Against the Grain

by Freeze

  “Yeah, girl, it’s nice on the inside, too. Leather and wood grain. I’ll take you for a ride when we get off work.” They walked into the market on the Eutaw Street side, got something to eat, and came out on the Paca Street side. They crossed the street and got into a waiting van that had eight other elderly women who greeted the two women as the van took them to work. This was the same routine that they had followed for the past five years. The van took them to a house on Scott Street in South Baltimore, which sat on the corner. They all went down to the basement where they went through a secret entrance cut into the wall that led to the house next door. The same thing was done in that house, which led to the house next to that one and so on. Every house on that side of the block had the same secret entrance in case the cops came with a search warrant for the house on the corner. No one would ever be there besides the people that lived there. Each family was getting five hundred dollars a week to use their house. The old women would split up in pairs per house, where armed guards were waiting. There they would cut the heroin with quinine and morphine base. The dope had to be cut a few times to keep the fiends from OD’ing. For this job, the old women were paid a hundred dollars a day. There were also a few young girls that got paid seventy-five dollars a day to bag the heroin in thousands and thousands of glassine envelopes that were pre-stamped this is it. The envelopes were packaged in bundles of twenty-five ten-dollar bags. The bundles were put in bags of five hundred. Each bag was put in a backpack and taken to the last house on the block, where several young boys, ages twelve to fourteen, would be waiting for them. The young boys would go out the back door and into the alley where they had their bikes waiting and take the backpacks to the McDonald’s on Washington Blvd., where couriers waited for them. Then the young boys would return to the same house and wait on the next delivery. They were each paid three hundred and fifty dollars a week. This was more than cool with them. They just wanted to go to the mall every Saturday.

  Once the couriers got the backpacks, they would take them to different dope spots throughout the city. Each courier was paid a thousand dollars a week. All spot managers generally made thirty percent of everything they sold that week and they were responsible for paying the lookouts and runners out of their pockets. Top Lieutenants made $15,000 a week. Lieutenants made $4,000 a week. No one knew that they were working for Kay. Some of them had their suspicions, but they didn’t know for sure. Only the Top Lieutenants knew about each other and were allowed to come to meetings. Scatter oversaw everything. He made sure everyone got paid on Fridays, even the cops he had on the payroll. Scatter made $25,000 a week. This was the way Kay had run his business for the past five years. He, Shu-Shu, and Dre made millions. Kay made so much money that his biggest problem was hiding it. Employing over a hundred and fifty people, he grossed about five million dollars a week, which he split three ways. Kay kept loyalty strong among his people by showing love.

  He had Scatter throw them the wildest parties. He gave them cash bonuses when they had a good week. He gave away gifts and furnished whole houses for the lower-level hustlers on their team. He’d give away all-expense-paid vacations to exotic locations. And Scatter had one golden rule: Everyone took Sundays off. That was the day to relax and spend with your family.

  Shu-Shu had her lawyer hook up some phony paperwork to make it look like her mother had invested in a company overseas leaving Shu-Shu millions when she died. And since Shu-Shu got her money the old-fashioned way, by inheriting it, no one asked questions when she and Kay bought a 6.3-million-dollar mini-mansion in Montgomery County, right outside of Washington, D.C., where a lot of politicians lived. Shu-Shu did her thing decorating it with Versace- and Christian Dior–inspired designer perfection throughout. There was a twelve-foot security gate surrounding the property, an extended driveway, state-of-the-art security team, and cameras everywhere. They even had a live-in cook, housekeeper, and landscaper.

  Shu-Shu opened an exotic car dealership outside D.C. Whatever you wanted, she could get it for you. She sold cars to politicians, football players, and basketball players. She even sold Michael Jordan a Benz once he took over the Wizards.

  Kay and Shu-Shu registered the cars to one of their corporate fronts. They owned a restaurant and real estate all around B-More. But Kay was bored so he decided to open his own club. He named it The Raven after the NFL team. The building was downtown and used to be an old warehouse. Kay completely remodeled the building, which now had two floors and could hold up to fifteen hundred people easily. Kay spared no expense putting it together. Kay’s little brother Caleek was the house DJ and in charge of all entertainment.

  He kept everything on the hush with the rest of the crew. The only person that was allowed to see the inside of the club before opening day was Dre, who wouldn’t say shit anyway. The grand opening of The Raven was three days away.

  Shu-Shu had planned a shopping spree in New York for her and Kay to make sure they had on the flyest shit the night of the grand opening. Kay was alright with that since he’d hired this white broad named Jessica from New York to handle the grand opening whose name was buzzing as being one of the hottest promoters out. He left everything in her hands and he bounced to N.Y. with Shu-Shu and Lil ‘C’. Lil ‘C’ had a window seat on the plane, and Shu-Shu sat next to him. Kay sat across from them in the aisle seat. They were in first class, of course. Kay was listening to Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt on his portable discman. Lil ‘C’ was listening to the Hot Boys on his. Shu-Shu was reading The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah. She looked over at ‘C’ and thought to herself how much she loved him and how handsome he was. The two of them had grown close and he was like a son to her. Then she looked at Kay. She had to wave her hand to him to get his attention. He took the headphones off his head.

  “Baby, why did you and Sonia name him C-Allah? All this time I’ve never known that,” she said.

  “When I was a little kid, you know the house next door to Mama, where Mrs. Miller lives? Before ya’ll moved around, there was this other family that use to live there. They were from New York. I played with their only son. He used to be my best friend before I met Mike. His name was C-Allah Mysun. His family studied under the Nation of Gods and Earths. You know, the Five Percenters. A Five Percenter is someone that teaches the truth. I was around him so much that his father began teaching me lessons and giving me the one hundred twenty degrees. That’s when I stopped eating pork. My friend moved back to New York when his grandmother died and I never saw him again. I always said that if I ever had a son, I’d name him C-Allah as a reminder of my old friend. And even though I’m not living right and exact anymore, I still want my son to follow those same teachings. Tap him for me.” She touched Lil ‘C’ on the arm, he looked at her and she pointed to his dad. He took off his headphones. “Peace, God,” Kay said.

  “Peace.” His son returned the universal greeting.

  “Yo, tell her why you’re called C-Allah,” Kay told him. Lil ‘C’ turned in his seat to face Shu-Shu and began to speak.

  “To ‘C’ means to understand things clearly with the third eye, which is the mind. It’s to see things exactly as they are and not just how they appear to be. And ‘Allah’ is the most high. Allah is God.”

  Shu-Shu was slightly confused. “But I was taught that Jesus is God,” she said.

  “If you read Romans 1, it tells you that Jesus was the seed of David according to the flesh and the son of God according to divine spirit. Divine means beautiful. The Black man is beautiful. The nature of the Black man is to be divine or it shall be destroyed.”

  “So why do you use God’s name as your own?” she asked with a puzzled look on her face.

  “Because, I am God,” he said. From the look on her face, ‘C’ could tell that she didn’t understand.

  “Please explain to me why you say you are God,” she said, even more confused.

  “If the first man was made in the image and likeness of God and the original people of this planet were black, which
science has proven to be fact, then who am I but God? Do you believe in the Bible?” Lil ‘C’ asked her.

  “Yeah, I do,” she said as she reached into her bag and pulled out a pocket Bible.

  “That’s why I’m having a hard time with what you are saying,” she said.

  Lil ‘C’ took the Bible and turned to Psalms 82:5 and began to read out loud, “ ‘They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk in darkness; All the foundations of the Earth are unstable. I said, You are Gods; all of you are children of the most high. But you shall die like men and fall like princes. Arise, O God, judge the Earth; for you shall inherit all nations.’ ”

  “Yeah, but this is the Old Testament. I follow Jesus and the New Testament,” she said. Lil ‘C’ turned to John 10:31 in the New Testament and handed it to her. She began to read.

  “ ‘Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works I have shown you from my father; for which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him saying, For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, You are Gods?’ ” ‘C’ stopped her.

  “Do you see?”

  “I see your argument, but I still don’t fully understand.”

  “Understanding comes with time,” he said.

  “So, is C-Allah more of a Godly talent or a Godly state?”

  “You can’t separate them. Like Heaven and Earth, it’s the same thing.” Shu-Shu was silent for a moment as she took in all that he’d said. She was impressed that he was so young and yet so knowledgeable.

  “Who taught you all of this?” she asked him.

  “My father.”

  She looked at Kay. “Why you never talked about this with me?”

  “I don’t know. I guess it’s because it never came up until now.”

  • • •

  When the plane finally landed at LaGuardia Airport, there was a black Lincoln Town Car waiting for them. Dave was Shu-Shu’s driver every time she came to New York. Everyone was hungry so Shu-Shu told Dave to take them to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill on Fifth Avenue. After eating lunch, they headed to the Flatotel to check in. Shu-Shu loved this spot. Each room was actually a fully furnished apartment with one or two bedrooms and a full kitchen. Once they were settled in, Shu-Shu called her girl Misha, who was a personal stylist for the rich and famous. From their conversation on the phone, Kay could tell that Misha had a full day of shopping planned. The first place Misha took them was Bergdorf Goodman. From there it was nonstop shopping. Shu-Shu bought so many clothes, they had to make two trips back to the hotel, just to drop off bags and make room for more bags. When they went to Nija Furs, Nija assisted them personally. They went to Jacob & Co. where she bought diamond jewelry for herself and a watch for her man. Kay decided to do something for his whole crew and ordered identical Rolex watches for his family, Dre, Mike, Scatter, Tank, Gee, Big Duke, and himself. He had his iced out. Shu-Shu picked out most of Kay’s clothes from such designers as Missoni, Kenzo, Antonio Fusco, and other shit that he couldn’t even pronounce. It was alright, but he wasn’t happy until he picked out shit he and Lil ‘C’ liked; they preferred urban gear. He bought a red and white leather Ducati motorcycle jacket for himself and a yellow and black one for Dre. Kay and Lil ‘C’ found a spot that sold every pair of Jordans that ever came out. He got all of them in both his and Lil ‘C’s size. Kay bought Kaneeka, Kelli, and T-Kie Louis Vuitton scooters with monogram bags and his mother a fourteen-carat gold bracelet with charms for each of her kids and grandkids. Shu-Shu also bought clothes and gifts for Lyniece, Mama, Lady, T-Kie, Kaneeka, and Kelli.

  Misha’s phone rang. It was her girl Linda, who was at Marcy’s Images waiting for them. They were twenty minutes late. Misha handed the phone to Shu-Shu. “What up, girl? I know, you should see all the shit we got. Tell Marcy that I’m on my way. Bye.” Marcy Williams was one of the top hairstylists on the east coast, and Shu-Shu always got her to do her hair when she came to New York.

  The next morning Kay and Lil ‘C’ flew back to B-More. Shu-Shu stayed behind to ride down with Misha and Linda, who were also coming to the opening. On the flight home Kay looked at Lil ‘C’. He noticed his father’s stare so he took his headphones off.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

  Lil ‘C’ smiled and said, “I want to get paid just like you.”

  “How do you think I get paid?” Kay asked his son.

  ‘C’ whispered, “You got the city on lock with the di-dope.”

  Kay was surprised to hear his son say that. “You’re smart enough to know what I’m doing is wrong. I’m killin’ my own people, but I’m so caught up that I don’t know what to do. This game is some bullshit. Straight up! I be stressed the fuck out sometimes trying to keep up with so much shit. I better not ever hear of you fuckin’ with drugs! You hear me?! I’m gonna fuck you up if I do. You’re going to be a doctor, a lawyer, or something. You, T-Kie, Kaneeka, and Kelli are going to college if I have anything to say about it so you might as well get it in your mind.”

  “Pop-Pop Scatter told me that he told you the same thing when you were my age and look at you now,” Lil ‘C’ shot back.

  “I fucked up. You’re s’pose to learn from your mistakes, but it’s much better to learn from the mistakes of others because their mistakes are free to you. Feel me?”

  Lil ‘C’ thought for a moment then said, “Yeah, I feel you. But I don’t think I could be a doctor, man.”

  “Why not? Remember my friend in prison that I told you about? He once told me that a wise man knows his limits. A great man knows he has none. You can do anything you set your mind to. So give me your word that you’ll at least try.”

  “Aiiight, you got that,” Lil ‘C’ told him.

  16

  Kay stood next to Jessica at the front door of the club with Big Duke behind him. He wore a tailor-made navy blue suit with Mauri Gators in the same color. Kay couldn’t believe that Jessica had set up everything so perfectly, right down to the smallest detail. The line was down the block and around the corner. It was only 10:00 p.m. and the streets were packed.

  “Are ya’ll ready?” he asked everyone. “Tell Caleek to start the music.”

  Kay told him to play all the old hits until midnight, then crank shit up. DJ Boobie rocked the nonstop house music on the second floor. He started with the old shit, too. When the door finally opened, there was a big spotlight on the corner, shining straight up in the air rotating from side to side. The light could be seen from miles away so out-of-towners could find the club. On the other side of the street, about ten photographers had set up lights and backdrops. People were lined up to take pictures. The crowd started coming in. There were two lines. The regular line was forty dollars a head and the VIP line was a hundred dollars a head. That line went straight in the club.

  The menu included jumbo shrimp, king crab legs, and buffalo wings. There was fresh fruit and $25,000 worth of free champagne. Within an hour the club was packed.

  The music changed: “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem, remix” by DMX and company. People were still lined up down the block.

  The music changed: “4, 3, 2, 1,” by LL and company. The crowd was amazed at how big and lavish The Raven was. Most of the football team was there.

  Shu-Shu, Misha, and Linda walked in. Kay hadn’t seen her since he left her in New York. She was looking good as usual. She wore a beige/orange tweed Chanel jacket that had only one button at the top. Beige linen Chanel pants. A white Chanel tank top. A gray lambskin Chanel handbag with silvertone hardware. And a pair of clear one-band Chanel heels. Kay kissed Shu-Shu. She was wearing his favorite perfume, Southern Exposure by Terry Ellis. He had security escort them to VIP 1.

  The music changed: “I Got a Story to Tell,” by Biggie. Kay could hear the crowd go wild on the inside. A fleet of limos and vans stopped in front of the
club, which caught Kay’s attention because the cops had blocked off the street. He looked at Jessica, and she smiled. The first limo door opened and out came Russell Simmons, Kimora, Kevin Liles, and Lyor Cohen. As the other limos and vans unloaded their passengers, Kay met an array of celebrities. The whole Pussy Pound made their grand entrance. When Puffy came in with his entourage, Jessica introduced them.

  “Yo, I ain’t going to have none of the bullshit tonight, am I? Please don’t shoot my shit up,” Kay said to Puff with a smile.

  “Nah, Playboy, I’m just here to show love and have a good time.” They gave each other a pound and Puff and his crew went inside. Kay told security to watch them niggaz. He looked up and saw his family making their entrance.

  “What’s up, niggaz? I thought ya’ll wasn’t going to make it,” Kay said as he greeted everyone with pounds and hugs. He had security escort them to VIP 1 and he went to his office to change clothes.

  The music changed. “We Be Clubbin’,” by Ice Cube.

  • • •

  On their way through the club, Tank saw Mia, one of his many side women, with another hustler that he knew. They were standing at the bar. Mia was from around the way. The whole crew knew her. She was a good girl who was always trying to better herself by taking different classes. She had dreams of getting her and her family out of the ghetto. She’d been messing with Tank on and off since they were young. As a matter of fact, Tank was her first lover. But now she was in love with a guy named Lil Glenn, who was getting big money over by the Alemeda. Mia was his main girl. He loved her, too. She inspired him to want to be more than a drug dealer. He’d even told her on several different occasions that one day he was going to make her his wife.

  Lil Glenn knew Tank because they had done business a few times. So when Tank walked up to him and started whispering something in his ear, he thought it was going to be about better coke prices. Mia was standing on the other side of her man. As Tank spoke, she and Lil Glenn held eye to eye contact. She watched his facial expression change and she knew that Tank was up to no good. Tank and Lil Glenn gave each other a pound and Tank bounced through the crowd to join his crew, who watched as Lil Glenn screamed on Mia. She tried to explain to him what was really going on but he didn’t want to listen to her and walked toward the exit. She watched as he left the club, then searched the crowd until she found Tank and the crew, who were laughing as she approached them. They thought it was funny how Tank played her out. She had tears coming down her face.