“Damn, playa, you find a job today?” Bizz asked, all the while not taking his eyes off the scale.
“Nah, homie, it’s hard out there for a nigga. I been to, like, seven different places, and ain’t nobody hiring.”
“Well, you know I always got room for you over here, playa. We doin’ good out here, and I sure could use some brains in my operation,” Bizz responded.
Bizz wasn’t lying when he said they were doing well. He’d been home for a little more than a month, and he had already purchased a house on the West Side. Malcolm had just got to the halfway house three weeks ago, and he was already looking at a storefront he wanted to turn into a barbershop. Ish had only been there three days, and first thing this morning, he went to the car lot and bought a Dodge Charger. Bizz had a sweet operation going on, and the money he was making was enough to feed a couple of families. Chris couldn’t lie, it was tempting as a mother.
“Nah, homie, I’m cool right now. I’m trying to stay out here with my kids, ya dig?” he replied.
“Okay, playa, I see you trying to do the right thing. I hope everything work out for you,” Bizz said, finally picking his head up to look at Chris. “But, let me tell you this, when I first came home from prison, didn’t nobody give me shit. I couldn’t get a dime from nobody, and I put in over twenty applications for a job my first two weeks being out. Not one person hired me, not even the ones my parole officer hooked me up with.”
“So you just gave up?” Chris interrupted, not really feeling Bizz’s many excuses.
“Naw, playa, I’m not saying that. It ain’t like I didn’t try. I gotta get it the best way I know how. I’m not gonna starve out here . . . man, you’re just gonna have to see for yourself,” Bizz said, shifting his attention back to the scale. “Come fuck with me when you’re ready.”
Chris got up and exited the room. Malcolm and Ish heard the whole conversation, but didn’t pay it any mind, especially the part when they started talking about doing the right thing, and getting jobs. Right now, it was all about getting money, and Bizz was feeding them too good to stop right now. He was making their lives comfortable, and that was more than enough, given their current circumstances.
Chapter 3
Doctor Keller stepped out into the waiting area and called Falisha’s name. She wasn’t doing much today but getting a routine checkup, along with trying to find out why she’d been having a little discharge in her panties for the last week. She was hoping that it wasn’t because she was pregnant again; she didn’t want to have another child, at least not at this time in her life.
“Well, I have a bit of bad news, Falisha,” Doctor Keller spoke, looking down at his chart. “You have contracted an STD.”
Falisha’s heart sank into her stomach, and she started crying instantly. She thought that it was the big one, HIV, but thankfully, it wasn’t. “You have gonorrhea,” the doctor told her. “The good news is we can treat it with a simple shot of penicillin.” Falisha was so embarrassed, she hardly wanted to get undressed to get the needle. The process of elimination began immediately, and that was easy because the only two people she was having sex with were Lamar, and just recently, Fox. She didn’t use a condom with either of them, but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Lamar wasn’t sleeping around. She couldn’t say the same for Fox, who she knew was a whore.
“Okay, Falisha, no sex for a week,” the doctor said, pulling the needle out of her ass. “And tell your partner that he needs to be checked out as well, or it will be very easy for him to give it right back to you,” the doctor instructed.
Telling Lamar that she had given him an STD was out of the question. She was more worried about her own image than his health, and this was probably the only time in their relationship that Falisha hoped Lamar had cheated on her, so that the blame could be directed elsewhere. The chances of that were slim to none, so another route had to be sought. For now, Fox was about to get an earful, and there was no way he was going to wiggle himself out of this one.
* * *
Carol stood up on her steps, looking down the street to see if Ernie was coming. He had called ten minutes ago and said that he was on his way with some weed and Patrón. It was a little too early in the day for liquor, but Carol could smoke weed any time.
“Damn, bitch, hurry up!” Carol yelled at Ernie, who was taking his sweet time walking up the street. “If some dicks was here waiting for you, yo’ ass would be running!” she shouted.
Ernie sped up his stride, only hearing the words “some dicks” come from Carol’s mouth. Ernie was as gay as they come. He looked, walked, talked, and dressed just like a woman. The only way one could tell that he wasn’t a woman was if he didn’t shave for a week. That, and the obvious bulge he got in his pants when he saw a good-looking man that he liked.
“You are such a fucking diva,” Carol said, watching as Ernie struggled to crack the blunt open. “Give it to me.”
“I don’t wanna mess my nail up,” he shot back, putting his hands on his hips. “And don’t use too much spit,” he added.
“Shut up, Ernie. And why don’t you go knock on Falisha’s door and tell her to come smoke with us,” Carol instructed him.
“I would, but Falisha ain’t home. I called her right after I called you, and she said that she was out,” Ernie spoke.
“That translation meant, she’s creeping. That girl swear she has all the sense. Lamar gon’ kill her when he catches her.”
Ernie looked at Carol in shock. He normally was up on his gossip, but somehow, Falisha sleeping around had yet to reach him. “Oh no, bitch, you never told me she was doing her thing,” Ernie said, popping his neck and sucking his teeth.
“Bye, boy!” Carol said, raising her hand up to his face. “That girl been messin’ around with Fox for a minute now. You know that used to be her old boo,” Carol informed.
“You talking about sugar daddy Fox?” Ernie asked.
“Yeah, I used to fuck around wit’ Fox. He used to make me suck his dick for an hour at a time,” Carol told him.
Ernie blushed at the notion of sucking some dick for an hour. He wanted more details on that part of the story alone, but Carol refused to go in on it. It wasn’t like Ernie didn’t know she was a whore. Hell, everybody in Charlotte knew Carol was a whore. A good whore at that. She’s been sexually connected to some of the biggest ballers Charlotte had to offer, and the thing she was known for the most was her dick-sucking skills. Well, that and the fact that she had the nerve to be a cute whore. By her looks, she could have been wifey material, but her reputation made that only the reality with someone who wasn’t from Charlotte.
“Well, that’s news to my ears,” Ernie said, reaching out for the blunt.
“Yes, it’s going to be news to Lamar’s ears soon, if she don’t be careful. Once that happens, all hell is going to break loose.”
* * *
“So, how do you feel?” Lisa asked, bringing Ms. D some hot tea into the living room where she sat watching TV.
“I feel good. I got one more round of this chemo shit, and then I’ll be through. Next week can’t get here fast enough,” she responded.
Over the past year, Ms. D had been in and out of the hospital, going through several rounds of intense chemotherapy. For a moment, she had almost given up, but family and friends, like Lisa, Tammy, Lamar, and Falisha, gave her the strength to keep fighting. It was a blessing too because doctors predicted that one more round of chemo and a light surgery would dead the cancer all the way. Everybody was excited for her and was going to be there until the very end.
“Now, what about you and that boy you’re seeing? How’s that working out for you?” Ms. D asked, cutting her eyes over at Lisa.
“What boy, Ms. D?” Lisa asked, trying to play stupid.
“Don’t make me kick yo’ ass, girl. You been walking around here with that extra pep in your step for the past couple of weeks. You think Ms. D don’t know when somebody’s turkey getting stuffed?” She laughed.
> Lisa couldn’t keep lying to Ms. D if she wanted to, and she probably felt more comfortable talking to Ms. D than anybody.
“It’s just sex, Ms. D. He’s a nice guy, but I’m not looking for anything more than just that,” she explained. “It happens at his house most of the time. Sometimes we go to a hotel, but never do we do it in my house. He doesn’t even know about Naomi.”
“Well, that’s good for you. Everybody need some dick in their lives. Do he got a daddy who can come knock the dust off of this ole’ pussy?” Ms. D joked, laughing so hard she almost choked.
Lisa had to laugh at that one too. Ms. D was terrible, and she always knew how to make somebody smile or have a good day. That’s why Lisa loved her so much and looked at her like a second mom. She was a good person, and had an even bigger heart, but the best part about Ms. D was that through all her trials and tribulations, she kept her head held high. For Lisa, that was pure inspiration; the very thing she needed.
* * *
Falisha swerved, punched on the gas, and shot right through traffic like a speed demon. She ran red lights, stop signs, and even caught a hit-n-run on a cat. Her car came to a screeching halt, damn near crashing into the barbershop where Fox hung out. He saw her coming from a mile away and knew that she was steaming hot. He had to run outside and grip her up before she came into the barbershop and embarrassed him.
“You nasty muthafucka,” Falisha snapped, swinging on him.
Fox blocked the punch and slipped two more before grabbing her.
“Calm da fuck down!” he yelled, pulling her around to the side of the building where nobody could see them.
Falisha stayed calm, looking around for something to bust him in his head with once he let her go.
“Falisha, look at me,” Fox said, shaking her a little. “My bad, shawty. I just found out yesterday, and I just was about to call you and tell you,” he lied. He had been to the doctors and treated almost a week ago. “I beat da bitch up and everything,” he told her, which was actually the truth.
“Get da fuck off me!” Falisha demanded. “Now.”
“You better not hit me either,” Fox said, loosening his grip on her.
When he let her go, Falisha looked down at a stick she’d been eying since she got there. She was on her way to pick it up and crack him in his head with it, but stopped when Fox started digging in his pocket.
“I know this don’t make things any better, but you need to take a chill pill,” he said, pulling out a healthy wad of money. “Go get ya hair done, feet done, nails done, hit the spa wit’ a friend, then go burn the mall down,” he told her, not even counting the money he peeled off and held out.
It was all fifty-dollar bills, so it had to be at least forty-five hundred he was trying to give her. Falisha looked at him, then looked at the money. She was mad as hell, but also broke, and she thought about all she could do with the money. When she reached out for the money, Fox pulled it back.
“First, you gotta forgive me tho,” he said with a sad look.
Falisha snatched the money out of his hand with lightning speed. “I’ll fuckin’ forgive you when I please,” she snapped.
She folded the money, then tucked it into her back pocket before walking off. Fox didn’t want to push his luck, so he just let her go. One thing he knew about Falisha very well was that she loved money, and as long as that kept being pumped into her pockets, she would eventually forgive and forget.
* * *
“Ernie, I bet you got a big ol’ dick,” Carol said as she sat back on her steps feeling the effects of the weed.
“If you mean this useless organ my mother cursed me with at birth,” Ernie replied, “yeah, it’s big. Sometimes I wish I could cut it off and use it on my damn self,” he said with a smile.
“Damn, Ernie, you should let me sample some of that. I’ll fuck da shit out of ya gay ass,” Carol teased, looking at him with lustful eyes. “My pussy good too.”
“Oh no, baby, I don’t do fish. I’m strictly dickly over here,” Ernie said, snapping his fingers at Carol and rolling his eyes.
The weed had Carol horny as hell, and right now, anybody could get it. The mailman, paperboy, dope boys, young, old, short, tall, money, or broke. When Carol wanted to fuck, she was going to make something happen, and if Ernie stuck around much longer, he might find himself a victim. She was too high to move right now, but as soon as she came down a little, somebody was getting fucked.
Chapter 4
Tammy, Lisa, and Falisha walked through the mall, hitting up every store they passed. They were supposed to be there for their dress fitting, but that was the last thing on their agenda. It had been awhile since they had all been out together, so making a full day of it was the plan.
“Come on, y’all, let’s sit right here,” Falisha said, waving the other girls over to a table by the food court.
Bags from different stores were all over the place. “I still can’t believe that you’re about to get married,” Lisa spoke as she sipped on her smoothie.
“Yeah, and what did Chris have to say about you meeting somebody else at the altar?” Falisha chimed in, getting straight to the meat and bones.
Tammy put her head down. “He don’t know, yet,” she said in a low tone. “I wanted to tell him, but he—”
“Girl, that man is going to kill you,” Falisha said, throwing one hand in the air.
“Shut up, Falisha. Chris ain’t gonna do shit,” Lisa shot back.
Lisa looked over at Tammy, who had a very familiar look in her eyes. Lisa knew it all too well; it was the same look she had when Dre was released from prison. “You still love Chris?” Lisa asked, pretty much knowing the answer already.
“Girl, dat nigga look so good,” Tammy spoke. “Damn, he made a bitch wanna give it up on the spot.”
“That’s right, girl. That’s ya baby daddy,” Falisha said, raising her hand for a high five.
“No no no, Tammy, you can’t do that,” Lisa cut in. “Didn’t y’all bitches learn anything from my situation?”
Lisa could see Tammy easily going down the same path she went down, and the one thing, if anything, Lisa learned from her experiences, was to never play with a man’s heart. Almost every time, both parties end up being hurt, and sometimes things could become deadly. Lisa didn’t want to see Tammy go through what she’d been through, and having two men like Chris and Darious go at it would end with the same unfortunate results.
“Tammy, you need to tell Chris that you’re getting married. You say you love Darious, right?” Lisa asked.
“Yes, of course, I love him,” Tammy responded. “He’s good to me, and my kids like him. We been talking about having a baby and moving into a bigger house,” she said.
“Well, be with him. Show that man the respect that he deserves and don’t give Chris any indication that there’s a chance that y’all two will get back together.”
“Yeah, but it ain’t nothin’ wrong with givin’ him some pussy, right?” Falisha playfully asked.
“Falisha, shut up,” Lisa said. “Tammy, listen to me, and listen to me good. Under no circumstances, whatsoever, do you have sex with Chris. First off, it’s cheating, and second, it will ruin everything,” Lisa said emphatically. “Please trust me on this one.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Tammy buckled, taking in a deep breath as she thought about the great sex they used to have.
Lisa was 100 percent right, and hearing her advice made Tammy realize that she couldn’t be selfish. Too much was at stake, and the price of losing Darious was too high. Tammy needed to be honest with Chris.
“All right, since we’re all here and everybody’s all up in my business, why don’t we get on yo’ ass,” Tammy said, smiling at Lisa. “Who da hell is Brian, and why haven’t I met him?”
Lisa looked over at Falisha, who stuck her tongue out at her. “I knew ya ass couldn’t hold water,” Lisa told Falisha. “Girl, he’s nobody, just some guy that I talk to.”
“Like hell. That’s her
boyfriend, but she’s in denial.”
“Falisha, I’ma kick ya ass. That man is not my boyfriend. My husband is probably rolling over in his grave, right now, God rest his soul,” Lisa smiled, crossing her chest.
“You know it’s nothing wrong with you having somebody. Eventually, you’re gonna have to move on,” Tammy told her, getting a little more serious about the situation.
“Yeah, I know. I’m just not ready for no relationship right now. I couldn’t possibly love somebody else.”
“Who said anything about love?” Tammy corrected. “This is gonna be a process for you, and at this stage in ya life, you need to start off slow. Take baby steps, but don’t rule out the possibility of one day allowing yourself to be with someone again.”
Everything Tammy said ran through Lisa’s mind, from the time that she woke up until she went to bed at night. A part of her wanted to move on, but then guilt set in, and she thought about how two men had died because of her selfish desires. It was something that she could never forget, and as long as she had that on her soul, moving on would forever be difficult.
* * *
“Yo, you got a visitor,” Malcolm walked into the room and told Chris, who was getting ready to take a shower. “Shawty look nice too,” he added.
A visitor? Chris wondered to himself, already having seen his kids two days ago.
The only person who he thought it could have been was his second baby’s mom, whom he hadn’t seen since he had been home. Whoever it was, they were here early, and since it was Friday, they were cutting into his religious pass to go outside.
Chris walked down the steps toward the living-room area where the visits took place, slowly taking his time in putting on his T-shirt. To his surprise, it was Tammy sitting there with a huge smile on her face. She had on a pair of 7 For All Mankind jeans, a white halter top, and some Christian Dior sandals. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and it looked like she had just stepped out of the nail salon. Her sweet-scented body wash lit up the whole downstairs, and the sounds of her cracking chewing gum in her mouth vibrated throughout the room.
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