Ghetto Girls Too

by Anthony Whyte

  “Word,” Coco said and passed the lit blunt to Deedee. She waited too long and Coco glanced at her between slits that were eyes before the weed hit. “You gonna smoke or what, yo?”

  “Ah…no, I mean yes,” she said finally taking the blunt and with her eyes on Coco, she puffed some more.

  “Easy with the weed,” Silky Black laughed as Deedee began to cough. “That’s that purple haze. You know that iller shit.” Deedee passed the blunt to Josephine.

  THIRTY-SIX

  A video shoot can be boring and bothersome. With all the retakes and hot tempers, the set is not too kind, especially early in the morning when every girl is a diva and all the guys think they’re P. Diddy. Caution is the comfort zone where one can relax with a cigarette or a cup of hot chocolate. There were cameras, big and small, along with cameramen and extras. Then there were the main people, Silky Black and the Shop Crew, a quartet of fire spitting rappers from uptown, and their peeps. They sat out in the parking lot, inside their vehicles, and in the hallways. There were a lot of people up early for this shoot.

  At six in morning, the whole place was jumping as the music from the album, ‘Silky Black Madness’, blasted from the speakers spread throughout the set. There was an early shot depicting a typical party scene where the guys went shirtless and the ladies wore next to nothing. Water sprayed onto a simulated club stage. The scene was set up in an abandoned factory. Josephine was busy getting into her party gear for the shoot. Her outfit, almost nonexistent, could better be described as underwear. Maybe Josephine had this prearranged, Coco wondered as she saw the outfit.

  “You lil’ ho, how could you be thinking of wearing those strings around your fat ass?” Coco asked with a frown on her face. “That’s so wack,” she continued when Josephine ignored her. “Your damn thong is showing from under that short ass skirt, Jo.”

  “You can see that I’m wearing the damn thing? I’m thinking of not wearing it. Furthermore, if Christina Aguilera can get down in her Dirty video then why can’t I do the same in a damn Silky Black video, huh?”

  “Cuz you ain’t Christina.”

  “I heard that,” Deedee said. “I’m just gonna do me,” she continued. Coco looked on as Josephine kept ignoring her and began to teach Deedee a few dance moves.

  “This that New Orleans shake. Ya gotta just flow. You can’t fight it. Like, you can’t change your heartbeat. That’s rhythm.” Josephine moved with ease through some simple steps and turns. Deedee tried her best to keep up but Josephine’s hectic pace kept her about two steps back.

  Coco bobbed her head and watched the two with little interest. She was always first on the dance track and had been here before. Coco had other interests in mind. What stole her interest was the idea of creating a video rather than being an extra set of tits in one.

  She glanced around and imagined herself starring in her own fantasy. It was a longing that she cherished and one that brought back the sparkle to her brown eyes. Coco wanted this one to come true and would do what it took to hog the limelight in the making of her own video. She wanted to be ready and her eager eyes followed Silky Black’s every move. Pretty soon, the location was no longer a secret. Fans started arriving and started to go gaga over him.

  When Silk and his entourage retreated to a trailer, Coco observed the way the make-up people catered to the whims of the video star. She was so lost in her private thoughts that she didn’t notice that Silky Black had walked up to her. Coco didn’t hear him when he spoke and failed to respond.

  “Yo, ya ahight, Coco?” Silky Black asked. Coco felt cheated out of the ending to her fantasy but she managed to snap out of her flight of the imagination.

  “Yeah, I’m good, yo.”

  “Ahight, I’m fittin’ to bring you up more to camera front. Front and center where I can see you,” Silky Black said as a makeup artist rushed him and started to fuss over his look. “It don’t seem that way but this shit is hard work, Coco,” he said before being dragged away by a posse of people. Coco smiled as she watched the spectacle. Josephine ran up to her.

  “Guess what, Coco?” Josephine asked. Before Coco could focus, she continued, “BET’s Access Granted is here. They just a little way off. I gotta get more make-up. Do me and Deedee and I’ll do you after, cool?”

  “You guys are getting scary,” Coco said with a smile.

  “Yes, Miss Coco, I know. You’re gonna stay in the back wearing no make-up and reppin’ da hood, ahight. Me and Dee here are gonna be up front in makeup and string bikinis,” Josephine said as she applied more make-up to Deedee’s face.

  “I beg to differ...” Coco started but Josephine was not letting her finished.

  “What? You know everyone is gonna be wearing mad make-up and chi-chi stringy shit so don’t front.” Josephine countered.

  “Well, I won’t be wearing that and I’ll be out in front.”

  “Huh?” The question hadn’t completely left Josephine’s mouth when they heard the loudspeaker.

  “Coco, report to stage right. Coco, report to stage right.”

  “That be’s me, I believe,” Coco said and sauntered over to her position leaving Josephine behind looking stunned. Deedee wore a smile as if she was in on the joke. Josephine jerked around to hear.r.

  “All other dancers take their places.”

  “I swear Coco was born to get over. She always does,” Josephine complained as the music hit her and she began to move. It was all action for the next fifteen minutes then they heard, “...and cut.” Josephine was livid.

  “Then that’s the other shit. You spend hours in make-up and then you dance for only a few seconds. That’s it. A few seconds,” Josephine continued. Throwing her head back, she laughed out loudly on a lark and Deedee followed suit. “Cut this and cut that. Cut everything, cut you too and after I cut you, die slow all o’ y’all,” Josephine taunted jokingly.

  “Girl, you’re crazy.” Deedee laughed so hard she could barely hold herself straight. Coco walked over to them seemingly hyped.

  “They’re gonna shoot us together as Silky Black walks through,” Coco announced.

  “Oh yeah? All of us?” Deedee asked.

  “All of us, yo,” Coco answered. A few minutes later, the camera came rolling by.

  Once a video scene is being shot, the set is under the director’s supervision. The video director’s duty is almost pious and it would be sacrilegious for someone else to usurp that. Show Biz was the director and he was calling all the shots on this location. However, Josephine’s ambition eclipsed that sacred duty.

  “Hold it. Cut it,” Josephine said. “I haven’t had a chance to refresh my make-up yet. I can’t be looking busted in anyone’s video,” she said. There was a loud groan from the crew. “Hey it will be only a few minutes,” she countered.

  “You’ve been all over this video shoot so far,” Show Biz said.

  “What? Are you complaining now?” Josephine asked in a seductive tone.

  “No, I’m saying we can’t wait to shoot you. We’ve got to do this,” he said to Josephine who was steadily reapplying her make-up. Then he yelled out to Silky Black. “Yo, Silky Black, you ready over there?” Turning back to Josephine, he asked, “Is the star ready yet?”

  “I’m ready,” Josephine said smiling.

  “All right, this is what’s gonna be happening. As Silky Black approaches you beautiful young ladies, cuz that’s what this about, the beautiful young ladies. So, as Silky Black approaches, bam! I wanna see your smiles and then boom! I wanna see you do your thing. Asses, loose and high in the air, shaking. You hear me? Shaking. I wanna see you drop-it-like-it’s-hot, you know what I mean?”

  “You don’t want us to first shake-it-like-a-salt-shaker and then after that, drop-it-like-its-hot?”

  “This may take about half an hour to do depending on how many takes we do. The raw footage will be edited down to about three to four seconds so we ain’t gonna have a lot of time for all that. But you can certainly bring that to the album release party
.”

  “I just have to shake it a little to loosen up.”

  “Go ahead but once I say action, all I want to see is what I told you to do. Alright, ladies, lets do this.”

  “C’mon, Dee. You’re in the scene too,” said Coco pulling Deedee by the arm.

  “Ah, you guys are in the scene. I’m here to watch. I mean what am I gonna do?”

  “Don’t play yourself. You’re just as involved with this as Jo. We’re just gonna be dancing around acting like we having big fun like we do in da club. That’s easy, yo.”

  “Just don’t stare into the camera and always smile,” Josephine said as she finally caught up with the others. Make-up and wardrobe complete, Josephine was finally ready.

  “They’re gonna be shooting the scene over there,” Coco said and the girls filed downstage followed closely by the camera. In a minute, they heard the commands.

  “Silence on the set, please. And action!”

  The music rumbled and Silky Black sauntered through the midst of the girls. He stopped to kick a few bars and turned to Coco as he continued to rap, “...and just like Pac said it ‘ya got to keep ya head up’ if you don’t then it’s all this drama that it bring might get you wet up…”

  Josephine shook her hips and whined to the bass as Coco nodded her head to the beat and rapped along to the song. Deedee jumped up and shook her rump having fun preening for the camera. The crew loved her performance too. They shot it for about five minutes longer when they heard the order.

  “Cut! That’s it, guys. It’s a wrap on that.”

  “All that and it’ll be shaved to only a couple of seconds. Gee thanks, guys,” Josephine yelled as the camera crew pushed off laughing. “I can’t believe I got up early for that.” She looked around for sympathy.

  “You’re such an ungrateful bitch, yo,” Coco said coming up fast behind Josephine. Josephine dressed in her skivvies was much too slow in getting away from Coco. As she tried to jerk herself free, her top came loose and some guys on the set whistled and applauded.

  “Yeah, ma, take it off,” they cheered. Deedee laughed and Josephine attempted to put her top back together.

  “Aah, come on, take it off,” the crew yelled from across the stage.

  “See, you caused all this fuss,” Josephine said as she tried to shield her wares from public view and get back at Coco. The view interested Gee enough for him to walk over.

  “Yeah, you’re a wild one. I like that in my girls,” he said enjoying the hunt.

  “Oh, all you Spanish guys like wild women, huh?” Josephine asked all the time her eyes flirting.

  “Hmm, ma, I can’t speak for nobody else but I can say that I love the way you move that body.” he said in a whisper. Josephine welcomed his advances. “I want a private showing.”

  “Oh really? And are you gonna respect me in the morning?”

  “That’s the least of your worries, ma. Respect first.”

  “Then what should I worry about?”

  “My ten inches of fun.”

  “Yo, Gee, come over here and get on the turntables, nigga,” Show Biz yelled. Before he walked away, Gee turned and nodded to everyone.

  “Can’t wait for that moment,” he said and was gone to shoot his frame of the music video leaving Josephine holding her breath. Yet, it wasn’t before long that she was singing another tune.

  “I wonder why he’d wanna sweat a sista like that, huh?” Josephine asked.

  “Maybe it could very well be because you were, ah, smoking with him earlier?”

  “Or he just liked your video get-up,” Deedee threw her two cents in.

  “Whatever, bitches. I hear some hating. That’s all good. Homey is just open on my sexiness.”

  “Did Danielle’s soul creep into your body or sump’n?” Coco asked jokingly at first then realized she’d really meant it. She continued, “Cuz you ain’t the Ms. Conservative Josephine I used to know. The one who used to like to keep even that boyfriend biz on the down low. Now you’re talking ‘bout giving brains for a blunt.”

  “Bitch, who’s giving brains for blunts? What kinda shit you on?”

  “No, bitch. It’s more like what kinda shit you on? You were the one talking ‘bout giving it up for smoke when you were down south.”

  “Oh, you mean earlier. I thought you were talking ‘bout right now. I’m working in the here and now so please leave all baggage behind. That Spanish nigga is real cute. That’s what’s up, bitch.”

  “Oh, that’s what’s up, huh?”

  “Now you feel me. Coco, we’ve got to really sit down and...”

  “Josephine, why don’t you just put your clothes back on? Throughout the video, your ass is in every shot and you only wearing a panty and bra. Titties flapping around like you some video ho.”

  “It’s my thong and my ass but who’s checking?” Josephine asked and pulled her dress over her shoulders. She had a great body and she let it go to her head. Coco was seeing a totally different side of Josephine. Heaven forbid but it was like Josephine really had adopted Danielle’s ways. The thought left Coco a little mystified.

  “Yo, wanna go eat sump’n when this thing is over? I’m feeling like throwing up or sump’n,” Josephine said, rubbing her flat stomach.

  “Yeah, I heard that. Not the throwing up part but the really hungry part,” Deedee said.

  “I’m so amped from being around all these cameras and the BET people got me even more hype. I don’t know but that may have taken all my energy,” Josephine added letting her voice trail away.

  “Could be. Although last night, I was so tired that I went to sleep as soon as I got in,” Deedee said as she watched Coco roll a blunt.

  “Yeah, roll that weed up. Maybe that will calm my stomach down. Its doing flips right now,” Josephine whined.

  “Whatever, bitch. That will teach you next time to...”

  “What’s it gonna be ladies? Coffee, hot chocolate, or soup?” A caterer disrupted Coco as she was about to let Josephine have it.

  “Soup for me,” Josephine said immediately reaching for the cup. “Ooh, nice and hot. Just the way I like it. Thank you,” she said holding the handle and slurping from the cup. “Ah, yeah. That’s better.”

  “I’ll try the soup also. Thank you,” Deedee announced.

  “Yeah, this soup is da bomb,” Josephine said.

  “I’ll have the hot chocolate,” Coco said. She was through rolling and was ready to light up when Josephine cautioned her.

  “Excuse me, can we wait? Must we light up while there’s company?” Josephine asked winking at the caterer.

  “Don’t worry. Everyone is doing that right now. Sure smells real good,” he said as Coco sparked the blunt and sucked on it. She inhaled rapidly, exhaled then sipped from the hot chocolate.

  “Hmm, the chocolate is good. Good looking out, yo,” she said as she inhaled the smoke from the blunt. The caterer moved on smiling.

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  Wednesday, the detectives received the call from the hospital confirming that the man they had brought in had regained consciousness. Detective Kowalski was ready and waiting for the opportunity to turn this prisoner into a witness. He felt that whatever Lil’ Long knew would be helpful if he could just get it out of him. Kowalski was confident that he could. He could either talk freely or get it beaten out of him. The choice would be his, Kowalski thought as he swung into traffic and headed for the hospital. His anticipation made him frantic enough to almost wipe out a pedestrian.

  “Easy before you kill us,” Hall said.

  The two were a study in contrast. One wanted to show off his skill and break open a major case. The other was in no hurry to do anything but sit and have lunch. Hall also took evening classes at a local college. He had aspirations of becoming a realtor and was winding down his law enforcement career. He remembered being young and eager. Now he was just older and wiser.

  Kowalski pulled to a stop and jumped from the car in a big haste to interview Lil’ Long. They walked
through the hospital door. “Excuse me, where can I find a patient by the name of...ah ...Michael Lowe?” Kowalski asked as he showed his badge upon entering the main floor of the hospital. The receptionist quickly examined her patient listing and answered.

  “He’s in intensive care on the sixteenth floor. Take the elevator on your left, gentlemen.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Detective Hall said eyeing her figure as they headed to the elevator. “She’s got a very good future,” he said as they waited on the elevator.

  “What is it about you brothers and chicks with fat asses?” Detective Kowalski asked. Hall looked his younger white partner up and down. He saw a young man living in dirty jeans doing whatever it took to bust a case wide open.

  “If you gotta ask then you don’t need to know,” Hall said smiling as if smiling was an unpleasant thing to do.

  “Let’s go interrogate a perp,” Kowalski said reading the sardonic grin pasted on Hall’s face. The two walked onto the elevator as the doors spread open.

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  He had been an unruly patient, inattentive and less than eager to please anyone. The doctors noted that there was something tragic about him even in his movements. A kick to the groin of the doctor as he tried to inject serum into his post surgery bullet riddled body. He tussled with the orderlies trying to restrain him to the bed with the use of handcuffs. Lil’ Long threw threatening gestures at the armed police guarding him. He grimaced when he felt the needle in his vein. His eyes rolled back and he nodded off to sleep wrapped in his blood soaked bandages.

  The detectives got off the elevator and hurried to the room. The commotion had just about dwindled down to snores coming from the sleeping patient. A sweating doctor, still breathing hard from the ordeal, greeted the detectives.

  “How ya doing, doc?” Kowalski asked.

  “Annoyed by your patient’s antics,” the doctor answered as he signed off on a medical chart. “Doesn’t seem like he wants to live, detective,” the doctor continued as the detectives observed Lil’ Long lying in the hospital bed.