Note:
Sale of this book without an official cover may be unauthorized; if you have purchased this book without a cover or a duplicate cover, it may have been bootlegged. The author did not receive payment for the sale of this book.
This novel is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, actual events, establishments, organizations’, and/or locales are intended to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. Other names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.
Published by:
Shameeka Williams c/o Hustle Bunny Books
P.O Box 3731
Hampton, VA 23663
ISBN: 978-0-692-002650-0
Copyright: TXu 1-622-521
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form whatsoever.
Acknowledgments
First, I have to thank god for blessing me and giving me the will, the patience and the drive because without him none of this would be possible. I want to thank everyone who believed in me from day one, I want to thank my children for being so understanding when mommy tuned them out many of nights while working on this book. I want to thank my mother Cassandra Williams for giving me the tools I needed early on in life and my grandmother Ruby McNeil for being my rock. In addition, to all the African American Authors who came before me thank you for being my inspiration. It is one thing to chase a dream but I also want to live it. Writing is my life, my hustle and the answer to my struggle.
Prologue
All the inmates in cellblock 5w72 stared in silence as inmate #032490 walked through the gate to enter the block. Watching him closely trying to read his facial expression, hoping he would speak on what happened at trial, but he quietly walked into his cell sat on his rack and began to write in his note pad. See he knew if he spoke on what happened, niggas would want to know every detail, so he kept quiet, ignoring the whispers of the other inmates. He began to put together everything in the cell that belonged to him but before he could finish getting his things, together one of the loudest niggas up in the block began to walk over to his cell.
He noticed two deputies coming back to the block, as they approached the block they began to call out for him but they were interrupted. “Yo, What the fuck is going on?, this dude just walked in here like forty five minutes ago quiet as hell I know this nigga got a story to tell about his trial. And now y’all walking back up in here calling his number, what’s up with that I know that nigga ain’t going home, no way in hell the deputies yelled loudly “inmate # 032490, you ready to go it’s time”. He stood up grabbed his things and walked past the inmate who wanted to know so damn much and whispered “p.o.p nigga”, as he entered through the gate he had a grin on his face that was indescribable, it was as if he was just giving the key to the city or some shit. No one knew that inmate # 032490 better known as Divine Williams played his cards right and that’s why he was walking out of there and them niggas were still sitting in there, wondering how he beat the system
Truly Divine Chapter 1
Divine was known around the neighborhood by the ladies as one of the smoothest brother’s you ever wanted to come across, he showed a lot of females love and affection, and the ladies had no problem showing him love right back. On the other hand, he had a well-known rep as the nigga who did not take shit from anyone. You needed something done he was the one you went to. He had a rep in the hood as the wrong nigga to fuck with; even though it was still some niggas who hated on him, and envied him no one was bold enough to take their jealousy a step further. It all started in 1990, when Divine was 15 he was hanging out in the hood with his two friends Jb and Quan, when some fake thugs came through the block from another neighborhood feeling like they had a point to prove. One of them stepped to Jb and told him to run his sneakers and his chain. Jb, who had never been in a situation like that laughed at the thugs and began to walk away, which caused the situation to escalate to the point where weapons were drawn, Divine told Jb to step back as he went in his back pack and pulled out a loaded 45. BANG, BANG, BANG. He let off three shots from his gun. He didn’t think twice, “Now if you wanna leave from around here with a bullet in your throat then try me” Divine said loudly as the thugs looked at him in shock and backed off. “Aight you got it damn”. They got they ass from around there quick, Divine looked at Jb and everyone standing on the block looked at Divine, and right at that moment he proved himself. Divine, Quan and Jb ran off into the building up into Jb grandmother’s crib so they could sit back and cool off and clear their heads on what just
happened. “Yo did you see the look on their faces, they was shook,” said
Quan “No did you see the look on Jb’s face, I thought for sure he was going to piss on himself,” said Divine with a chuckle to his voice. “Divine where you get that gun from, do your mama know you got that gun?” asked Jb “do your mama know, she need to come get your ass from around here?” said Quan as he laughed at how Jb responded to his first jacking. “Naw my mom’s don’t know I got this, but you better be lucky I do cause you was about to experience your first jacking, those dudes was going to have you at the court looking sick tomorrow without your sneakers, boy this is the hood not the country”. They sat back laughing with each other cracking jokes and playing video games until it was time for Jb’s grandmother to get in from work. “Yo I’m about to bounce I got to get my gear right for tomorrow, I’ll catch up with y’all later”. Divine grabbed his bags and headed down the street to his building. Once again, the elevator was broke so he had to walk up the stairs. As he reached the 4th floor he could hear a noise coming from the top stairs leading to the roof, so he quietly crept up the stairs to see where the noise was coming from, as he got closer he realized the noise was a woman moaning. Just as Divine began to peak his head around to take a closer look, a man came in from the roof door and noticed him ducking his head down, “Yo! I said Yo!” the man began yelling out to the head of what appeared to be someone who had no business up on those stairs. “Show yourself shorty” Divine stood up and looked at the guy, trying to hold a hard look on his face “yo what y’all doing up in my staircase to that woman?” Divine attempted to put a little base in his voice as he questioned the man staring at him. “Your staircase, so you
own these projects lil nigga?” He asked Divine. “Naw I don’t own these projects but I’m saying I live here and I feel y’all doing some disrespectful shit up in there,” Divine said firmly as the man in the staircase giggled. ‘Yo this lil nigga got a lot of heart talking to me like that,” the man in the staircase said to the other men that were standing there looking on. The woman finished pleasing the man in the staircase. She put on her clothes and walked down the steps past Divine and gently rubbed up against his shoulder while whispering “you want some baby, thirty bucks and I can make it happen” Divine looked at her and shook his head to let her know he wasn’t interested. “What you don’t like women or something shorty?” the two men in the staircase asked as they stared at Divine in shock that he didn’t want to take the woman up on her offer. “First of all my name isn’t shorty it’s Divine! and why would I give her 30 bucks to bang her up in these nasty ass stairs when I can get some from one of the girls in the hood on their mom’s couch for free, I’m not paying for anything, who gave y’all niggas lessons on how to get pussy?” The men laughed at Divine. Then the man with the nice suit on said, “well first of all I’m not paying for no pussy, pussy pay me, I have customers who wanna get it so they got to pay to hit it you feel me”. The man pointed to the man who came from the roof with the woman. “this dude here is a customer, that female that just left is one of my girls, I’m doing my thing I got
six girls but this chick here she a beginner she got to earn her street credit first” the man walked up to Divine and asked him with a snicker in his voice “so what do you do Divine? Not sure where the conversation was going Divine answered the man question in a very sarcastic tone “Well I go to school, I play ball, chill with my boys that’s about it” Divine pretty much
knew the answer to the question he was about to ask but he decided to ask it anyway. “So you a pimp huh, you ain’t flashy at all not how they be looking on TV, big ass hats and shit slick ass hair do’s’. The man giggled. “Naw I’m just me, I ain’t got to be all flashy to be a smooth motherfucker, I get respect from everyone. So if you ever need something or run into something you can’t handle come check me I’m not hard to find, just ask for Ace”. He gave Divine a pound, telling him to be safe. As the man in the staircase began to walk away, Divine walked up the steps leading to the roof of the building and stepped out onto the roof overlooking the whole neighborhood. Standing there, he began to dwell on many things. First thing, that came to mind was the thought of making enough money to get out of the hood. He started making plans in the back of his mind. Just as he began heading down stairs to his apartment he noticed his mom walking from the elevator. “Boy, where were you?” his mother asked as she stared at him waiting for one of his famous stories pertaining to why he was never anywhere to be found. “I’m thinking you’re in your room doing your homework and you hanging out somewhere”. Divine knew he mother would flip if she knew he was conversing with a pimp in the staircase so he didn’t bother to mention it to her. “I’m sorry ma, I ran into one of my friends that hadn’t been to school in a few days so I went over to his house to go over some homework”. Divine was hoping like hell his mother would accept what he told her and not ask any more questions, she believed him and walked into the kitchen to start dinner. “Well alright, you need to get your clothes ready for school and do your chores and any homework you have left because I know you didn’t finish it at your friend’s house; dinner will
be ready in a little while”. Divine did everything he had to do for the night and sat down at the table with his mom to have dinner, never once letting her know what he saw going on in the staircase. Divine, was the only child and his mother was a single mother who worked very hard to take care of him. She decided early in Divine’s life that she did not want any more children. After his father walked out on her and Divine a week after his second birthday, the struggle alone was enough to help her with her decision.
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The next day after school Divine had let Jb and Quan know what went on in the staircase. “Say word somebody was getting smashed in the hallway” Quan asked as he giggled in disbelief. “Yo she had the nerve to ask me if I wanted some, I was like hell naw, and the nigga up there was an old g nigga a pimp and shit,” Divine had Quan and Jb’s full attention with his crazy ass story. “Who? The nigga that was hitting it? Quan asked with a weird ass look on his face. “No! the nigga that caught me looking, shit the nigga that was hitting it ,look like that was his first time, that nigga was stuck looking all dumb in the face and shit kinda like Jb was looking yesterday”. Divine said jokingly about what had happened the day earlier to Jb. they all began to bust out in laughter reminiscing on the events of yesterday, heading down to the court to play ball before the streetlights came on. Divine was always one of the flyest lil niggas on the court sporting his kicks with his matching fitted hat he knew his mother worked hard to keep him fly and he felt like it was time for him to do for himself. As the boys played around on the court Quan noticed a few girls standing courtside but they weren’t paying him any attention they were
too busy admiring Divine, and how well he dressed, Quan was a little jealous watching the girls blush over Divine. “Yo! We need to start working on getting some paper and I’m not talking 10 here, 15 there I’m talking bout big bills, Benjamin’s and better.” Quan said as he slammed the ball down. Divine knew Quan was upset because he overheard the girls whispering about Quan’s shoes, Quan was always late to get the new
kicks but his feet were so big he couldn’t fit Divine’s or Jb shoes. Divine picked up the ball and started dribbling. “Well we sure as hell ain’t going to make it on the damn court all day,” Divine said as he passed the ball to Jb and walked over to Quan. “So what’s up Quan what are you suggesting?” Quan stood up and walked real close to Divine with a look in his eye that was very intense and said. “nigga I ain’t suggesting shit I’m telling y’all niggas that I’m not going to be no little broke nigga walking around here scrambling like eggs I’m trying to get mines and keep mines and if we boys we should be seeing through the same window right about now”. Jb stood up and let Quan and Divine know he was ready to get money. “Shit I’m down for whatever, y’all know grand moms be fronting on giving me allowance and shit, I gotta wait til my mom’s send me money, but shit she only be sending me like 150-200 dollars, so I’m down”. The boys both stared in amazement, as the one they least expected to be down for anything said he was down. “You down Jb, of all people you down for whatever, I must be dreaming” Quan said as he shook his head in disbelief. “Chill Quan damn he said he down why you trying to play him like he a punk ass nigga or something” Divine said as he tried to keep Quan calm. Divine knew Quan was trying to pick on Jb and he hated that Quan always threw the fact that Jb was a country boy
in Jb’s face. “Yo D this is the same one who the other day was about to let some fools roll off with his damn kicks. Shit I ain’t saying he a punk ass nigga, he showed us that for himself”. Jb pushed Quan upset that he was tryna play him. “ Man fuck you, I ain’t let them niggas punk me if that was the case I would have been running down the block crying like a little bitch kinda like you when your pops be after your ass” Jb said as he imitated Quan running down the street. Out of rage, Quan punched Jb in the face “you better watch your fucking mouth nigga! And that ain’t my fucking pops” Quan said as he balled up his fist to hit Jb again. Realizing he had to do something, quick Divine intervened. “Damn chill the fuck out y’all we boys, we a fucking team and last time I checked team did not have an I in it, ain’t no one better than next one, damn! Quan apologized and gave Jb a pound and they went to the court to play ball. After the game, they all decided to head home but to meet up after school, to discuss their money moves. Divine walked around the block he wasn’t in a rush to get home according to his watch he still had an hour before the street lights came on. So he decided to try to find the man he met in the staircase (Ace) he passed two guys standing outside of the liquor store as he got a little closer one of their faces rung a bell in his head. “That’s the dude that was getting it on with the chick in the stair case”. Divine thought to himself as he walked up to the older guy to ask him if he knew where he could find Ace. “Yo anyone of you know where I can find Ace?” The two men looked at Divine as if he was begging for change. Getting annoyed by them tuning him out, he yelled “Damn! y’all can’t hear I’m looking for Ace, I need to speak to him about
something” still no response, Divine glanced at the older men in disgust and began to walk away just then he heard a voice call out to him from the window. How may I help you shorty? Divine turned around recognizing the voice as the man in the staircase. “My name is Divine,” he said firmly, Ace laughed out, “what’s going on D?” He asked, signaling him to come in the building. As Divine walked into the hallway he was greeted by two women who showed him exactly which door to enter. “Damn” Divine thought to himself as he walked into the apartment, it was decked out from every angle and there was titties and ass everywhere. “What’s up? Are you in trouble D?" Ace asked as he wondered what was behind Divine's visit. Divine shook his head. "Naw I just needed to talk to you about some things, because I really ain’t have no one else to talk to. I’m trying to get mines and keep mine’s but I want to go about it the smart way I’m not trying to get caught up, I want to do it to the ful
lest I don’t plan to half step at all". Ace walked over to his bar and poured himself a drink he was trying to get a good understanding of what Divine plans were. "Well what is it exactly that you are trying to do? Ace asked as he took a sip of his drink. Divine looked at Ace and wondered if he was doing the right thing by talking to him about getting into the drug game, he knew this was his only chance to find out how to get started. "I’m trying to make me some money," Divine said as he looked around the room admiring the decor. Ace chuckled, he didn't know whether to take Divine serious or not. "Hell I know that, but how are you going to make that money. what is your plan, your preference, your goal? See me I specialize in women, I love women and the women love me but I also love money and if I ever have to choose between
money and a bitch which one you think I’m choosing?” Divine Quickly responded "the money" Ace smiled as he patted Divine on the back. "Exactly, in this game bitches and money go hand in hand, you find the right bitch who loves money but not more than you do and you got yourself some money. The reason why I say that is because if she loves the money more than you she’ll do any and everything to get it and keep it even if that means doing your ass in you hear me?" Divine agreed with Ace and continued with the convo. "I’m listening", Ace was trying to school Divine as much as possible about the game and he was glad that he had his undivided attention. "see you’re still young but I can tell you got it in you to take whatever game you chose to by storm, let’s just hope it’s not mines" Ace said with a giggle. Respecting the knowledge as it was being giving to him, Divine let Ace know what his plans were. “I mean I like the girls and all but I don’t think the pimp thing is for me" Ace knew Divine wasn't trying to take on the lifestyle as a pimp and that was cool with him he enjoyed sharing his knowledge anyway. "And it’s not for everyone, some have it and some don’t, some brothers couldn’t make bitch sell water let alone some pussy. It’s all in your words and how you use them, you can’t just walk up to a girl and say hoe I want you to go over there and do this and that and bring me the money, no! It doesn’t work like that. You ask the wrong one she might smack the hell out of you. to do this and do it right you must possess that thing call finesse, you take your time get to know her, find out what she likes, what she’s into and then that’s when you make love to her mind not her body or her heart, her mind. Once you do that, she will do anything and everything you want her to do. Ace went on and on it was as if he was teaching a
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