The Candy Shop

by Kiki Swinson

  “A’ight,” Teresa said and then we both witnessed him as he dashed to the apartment building sitting directly across the street from where we were parked. And almost immediately after he disappeared by the black iron door, Teresa rushed over to the driver’s side door and began to throw a whole bunch of questions at me.

  “What the hell has gotten into you, just that fast?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Shit! I can’t tell, when you got that motherfucker answering all your questions for you.”

  “Look, all I wanna do is get my shit straight. And he said he’s gon’ help me. So, why would I turn that down?”

  “Faith, that nigga is a fucking heroin dealer. So, how in the hell is he going to wean you off some shit he’s out here selling, all day long?”

  “He told me he was going to get me some of those meth pills.”

  “Girl, please, that shit ain’t nothing but a fucking Band-Aid. ’Cause if the shit really worked, don’t you think it wouldn’t be a soul out here getting high?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, you better find out. ’Cause, this game out here is for real. And trust me when I tell you that Papoose got some other shit up his sleeve for your ass. So, you better keep your eyes open and watch every move that motherfucker takes.”

  “Oh, trust me; I will.”

  “You better, because I’ve seen him fuck up plenty of these bitches’ asses out here behind dumb shit. And the nigga didn’t blink his eyes one time.”

  “Well, I’m not gonna have to worry about that, because I’m gonna tell him from the door that I don’t tolerate men hitting on women.”

  “And you think that’s gon’ work?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, think again. ’Cause that nigga doesn’t have one ounce of respect for no one but himself.”

  “Yeah, okay. We’ll see,” I replied in a casual way, only to let Teresa know that all that stuff she was talking about didn’t apply to me. So, I let it go right over my head.

  Soon after our discussion had ended, Papoose came running back toward us with a blue logo-type tee shirt in his left hand. His other hand was balled up in a fist, so he could have anything hidden in there.

  Sounding out of breath, he walked up to Teresa and handed her a couple pills of his dope. And like clockwork, her face lit up like a corner street light. “Good looking out!” she said with one of her most famous cheesy expressions.

  “Don’t mention it,” he told her. “Just take your ass on home and get off these streets.”

  “But, how am I gon’ get there? Faith was my ride.”

  “Here take this twenty dollars and call a cab.” he continued as he handed her a twenty-dollar bill.

  “A’ight. No problem,” she said, as she eagerly took the money out of his hands.

  “Are you gon’ be all right?” I asked her while she was trying to get herself situated.

  “Oh yeah, I’m straight,” she replied, acting all giddy.

  “Well, take care. And I’ll see you later.”

  “A’ight.” She walked away from the car.

  “I wonder if she’s going to be all right,” I commented to Papoose the moment he sat down in the passenger seat.

  “Hell yeah! Homegirl is a veteran out here. So, trust me, she’s gon’ be a’ight!”

  “If you say so,” I replied, sighing heavily; and then I started up the ignition and drove off.

  Using my Money Maker

  We drove approximately thirty-five minutes and ended up in the Great Bridge section of Chesapeake. And when we came upon the Marriott Hotel he instructed me to pull over, so I did.

  “You got your license on you?” he asked me.

  “Yes, why? You need me to get a room in my name?”

  “Yeah,” he replied and handed me three fifty-dollar bills.

  I took the money out of his hand, got out of the car, and walked into the hotel. It only took me about five minutes to book the room and pay for it, and when I returned to the car with the room key in hand, he had a smile on his face.

  “What are you smiling for?” I asked him as I handed him the key.

  “I’m just looking at how cute you are,” he responded as he exited the car.

  “Now, how many times are you going to tell me that?” I asked, desperately trying not to smile.

  “What, ya don’t appreciate compliments, or something?”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what is it?” he asked as we entered into the lobby of the hotel.

  “It’s nothing really. I just don’t feel like I deserve a compliment right now. I mean, look at me. I got on the same clothes as I did yesterday.”

  “Shit, that ain’t nothing a shower can’t handle.”

  I laughed at Papoose’s sense of humor and we both continued carrying on our conversation all the way to the room. Now, once we entered into the room, shit got a little more formal and it was evident that he couldn’t wait to show off his manhood, too. But, I felt it was necessary to slow things down a bit because for one, my stomach was beginning to growl, and two, I was also getting ill with the stomach cramps. So, right then and there, I knew that if I was going to do anything with this man, he was gonna have to pump me up with a couple of those meth pills and get me something to eat.

  “I’m not feeling too good,” I warned him as I sat down at the foot of the bed.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked me from the other side of the bed.

  “I’m hungry, for one. And I’m starting to feel a little ill,” I replied.

  “Well, I guess you can order some room service. But, I’m gon’ have to make a phone call to get you dem meth pills.”

  “Okay, I’ll call and order room service. But, will you make that phone call for me, before I get too sick to do anything?”

  “Oh, don’t worry, I’m gon’ get on top of that now,” he told me and pulled out his cellular phone.

  Now by the time he made the phone call to his methadone connection, I had also called in a breakfast order for guest services to deliver it to the room, and it came in no time. Papoose and I both sat down at the table and enjoyed every bite of the buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese, and the plentiful amount of turkey bacon they’d stacked on the plate. We each had a tall glass of ice cold orange juice that set the entire breakfast off. And before long, we were both laid out on the bed with our stomachs filled to capacity. He was stretched out on one side of the bed and I was on the other side, lying back with my eyes closed, praying that this friend will knock on the door in the next twenty minutes or so. And to my surprise, he did. So, Papoose greeted him at the door.

  “Come on in, nigga!” he said and gave the guy a handshake to shoulder hug.

  And when the guy stepped around the door, he and I recognized each other immediately. But, he was the first to say something. “Yo’ don’t I know you?” he asked me as he walked closer to the bed.

  I nodded my head.

  “From where, though?” he pressed on while Papoose stood alongside him and waited for me to answer.

  “I’m Tee’s friend,” I finally responded.

  “Tee?” he said with uncertainty.

  “Yeah, Tee,” I said as I turned completely around toward him. “The one whose brother got killed out Grandy Park, not too long ago.”

  “Oh yeah!” he said, as he placed one hand over his mouth and laughed. “I remember you. You’re the chick who came over there and saved Teresa and her brother Eugene from getting their ass fucked up real good, because they owed me some dough.”

  “Yo, how she do that?” Papoose interjected.

  “Yo, Papoose man, Shorty right there is a lifesaver, son! I mean, when dem two fucking junkies couldn’t come up with my dough, Shorty came through for them and paid me herself.”

  Papoose smiled and said, “Word!”

  Lamont nodded his head and said, “Yep. She saved their ass!”

  “Damn, Faith, you’re all right!” Papoose said to me.<
br />
  “Yeah, she’s cool!” Lamont blurted out. “But, a few weeks later, I had to slap her ass on the floor for trying to stop me from fucking her friend up.”

  “Oh shit! She’s a trooper too!” Papoose said with excitement.

  “Yeah, she’s got plenty of balls! But, I had to strip dem joints from her after she ran up on me,” Lamont replied as he continued to chuckle. But then his laughter stopped when his cellular phone started chirping, so he said, “Wait, let me see who just sent me a text message.”

  So, Papoose walked away from him to give him enough space and privacy to read his message. But, it seemed like whatever message he had just received was very short, because he closed his Sidekick back up and placed it right back on his hip. And from there, he went into business mode. “So, whatcha trying to get?” he asked Papoose who, by this time, was sitting at the table, counting a small stack of cash he pulled from his pocket.

  “How much are they going for?” Papoose wanted to know.

  “Five joints a piece,” Lamont replied, as he pulled a clear Ziploc bag from his left pocket.

  “Well, ummm . . .” he began to say, as he ran a few numbers in his head. “Give me twenty of dem things.”

  “A’ight,” Lamont said as he counted out twenty white tablets and handed them all to Papoose.

  In exchange, Papoose handed him one hundred dollars. After the transaction was completed, Papoose escorted him outside the room. But before Lamont made his exit, he looked back at me and said, “Have fun!”

  And of course I didn’t respond. I just waved the clown off and said to myself, “Good riddance.”

  Now while they were both standing outside in the hallway, I could hear them laughing and joking. But for the life of me, I couldn’t make out what they were saying. So, I lay back on the bed and turned onto my stomach for a little comfort and here came Papoose walking through the door, smiling like he had just won the fucking lottery or something. And that’s when I asked him, “Whatcha smiling for?”

  “Because I’m happy.”

  “What are you happy about?”

  “About a whole lot of things.”

  “Like what?” I pressed on.

  “If I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Well, try me.”

  “Nah,” he said, as he climbed onto the bed. “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”

  “Okay, that’s fine,” I said.

  So, he slid a little closer to me and asked me how badly I wanted those pills. And my answer to him was, “What do you think?”

  “Well, I can’t answer that. Because I would be putting words in your mouth. So, I want to hear it from you.”

  I hesitated for a moment, trying to gather up the right words in my mind that would best describe how I was feeling at this very moment, but for some reason all I could say was, “Because I’m hurting.”

  “A’ight,” Papoose said as he stripped off his white tank top and placed two of the methadone pills right on top of his stomach, revealing his awesome–looking six pack. “Now, show me how bad you want these two pills right here,” he continued as he looked me directly into my eyes.

  Now, I knew exactly what that meant. And for him to come off on me like that, humiliated the hell out of me. But, what other option did I have? I mean, this nigga had me exactly where he wanted me, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it but go with the flow. So, I got up on my knees and crawled over toward him.

  “Take off your shirt and your bra,” he instructed me.

  So, I stopped in my tracks, stood up on my knees, and pulled off both my shirt and bra. After he got his first glimpse of my breasts, he said, “Damn, Shorty, you got some pretty-ass titties!”

  I didn’t comment, but I did smile.

  “Are dem joints real?” he asked me with a puzzled expression.

  “Yes, they are,” I assured him and then I got back down on my hands and started crawling toward him. As soon as I got in the position he wanted me, he had me unzip his jeans and pull his already-hard dick through the open slit of his boxers.

  “Lick the head,” he told me as he started massaging and squeezing my left breast in his hand.

  So, I did. But then he said, “Let me see if you can put my whole joint in your mouth.”

  Now before I did just that, I measured his entire dick with my eyes and played around with it with my tongue. And once I was sure that I wouldn’t humiliate myself and gag on it, I pushed the whole thing into my mouth like it was nothing. And he went crazy.

  “Ahh, shit!” he said as I tightened my mouth around the base of it. “You got some mu’fucking skills, girl!”

  I didn’t comment because my mouth was too full. But, I was able to look him into his eyes and wink. And that drove him crazy too. I had to admit that I was starting to enjoy myself.

  While I was serving homeboy up, unbelievably my pussy started getting all moist and wet. I mean, it was a total shock to me because I was getting turned on by a man who wasn’t even my husband, and it was beginning to feel really strange. But, then I figured that your heart wasn’t going to lie to you. So, I said fuck it, and kept on doing what I was doing.

  “Damn right, Faith, suck this dick, girl!” he kept saying as he moaned uncontrollably.

  And it’s crazy because when you hear a man moan with passion the shit will turn a woman on and make her go that extra mile to get him to climax. So, that’s what I did as I started stroking the shaft with one hand and sucking the tip of the head with my mouth.

  “Ahh shit!” he said immediately after I engulfed his whole dick into my mouth once again.

  “You like this, don’t cha?” I asked in a cocky manner between licks.

  “You muthafucking right!” Papoose screamed out to the top of his voice.

  And for a minute there, I thought this nigga was turning into a little bitch from that scream he hurdled out of his mouth. But, I chalked it up and laughed and knew from that point that I was doing my thing.

  “Oh yeah . . .Shorty, I’m about to cum,” he warned me and closed his eyes.

  So, I tightened my mouth around the head some more and continued to pump his dick like I was trying to get water from a well. And after thirty more seconds of this, homeboy’s body started trembling like he was about to go into cardiac arrest.

  “I’m cumming! I’m cumming!” he warned me once more.

  And then out of nowhere, this nigga shot about two ounces of this warm, milk-like texture into my mouth, but I refused to swallow it. So, I played it off and opened my mouth just enough around the head and released every drop of it down the sides of this dick while I was still sucking on it.

  “Oh yeah,” he said as he opened up his eyes and slapped the back of my ass. “You got some good muthafucking head!”

  “Yeah, my husband tells me the same thing,” I told him as I began to search for the two methadone pills which had fallen somewhere on the bed, near where we were.

  “Well, your husband sho knows what he’s talking about,” he commented as he got up from the bed and headed into the bathroom.

  But, I wasn’t paying his ass no mind. My main concern was locating those two pills. So, I continued my search and finally found them both. When I got them in my hands, I rushed to the table and grabbed my half-filled glass of orange juice, threw my head back, tossed both of them down my throat, and sent the orange juice down behind it.

  Now, it took about ten minutes or so for the pills to work. And when these bad boys started taking effect, I felt like I was high all over again.

  I mean, the shit was good! And Papoose was right, it definitely killed the cravings of that heroin, too. So, I figured with the rest of that supply he had for me, I was going to be all right.

  The Devil in Sheep’s Clothing

  Papoose and I had been staying in this hotel room for about three weeks and I must admit that I had truly become accustomed to how he was taking care of me. And can you believe it, he called me his girlfriend, which I thought is kind o
f cute. All we did every day was eat, sleep, fuck each other’s brains out and, at the end of the day, I got my meth pills, so I was cool with this setup!

  The only thing I didn’t like was when he left me in the room all day so he could run the streets in my car. Now, I knew he was out there taking care of business most of the time, but I got tired of sitting in the room and not being able to go anywhere.

  He told me he only kept me there as a part of my recovery. But, I thought that was bullshit, because I believed the real reason he kept me locked up in the room was because he was out there running around with a whole bunch of hoes and niggas in my car, and just didn’t want me to know about it.

  So, to feed my curiosity, I tried to call Teresa’s home telephone number to see if she could school me as to what was really going on, but her phone service was disconnected and that sent me right back to the drawing board. But, then again, I figured something would surface and I’d have all the answers I needed.

  Now after all the time I’d been spending at the hotel with Papoose, just that night I was yearning to be back at home with Eric again. But, I knew that would be a long shot since I’d admitted to his parents that I had a dope habit, and blew smoke up their asses when I told them I was going to let them put me in a drug rehab center. But then again, I figured if I went over to the house and showed him how I’d been keeping my weight up and told him how I’d managed to stay clean from heroin for over three weeks, maybe he’d let me come back in the house. And if not, then I just hoped and prayed he’d let me spend some time with my baby. But, I’d never know the answers to those questions until he and I came face to face with one another.

  Later that night, Papoose came walking in the room shy of three a.m., and he was not the same person he was earlier. He was cursing like his mind was going bad. As a matter of fact, he was showing me the other side of him, and that other side was very volatile. So after he slammed the door and turned on the light, I knew I was going to be up for the rest of the night.

  “Ay yo’, Faith, ” he called out my name as he threw my car keys down on the table.

  “Yeah,” I replied, barely audible.