by Kia
“But no worries, we will figure this out. It will just take time, and we have plenty of time,” Lavish said.
“Damn, all of this over food,” I said as I shook my head.
“But that’s how the government works. They have us to do all of their dirty work and cover it up. Especially when billions of dollars are about to go down the drain. You do understand that this can possibly bankrupt the U.S because you will be independent and decided not to partner with them.”
“But I tried to, that’s the thing. I’ve been to several meetings trying to put them in on it. And they laughed in my face.”
“But it’s serious now, and they are no longer laughing,” she said.
“That’s for damn sure,” Eric added.
“So, why not just partner with me?” I asked her.
“Because the people who matter to them can afford to eat healthy. The ones who can’t don’t matter. So they don’t care,” she said.
“Population control,” Eric said as he nodded his head.
“So that population control shit is real?” I asked.
“Very real and alive,” Lavish said as her watch began to beep.
“It’s time?” Eric asked. Whenever Eric and I meet, we never stay for long. He always set his timer for under ten minutes.
“Yes,” she said.
“It was nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you,” I said as I let them throw their hoodies back on.
She shook my hand again. “It will truly be a pleasure,” she said as they walked down the stairs.
“See ya,” Eric said.
I gave it a few minutes before I walked toward the entrance. That’s when I saw Emo walking in with some hoodrat. He was always with a different hoe every time I saw him.
“Nigga, what the fuck you doing?” he asked with laughter as he dapped me up.
“Ahh, you know,” I said, not wanting to put him in my business.
“Nah, I don’t know, nigga. Let me find out you got a lil’ bitch over here.”
“Ha-ha. It ain’t nothing like that. But I need to holla at you, my boy.”
“Okay, well let’s go to my ap-”
“In private,” I said, cutting him off.
“Go upstairs and lock the door when you get inside. I’ll be up there,” Emo said to the girl. She winked at me and slowly walked up the stairs. “See, that’s why I hate when yo ass come around. Nigga, did my bitch just wink at you?” Emo asked as we walked out the door.
“Where your car?” I asked him.
He pointed to the left of us. “Over here. Come on.”
When we finally got inside, I told him not to crank the car. “I wanted to talk to you about that issue. You think I don’t know, but I do.”
“Man, on God that was all Yazz’s idea. I swear, I don’t even know who that body belongs to. Shit, I was just helping him move it.”
“Wait, what? What body?” I asked in a total state of confusion.
“Huh? What did you know about?” he asked.
“The drugs, nigga.”
“Oh, damn. I don’t know nothing about no drugs,” he lied.
“Yazz already told it, mi boy. Why you lie? I’m not mad. I just wanted to personally tell you to stay the fuck low because I have other shit going on,” I hissed.
I hated liars with a passion. It was too easy to be honest with me, especially if you were my family. My family came first, so it was very little to lie to me about. Period!
“Don’t be mad at me, big bro. You know me, I just like to keep the tension low. I just-”
I cut him off. “Don’t worry about it, Emo. I understand. Like I told Yazz, it was selfish of me to even think that just because I wanted out, y’all wanted out. All I ask is for you to keep a low profile. Act like I don’t even know. Eventually, I will give Yazz the plug, but I just want to move slowly. You know? I got a lot going on.”
I loved my brothers, but I didn’t trust them with too many drugs. I wanted them to keep moving below the radar because one false move and it was over for me. Yazz and Emo were always too greedy when it came to money. They never knew when they were doing too much. That’s why when I first found out, I never said anything. I wanted them to keep being sneaky. It was good for them.
“I understand, bro. You remember Paris?” he asked.
“Yeah, the funny looking kid.”
“Well, Davinchi killed him.”
“Yeah? Why?”
“Shit, I’m hearing Paris hooked him up with a man, but you know how them rumors be. I wanna go and see him, but I don’t know if I have warrants. I ain’t tryna go see him and go to jail too.”
“Yeah? So what body did you move?” I asked, still curious.
“Nah, it was bricks. I thought it was a body,” he said as he avoided eye contact.
“You know, Emo… you should work on your lying skills,” I said as I shook my head and exited the car.
“I’ght, big bro. I’ma call you, and thanks for the hook up,” he said as he jogged back to his building.
“Yeah,” I said, as I walked to my car.
Chapter Seven
Red
I woke up to someone beating at the front door. “Diamond!” I yelled, not wanting to get up. Then I remembered that she was gone to her doctors appointment, so I got up to see who it was.
I rolled my eyes when I saw that it was Yazz. I honestly didn’t know how to feel about him at the moment. I didn’t know if I loved him or hated him. But I did know that I was growing some type of feelings for him. Things just weren’t the same anymore, and we weren’t even a year into this thing.
“Damn, I thought you’d be happy to see me,” he said as he trailed behind me to my room.
“What is it?” I asked as I plopped back down in the bed.
“Are you mad at me?” he asked, lying next to me and wrapping his arms around me.
“I don’t know, man,” I said as I turned to face him.
“Well, I wanted to let you know that Frizzy’s flight would be coming a little early.”
“What? When?”
“Today.”
“Really, Yazz?” I asked as I shook my head.
“I just wanted to be honest with you.”
I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him. “Do you think we moved too fast into this?” I asked.
He moved closer to me, but I reached my hand back and pushed him away. I wasn’t in the mood.
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe we should follow the terms of the contract from here on out,” I said.
“And what good would that do?”
“I don’t know. I just need time to myself.”
“How much time?” he asked, trying to hold me, but I pushed him away again.
“I’ll let you know. Please leave now,” I said.
He waited for a minute and then got up from my bed.
I walked him to the door.
“I better not find out you fucking with another man,” he said and then left.
As I lay in my bed, I got a bright idea. Since he wanted to play mind games with me, I had a few of my own to play with him. See, Yazz thought he was slick, but he would soon learn that he couldn’t slick a can of oil.
Chapter Eight
Yazz
“I’m so happy to see you!” Frizzy yelled as she hopped in my car and threw her arms around me.
“Why did you bring clothes? I told you I would take you shopping. You can’t come over here dressed like you’re still on an island,” I said as I looked at the bags that she’d thrown in the back seat.
“It’s personal items, baby, relax,” she said as she kissed me passionately.
I couldn’t even lie, I missed Frizzy like hell. No one quite understood me like her. She was truly my backbone. Just crazy as hell. I looked over at her chocolate skin and toned body, ready for what I was about to do when I got home. She looked in the mirror and fixed her lip gloss as I pulled out of the airport.
“So what’s be
en up?” I asked.
“Ohh, nothing much.”
Just as I was about to respond, Gee called me. “Whats up?” I asked.
“I need you to go to my place and bring my wallet. I’m at the doctor with Diamond and if I leave, we lose our place in line.”
“Cool.”
“How far away are you from my place?” he asked.
“You at the doctor we always go to?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, I’ll be there in less than an hour,” I said. Then we hung up.
“Wow, this city is beautiful,” Frizzy said as she leaned back in her seat and grabbed my hand.
“Not as beautiful as you,” I said as I kissed her hand. Just being around her made me realize why I fell in love with her. I honestly felt like no one could top her.
“My mother sent her love.”
“Send mine back.”
“Baby?”
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I was thinking, maybe its time for me to have a baby. You know? We’re getting older.”
Her saying that brought me back to the reality of Red having my child. I still didn’t know how I would explain to Frizzy that this was planned. She would never understand. Frizzy would try to ruin me for sure if she knew what I had going on. So I decided against it.
“Maybe we should wait,” I said.
“Why?”
“Frizzy, don’t start. I will send you back to Haiti. My patience isn’t as good as it used to be,” I threatened.
She then pulled her hands away from me and her smile turned into a frown.
The whole ride to Gee’s place was silent. That’s how I wanted it because the last thing I needed was two women bitching at me. Frizzy already knew who wore the pants. The only person that needed to know was Red. And for some reason, I kept finding myself thinking about her.
“Stay in here,” I said to Frizzy as I parked and slid out of the car.
I got on the elevator and made my way to the top floor. This nigga Gee never left his wallet. He must had a rough night.
The elevator let me off and my phone began to ring. It was Emo.
“Emo, what’s up?” I asked as I looked down and reached for the key card to open Gee’s apartment.
“We need to talk….” His words trailed off as I looked up and saw someone standing at Gee’s door. “Yazz!” Emo yelled.
I ignored him as I got closer.
“Oh my God, finally. Where is Gee?” she asked.
“Is this some kind of joke?” I asked as I looked around. I also blinked a few times. This couldn’t be real.
“What? Where’s Gee? I need his help.”
“Help? For what?” I asked, still in disbelief.
“It’s my sister. She’s missing and I think she was murdered.”
Chapter Nine
Diamond
After leaving the doctor with Gee, I had him drop me off at home. I was definitely pregnant, and I wasn’t that far along. The doctor gave me all kinds of papers, pamphlets and prenatal vitamins to take. She even gave me a due date. Gee was excited, but I wasn’t.
“Well, I’ll see you later… I guess,” Gee said as he held the passenger door open for me.
“I guess.” I stepped out and grabbed Rena from the back seat.
“Diamond…” I was walking off and he called me back.
“Yes?” I asked without facing him.
“Thanks.”
“No problem, Gee,” I said as I walked into the building.
I didn’t go up the elevator. I stood in the lobby and waited for Gee to drive off. Then I walked right back out to yell for a Taxi.
I loved having Rena on my hip because it usually landed me a taxi right away. One pulled right over. I told him to take me to the county jail. Though I had no business going to see Davinchi, I had to know what was so important that he damn near had niggas stalking me.
As I sat in the back seat, I thought about how my life was about to change. How was I going to explain to my child that her father never loved me? And how would I explain that Rena and I were her/his only family on my side? Most of all, how was I supposed to explain that he or she was a result of me needing money at the time? It was all bad, and damned near pathetic on my end. All I had to do was say no, or keep my legs closed.
Finally, after riding for so long, we ended up at the NYC county jail. I paid the driver and grabbed Rena. I stood in front of the huge building and inhaled. I didn’t exhale until I started walking.
“I’m gonna beat yo mothafuckin’ ass when we get home! Can’t believe you showed yo ass like that!” A woman yelled as she dragged a young boy out by his collar. He looked no more than four years old, and she looked no more than nineteen.
When I got inside, Rena and I both had to walk through a metal detector. I had to show the clerk of identification, then finally, she gave me a white card and sent me on my way.
After getting lost in the correctional building, I finally found the men’s side and sat at one of the white, round tables. Everyone was so sad and crying. I saw not one smiling face. I know it was a jail, but damn.
“What?” I asked Rena when I noticed that she was pointing at something.
It was another kid eating chips. I grabbed her and took her to get some Doritos from the machine. When I came back, Davinchi was sitting down at the table looking a hot damn mess. His hair looked like it hadn’t been cut since he’d been locked up, and his bright skin was now pale. I kinda felt sorry for him.
“It’s nice to see you, Diamond,” he said as I sat down.
Rena climbed on the table and ate her chips.
“Cut the small talk. What do you want?” I asked.
“You know they trying to hit me with two murder charges?”
“Yeah. You killed your friend and that transgender. Right? It was all over the news,” I said as I looked at him with sinking eyes.
“The whole world thinks I’m a fag. I can’t even be in general population because niggas been threatening to kill me.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight.
“Okay. And what do you want me to do?” I asked.
“Man, look… can’t none of my niggas come see me because they got warrants and shit. Or wanted for some dumb shit, so I only can call. But these calls or recorded, so I can’t really say what I needed to say.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“I need you to take this address down and take this letter to my nigga, Emo.” He slid me two small sheets of paper. I looked around and quickly stuffed it into my bra. “You’re the only one that I know with a clean record who can come and see me. I need you to be my middle man for a while.”
“What? Middle man? You got me fucked up. I’ll take this letter to Emo and that’s about it. I’m only doing that because I’m already here. Boy, fuck you and what you’re going through,” I hissed. Thoughts of how he left me stranded in that alley frequented my mind, and today was one of them days.
“Diamond, they’re trying to give me life in prison around a bunch of niggas that think I’m gay. Do you understand what this means to me?” he asked.
“All I can say is don’t drop the soap,” I joked.
“Dammit, Diamond!” He pounded his fist on the table, causing it to shake.
Rena hopped in my lap and started crying.
“You better watch that temper if you wanna survive in prison,” I said.
“You know what, obviously we have some unresolved issues. But please… please take that letter to Emo,” he said as he stood to leave.
“And this is the last damned thing I will ever do for you,” I said as I stormed out with Rena on my hip.
So, now he wanted to be scared? That’s why you should never fuck people over because I was literally his last call for hope.
It wasn’t until I got in the cab that I realized the name Emo sounded familiar. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
Chapter Ten
Red
“Lady, I’m going
to have to charge you extra for this,” the cab driver said. I could hear that he was annoyed by the way he spoke.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, just follow the Infiniti,” I said as I kept my eyes trained on Yazz.
I had been following him all the way to the airport and now he was on the way to a hotel. I was confused because I could’ve sworn he said Frizzy was going to stay at his place. So why were we pulling up at the W Hotel? Yazz parked right in the front, so I had the driver to park right behind him. I slid him more money to shut his ass up.
Sliding my window down, I made sure to duck low. “Really? A hotel?” Frizzy asked with an attitude as she stepped out the car and looked around.
“I told you, this is just for today. I have business to handle,” Yazz said.
“Yeah, right,” I said to myself.
All his ass did was make excuses. Now, I didn’t feel bad because he did the same shit with Frizzy.
“I didn’t come all the way from fucking Haiti to be cooped up in a hotel. I came to be with my man!” she yelled.
“You’re right. So, do you want to go back to Haiti? I can arrange that for you,” he said, leaning against the car and checking his watch.
“Fine,” Frizzy said as she snatched her bags.
Yazz gave her some money and she stormed inside the building. Then he got back into the car.
“Foll-” Before I could speak, the taxi driver cut me off.
“I know. Follow that car,” he said as he ate his banana and drove off.
He was actually good at this because he always stayed a few cars behind Yazz. I looked down at my belly and wondered when I would start to show because my stomach still looked the same. I also thought about life with Yazz. We actually got along and I liked it. I even helped him get rid of a body. Now what girl you know would do that for her man? It was two months ago when he came beating on my door…
“Get dressed,” he said as sweat filled his forehead, followed by heavy breathing.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I grabbed some pants from my floor.
“Just get dressed, Red, and hurry up,” he said as he grabbed a shirt from my bottom drawer and threw it at me. He began to pace back and forth.