by Kiki Swinson
“How much is the deposit?” I asked.
“Same as the rent,” Cindy replied.
“Would it be possible to get a six-month lease?”
“Sure, that’ll be no problem.”
“Could I pay for the entire six-month lease when I return the application to you?”
“Oh, most definitely,” Cindy said with excitement.
“Okay. Well, that’s what I want to do.”
“That’ll be no problem. We have a lot of new applicants who prefer to do it that way,” Cindy added.
“Okay. Well, I guess you’ll be hearing from me by tomorrow.”
“Just call the office and I’ll be more than happy to meet you back here with the keys so you can move right on in.”
“All right.” I nodded, shaking her hand. “Thank you for your time.”
“You’re welcome. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me.” She concluded by handing me her business card. I took it and proceeded toward the front door.
Carmen and I said our good-byes and then we headed back to the truck. Immediately after we pulled off, Carmen asked, “What did you think about the place?”
I hesitated for a second to collect my thoughts, then said, “It’s okay, I guess. But if my circumstances were any different, I would be living in a penthouse somewhere around here.”
“And I’d be right there as your roommate,” Carmen blurted out, and chuckled as if she were making a joke.
I laughed myself, but not as hard as she did. I glanced over at her, studying her for a moment. I knew she had to have smoked something before I picked her up this morning. There was no way in hell I would ever let her live with me. Her hygiene wasn’t up to par for me. Besides that, she wasn’t on my level. I was too high-class for her. The only reason I was hanging with her in the first place was because I was in desperate need of a hiding place and she was my family. Aside from that, I would not have had any dealings with her, her mother, or her ghetto-ass sister. But hey, what could I do? Nothing. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and there wasn’t shit I could do about it.
Later on that evening as we were eating dinner at a restaurant, Carmen got a phone call from her girlfriend saying that there was a shoot-out in Huntersville on Proscher Street and that Rachael’s boyfriend may have been involved. Carmen dialed Rachael’s cell phone number immediately after she got off the line with her girlfriend, but Rachael’s phone went straight to voice mail. She dialed the house number next and when Grandma Hattie answered the phone and told her that Rachael wasn’t in, she abruptly hung up and instructed me to drive down Proscher Street before I dropped her back off at Grandma Hattie’s house.
“How long ago did your friend say the shoot-out happened?” I asked.
“She said it happened around forty-five minutes ago.”
I pressed down on the accelerator and sped up a bit. Luckily we were within blocks of our destination, so the drive to Proscher Street went quickly. When I turned onto the street, I noticed how packed the block was. People were everywhere, but there weren’t any policemen or paramedics around. I cruised down the street slowly so Carmen could get a good look and see if she could pick Rachael out of the crowd. It was pretty dark outside and the night lights on the utility poles weren’t helping one bit. She finally got frustrated enough to tell me to pull over, so I did.
“I’ll be right back,” she assured me.
“All right,” I replied, and right after she closed the car door behind her, I pressed down on the power lock button to prevent any unwanted passengers from jumping inside and carjacking me.
While Carmen was out sifting through the crowd for Rachael, I looked at my surroundings and instantly thought back on when my life started falling apart and I was out in the rough streets of Miami. I used to score coke from local dealers who looked just like the people on these streets. It felt like I was in a never-ending cycle. What was even crazier was that the palms of my hands had started sweating. This sort of thing happened when I was in this type of element, so I knew it would be only a matter of time before my body started craving for it. All the shit I had going on in my head would be another reason why my body would long for a fix. I had tried to use my family as a tool to keep my mind away from that toxic shit and it had been working so far. But I swore on everything I loved, if I didn’t find any peace in my life very soon, I was gonna end up out there getting high just like Aunt Sandra so I could escape all the bad memories I had back in Miami with Sheldon trying to kill me, and my best friend, Maria, and my housekeeper’s murders. There’s but so much a woman can take.
Thankfully, it didn’t take Carmen long to find Rachael. They both walked back to the truck less than five minutes later. After I unlocked the doors, they got inside.
Carmen sounded like she was out of breath. “Girl, you won’t believe what happened,” she said after she got into the passenger seat. I quickly locked the doors again.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I’ll tell her,” Rachael blurted out.
“Okay, well, you tell her then,” Carmen replied sarcastically.
I took my attention off Carmen and looked through the rearview mirror at Rachael. “First, before you tell me, I need to know if you’re all right,” I said.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Okay, good. What’s going on?”
Rachael took a deep breath and said, “A couple of guys from Tidewater Park got robbed last night and they thought my boyfriend, Rodney, had something to do with it. So, when they came out here looking for him and saw him standing out there on the corner with me and a couple of his other boys, they walked up on us and asked him what was up. So, Rodney was like, ‘whatcha mean, what’s up’? So, they pulled out their guns and shit and asked Rodney if he was the one who sent Bean Bean and Lil Mike to rob their spot. And Rodney was like, nah. He said didn’t have anything to do with that shit and that they better get the fuck away from him before some shit caps off. So, when Rodney said that, him and his boys pulled their guns out, too, and I turned around and dove on the ground and crawled underneath a parked car. And the next thing I know, bullets start flying everywhere.”
“Oh, my God! Did your boyfriend get shot?” I asked.
“Yeah, he got shot in his side. But he’s all right.”
“Did anybody get killed?”
“Nah. Everybody ran for cover when the bullets started ringing out.”
“Where is Rodney now?” I wanted to know.
“The ambulance people took him to the hospital. But they said he’s going to be all right.”
My questions continued. “Well, did anyone else get shot besides Rodney?”
“His boy Lil Darren got hit in the arm. But the bullet just grazed him a little bit, so the paramedics bandaged him up in the back of the ambulance and then they sent him on his way.”
“Oh, my God, Rachael. You don’t need to be hanging out here. It’s too dangerous. Do you know you could have gotten shot and killed?” I said.
“I know, I know,” she replied, dragging her words.
“Well, if you know this, then why are you putting yourself in harm’s way?”
“Because I know my man is going to protect me. He ain’t gonna let nobody do shit to me.”
“But what if they take him out first? Then what are you going to do?”
“Yoshi, you are wasting your breath,” Carmen chimed in. “She is not listening to you.”
“Shut up! I am listening to her.”
“Well, are you going to stop hanging out here on this damn corner?” Carmen pressed the issue.
“Can you mind your damn business?”
“You are my damn business!” Carmen snapped back.
“No, I’m not.”
“All right! All right. There’s no need to argue,” I interjected.
“I’m not arguing. But she needs to answer your question,” Carmen said.
“I don’t have to if I don’t want to,” Rachael
snapped back.
“You’re right, Rachael, but let me say this,” I began, “life will throw you a lot of curveballs and if you just so happen to stand right in the way of one, you will be hit really bad. It’s no joke out here. And you see that no one plays by the rules anymore. So, please, just think about yourself for once. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, and then she fell silent.
I looked back at Carmen. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” she said. When I pulled away from the curb, a guy dressed in all black walked directly in front of the truck. He stood in the middle of the road until I slowed down. And when I came to a complete stop, he walked over to the passenger side of the car. I couldn’t see his face in the dim streetlight.
Carmen recognized who it was, so she rolled down the window. “What’s up, Maceo?”
He got straight to the point. “Where your sister at?”
“I’m right here,” Rachael announced.
“Yo, I heard what happened earlier. You a’ight?”
“Yeah, I’m cool.”
“Well, get out and let me holla at you for a minute,” he said.
“All right,” she said, opening the door.
“Want us to wait for you?” I asked her.
“Nah, I’m all right. He probably just wants to know exactly what went down since Rodney is like his little brother and he makes moves for him. So, I’ll be home right after I finish talking to him.”
“Be careful then,” I told her.
“I will,” she assured me, and then she got out.
After she closed the door behind herself, I let up on the brake and sped off. Since the house was only three blocks over, I made it in front of Grandma Hattie’s house in a matter of sixty seconds. I didn’t have much to say to Carmen because I felt like I’d said it all to Rachael. But I couldn’t leave without asking her if she felt Rachael was all right.
“Yeah, she’s fine. She’s in good hands with Maceo. He ain’t gonna let nothing happen to her. Now, if she was one of his enemies, then we would need to worry, because like I said before, he is crazy. And can’t nobody around here do anything to him.”
“That’s just because he hasn’t met his match!”
“Maybe you’re right. But ain’t nobody out here with enough heart to go up against him. He’s too powerful. And what makes him untouchable is that he’s got gangs of niggas and policemen who will help him.”
“Look, I couldn’t care less about all those people he’s got in his corner; I still say that he can be taken down.”
“Well, let’s just say that we probably won’t see it in our time.” Carmen laughed and then opened the car door. “Thanks for everything,” she said.
“No need to thank me,” I told her.
After she hugged me, I said good-bye and left.
When I got back to the hotel, I filled out the rental application and then I filled out the money orders I’d purchased earlier from 7-Eleven when I was hanging out with Carmen. All of them added up to one month’s deposit and six months’ worth of rent. After everything was done, I stuck them in an envelope with the application and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. A few minutes later, I felt myself drifting off to sleep, so I didn’t fight it.
It’s Really Official
I elected not to pick up Carmen this morning to ride with me to give the rental agent the application and the money orders. I decided to do this venture on my own; I really needed some me time.
It wasn’t hard for me to find my way, considering I had a GPS system in the truck. What a lifesaver! After I met with Cindy and gave her the application and the money orders, she immediately handed me the keys to the property. I was shocked and my facial expression showed it.
“It’s official. You are now the occupant of this condo,” she said with excitement.
I smiled and said, “Thank you.”
“You are most certainly welcome. And if there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call the office.”
“I won’t,” I assured her.
We exchanged a few more words and then she left. I stayed there at the apartment and wondered what type of furniture I was going to put in there to make it look like home. I knew I couldn’t call any of my European designers to hook this place up, because for one, I couldn’t afford it with the amount of money I had in my stash, and secondly, I wasn’t sure if the Feds had contacted them and advised them to reveal my whereabouts if I ever contacted them. So, I couldn’t take that risk, even if I had the money to spend. I figured my best bet was to go to one of the furniture stores in the area and pick something out and have it delivered. My taste wasn’t so bad, so that’s the way I’d handle it.
When I stepped back into the truck, I punched the keypad so I could be directed to the nearest furniture store. All of the addresses that popped up were on Virginia Beach Boulevard, so that’s where I headed. The first store I went in was Havertys. The furniture they sold was really nice, but a bit pricey for what they were trying to get rid of, so I went to the RoomStore, which was directly across the street, and looked around.
A Black saleswoman helped me pick out everything I needed. I purchased a leather living room sofa with a love seat, a glass coffee table, a small kitchen table with a marble top and chairs to match. I even purchased a bedroom suite with a canopy and a king-size mattress to go with it. The only thing I didn’t get while I was there were sheet sets, pots and pans, and curtains for my windows. I had to go to Macy’s for those things. Before I left the furniture store, I was told that my things would be delivered in two business days. That time line gave me ample time to get the other things I needed before the big stuff arrived.
After my shopping spree, I stopped by a pay phone and called Carmen. Using a pay phone was kind of foreign to me. I hadn’t used a public phone since cellular phones were first invented. And it didn’t sit well with me either. I noticed how people looked at me while I was on the phone. I didn’t like drawing attention to myself, so as soon as I hooked up with Carmen, I would get her to take me to the nearest wireless store so I could get me a cell phone. I was too cute for this shit! And I had to do something about it.
“Where are you?” I asked Carmen.
“At work.”
“What time do you get off?”
“Not until ten o’clock tonight.”
“Damn! They got you working some long hours.”
“Girl, please. This is norm ’round here at IHOP. Shit, I’ve got to work like this so I can get them tips.”
“Well, handle your business and call me later.”
“So what are you about to do now?” Carmen wanted to know.
“I’m getting ready to find me a damn wireless store so I can get me a cell phone. Stopping to use the pay phone isn’t working for me.”
“I was shocked when I first noticed that you didn’t have one.”
“Trust me when I tell you I had two BlackBerries and they kept me busy. So I left them back home. I knew that if I had brought them with me, I’d probably cut my vacation short and head on back home.”
“My boss just walked by me and saw me on the phone, so I’ve got to go before he sends my ass home.”
“Handle your business, then.”
“All right. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay,” I said, and hung up.
Back in the truck, I punched in the location of the nearest wireless cellular company and the GPS system highlighted an nTelos cellular phone company on the corner of Newtown Road and Virginia Beach Boulevard in the Check Smart shopping plaza. So, that’s where I headed. The parking there was really packed, but I managed to find a space. Inside, I got one of the salesmen to help me pick out a cell phone. He gave me the option to either sign a contract or do a prepay plan. I immediately jumped on the prepay plan because I couldn’t let him run my credit. Doing that would’ve definitely alerted the Feds to my whereabouts. And I couldn’t have that. I selected a standard flip phone. It was
really cheap looking, but I couldn’t care less about the appearance. All I cared about was the actual service. I didn’t need all the e-mail and text feature bullshit. I mean, who would I e-mail or text? So, I was fine with what I had.
After I got what I needed, I paid the man and left. Back in the truck, I sat there with my cell phone in hand and had absolutely no one to call. And as I was about to leave, this Benz wagon pulled up right beside me. And out of nowhere this five-foot-eleven guy hops out the car and looks right at me. He took my breath away, and no man has done that in a while. It must have been his caramel-colored skin and masculine build. Our eyes connected, and I tried to turn away and look in the other direction, but I couldn’t. This guy had me in a trance. All I could do was smile, and I guess that meant hello because he walked right over to my driver side and introduced himself.
“What’s up, beautiful?”
Before I responded, I took one long look at his pearly white teeth and knew instantly that he was up on his hygiene. His skin looked really soft and his voice was deep and smooth like I like it. The only thing that turned me off was the smell of his cologne. It was a bit strong and I knew if I stayed around him a little longer, it would give me a migraine, so I sped up the introduction process and greeted him back by saying, “I’m fine, but my name isn’t ‘beautiful.’”
“Well, what is your name, then?” he asked.
I hesitated for a moment. Not sure whether or not to answer his question, I just sat there and looked at him.
He pressed this issue. “So, are you going to tell me or not?”
“It’s Yoshi,” I finally uttered.
“Nice to meet you, Yoshi.” He extended his left hand. “My name is Mario.”
I took his hand in mine. “Nice to meet you, too, Mario.” I smiled.
“Your hands are really soft,” he commented.
“Are they supposed to be any different?”
“You just don’t know how many women I have run into with rough hands.”