“So how did you hook up with Seven?” Ball asked trying to get to know more about the intriguing woman that was introducing him to the top shelf of hustling. They got into the car and Lola closed her eyes and threw her head back, digging deep into her memory.
Chapter Twelve
1994: Bunkie Green’s Daughter
“Momma wake up!” Lola said as she smacked her mother’s face. The small bathroom was tight as Lola tried to maneuver her mother off the toilet and into the tub so she could spray her with water. Her young ten year old eyes had witnessed a lot of pain and trying to wake her mother from a dope fiend lean seemed to be an everyday ritual. Lola came home from school and once again found her mother in the same position on the toilet with a syringe hanging out of her arm. ‘”Come on ma. Let’s get in the shower,” Lola said as she pulled the needle out of her and threw her mother’s arm around her shoulder. Her mother, Teri, was a small framed woman. She had to be 120 pounds and that was soaking wet. Lola struggled as she placed her mother in the tub and positioned her upright where her face could catch the water from the shower head.
“Come on girl. Wake up,” a young Lola said as she reached over and turned on the cold water. Her heart beat in anticipation as the water began to hit her mother’s face. She hoped that her mother did not overdose and would come to. Every night the thought of her mother not waking up when the cold water hit her, darkened her soul. Lola and her mother had a strong bond. Teri, when she wasn’t high, was the most caring, fun-loving person. It was only after drugs entered her life that it seemed like the bond with her daughter began to slip out. As the water bounced against Teri’s face, Lola’s heart raced and she began to get teary-eyed.
“I told you to use warm water. Shit!” Teri mumbled as she finally began to move. Although Teri was coming out of a nod, she still had a sense of humor. Teri slightly grinned and Lola quickly turned off the water.
“You scared me, mommy.” Lola said as she got in the tub and hugged Teri tightly. Lola loved her mother dearly and although she was young she understood the magnitude of her mother’s addiction. Lola prayed every night that her mother would get off the drug that the streets called heroin. However, she knew that every time Bunkie Green walked through the door, the drug did also.
Bunkie Green was a well-known dope dealer throughout the city and he was well respected. Teri was his side piece and Lola was a result of their lust rather than love. Bunkie had a wife and kids on the other side of town, but frequently visited Lola and Teri. He actually gave Teri the habit of doing heroin. It was funny because, he didn’t care about Teri but he adored his daughter. Lola was his everything and he would come in once a week and shower her with gifts. The bad part about it was, he would shower Teri with product. They had an agreement. Bunkie kept her supplied and Teri wouldn’t tell his wife about their ten year old secret. Bunkie also footed the bills and made sure that they needed for nothing. Lola loved her father, but at the same time she hated him for what he made of her mother; a junkie. Bunkie had so much respect in the streets, but his legacy had been lightly dampened because of his gambling habits. Bunkie was notorious for blowing large sums of money on the crap tables.
Lola dried her mother off with a towel and helped her get out of the tub. Teri was groggy but she was slowly coming to as she leaned on her daughter and made her way to the backroom. Lola made sure that her mother was tucked in, when a knock on the door startled her. She quickly looked out of the window and saw the long black Cadillac parked outside. She knew then that it was her father. She rushed to the door and she opened it. The tall, lean man hovered over her with his charming smile and cool smelling cologne. He had a teddy bear in his hand as he smiled down at Lola.
“Hey babygirl,” he said as he bent down and kissed her on her forehead. Lola smiled as she felt her father’s lips on her forehead. He handed her the teddy bear and watched as she admired it. He never came empty handed.
“Hey daddy,” Lola said. She stepped to the side and let him in, before closing the door behind him.
“Where’s your mama?” he asked as he looked around and slid his hands in his pockets.
“She’s in the back sleeping.” Lola answered as she helped Bunkie with his coat and then plopped down on the couch.
“Good.” He said as he walked over to the kitchen cabinets and grabbed the coffee jar that had a false bottom. Lola instantly went under the sink to grab his scale and plastic gloves. She already knew the routine. He was about to cut his dope with lactose and package it up. He would always come at random times of the day to bag and weigh his dope. He was a one man show, so he did everything himself.
Bunkie pulled the bag of dope from inside his coat pocket and placed it on the table. Lola stood by the door entrance and watched as she always did. Lola had watched him so many times, she was sure that she could cut the dope with a hustler’s precision.
“Go get daddy his magic powder.” He said to Lola, referring to the lactose that the cut his dope with. He told her it was magic powder because it could make one ounce turn into two ounces. Lola smiled and ran to the spot where she kept it for him. It was in a jar under the bathroom sink. Lola’s naïve mind was telling her that by helping her father with his drug process, she was somehow bonding with him. Lola returned within seconds, gripping the small medicine jar which she eagerly handed to her father.
Lola watched as her father mixed and bagged up an entire ounce of heroin. Just as he was putting together his last package, Teri emerged from the back room. She was naked and scratching her head. Her hair was all over the place and she smiled as she saw Lola and Bunkie in the kitchen. Bunkie looked at Lola and smiled.
“After this flip, I’m going to take you to Cedar Point. Just me and you, babygirl.” Lola smiled and loved the sound of going to an amusement park with her father.
“Can Momma come too?” Lola asked, wishing that Bunkie would show her mother more attention. Then maybe he would stop feeding her the poison that ran through her veins on a nightly basis.
“Hey Bunkie,” Teri said as her eyes went straight to the packs that were made up on the table. She was like a kid in the candy store in the midst of the drugs. She couldn’t hide her excitement as she swayed back and forth while twiddling with her fingers.
“Hey Teri,” he said unenthusiastically. He began to put his packs in a brown paper bag and out of the sight of the thirsty Teri.
“Get me well Bunkie. I’m sick as hell.” Teri said as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.
“Teri, I’m not trying to hear that bullshit today. I just left you a tenth last night.” Bunkie said as he got up and slid on his coat. Teri rushed over to him and instantly dropped to her knees. She was in pure desperation. “Do not do this Teri,” Bunkie said as he shook his head in disgust, “Not in front of the baby.”
“I need it so bad. I’m sick!” Teri said as she began to kiss Bunkie’s gator shoes. Bunkie quickly snatched his foot back and looked over at Lola who was watching her mother’s actions. Lola had tears in her eyes and hated to see her mother begging like she was. Lola shook her head from side to side, hoping that her father would not give her any of the dope. Lola was too young to understand the withdrawal phase of being a junkie. She didn’t understand that if Teri didn’t get her fix, she would be in excruciating pain that only heroin could subside.
“Get up Teri,” Bunkie said as he reached down and stood Teri up by her shoulders. He looked at Lola and it hurt his heart that she was witnessing her mother jone-sin’ like she was. He quickly looked away, not being able to take the stare of his young daughter. He walked Teri to the back and slipped her a tenth pack.
“Thank you. Thank you!” Teri said as she rushed to the bathroom and locked the door. Bunkie walked back into the front room and toward the door. Lola stood there looking heartbroken. She knew what her mother was doing on the opposite side of the bathroom door and it cut her deep. Bunkie bent down and kissed Lola on the forehead and headed toward the exit. He had a lot of runs to make and wanted to
get on the road.
“Love you. I will see you later,” he said as he reached the door.
“Can I please go with you daddy?” Lola asked as she put her hands together, begging him. Under normal circumstances, Bunkie would have said no. However, guilt altered his logic and he paused for a minute, just staring at his daughter who stood there teary-eyed. Lola didn’t want to hang around and see her mother high and leaning.
“Sure babygirl. Go get your coat.” Bunkie said as he smiled and gave in. He took a deep breath and knew that he was being a horrible parent but at that moment he couldn’t tell his baby girl no. Lola emerged from the back room with her coat on and a gigantic smile. It would be the first time she ever went somewhere with her father. After all those years, Bunkie didn’t realize that he never took her anywhere and it dawned on him at that very moment. Honestly, they were both happy to ride out with each other.
The sound of Rick James and Tina Marie’s classic hit, “Fire and Desire”, bumped through the speakers as they rode down Interstate 75. Bunkie sung Rick James’ part as he playfully held an invisible microphone to his mouth. Lola laughed out loud as her father hit the off-key notes from his favorite song. Lola knew the lyrics word for word because Teri would play the song over and over on nights when she wasn’t high on dope. Ironically, the song reminded Teri of Bunkie and it made her feel good every time she heard it. She always hoped that one day Bunkie would be hers.
When Tina Marie’s part came on, Lola held up her own microphone and sang. “I wasn’t very, very nice I know ...” Lola sang in her best Tina impression. Bunkie smiled from ear to ear as he watched his babygirl hit the high note and he could see the joy oozing off of her. They were both having a great time together.
Bunkie reached his first stop and he told Lola to stay in the car and he would be right back out. Lola looked around and she saw fiends roaming the dilapidated street as she sat alone on the curb of one of the most drug infested areas in the city. Bunkie left the car running and locked the doors before he jumped out. This was the first of many stops throughout the day as Lola rode shotgun with one of the biggest hustlers in the city. Bunkie would park on the curb and hit a trap spot. Lola noticed that his bag got smaller and smaller with each stop. It was the first of the month and that meant money in the ghetto was in heavy circulation. Every time he came back to the car, he gave the money to Lola to count for him. She would count it carefully and then put it in the glove compartment. Although Lola was young, being the daughter of Bunkie Green made her sharp. She had counted close to ten thousand dollars in that car. On days like this, there was no question that Bunkie was the head Dopeman. He only was under one man who went by the name of Larry J. A longtime friend that had a Miami dope connect. Bunkie got all his dope from Larry J and it was time to go see him again. Bunkie had sold his entire product in a matter of six hours.
“Ten thousand in one day,” Bunkie said as he turned the brown paper bag upside down, showing that it was empty. He then looked at Lola. He was smiling from ear to ear and shaking his head in disbelief. “You must be daddy’s good luck charm,” he said as he rubbed her head. He reached into the glove compartment and peeled off two hundred dollars. “This is your cut babygirl.” He said as he placed the two crispy bills onto her lap.
“I can get used to this!” Lola said as she scooped up the bills and held them in the air as if they were winning lottery tickets. Bunkie slyly turned up the radio and pulled off the block, heading back to Teri’s house. He and Lola had a wonderful day to say the least and Lola hadn’t been this happy in a very long time. Bunkie jumped back on the expressway heading toward Teri’s house. A few minutes into their drive, Bunkie noticed a big billboard on the side of the road which read, Spinners Casino: NEXT EXIT RIGHT. It seemed as though the billboard caught both of their attention at the same time. Bunkie’s hand began to itch and the urge to make his ten thousand double, created an insatiable hunger.
Bunkie quickly switched lanes and jumped off on the casino’s exit. He just needed ten minutes inside to put five thousand dollars on his favorite number; ten. That would double his money and make his day even better. He looked over at Lola and said, “I got my lucky charm with me today, right?”
“Right!” Lola answered as she looked at the lights coming from the casino that was just down the road. Lola didn’t understand nor could she even fathom, the chain events that were about to occur just because Bunkie had his “lucky charm”.
Bunkie pulled into the parking ramp and quickly parked his car. Lola noticed the look in his eyes. She knew that look all too well. It was the look of someone addicted. Lola’s happiness quickly began to slip away. She had never seen that look in her father’s eyes, only in her mother’s.
“You can’t go in here with me. I just need five minutes babygirl, and then we’ll go get some ice cream when I get back.” Bunkie said as he reached over her lap and pulled out the stacks of money. Lola nodded her head in agreement and just like that, Bunkie was gone. Lola turned up the radio and listened to the “Fire and Desire” track again.
Three hours had passed and Lola had fallen asleep inside of the car. Bunkie finally returned but his demeanor had totally done a one-eighty. He was tapped out. He had managed to lose every dime in his pocket. He got in the car and looked at his sleeping beauty. It hurt his heart that he would have to wake her up and ask for the money that he had given her.
“Wake up baby,” he said as he rubbed her hair away from her face. Lola woke up and looked around, slowly remembering where she was.
“Did you win?” Lola asked as she sat up.
“No, baby, daddy didn’t win this time,” Bunkie said as he pulled his car out of the lot. He picked up his cell phone and made a call to Larry J. He needed to get some work on credit so that he could bounce back. This was the life of a gambler.
Bunkie pulled up to the quiet suburban area that was the residence of Larry J. Bunkie was good friends with the elderly man that had the keys to the city. They were locked up together years ago and had established a bond that stood strong when both of them got out. Bunkie turned off his engine and thought about dropping Lola off first, but he was itching to get back to the money. He had to go get the weight from Larry J before he changed his mind.
“Come on baby. Daddy has to go in for a minute.” He said as he talked and moved faster than he usually did. Lola didn’t know it at the time, but he was desperate. They walked up the long walkway that led to the door. Bunkie knocked on the door and moments later a tall, lean, dark skinned woman answered. She wore a black silk robe and a beautiful bright smile as she looked at Bunkie and then down at Lola.
“What do we have here? Look at this beautiful little thing. Come on in baby.” The lady said as she gently pinched Lola’s cheeks.
“Hey Shawna,” Bunkie said as he stepped in along with Lola.
“What you got this baby out this late for?” Shawna said as she threw her arm around Lola and guided her through the house. Lola looked at the red carpet and crushed velvet walls. It seemed like a scene straight out of the movie “Superfly”. Marvin Gaye was playing in the background and the lights were dimly lit giving it a relaxed vibe. Larry J was a veteran in the game but he was stuck in the seventies and it showed in his taste.
“She’s tough. My babygirl rode shotgun with me today. Ain’t that right, babygirl?” Bunkie asked.
“Yeah,” Lola replied as they made their way over to the gigantic red sectional. Shawna asked Bunkie and Lola if they wanted drinks and they both declined.
“Well, Larry will be out in a second,” she said as she faded into the back of the house. Bunkie nodded and clasped his hands as he patiently waited for his friend.
“It’ll be just a minute. We’ll be out of here in no time,” he assured his daughter. Just as he finished his sentence, Larry came from out the back sporting a robe. The smell of marijuana also entered the room right along with Larry J.
“My nigga,” Larry said as he held out his arms and waited for Bunki
e to embrace him. Bunkie slapped hands with his friend and hugged him.
“Larry J! What’s happening?” Bunkie asked.
“Ain’t nothing going on, playa. And who is this wonderful young lady?” Larry asked as he looked at Lola.
“This is my baby Lola. Lola say hello to Mr. Larry,” Bunkie coached as he pointed to Larry.
“Hi,” Lola simply said.
“Hey sugar.” Larry said as he sat down and looked at Bunkie. His smile quickly turned into a cold stare. “How we gon’ talk business when you babysitting,” Larry J said cutting straight to the point.
“She’s good Larry. She’s a big girl.” Bunkie said with laughter in his voice but Larry didn’t find it funny.
“Okay, talk to me. I know it has to be important because shop is closed after six. You know that.”
“Well, I’ve gotten myself in a jam. I need your help.” Bunkie said as he rubbed his hands together nervously.
“Don’t tell me you were gambling again.” Larry J said knowing the answer before he even asked the question. Bunkie responded with a simple head nod, letting Larry know that he had fucked over his money once again. This was becoming a reoccurrence and Larry was appalled. Honestly, if Bunkie would have shaken his gambling problem, he probably would be Larry’s partner rather than just a buyer.
“You still owe me from the last batch Bunkie. I can’t do it. I just can’t.” Larry J said as he stood up and held his hands out, palms up.
“Listen, I will pay you back. I just need a couple zips to put back into the streets. It won’t take me no time to get you your money.”
“I just can’t do it potna’. I’m sorry,” Larry said as he headed to the back. He called Shawna so she could let them out.
“Larry J. Please! I’m begging you!” Bunkie said, putting all his pride to the side by begging in front of his daughter. He knew that Larry had a safe in the back where he kept all his dope and money and it was nothing for him to spot Bunkie a few ounces to get back right. Larry J was denying Bunkie because of principal, not because he didn’t have it to give.
Dopeman: Memoirs of a Snitch (Part 3 of Dopeman's Trilogy) Page 9