by Nikki Turner
Triple Crown Publications Presents A PROJECT CHICK
couldn't put a stack of money on the table and tell her to find a house she wanted. Although he was sure she trusted him, he knew she still had a few insecurities when it came to men providing her with extraordinary purchases, such as a house. So, therefore, he'd have to come up with an alternative solution.
As Tressa laid in Indie's arms, the alarm went off.
She didn't want to get up, but knew she had to go to work.
"Why don't you take the day off." Indie insisted.
"No, I can't. I have to go. I don't want to lose my job, I need my job."
"You might want that job, but you don't need that job. You will always have me."
"Thanks." She said, and gave him a big, long, deep, tongue kiss, morning-mouth and all!
"I am serious. You always have me. I'm yours forever."
"Yeah, until you break my heart." She said, as she got out of the bed, in a joking way, but he knew she was serious. She brushed her teeth and cut the water on for the shower. While she was waiting for it to get hot, she looked in the closet to see what she could pull out to wear to work.
Before she could get into the shower, Indie beat her to the bathroom to take a dump. She sat in the entryway of the door and carried on a conversation with him, while he had his bowel movement. This was confirmation for her that she really loved and cared deeply for Indie. If she could sit at the door, smell his bowels and it simply didn't faze her, now, that indeed was love.
Once she got out of the shower, he was standing over at the cd player.
"No Reggae music this morning?" She asked him.
"Look, baby, I want you to listen to this song, this is exactly how I feel 'bout you. Listen closely to every word, because I need you to know I'm with you." He pressed play on the cd and the Method Man with Mary J. Blige song came on, "You're All I Need To Get By".
"Shorty, I'm there for you anytime you need me...For real girl, it's me in your world, believe me...Nuttin' make a man feel better than a woman...Queen with a crown that be down for whatever...There are few things that's forever, my lady...We can make war or make babies...Back when I was 209
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nothing...You made a brother feel like he was something...That's why I'm with you to this day boo, no frontin'...Even when the skies were gray...You would rub me on my back and say Baby it'll be okay...Now that's real to a brother like me baby...Never ever give my cootie away and keep it tight a'ight...And I'ma walk these dogs so we can live...In a fat ass crib with thousands of kids...Word life, you don't need a ring to be my wife...Just be there for me and I'ma make sure we...Be livin' in the fuckin' lap of luxury...I'm realizing that you didn't have to fuck wit me...But you did, now I'm going all out kid...And I got mad love to give, you my nigga..."
Hearing this song truly made her day. Although Indie didn't speak on the housing situation to Tressa, he had his own plan. Indie was a frequent customer to the guy, Pablo, who owned a convenient store that was located down the street from Tressa's house. Indie befriended Pablo since Pablo was also originally from New York. Pablo agreed to run a contest/sweepstakes, supposedly brought to the community by "The Shed A Rainbow Foundation", at his store. Indie saw to it that Tressa entered into the contest. Little did Tressa know that Indie was the Shed A Rainbow Foundation. Tressa won the money and Indie was certain Tressa wouldn't spend the money foolishly.
A week before Tressa "won" the money, Indie asked her to marry him. He proposed to her with a superior 4.49
carat emerald cut ring with .26 carots of tapered baguettes on the sides. After laying eyes on the ring, without a doubt, she agreed.
After winning the money, $20,000.00, Tressa didn't think twice, she told Indie some of the money would be their down payment towards a new home. He told her that he will put up 10 G's toward the down payment so they will have 20 to put down, and he'd pay for the furniture as well.
He then instructed her to go get her a new car, and she did.
She went to the dealer the day she closed on her house, traded her old Mazda in for a two-year-old five series BMW, burgundy with tan leather interior, sunroof and fully loaded. She felt that this BMW replaced the BMW that she loved so much, but was forced to give up, so many years ago when she left Lucky.
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Tressa was so happy with how her life was going, but there was one thing she felt essential to take care of.
First, she prayed and thanked God for the bountiful blessings that had been bestowed upon her. Next, she made the phone call that she had been waiting to make for so many years. She set up an appointment and planned to dress to kill.
Although wearing nothing really too flashy, her outfit was just enough to make her presence known and to let innocent bystanders and the onlookers know that she was on a mission and was not playing. She was wearing some blue Dolce & Gabana jeans, and long sleeve D&G
shirt to match the jeans. She wore the D&G black belt with the big D&G on the buckle. The black Charles Jordan sexy, fierce stiletto boots flowed perfectly with the whole ensemble. Tressa threw on her black mink jacket that stopped at her waist, and to top it off, Tressa felt obligated to put the icing on the cake. She wished she had a mink hat to match that particular jacket, but she didn't, so instead, she threw on Indie's black fur Anglo cap and headed off to the beauty parlor, though she vowed so long ago that she would never give Gypsy another dollar of her money. But for some reason she felt the need to just make Gypsy kiss her butt for all the days she had dissed her when she was doing bad.
When she arrived at the beauty parlor, today must have been Tressa's lucky day, because she got a parking spot slam in front of the beauty shop. Whenever someone in a nice whip rolled in front of Gypsy's shop, everyone was alerted, because it was just their nature. All eyes were glued on Tressa when she walked into the shop, and boy did she put the show on for them. She pulled out a stride that she hadn't strutted in a long time, but the walk she gave them was enough to make them vomit with envy and jealousy. Her stroll was always that of a runway model, whether she pushed a stroller, carried her twins when they were babies on her hip, or now, with the mink on her back and a six hundred dollar bag on her shoulder.
Tressa walked into the shop and one of the girls who worked in the shop noticed Tressa and couldn't believe it.
She had to ask, "Is that a Kangol coat?" 211
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"What?" Tressa didn't understand what she was saying at first, then the girl asked again.
"Is that a Kangol coat you got on?"
Then it hit Tressa, the girl was insinuating that the coat she wore wasn't mink, that it was the same fur as the Kangol she was wearing. Oh, shit doesn't ever change around here. But since these broke down chicks wanna talk slick to me, and still don't want give me my respect, I got something for them. It's open field day on these hoes.
Tressa responded. "No sweetheart, this is mink, baby, sable mink to be precise."
That comment was, without a doubt, a truly low blow.
Gypsy ran over and embraced Tressa with a fake hug pretending like she was so happy to see her. "Girl, I miss you so much. I thought you would never take those micro braids out your hair. Your hair is healthy and long though. Who been doing it?" Gypsy asked, while rolling her fingers through Tressa's hair.
"The Dominicans, you know they do the best roller wraps."
"Yes they do, so what you having today?" Tressa laughed to herself when Gypsy asked that question. I know this broad don't think for one minute, that she going to put any chemicals or scissors in my hair. I don't care if she messes up a style, because I can always wash it out, Tressa thought to herself, but responded to Gypsy, "I just need my hair washed and pin it up some kind of way." Gypsy could barely pay attention to wash Tressa's hair from staring at the rock that Tressa sported on her left ring finger. S
he desperately wanted to know "What was really good" with Tressa. How in the hell this broad go from rags to riches? I'd sure like to know.
While Gypsy was setting Tressa's hair, Gypsy asked,
"So are you going to start coming back to me now?"
"I don't know, but most likely." She knew she wouldn't be coming back, but she didn't want to tell Gypsy that. She had to ensure that Gypsy would do a good job on her hair.
"You know I work on Fridays and every other Saturdays now, and plus, I am pretty much on time now."
"What? What brought on this?"
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"Girl, I don't get that fat child support check anymore for the baby."
"Oh, for real.
"When Merk got married. I kept taking him back to court and he finally filed for joint custody, and now the $3,000 I used to get a month, I don't get anymore."
"What?" Was Tressa's response, but she thought to herself, that's what you get for being a greedy bitch! I had heard that every time Gypsy heard that Merk bought his wife anything new, that she would get mad and take him back to court for a child support increase, and they got tired of her greedy, begging butt and now look, she's stuck with nothing. She's in here practically begging me to come back and get my hair done. Damn, ain't it funny how the tables turn. At first, everybody used to beg her to do their hair. And now, she got the nerve to try be recruiting old clients! While Tressa was sitting in Gypsy's chair, the lady before Tressa paid Gypsy. Gypsy needed change, she asked every single person in the shop if they had change, except Tressa. She made Tressa the very last person she asked.
"Tressa, give me change for a twenty." With calmness in her voice, but with a little giggle, she said, "no sweetheart, I don't carry anything less than hundreds."
That one comment is what could have sold Gypsy for a penny. When it comes time for this broad to pay me, she better not pull out no tens or fives because I am going to let her have it.
There was complete silence between the two of them and Tressa wondered to herself, why do we put up with people treating us any kind of way? It's so many people waiting to make this money, and yet, even me, I still let this broad abuse me and say what she wants to, and treat me any kind of way. We do it at the restaurant too. Why do we go to places that we know don't want us there? But, yet and still, we still there, not knowing what these people are really doing to our food. Do we do it to prove a point. "Hey, I can afford this?" Or what? I know this is the last time for me.
I'm not giving money to anybody who does not appreciate me.
I didn't read David Walker's Appeal for nothing.
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And when it was finally time for Tressa to pay Gypsy, she pulled out a hundred dollar bill and Gypsy was again left in silence for a minute. Rest assure, Gypsy was not letting her get out of that shop without a low blow. She looked for something, anything to throw a curve ball at Tressa, only there was nothing. As she watched, in green eyed envy, Tressa was putting on her coat, she said,
"Tressa, why would you wear a mink to get your hair done?
To me that's crazy. I wouldn't pull my coat out until I was really going out on a night on the town or somewhere special."
Tressa laughed a little to herself, because she knew Gypsy wasn't going to let her get out of the shop without a low blow. Tressa was quick on her feet and was dead serious when she replied, "Darling, I don't need to go anywhere special to wear this coat here. We don't live in Chicago, Illinois, we live in Richmond, VA, and we only get a few real cold days, and every time a cold day rolls around, I'm going to put on one of my mink ensembles, regardless to what or where I have to go. That's what a mink's sole purpose is for, to keep me warm. So, if I'm going to the grocery store or playing carpool to my kids, I am going to wear my this here kick around mink. Besides, this is my casual mink, worn for outings just like today. Best believe, when I have to go to the opera or somewhere like that, I have an array of sables, chinchillas, in the cedar closet to pick from."
That spill shut Gypsy up. A goal that many had set out to try to conquer, but only two would ever leave Gypsy speechless, and Tressa was one of them. On that note, Tressa's mission was complete.
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-24-
Surprise! Surprise!
Surprise!
Close to three years back, in 95, when MCI put the long distance collect call block on Tressa's phone, Wiggles agreed to allow Taj to call her house so he could speak to Tressa. Sometimes, he would call and Tressa wouldn't be at Wiggles, or at home when Wiggles would place a three-way call to Tressa. In those instances, Taj would just talk to Wiggles. Taj became intrigued with the woman that Wiggles had become, the addiction that she overcame, and especially the support Wiggles provided to his sister. All of those things combined, made it possible for Wiggles to be able to squirm her way back into Taj's heart.
They got to know each other all over again, through letters, phone calls and then visits. Tressa was happy for them both, because Taj needed someone to take away that coldness and emptiness out of his heart. Besides, Tressa 215
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knew for a fact that Wiggles was the only woman her brother had ever loved.
Wiggles was happy for Tressa, as Tressa was happy for Wiggles. Wiggles called Tressa up. "I need to talk to you. It's an emergency."
Tressa rushed over. Tressa used her key to enter into Wiggles' little two-bedroom apartment. Wiggles had sat on her couch bearing a sneaky little smile.
"What's wrong?" Tressa asked, with grave concern written all over her face. This was the first time that she realized that Wiggles must have problems too. Wiggles had spoiled Tressa so much, always being the big sister, and sometimes mother figure, that she needed. So, no matter what, Tressa would be there to be Wiggles' support.
"Nothing bad, I just felt the need to give you a present." Wiggles handed her a gift bag.
Tressa pulled out the white tissue paper, and unwrapped the baby pacifier. Tressa looked at Wiggles with a bewildered look while she smiled with a big Kool Aid smile. "You mean you are having a baby?" Tressa asked confused as she could be.
"Yes." Wiggles said, almost screaming.
"Oh, my God. I am going to be an aunt!" Tressa screamed, although she didn't have the foggiest idea who the father was.
"Tressa you don't understand, no baby, you really are going to be a auntie by blood. It's Taj's baby!"
"What?" Tressa smiled, but looking at Wiggles with a crazy expression on her face.
"Remember the last family day, the boys had their championship football game? And I went by myself."
"Right." Tressa recalled.
"Well, it was packed with wall to wall people, and it was too many people for the three correctional officers they had working the room. And you know I go on a regular basis, and the same old chicks be there seeing their man and we all have become real cool. At first, we just use to talk small talk complaining about all the corruption and bullshit that the prison puts us through to get in to see our men. What at first started out as an alliance, turned into a friendship and we watched each other's back."
"OK." Tressa said, waiting for the juice to come.
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"Well, we saw an opportunity with a crowded visiting room and we all took turns on lookout while each couple got their chance to go into the restroom and get their groove on. Girl, and if Taj wasn't your brother, I'd give you the details." Wiggles said with a giggle and continued. "It was quick indeed, but you know that prison sperm is some powerful stuff!"
Tressa hugged Wiggles, feeling so happy that she was going to finally be an aunt. There was one thing Tressa had to remind Wiggles of on a more serious note.
"Wiggles, I know that you don't smoke cigar
ettes around me or the boys because you know I hate cigarette smoke. But you gotta stop, at least until after you have the baby.
"I will, I know I got to for the sake of this baby. I won't smoke, trust me."
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-25-
All Hell Breaks Loose
News traveled fast that Tressa was on the "come-up" financially. When rumors got to Lucky, he was outraged. Especially, when he saw the engagement announcement in the local newspaper. Lucky was sick of this New Yorker and he had to be dealt with. See, there was an unspoken hostility between a lot of New Yorkers and Richmond guys. The Richmond guys automatically hated New York guys, mostly because New Yorkers in the drug game came down to Richmond and set up shop. They have a cheaper product so they take the Richmond drug dealer's clientele. And, not only do they take the customers, but they take their women too.
In most of these type of cases, there are two kinds of New York guys, the one who foolishly thinks, that since he's from up north, that the people down south are slow and can be taken advantage of. So, they sleep on the Southerners, and most of the time, these are the ones going back to New York in a body bag. Then, there's the New Yorker who knows he's an out-of-towner, and instead of him constantly trying to insult a Southerner's intelligence with that "city slicker" mentality, he thinks long term.
Instead of trying to beat them, he joins them. He becomes the supplier with a good quality product with a slightly lower price. So, nobody loses. He gets what he wants, and plenty of it, and so does the Southerner. At the end of the 219
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