Hours after she left my house, her car was demolished in a car accident. We found her body, but couldn’t find you anywhere. They formed a search party for months and when they stopped, our family kept looking. Somethin’ in my spirit knew you were still alive.” Suddenly she gave him a look as if she remembered something extremely important. “Where have you been, Shelton? Where were you all this time?”
Her mouth was moving but he could no longer make out the words. Too much was revealed at one time. He went to stand up, wobbled, and fell to the floor.
Crayland Bailor
Fucked Up Life
Cray couldn’t believe his father had the nerve to peel back the plastic off of one of Melody’s keys. To say he was angry was an understatement. Right before he was about to click, pop on his ass, he felt his mother come behind him.
“Don’t do it, baby.” Her arms wrapped around his. “It’s not worth it.”
On his knees, his father cowardly remained with his arms in the air. His once muscular body now frail and thin from drug abuse. His fright pleased Cray. He was sick of telling his ass over and over to stay out of his space. His lack of respect for him got the fuck on his nerves
. And as far as he was concerned the world would be better off with one less junkie roaming around, especially one who wasn’t paying him.
“Don’t do it, son.” he pleaded shaking. Cray smelled a faint stench of shit in the air from his father’s bows releasing. “Please don’t kill me.”
He was angry that a part of him, the part that wanted a father, still cared. The gun shook in his hands. He wanted to do it. But was he really worth it? The bottom line was, from the moment he could walk he’d been doing it alone ever since.
As he decided his father’s fate, his phone rang. It brought him back to reality. Cray’s arms dropped as he watched his father fall up against his nightstand in relief. It was Melody.
“Get off me, bitch!” he said to his mother after placing the gun in the back of his pants, covering it with his shirt. “Don’t ever put your fuckin’ hands on me. I wasn’t bout to waste a bullet on his ass anyway.”
With a closed fist, he walked up to his father who smelled worse than the New York City sewer system and knocked him out. With his father stretched out at his feet, Cray reassembled Melody’s product, put it back in the bag, and answered the phone.
“Melody, where you want to meet?” he asked seeing his mother kneeling down, trying to help his father off of the wooden floor. She almost toppled over when all of his weight rested on her thin body. “Hey, yo! Hurry up and get that nigga out of here!” Cray interrupted Melody before he could answer.
After all the shit he did to her, you’d think she’d be happy I stole his ass. He thought.