Crazy Summer

by Cole Hart

  “You know I love you,” she said into the phone.

  Her panties and shorts were bunched around her ankles. She was getting moist between her legs. Chris slowly inserted two fingers inside of her vagina. Feeling himself getting aroused, he unzipped his pants. She reached behind herself, gripped his penis, and without hesitation, she guided him inside of her.

  “Well,” she whispered, “I’m getting ready to go.”

  “Where?” the voice asked through the phone.

  Chris went deep, and she almost moaned into the phone from the great feeling. Pain and pleasure merged together.

  “Hmmm,” she sighed.

  “Wuzzup, girl. What the fuck you doin’?”

  “Nothing,” she whispered again. “I’ll call you back.”

  She slammed the phone down on the hook, looked back at Chris, and pressed her body against his, meeting his penetrating thrust.

  “Get dis pussy,” she said.

  *****

  Summer and Fred strolled side by side on the way to her house, with him pushing the twins. They were adorable, and you couldn’t help but to like them.

  “Where you from?” she asked him.

  “Not far from here.”

  “Who you stay wit’, ya girlfriend?”

  “Damn, you ask a lot of questions,” he said laughing, and then told her, “Just me and Chris for now.”

  “Y’all some kin?”

  He laughed, admiring her eagerness to know so much. He paused with the stroller and glanced at her.

  “What about you?” he said. “Where yo’ nigga at?”

  “I ain’t got no nigga,” she snapped.

  “What about their daddy?” He pointed towards the kids.

  She shrugged as if she didn’t care. “It’s a long story.”

  “I got time.”

  As a worried look came across her face, she took control of the stroller and began walking again. Fred was beside her.

  “You can talk to me, lil’ lady.”

  “My name is Summer,” she shot back, her voice rising with a little more authority.

  Her house was within eyesight now, sixty yards away. She told him not to come all the way to her house because her mother would trip. So, he paused where he was and grabbed a seat on the green box until she got back. It didn’t take ten minutes before they were back in stride again.

  “You need yo’ hair fixed,” was the first thing Fred said after they started walking.

  She touched her ponytail and smiled. “I know, right? I’m messed up in da pocket, though.”

  Fred reached in his front pocket and removed three, twenty- dollar bills from a knot of money. When he tried to hand her the money, she gave a sassy look.

  “What’s dat fo’?”

  “To get yo’ hair fixed,” he explained.

  She sucked her teeth and almost snatched the money. With another dysfunctional look across her face and her eyes squinted, she said, “I hope you don’t think you gonna get nothing fo’ dis. Especially no pussy.”

  Before he could respond, a money-green Cutlass came up behind them and slowed down next to them. Fred stared at the two guys in the front seat. He definitely didn’t know either of them. One of them called Summer to the car, and she walked to the passenger side and leaned on the window.

  “What’s up, nigga?”

  “Who dat?” the guy whispered, his eyes searching the stranger.

  “My friend. Why?” She was about to let her mouth get her in trouble.

  The guy in the passenger seat named Danté was the aggressive one, and his reputation was solid through the area. He looked past Summer and stared at Fred. “What’s up, partna?”

  Without saying anything, Fred threw his head back, acknowledging his greeting.

  Danté really didn’t like that, but still, he managed an evil smile and asked, “You got some work?”

  He shook his head. “I’m jus chillin’, playa.”

  Danté nodded his head as if he knew he was lying. Then he turned his attention back on Summer. “When you talk to ya brotha?”

  “He wrote me last week,” she replied. “I ain’t talk to him in a while, though, ‘cause Mama got a block on da phone.”

  “I’ll be at Red Bone’s house,” Fred said to Summer and began walking off.

  She looked back. “I’m coming,” she said.

  When she turned back to the car, she noticed how Danté was staring at Fred as he walked off. She didn’t like his look, which she had seen many times when he used to hang out with her brother.

  Danté’s eyes finally made their way back to her. “You alright?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” She nodded.

  “What about the twins?”

  “Dey fine.”

  This time, he nodded. “Don’t be fuckin’ wit’ niggas you don’t know.” He pulled out three, one hundred-dollar bills. “One-fifty fo’ you and da twins, and da other one-fifty is for my nigga.” He handed her the money. “Make sho’ he gets dat money. I’ll get wit’ ‘cha.”

  As they pulled off, she watched the car disappear. She was surprised he gave her any money. It was too simple. She could tell something else was bothering Danté, and she didn’t want to get involved in whatever he had on his mind.

  When Summer got back to Red Bone’s house, the smell of ether was in the air from the cocaine being cooked in the kitchen. The smell turned her stomach a little, but it didn’t bother her to the point where she needed to leave. Fred was sitting on the couch with a can of Old English in his hand and staring at the television. As she sat beside him, she noticed he didn’t have the spunk he had a few minutes ago when they were walking together.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  He sipped on his beer and then lowered it to between his legs.

  “Who dem cats was?” he finally asked.

  “Dat was Danté. He and my brother are close friends.”

  “Where yo’ brotha at?”

  “He in prison right now.” she said, then looked toward the hallway just in time to see Red Bone come into the living room wearing nothing but a pair of pink panties.

  “Excuse me, y’all,” she said, smiling.

  The worse part about it is she wasn’t trying to cover herself. Summer glanced at her briefly, then she looked over at Fred, who continued watching her. Actually, he wasn’t trying to hide the fact that he was looking. Summer rose from the couch and headed into the kitchen where Red Bone stood at the wooden table. Red Bone was in her own world. Her eyes were bucked and glossy looking, and the left corner of her mouth twitched. Summer squinted her eye.

  “You were getting high, Red Bone?” she asked with concern.

  Red Bone could barely talk. She tried smiling, but it was useless and didn’t fit her at the time.

  “You get high, too,” she replied.

  “I only sniffed three times,” Summer said angrily. “And all three of those times was with you and because of you.”

  Red Bone shrugged and gave Summer a look as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Then she looked at the humming refrigerator and stared at the colorful flowered wallpaper.

  Summer couldn’t believe she was seeing this. Turning, she walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room. Fred had heard their conversation, so he knew what was going on. When she looked at him, he couldn’t even look her in the eye. She shook her head in disgust and walked out the front door.

  After she was gone, Red Bone came into the living room, walking close to Fred. She told him to come into the room and join her and Chris. She was finished at the starting line.

  Chapter 5

  Later that evening, the scorching sun had nearly set, and by this time of day, the neighborhood was coming to life. Kids raced up and down the paved street on their bicycles. Activity was nearly everywhere. A basketball game was going on at the house across the street. The rim and backboard were nailed over the garage, and the kids who were playing ranged in age from ten to thirteen.

  Mrs. Dia
ne and Summer looked on from their front porch, while the twins napped in the house where the cool air conditioner blew at seventy degrees. Summer was quiet, her mind too far gone to even think clearly. Angry with her friend, she felt as if someone had stabbed her in the chest with a knife. They grew up together, and Summer always looked up to her like she was her older sister. She felt a lump form in her throat, and finally, a tear eased down her cheek. She caught it with the back of her hand, but she didn’t catch it quick enough before her mother realized something was wrong.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” her mother asked, looking up from her word search puzzle book. She sounded as if her words had got caught in her throat.

  Summer glanced at her briefly, then turned her attention back to the game of twenty-one being played across the street. At least that’s the direction she was looking in.

  Her lips barely parted as she said, “I was jus’ thinkin’.”

  Her words were more like a grumble, and her mother knew she was upset.

  Mrs. Diane marked her page with the pen, closed the book, stood up, and told Summer to come inside. She sounded very demanding. Once in the living room where the cool air blew against their skin, Summer followed behind her mother until she made her way to the couch. They sat down almost at the same time. Mrs. Diane threw her heavy arm around Summer’s neck and pulled her close. Summer allowed her head to rest on her mother’s shoulder.

  “It’s been a long time since I held you like this.”

  Summer smiled. “I remember when I was at the hospital in the delivery room. I was so scared.”

  “I know, baby.”

  “You remember you got in the bed with me?” Summer asked.

  Mrs. Diane giggled. “Do I remember? I know you passed gas and tried to blame it on me.”

  “That was you, Mama, and you know it. You made the bed vibrate.”

  They both laughed in unison and then silence slowly set in.

  “What’s on yo’ mind, baby?” Mrs. Diane asked. “You can talk to me.”

  Summer took a deep breath; her chest rose and fell. She relaxed a little and felt herself getting comfortable. As Mrs. Diane held her tighter, Summer suddenly spoke softly, with her head tilted at an angle where she could gaze toward the ceiling.

  “I believe Red Bone is smoking dope.”

  Shocked, Mrs. Diane sat silently for several seconds before finally saying, “And what makes you think that?”

  “When I was at her house today…I jus’ know, Mama.” She really didn’t want to talk about it, and her mother could tell. “I smelled it on her breath,” she added, shaking her head.

  “So what ‘cha gonna do?” Mrs. Diane asked.

  “I ain’t gonna do what she’s doin’,” she snapped.

  “You got a purpose in life, Summa. You got two lovely twin boys who desperately need their mother, and you definitely need them. You should never let yo’ kids down or at least try not to. I always tried not to let y’all down.”

  “You always made a way fo’ us, Mama,” Summer said.

  “Give them boys a betta life. ‘Cause once you build yaself mentally, physically, and spiritually, it ain’t nothing out there that can stop you from succeeding.”

  Summer always enjoyed talking to her mother one-on-one. She looked up to Mrs. Diane, even though Summer was far too fast and had absorbed a majority of her skills from the street. However, if it weren’t for Mrs. Diane, there wouldn’t be a Summer.

  The following morning, a Richmond County Sheriff car was parked out front. Summer knew they were there for her, and she was glad Danté had given her that money. When the officer placed the cuffs on her, Mrs. Diane stood on the front porch with the twins. With one standing on her left and the other on her right, tears streaked her face, but she managed to stand strong. After Summer was placed in the backseat, the police car disappeared.

  It was just past eight o’clock in the morning, and the sun hadn’t quite heated the area fully yet. Mrs. Diane was slow going back inside the house. Once inside her bedroom, she sat down in her chair, while the twins ran around the house freely. Mrs. Diane picked up the phone and slowly punched in a few numbers. Her hands trembled nervously as she positioned the phone against her face.

  “Hello,” a voice answered from the other end.

  “Eric?” Mrs. Diane said. She knew her son’s voice, but she wanted to make sure.

  “Hey, Mama. How you doin’?”

  She breathed a sigh of relief, and her eyes closed briefly. She knew she was all right now.

  “I’m doin’ so-so, baby. Listen, Summa jus’ got locked up, and I’ma need to borrow some money to get her out.”

  There was a long silence.

  “Ain’t she on probation, Mama?” Eric asked.

  “Yeah, but she ready for a change. I know she’ll need a lawyer.”

  “What is she locked up fo’?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I think she got to fightin’ wit’ another girl.”

  “Listen, Mama, don’t stress yaself out about this.” He paused. “I’ll call the county jail and see what’s her charge, okay?”

  “And you gonna call me back and let me know?”

  “Yeah, I will.”

  “Okay, baby. I’ll talk to you in a lil’ while.”

  She hung up, lowered her head, and began praying silently.

  Jesus will fix it, she said to herself.

  *****

  After Summer was fingerprinted, they took a picture of her and made her empty her pockets. They’d asked her a list of questions concerning her health and any other questions they could think of. Being inside of a county jail always made her nervous, but not the nervousness or fear of another woman. She’d pretty much handled herself well the last two times she was here. It was always the smell and extremely cold air conditioner that chilled the building.

  Finally, a guard escorted her to a holding cell where two other females were sitting on the cold concrete slab. Once the door slammed behind her, Summer took a seat on the end closer to the door. She tucked her legs underneath her and stared straight ahead at one of the gray cinderblocks.

  One of the females in the cell took a look at Summer and asked, “Don’t you be in Barton Village?”

  Summer’s eyes cut toward the lady just long enough to see if she knew her or not. She didn’t recognize the lady until she said something about boosting some clothes from Regency Mall with Red Bone’s mother. That’s when Summer looked at her again, more of a stare this time. A smile almost came over her face, but she cut it short.

  “Yeah, I remember you,” she finally said.

  “Me and Red Bone use to be together. I was at the house when y’all came over one night.” The lady smiled. “I called you bowlegs, and you got mad.” She stood and made her way toward Summer.

  Summer allowed her legs to drop to the floor, but remained seated.

  “I’m Ann,” the lady said, sitting next to her and extending her hand.

  Summer shook her hand while stating her name. They talked for nearly an hour about why each one of them was locked up. Ann explained to Summer the situation she was in, how her life turned from alright to worse, and Summer just listened patiently to a story that sounded more like she was lost somewhere in the middle of fantasy land. It sounded so good that she tried picturing herself as Ann. Hearing her past history about how she went wrong and then why she couldn’t ever get herself back on track…you know, do the right thing with her life.

  Hearing the rattling of keys on the outside of the cell, everyone turned their attention toward the thick metal door. When it opened, there was an officer and a trustee inmate standing with three Styrofoam trays of cold-cut sandwiches.

  Ann stood first, with Summer taking a place behind her. The other woman continued sleeping as if she’d been running the streets nonstop for the last month.

  Once Summer received her tray, the officer pulled her out so she could use the telephone. She still maintained her graceful walk on the way to the phone. She
knew the other holding cells were filled with men, and she definitely gave them something to look at. Everyone noticed her eye-catching walk, including the officers that worked the jail. She picked up the phone and positioned it in the crook of her neck. After dialing the number, her mother answered on the third ring.

  “Hello,” Mrs. Diane said from the other end.

  “Hey, Mama.”

  “Hey, baby, you alright?”

  “I’m fine so far,” she said with a steady voice. “I don’t know if they’ll give me a bond because of the probation.”

  There was a short silence.

  “I called Eric to see––”

  “Don’t ask him to do nothin’ fo’ me, Mama,” she said, her voice rising slightly. She frowned and a surge of anger flowed through her body. She didn’t want her brother Eric to help her with nothing.

  “Well, who else gonna help you get out, Summer?”

  “Not him. I don’t need him fo’ nothin’, Mama.”

  Eric was the oldest child of Mrs. Diane’s, and it was when Summer had gotten pregnant that her and Eric exchanged several harsh words about her running the streets. He’d stated she was the neighborhood freak and less than a woman. It actually wasn’t her fault she had gotten pregnant and that really wasn’t the issue. The major problem occurred when Summer didn’t know who the father was of the twins. Eric had thrown all of this in her face. She would never forgive him, and at this point, she hated his guts.

  “I’ll get out on my own.”

  “How? I ain’t got no money.”

  Summer breathed so deep into the phone, her mother could tell she was getting frustrated.

  “I’ma call you tomorrow or maybe later on tonight.”

  She slammed the phone down, letting her quick temper take control of her. She never even bothered asking about her kids.