Roxanne: From Addict to Hustler

by King Benjamin

  “Wow!”

  “So the question is, was he a threat to me at the time I shot him,” she finished.

  “So what’s your lawyer saying?”

  “Hmph. You know if they ain’t getting paid, they don’t wanna work too hard. I have a court-appointed lawyer and this guy has already offered me two plea deals, but I turned them both down. I figured if they keep offering me deals, the case must be weak, you know? I’ve learned a few things talking to these criminals in here,” she giggled.

  “So when does your trial start?”

  “Next month. Will you be there?”

  “I’ll be there. I won’t let you down again.”

  “Please don’t. I need all the support I can get, Roxanne.”

  ****

  The reunion with Keisha was a little draining, but good for my soul. I wished there was some way I could help her. I just wanted to see her back at home, living her normal life. She told me her family had come together to help keep her bills paid, but they couldn’t afford to pay for a lawyer to fight a murder case. I tried to get myself back in the mood to celebrate. I was twenty-two, but felt thirty-five with all I’d been through.

  That night, Amir took me to an amazing club downtown. We had a VIP booth and champagne. It was the first time I’d had a drink and it didn’t trigger anything inside of me. A few of his friends were there with girls and I kept thinking I wish I had Keisha with me. Still, I managed to really enjoy myself. Taking my first sips of alcohol had me floating on a cloud. Two of Amir’s friends were black and the other I assumed was Chaldean. When they tried to talk in codes, I picked up on it.

  I was used to street talk being in the streets the past few years, but when they started talking big money talk, they lost me. I knew absolutely nothing about that. I mingled with the other women and they seemed to be nice enough. As the champagne kicked in and the memory of my conversation with Keisha started to replay in my head, I had a crazy thought. Maybe there was something I could do to help my friend after all.

  After the club, we drove back to an apartment I’d never been to before. I wasn’t sure if it was his apartment or not, but he had the keys so it didn’t matter. There was a huge flat screen television in the living room and another in the bedroom. Besides the black leather living room furniture, there wasn’t much else in the apartment, except a nice king size bed. I had my heart set on fucking Amir extra good tonight for two reasons: one, it was my birthday so I deserved to end the night with a good nut, and two, I was about to ask for a huge favor.

  As we lay in bed stripped down to our Adam and Eve wear, I rolled on top of him and mounted his dick, with my hands firmly planted on his hairy chest. I began to ride his beef slowly until I got into a rhythm. As he palmed my ass, I could feel him growing inside me. I moaned loudly in pleasure with each stroke. I began to work my hips like he’d never seen before. I could hear the moans begin to escape him as I fucked harder. When I felt his body going stiff, I jumped off his dick and pulled the condom off, taking his rod into my mouth. I bobbed on it for all of fifteen seconds before he began to come in my mouth. I swallowed every drop and Amir moaned in pleasure.

  I shot off to the bathroom when he was done and I searched around for the mouthwash. I was hoping for Listerine, but I found Scope. Close enough. I rinsed my mouth and ran to jump back in bed with Amir, before he could jump up and start getting dressed to take me home. I snuggled up next to him lying naked on his chest.

  “Thanks for an amazing birthday.”

  “You welcome, baby. I told you I’d take good care of you.”

  “You do, baby. But I have a question for you, and before you answer, I need you to keep an open mind.”

  Amir looked confused. I could tell he had no idea where I was going with this.

  “What’s wrong, baby?”

  “Nothing’s wrong. I was just wondering…could you get me some coke?”

  “Yeah, sure. I didn’t know that was your thing,” he answered nonchalantly.

  “No, I mean like, a lot of coke…to sell,” I explained.

  “Ha-ha! What are you talking about, Roxanne?”

  I sat up in the bed and folded my legs under me. I didn’t expect him to laugh at me.

  “This is serious. I’m not joking,” I said, with the most serious face I could manage.

  “Why do you need some coke to sell? I give you plenty money,” Amir said.

  “It’s not that. My best friend is in jail and she needs an attorney, because she’s facing some serious charges. I need the coke so I can help her hire an attorney. I mean, if it’s not your thing I’ll understand, but if you’re worried about the money, I’ll pay you back. I know a lot of drug dealers,” I explained.

  “Oh yeah? Like the guy that was in my store, huh?” he said, referring to Snake.

  “Yeah, like him,” I replied.

  “How come you know so many drug dealers?”

  “Well, my best friend’s family is mostly drug dealers,” I lied.

  “Your best friend’s a girl or a guy?”

  “A girl.”

  “Well, if she’s already in jail, then you probably need to steer clear of her family, you know what I’m saying?”

  “But she’s not like that. She shot and killed a man that tried to carjack her. Before this, she’s never been in any trouble her entire life.”

  “You’re gonna have to let me think about this, Roxanne. I don’t usually mix business with pleasure.”

  “That’s cool, take all the time you need. In the meantime, enough about business,” I said, as I slid next to him and grabbed his rod, stroking it gently before guiding it into my warm mouth.

  Chapter 18

  Two days later, Amir gave me an eighth of a kilo. He said if I handled that, he’d give me more. Now I know what you thinking, how is this bitch gonna go from crackhead to drug dealer? Well, the thing is, I never had a desire to snort powder, so being around coke in its purest form gave me no temptations. I had no idea on how to cook up crack and no desire to learn. The truth was, I did know plenty of drug dealers and this was my chance to do something for my friend, who’d been trying to save my life for years. So since I knew all the hustlers, I figured it wouldn’t be that big of a challenge.

  That bad thing was that even though I knew them and had even slept with several of them, the easiest person I had access to was Snake. I had his number in my phone and I knew exactly where he was. By now, my mom was on my back like a jacket about getting a job. No matter how much money I gave her, it didn’t change her attitude or my deadline.

  “Are you on your way to look for a job?” she asked, as I brushed past her with the coke in my pocket.

  “Yes Mom. I have an interview at three o’clock,” I lied.

  “Okay, good.”

  “Yeah, I gotta go. I’ll be home later.”

  “Good luck,” she replied.

  “Thanks.”

  I got in her car and called Snake again, to let him know I was on my way. I had called him earlier, but I still hadn’t told him exactly why I was coming by. I knew he just assumed I was coming to buy some crack. He wanted to introduce me to his workers, so they wouldn’t think I was the police. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he realized what I was there for. I pulled up on a block that I wasn’t that familiar with, but it was your typical, drug-infested block.

  There were fiends scrambling up and down the block, and a car cemetery in the field next door. Snake was already outside sitting in his Navigator. I realized I didn’t look the part of a drug dealer in my mom’s Corsica, but at least I was dressed nice. Maybe I looked the part of a small-time drug dealer. Anyway, he got out and the first thing I noticed were the diamonds blinging on the chain around his neck. It was a Cuban link chain and the charm was an iced-out snake head. I followed Snake inside and he introduced me to some of his workers.

  “This Bull and this T.K,” he announced. “This Roxanne; we go back a little ways, so she gon’—”

  “I
need to speak to you in private,” I interrupted.

  “Really? You was acting like you ain’t even know me last time I saw you,” Snake replied, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Yeah, well, things change,” I said, as I followed him into the kitchen.

  I pulled out the powder wrapped in see-through plastic.

  “The fuck?” he blurted out.

  “Yeah, I fucked you up, didn’t I?” I giggled. “I told you I don’t fuck with that shit no more.”

  He took the dope in his hand and began to open the package.

  “Where you get this from?”

  “My connect,” I stated proudly.

  He smelled it, then tied the bag back tightly. He went in the cabinet and produced a small digital scale.

  “How much you want for this?” he asked.

  I knew what I had to charge in order to make something and give Amir his money.

  “For you, I’ll do it for twenty-five hundred.”

  His eyes lit up.

  “Oh yeah?”

  I nodded. “Let’s do this, so I can get out of here,” I replied.

  I started to feel uncomfortable in the familiar setting of a dope spot.

  “Hold on, just calm down. You can get some more of this?” Snake asked.

  “Yeah, whatever you need.”

  “Hmph,” Snake mumbled as his mind raced.

  I did realize that this was Snake and he could pull a gun at any minute and take the drugs. But I was betting on him wanting to keep the relationship and the business going, at least until he could figure out where I was getting it from. Snake grabbed a jar from the cabinet and then some baking soda.

  “Un-uh, what are you doing?” I asked.

  “I need to cook some of this shit to see if it’s right, before I give yo’ ass twenty-five hundred.”

  Immediately, I started to panic, knowing I couldn’t be around the smell of crack cooking up. I reached for the package.

  “That’s okay, never mind.”

  “Roxanne, calm down.”

  “No, I say that’s okay. I’ll go somewhere else,” I said, reaching my hand out again.

  “Listen, calm the fuck down!” Snake shouted. “Now, all you gotta do is go outside and wait in the car for a minute. I ain’t tryna relapse yo’ stupid ass. I just wanna make sure this what it’s supposed to be. If it ain’t right, I don’t even know where to find you at, so I’m not trusting yo’ ass that easy.”

  “Can’t you tell it’s fucking coke?” I argued.

  “That don’t mean the shit right. And if is right, I’m gon’ spend a lot more money, so just take yo’ ass out to the car and chill for ten minutes.”

  I didn’t trust shit Snake said, but I believed he really wanted the coke and I needed to make the deal.

  “Ten minutes?”

  “Ten minutes, and if it’s right, I’ma bring you twenty-five hundred dollars and place another order.”

  I wanted to prove to Amir that I could move the drugs, so I took a chance and left the house without being paid for the coke.

  Outside, I sat in the car, feeling hella nervous about everything. I was afraid Snake would pull a fast one and I wondered what Amir would do if I didn’t come back with the money. To my surprise, Snake kept his word. Within ten minutes, he came out and walked to the car, and handed me a stack of money wrapped in rubber bands.

  “So, how much for the brick?” Snake asked.

  “Just call me tomorrow and we can go from there,” I said.

  I couldn’t quote him a price for a whole kilo until I talked with Amir.

  “You sure you can make it happen?” Snake asked.

  “Positive, and it’s gonna be sweet, I promise,” I replied, as I finished counting the cash.

  I stuff the wad of money in my pocket and started the car to leave. Snake was still standing there, with a confused look on his face as I pulled off slowly.

  ****

  I went straight to Amir and gave him the money. I told him I needed a lot more and told him about the order Snake put in. He gave me the whole kilo later that day and told me to make the sale, then come back for more. It was late in the evening and I didn’t want to do business with Snake after dark, so I decided I’d wait until morning, knowing he wasn’t expecting me until then anyway. As I drove home with the dope, I had that same feeling I had the night Sunshine and I stayed up all night hustling in the smoke house.

  It was an adrenaline rush and a high that I’d soon come to love much more than doing the drugs. If I could sell this dope fast enough, I could get Keisha a lawyer if it wasn’t too late. That was my main goal. The other came to me after the fact. If I could save up some money to get my own place, I stood a better chance at getting custody of my son. It was a long shot, but I had nothing to lose in trying.

  I took a huge chance by leaving the coke in the trunk of my mom’s car all night. I figured no one wanted to steal her hooptie, and no one knew it was there but me. She never drove and I knew if my mom found it she would kill me. Plus, I didn’t want to risk causing her any problems with Nike being there. I had to find a place to stash the drugs and I had to find Carrie first thing in the morning. I knew she would help me catch up with some of the people I needed to talk to.

  First thing in the morning, I shot out of the house before anybody was awake. It was so early; Snake didn’t even answer the phone for two hours. I ate breakfast at a Coney Island and hung around there for a while killing time. I got tired of sitting there and was just about to leave when I spotted Shorty walking in. Shorty was a hustler who used to have a spot not far from the hoe stroll. I had spent a lot of money with him in the beginning. I walked over to him as he approached the counter to place an order.

  “Hey Shorty,” I spoke.

  He looked surprised to see me, but I could tell it was my renewal that really held some shock value. I was clean and sober, plus thicker, after the baby.

  “What’s up, Roxanne? I ain’t seen you in a while, you looking good,” he acknowledged.

  “Yeah, I’m uh…rehabilitated…kinda.”

  “Ha! Come on now, you either is or you ain’t. Which one is it?”

  Shorty was small and skinny, but he carried a big gun and people knew he would use it.

  “Well, I’m clean, meaning I don’t get high anymore. But I wanna show you something,” I told him.

  I stood by in silence while he placed his order.

  “Something like what?” Shorty replied, when he was finished.

  “Come with me outside for a minute. You’re gonna like what I have to show you.”

  “Is it some money involved? Cause if it ain’t, I’m hungry as a muthafucka and its gon’ have to wait.”

  “You think I would waste your time if it wasn’t?” I replied, as I motioned him to follow me.

  I knew Shorty well enough to know he wasn’t grimy like Snake, but I still felt a little nervous. As we arrived at the trunk of my car, I peeked around to see who was watching. I opened the trunk then went inside the shopping bag and pulled out the kilo inside. His eyes bucked.

  “Is that what it looks like?” Shorty asked.

  “Yup.”

  “Where the fuck you get that from?”

  “My connect.”

  “Your connect? Roxanne, where the fuck you get that shit from?” Shorty repeated in awe.

  “You not hearing me. I got it from my connect, I’m serious. This one is sold, but it’s plenty more where that came from,” I said, putting it back and closing the trunk.

  I didn’t really know if there was plenty more, but I was trying to talk the talk.

  “Well, shit, I can’t afford that anyway, but how much for the half?” he asked.

  “How much for the what?”

  “How much for the half?”

  I’m so fucking stupid; it never crossed my mind that everyone couldn’t afford a whole kilo. After a long pause, I did the math, slicing the price of the kilo in half.

  “Ten,” I said.

 
“Roxanne is you fucking with me?”

  “Not at all.”

  He started to look around nervously and I could tell he wasn’t buying it. “Listen, I’m not a snitch and I’m not trying to set you up. I’m just trying to make some money to help my friend out of a situation.”

  “I mean, you gotta admit this shit don’t really add up, Roxanne. Last time I saw you, you was on the track selling pussy and now this?”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not that girl anymore. All I can tell you is just take my number, and give me a call if you’re interested.”

  He took my number like I knew he would, but I could tell he was still very skeptical. After that I was able to get in touch with Snake. We hooked up on the same block as before, but this time we went in another house, several houses down from the spot. He tried to short me five hundred dollars, but I wouldn’t budge. I was only making a thousand dollars anyway and five hundred just didn’t seem worth all the risk. He reluctantly paid me all the money and I gave him the goods.

  As soon as I was able to meet up with Amir, I took him all his money, nineteen thousand in cash. We met at his cell phone shop.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were the feds,” Amir said smiling, but I wasn’t sure if it was really a joke. We had only been fucking a few weeks.

  He took the money without counting it.

  “Well, I’m glad you know better, because this is really going to help me out more than you’ll even know,” I replied.

  “Listen, we can’t meet at the shop for this kind of business anymore.”

  “Yeah, okay, but you told me to meet you here.”

  “I know, but first time and last time, okay?”

  “Got it,” I agreed.

  “Next time, I’m gonna have you hook up with Shabazz. Handle everything with him from now on okay, baby?”

  I remembered Shabazz because he was at my birthday get-together.

  “That’s fine, but listen, can I get two this time?”

  He laughed and then a customer can through the door.

  “Slow down, don’t move too fast,” he whispered, then he went to talk to the customer.

  As far as I was concerned, I couldn’t move fast enough. I needed at least twenty-five thousand dollars, according to the research I’d done. I still didn’t have a full understanding of the breakdown of a kilo, but I was damn sure about to learn. I wanted to sell smaller quantities to increase my clientele, but I didn’t want Amir to know that. I didn’t want to ask him too many questions either, because I figured the more he thought I knew, the more he’d trust me.