“Same thing I was saying,” Josephine said when Eric entered the Range Rover and slammed the door. Deedee giggled.
“What happened? Something funny happened while I was away?” Eric questioned.
“Yeah, you kinda missed it,” Deedee said looking back at both girls. “You had to be here.”
“Yeah, that’s all good but the real deal is, have you ladies decided where we’re going to go eat or do you want the man to make the decision?”
“Sure Uncle E, that would be fine by me,” Deedee said. “What about y’all? I mean, whatever works, right?”
Eric turned up the volume as Tupac’s clever rhymes raced to the front of the foray. Coco, Deedee and Josephine joined the chorus. After a few bars, Eric couldn’t resist the mood. Maybe Tupac was right so he rapped along too.
…What you won’t do ...you do for love…
…you tried everything but you don’t give up …
They rapped along with Pac until Eric pulled into a parking spot.
“Uncle E, tell me, you really gotta make moves?” Deedee asked.
“I do but we’ve got some time to spare,” he said laughing now. He parked and they walked to Carmine’s, famous for its Italian cuisine and favorite of Sophia’s. Once seated, Eric and the girls chowed down with much gusto on appetizers, salad, and plenty of pasta. They sat relishing their feast. After Eric ordered pasta and salad to go, he turned to find out if anyone had room for dessert.
“There’s a little space reserved for a slice of cheese cake,” Josephine suggested.
“Damn, what you keep in your stomach? A shredder?” Coco asked. Deedee and Eric laughed.
“It’s all good. Some people have healthy appetites,” Eric said smiling.
“Uh huh and those people usually get fat. Look at her, she’s already busting out o’ them jeans.” Coco was getting at Josephine, clowning like they always do. Deedee was used to the act by now. Each of them would say what she really felt about the other but it always had to be done in a comical way.
“Don’t matter whatcha say. I’m still charming and petite,” Josephine said and stood to take her bow. Deedee applauded and Eric smiled amused by the antics.
“Sit down, Jo. Don’t embarrass yourself, girl. Petite is not another name for ho’,” Coco said.
“Oh no, you didn’t go there, Coco. At least I know my sexual preference.”
“Who’s that? Anyone with a light?” Coco asked jokingly.
“You know, I’m never singing back-up on any of your joints again and watch if you ever go number one.”
“I don’t need you to sing back up. I took all your verses out.” The girls were clowning and high fiving.
“No you did not just say that. You a dirty low down…” Josephine and Coco went at it like sisters did. It was a familiarity that developed after knowing a person intimately for some time. Eric wanted to use the same energy to bring Sophia around. The diamond necklace from Harry Winston, though expensive, had softened her up a bit. He had made a note to order food to go for her and added her favorite bottle of vino to make her simmer.
The waiter brought dessert for the girls and coffee for Eric. He sipped and thought about what else he could do to save his relationship with the woman he loved.
“By the way, I remember that you guys won the first place in that last contest and I’ll be putting up the first prize. Part of that prize is a recording deal. Along with that, there is the prize money,” Eric said. He looked at Coco and Josephine’s shocked faces and pulled out a check. “This is the actual check and I hope you guys remember who brought you this.”
“Ah, you did?”
“No, Busta did. Back in the days, he and my older brother, Dennis, built a record label from scratch. Although Busta went off and did other things, he stayed close. After I graduated from college, Dennis brought me into this indie music market. Right now, we got the support from about three majors. We work with everyone from R&B to hip-hop, rap, rock, and jazz…It doesn’t really matter. We trying to do it all. Our next venture will be to score films. I’m currently negotiating on a deal right now.”
“Wow, Uncle E, that’s really good.”
“Word? That’s great, yo.”
“You’ve got to keep it moving. Makes no sense sitting on the pot unless you gonna do the damn thing.”
“With all these moves coming into effect…Ah, do you, um…Do you have any job opportunities?” Josephine asked with curiosity.
“I don’t see why not. We’re growing and the opportunities will exist for interns and other positions. But you guys want to be signed as artists.”
“True dat, true dat,” Josephine chirped and struck a high fashion pose.
“I think they got enough of you, video-ho,” Coco whispered.
“Does anyone else feel the sweat or is it just that I smell haters?” Josephine said. She became distracted as Eric pulled out another check. “Uh oh, is that money I see?” Josephine said. Eric handed her an American Express check for ten thousand dollars. “Ohh yess! Is it all mine?” she finally recovered enough to ask.
“Here you are, Coco,” Eric said and passed a similar check to Coco. She first looked at him as if he had just done the worse possible thing to her. The look of disbelief that slowly appeared on Coco’s face transformed to an immense grin when she glanced at the paper in her hand.
“All this? Is it real? Thanks, good looking out. Yeah, yeah! Finally, I can show my mother sump’n that I got from this music thing, yo,” Coco said and reached over to hug Eric. Deedee was overcome with emotion and shed tears of joy. Josephine walked around the table and threw her arms around Eric too. Deedee eventually joined as the rest of the patrons close enough to hear applauded.
“Now, there is another check here for the same amount. It’s for the third member of your group. Ah, sadly to say, she’s not here with us but I wanted y’all to decide what to do with her share,” Eric said, looking at both Coco and Josephine.
“That should be easy. We could just give it to her through her parents,” Josephine immediately suggested.
“Yeah, I’m with that. I mean, they could decide what they wanted to do with her share better than we can,” Coco said, looking at Josephine.
“Deal,” Josephine said as she threw a high-five to Coco. “We could take it to her parents place tomorrow. I know their address,” Josephine said.
“Just don’t make it too early, ahight Jo,” Coco said.
“Okay, okay. I’ll call that lady, your neighbor.”
“Miss Katie.”
“Yeah, I’ll call Miss Katie at about noon or so.”
“Okay, that’ll be good,” Coco said nodding to Josephine.
Not long after, they left the restaurant and all enjoyed a happy ride home. Not only were their stomachs filled but Coco and Josephine both had American Express checks with ten thousand dollars and their names written on them. Deedee smiled with glee that she had been a part of it all. The idea that led to the prize money being split evenly for the members of the group belonged to her.
FORTY-THREE
About an hour after dinner, Coco found herself back at home. She hurriedly went through the mail, then examined the check she had received. She rolled a blunt and started enjoying the herbal lift. There came a knock on her door. “Who is it?” she asked not expecting anyone but knew it had to be Miss Katie.
“It’s Miss Katie, Coco. Are you up?” Coco clipped the blunt, hid it under the ashtray, and looked around for the can of air freshener.
“Hold on Miss Katie,” Coco said when she found the aerosol can. She ran around the apartment spraying everywhere as she yelled, “I’ll be right there, Miss Katie. Just give me a sec and I’ll be there.” She prayed and sniffed. Finally, she opened the window and walked over to answer the door.
“Hey Miss Katie how’re you?”
“Just fine. I mean, I could give you the long list or the short one,” Miss Katie said and walked a little way into the apartment. “You burning paper
or sump’n Coco?” she asked as she glanced around. Without waiting for the answer, the old lady continued. “Two people from the Social Services came here to see where your mother lives but I wasn’t able to let them inside.”
“Really? What time was that?”
“I don’t know exactly. Could’ve been around six or so. You know those damn social workers always coming late.”
“What did they say? Are they coming back?”
“Oh yes. Here, they left this note for you. They’ll be coming back tomorrow at three o’ clock,” Miss Katie said still looking around. She saw the run down sofa and the small television screen sitting atop a center table. “I guess that means your mommy will be home soon, huh, Coco?”
“I guess so, Miss Katie. I mean you and I…” Coco appeared confused for a second. “We both did our best to let her know that she should stay in a little longer but after the shooting…”
“What shooting are you talking about, Coco? Who done got themselves shot this time?” Miss Katie asked getting excited. “Got the cops crawling up and down the roof to the streets. That’s probably why they shot that child last week. They probably nervous like myself, Coco. I don’t know why your mother would want to come back to this,” Miss Katie rambled and when she waved her hands, Coco was unsure if she was talking about the apartment or outside. She was too tired to ask for any further clarification.
“I’ll come and see you in the morning. You have a good night,” Coco said and then turned as Miss Katie was about to walk away. “Oh Miss Katie, guess what. You’ll never guess so I better tell you,” Coco said with so much excitement the eyes of the old lady bulged with curiousity.
“What, child? What is it you wanna say so badly? Spit it out already will you?” Miss Katie was herself getting excited again. “This too much for my ol’ heart. Lemme sit.” Miss Katie sat on the clean side of the sofa, which was further from the door. Coco retrieved the check and showed it to her. “What is this? A check?” Miss Katie squinted and asked. “I can’t see so well without my glasses. What does it say?” She saw the smile spread across Coco’s lips.
“It’s my prize money. Ten thousand dollars,” Coco said, waving the paper in the air. She did a dance move and struck a pose. Miss Katie smiled and commended the proud teen.
“Oh, God’s blessings have reached you, Coco. Oh, this is such a beautiful thing. It is a great start. I’m so proud of you.” Miss Katie jubilantly leapt up and embraced Coco.
“This is hopefully the start of more good things.”
“I wish you all the best. You deserve all the blessings.” The old lady was moved to tears as she framed the young girl’s face with her hands and planted a kiss on each cheek. “God bless you. You’re gonna make your mother so proud.”
“Thank you. I wanna make her proud.”
“You will, child. You will,” Miss Katie said smiling.
“I’ve got to open a bank account. Can you help me?” Coco asked as she looked at the check.
“Sure thing, as a matter of fact, my Roxy works in a bank. She’s a manager or sump’n like that.”
“Oh, your daughter does?” Coco asked. “That’ll be cool. We’ll go in the morning and do it.” Coco couldn’t stop staring at the check. “I’m really happy about this, Miss Katie.”
“You’ve got every right to be Coco. You’re applying your God-given talent and improving your life. I imagine it’s a great feeling.”
“Sure is,” Coco said beaming but she still looked a little down. Miss Katie sensed that something must be awry.
“If it’s the social workers you worried about, you don’t have to report anything to them just yet.”
“Nah, that’s all good. I just hope that my mother will be proud to know that her daughter has some kinda talent.”
“Oh she will, Coco. Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing. God willing, she’ll be here to see you shine like the star you truly are. She’ll be so proud of you, she won’t stop talking. She’ll be bragging all day long,” Miss Katie said like it was her most profound wish. It was in her unselfish nature that she wanted nothing to spoil the rise of Coco’s star. She watched Coco smile and Miss Katie silently thanked God.
“Goodnight, Coco. Don’t forget about tomorrow morning, dear. Sleep tight,” the old lady said and happily went next door.
“Goodnight, Miss Katie and thanks a lot for all you’ve done,” Coco said and thought about buying a gift for Miss Katie. She closed the door and glanced at the note from the social service’s office. She shook her head and then said aloud, “My mother is bugged, yo.” Coco retrieved the clip and relit it. She inhaled heavily and held her breath. She walked to her bedroom, exhaling slowly. “I might as well get lifted in my crib. Mommy ain’t here so she won’t find out,” Coco said to the streets. I’ve got real money. I’m rich. Maybe I can help move my mom out the hood, she thought as she stared out the window and blew smoke rings at the people below.
“That Coco, she smokes too much,” Miss Katie said back in her apartment. The infant boy watching television rolled his big eyes and gave her a huge smile. “But I’m so happy for her. That’s right, my baby boy, Roshawn,” Miss Katie said playfully throwing kisses at him. Roshawn continued to cackle and smile. “Where’s your mommy?” Miss Katie teasingly asked the jovial toddler.
Next door, Coco stared out the window and saw a patrol car on the street corner. The occupants were busy in conversation with two other officers on the corner. She observed how they all turned their heads when Kim and Tina got out of a cab. One of the officers walked a little closer to where the ladies stood. He shook his head as they both walked away from the cab after paying the tab.
She lit a cigarette and pulled out her pen and pad. Slipping a CD into the player, she nodded her head as the beat flooded the apartment. Coco sat on the edge of her bed and began to write her rhymes.
Huh, huh, how many times I done told y’all
I’m here till it’s over, I ain’t neva gonna fall
slip and slide till the day I drop and leave y’all
waiting for the next hero at ground zero
Coco up in this piece, who wanna test
Nah, who wanna mess with the raw lyricist
Wit the ill flow, uh try to blast me wit that weak shit
I thought you’d know by now it ain’t happening I’m a
realist, you can’t see me
Coco bobbed her head to the beat as her rhymes fell from her pen. She was a slave to the discipline as she puffed and tried to compose the perfect rhyme. The weed and the dollar amount on the check added to the euphoria, sending her in a zone.
FORTY-FOUR
He woke up as if he had been falling down a cliff in a nice dream that had somehow gone bad. Lil’ Long felt himself still shackled but no longer to the bed. He was able to sit and let his feet touch the floor. The chain dangled easily from both his ankles. He was able to move around and was no longer cuffed.
A smile broke out for this seemingly small victory. Lil’ Long surveyed his new digs and realized he must have been transported from the hospital while he was still unconscious. He saw bars and his worst nightmare slowly dawned. He was alive in a jailhouse infirmary. Here, as in all prisons, inmates were expected to wear the clothes the prison officials issued them. Lil’ Long had somehow remained in his hospital issued which covered his front but not his backside. Making a run was not out of the question but it was a little risky. He sat up in the bed thinking. The correction officer at the end of the corridor watched him curiously. Lil’ Long decided to strike up a conversation with her.
“Yo, CO, you mind tellin’ me what this hellhole is called?” he asked. She moved closer to him, her hips gyrating as he walked. Lil’ Long felt the immediate pang of a hard-on just from watching her walk. “My shit’s working again. Oh baby!” he screamed as she got closer. He could tell she was in her thirties. Lil’ Long sized her up. When she was close enough to smell her perfume, he whistled. “Hmm...hmm. That fragrance you’re wearing sur
e smells damn good.” Lil’ Long smiled. Now he could see that her face wasn’t all that but there was plenty of junk in the trunk.
“Good luck with your conversation. Where you think you’re going to get with that cheap talk is beyond me. I could tell you though that tomorrow you’ll be upstate in prison.” There was the sound of a door opening and shutting in the hall.
“What’s your name?” asked Lil’ Long, peering to catch a glimpse of her name tag. She was heavy in the hips and her sides showed some fat but Lil’ Long decided since he was on lock down, he might as well push-up on her.
“It’s Officer Torres, scum bag,” she said acidly, her eyes shooting daggers at his wounds.
“Yo, ease up. You don’t know me like that, Officer Torres. Why I gotta be a scum bag? Haven’t you heard of innocent till...”
“Not for you. You’re the violent type. The type that doesn’t mind killing innocent people. You should be stripped naked and beaten until you get sick and die from it.”
“Well, at least I know you got my interests at heart,” Lil’ Long said, nastily licking his lips. He felt her eyes lock onto his erection and made no attempt to conceal it.
“Keep that in mind and do something about waving your dick around before someone does you, boo,” Torres said and turned. Before she could walk away, Lil’ Long pressed further.
“Whadya suggest?”
“Miss Thumb and her four friends,” she said and then walked away leaving Lil’ Long to admire her rear. She stopped at the door and spoke briefly with another correction officer. Lil’ Long eased back onto the bed wearing a smile on his face. He threw a glance down the hallway hoping to catch her eyes. Feeling groggy, he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep until the other officer walked away.
He reached under his hospital gown and grabbed the shaft of his dick and began to stroke it up and down. Lil’ Long knew she would be watching so he continued. She wasn’t just watching. Officer Torres gawked at the size as it grew and smiled as he exploded above his head.
Ghetto Girls Too Page 21