“And as far as gainful employment, you gotta start thinking about shit like that.” He washed under his arms and suds dripped down the sides of his body. “Matta of fact, you should always be thinking about how you gonna make paper. Always. Or else you not worth the balls hanging between your legs.” He looked at him seriously.
Bilal, Jr. looked down at the floor. “I guess I plan to get a job…maybe at the grocery store or something like that. Unless you got a job for me to do.”
“It’s funny you asked.” He grinned, pleased he walked into his trap. “Because now that I think about it, I do have something for you to do, to get your pockets right.” He threw his drippy rag over the edge of the sink. “You remember that bitch who supposedly killed your mother and pops? I think her name is Yvonna.”
Bilal, Jr. was immediately depressed. That happened whenever he heard her name. “Yeah…I can’t forget her. She’s in almost every nightmare I have.”
Uzi contemplated what he said. “I use to dream about the bitch too.” He turned around so he could see his back. “You see that tattoo?” It read, ‘Don’t Get On My Shyt List Again’. “She gave me and my brother that when we were kids. It was the first time I experienced real pain.” He shook his head. “Let me tell you how she got us. This crazy bitch comes to a play we were performing in at school right, and tells us that her name is Aunt Paris from Texas. We go with her thinking shit was straight.”
“You got an aunt from Texas?”
“Don’t be dumb.” Bilal, Jr. held his head down.
“Anyway, I remember having so much fun with this broad until she gives us tattoos. That shit changed our life.” He laughed to himself. “She was also the first bitch to give us alcohol. She didn’t look like what we thought crazy was, which is how she got to us.” He chuckled to himself as he remembered how gullible he was. “When we got home, we slept that whole day, because she brought us back drunk. But the next morning, Avante beat our asses for going with her. Said we should’ve been smart enough to avoid strangers.” He shook his head. “I’ll never forget that shit.” He paused and checked it out in the mirror, as if it were his first time seeing it. “We use to hate the tattoos, but now it’s our ode. Something we live by.” He grabbed his black toothbrush and wet it. “Anyway the nigga I work for, Yao, offered us a lot of dough to find her alive.”
The temperature of the conversation changed quickly and Bilal, Jr. frowned. He wasn’t trying to murder anybody especially her. Something about Yvonna gave him the creeps and he preferred to be as far away from her as possible. “I don’t know about that, we tried to get at her before.”
“Who is we?”
“Not we, I mean Swoopes. You remember him right? He was the one who told me where to find you.”
“Yeah…the nigga use to hang over here all the time when we were younger, so we thought we could trust him. Had us thinking he was good people and everything. The next thing I know, he takes our money and bounces. I heard he was on dope bad.”
“Well he tried to get at her too but it never worked.”
“Well he ain’t me.” Uzi responded seriously. “And he ain’t us. Now I don’t know why Yao wants us to do this for him, but if he asked, I’m on it.” He put toothpaste on his brush and got to brushing. “To tell you the truth, I don’t give a fuck what the reason is.” He spit out a glob of paste. “But I can tell you this,” he pointed at him with the brush, “he spending a lot of money to see it done.”
“How much?”
“Enough to get us out the hood…for the rest of our lives.”
“Well I never done nothing like this before.”
“Don’t worry, little brother, I got you.” He turned around and flushed the toilet, taking the roach with it.
The sun was bright as Bilal, Jr. rode with his aunt Easter to the convenience store. Although the weather was nice, it didn’t warrant the window being open like she had it. Easter was making spaghetti that night, her favorite, and she needed somebody to carry the bag since one hand was always holding the phone. Bilal, Jr. didn’t feel like going, but she made him since Uzi had to meet up with Yao later that night, and Laser was over some bitch’s house. He would not have minded riding, if he was able to hear himself think, but whenever he was around her, that wasn’t the case. What bothered him the most about his aunt was that she never got off the phone and she insisted on subjecting everybody to her meaningless conversation. He wondered who she could be talking to, because they stayed on the phone so much, in his opinion, they could not have had a life.
“Girl, you gotta let me know how that shit is tonight! It’s gonna be some fine ass niggas up in that bitch.” Easter laughed, maneuvering down the street. “I wish I had something to wear because I’d take my ass with you.”
Bilal, Jr. looked over at the scarf she was wearing and shook his head. All he wanted was to think about Yvonna and what it would mean to come in contact with her again. He didn’t know if he wanted her dead or alive and he imagined how things would roll out, once she was in his company again. His mind was twisted with everything going on around him, and he would’ve given anything for five seconds of peace.
“Bitch, I’m not playing! I know you don’t believe me but I would go.” She laughed to herself hitting the steering wheel. “Okay, if I find something to put on, don’t say shit to me when I step up in the place and kill the game.” She scratched her scarf-covered head. “Because once I let my hair down, ain’t none of ya’ll bitches can fuck with me.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Bilal, Jr. said softly, before looking back at the road. “I can’t think.”
“Hold on, girl.” She said, removing the phone from her ear. She took a moment to look at him because she thought he said something. But when she glared at him, he was staring at the road ahead, like he never said a word. “I’m here, girl,” she said hesitantly, stealing one last look at Bilal, Jr. “I just thought my nephew said something.”
When she focused back on the road, her face was forced out the window with a punch to the jaw. She tried to pull herself together wondering where the blow came from, but she was hit with another. The phone dropped out of her hand and the car veered to the left, sticking itself to the curb. While she was partially delirious, he wailed on her as if she was a nigga in the street.
When he took a break, Easter held her mouth and looked over at him again with glazed eyes. “Why you just do that…”
She couldn’t finish because he hit her again, and again. By the time he finished with her, blood was splattered all over his body and inside the car. Realizing what he’d done, he looked at his bloody hands and her limp body. He fucked up now.
YVONNA
Although it was frigid outside, from his wheelchair on his deck, Bradshaw looked at his youngest daughter playing in the yard. The years had been unkind to him, and recently the doctors informed him that he wouldn’t live more than five years, due to being paralyzed. Had he known he would never walk again, he would’ve cherished everything he was able to do on his feet.
When he saw Delilah throw her ball down, and prepare to take off her red coat he yelled, “Honey, don’t take your coat off! It’s freezing out here and you’ll get sick.”
She placed her hands on her hip, looked at him and said, “But I’m hot, daddy. If you could come out here and play with me, instead of sitting on your ass in that chair, you’ll see what I’m saying.”
He couldn’t help but laugh even though her comment was cold. “Well if you stopped running, and sat up here with me, you’d cool down too.” Then he looked at her seriously when he saw she was ignoring him. “I mean what I say, Delilah, don’t take it off unless you want to come in the house.”
“Daddy, you do realize I only listen to you because you’re old. You can’t catch me.”
“Delilah!” he yelled, when he saw she was pushing his limits. “Do what I say.”
“Okay, daddy.” She continued playing with her ball.
As he watched her kick the ball back and
forth, he wondered how she was able to move on with her life, with Yvonna dead. She seemed carefree and like everything in the world was great. With time, Bradshaw learned not to hate her even though it was her mother’s fault, he couldn’t walk. He still remembered the day he was out jogging when life for him changed.
The morning was beautiful, until he looked up and saw an old red Forerunner, with Yvonna behind the wheel, coming speedily in his direction, all because she was angry due to his deception. The next thing he knew he was paralyzed and in the hospital fighting for his life. Before the accident Yvonna thought he loved her, but when it was discovered that he was making a deal with movie producers to obtain the story of her life, she felt betrayed as Gabriella, sought revenge.
When he first entered the hospital, the doctor’s told him he’d never talk or walk again. When he said his first word, he gave them the finger, and paid for round the clock care using the money he earned from the movie based on Yvonna’s life. But lately his body was failing him and it was obvious that despite the money, he would not be turning around for the good this time. Lately he’d been finding it hard to breathe. As a result, he had to stay on a ventilator twenty hours out of a day.
All was not lost when it came to getting back at Yvonna. A smile spread across his face when he remembered what he did to her in retaliation. It took forever to get her alone the weekend of the Urban Greggs fight. But when he did, he was able to get her to an empty garage in Nevada, along with Swoopes and Gabriella, and leave her for dead. Bradshaw hadn’t planned on taking his daughter that day, because he didn’t know she was there. Besides, who would take their child to Vegas on a fight weekend? But when he found her, he couldn’t leave her either. After all, she was his flesh and blood. It was a lot of work taking care of her; especially considering his eldest daughter was in her first year of college. He thought he was done raising kids but he was completely wrong. There he was, a father again, thanks to the craziest bitch he’d ever met in his life.
“Is there anything I can help you with, sir?” His maid asked, walking up behind him. She bent down, sucked his earlobe and groped his dick. On many occasions she took care of his every need, and it was her pleasure. “I can run you a bath, and play the kiss the snake game like you like while you bite my back. I know how much you love that.”
Bradshaw frowned, lifted his neck and looked up at her pretty dark face. “What did I tell you about doing that shit in front of my daughter?”
The nurse stood up straight, looked out at Delilah playing in the yard and back at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think she could see us. She’s all the way over there.”
“You didn’t answer my fucking question.” If he could’ve moved his arm he would have smacked all the shit out of her. Since he couldn’t, he elected to hit her with one of the meanest looks known to man. “Now what did I tell you?”
She stepped back, grasped her hands and held her head down. “You told me not to disrespect. I’m sorry. I guess I’m so use to us living alone.” She was doing everything in her power to get a part of his estate, when he killed over, so sometimes she acted prematurely. She already got him to will the Rolls Royce; he couldn’t drive to her, that sat in the driveway. She figured if she sucked him a little more often, she’d make it on the list for some of his money too. “Please forgive me, Bradshaw. Sometimes I can be insensitive.”
“Yes you can and let me tell you something else. We don’t live alone, Nancy. You live with me.” He focused back on Delilah. “Now get the fuck outta my face. I want to be alone.”
She cleared her throat, “Right away, sir.”
When Nancy scurried away, Bradshaw smiled when he saw Delilah doing a dance she saw from the old movie, Sparkle. Unlike his oldest daughter, she was quite content talking to her self, and didn’t require company. There was no real need for friends. The way her pigtails bounced around was so childlike and innocent, it did his heart well.
He was just about to call her in for lunch, when he felt the maid’s hand on his dick again. This time when he looked back, instead of seeing Nancy’s face, he saw Yvonna and three barrels pointed at his head. “Hello, Bradshaw.” Yvonna smiled, before squeezing his dick hard, forcing a yelp out of his mouth. She removed her hand and walked in front of him. She took a moment to look down at him, so that he would know who was in charge. “I bet you didn’t think you’d see me again did you?”
He was so shocked she was still alive, that he almost killed over. How could she be alive, when he left her for dead? And when he saw Swoopes, who was also in the room with her, the night he left them in Nevada, he figured for sure he was dreaming. As far as he knew, they couldn’t stand each other, so what were they doing together?
“What are you doing here?” He trembled. “I thought…I thought…”
“You thought you killed us.” Swoopes said crashing his hammer over his head. More people were struck over the dome, with the butt of Swoopes’ gun, than a judge’s gavel slammed in federal court. “I can’t wait to do a few things to you. To repay the favor in Vegas. I been waiting on this forever.”
Yvonna was so tuned in to Bradshaw, that she didn’t see her daughter in the backyard. Her oversight didn’t stop Delilah from spotting her. “Mommy!” She paused, holding the ball in her hand, before throwing it down. “Is that you?”
“Fuck…I didn’t see my baby out here,” she whispered. “Wheel this mothafucka in the house and finish him off. When you’re done, dump him where we put the maid.” Ming hating him just as much as Yvonna, put pressure on the handle bars, so that the front part of the wheel chair went flying up in the air. Bricks and Swoopes followed behind them.
Yvonna, trying to prevent Delilah from running into the house, met her in the backyard as they ran toward each other. “Mommy, is that really, really, really you? I thought you were gone! Forever!”
Yvonna’s face was frozen with a smile as she jogged toward her. “Yes, baby. It is mommy! I can’t believe how pretty you are!” When they connected, Yvonna lifted her off her feat and swung her in the air. This was truly one of the best experiences in her life. The little girl made her responsible. Made her think of someone else other than herself. And she was grateful to say that when she gave birth to her, she experienced true love.
After planting a million kisses all over her face, she placed her down and walked around her for an examination. When she was done she scanned over her fingers and her body to be sure she was unharmed. She’d been by enough to know she was good, but she wanted to be sure. When she was done she had to admit that although she was without her, Bradshaw did a good job of taking care of their child. “I missed you so much, Delilah. I thought about you everyday.”
“I didn’t think you were coming back for me. I thought you went to heaven, mommy. Daddy said I wouldn’t see you again until I was a hundred years old and died too. But I didn’t believe him. I knew you would come back because you promised to never leave me. You promised that no matter what, you would never give me away.”
Yvonna was beyond irritated with what she just said, and if Bradshaw wasn’t dead by the time she got to him, she would show him. “I’m glad that you were smart enough not to listen to him. That’s why I came back, baby. Because I learned that everything your daddy says out of is mouth is a lie. So you not going to see your father anymore.”
“You need to leave this little bitch where she is!” Gabriella said. “You can’t do what you have to with her hanging on. She’s weak and is only going to bring us down.”
“Shut up!” She yelled at her. “Never talk like that in front of my child.”
“Mommy, who are you talking to?”
“Nobody, baby, but are you gonna be okay with living with me now? You can’t stay here anymore because…”
“Yvonna, we see somebody coming up the driveway!” Bricks yelled through the sliding glass door. “It’s time to get shit started. Bring Delilah in the house so she can be safe.”
Yvonna’s heart rate kicked up. She just kn
ew Yao was on his way, to do anything he could to hurt her reason for living by killing her daughter. Although she knew him for a while, she would’ve never thought he would stoop so low.
Yvonna bent down and said, “Delilah, do you have a special hiding place in the house? A place where grown ups don’t know about?”
“Yvonna, the car gettin’ closer,” Bricks warned, “Whatever we do we gotta do now! So you gotta bring Delilah inside and stop wasting time!”
She stood up and turned around. “Okay, give me a second,” turning back to Delilah she said, “Do you have a place, honey?”
“Yes. And it has a secret door too.”
“Good,” She responded gripping her hand, “take me too it. And when you get inside, I don’t want you to come out until I get you. As a matter of fact, if I don’t knock on the door, don’t open it. Okay?”
“Got it!”
It took Yvonna all of a minute to get Delilah situated. When she was done, she peeked through the large cream curtains in the living room, near the front door. Her .45 hung by her side as she waited for the first person to turn the knob. To her left, on the other side of the door, was Bricks waiting for his chance to fire if he had to. Toward the back of the living room was Swoopes and Ming was in the kitchen on guard in case they needed reinforcements.
When nothing happened, Ming whispered. “Where are they now? Ming ready to bust some caps.”
Yvonna released the curtain, turned around and said, “Shut the fuck up! I’m not playing with you this time!” For whatever reason, Yvonna took to hating Ming more. “If you see somebody come through this bitch, you know its time to show and prove. Until then hang back and relax.”
Moving the blind to the side again to get a better view of outside, she suddenly saw a familiar face. She heard that when you’re about to die, people from your past are reintroduced in your life, to give you a reason to right the wrong. If this was the case, Yvonna would use the opportunity to take a few folks to hell with her instead.
Shyt List 5: Smokin' Crazies The Finale' (The Cartel Publications Presents) Page 10