Let That Be the Reason
Page 23
“Delano, watch yourself. Be careful. We on the phone, love.”
“Carmen, I miss you.” He continued to yell. “And if you think this is a fuckin’ walk in the park, you’re mistaken. They about to slam-dunk your ass, baby! The feds got a place for you.” Tears welled up in his eyes, and I saw the pained expression on his face. A tear slowly inched down his face at a snail’s pace. We sat holding the phones. He wasn’t ashamed of my seeing him cry. I watched the tear descend and rest upon his trembling bottom lip.
Our eyes met and he continued, “You still got somebody out here that is for you. I got heart. Just say what you need done, and I got you.” Immediately my mind went to what I needed the most, and that was to know if Chino actually moved the gun he had used in the killings.
“D, listen. I left something somewhere, and I need you to go and find it for me. I need to know if it’s still there. Can you do that for me? Check to see if something is still there?”
I wanted to know if I still had a trump card in my back pocket. I would sit on what I knew and decide how to proceed from here. Play my hand and pull my information card or fold and do fifteen to the door. The cards I was dealt were not easy on the eye, but I knew that once I studied the game unfolding before me, I would get a chance to make a play.
The guard approached the booth, signaling the end of our visit. I maintained direct eye contact and kept smiling, wanting Delano to hear positive words in his head. I whispered into the handset, “I miss you, too, Delano.” I winked at him, carefully choosing the remaining words spoken. We sat for the remainder of the visit, tracing our fingers on the glass and giving each other a look that meant “handle your business by any means necessary.”
He said, “Okay, you left something somewhere. Tell me where you want me to look.”
All I could do was smile.
Carmen is awaiting her federal trial in the Franklin County Jail. Her sister Lori still comes to visit her faithfully every week, and her mother has custody of her son.
Acknowledgments
This book was not only the beginning of my new life but also a catalyst for the lives of so many others. This book started a company and an urban genre craze. Who would have thought, could have thought that God could take my tiny faith and propel my life into such greatness. My legacy, life, outlook—everything has in fact changed due to the inspiration to write this book. I shared my story to warn the others of the dangers of the drug game. It is a dead end.
I’d like to thank my Savior and Lord for being just one word: faithful. God is faithful to His children and to His promises. This book was written in the darkest prison cell in the United States. This novel has now been translated into two languages and associated with the birth of Triple Crown Publications. I thank you for reading, buying, sharing this work. I pray that my life is used as an example to encourage you to believe that even the biggest dream, God is able to do even bigger, exceedingly, abundantly above all you could ever ask and think.
God has given me a lifetime friend, Mychal Haggen. I love you, I respect you, and I’m so blessed to have you in my life.
Professionally I have to thank my editor, Malaika Adero, for always being open to trying new things. My lawyers, Robert Stein, Michael Gallagher, and Steve Barsotti, for keeping the vultures and wolves at bay. My original staff, whom I thought I’d never miss, but certainly appreciate your contributions to my success: Tammy, Mia, Benzo, Kevin, Steve, Victoria, Aaron, Rodney, Alicia. How do I tell this story and leave you out? When I think of us working with no money on those tiny desks above that animal hospital with two titles, your work established my firm (TCP) into the leader of urban fiction renaissance.
To my best friend, my mother, Eula “Star” Stringer-Thompson.
To my young son Victor and my dogs, Vegas and Roulette: Mommy loves you guys!
Fondly I’d like to acknowledge Teri Woods for her wisdom and just being so True to this Game with the time we shared. It’s a very fond memory for me.
Last, I never knew that my life could change, that my life could be this way. I never knew that God loved me and that it would get greater later, but as they say: I made history and got the fairy-tale ending. This young girl from the East Side of Detroit made it out the hood. For this I am so thankful.
How great thou art!
VS
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