“No, child, you done told her right.” Mrs. Baines easily agreed while Leela helped her sit down in a chair near the plastic-covered sofa.
Leela knew it was time to put the icing on the cake. “I thought I was right too, until they both ganged up on me and threw me out. My momma, at least, let the kids stay. I didn’t have or know anywhere else to go, until I thought about you.”
After taking in all of Leela’s sob story, the old, often lonely, woman replied, “I guess it won’t hurt any. Sure, you can spend the night.”
Leela was relieved. So far, things were going as planned. Asking the elderly woman if she could please have a glass of water, the response, of course, was yes. When Mrs. Baines returned, Leela had unlocked the door allowing Rank to come inside the house. He’d been waiting outside the entire time, hoping not to be seen. Mrs. Baines wasn’t happy to see a strange man standing in her living room. She was scared and didn’t know what to say or think. Before she could get a chance to react either way, Rank revealed his gun, pointing it at her. Speaking in tongues and begging the good Lord to protect her from the wicked hand of Satan, the blessed senior citizen cursed both Rank and Leela, condemning them both to hellfire.
Leela felt some sort of way. Having a flashback that her mother predicted she was on her way to hell as well, she snapped. In between living in the streets, all the death she’d been exposed to, and being pregnant, her mind was gone. In the dark zone, she began talking real nasty to the old woman, as if she was some sort of stranger out to do her harm. Not caring that her grandmother was probably turning over in her grave at the way Leela was treating her longtime friend and church member, she sucked her teeth, fed up with people’s judgments.
With resentment, Leela ordered Mrs. Baines to sit down and cut all the praying and promises of God to bring down his mighty hand of wrath. Picking up a nearby Bible, Mrs. Baines refused to comply, shouting, “Praise Jesus, praise his name,” even louder. An extremely hungry and mentally tired Leela had just about as much as she was willing to take. To Rank’s surprise, who was still pointing the gun at the woman, Leela stormed across the room, running up in Mrs. Baines’s face. Drawing back her hand, Leela brought her palm down, slapping the elderly woman’s dentures clear out of her mouth. The force of the blow was so hard, poor Mrs. Baines dropped to the floor next to her teeth. As she held the side of her face crying for leniency, she asked Leela if she was smoking that crack rock that was ruining the community.
“Damn, shut the fuck up, old hag. I never like your holier-than-thou ass anyhow.” Leela spewed more words of hatred directed toward the dedicated prayer warrior.
After knowing Leela all this time, Rank had never seen this side of her emerge. He knew she was basically down for whatever, seeming not to give a fuck about much of nothing, but somehow, this old woman had struck a nerve where Leela was concerned. Whatever the case was that had his female cohort on ten, showing no mercy, Rank couldn’t worry about it now. He had to do his part to ensure they’d be able to eat whatever that was that had the house smelling so good and not to forget the sack of jewelry that was promised.
Surprised to find Mrs. Baines actually still had a house phone, he ripped the cord out of the wall, using it to tie her up. With her face red, on the verge of turning black, she started praying out loud once more. Not trying to keep hearing God, Jesus, the Savior, or Jehovah’s name anymore, Leela swore she’d stump Mrs. Baines’s mouth shut if she gummed out one more single word. With that understood, Rank and Leela proceeded to ransack the house, looking for anything of value.
* * *
Coming up with a little less than $200 and some loose change, Leela knew they were lucky to get that much out of an old person’s house. Most seniors kept their money in the bank, only taking out small amounts at a time. Leela also found an old style .22 in the woman’s stocking drawer and tucked it in her pocket, not letting Rank know; just for her on protection against anything in the streets, as well as him if he ever flipped out on her. Rank gathered up all the jewelry Mrs. Baines had on her person and lying on the dressers, as well as in a medium-size sparkly covered box. Leela was convinced they’d hit the mother lode. She convinced Rank to not waste another moment. He could go to the pawn shop so they could get on.
“Listen, Rank, don’t pawn the stuff; just sell it outright,” Leela instructed, trusting that he’d come back and not strike out on his own.
Rank located the keys to Mrs. Baines’s car. He wisely took hers, leaving his own car parked deep back in the driveway. While they were alone, her grandmother’s friend tried to reason with Leela. She begged her to stop this madness at once and pray to God for forgiveness. Not trying to hear anything the bruised-faced old biddy had to say, Leela paced the living room back and forth waiting for Rank to return. With nothing else to do to waste time, Leela looked over the fireplace at the multitudes of family photos of the woman’s grandkids.
Suddenly overwhelmed with shame of never giving her young kids the life they deserved, Leela was close to tears. Taking her cell out of her back pocket, she decided to do something she had failed to do since leaving her mother’s front porch; check on her seeds. Their fathers were not in their lives, and for the past few weeks or so, neither was she. After dialing her mother’s number, she braced herself for an onset of a verbal assault. Receiving no answer, Leela told herself she’d call back later; that is, if it was still weighing heavy on her black heart.
* * *
Ninety minutes dragged by. Hearing a car pull up on the side of the house in the driveway, Leela assumed it had to be Rank finally coming back. She’d tried to reach his cell phone once or twice and didn’t receive an answer. Peeking out from behind the dark red lace curtains, Leela smiled, knowing he hadn’t deserted her as she thought he might. Joyfully meeting him at the front door, her enthusiasm was not returned by a twisted-faced Rank.
Bursting through the doorway, he reached his hand deep into the grocery plastic bag. Digging out a handful of the jewelry he’d stolen from the bedroom, Rank’s aim was perfect, hitting Mrs. Baines in her already swollen, bruised face. Just as Leela had done earlier, Rank ran up in the old-enough-to-be-his-mother’s-mother’s-mother’s face, yelling and cursing every foul word he could think of.
“What happened? What’s wrong, Rank? What’s the deal that got you so pissed? And why you bring all this stuff back?” Leela stood over to the side letting him take all his aggressions about whatever on Mrs. Baines. Better this bitch than me.
Rank rubbed his trembling hand back across his hair, then down across his face. “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with my fucking black ass?” he fumed, ready to explode. “Okay, how about they laughed me damn near out the building at the pawn shop about this fake-ass jewelry!”
“Fake?” Leela repeated, glancing over at Mrs. Baines.
“Yeah, fake as fuck. I mean, you had me all up there on front street arguing these old Jew motherfuckers that this bullshit some old priceless heirlooms. Yeah . . . right, this shit straight garbage; all of it! Got me looking a damn fool!”
Leela rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Walking into the kitchen and over to the stove, she lifted the lids off the tops of the pots of food the old woman had cooked. Leela had the food on a low simmer, hoping to eat a good meal to celebrate all the money Rank was going to bring home from the pawn shop. However, she was used to disappointments in her life and men not doing what they said they would do; even though this cliché in the Matrix wasn’t directly on Rank.
Rank finally calmed down. He was starving and not once protested when Leela told him it was time to eat and to come fix himself a plate. With the nerve to sit at the woman’s dining-room table, the ruthless pair carried on as if they really lived in Mrs. Baines’s house and she was no more than an old dishrag or towel lying on the floor near the fireplace.
Having eaten almost everything the woman had prepared for two days, Leela opened up the freezer. Rambling through it, she took out a pack of pork chops to unthaw so she could fry them later. R
ank, like Leela, had made himself at home. He had gotten comfortable on the sofa after kicking his shoes off. Finally finding a black-and-white movie on the old box-style TV, he was about ready to doze off. Just as the old woman shot her shot with Leela, she tried to talk to Rank. Not in the mood to hear her mouth, especially because he blamed her for sending him on a dummy mission to the pawn, Rank promised to her and God if she didn’t shut up, he’d stuff his filthy sock in her mouth.
Leela was onto something entirely different. She went into the woman’s bedroom and searched through her drawers once more. Finding a fresh clean pair of granny panties and an old religious-themed T-shirt, Leela stripped down and went to take a long, hot bath. Refreshed, but tired, she curled up in the woman’s bed taking a nap.
* * *
While Rank and Leela were out committing petty crimes and home invasions on the elderly, Stackz and Ava had grown closer. Stackz had got behind Ava in her side hustle. Allowing her to make top dollar, he’d helped her step up her game up by sending people her way for phony paperwork and scripts that had major funds to spend. Business was good for Ava. Not only was she bringing in big money, Stackz was still giving her the world. Ava’s money was hers to do with however she pleased.
After she had come home from the doctor’s office, she and Stackz had a long talk. Stackz asked Ava if she felt she had enough money saved up to feel comfortable. Letting her know that although he sent customers her way, he still didn’t want to keep running the risk of her one day getting caught up. Getting that understood, Stackz then revealed he felt it was time for them to take things to the next level; all the way. He was ready for her to meet some of his and Gee’s immediate family; not his street family, but blood. His first cousin’s little girl was having a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese in a few days. Telling her to bring Leela’s kids, her nephew and nieces, Ava was elated. She was beyond happy Stackz was letting his guard down more and more with her; showing his affection was as genuine as hers.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Thirty-nine hours had passed since Rank and Leela had brazenly taken over Mrs. Baines’s longtime home. They had cruelly put the old woman in the spare room, tying her up to the metal bed frame at night. It was late Saturday evening, and Leela was feeling charitable. With a glass of water in her hand, she’d opted to give the old lady her medication she claimed she needed.
In that moment in time, the elderly woman reminded Leela of her grandmother when she was just a small child. Strangely, it was if Mrs. Baines was reading her mind. Even though she’d been ordered by both Rank and Leela to keep her mouth shut, she began talking to her friend’s granddaughter about the good ole days; the days when she and Ava were young children and how different their personalities were. How her friend always seemed to favor Leela over her spoiled younger sister. The old woman’s memories were touching Leela’s rotten-to-the-core spirit.
Leela knew what she was doing was way out of order. For the first time since they’d invaded Mrs. Baines’s home, she felt her conscience kick in. Lowering her head in shame, Leela quickly walked out of the room, leaving the old lady still tied up with the TV on so she could watch it to keep herself company. Back in the living room, Leela found herself once more staring at the family photos of the old woman’s grandkids on the mantle. Feeling some sort of way, she maternally thought of her own kids and the unborn child she was carrying by Devin. Not wanting to face the reality that she was no more than an unfit mother and a monster, Leela began laying all the various framed pictures facedown on the mantle. Get it together, girl. I’m just emotional and fucked up in the head right now! I been down this road before! Being pregnant will do that to a bitch.
Taking his attention away from a movie he was watching, Rank studied Leela’s movements closely, sensing something was off. “You, crazy bitch, over there. Fuck is wrong with you? What you going through?”
“Nothing, nosey nigga, what’s wrong with you?” Leela snapped back, ready to go on the defense over her gloomy state of mind. Wanting to have a small bit of privacy, she went into the bathroom. After turning on the water in the sink, she pulled out her cell phone. Saying a prayer that she could hold her temper down to a bare minimum, the wayward daughter dialed her mother’s number again. Despite what people said about her over the years, Leela was not a total monster. She was human like the next person. If you cut her skin, she bled red blood like the next man. Leela was unable to keep holding out from at least talking to her kids and her disrespectful mom any longer. It had been weeks since she’d spoken to any of her family members, including Ava’s two-faced snake ass. Leela felt her mother and kids were one thing. She was still very much mad at her sister and didn’t care if they ever spoke again. To Leela, Ava was dead.
* * *
“Leela, what the fuck is wrong with you? I swear you the most selfish bitch I’ve ever known in my life. I can’t believe I gave birth to your trifling ass. When you gonna do right by these damn kids and get your shit together? I keep telling you those streets don’t care about you or nobody else, but you just won’t hear me, will you?” Leela’s mother unleashed a verbal tirade into the phone, not giving her daughter a chance to even say hello.
“Well, damn, hello to you to, Momma,” Leela sarcastically got a word in. “I didn’t call you to hear no sermon about how you feel about me or what I’m doing wrong in my fucking life. I’m good with me. Now could you please put my oldest on the phone?”
“Naw, bitch, I can’t!”
“Oh, so it’s like that,” Leela raged. “You not gonna let me speak to my own damn kids. That’s messed up for real! Yous a real bitch for that, Momma!”
Leela’s mother had just about enough of her firstborn running off at the mouth. This was the first time in weeks she had a free moment to herself and was going to celebrate with a bottle. “Look, you selfish whore. Trust me, I don’t have no problem whatsoever with you being a mother to these kids. Shit, you had them, not me. But you soon gonna find out what happens to unfit little hoes that abandon they kids!”
“Whatever, Momma, just let me speak to my damn kids and stop playing with me,” Leela demanded, not trying to hear shit else.
“Look, girl, they ain’t here. And even if they was, I doubt they wanna talk to your silly ass. They gone to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese with Ava and that boy, what’s his name she been seeing for the last few months. They just walked out the door. I swear if I didn’t know any better, I’d think them was your sister’s kids, as much time she spend with them and do for them since you call yourself disappearing. When you gonna be more like your sister Ava?”
Leela heard her mother sipping something liquid and knew off rip she was drinking alcohol as always, and she was probably drunk. “And when you going to stop drinking, lady? Can you answer that before you come on me like you done lost your mind?” Leela had no respect for her elders. She was heated because her mother was going in on her; yet, she keeps a bottle of liquor glued to her mouth like it was a glass dick that she gets paid to suck. “Know what, dear Momma? I’ll get my shit together when you lead by example. Until then, stop preaching at me like your shit don’t stink.”
Her mother laughed out loud. “Okay, girl, you can talk about me drinking all you want. But I bet I wasn’t drunk in court Thursday; me or Ava. I bet that much!”
“Court? What in the fuck?” Leela paused, not knowing what her mother was talking about or why she was back bringing up Ava’s name.
“Yeah, you smart-talking little thang. Like I already said, you’ll see what happens to hood rat mommas that abandon their kids. You done fucked up this time for sure! Now let me go drink to that damn fact! Bye, bitch!”
The infuriated daughter pressed the button ending the call. Picking up a bottle of lotion that was sitting on the sink, Leela smashed it against the bathroom mirror. Watching the shattered, sharp, shiny pieces fall to the ceramic floor, Leela was past a hundred and counting, thinking about all the things her mother had said and claimed. Not only had s
he not spoken to her kids, she’d found out her sister had them out, showboating, having a good time with the man who murdered her soon-to-be born child’s father.
Who does Ava think she is? Those are my kids, not hers. Did her fake ass ask me could she take my kids anywhere? Hell naw. I don’t want mines around that nigga Stackz either. Fucking asshole. If it wasn’t for him wanting to prove a point and kill Devin, shit would still be good. Man, fuck him and Ava. Them bitches wanna act like it’s fuck me; all right then. It’s on for real! And my mother, that bitch gonna get hers too! On everything, she gonna pay!
Her touched-by-an-angel remorseful spirit Mrs. Baines had invoked was gone. Just like that, Leela was back to herself after speaking to her mother; vindictive, hateful, and spiteful. Bolting out of the bathroom, she ran down the hallway and straight up to Rank, interrupting his time in front of the television. “Yo, it’s now or never! Nigga, you tired of running, and I am too. So peep game, I know where this nigga Stackz is at right damn now!”
* * *
Leela put Rank up on game, informing him that her mother had dry snitched on Stackz and didn’t even know it. In the middle of all her insults, berating Leela, the fact that she revealed Ava and Devin’s murderer were at Chuck E. Cheese was as good as signing Stackz’s death warrant. Quick thinking, Leela told Rank that her no-good fake sister and that ho-ass buster were either at the location on the far West Side or the deep East Side, seeing as there were only two in the city. “Look, all we have to do is take the old woman’s car and hit both of them real quick. They at one or the other, and I know his truck when I see it.” Leela was in full snake mode, counting on Rank to be rolling off E-pills and not being able to control himself catching Stackz off guard at the right time and right place.
Rank rubbed his chin in deep thought. After having flashbacks of the night Devin was killed, he closed his eyes and saw Mickey lying on the floor with his eyes wide open and his tongue hanging out of his mouth to one side. He remembered the pain and seemingly fresh wounds of his own caused by the hands of one man: Stackz. And now, thanks to Leela’s drunken, loose-lipped mother, he knew where he could find him to get his revenge. Rank nodded his head, agreeing with her. “Yeah, you right; it’s now or never.”
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