If it Aint One Thing it's Another

by Sharron Doyle

  Calderon went into the bedroom and came back out with the two bricks that Petie told him he wanted to cop from him. He offered to weigh it, but Petie told him it wasn’t necessary.

  ”Yo, poppy, I’m seeing you on TV every day. You gotta be careful, ‘cause they looking for you like crazy, my friend,” he said. Petie hated that ‘poppy’ shit. He told Calderon that he was about to bounce. He got up like he was pulling out his money, but instead he pulled out his burner. Calderon froze like water in an ice tray. ”Poppy, what ‘appen?” he asked Petie.

  Petie looked at him and gave him a crooked smile. ”Poppy this, nigga,” he said before putting two in Calderon’s chest and one in his head. Petie didn’t think anybody else was in the apartment, but he walked through just to make sure.... Calderon, knowing that he was on the run, had trusted him enough to let him into his apartment while he was there alone with all that weight in the house—dumb muthafucka.

  Petie put on a pair of gloves that were inside his jacket and ransacked the apartment. He took a kitchen knife out of the sink. He cut open the mattress in the bedroom and then he tore open the living room couch. There he found a bag of money, which he laid in the middle of the floor. When he cut open the sofa bed he found two more bricks. He put everything in a shopping bag and bounced.

  Petie lucked out when he caught Calderon off guard like that; usually there would be like six cats in his crib. But Calderon had dealt with Petie so long that he trusted him. However, Petie would never have been able to pull that off in the daytime.

  He got back to the hotel and paid for another day in the room he shared with Patrice. Then he rented another room, where he called Ladelle and left a message on his voicemail, telling him to come through, before going back to the other room with Patrice. She didn’t know about the additional spot.

  Peite’s cell phone rang. It was Ladelle returning his call. He wanted to know what was up, and Petie told him he had something for him and that he needed to get there. Petie hung up before Ladelle could say anything else; too many questions weren’t good. Ladelle knew he was at the Fame Hotel on 135th Street, so Petie just waited for him to call and say he was outside. He took a sack of money out of the bag and counted it up real quick. He counted eleven hundred dollars and then gave it to Patrice, telling her to put it in her pocketbook. Petie kissed her on the forehead and headed back to the other room he had rented.

  He got to the other room and started counting up more money when his phone rang. It was Ladelle, telling him he was outside.

  ”Aiight, dick, listen: I’ma come down, but I need you to go to that store on the corner and see if they got a calculator—and bring me back a pack of cigarettes,” Petie said before hanging up. Knowing Petie and what he might be up to, Ladelle thought twice about his request before making a move.

  Petie gave Ladelle enough time to go to the store and come back before he went downstairs to meet him. The desk clerk wanted more money when he saw Ladelle about to go upstairs with Petie. Ladelle gave him thirty bucks.

  When they got upstairs, Ladelle put the bag with the calculator and cigarettes in it on the table. Petie took out the calculator and sat on the bed. He pulled the bag with the goods in it from underneath the bed and took out the bricks. Ladelle asked him who he had hit and Petie told him.

  ”Oh, word? You hit Calderon at his crib?” Ladelle said, trying to appear normal.

  Petie gave him a ‘what you think’ look and told him the money was rightfully theirs for all the years they had copped from those Germans. ”Fuck those oiyes, dick. How many times we paid for a hundred grams, and when we got back it was only ninety-two or some foul shit like that?” Petie said.

  ”Yeah, you right...you definitely right about that,” Ladelle said somberly. He was feeling totally guilty about being there now. He reluctantly sat down and started stacking the money in tens, twenties, fifties and one-hundred-dollar bills. He wished he could back-track his steps and tell Petie he had something else to do. But he was here now....

  ”I got this chick upstairs in another room, so I’m gonna run up and check on her. Hold it down until I get back,” Petie said before exiting the room. Aside from everything they had discussed, he was still suspicious of Patrice. He thought that maybe he shouldn’t have given her that money, because it might kick up her shit. But at the same time he had to know if she could be trusted. If she couldn’t be trusted with eleven hundred bucks, then she damn well couldn’t be trusted with what he was about to share with her.

  He opened the door not expecting to see her, but she was sitting up watching the news. She told him that they had just shown his picture. The look on her face made Petie feel that she was proud to be in the company of one of New York’s most wanted. And he could tell that she wanted some dick, but he told her he was taking care of business and to get some rest because they were leaving tomorrow. ”I need you to be on point,” he added. She smiled and rubbed his manhood, thinking about how big he was, even when he was soft. Petie rubbed her shoulder and went back downstairs to rejoin Ladelle.

  Share and Will were at the 125th Street restaurant for its re-opening. She had been in contact with the contractors the whole time during the renovation, and she was more than happy with the repairs; the restaurant looked even better than it did before. She was impressed with the new security system, and she decided that they could officially open the store back up tomorrow for business.

  When Abdul had returned from vacation he was horrified when he heard what happened. He was devastated, and he still had not yet gotten over it.

  Will drove downtown to another location that Share was interested in buying; this McDonald’s was larger and in a busier section of the city. Their conversations these days were mainly based on the restaurants and business in general.

  Share was anxious to find out Will’s results. He had handled the news about her having the virus like a trooper. She wasn’t really sure if she had contracted the virus from Petie. She wondered how many people he had infected and if he knew he had the virus and just didn’t care enough about anybody to tell them. Then she wondered if people would be able to look at her and tell that she was infected. Finally she wondered if she and Will would be able to have kids. So many things were going through her mind that she couldn’t think straight.

  ”Why you so quiet, ma. Penny for your thoughts,” Will said taking her out of her zone.

  ”I’m sorry, Will. I was just thinking about my health...I pray that your results are negative. Whatever you decide to do, I’ll understand. I just want us to always be friends, and please know that I never meant to cause you any pain or grief,” she said on the brink of tears. Will pulled the car over and put it in park.

  ”What, you plannin’ on goin’ somewhere?” Will said. ”Because I already told you I’m not goin’ nowhere—positive or negative. I told you that years ago, so don’t think a nigga gon’ run out on you now. Ride or die, ma. We in this for life.”

  Petie looked into Patrice’s honey brown eyes. ”I got you, ma,” he said. “All you gotta do is follow my instructions. I’m gonna help you get your life back together, and maybe you can help me, too.” He asked her if she had any family still living in Baltimore, and she told him that her mother and aunt were there. Petie looked at her and smiled. Then he did what he didn’t normally do with women other than his wife—he kissed her on the lips, and he told her he was going to make a move so they could have some money. He said he was on the run and had to leave New York as soon as possible. He told her not to worry because he would take care of everything.

  ”You game or what?” he asked her.

  ”Of course—when we leaving?” Patrice said. Petie told her he was going to pay for the room for another day and then take care of his business before they bounced.

  ”Believe me when I tell you we gonna be all right. I got this. Just don’t go against the grain, and everything will fall in place. You hear me?”

  ”I’m with you, baby boy,” Patrice said. She had been smok
ing for almost a year. And she had come across plenty of niggas who had gangsta written all over their face, but she had never spent this much time with any of them. She and Petie had spent just the last few days together and he already made her feel special. But what really got to her was when he told her that smoking crack was a dead issue. Most niggas tried to give it to her, but Petie was doing just the opposite. That really made her feel good.

  Patrice’s mother didn’t know that she was smoking crack. That would have broken her heart, so Patrice just kept it to herself. She missed her mother, and it felt good to be able to call her and say, ”Mom, I’m coming home.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Venus sat at her desk waiting for the District Attorney to call her back. Annette had turned down their first offer and Venus was pushing the D.A. to put her ass on trial. The nerve of that bitch.

  Venus locked her office door and then went and pulled a bottle out of her desk drawer; she was drinking more and more these days. She leaned back and felt the burn of the drink as she swallowed it. She reached for a can of Planters Peanuts and took another drink before someone knocked at the door. She didn’t want to be disturbed right now. ”Who is it?” she yelled out.

  ”It’s Dre. Are you all right?” Andre said. Damn, what does he want? Venus thought as she got up to go and open the door. Andre stood there in an Armani suit and shoes. She didn’t know if it was the liquor or he really just looked that damn good. Venus decided that it was both.

  She invited Andre in to sit down. They had both been promoted at the bank, and they each had private offices now. The liquor bottle was visible on her desk, but Venus didn’t care if he saw it. ”What can I do for you, Andre?” she said grabbing a handful of peanuts from off her desk.

  ”Nothing, really. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I know you’re under a lot of stress, and I want you to know that I’m here for you,” he replied sitting across from her. Venus thought he sounded really sincere and thanked him. ”Come here. You look like you need a hug,” he added standing back up.

  Venus smiled and got up from her black leather chair and walked over to Andre. At first she just stood there, looking into his eyes. They were pretty, and she had never noticed them before. Andre cupped Venus’ face in his hands and kissed her on the lips. He pulled back and studied her face, hoping her eyes told him that she wanted more—they did. Andre kissed Venus again with such passion this time that her knees buckled. Is it the liquor, peanuts or the kiss? she thought. She decided that it was the kiss.

  Venus could feel Andre’s hardness through his pants, and she placed her hand on his crotch to make sure that what she was feeling was real. Oh, it’s real all right, she thought. He was packing a shotgun. The muscles in her pussycat started to jump and throb. She pulled away from him and went to lock the door. Then she came back and sat on her desk. She pulled off her shoes and slid off her pantyhose. Andre looked at her in disbelief. It didn’t take long for him to figure out what time it was.

  Venus, now in a bra and thong, closed the blinds and helped Andre out of his clothes. He let his pants and boxers drop down to the floor. Wow! Venus thought. BJ was big, but Andre was huge. And he had a pretty dick, the kind she liked to suck. Venus bent down in front of him and teased the head with her tongue. He ran his fingers through her hair and then he lifted her up off the floor. He kissed her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Then he entered her and pinned her up against the wall before stroking the life out of her. She came immediately.

  Andre put Venus down on the carpet and beat his head on her clit. He continued to enter and pull out of her, and he beat her clit some more until it was swollen. He entered her again, putting her legs up on his shoulders and putting his hands underneath her, spreading her ass. Venus came again and Andre came too, now. They lay there catching their breath.

  Venus was embarrassed; she couldn’t believe what she had just done. She went into the bathroom connected to her office and washed up. Then she cracked the door and peeked through it to ask Andre to pass her clothes to her; she didn’t want him to see her naked, as if it mattered now. He handed them to her and got dressed.

  Venus came out of the bathroom fully dressed now. ”I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I am so embarrassed,” she said.

  ”Don’t be sorry. I’m not. Furthermore, I think it was long overdue,” Andre said. ”Come see me before you leave,” he added before giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

  Venus sat at her desk and thought about what just happened. She felt guilty about giving herself to someone so soon after BJ’s death.... I’m sorry, BJ, but I gotta move on... rest, baby.

  Share and Will decided to purchase the McDonald’s downtown. She figured she could close the deal for $220,000.00, a quarter of a million at the most. It was a busy location, like her other two restaurants.

  She and Will drove to her co-op on Seventy-Fourth Street and she checked her answering machine. There was a message from one of the detectives. He notified her that Petie was still at large and she could call the 32nd precinct if she needed to.

  Share thought about Renee and decided to give her a call. Renee was more than happy to hear from her. Share told her that she was helping the police so Petie could be apprehended. She gave Renee the names of two support groups that she could join before relocating to Pennsylvania. Renee was grateful, although the counselor had already given her more than enough information on support groups. But more important than that, she was grateful to speak to someone who understood.

  They hung up on a good note, and Share was pleased that Renee still wasn’t holding anything against her. They were two women who’d met under fucked up circumstances. Their beef was-n’t with each other but with Petie. They both understood that.

  Share sat back and said a silent prayer. And she said a special prayer for Petie, asking God to help her forgive him and to have mercy on his soul.

  Venus was in Andre’s office waiting for him to get off the phone. She was wondering who he was talking to. She felt herself getting a little jealous. Andre must have seen the irritation on her face, and he cut his conversation short. ”Okay, Mom, I’ll be there Sunday for dinner.” Venus felt silly. Look at that, she thought. You’re already assuming shit. Andre hung up the phone and grabbed his attache briefcase before getting up from his desk. ”Let’s go,” he said guiding Venus out the door.

  ”Where we going?” she asked with a big Gatorade smile across her face. Andre didn’t answer, and they drove to his house in separate cars.

  ”Park your car and get in mine; we’re going for a ride,” Andre told Venus when they got there. She didn’t dare ask again where they were going. She felt like a kid waiting for a surprise from her father.

  They stopped at a red light and Andre leaned over and kissed her. ”Relax, I only bite behind closed doors,” he said winking his eye at her.

  Petie couldn’t sleep and his mind was racing. He and Ladelle had counted $152,000.00. Petie gave him thirty grand and two bricks. He kept the rest, but he’d give some of it to Renee for the boys.

  Petie called Roz and told her he’d need ID, and he asked how long it would take her to get it. She told him to get a Polaroid picture and she would make it happen. Petie knew he could count on Roz for anything. She had more connects than dots. If she didn’t have so much shit with her, Petie would gladly take her. But he was feeling Patrice now anyway.

  He sat back in the chair and watched Patrice sleep. Yeah, Patrice was his new shorty and they needed each other. One day he might tell her about his condition, but for now he’d keep it a secret.

  Petie continued to sit there and watch Patrice sleep. It reminded him of when he and Renee first started out; he would watch her sleep for hours. He felt like he was keeping shit safe while wifey and his sons slept. These thoughts made his heart hurt. No matter what happened, he would make sure that his sons were all right.

  Patrice turned over in the bed and looked at Petie. ”I can’t sleep anymore. Come to b
ed.” Petie got up from the chair, got in the bed and gave Patrice the business. They made love all through the night. Petie took his time with her. He’d been with her for three days now, and it seemed like three months. He was really feeling her. He had never felt this way about anyone so soon before, and it scared him. If she fucked up he would beat her down fa sho, but he tried not to think about that.... Petie and Patrice—fuck Bonie and Clyde.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Renee woke up early. She didn’t sleep much last night. She kept thinking about how Darnell was treating her and how quickly he and Dante had turned on her. She felt like she was losing them.

  She went into the boys’ room, woke up Darnell first and then Dante. She then went to the kitchen and made some eggs, turkey bacon and toast for them. Rhonda worked last night, so she would be coming in at any moment. Renee made enough for everyone.

  Darnell showered and dressed. He came into the kitchen and gave Renee a hug. ”I love you, Mom. I’m sorry,” he said kissing her on the cheek.

  Dante came into the kitchen a few minutes later and sat down to eat with Darnell. Renee soon joined them and they ate in silence until Dante broke the ice. ”Mom, I’m not coming straight home after school; I’m going to play ball.”

  ”Are you telling me or asking me?” Renee said.

  ”I’m asking,” Dante replied.

  ”Okay, but after you come in and do your homework and change your clothes,” Renee said.

  ”But Mom...”

  ”Dante, you heard what Mom said. And remember, Daddy told us not to give her a hard time,” Darnell said firmly.

  ”My bad. I’m sorry, Mom,” Dante said.

  They all finished eating and Renee cleared the table as the boys left for school. She was thinking about Darnell saying that Petie had told them not to give her a hard time. She didn’t know what to make of it. Petie was a good, responsible father. She couldn’t take that away from him no matter what. She just wished he would stay out of trouble long enough to be in Darnell and Dante’s lives. Oh, well, she thought. There were some things she had no control over, and that was one of them.