by Twyla T
“But mama we are-” Babyface started saying, but his mom cut him off.
“I don’t want to hear that shit Jaleel! I told both of y’all as plainly as I could to behave at school, and y’all asses did the complete fucking opposite. I’m tired of trying to do right by y’all for you two to keep fucking it up. Now, I told you what the deal is. The rest is up to you!” Nicole screamed. Babyface knew his mom was pissed off at them because for one, she kept calling him by his government name instead of the name Big Mama had given him and, for two, she threatened to deport them both to Mississippi.
“I don’t care if you are graduating high school next week. I’m very proud of y’all, and y’all both are still babies in my eyes. Ain’t shit in these streets but trouble. I’m telling y’all now, ONE MORE THING… just one more thing and y’all black asses will be leaving here,” Nicole huffed and walked out of the door on her way back to work, in hopes that she would be able to pick up a double to make up for the lost hours. “And don’t leave this got damn house for shit!!” Nicole stuck her head back in the screen door and yelled.
“Man, moms be tripping and shit,” Babyface groaned.
“Yo bruh, we need to chill the fuck out because I ain’t tryna move to no boring ass Mississippi,” Vice replied to his cousin. Babyface shook his head and agreed. In their younger years, the duo spent every summer in the south growing up at Big Mama’s house. Mississippi was a cool place for them to go visit, but it wasn’t where they wanted to live. They were used to the fast life and the hustle and bustle of the city. In their eyes, Mississippi wasn’t it. It was the exact opposite of Chi-town.
“Let me hit Sasha up, so I can release some of this pressure,” Babyface said while pulling his cellphone out of his pocket.
“You know Sasha still pissed off at you bout that chick that work at the McDonald’s on Clark Street,” Vice said while laughing.
Babyface joined in on the laughter, as he thought about the ass whooping that Sasha put on ‘ol girl. “She might be pissed, but I bet you she come through and get this dick,” Babyface boasted while texting his girl.
Babyface: Hey baby, wyd?
Sasha: Don’t hey baby me nigga.
Babyface: Awe come on baby, don’t be like that. You know I didn’t have my ass on that chick. I was just trying to get me some free food.
Sasha: Whatever! Don’t play me stupid nigga
Babyface: Ok… ok, I’m sorry. Forgive me. Look, moms is gone, so why don’t you roll your pretty ass through and break me off some.
Sasha: Don’t think you are forgiven just like that…but…um…okay. Give me bout 15 minutes
Babyface: Alright bae, see you in a few
“Told you she wasn’t gon’ turn this pipe down!” Babyface said to Vice and they both laughed.
Chapter 2
Graduation Day
“I’m so proud of you boys!” Nicole expressed as tears rolled down her cheeks after the graduation ceremony. “I just wish Jake and your mom, God rest their souls, were here to witness this,” she continued talking, while looking at both young men in their faces. Babyface got a little sad at the mention of his dad’s name. His dad was murdered and burned two years ago, and the killers had never been found. That was normal in Chicago, but Babyface vowed to find the person or people who killed his dad and make them pay, if it was the last thing he did.
“Thanks for everything auntie! I love you,” Vice told his aunt sincerely.
Nicole wanted to throw them a graduation party, but with all of the shit they had been getting into, she changed her mind and saved that money. She decided they would go out to eat instead, to either Golden Corral or Olive Garden. Since it was the boy’s day, she let them decide on where to go, and they chose Golden Corral so they could eat any and everything they wanted with their greedy asses. After eating and taking a million more pictures, Nicole noticed it was almost ten o’clock at night, and she was working the overnight shift from eleven to seven, so she needed to drop the boys off at home and leave within the next thirty minutes, so they left the restaurant.
“Don’t y’all asses leave this house tonight! I mean it Jaleel and Mario. Don’t leave this house,” Nicole warned before walking out of the door.
“She ain’t serious. We just graduated, so she know we going out. It ain’t gon be no problems tonight tho,” Babyface said while heading to his room to get fresh. Less than an hour later, Babyface and Vice were both dressed and ready to turn the fuck up. Babyface was rocking a red Polo shirt with some Balmain jeans and a Chicago Bulls 59 Fifty fitted hat and some red and black J’s. Vice kept it simple with some fresh Levi’s, a white tee, and white Air Force Ones. They double checked their swag in the mirror, locked the door, and headed out when Sasha texted and said she was outside. They were headed to West Englewood where everybody who was somebody would be. The liquor was already going to be on deck and they already had their Kush, so they were set. Nic texted and told them he was headed that way. Everyone was set and ready to make it a night to remember.
The party was jumping, the music was crunk, and everybody was having a good ass time. Vice and Babyface were sipping on some E & J Green Apple and Sprite, while Sasha drunk some Amsterdam vodka and cranberry juice. Sasha left Babyface’s side to go and get another drink and, less than fifteen seconds after she left, a known round the way girl stepped into the space Sasha had been occupying, right beside her man. The line was too long to wait on a drink, so Sasha turned around and headed right back where she left Babyface. As soon as she was close to him, Sasha became possessive and angry when she saw a known hoe rubbing on her man’s face while skinning and grinning. Without asking any got damn questions, Sasha walked straight up to the hoe, yanked her backwards by the hair, and told her to get out of her man’s muthafucking face.
“Bitch, what the fuck?” the girl screamed as she charged towards Sasha, only to be hit in the face several times before Babyface pulled her away.
“Sasha chill, you know I ain’t fucking with that-”
RATATATAT! RATATATAT! RATATATAT! RATATATAT!
Gunfire broke out, cutting Babyface’s words off. The crowd dispersed urgently, causing a sudden chaos. People started running in every direction and began pushing each other out of the way to avoid being hit by the flying bullets. Babyface pushed Sasha down and immediately fell on top of her. “Arrggghhh!” he screamed after being hit twice in the legs with bullets. Vice and Nic pulled their pistols, 9mm Glock and .44 Magnum, out instantly and started shooting blindly. They weren’t aiming at anyone in particular but just shooting in the direction from where the shooting began. Sirens could be heard in the background, but it didn’t stop them from shooting.
“OH MY GOD NOOOOO!!!!” Sasha violently screamed when she felt Babyface’s limp body on top of hers. After seeing Babyface go down, Vice and Nic’s adrenaline started pumping faster than lightning. They didn’t care where the bullets landed; they just let them fly.
“Arrgghhh! Fuck!” Nic screamed when a bullet pierced him in the chest. He went down instantly after being hit.
Vice continued to shoot until he emptied his clip. “FUCK!!” he panicked after realizing both of his boys had been shot. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but one of the shooters looked like the nigga from the dice game they had the fight over not too long ago. Vice bent down near his cousin’s body, trying to make sure he was still alive. Vice called out to his cousin and Babyface moaned. He examined him and noticed that he had only been hit in the legs. “You good nigga! You gon live,” Vice told his cousin with labored breaths. He then looked over and down at Nic, and his heart skipped a beat. It seemed as if time had frozen because he couldn’t move. As soon as he laid eyes on Nic, Vice knew that his boy was gone. Vice walked over and bent down beside his body. Finding his strength, Babyface crawled over to Nic and tears ran down his face when he saw his best friend had been shot twice, once in the neck and once in the heart.
“Wake up nigga. Ain’t no dying!” Babyface yelled over and over
again as his tears streamed nonstop. After his mom passed, Vice vowed to never show any emotions, no matter what, but he managed to let a few tears slip himself. Cops and EMTs finally made it the scene. The crowd was pretty scarce, except for a few that were still there.
“PUSSY ASS NIGGAS!!” Vice screamed after he stood up. The EMT made their way over to where they were. Babyface laid there holding his friend’s lifeless body, until he was pulled away from him and ushered to the hospital.
One Week Later
On the way to O’Hare International Airport, immediately after leaving Nic’s funeral, Babyface and Vice both pleaded heavily with Nicole to rethink her decision. No matter how many times they told her that they were just innocent bystanders at the party, she wouldn’t listen. All of their words went in one ear and out of the other. “Both of y’all asses know once my mind is made up, it’s just that. Babyface, what if you would’ve died from those gunshot wounds? You lucky they didn’t cause any permanent damage. The thought of burying either one of y’all over nonsense like Tina just had to bury Nic is just…” Nicole got choked up on her words momentarily. “…is just utterly heartbreaking. I don’t want to lose either of you. You are the two most important people in my life, and I want to see you two grow old,” she continued. She started back fussing after she gathered herself, telling them both that the move down south was what was best for them. She told them that they wouldn’t see the benefits now, but they would in the future. Regardless of how boring Vice and Babyface thought Mississippi was, Nicole contended how a change of scenery and venue would do the both of them some good to process everything, especially after losing their best friend. Nicole hugged them both tightly, assured them the rest of their things would be shipped, and cried when it was time for them to go through security. “I’m only doing what I feel is best. Now, don’t y’all take y’all asses down there and find trouble. I love y’all,” Nicole said and hugged and kissed both of them again.
*************
Doing her best imitation as Letty from the Fast and Furious series, Chyna was riding and speeding down Lakeland Drive and swerving in and out of lanes in her black Audi A3, trying to get to Jackson-Medgar Evers International Airport before her father’s flight arrived. Chyna knew she should have left home way before she did, but an argument with Pete, her boyfriend for the past two years, prevented her from doing so. Pete had called the house phone instead of her cellphone, as a slick way of seeing if she was really at home. He knew she was slipping away from him and tried his best to keep tabs on her, but Chyna wasn’t trying to be tied down anymore. She was set to start school at Jackson State University in the fall, against her parents’, really her mom’s, wishes, but she was ready to do something for herself and not for them. After the First Lady of the United States spoke at the Spring 2016 Commencement Ceremony, Chyna was sold. She had no close friends graduating, but she was in attendance with her iPhone, proud and recording. She loved everything about Michelle Obama. Every detail of her life had been planned by them, including her dating Pete, so she declined the scholarship to Mississippi College and would be attending Jackson State, the Sonic Boom of the South.
Mr. Patterson was walking out of the bathroom when a young man walked in that looked like someone he knew in the past. He did a double take but shrugged it off and kept moving, telling himself that there was no way the young man could have been who he thought it was. Pulling out his cellphone to call his daughter, it began ringing before he could dial her number. “Hey sweetheart,” he answered after looking at her beautiful face and curly hair on his screen. Chyna had taken a million pictures on his phone and set the one she wanted to pop up on the screen when she called her dad.
“Dad, I’m parking now, but I’m about to run inside to use the bathroom. I’m right in the arriving flights lanes with the blinkers on, in case I miss you coming in,” Chyna told her dad while rushing. He told her okay and ended the call.
After leaving the bathroom, Chyna went to grab a cinnamon roll from the bakery in the airport because they were to die for. While standing in line, she heard someone say, “I know you got me, shawty!” Turning around, she made eye contact with the sexiest chocolate man she had ever laid eyes on. Damn!! This nigga fine as fuck!! Chyna thought to herself.
Breaking herself from her daze, she sassed, “Why would I have you, nigga?” She walked off, but then turned around and went back after a few seconds. “As a matter of fact, I do got you,” and placed a twenty-dollar bill on the counter and walked off. Chyna heard the guy calling after her, but she kept it moving. Her walk turned into a semi-jog, so that she could get away from him. Damn, that nigga fine as fuck and he look like the type that will get me in all type of trouble, Chyna thought as she hurried away from a man she knew her family would never approve of. She knew he wasn’t from Mississippi by his swag and slight accent, so Chyna figured the chances of running into him again would be slim to none, which was why she was so bold and did what she had done.
Confused and dazed, Babyface stood there somewhat pissed off because he wasn’t used to being played like that. “Nigga, I know you ain’t tripping over that bitch,” Vice quipped to his cousin. Babyface ignored him. He couldn’t get the mystery woman out of his mind. Babyface saw her as soon as she came out of the bathroom. He actually followed her and purposely got in line behind her, hoping to get her number, but it didn’t go as planned. Her beauty was the purest form Babyface had ever witnessed. She stood about five feet, five inches tall with the perfect caramel skin complexion, no blemishes in sight, and the most captivating almond-shaped brown eyes he had ever seen. She had naturally curly hair, a slim waist, and just the right amount of ass, sass, and class. Babyface smirked as he watched her disappear out of the airport. Vice fussed at his cousin and called him sprung on a bitch that he didn’t even know name.
Finally snapping from his thoughts, Babyface said, “Chill out my nig. I just might like the south after all because that’s gon be my shawty right there, yeah… she gon’ be my shawty… just watch!”
Chapter 3
Two Weeks Later
“You boys done had any luck finding jobs?” Big Mama, a short, curvy full-figure woman with skin tone the color of coffee, hooded brown eyes with golden or hazel flecks, and a big mouth and an even bigger heart, asked Babyface and Vice from the kitchen, while baking one of her famous caramel cakes. At 75 years old, Big Mama still loved to cook and could get around with the best of them. She stayed in the kitchen slaving over the stove. People from all around would stop by just to eat her food, and she loved it. Many of them asked her for her secrets and offered to buy her food, but she ignored all pleas. Big Mama would feed you whatever she had, but she would never sell a thing or share her family recipes with anyone except family. They had been passed down from generation to generation, and she intended on keeping the family recipes a secret. Everyone in Presidential Hill loved Big Mama, and she loved them too. She never met a stranger.
Big Mama’s house was comfortable, warm, and cozy. It was a standard size house hosting 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, nice size kitchen with an island, living room, and a utility room. She raised her family there, as well as the children in the neighborhood. Big Mama gave out love and advice freely, but she didn’t take any shit either. She was sweet as she could be, but she had been known for not having a filter and telling you exactly how she felt.
Babyface and Vice were in the living room relaxing on separate couches, watching tv and talking shit to each other. Babyface had recently hung up the phone with his mom, begging her to let them come back home. Nicole shut him down without a second thought. It didn’t matter how much he begged and complained about how hot and boring it was, she was letting all of his cries go into one ear and out of the other one. She ended the call by telling him she felt like she had done what was best for the both of them, and they better not start giving Big Mama a hard time or she was going to come down there and kick their asses.
“We been looking Big Mama,” Babyface replied be
cause he knew if they didn’t answer right away, she would come in there and turn the tv off and start fussing nonstop.
“Nigga, you ain’t did shit,” Vice said to his cousin while laughing. Vice had put in several applications because he had plans. He had been scoping shit out, and he needed to make and save some money to be able to put some plans into action.
“Shut up nigga! I ain’t working for no mu’fuckin white man. I might just do the school shit to keep moms and Big Mama off my back for a while,” Babyface smugly replied.
“I love y’all, but y’all ain’t gon be laying y’all black asses in my house everyday sucking up air and running up my electric bill.” Big Mama came into the living room fussing with an apron on and a towel thrown across her left shoulder. “Is that Skeet outside?” Big Mama continued talking while looking out the window. A few moments later, she opened the door and in walked her oldest grandson, Skeet, bearing gifts. “Boy, what I done told you about bringing me all this shit?” Big Mama jokingly expressed.
“You know I don’t be tryna hear that Big Mama,” he said while kissing her on the cheek.
“Babyface… Vice! What the fuck y’all doing… I mean, what y’all doing here?” Skeet promptly revised after he noticed his younger cousins. They both stood up smiling and dapped him up.