A Good Day to Die

by James Hendricks

  “I’ll tell you what.” Deuce said looking around the garage at the cars. “I’ll give you two Chevys, including the Impala and three Oldsmobiles.”

  “Deal,” Jon said without a second thought.

  “Just bring the Mustangs back and they’re yours.”

  The boys left to go get Twon and Zoe who were still sleeping then they’d get the Mustangs. They took alleys and back-ways back to the garage.

  “I didn’t know that they were this fucked up. We-we got to come up with something different.” Deuce stuttered when he saw the three Mustangs with bullet holes in them.

  “Look Deuce, we got a deal. I told you that the cars had a lot of holes in them and you shook on it. Now you can honor our agreement or we can take matters to the next level.”

  “I’m going to do this time, but no more trade-ins,” Deuce said reluctantly.

  The boys were happy with the deal as they drove off in the cars.

  Later, Jon went by Bay Bro’s to fill him in on what they had done and most importantly, see Lynette. Jon was disappointed to find that she wasn’t there. Bay Bro filled him on the plan. The visit was brief. Bay Bro had business to attend to. On the way out he gave Jon a duffel bag filled with guns.

  “Take it easy, don’t kill everything,” Bay Bro said.

  Jon took the duffel bag back to the dungeon and went through it. There were Glocks, Macs, a couple AR’s and two Tec 9s.

  When Don and Twon walked in they were mesmerized by the guns spread across the bed.

  “Where did you get these from?” Don asked picking up a Mac 11.

  “Bay Bro gave them to me today,” Jon said passing his brother a Tec 9. “I made him a promise we wouldn’t go on any killing spree.”

  “I love you boy,” Don said with a smile.

  Monday morning came too early. Figuring the police to be all over the school asking questions, the boys decided keep things low-pro and walked. They told their dates the stories to tell. They were the hottest up and coming crew in Gary and the cars they were in Saturday proved it.

  Don, Jon and Twon were put in three separate rooms where detectives questioned them. When they were called Kay and Zoe offered no information. They all played dumb. Lynette and the other four girls represented. No one volunteered information. They made it through the school with no mention of the incident. The teachers looked at them differently and other students gave them more respect. The police never came back. People talked about the incident and even added bits. The boys put it in their rearview mirrors and acted like it never happened. Their names continued to grow in infamy.

  6

  School was out. It was summer and the boys had no plans for a real vacation. They began playing video games regularly and were able to do ten cars a day. Things had changed since the incident. The news of what they did to Darnell and Pee-Wee had spread throughout the city. Everyone gave them much respect. No one wanted to tangle with the crew and it was widely known they had backing from Bay Bro.

  The detectives came back with bullying tactics, it didn’t work. The boys stuck to their stories. They were no longer referred to by their names, they were known as SCC. Don, Kay, Twon and Zoe lost their virginity. Jon was still taking things slow with Lynette. The two had decided to wait and not rush into doing it.

  The boys were sitting on the twin’s front porch when Calvin, Joe and Lee pulled up in front of the house. Calvin was a sloppy five-ten, dark skin, two hundred and twelve pound, sixteen year-old who called the shots for the youngsters on 21st Avenue. He looked much older and was able to go in liquor stores. Joe and Lee were his two most trusted flunkies.

  “What’s up, SCC?” Calvin greeted walking up the stairs leading to the front porch.

  “What’s going on, Calvin?” Don said warily.

  “Trying to get down with y’all,” Calvin said talking with his hands. “You know we’ll take this city over. Gary be ours.”

  “Are you serious? What do y’all have to offer?” Jon tried but couldn’t stop chuckling.

  Calvin knew better than to piss the boys off.

  “It’s only five of y’all and pretty soon a lot of up and coming dudes gone test y’all. I know y’all done held y’all own so far, but with my boys peeps would think twice.”

  “We don’t draw off numbers and we can hold our own,” Jon said.

  Calvin was undeterred and kept going.

  “I’m not saying that y’all can’t hold your own. All I’m saying is that y’all will have strength in numbers. Plus, I know y’all do the car thing and we get paid like that too. We also get paid off this.” Calvin pulled out a bag with crack cocaine. “I’m telling ya’ll, we can get paid. I got a plug that can’t be beat,” he said.

  Jon looked at the others and shrugged his shoulders.

  “I’ll tell you what. Y’all come with us tonight on our run and if y’all all that, we’ll see” Don said sitting in his chair and pointing at Calvin.

  “Bet,” Calvin said confidently. Calvin, Joe and Lee sat down with the boys.

  The sun was going down. It was time. The crew got ready for work. They locked up the house and got into two cars. Jon, Kay, Zoe and Lee rode in Jon’s Impala. Don, Twon, Calvin and Joe rode in Calvin’s Cutlass.

  Riding around Chicago for an hour and half they stole six cars. The boys along with Calvin’s gang headed back to Gary. Calvin wanted to stop in Calumet, Illinois. On the way back they drove around the apartment complex. There were Caddys, Jeeps, Mustangs, Benzs and BM’s parked in a lot unattended.

  They took the cars to Deuce and told him that they’d be back and rolled to the apartment complex. Jon stole a ‘92 black Benz. Kay stole a ‘93 Deville, Lee a ‘91 BM, Zoe had a Jeep Cherokee. Don took off in a ‘91 ZR1 Corvette. Calvin spotted a black Mercedes-Benz 300e that he just had to have. There was no one in the parking lot so the group didn’t have any standing security. Calvin disabled the car’s alarm, unlocked the door and was in. He was having a difficult time with the ignition.

  A man came walking in Calvin’s direction. Jon blew his horn but Calvin kept trying to start the car. The man got closer to Calvin.

  “Hey, what in God’s name you think you’re doing?”

  Calvin reached for his gun. The others hurried over.

  “Get the fuck on!” Calvin shouted at the man raising his gun.

  The man reached for his waistband. Calvin let out two shots from his .380 hitting the man in his leg. The man aimed and fired. The bullet found its mark in the middle of Calvin’s chest. His upper body dropped back into the car while his legs rested on the parking lot pavement. The man on the pavement was trying to get up.

  “This nigga killed him!” Lee screamed and started shooting. The man caught one in the stomach. He turned to shoot at Lee when bullets from Jon’s 45 tore through his back. Silently they stared at Calvin’s life-less body. The man was gone. They ran back to the cars and headed for the expressway to Gary.

  The cars were taken to Deuce’s and the boys were paid well. They went to the Dungeon.

  “Hold up,” Jon sounded pissed about a comment Joe made. “What the fuck you mean, it’s our fault? I blew the horn and his ass stayed in the car. Plus, we took care of dude.”

  “I’m not saying that y’all the reason he dead, I’m just saying, Calvin was trying to impress y’all and that’s the reason he got killed. What we do now?” He asked.

  “Look, I know Calvin was a soldier and y’all fucked up about his death. We were never in Calumet and don’t know nothing. Now, earlier when Calvin was talking, he made a point. We know how y’all get down and y’all know how we get down. If y’all want to be part of SCC y’all more than welcome. Think about it and let us know.”

  Joe and Lee left. The boys decided to put the incident in Calumet to bed.

  A week later, Joe and Lee never contacted them. The boys had an alibi with Bay Bro just in case. Jon had told him about the Calvin incident the day after it happened. Bay Bro wasn’t pleased to hear about another murder but he c
ouldn’t say much because they were getting money the only way that they knew. All he could do was to caution Jon about the things they were doing and assured him that he had their backs.

  Don, Jon, Kay and Zoe were sitting in the Dungeon playing Sega. There was a knock on the door. Zoe answered the door. It was Twon and another person.

  “What’s up brothers?” Twon said sounding happier than he had been in a long time. “This is my cousin Ron from Milwaukee.”

  The boys greeted Ron. Jon and Kay continued to play Madden football.

  “So what part of Milwaukee you from?” Don asked.

  “The North side,” Ron said trying to seem hard.

  “Oh yeah” Don answered smiling. “My peoples from the North side, do you know Chris and Bo?”

  “Yeah, them my peoples, we were getting a lot of money together,” Ron said.

  His body language spoke differently. Ron was high yellow with brown eyes. He had a medium frame and corn rolls. He dressed a little country.

  “How long you staying?” Zoe asked.

  “I’m here for the whole summer but I’m thinking ‘bout moving down permanently.”

  Zoe shook his head up and down like it was cool but was thinking that Ron would be trouble.

  Don and Jon walked into Jon’s room.

  “What do you think?” Don asked his brother.

  “I don’t know. I’ll call up Chris and Bo.”

  “Yeah, I got a bad vibe.”

  In two days, Ron had gotten on everybody’s nerves. He talked all the time and a lot of slick shit came out his mouth. If it wasn’t for Twon, Don would have been shut Ron’s mouth up. Jon wasn’t around to get the full effect of Ron’s mouth because he would be at Bay Bro’s talking and kicking it with Lynette. Jon would leave the room. Now on this day Lynette was with him and they were in his room away from the others. Jon was lying on the bed with Lynette resting beside him with her head on his chest.

  “Wanna play spades?”

  “I’m chilling right now, maybe later,” Jon said.

  Lynette picking her head off his chest looked Jon in the face and said, “Come on Smooch, I want to see you kick they ass. Nobody talks shit to my man.”

  “All right, this one’s for you,” Jon said getting up from his bed.

  Kay, Jon and Lynette joined the others in the downstairs kitchen. Twon and Ron were slaying Don and Zoe. Ron looked up from the table and saw Lynette, he smiled flirtingly at her. Kay and Jon sat down. The boys started to play cards and Jon thought he saw a signal. After a couple of hands the game was tied up and the deal was in Ron’s hands. He dealt the first four cards then Twon shot Ron a look and Ron skipped himself.

  “You missed yourself,” Jon said putting his arm on the table.

  “No I didn’t,” Ron said staring at Jon.

  “All I’m saying is count your cards,” Jon said keeping cool.

  “Count my cards, for what?” Ron asked raising his voice.

  “Wait a minute. It’s only a card game. No need to cheat,” Twon said.

  “Exactly,” Jon and Ron said at the same time.

  “Look Jon,” Ron said with sarcasm leaking. “I ain’t no muthafuckin’ liar and I don’t cheat. I ain’t my cousin either. Shit, I put in work too.”

  Zoe backed away from the table as did Kay. Twon stood up and so did Ron. Don told Lynette to go into Jon’s room. She didn’t budge.

  “Look, y’all my family, my brothers, but Ron my family too. For me, give him a pass.”

  “It’s cool,” Jon said maintaining a calm composure.

  “I know it’s cool. Y’all need to calm y’all young asses down,” Ron said trying not to look intimidated.

  “Nigga, shut the fuck up!” Lynette screamed pissed off because Ron kept running his mouth. “You ain’t built like that and the only reason you still breathing is because of Twon.”

  “Bitch…! Mind your-”

  Ron didn’t get the last word out. Jon jumped over the table and was choking him.

  “Do something, Don!” Twon screamed.

  Don looked down at Ron’s eyes rolling to the back of his head. He kicked him twice in the side of the head before pulling Jon off of him.

  Jon pushed his brother to the side and kicked Ron in the face. Twon pushed Jon in the chest. Kay punched Twon right in the eye and was now throwing combinations to the face and body of Twon. Jon got back on Ron throwing rights and lefts to his face.

  “Zoe! Grab Kay and I’m a get Jon,” Don said.

  Zoe wrestled Kay off Twon. Jon was fed up with Ron’s mouth.

  “He talk too much shit,” Jon said still pushing his way past Don.

  Lynette wanted Jon to finish the job, slowly walked over and hugged Jon.

  “It’s all right baby.”

  “Let’s go Kay,” Jon said spitting on Ron. Jon, Kay and Lynette left. Lynette drove.

  “I think you made a bad move. You never go against family,” Zoe said pulling Don to the bathroom.

  “I didn’t go against Jon. I was just trying to keep him from killing that boy.”

  “Hey, it’s not me you got to convince,” Zoe said.

  “He’ll be alright,” Don said.

  Jon, Kay and Lynette drove to the beach. Lynette figured that water, fresh air and kids would be good for Jon. She parked the car. He refused to get out.

  “Come on, baby,” Lynette said rubbing Jon’s shoulder.

  “In a minute, let me talk to Kay for a minute and I promise you that I’ll get out.”

  Lynette kissed Jon on the forehead and got out of the car leaving Jon to talk with Kay.

  “I can’t believe Don went against me like that,” Jon said turning around to face Kay sitting in the backseat. “He’s my blood brother. Shit, we twins!”

  “I know what you saying. But you was fucking that boy up. I wasn’t gone jump in it because dude mouth is off the chain. I think Don did what he thought was best.”

  “If you didn’t jump in, then why should he? It’s like Twon his brother and not me.” Jon shot back.

  “Come on Jon, it ain’t ever like that. You knew that Don would kill Twon in a minute if it came down to you or Twon, y’all brothers man, it be like that.”

  “You know what, you right. I call you my cousin but you my brother and I mean that. We go back to kindergarten and you’ve always been there for me. I thank you.”

  “Thank me for what? Man we’ll get through this. Shit, we done been through too much. Go have fun with Lyn.”

  Jon got out of the car and joined Lynette sitting on the hood. He wrapped his arm around her.

  Jon dropped Lynette off around eleven o’clock that night. He and Kay drove around talking. One in the morning they made it back to the Dungeon. Twon and Ron were still there sitting on Don’s bed watching The King of New York. Zoe was on the couch. Ron had two black eyes and some red marks around his neck while Twon had a swollen lip and his left eye was black.

  “What’s up?” Don said.

  “I’m gone lay down,” Jon said.

  “Hold up, we gone work this shit tonight,” Don said.

  “I said I’m going to bed,” Jon said walking to his room.

  Don ran to his doorway not letting Jon leave the room.

  “What’s up brother? I know you ain’t still mad.” Jon ignored him. Don was determined to reach his brother. “We boys and shit happens. You know that.”

  Jon just kept looking at Don not saying a word. “All right, it’s like that,” Don said getting upset. “Well what you want to do, hit me?”

  Jon stepped back and looked at this brother with a frown on his face.

  “I’m just trying to go to bed. It’s been a long day and I’m tired,” Jon said. “If you want to fight take your best shot. I don’t give a fuck if you’re pissed about Twon and his cousin. Hey, that’s your brother and I can respect you taking up for him. No hard feelings. Now, if you’d move so me and my brother can go to my room, I’d appreciate it.”

  “So it’s like that?”
Don asked not believing what he’d just heard.

  “Exactly like that. You chose your side,” Jon said turning to go back the way he came. “No love lost.” Jon walked back out the door, got in his car and left.

  After Jon left Don got really upset. “What the fuck y’all do all day?” Don asked Kay.

  “I ain’t Twon, so check your attitude and tone,” Kay said. He never backed down.

  “I don’t give a fuck who you is,” Don said walking towards Kay.

  “Hold up Don,” Zoe said jumping up and putting his arms out to stop Don. Kay was strapped and wasn’t afraid to use it. “Haven’t we been through enough bullshit today? Let’s chill.”

  Don stopped and stared at Kay standing five feet away. He walked away and sat on his bed. Kay went into Jon’s room and sat on the bed turning the radio to WGCI.

  Jon needed space. It took everything to restrain himself from hitting Don straight in the mouth. He wouldn’t give Twon the pleasure of seeing them fight. Instead he walked out of his house. Jon thought about going to Bay Bro’s house but chose to drive back out to the beach instead.

  Morning came and no one in the house had slept the night before except Ron. Don was awake all night thinking about the events that had led up to his brother making the statements that hurt. He wondered if Jon really felt that way, or was Jon just upset? Don called Bay Bro at four in the morning. Bay Bro hadn’t seen Jon since last night. Bay Bro wanted to talk to all of them, including Ron.

  Twon stayed up hoping that Jon didn’t come back and kill him and Ron. He knew that Jon had a temper and anything was possible. Twon hoped that Ron would leave. They were never really that close. If another incident happens between Ron and any of his boys Ron was on his own, he thought.

  Kay kept tripping on how Don approached him. Don knew that he wouldn’t back down. He couldn’t believe that an outsider had them going from being a tight knit family to a dysfunctional one, in a day. If something happened to Jon, something surely would happen to Twon and his punk-ass cousin.

  Zoe wondered what he could’ve done to prevent everything from happening. He knew that things will probably never be the same. He kept blaming himself for not speaking up when they were playing cards. He had seen Ron cheating twice but decided not to say anything because it was petty. He was going to have to choose a side, something he never wanted to do.