Hood Rich: The rise and fall of one of Brooklyn's Finest

by Corie Allen

  The travel agent in Newark couldn’t book us in the Disney World hotel on such short notice during the holiday season. We ended up staying at the Westgate, which was ten minutes from both Disney World and Universal theme parks. I booked us for four weeks at twenty eight hundred per week. We had a jacuzzi, kitchen, balcony, and a nice living room with a huge flat screen. Once we dropped our bags down in the suite, Akira jumped on me and whispered in my ear.

  “Baby, you just made my dreams come true, I feel loved. I don't care if we live in a cardboard box when we go home, as long as I’m with you.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I had bullshit relationships in the past, however I had never loved any of those girls, and I never thought any of them loved me. The only other females I had even had sex with was Shakita and Iyani.

  Shakita warned me about bitches that would complicate my life. Did I want to take the risk? This was the first chick I trusted. I had to. When I had to get low, she was the one riding. She went food shopping, ran money to the lawyer, and kept me from going insane. She also kept me from going back up the way to holler at Zeke for snitching on me. All my life I had been blocking out everybody. I wanted to let her in, but I couldn’t.

  “I love you Rich, no matter what happens.” Said Akira as she kissed me.

  “How much do you love me?” I asked.

  “Enough to do anything for you.”

  “If I killed somebody, would you help me bury the body?”

  “I'm a ride or die bitch... I'll kill 'em for you.” I smiled, and I wanted to believe. However I had to remember Shakita's warning.

  “Do you love me?” Akira asked me.

  It took what she must have considered too long to respond. She let go of me and sat down on the couch. “You don't have to answer that. I keep putting myself out there, its my fault. I know I’m gone get hurt when somebody better come along or after your situation changes. I can feel it. What's wrong with me?” I sat down next to Akira and kissed her on the lips. “Baby aint nothing wrong with you. You said you riding for me. I’m gone ride for you the same way.” I was hoping that would address her concern, but I could tell she needed more.

  “Riding is okay, but I feel like a nut. I’m with you like twenty-four seven for three months and I do everything to show you that I’m your down ass bitch, but you never even asked me to be your girl. For all I know you could fuck another bitch and I can't even get mad cause we not official.”

  I couldn’t help but to laugh. Akira punched me in the arm.

  “No, I’m serious. Niggas do shit like that.”

  She took a few more jabs at me before I pinned her down to the sofa. I kissed her on her neck, and ear. I knew that would turn her on and make her wet. I slid those skin tight jeans off her round ass and then down her thighs and to the floor. I did the same with her panties. Instead of undressing myself, I went down on my knees and slid my tongue across, around, and underneath her clitoris in even soft strokes. I gradually applied pressure and started sucking it between my lips. I slid my pointer finger finger in her pussy and rubbed her g-spot.

  I never heard Akira moan and call on my name so much. I looked up to her face. She appeared to be frozen in time. In a split second I realized why. Akira had ejaculated, squirting her liquids all over my face while screaming.

  “Awwww. Rich, I love you… stop, stop, stop I can’t take it.”

  Akira pushed me off of her. I unzipped and pulled down my pants and went back to work on her, this time using my dick. We never made it to the bedroom, but we sure as hell didn’t miss a spot in the living room. We were laying on the floor butt naked when Akira rolled over on top of me.

  “I got good news and bad news.” She exclaimed. “Gimme the good news now and the bad news when we get home.”

  “I’m giving you both now. The good news is that I’m not pregnant. I took a E.P.T. last night. The bad news is I’m not pregnant. I want to have your baby... but don’t trip... I’m not trying to get you caught up. I would be a good baby mom.”

  Akira placed her finger over my lips. I assumed she didn’t want me to ruin her fantasy. I decided to let her have it for now, but as soon as we get back home, this bitch is going on Depo!

  The rest of the day we spent at Wal-Mart because we left in so much of a rush. Back in the Villa we sat in the Jacuzzi and talked most of the night. It was going smooth and then Akira asked.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yeah” I replied.

  “No... do you really trust me?”

  “My heart tells me to, but my mind tells me that people get betrayed by people they trust.”

  “Would you ever keep a secret from me or lie to me?” “Hell yeah if it was to protect you or me.”

  “From what?”

  “The truth. Sometimes it can make you an accomplice or give somebody an opportunity to use you against me.”

  “Baby I’m never gone go against you.”

  “You got any secrets?”

  “I got a walk in closet full of skeletons!”

  “Thats crazy.”

  “Yeah, real crazy.”

  “So how big is that walk-in closet?”

  “About the size of Disney World!”

  “Damn, what’s the craziest thing you ever did?” I thought about it while I was asking.

  “Never mind, don’t answer that.”

  I wasn’t in the mood to hear anything that would make me want to take a trip to the STD clinic. “What’s the craziest thing you’ve done?” She asked as she turned off the Jacuzzi.

  “Well I was on the phone wit my O.G. while his wifey was riding and sucking me off.”

  “Let me see, I don’t want you to think I’m some type of smut or something. I mean… I did some crazy shit, but I did it because I was pressed for somewhere to stay. Aight here goes… The craziest thing I did was fuck three niggas at once. One in the mouth, one in the pussy, and one in…”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa… time out, I get the picture. Thats crazy, you got me beat.”

  “How you learn to eat pussy like that?”

  “Watching HBO Real Sex. That was my first time on some real shit. I only fucked two other chicks, but it wasn't about nothing.”

  We got out the jacuzzi and dried off. Akira's body was so perfect. Watching the water glisten over her smooth skin was gratifying. For the rest of the month we trekked across Disney World and Universal Theme Parks. We rode roller coasters, watched live shows, and movie re-enactments. We dined at five star eateries, and munched on smoked turkey legs from sidewalk vendors. It was almost like watching someones vacation footage except we were the footage. This is was both our first vacations and it was one we would remember forever.

  As our vacation came to a close, I thought about Brooklyn. Back home I had nothing to return to except what I left. The police on my ass, my boy turned snitch, and God only knows who else. I was seriously contemplating not going back. Seriously though what could I do. I spent twenty thousand in one month in Orlando. It was a lot of money, however we ate good, and bought a few trinkets to prove our vacation was real.

  The flight back home was turbulent, as was my mind. I was thinking about Akira. I decided to wife her. I knew my life would possibly get complicated and I was ready to deal with it, but was she? There was that question in my mind. Could she carry the weight? Would she ride? Would she be there the way I needed her to? What if she got pregnant? Time would tell, I thought to myself. I just turned over and kissed her as she slept.

  Our flight back to Newark was diverted to JFK which at first I thought was a good thing. Turns out the deicing machine in Newark was frozen and there was too much ice on the runway. After debarking the plane it was ice cold in the city. Reality began to set in. Wish I would have stayed in warm, sunny Orlando. I felt a pair of eyes following me. It was a TSA agent. He turned to his colleague and whispered. He spoke into his walkie-talkie and the two walked toward us. A police officer also appeared. Running wasn’t an option I grabbed Akira into my arms an
d kissed her.

  “Excuse me sir, I need you to step over here.” The TSA agent said as the police officer drew his pistol.

  Akira

  It felt like someone was literally sucking the blood from my body. The first time I met somebody that was real, that wasn’t selling me a dream, damn, this is what I get. This is fucked up. I could’t help but cry. Why us? Why did this flight have to get re-routed? Why did I have to lose him? What did I do to deserve such a fucked up life? I didn’t have nobody except Rich… and now he was gone. I was watching my life flash before my eyes.

  The kiss Rich had just given me sent a chill down my spine. I realized I wouldn't be able to kiss him for a while. It was hard to stand there watching the police cart Rich off as if he was a piece of luggage. I couldn’t tip though, especially given the fact that I was on the run.

  “Baby I love you, I’m gone be sitting by the phone, call me.”

  Tears ran down my face as I stood in the terminal. It was fortunate that I was carrying the last twenty three hundred we had left in my pocketbook. I wished life wasn’t so hard. On the cab ride home I could do nothing but think about Rich. What else could I do. I walked up to Nostrand avenue like we always did. Everything I did reminded me of him. With twenty three hundred left, I figured I had enough to last two months, but Rich should be home way before then. I just needed to see Mr. Yilvo and find out what’s up. The next morning I was up bright and early. I took a cab to Mr. Yilvo’s office on 8th avenue in mid-town. Rich had already talked to him. Mr. Yilvo was expecting me. His secretary opened the door to let me in his office. He sat behind his huge mahogany desk clicking away on his computer.

  “Rich was questioned but not charged on the Wilson Avenue murders. He was released last night to his caseworkers custody.”

  I could feel an overwhelming sense of relief as Mr. Yilvo laid the good news on me.

  “So where is he… when can I see him?”

  Mr. Yilvo’s facial expression changed. I could feel some bad news coming.

  “Well... right now he’s in juvie, and pending his family court date he may be released, or committed to a juvenile facility.”

  “What… he’s not even charged with a crime.” I folded my arms and sat down, caused he owed me an explanation.

  “See the family court system is not just about crime and punishment. There are a lot of other factors. The short version is, they are worried, given the fact he slipped away to Orlando so fast and undetected. The only reason he was caught is because the TSA agent at the airport remembered Rich’s face from the news. the DA wants him to be available should any new evidence come up. If Rich was an adult they couldn’t hold him. The problem is, the family court system gives the DA a hundred and one ways to hold him until he turns eighteen. I’m sorry, but theres nothing I can do unless they charge him. I wish I could help. I really do.”

  I tried to hold the tears back... I did. They just kept coming. I couldn’t see or talk to my baby. His birthday is June 30th, only six months away. I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t far off.

  “So when can I visit him?”

  I guess I could settle for visits.

  “I don't think it would be a good idea for you to do that. You would be risking your own liberty especially given your situation.”

  The ride home was long. Those words echoed in my head… given your situation. The only part he knew was that I was on the run. He nor Rich knew my last name. I didn't get too much into it about that. He knew that I stabbed a bitch up in Nassau County for setting me up. She was supposed to be my homie. We were in a group home together in Mineola last January. We had cut school to go with these guys she said she knew. The crazy thing is that the only thing she knew is that they paid her sixty dollars to get me there so they could run the train on me. She left me there just like that. Bitches aint shit. I fucked one of them and I was ready to go and then the other one said:

  “Naw we paid for both of us.”

  That shit was crazy. I only fucked the one dude cause I was feeling him, but I wasn’t with the dumb shit. The one I had fucked ended up holding me down while his boy fucked me. I saw that bitch at the bus stop when they dropped me off. I took all her money and stabbed her the fuck up. After that I saw the Long Island Railroad train coming. I jumped on it and headed into the city.

  Rich knew that much, but not much more, other than the shit he probably assumed, correctly. The fact that it was cold outside so I was willing to chill with anybody that had a crib. If worse came to worse I would fuck them too. I got used to it, and expected it. Sometimes I even wanted to. Rich was different though. When we fucked it was like magic. Now these other guys, they got what they wanted and then a week later they would get tired of me. I would get the boot, and be in the street again. I would have to start all over and meet another guy that would hopefully let me stay with him.

  My closet goes deeper though. I been in the system every since I can remember. Group homes and foster homes since I was four up to fifteen last year when I ran away. I had been in Yonkers, New Rochelle, Fort Washington, Manhasset, and Mt Vernon. I had it good. Those group homes weren’t as bad as some of the ones I heard about. But I knew once I stabbed that girl it was over for me. They would send me to the worst place they could find or jail. Shit… I thought I might have done some serious damage to that girl. I didn’t know, but I didn’t stick around to find out either.

  I just needed to hold myself together and figure out how I was gone maintain myself and hold Rich down too. I stopped off at Andrew’s Fish Market on Fulton street. Now I was on first name basis there. I remember meeting Rich like it was yesterday though. They used to come at my neck for hanging in front of the restaurant. They didn’t like me too much back then, but I knew I had a better chance there than at Golden Krust. Plus when it was cold, the heat would be rushing out the door of Andrew’s Fish Market.

  I stood in the front door, exactly as I had done the day I met Rich. I imagined him sitting there looking up at me. I stood there smiling for a minute before the cook broke my trance.

  “Hey ma’, you gone order or what?”

  I made it back to reality and ordered my food. “Give me a snow crab platter.”

  He looked surprised and I knew why. Rich and I had become inseparable. To see me alone and only ordering one platter probably took him by surprise. “Where’s Rich?” He asked.

  “He got booked.” I responded.

  He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry to hear that.” He said.

  “It’s cool.” I replied.

  When I got home I took a shower. It felt funny getting in alone. I was so used to our bodies pressed up against each other, soapy and all. I was used to us washing each other and making love in the shower. I stood there as the water slid down my body. After I turned off the water I could still feel the tears running down my face. I laid down and watched some re-runs of The Wire On Demand until the phone rang. “Hello.”

  “Hello.”

  Oh my god it was my baby. I felt my heart beating through my skin.

  “Baby I love you.”

  It was good to hear his voice. I felt a warm relieving sensation in my heart. .

  “Maybe was going all, where you at?”

  “I am in Juvie, I’m cool though, they can’t hold a nigga too long. This shit aint about nothing. How you feeling baby?”

  “I’m okay.” I said, lying. I knew he had to know I was lying my ass off.

  “I don’t know how long this shit gone be. They trying to break me. I need you to be strong. Remember the shit we talked about, I know you out there snapping. I just need you to try to hold it together. Okay?” “Okay baby… you need anything?”

  “Yeah I need a deuce, and some white tees, boxers, and socks. Take it to Mr. Yilvo’s office. You know you can’t come down here.”

  “Yeah I know baby, I wish I could.”

  I cry as I listened to the silence on the phone. It was good to hear from him though. At least I could
get through the day.

  The next morning I headed straight to the ave to cop Rich some underwear. I took it and the money down to Mr. Yilvo’s office. After leaving the office I hit Albee Square Mall to get my hands and feet done. I did little bit of shopping and headed home. The emptiness I felt the day before came back. I was still missing Rich. There was a lot that I didn’t know about Rich, but I knew that I loved him, and I was riding. That’s all that matters as far as I was concerned. I turned on the television. The Channel 7 news was on…

  “… 6 young men were murdered in a Wilson Avenue shootout last summer. There was a surviving victim, however he was murdered early this morning execution style at the site of the original murders. Action news Oliver Cole is on the scene as we speak.” “Action news this is Oliver Cole reporting live from the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. I am at the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Cooper Street where a man was executed before dawn this morning. The victim was found tied and bound. He appeared to be beaten to death. The coroner’s office has not issued any statements or ruling on the cause of death. Associated Press has received pictures taken by camera phone of the victim. Action news has decided not to show the images, they are grotesque. The victim again, was tied and bound with a broom handle stuck in his rectum. There was a dead rat placed in his mouth. The victim was dressed in a skirt, blouse, and wig. The victim also had lipstick on.

  The photos did not appear to have been taken where the body was found. They were taken yesterday sometime before 11 AM when the images appeared on YouTube. Police are investigating the photos and their origin. The victim was a state witness in a multiple murder case against Manuel Bryant.

  There was one more potential witness or accomplice the police were trying to track down. His identity being withheld, he is a juvenile. Police have found him and he’s being questioned. No charges had been filed against the juvenile. These murders appear to be connected. The police commissioner will be issuing a statement this evening. He is urging witnesses to come forward. Call the crime stoppers hotline or your local police precinct. Witness protection will be available. This is Oliver Cole for Channel 7 action news.”