Pitbulls In a Skirt 2

by Mikal Malone

  “Is he white?” I ask.

  “No,” she laughs. “I wish it was that simple though.”

  “Then what’s up? Is he short? Fat? What?” I persist.

  “He…is a she.”

  If I could describe the looks on me and Carissa’s faces you still couldn’t imagine our reactions. Carissa’s cup tilts as the liquor pours out. And my mouth opens so wide, you can see my ovaries.

  “Say somethin’!” Yvette yells breaking the unbearable silence.

  “Y…Yvette…what you talkin’ ‘bout?” I stutter. “You not gay.”

  “Yeah, Yvette. What the fuck you sayin’?” Carissa finally says.

  “You think if I had a choice I’d be in love wit’ her? This shit is stressin’ me out!”

  “You in love?” Carissa asks with her eyes wide open.

  “Yes. We been together for two years now. And since I hid her from ya’ll, she cut me off. She’s getting a new apartment and everything.”

  “Ya’ll lived together too? I mean…how did you hide this from us for so long?”

  “It’s easy, Kenyetta. We all don’t see each other when we leave Emerald.”

  “Damn…that’s why you been dodgin’ us lately?” Carissa points.

  “Maybe you should put the cup down.” I reply.

  “Why? I’m just sayin’ this explains everything to me. Your bitch ass over there lickin’ pussy! Damn, Yvette! I can’t believe you like women!” Carissa continues.

  “I don’t like women. I like Chris.”

  “So what’s it like, in the bedroom?”

  “Damn Car! You feelin’ that liquor too much today!” I shout.

  “Don’t act like you don’t wannna know too. We over the shock of her being wit’ a woman now let’s get down to the details. So start talkin’ Yvette. What’s it like?”

  Yvette smiles a little and says, “You don’t really wanna hear that shit.”

  “Yes we do!” I blurt out. I cover my mouth realizing I was now acting nosey.

  “Now who’s feelin’ themselves?” Carissa laughs.

  “Well, it’s tender, sweet and soft.”

  “Girl, stop bullshitin’ and get to the details! Is the sex good or not?!”

  “FUCK YEAH! And don’t let her strap up! Last time she fucked me wit’ that rubber dick thingy I called her daddy for weeks.”

  “Wow! You makin’ my pussy wet! She got a brother?” Carissa questions.

  “Girl stop trippin’!” I laugh hitting her on the arm. “Lavelle would fuck you up!”

  “That’s after I get mine!”

  “It’s the girl who walked to you the other day? Wit’ the Mohawk?” I say.

  “Yes.”

  “She’s a cutie. I see why you like her,” Carissa interjects.

  “What’s wrong, Yvette?” I pry noticing she’s crying.

  “I can’t believe I let her leave me! I was so happy and now she’s gone!”

  “You mean you let a good fuck walk out your life because of us?” Carissa adds. “Even if we didn’t approve that’s your life, Yvette. You don’t let someone you care about leave behind no bullshit.”

  “Yeah, Yvette. If that’s your only problem, you ain’t got one.”

  “You sayin’ that now but you called her a bitch and Carissa called her a carpet muncher!”

  We all laugh again.

  “We were nervous,” I respond. “Look at all the shit that happened that night. And this strange person walks up to you? We were on guard.”

  “I know…but ya’ll still said it.”

  “We still want you to be happy, Vette,” Carissa adds. “Real talk.”

  “Well what about Mercedes? You heard the comments she made when she first saw Chris’s face. She called her a dyke!”

  “You gotta ask her, Yvette. But I think she’ll recognize that real love is hard to find. We gonna get use to you bein’ a lesbian over time.”

  “I’m not a lesbian.”

  “If you lickin’ pussy you a lesbian. Fuck what you heard,” Carissa clarifies.

  “Anyway, Yvette,” I interrupt. “If you love her, get her back. For real.”

  “Yeah and when you get her back ask her to lick your ass again for me. You been in a bad mood all week. Shiiiitt…if I’da known that’s all you needed…I’da licked your ass a long time ago,” Carissa giggles. Silence fills the air until we all burst into laughter.

  “You know you went too far right?” I tell her holding my stomach due to laughing so hard. I snatched the cup from her hands. “Let me take this shit before you say somethin’ else dumb tonight.” I was still teasing Carissa when Yvette grows silent.

  “What now, Yvette?”

  “I really hope Mercedes is as cool with this as you guys are. Somethin’ tells me she won’t be.”

  Mercedes

  “I can be a stone cold killer if you fuck wit’ what’s mine.”

  I was scheduled for duty this week in Emerald but I couldn’t focus. Guilt consumed most of my waking thoughts as I replayed what happened between me and Cameron in my mind. I shoulda never had sex with him. And then he had the nerve to be acting like we were back together or somethin’. Calling my house all hours of the night! I decide tonight before going to Emerald, to deal with Cameron personally. When I knock on his door, I hear my daughters in the background playing and smile.

  “Who is it?” A girl’s voice calls from inside.

  “Mercedes. Is Cameron here?” She opens the door, and smiles. She’s tall, busty, with honey brown skin and a shoulder length haircut with a Chinese bang.

  “Hi, Mercedes. Come on in. Cameron’s downstairs.”

  I walk in and she closes the door. “You are?” I say.

  “I’m, so silly,” she laughs. “Your beautiful babies been keepin’ me busy today. I’m Toi. Cameron’s new girlfriend.”

  She extends her hand and I shake it. For some reason I’m not jealous that she’s Cameron’s new girl. Maybe it’s her kindness or the fact that I want his attention taken off me that prevents me from feeling negatively.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Toi. Can you get him. It’s kinda important.”

  “Girl, please! You gave that man three kids so that makes you family. Go on downstairs. He ain’t doin’ nothin’ but runnin’ his mouth with his friends. They been yappin’ non-stop. Sometimes they worse than little girls,” she laughs.

  I laugh and say, “Okay, I’ll go downstairs.”

  “Let me know if you want somethin’ to eat. I made spaghetti.”

  After hugging my baby girls, I make my way to Cameron’s basement. I had to give him credit, his crib in Largo, Maryland was fly. And I wonder how things would have been if we made it together. But when I think of my luxurious apartment in D.C., I smile. I have it all with Derrick.

  When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I stop short when I hear two extra voices. One of the voices belong to Lavelle but the other voice I don’t recognize. Wanting to hear more, I stand behind the wall that separates me from view.

  “This is crazy, Cameron. They not goin’ for that shit. Trust me,” Lavelle says.

  “They already went for it,” the unfamiliar voice interjects. “That’s what you don’t get. Maybe ya’ll handled things the wrong way last time.”

  “Cam, we not hurtin’ for money,” Lavelle responds. “We ain’t gotta do this shit.”

  “I’m tired of this shit. Look, Cameron, if you want this dude involved you give him a cut of your money after everything is done,” the other man says obviously irritated. “I’m not fuckin’ wit’ no scared niggas.”

  “Who the fuck you callin’ scared?” Lavelle combats.

  “Cameron, you initiated this shit not me,” the stranger ignores Lavelle. “What we gonna do?” Something about their conversation scares me and I involuntarily make a sound.

  “Hold up, who that?” Cameron asks.

  I walk around the wall and make myself seen. Giving a nervous smile I now know who the other voice belongs to. He’s Black
Water from Tyland. So why was he here?

  “Uh…look, man. I’m ‘bout to roll. I gotta take care of some things back at the crib,” Lavelle says. He walks up to me and kisses my cheek. “It was nice seein’ you again, Mercedes. Bye.”

  “Bye, Lavelle,” I reply looking at Cameron. Lavelle looks scared.

  “I’m out too, man,” Black responds standing up. He looks so much like Biggie Smalls it’s scary. “Is it cool to leave Tamir here?”

  “Yeah man…its cool.”

  Black exits without so much as looking or speaking to me.

  “What was that about, Cameron?”

  “Business. It don’t have nothin’ to do wit’ you,” he tells me walking up to me.

  “So you fuckin’ wit’ Tyland Tower niggas? You couldn’t stand them at first.”

  “I don’t fuck wit’ Tyland niggas now. I fuck wit’ money.”

  “You know what; I don’t even know why I came.”

  “I do. You miss me like I miss you.”

  “Actually I came by to tell you It won’t happen again.”

  “Yeah okay, Mercedes.”

  “I’m serious! And didn’t you move on with your new girlfriend upstairs?”

  “What, you jealous?” he laughs.

  “Nigga I have a man!” I say placing my hand on my hip.

  His face frowns and he says, “She not my girl, Mercedes. You are.”

  “That’s not what she said. I’m surprised she would even fuck wit’ you.”

  “Why? Because she’s attractive?”

  “No…because she knows how to treat people. Stay the fuck outta my life, Cameron. Outside of the kids, I don’t want to deal wit’ you no more. I’m serious.”

  I have one foot on the step when he says, “You want me to murder that nigga don’t you?”

  Turning around I face him and say, “Don’t fuck wit’ my life. I’m not the dumb bitch you left in Emerald. I can be a stone cold killer if you fuck wit’ what’s mine. Remember that.”

  I walk away before he can say anything else. Heading to Emerald my mind remains on what I saw. What is Cameron doing dealing with Black Water? We use to hate his guts and now they in business together. I smell larceny. I press my Gucci boots to the gas peddle. I gotta tell my girl’s I think somethin’s up.

  Cameron

  “I don’t give a fuck who it is!”

  “Toi, get down here!” Cameron yells upstairs after Mercedes leaves.

  “Hold on baby. Let me put the plates in front of the girls.”

  Cameron paces the floor ready to give her a piece of his mind. He can’t believe she’s not smart enough to let him know Mercedes was in his house before she came downstairs. Most of all, he wonders what Mercedes heard.

  “Sorry, Cameron. I fed the kids. You hungry?”

  “Naw,” he replies groggily.

  “Okay…what’s up?”

  “How long was Mercedes in my house?” he questions with an attitude.

  “Not long before she left…why?”

  “Why would you let her downstairs, Toi?”

  “Cause that’s your kid’s mother,” she shrugs. “What’s the problem?”

  “Look…don’t let nobody in my fuckin’ house wit’ out lettin’ me know. I don’t give a fuck who it is! She came in on a private conversation, Toi! Use your fuckin’ head!” he screams.

  Toi took two steps toward him, places her right hand on her hip, and smacks him in the face with her left. Turning around to leave, she doubles back and says, “Take care of your own fuckin’ kids! I’m outta here!”

  Stomping up the stairs, it’s not long before she slams his front door. Shortly after, he hears her tires peeling out of his driveway. Cameron stands in silence thinking about what just occurred. He was feeling Toi but her aggressiveness and no nonsense attitude made him hesitate. He desired a girl like Mercedes use to be before he changed her. Sure he could’ve rushed upstairs and chased her down for placing her hands on him, but he’d let it past because at least she was gone. Right now he had one thing on his mind, finding out how much of his conversation with Black Water Mercedes had heard. Because he knew first hand what happened if Pitbulls attacked.

  Lil’ C

  “You heard my word.”

  “So what you gonna do, man?” Tamir asks sitting on a chair at Lil’ C’s computer station. “You not gonna be able to slide out here tonight. Your pops home.”

  Tamir was tall, brown skin and slender with long silky hair like his mother. He kept it in a ponytail not wanting to braid or cut it. Everybody joked about how he looked just like the singer Lloyd.

  Although Lil’ C had only known Tamir for a few months, they hung out a few times, mainly whenever Black would come over. Although Lil’ C didn’t know Tamir’s father as Black Water, a secret Cameron hid from him on purpose, he did know Tamir came from drug money. His pockets were as deep as his whenever they hung out. What Cameron and Lil’ C didn’t know was that Tamir was a spy more than anything else.

  “Nigga, I’m leavin’ outta here tonight. I got money to make. You comin’?”

  “Naw…I know this shawty a few blocks over. I’ma check her out.”

  “Aight, playa…playa,” Lil’ C says as his phone rings for the tenth time.

  “You hot as shit tonight. Tell them bitches, stop callin’,” Tamir says examining Lil’ C’s new leather green Gucci jacket on the. Bed. “I might have to get you for this.”

  “You must be ‘bout to leave six stacks on the table,” he responds turning his attention to the caller. “Who this?”

  “It’s me…Jona. You busy, C?”

  He looks at Tamir shakes his head and frowns. He told him earlier how she was pressing to be with him.

  “Kinda…what’s up wit’ you though? I heard you out the hospital.”

  “I am, but how come you didn’t come see me? It’s all your girlfriend’s fault,” she coos in her usual high pitch baby voice.

  “I know and on everything, I got into my peoples shit for stabbing you. She got into my Myspace account and saw your messages. But I gave your moms some cash for when you came back. She give it to you?”

  “Yeah…thanks. I appreciate that.”

  As she’s talking, he laces up his Nike Boots and looks in his full length mirror. Wearing a black Ed Hardy t-shirt, he can’t help but smile at how good he looks.

  “You wish you look like me,” he says seeing Tamir placing his jacket on.

  Shaking his head he decides to let him live in the jacket a few more seconds. After all, most of his friends admired his fashion sense.

  “This me all day long,” Tamir says. The smell of leather fills the room.

  “You wish, partna.” The moment Tamir removes the jacket, his t-shirt lifts in the back revealing what looks like whip wounds on his back.

  “You there, C? Cause you bein’ rude,” Jona says.

  “Hold up, J,” he pauses. “Tamir…what’s up wit’ your back, son?!”

  Tamir embarrassed, releases Lil’ C’s coat, pulls his shirt down and turns around.

  “What you talkin’ ‘bout?”

  Not wanting to kick his business while on the phone he says to Tamir, “I’ma holla at you in a minute.” He focuses back on the call. “Look…Jona, I’m ‘bout to go. Nick on his way to scoop me cause we got business in Emerald tonight.”

  “If you in Emerald I know you gonna stop by and see me.”

  “Can’t do it…my girl on to us now. I ain’t tryin’ to hear no shit from her.”

  “So you gonna let her stop us from doin’ what we do?”

  “Like I said…I can’t fuck wit’ you no more. Trust me I’m fucked up cause your head game not to be fucked wit’.”

  “So you gonna just dump me like that?”

  “You heard my word. I gotta go. Lada.” When he hangs up he questions Tamir about what he saw, “Dog…who the fuck ripped your back?” Tamir is embarrassed.

  “Those battle wounds. My pops makes sure we stay tough! It don’t hurt no
more.”

  He raises his t-shirt and exposes all of the scars on his back. Lil’ C never seen anything so horrifying in all his life. There were about twenty or thirty deep scars on his back that rose and turned to keloids.

  “I don’t know about all that shit…but if your folks puttin’ in work like that on you, he’s fucked up, man.”

  “No he not! The man makes the body what the body needs to be.”

  “What?” Lil’ C laughs.

  “I said the man makes the body what the body needs to be. Not the other way around. People of the world worry too much about flesh and material bullshit. I can survive under any kind of pressure, my family too. We preparing for the bigger picture…war.”

  “Nigga I don’t know what you talkin’ about but that’s some abusive ass shit right there!” Lil’ C laughs. “I’ma have to get you one of them 800 numbers before your pops kills you.” Lil’ C eases into his Gucci jacket when he sees the head lights to Nick’s Jaguar. “But on some other shit…Nick here so I’m ‘bout to hit it.” Tamir grabs his black and white letterman jacket.

  “I’ll get up wit’ you, lada.”

  As they sneak out the garage, Tamir is consumed with jealousy as Lil’ C jumps into Nick’s car. Although he’d never say it out loud, what he really wanted was to be like him but Lil’ C’s swag was tailor made.

  Months earlier, about a week after Tamir first met Lil’ C, he found out from a few people in Emerald City that he was keeping time with Jona. Once he got word and a picture of her, he made sure he met Jona in a mall.

  “Aye…can I holla at you for a second?” he said after walking up on her in the mall.

  “You sure can cutie,” she said.

  By the end of that day, he had her in his bed. They had sex everyday for two weeks and Tamir bragged to everybody that he was fucking the prince of Emerald’s girl.

  “You know Lil’ C only fuck wit’ that shawty on the side right?” one of Tamir’s friends said to him at a bowling party. This was seconds after he bragged how she sucked his dick moments earlier.

  “Naw, that’s his girlfriend.” He said looking at her while she bowled.