The Reason Why

by Vickie M. Stringer

  “She is really going to love this!” the saleswoman said excitedly. “Your soon-to-be fiancée is one lucky lady!”

  Chino held the ring in the air and examined it once again. It was a three-carat, round, VVS diamond, sitting in a platinum base. It was an engagement ring for his beloved Pooh. They had moved in together. He had given her a comfortable home, and now it was time to take that final step. He would ask Pooh to marry him.

  That he loved Pam was without question. She was everything that he was not. She was good-hearted, innocent, and square. He was hood and grimy and street. Pam made him a better person, making the world seem like a better place. His Pooh gave him hope, and she gave him the final piece of his dream. He wanted a house in the suburbs, and he wanted a son to carry on his legacy. Pooh would be the perfect wife, the perfect homemaker, and the perfect mother for that son. Would she say yes?

  She could stay in college. He would take care of her. They would have their house, their children, their two cars, their dog, and the life that he dreamed of. He would open his own business, maybe even go back to college himself. He was definitely going to get out of the game. That was what it was all about, getting what you needed and getting out, as Fabian had said. That was the race he was in. Getting his before the police got theirs, or better yet, getting the hell out of town before his karma caught up to him.

  “Are you sure this is the right size?” the saleswoman asked.

  Chino nodded. “Yeah, I bought her a ring a couple of months ago, and this was the size.”

  “The absolute worst thing in the world is receiving an engagement ring and not being able to wear it right away because it doesn’t fit right,” the saleswoman explained. “Then she would have to wait while it was sent off to be resized. The wait would be excruciating!” She rolled her eyes upward and gave a distressed look. Chino and the saleswoman shared a laugh.

  “Gosh, she is so lucky. And you look so young! I wish that my husband could have afforded a fourteen-thousand-dollar engagement ring when we were your age.”

  Chino pointed at a watch in the display case. “Let me see that watch right there.”

  “Which one?”

  “The gold Rolex.” He pointed. “The Oyster Perpetual model.”

  “Good choice.” She pulled the watch from the case. “It comes with a self-winder too.”

  Chino took the watch and tried it on. “How much for this one?”

  “Ten thousand dollars.”

  “And if I wanted to add a diamond bezel?”

  “We’re running a special right now. You can get the diamond bezel and diamond face for an additional five thousand dollars.”

  “Y’all install it?”

  She nodded. “We have an in-house craftsman that does it. You can pick it up in three days.”

  “I’ll take it,” Chino told her. “And the special with the diamond face and bezel.”

  “Good choice,” the saleswoman told him. “And the ring?”

  “Most definitely, yeah.” Chino nodded.

  Chino counted out thirty-two thousand dollars and handed it to the lady. “Seven percent tax, right?”

  “Yes,” she said, still adding the numbers on her calculator. She glanced up at Chino surprised, after she finished her calculations. “Wow, you hit the nail right on the head!”

  “Counting money has always been my specialty.” Chino smiled.

  “Are you an accountant?”

  “Something like that.”

  The saleslady placed Pam’s ring inside a small purple felt box, then inside a small plastic bag, and placed the bag on the counter. “Your watch should be ready in three days, but you can call tomorrow and check on it after four o’clock. There’s not many people in front of you, so he may be able to get to it tomorrow afternoon. Just call and see.”

  “Thank you,” Chino told her, taking his receipt and bag from the counter.

  Chino headed out of the jewelry store toward his car, when he noticed three people walking toward him.

  “Fuck!” Chino said when they became visible.

  He had learned his lesson from the last time, so this time Chino raced and dove behind another car. He wasn’t going to hide behind his Benz and get it shot up. Within seconds, gunfire erupted in the parking lot. Innocent shoppers scattered into the stores trying to find cover.

  “Fucking bitch-ass niggas!” Chino shouted. He pulled out his pistol and returned fire over the Nissan Maxima that he was hiding behind. “I thought I killed you, Jo Jo!”

  Jo Jo and two members of his crew had been walking up to the jewelry store as Chino was heading to his car. They recognized each other at the same time, and both went for their weapons. The good thing was Jo Jo hadn’t been there to jack him, they had just run into each other by accident. The bad thing was it didn’t matter. Whether they came to jack him or not, their bullets were still just as deadly.

  Chino worked his way around to the back of the brown Maxima and peeked around the rear bumper. Jo Jo and his boys were hiding among the parked cars. He didn’t know whether they were going to try to get away or to jack him now. He had become a target of opportunity. And then an idea hit him.

  Chino got down on his hands and knees and looked stealthily beneath the cars in the parking lot. He saw feet gathered together about forty yards away. He had to make them get out of there before they split up and came at him from different directions. And then there was the little matter of the police, who would be coming soon.

  Chino lay on his belly and carefully took aim. He unleashed the fury of his pistol on his targets, watching as the sparks flew off the concrete near their legs. He saw two of them fall and heard voices crying out. Now would be the time to make it back to his car and get the hell out of the shopping center before the police arrived.

  Ducking behind vehicles, he made his way back to his Benz. He didn’t want to climb inside unless he was sure they weren’t looking. Although he knew that they knew what he was driving, he still didn’t want to risk its getting shot up. He dropped to his stomach again, looking intently beneath the cars. He couldn’t see anyone.

  “Fuck it!” he said, rising to his feet. He noticed that others in the parking lot were starting to stand too, and they were all looking in the same direction. Chino quickly turned to see what they were staring at. He could see someone being helped into a green Mustang 5.0. He wondered if he should run over and finish them off or make his own escape. His Mercedes would allow him to leave without suspicion from the innocent bystanders who were now fleeing. No one would suspect the driver of a Benz to be involved in a mall shooting.

  Chino climbed into his car, cranked it up, and backed out. As bad as he wanted to kill Jo Jo, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get away with it. It was broad daylight, and everyone was watching. That muthafucka had gotten away once again, but next time, he wouldn’t be so lucky.

  “Either me or you, Jo Jo,” Chino said, pulling out of the parking lot. “Next time, one of us ain’t leaving the scene. One of us is being put on a slab.” The next time, someone was going to die.

  Chapter 25

  Bonnie & Clyde

  Chino led Pam across the parking lot and stopped just in front of the window of an empty store.

  “What is it? Pam asked, cupping her hands around her eyes, looking in the window. “It’s empty.”

  “It’s empty for right now. But close your eyes and imagine it full of people. People getting their wig done in our very own beauty shop.”

  “What?” Pam turned toward him excitedly. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope.” He pulled a key out of his pocket, stuck it into the lock, unlocked the door, and led Pam inside. “What do you think?”

  Pam looked around and grinned. “Chino, I love it! It’s perfect!”

  Chino and Pam walked through the empty store and took everything in.

  “I could put my hair dryers against this wall, and my sinks against this wall. We could line up the chairs over here for the beauticians.”
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  “We could put the lounge area over there,” Chino said, pointing, “and we could put a play area for kids over in the corner.”

  “Ooooh, that’s a great idea!” Pam grinned. “We can put toys and children’s books, and coloring books, and blocks and shit in the corner for the kids.”

  “Not too much though,” Chino warned. “We don’t want people dropping their bad-ass kids off here and jetting for a while like we some damn day care.”

  They both laughed.

  “What do you think about a barbershop on that side?” Pam asked.

  “Of course, boo. Let’s do it all. We ain’t leaving no money behind. We need to cut hair, do hair, nails, pedicures, manicures, the works. Shit, if we wouldn’t get in trouble, I’d say throw a massage parlor in the back too.”

  “Nuh-uh,” Pam told him. “We know what goes on in those things.” She looked around eagerly and a smile crossed her face. “Oh, Chino, I really want this to happen!”

  “What are you talking about, Pooh? This is going to happen.” Chino emphasized the word going. “We are going to open this shop, and you are going to manage it. Do you think you’re up to managing a shop?”

  “Yeah. This is something that I’ve always wanted to do! I’ve always wanted my own business.”

  “Well, now you’ve got it, but remember, the purpose of the shop is twofold, baby girl. We are going to really do hair and run a business, but we are going to inflate the numbers so I can wash my money through the shop.”

  Pam nodded. She understood, but what Chino was saying wasn’t important at the moment. This was her chance to build her dream shop. The shop that she always wanted to go to when she got her hair done. Everything would be just perfect. “I want this to be the best shop in the world! I want it to be luxurious. Almost like a spa experience.”

  “Maybe one day we can get the space next door and turn it into a full-blown spa and beauty salon.”

  “That would be fly. We could cater to the sisters who don’t feel comfortable going to those white spas.”

  Chino looked at his watch. “I’m glad you like it, Pooh, because the contractor should be here any minute.”

  Surprised by what he had just said, Pam crossed her arms across her chest and pouted. “What if I didn’t like it?”

  “Ah, baby girl, I knew you would.”

  “Yeah, what makes you so confident about that?”

  Walking toward Pam, Chino put his hands on her hips and pulled her toward him. “Pooh, do you know how long and hard I looked for a place like this? Everything else that I ran across, I knew you wouldn’t like. I know my Pooh and she has class. Everything you visualized in here”—he nodded with his head—“I did too.”

  “You know me so well.” Pam winked and kissed Chino on his lips. Breaking away from his grasp, Pam became even more hype. “Chino, I want this to be top-notch. I want coming here to be an experience, one that’s different from all the other salons. I want jazz music playing over a stereo system. I want to serve beverages like coffee, tea, soda, juice, and bottled water. I want mirrors all along this wall and this wall, and I want a lot of chrome. I want it to be really modern and futuristic.”

  Chino nodded. “We can hook that up. We’re gonna need a name for this futuristic and luxurious shop. I was thinking of calling it Pam’s at first.”

  Pam shook her head. “Oh hell no! It has to be something flier than that!”

  Chino grabbed her, pulled her close, and wrapped his arms around her. “How about we call it Pooh’s?”

  “Boy, please!” Pam pulled away and turned to face him. “Be serious!” Mocking a fake customer, Pam jibbed, “Girl, where you get yo hair done? I got my hair done at Pooh’s.” They both laughed. It sounded ghetto as hell.

  “Okay, since that’s out, how about Divas?” Chino suggested.

  “Divas. Hmm . . . ,” Pam said, mulling it over. “Maybe. We’ll keep that one in mind.”

  “How about D’Elegance, like the Cadillac?”

  “I think not!”

  “How about Eloquence?”

  Pam shrugged and pursed her lips. “Those are stripper names, Chino!”

  Chino burst into laughter because she was right. “Okay, how about Turning Heads?”

  “Turning Heads?” Pam smiled. “I like that. I like it a lot.”

  “How about Lasting Impressions?” Chino spit out.

  “Yeah, but those names are kinda ghetto. I wanted something more classy.”

  “Call it A Touch of Class,” Chino suggested.

  “That’s real ghetto!” Pam said. “I want it to be classy and sassy and urban, but without being ghetto . . . something eloquent.”

  “That’s it!” Chino grinned from ear to ear.

  “What’s it?”

  “Eloquent. We’ll call the shop Eloquent.”

  Pam pondered for a moment. She liked the name but there was something missing. “Not just Eloquent. It needs to be jazzier than that.”

  “What if we just played on that word?” Chino suggested. “What if we called it L O Quent?” he said, pausing between the syllables.

  A smile spread across Pam’s face. “I like it. L O Quent,” she repeated. “In fact, I love it! That’s what we’ll call it! L O Quent Beauty Salon.”

  A car pulled up to the shop and stopped. It was a blue Cutlass Supreme with black faces inside. Out of pure instinct, Chino whipped out his strap.

  “Chino!”

  “Hold on, baby!” he said, waving Pam out of the way.

  “It’s just a group of females!” Pam shouted, seeing the girls exit the car, laughing and walking toward a Chinese takeout restaurant two stores down.

  “What?” he asked. He heard her, but didn’t.

  “They were females.”

  Chino looked out the window and saw the last of the girls enter the Chinese food place. After a deep sigh, he tucked his pistol back into the small of his back and pulled his shirt down over it.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Pam asked.

  “I ain’t taking no chances, baby. I ain’t gonna get caught slipping.”

  “Chino, look where we’re at. We’re in a nice area. Can you just, for once, leave that stuff behind us? For me? Please?”

  “That stuff is getting us where we need to be, Pooh. That’s a part of me. My life.”

  “I understand that, Chino, and I’m not knocking it. Just look around us. If anything were to look shady, don’t you think it would have been noticed before now?”

  Chino nodded. Pam was right. They were in a nice area and it was doubtful that Jo Jo or anyone else would prowl this area looking for dope dealers to jack. Although he had run into Jo Jo at an upscale shopping center last time, that had purely been an accident.

  “Chino, look at me,” Pam said softly.

  Chino turned and looked into her eyes.

  “We are trying to make a better life for ourselves,” she explained. “We have a new apartment, we are opening up a business, and pretty soon you’ll be able to leave that lifestyle behind. We are making a fresh start, baby. We are creating a whole new world for ourselves, but in order to do that, you are going to have to take the first steps of leaving the old world behind. A new life, Christonos. That’s what we are building.”

  Chino nodded, walked to the glass window, and gazed out. Pam had so much hope for this new world that they were building that he couldn’t tell her the truth. He couldn’t tell her that once you have a reputation for being a baller, you’ll always have it. Even if you no longer sell dope, people will assume it’s because you got enough to get out of the game. And if you’ve got enough money to retire from the dope game, then that just makes you an even bigger target for jackers. Chino knew he would always have an X on his back in Columbus and the only way out would be to leave, and that’s what he planned to do—wash his paper through the salon and then get them the hell out of Columbus. Chino just hoped that he wouldn’t die trying.

  Chapter 26

  Soul Mates

 
Chino’s hands shook a bit as he held the door open for Pam. Pam loved shrimp, especially shrimp scampi, so he had brought her to Red Lobster. She had an affinity for the garlic butter and the biscuits that they served with the meals. He had asked her to dinner for a special purpose—to present her with the ring. Things had been going well for them. Winter had quietly morphed into spring, and Columbus was alive and bustling again. Although they still had Young Mike living with them, living together was wonderful. Chino loved coming home to his Pooh. He loved having someone in his arms at night, and he loved having someone around to talk to all the time. Despite all the protesting from Pam’s parents, she had stood up to them and told them she was done with school and had been managing the startup of L O Quent full time.

  Waking up to breakfast, coming home to a hot lunch and a hot dinner was something that Chino quickly got used to. Pam had proven that she was wifey material and now he was about to wife her. He tapped at the ring in his pocket as the hostess seated them in a secluded corner booth and handed them their menus. Their waitress came almost immediately and took their drink orders.

  The beauty shop was coming along well. L O Quent was going to open on schedule, and so far, the buzz that they had been generating across the city was all good. Even the Columbus Dispatch wrote an article about the new upscale salon. Things couldn’t have been better, and yet, somehow, he felt that they were about to be. Locking down Pooh would secure everything for him. She was a major piece of the puzzle in the life that he was trying to create for himself. Pooh—wife, future mother, salon manager, business partner, life partner, best friend. She played so many roles in his life, and he had even more in store for her. Soon she would merge all the titles into one, and he would just refer to her as his everything.

  “I’m definitely ready to get my grub on,” Pam told him. “You are going to have to forgive me and forget about what I’m about to do to this shrimp.”

  Chino laughed. “Girl, you sound like you’re about to eat up some shit.”

  “Are you ready to order?” the waitress asked, setting down their drinks.