“That lady your boyfriend killed was my mother,” he screamed from across the room as he came running toward me like a raging bull. Before he got the chance to get to me, two police officers came out of nowhere and pulled him away while my heart continued to beat rapidly.
“It’s okay now, we got ’em,” the Caucasian officer said, pulling Bryant away from me.
“You stay right there,” he said, pointing to me. “Come on, Mr. Thompson, you did a great job,” he added.
As the officer walked Bryant out of the room, three more officers came in; two white and one black.
“Hey, Mr. Jiles. I thought we would never get you to admit to the murders and the robbery, but now we have your confession on tape,” said the white officer who held the cassette recorder that was once planted in Bryant’s pocket.
“Get up slowly and put your hands behind your back, you fuckin’ fag,” said the black officer as he pulled his handcuffs out to cuff me.
Three months later
City Hall
Downtown, Philadelphia
“Please state your name for the court, please,” said the African-American judge who sat on the bench during my trial.
“My name is Michelle Smith,” stated the young lady whom I had seen before. I sat on the side of my attorney trying to figure out where I had seen her. The prosecuting attorney took his place on the floor. The bailiff swore her in before she sat down.
“Ms. Michelle, were you present at the bank during the robbery and the shooting of John McCants, Darnell Rhodes, and Beverly Vaughn?” he asked while walking in a circular motion.
“Yes, I was working in the bank at that time, sir,” she answered in a sweet tone.
“Okay, Ms. Smith. Why aren’t you working there now?” asked the prosecutor.
“Currently I am on maternity leave. I recently gave birth to a baby boy,” she stated. I sat still in my seat as I revisited that day in my mind. The bank, the gun, the girl—the girl was the pregnant teller. The girl—the teller—the same girl that hugged Bryant at his victory party. I was set the fuck up the entire time.
I turned around to see Bryant, Loretta, and Ms. Bernice in the courtroom. She didn’t look at me, not once, but Bryant kept his eyes on me the entire time.
“Can you point out the perpetrator in the courtroom, Ms. Smith?”
“Yes, I can.”
“By all means, ma’am, please do so.” She pointed her index finger straight at me.
“I thank you, Ms. Smith, you may step down. Your Honor, I would like to call my next witness for the drug-trafficking charges. She is currently being held at the Delaware County Prison for aggravated assault to her daughter but we brought her here today to testify against Mr. Jiles.
“The Commonwealth calls to the stand Ms. Melissa Childs, Your Honor.” Two sheriffs brought Melissa from the chambers, sporting her county reds and then she took the stand.
“Please state your name for the courts, please.”
“My name is Melissa Childs,” she stated as she stared me up and down as if we were still on the streets and she wanted to fight me.
“Bailiff, swear her in, please,” said the cocky prosecutor. Melissa raised her right hand.
“Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?” said the bailiff who looked not a day over ninety.
“Yes,” she lied.
“Okay, Ms. Childs, we’re going to keep this thing simple. Did you actually see Juan Jiles take kilos of cocaine and other substances into his apartment?” the prosecutor asked.
“Yes,” she lied again.
“Okay, Ms. Childs, is Juan Jiles in the courtroom today?”
“Yes.”
“Can you point him out?”
“Yes, I can, he’s sitting right there in the blue suit,” she said.
“Okay, that will be all, Ms. Childs. I’m done,” he said, walking over and taking his seat behind the desk. Melissa then got up and walked with the sheriffs out of the courtroom. I felt Bryant piercing the back of my head as I turned around.
The judge then gave Robert Datner the floor.
“Is there anything you would like to add before sentencing?” the judge asked before delivering his theme. Mr. Datner stood up next to me.
“My client is throwing himself at the mercy of the court, Your Honor,” Mr. Datner said.
“Okay, would the defendant please rise?” I stood up and cupped my hands to the front of me, still turning around to get one last glance at Bryant as the judge began to speak.
“As the defendant throws himself at the mercy of the court, this court hereby sentences Juan Jiles to five to ten years in a state correctional facility for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit murder.” The court gasped as Ms. Bernice started to sob. Bryant placed his arm around her as the judge banged his gavel.
“Quiet in this courtroom. I hereby sentence Juan Jiles to an additional five years in a correctional facility for drug trafficking along with a five-year stint for rehabilitation. That is all, thanks,” said the judge before he banged his gavel again.
Mr. Datner had gotten me off good because I could’ve been spending more time for the murder of the security guard but Datner made it seem as if Darnell had shot at him first. Plus some of my time would be cut in half because I was using the drugs instead of selling them. Thank you, Robert Datner.
“Mail call,” yelled the dark-skinned guy pushing the mail cart. “Here, you faggot. Someone wrote your stinking ass a letter.” I looked at him and turned my nose up as I snatched the letter from his hand.
“Pussy,” he said as I went back into my cell to read my letter. It didn’t have a postmark where it came from so I opened it…
Dear J.J.
Lord knows I’m so sorry that you have to go through this. I want you to know that I’m not upset with you at all for what happened. I’m upset at the nigga who pulled the trigger on my mom. Like I said before you are the only nigga that I really dealt with like that and now that you’re gone, it’s makin’ me sick. Baby, don’t think I’m mad at you. I just wanted justice to be served, so my mother can rest in peace. Baby, I will always have your back. Trust me when I tell you, I’m gonna have a house, a car, and a life for you when you hit the streets. I will also take over the shop for you (don’t worry.) Baby, you need to know that only you complete me. I miss your pretty ass so much. Always remember that I love you, Baby, and I’ll always be grateful of you being In Love with this Thug.
Love, Bryant!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reginald L. Hall is an Essence bestselling author and an outspoken advocate of gay rights. He has appeared on popular television talk shows, including The Ricki Lake Show, and is renowned for his controversial book Memoir: Delaware County Prison. He resides with his family outside Philadelphia. Visit his website www.reginaldsworld.com or www.myspace.com/reginaldsworld. You can email him at [email protected]
DRINKING TEA AND CHATTING ABOUT
In Love With a Thug
A story of an openly gay male who falls into the arms of the wrong man.
In Love With a Thug, the new novel by the critically acclaimed, controversial author Reginald L. Hall takes you inside the world of an openly gay male, Juan Jiles.
Based in Philadelphia, Juan takes part in a bank robbery that leads to the death of his once thugged-out boyfriend, Darnell. After the mourning process is over, Juan takes the money earned from the robbery to open up one of Philly’s most popular hair salons, where he meets and falls in love with sexy B-boy Bryant. Bryant has all the baggage that comes with dealing with a thug—the hustling, the lies, the beatings and, of course, the baby mama drama. Bryant introduces Juan to a world of drugs where he soon falls victim to the streets; causing him to lose his glamorous hair salon. Juan soon learns that the reason for Bryant’s appearance is solely to tie up a few loose ends from his past.
Now that you’ve read the book, consider the following:
Do you think Darnell was actually that much i
n love with Juan that he’d ask him to rob a bank and risk his life; or was Juan used?
Do you think Juan made a smart decision with the money?
Do you think Juan had enough time to mourn Darnell’s death before he went out and splurged with the money?
Instead of opening a hair salon, what’s the best thing that Juan could have done with such a large amount of money?
Was Juan’s feelings lust or love for Bryant? Do you think Juan was looking for love but in all the wrong places or was his focus basically on thugs?
Bryant could have done more to make Juan feel more wanted or needed. Was there ever a part where Juan felt as though Bryant was using him?
Once Juan found out that Bryant was engaged to Mariah, should he have bailed then or taken Bryant’s deception?
Juan is considered to be a smart, level-headed person. Were all the decisions he made with the money the right ones?
If not, more so than using drugs would you say he could have made more capital by selling drugs?
With all the drama with Bryant’s baby’s mother and then the eye-drop incident, should Juan have opened his eyes and bailed? Or would it be wise to stand by your man and stick with whatever he’s going through?
Juan had a large sum of money in his bank account. Although he started using drugs do you think he still had the means and the will power to hold on to the shop?
Do you think that Juan was Bryant’s first gay lover?
What do you think of Juan’s relationship with his parents? Do you think either of his parents felt any remorse for disowning him? Do you think Juan truly forgave his father for abusing him?
In Love with a Thug Page 19