Eastside

by Caleb Alexander

  “Fuck yeah, Blood!” Lil Fade shouted. “Fuck yeah! That’s why I love your brother, Romeo! That’s why I fuckin’ love Capone!” Lil Fade leaned over the seat and kissed Romeo on the top of his head.

  “Whooooeee!” Darius shouted. He pulled off of the highway two exits later, and headed for his aunt’s house.

  The boys pulled up at Chicken’s. Darius hopped out of his car and ran into the living room. “Aunt Chicken! Aunt Chicken!”

  “What, boy?” Chicken walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish rag.

  “Romeo got hit in the arm!” Darius said excitedly. “He’s all right though.”

  Romeo walked into the house, followed by Travon, Marcus, and Lil Fade. Chicken saw the blood on her son’s arm and grabbed her chest.

  “Oh my God!” Chicken exclaimed. She rushed to her son.

  “I’m okay,” Romeo told her. “Don’t trip.”

  Darius lifted his aunt’s keys from the coffee table and walked out to the garage. He lifted her old wooden garage door, and backed her car out into the street in front of her house. Then he climbed into his shot-up vehicle, pulled it into the garage and closed the garage door. When finished, he ventured out into the yard and examined the block, to make sure that no one had been watching. Once satisfied, he went back inside of the residence.

  Chicken held the telephone between her chin and shoulder, speaking with one of her coworkers from the hospital as she examined her son’s forearm.

  “Yes, Martin, it’s a clean wound. The bullet went straight through, no bone fractures or anything,” she said into the receiver. “Tonight? Right now? Okay, Martin, and remember, this has to be kept hush-hush.”

  Chicken paused for several seconds, listening to her coworker. “I’ll do it myself, and if you think it’s bad, then I’ll do the assist,” she told him. “Okay, Martin, I’m on the way. And thanks again, you’re a real sweetheart. ’Bye.”

  Chicken hung up. “Go and change shirts,” she said angrily. “No, go and change all of your clothes! And when you come back downstairs, bring my black nurse’s bag.”

  Romeo hesitated. “Are you sure that he ain’t gonna call the cops?”

  Chicken shook her head. “No, this is Dr. Larimey, the same one who treated your brother the last time. I’m going to sneak you through the delivery entrance, and then I’m going to do all of the work myself. He’s just going to examine the wound and make sure that you don’t need surgery, and that nothing is damaged.”

  Chicken pointed her finger into her son’s face. “You’re lucky I’m a nurse, or you’d be fucked! And you know what? I hope that it hurts like hell! That will teach you about going out and getting into all kinds of shit!”

  Romeo headed up the stairs, and Chicken turned to Darius. “Go and call Vera, tell her that you’re drunk, and that you and Marcus, and Tre will be staying over my house tonight.”

  A news brief broke into the regular show. An anchorman with a serious expression stared into the camera.

  “One of the worst incidents of gang violence this city has ever seen occurred today on the Eastside. Two park rangers lost their lives in the line of duty, trying to stop two rival gangs in a shootout. It happened at County Park Number Six, also known as Pletz Park. We’ll go live to Christine Parker who is at the scene right now. Christine.”

  The scene switched to a blonde white woman in a gray suit who was wearing too much makeup.

  “That’s right, David,” the journalist led off. “Details are still sketchy right now, but this is what Channel Five has learned. Eyewitnesses say that the park was crowded earlier this afternoon, when shooting broke out between two rival gang factions. Seven people were killed, including the two park rangers, and thirteen wounded. Many of the wounded are in very serious condition right now, and the final death toll is expected to climb. Police say that they are coming up blank on suspects, because all of the potential eyewitnesses were trying to flee the carnage, so no one was able to get a good look at the assailants. That’s all we have right now, I’ll be at the scene for quite some time, so I’ll keep you up-to-date on any new developments. Back to you, David.”

  “Thanks, Christine. Once again, gang violence erupts on the city’s Eastside, that’ll be our top story tonight on News Five at Ten. We’ll keep you up-to-date, as more information becomes available.” The anchorman turned to his right. “Dan.”

  The camera switched to another anchor, this one a white balding fifty-something male in a cheap gray suit with a red tie.

  “In a related story. Police find a bullet-riddled, abandoned Cadillac on Interstate Thirty-five today. It was believed to have been involved in a high-speed, gangland shootout that occurred earlier. Police arrived to find a wrecked, burnt-out Cadillac, riddled with bullet holes. They cannot confirm who the occupants were, or whether this shooting was directly related to the shooting at County Park Number Six earlier.”

  Chicken lifted her remote and turned the television set off. She stared at Lil Fade, Travon, Marcus, and Darius in disappointment.

  “Anyone want to explain this?” she asked.

  “I got jumped, and they pulled guns on me,” Travon told her.

  Chicken nodded. “Okay, that explains one. What about the other seven dead and twelve wounded?”

  “There were six of them,” Travon said softly.

  Romeo bounded down the stairs, and seated himself on the couch next to Travon.

  “What about the seven dead and the other seven wounded?” she asked.

  The boys remained silent. Chicken jabbed her finger at the television.

  “Tonight, there are seven mothers crying, Tre!” she shouted. “Seven! Do you remember when it was your mother’s night to cry?”

  Travon, Romeo, Darius, and Marcus looked down. Lil Fade looked away.

  “I’m an emergency room nurse,” Chicken told them. “I see this shit every day! Every time a child comes in lying on a stretcher, I pray that it isn’t one of you! I walk out and I see the family waiting and praying, and I know what the doctor is about to tell them. What do you say to a woman, a mother, who has just been told that her baby is never coming home! And worst of all! Worst of all! It’s over a God damned color! Look at me!” Chicken screamed.

  The boys quickly shifted their gazes toward her.

  Chicken pointed her finger at them. “There are no medical or dental benefits in gang banging! There is no 401(k) plan, and you sure in the hell don’t get paid for it! If you get wounded, you don’t get a God damned disability check from your gang! So what the hell is it for? What’s it all for? Why are you kids killing each other? Why?”

  Chicken shook her head and walked out of her front door in tears. From the front yard, she called out to her son. “Romeo, get my nurse’s bag, and my keys, and bring your ass on!”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Aunt Vera’s House

  The Next Day

  “Yeah, Blood!” Suga shouted. “We served them hoes!”

  “I gave Mike-Mike and Pooh-Pooh at least five shots apiece!” Capone bragged.

  “But the news people said that the car was abandoned when the po-po’s got there,” Lil Fade told them.

  Travon exited the house, and joined the others on the front porch.

  “You think them niggaz made it?” Darius asked.

  Lil Fade shook his head. “Shit, ain’t no telling.” He shifted his gaze to Capone. “Did y’all take all of the straps to Mr. C already?”

  Capone nodded. “Yeah, we did that last night. He said that he was gonna re-thread the barrels for us, and put new barrels on the ones that he couldn’t re-thread.”

  “Where y’all straps at?” Suga asked.

  “We buried them hoes in a creek out in Lakeside,” Darius answered. “We’ll pick ’em up and take ’em to Mr. C next week. He should be through with the others by then.”

  “One Time says that they ain’t got no witnesses,” Lil Fade told the others. He threw his head back in laughter. “A park full of muthafuckas,
and they ain’t got no witnesses!”

  “I watched the news this morning,” Marcus commented. “The sheriff and the chief of police was on there begging for fuckin’ witnesses. They was puttin’ up reward money and damn near promising their firstborn child, if somebody would come forward.”

  “Man, if they offering rewards and shit, we’ll beat that shit in court so easy, it won’t even be fun,” Capone said.

  “Even if somebody did come forward, they wouldn’t live to testify during trial anyway,” Lil Fade announced.

  “Man, this shit is getting boring,” Capone told them. “We can do just about anything we want to!”

  Capone and Lil Fade shared a laugh.

  Marcus turned toward Travon. “You got down for yours yesterday, Blood! You was bustin’ like a muthafucka!”

  “Hell yeah, Blood, I had to go for mine!” Travon told them. “Everything goes, from now on.” Travon turned and stared down the street. He had used that word again.

  Suga grabbed Travon, wrapping his massive right arm around his head. “Shit, lil homie put in work yesterday. He got his cherry popped!”

  The boys broke into laughter. Suga released Travon, leaned back, and stared at him for several moments.

  “Your name ain’t Tre no more, you’re too dangerous to be called Tre,” Suga told him. “From now on, your name is T-Dog. You gonna be my little trigga nigga from here on out.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m a bring it out of him,” Lil Fade said. “He got more of it inside of him, just waiting to get out. So I’m a bring it out of him.” Lil Fade stared at Travon with his cold, penetrating blue eyes. Travon turned away.

  “You getting down for the hood no, Tre?” Capone asked.

  “Yeah, I keep hearing you say Blood this, or Blood that,” Darius added.

  “Shit, you done put in work as a Blood, and your new hood is a Blood hood,” Marcus told him. “You’re on the gang file as a Blood, and all of your cousins are Bloods. You might as well, kinfolk. It’s all good in the hood.”

  “We all get down for each other, and protect each other,” Darius added.

  Lil Fade stood. “Don’t convince nobody to be down with my hood! Either his muthafuckin’ ass is, or he ain’t! We don’t need no half-ass dedicated muthafuckas running around the hood. You either love your homies and your hood, or you don’t. I was a Blood the day I came outta my momma’s pussy. Nobody made me one, or talked me into a muthafuckin’ thing! Blood is in the heart, and BSV is in the soul. It’s for life! It’s BSV until the day I muthafuckin’ die!” He approached Travon, and stood just before him. “I killed for you.”

  “And I for you,” Travon replied.

  “Then let it be done.” Lil Fade waved his hand through the air in a grand sweeping gesture, motioning toward the yard.

  Travon nodded and rose. He walked down the porch steps and into the yard.

  “Let the lil homies do it!” Lil Bling shouted.

  Lil Fade, Robert Jr., Cibon, and Antwon walked down the porch steps and into the grass, where Travon waited. Robert Jr. swung first, but missed. Travon had been anticipating it.

  Cibon and Antwon, who were twins, both took swings at Travon. Their punches were immediately followed by one from Lil Fade. Travon was ready, but could not possibly dodge all three fists. Lil Fade’s and Antwon’s connected.

  “What up, Blood?” Lil Fade shouted.

  Travon absorbed the blows and then charged at Lil Fade. Before he was able to reach him, though, he was punished by a barrage of fists from all three boys. Hit from all directions, he stumbled back and began to swing wildly.

  Robert Jr. landed a left hook on Travon’s right cheek, while Antwon managed to land a right jab on Travon’s left eye. Travon’s wild swing struck Lil Fade on his nose.

  “Fuck!” Lil Fade shouted. He stopped and clutched his nose.

  “C’mon, Blood!” Voices shouted from the crowd. “Get ’im!”

  Cibon was able to get in close and give Travon a strong right to his stomach. That, along with a kick from Antwon, caused Travon to stumble back.

  “Don’t fall, Blood!” Lil Bling shouted.

  “C’mon, Lil Fade, get ’im!” Suga shouted.

  Lil Fade entered into the fray again. Travon threw a right punch and missed. Punches from all directions began to land all over Travon’s upper body. Several fists struck Travon’s face in rapid succession. He stumbled and fell.

  “BSV for life!” several of the boys shouted, as they descended upon him.

  The boys punished Travon with kicks and blows for several minutes, before Darius and Capone declared the initiation over. Lil Fade continued to kick.

  “That’s enough!” Darius shouted.

  “That’s enough!” Capone repeated more forcefully.

  The boys backed away from Travon, who was lying on the ground curled into a ball. Marcus was the first one to reach him. He helped his cousin up.

  “You BSV now, baby!” Marcus said excitedly.

  “Yeah, boy!” Cibon shouted. “You a villain now!”

  Lil Fade approached Travon and hugged him. “Welcome to the family, Blood.”

  A car pulled into the driveway, and Travon quickly dusted himself off. It was one of his aunt’s cars, and five of the seven sisters were inside.

  Regina was mother to Cibon, Antwon, Robert Jr., Niesha, and RaLisa. Vera was mother to Darius, Marcus, LaTonya, and JoBeth. Chicken was mother to Capone, Romeo, Erica, and Jeanette. Elmira was Travon’s mother, while Clarissa was the mother of Red, Omar, Spliff, Maurice, and Caesar. Two of the sisters were not present. Irma Lee, who was Winky, Boss, Lil Daddy, J-Bird, and Carlwell’s mother, and Martha Ray, who was Frank, Buddy, Urisa, Candy, and Lashonda’s mother. Regina exited the car first.

  “Oh, girl,” Regina exclaimed. “You got all of these hoodlums in the front of your house!”

  “Hell, two of them hoodlums is yours!” Chicken told her.

  “I’d rather have them right here safe, and know where they are, than to have them out there in them streets getting into all kinds of shit,” Vera added.

  The women were greeted by several indistinguishable “hello Mrs. Robinsons,” “hi Aunties,” and “hi Mommas” as they filed past the boys and into the house.

  Regina shook her head. “Oh, girl. I couldn’t have this shit at my house.”

  Clarissa shook her head in agreement. “Me neither.”

  “That’s because you got enough bad-ass kids of your own living there,” Chicken told them. “And besides, this ain’t your house, so shush up. You two always did think that you was better than everybody else.”

  The last of the sisters filed past into the house, and the door was closed.

  “Damn, all y’all’s moms look alike,” Lil Bling said. “That shit is weird, like they was cloned or something.”

  Several of the boys broke into laughter.

  “Say, let’s smash to the spot,” Lil Fade told them.

  “C’mon.” Suga nodded.

  Everyone except Travon, Marcus, and Darius filed out into the street, and climbed into various vehicles. Robert Jr. turned back toward his cousins.

  “Y’all coming to the spot?” he asked.

  “Yeah, we’ll be there later, kinfolk,” Marcus told him.

  “All right then, I’ll holler at y’all later.” Robert lifted his fist into the air, then climbed into Lil Bling’s car.

  After all of the cars had pulled away, Marcus said to Travon, “So, how do you feel?”

  Travon lifted his head. “About what?”

  “About getting down?”

  Travon turned away and began to examine his surroundings. The street was quiet and peaceful, the sky was clear, and the evening was warm with a cool, gentle, moderating breeze flowing through the air. The stars were starting to appear, and the retreating sun was meandering across the sky, painting it different shades of red, yellow, orange, and purple. It was a beautiful South Texas evening.

  Travon turned back to Marcus and started to speak,
but was interrupted by the sound of his mother and aunts enjoying themselves inside. It was the sound of family. It was also the first time that he had heard his mother laugh that much since the death of his brother. His mother was happy, and so he was happy.

  “I feel like I’m home,” Travon told them. “I feel like I’m finally home.”

  Marcus slapped Travon across his back. “All right, Blood!”

  Marcus, Darius, and Travon shared a smile, and then an embrace.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  That night, Travon, Darius, and Marcus did not go to the part of the neighborhood where all of the other boys were hanging out.

  Instead, they went to their own private spot that Darius had found for them. It was the middle of the month, so business was average.

  “What was that one?” Darius asked.

  The car Travon serviced drove away, and he walked back into the yard.

  “That was a fifty,” Travon told Darius, counting his money. “But on the real, the cuts is dead tonight.”

  The house that they were using to sell their wares belonged to a heavily addicted drug abuser who allowed the boys the use of his property in exchange for a small amount of drugs for his personal use. On average, Darius gave the dude about a hundred dollars’ worth of crack cocaine every week.

  “Shit, ain’t nothing poppin’ tonight,” Marcus told them. He seated himself on the front porch of the crackhouse.

  Soon, another car drove up, an old Ford Thunderbird, with three of its four hubcaps missing. A skinny, dusty white man with torn jeans and a filthy aqua T-shirt climbed out. He walked up to Travon and smiled, releasing a torrent of bad breath, and revealing a mouth with three missing teeth.

  “Got a twenty?” the man asked.

  “Yeah.” Travon nodded. He walked to a small bush near the house and bent down to get his stash.