Gumbo

by Tiana Laveen

  “I didn’t know he was an Aries, too. Cool.”

  “Yeah, Danica said she did my natal chart. She did Tony’s, too.”

  “Do you remember what she said about his? I’m just curious is all.”

  She smirked, knowing damn well Derek was far more into that sort of thing than he was letting on.

  “I do, for the most part…”

  Derek was the kind of man who had his office set up a certain way, according to Feng Shui rules. He wore jewelry that had meaning, like Native Indian dream catcher pendants. The art on his walls was Egyptian and Asian influenced and he burned incense in his office, no matter how much she protested about the smoke. He dressed in practical clothing, had a fancy boy toy car, was a bit of a commitment-phobe and had an amazing, at times raunchy sense of humor. He was very much into cultural expressions, proud of his Irish and Mexican heritage, and was quite interested in African American music and dance. A fascinating man, and a real good, dear friend.

  “Well? What did his chart say?”

  “Why?” she hedged, wanting to toy with him a bit. Just then, she got a text from Danica. The woman’s plane had just landed. She couldn’t wait to see her again.

  “I just wanna know!”

  “No, you want to be informed because you plan on doing some projects with him and think if you know his chart, you can have the upper hand and manipulate the situation in your favor.” They both burst out laughing.

  “You think you know me. You don’t know me, Cass!” he said, clearly busted.

  “All right, if my memory serves me correctly, Danica said—”

  “Wait a minute, is Danica cute?”

  She grimaced at his question.

  “She’s married! That’s what she is!” Derek was the forever flirt. “And you met her before, but I believe at the time you were dating that one woman, Tarina I think her name was.”

  “Ohhh, yeah, okay. I remember her now. Okay, go on… the chart.”

  “She said he had a libra moon and that’s what makes him wanna be fair with people, see other points of view, and he doesn’t like a lot of fighting for no reason, yellin’ just to be yellin’. She said that calms him down a bit, keeps him more centered. She said his Venus is in Scorpio. That explains the high sex drive and secretiveness… He can also get jealous and be possessive in his love life. Now, as far as I am concerned, Tony does get jealous but he plays it off well; he doesn’t want me to know. As far as being secretive, that is dead on the money. Tony doesn’t go around telling just anyone his business, that’s for sure. Danica said that his Mars is in Virgo, which makes him a perfectionist… calculating. His Mercury is in Sagittarius, meaning he is always looking towards the future, loves to learn new things, is very much into teaching and growing intellectually and with his hobbies.”

  “Wow, that’s a really interesting chart. Regardless, I can tell you this much. I like him, Cass. You’d know if I didn’t because I wouldn’t even be considering him for anything, let alone tell others about him. I would just keep my thoughts to myself.”

  “Well.” She sighed as she leaned back, looking up at the sky, the sun almost completely gone. “I wish Peaches would have followed your example.”

  “Man, for fuck’s sake. Yeah, I heard about that shit. Cass, I know she’s your friend but Peaches has too much to say about shit she doesn’t understand. She never seems to have all the facts and just shoots off at the mouth. She didn’t even like the fact that I was working there, used to make little silly ass comments and try to bate me into racially based conversations, wanting me to discuss reparations, colorism and privilege. Then she got to know me and tried to act like we’d been cool from the jump. She’s fake. I kept her at a distance.”

  “I knew Peaches wasn’t your favorite person but I had no idea you disliked her so much.”

  “It’s not that I strongly dislike her. I just don’t care about her either way. I don’t give a shit about her.” Derek’s bluntness was no longer shocking to her. “I mean, I don’t want her to get hit by a car or anything, but her energy is all fucked up. She’s low vibration, Cass, trying to pretend be conscious and woke. I hate shit like that. Anyway, back to Tony. I can see why you were drawn to him. He comes across as very authentic and of course, people love his accent.” She smiled. “Everyone thought he was from New York. I had to correct them and tell them Jersey.”

  “Yeah, he lost a little of his accent. It wasn’t as pronounced after he’d been living here a while but since he’s been back in Jersey for a couple of years, it seems it came back with a vengeance. Anyway, I see a lot of similarities in you two. He’s only a few years older than you. I bet you’ll end up being friends and conspiring against me.” They both chuckled at that. “Derek, I’m not going to share his business; that’ll be up to him to decide, but he didn’t have it easy, okay? He’s a survivor.”

  Silence webbed between them while she observed a young boy wearing bright white shorts, his bare chest extended as he licked an ice-cream cone. His mother walked beside him as they made their way down the street. The woman’s hair was tucked beneath a black silk bonnet and her faded, red flip flops smacked the uneven cement.

  “Cassidy, I want to tell you something.”

  “What?”

  “I got into a lot of trouble when I was a teenager. I was in foster care for a couple of years due to some shit I really don’t want to get into right now. I had some problems, some anger issues.”

  “Oh my God, D. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never told me that.”

  Derek was one of the most well-organized, put together and goal-oriented men she knew. She’d met this man’s family, they worked late nights together, had dinner, shared secret conversations, and at times came to each other for advice that extended beyond the office talk. She was his boss, but they were more like brother and sister. She truly treasured him.

  “I know I’ve never told you. It’s just something I don’t talk about all the time. It goes to show you can’t always judge a book by its cover. I do volunteer work for teenage boys now, try to help them out, especially those in the Latino community. My past is my past. I wasn’t ashamed or anything; it’s just a part of my history, but our history never leaves us, ya know? Our parents, good or bad, life in general… our choices, this is all a part of us, forever.”

  “It is a part of us forever… I still don’t know if my parents are even still alive. I told myself I didn’t care, but now that Grandmama is gone, I’m curious again…”

  “Well, when you’re ready, maybe you should try to find out. It’s up to us to take the good parts of our past, Cass, and expound on them and rid ourselves of the ones that no longer serve us. So yeah, I saw myself in Tony even though I’m a little younger than him. I appreciated what he did tell me about his childhood, though I’m sure he’s only scratched the surface. Right now, today? I am going to focus on what Tony can bring to the table. This dude’s talent… Cass! Damn! You know I’m like not this. I’ll give someone their props and move on, but that motherfucker is special! And he’s so fast with the shit, too!”

  “I know.” She smiled, proud of her baby. “He got that gift, as Grandmama used to say. She saw his drawings one time and said, ‘That ain’t nothin’ but God… that’s your ticket out of here, Tony.’ That’s what she told him. I bet that he—”

  “It’s on! Okay, it’s meeting time, Cass… looks like Jerome is on the line and Tony is calling me right now. Gotta go!”

  “All right. I bet he went to the library or somethin’ for some privacy. He’s so tricky.” She laughed. “Sneak back to me and tell me how Jerome says he did later if you can, ’cause Tony won’t say anything to me about it!”

  “I will. May the best man win…”

  “You better be glad you answered this time. This is Boss. I want my money, man. Your time is up.” Tony stood outside his rental car, placing the bag of mulch in the trunk. He closed the back of the car, walked to the front, and slid in the driver’s seat, closing and l
ocking the door behind him. “Meet me tonight.”

  “Okay, I’ve got your money.”

  “Meet me at—”

  “No, Boss, I am telling you where we’re meeting. You might have a situation set up where you take the cash and gun me down. We need to meet on neutral territory. And don’t bring anyone with you. I don’t want any drama.”

  “Mothafucka you ain’t callin’ no shots! What tha fuck you think this is? Multiple choice?”

  “DO YOU WANT THE MONEY OR NOT?! I got it from my girlfriend. Now you can meet me at the graveyard where you decided to ambush me the first time. It’s a wide-open area, and nothing devious can be pulled off. That’s a neutral place.” Boss was quiet for a bit. “I may have been out of the game for a while but I’m not stupid! I’m not letting you say where we meet. I don’t trust you; I don’t know you. I don’t fuck with you like that, and if you knew Sly like you said you did, then you’d know what he told you was true. I’m not a fuckin’ punk. You need me as much as I’m relying on you to hold up your end of the bargain. Take it or leave it, I’ll call your bluff!”

  “You gotta lotta shit to say for somebody whose girlfriend could get a bullet to the head right this second.”

  “Then that would make you stupid… considering she’s where the money is comin’ from. That would be like shootin’ the pizza guy before you got the cash on him and the pie.” He could hear the guy breathing hard on the phone.

  “All right. Graveyard. Ten PM tonight. Be there or I’m blowin’ the bitch’s brains out. And I mean that, mothafucka.”

  After the call, Tony tried to calm himself for a moment before he dialed again.

  “Hey, it’s me. Did you do what I asked?” He grabbed one of his guns from the glove compartment, checked the bullets in the chamber, and placed it back.

  “Of course I did, Tony.”

  “Good. Keep her preoccupied. Keep her happy… never leave her side. I’ll see you later.”

  “Tony, I don’t know what the hell is going on here. Don’t make me regret rootin’ for you! You need to—”

  “Not now. I don’t have time for this…”

  “Just you be careful.”

  “I don’t know any other way to be.” He disconnected the call and sat in the car, taking deep breaths. Gripping the steering wheel, he closed his eyes for a spell.

  Dad, I need you, all right? If you can hear me, stand by me. If you talk to God, please ask Him, just this one time, to let somethin’ go right for me!

  He beat the steering wheel as angry tears pooled in his eyes.

  I know that sounds messed up, considering what I’ve got up my sleeve. I know it sounds bad, but it is what it is. This is the world I come from, and this is how we have to handle these things. I have to take care of things the right way. If I don’t, it will haunt me, and I can’t lose anyone else right now!

  You’re gone! Maize is gone! I lost Cassidy at one point, almost lost Dante when he OD’d while I was in prison. E.T. is gone, servin’ life in prison. T.J. is strung out. Vince is dead! Kyle is dead! Terry is dead! Tyrone is dead! Mike is dead! Steve is dead! Arnie is dead! Sly is dead! Lamont is dead! If I said every name, I’d be sittin’ here for three damn days straight! Most of my homeboys are in prison and will die there, or are already in the ground! No more!!!

  He beat the steering wheel harder, rocking back and forth in the seat. He was breathing hard, his world all twisted up in tight ties, matching the knots in his gut.

  I have to protect my woman and my mother, Dad! He threatened to kill both. This son of uh bitch is tryna put the squeeze on me and my lady and he can’t be allowed to get away with this. He’ll just keep coming and coming! I’m tryna get my life together. Things are finally looking up… please don’t pull the rug out from under me now! Dad, I know you loved Ma, despite everything that happened between the two of ya. I know you did, so help me take care of this, okay? I can’t go back to prison, Dad… I can’t leave Cassidy again! I WANNA CHANCE TO HAVE A FAMILY AND BE HAPPY! I WANNA GROW OLD WITH HER! She needs me, and I need her. I can’t let anyone tear us apart ever again. I won’t.”

  He took a deep breath, gathered himself, and headed back down the road to Grandmama’s house. There was work to do and his time was short…

  Later that evening

  Tony slid his black jacket over his black tank top, fixed his gold chain with the crucifix, checked the lacing in his boots, and slipped his guns into his jacket pockets. He stood at the entrance of the graveyard with the small suitcase, blending in with the darkness, then emerged into the light as steel poles with white beams of illumination surrounded the cemetery and kissed his form with brightness. The nearby graves looked as if they’d been splattered with yellow watercolors and hues of smoky gray as shadows and light danced along the granite, slate, and marble headstones. He trekked past the various graves, some adorned with flowers and crosses made of yarn, nodding every now and again as a gesture of respect. When he reached Maize’s grave, he paused and stared at it.

  Hello, brother… watch my back tonight, okay?

  Soon, he heard a car pull up in the distance and two doors closing.

  This motherfucker has already broken one of my rules. I told him to come alone.

  Tony kept his gaze on Maize’s grave then quickly turned his back to it, looking in the direction he’d just travelled. Boss approached, all blinged out, coughing up gold, sweating diamonds. A different guy was with him than the one who’d accompanied him the first time. This one was a bit shorter, stockier.

  “Montana!” Boss roared as he drew closer. “Let’s get dis shit over wit’. Got me in a damn graveyard in the middle of the night.” The man was clutching a revolver, and so was the man with him. “Open it! Let me see the money!” Tony stood a few feet away from him. Dropping down to one knee, he unlocked the briefcase. It flipped open, exposing thousands of crisp dollars. Boss’ lips curled in a black and gold smile. “Put it in my hand, mothafucka. I need to count it all out.”

  In a flash, Tony grabbed both of his guns and shot both men in the knees several times.

  “AHHHH! Shit!” Their screams merged and echoed as they both fell to the ground. Bullets rang out when the men shot sloppily into the air. Tony rolled behind Maize’s grave, listening… remaining still… The coldness of Maize’s tomb blended with the warmth of his pumping blood and adrenaline.

  He waited, heart racing, and didn’t move an inch until he was certain their clips were empty. Quickly getting to his feet, he eyed both men and rapidly approached, not wasting another damn second.

  BAM!

  Boss’ eyes grew big when he looked at his homie’s head, all bloodied from the fresh bullet wound.

  “Fuck! You killed him! What tha fuck is wrong with you?!”

  Tony bent down, cocking his head to his side as he hovered over Boss, then shot him in his other knee and shin.

  “FUCK! Fuck you!” Boss spat, writhing about in pain, spit driveling out the sides of his mouth, his eyes glassy.

  “I want to explain something to you, Boss.” Tony rolled him over, forcing the bastard to lie flat on his back as he searched his body. In seconds, he’d removed a knife, another gun, and his phone, then cast them aside. “See… I never liked bullies. I told you that when you came fucking with me the first time… interrupted me having some alone time with my friend here, Maize. I knew if you’d be so bold as to threaten me at a cemetery, then there was nothing else you wouldn’t do, no level you wouldn’t stoop to. So, I looked into you… got some information. I needed to figure out what kinda son of a bitch does something like that, right?

  “Rule number one… know your enemies. Well, I found out a lot about you, Brian Thompson, AKA, Boss. You’ve got a pretty high body count, my man.” Tony ran his tongue over his lower lip as he eyed the piece of shit, then slammed the butt of the gun against the side of his head.

  “AHHHH! Fuuuck!”

  “So, I knew there’d be no way of getting around me havin’ to shoot you. See, yo
u would never let me out of here alive. I figured you’d get the money and leave my body here in the cemetery—how fitting—then go and mess with my woman, extort her for more cash because see, you’d hope she’d be scared and probably do whatever you said. You would’ve already killed her lover, that being me, so there would be no stopping you from taking her life, too, if she didn’t comply. And then you’d repeat the same thing over and over and over again.”

  “Naw, man! I’m serious. I was just gonna get the money and bounce. For real!”

  “That’s not true. Please don’t insult my intelligence.” Tony smiled at the fucker, studying him from various angles. “Let me tell you where you went wrong. First, you asked for the wrong amount of money. That tipped me off. If you know a woman is a millionaire, then you’d ask for more than 65k. She can make that in a few months, easy. 65k is very specific, too. You had something in mind, like a particular car, something like that. So… I knew this was a multi-level test. Kinda like when a scammer is phishing for bank information and they take a dollar out of someone’s account, tryna see if the account owner notices it’s missing before they go back in for the whole shebang.”

  “No no no, you thinkin’ too much! It was gonna be simple!”

  “You wanted to see how quickly I could get the money, if I’d even try, if I’d be frightened, all that shit. Secondly, you agreed to meet me here at the graveyard only because you knew the layout. Had followed me here, and was already considering it as a spot to meet, too. Nice acting job though, pretending you were so offended. Seriously, you should’ve gone to acting school.” Tony chuckled as the man’s eyes rolled, his face covered in sweat. “That was my little test to you. See? We both like to give quizzes. We’ve got something in common.”

  “Man, you don’t wanna do this! You’re a good guy, right? Come on, Montana!”