by King, Deja
greeting each other before proceeding into the building.
When Semaj entered the large room, her heart skipped a beat at the beautiful sight of all the white riches lining the wall. There were rows on top of rows of neatly wrapped kilos stacked against the brick wall. Even through the plastic you could see the crystal-like flakes, and it was without a doubt fish scale product. The reflective spark that danced off of the masses would let the most inexperience know that the blocks were pure Colombian cocaine. Damn, that’s a lot of work, she thought as her hand instantly began to itch because she knew that money was about to flow like the endless seas.
The secret room was built beneath the hospital, and only a few knew about this secret location. It was not in the original floor plan and anyone that didn’t know about it wouldn’t be able to locate it. Semaj walked over and picked up one of the key’s of coke, and with the razor blade sliced the saran-wrap at the center. The texture spoke for itself, but the Milano operation ran with so much perfection that they always tested the substance. Besides, Semaj wanted to see for herself and dipped her French-manicured pinky in the coke and rubbed it against her gums to see how numb it would get. The faster her gums got numb the better the product. Quicker than lidocaine, Semaj’s gums numbed up instantly.
“That’s the good shit, Maj,” Bonjo walked up to also test the drug, but used a different method. He put a pinch-full into a tiny glass jar and shook it up as the cocaine mixed with the liquid inside, immediately transforming the color from dark green to light blue; meaning it was definitely good shit. Bonjo turned to Vega and then looked at Jah-Jah. “I’m finna holla at Maj privately. The worker will be down here in a minute to load some of this work on the delivery van,” he said, referring to a small medicine truck that was one of their many fronts to move the illegal drugs out of the hospital and it worked efficiently. “I’ma be at the top if you need me, baby.” Bonjo kissed his wife on the cheek before he and Semaj boarded the elevator that lifted them to the last floor of the twenty-fourth story hospital, and then he pushed the huge steel door open that led them out onto the rooftop.
Semaj walked near the ledge that overlooked the big city and peered out as she watched as thunder clouds developed on New York City’s beautiful skyline. The smell of fresh rain was every indication that a light storm was approaching, and Semaj inhaled the invigorating air.
Her Uncle Bonjo walked up right beside her. “’Yo, I heard about the shit that went down in London. Fuck goin’ on with these dreads, yo?” He rubbed his hands over his neatly trimmed goatee in frustration, the anger evident on his face. “First he pulls the
stunt with Paulie and yo lil “ His words broke off in his throat
as he thought of the dire circumstance with her son. He couldn’t imagine losing his child and prided Semaj for holding up well. “Fuck sending other mu’fuckas I swear to God, Maj, I’m ready to murder Ox myself. Shit is getting wilder by the day with this nigga and we need to dead that beef A’ SAP. Wars interfere with niggas making money and bring unwanted attention. We don’t want flashlights aiming down at us. The sooner we get that dreadless Rasta out our way—”
Semaj interrupted Bonjo. “I agree, Uncle Bon. But we gotta be smart… think wisely, play mental chess with this nigga, because these mu’fuckas ain’t playing. We need to be on top of this drug business side first, and then that’s when we get at Ox. Catch dude when he sleeping. When we dead the head, the body will instantly fall,” she said, repeating the motto she’d been taught by leaders at the 16 Tent. “That way we’d never have to worry about them Jamaican mu’fuckas again. We’d cook and burn the beef for good then.”
Bonjo nodded, pleased with her strategic thinking and gave Semaj a rare smile. He never smiled because he never thought much was funny, but he was soft with his fam, especially with Semaj like they all were. “A’ight. I really like how you move. You gon’ be an animal in the game, for real. How you did the kid, Gabe was handled like a vet, Maj.” he nodded his head, impressed, and gazed out distantly. “You know, you remind me of your mother so much?
Kasey was a wolf in the family business and she was loyal, but as treacherous as a female could get towards the opposition.”
“Huh-uh. I know,” she nodded.
“Loyalty was everything to her and I still can’t believe how Sabrina killed her. Kasey always said they were sisters from a different mother, but unlike Gio, I respect your father for avenging his wife’s death. I can’t speak on it from a traditional standpoint, but I commend that man for that. He couldn’t prevent it from happening, but like a man he stood up for what he believed in and took out his mark. I know we don’t talk about your pops a lot, but he was a real nigga. One of the realest niggas I done ever met and if a mu’fucka didn’t know shit about Kasey, they knew she loved Murder Mitch. I still remember her most famous quote like she’d said it yesterday.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“In this world you come in on your feet but you leave out in a coffin. Me personally, wouldn’t have it no other way. I breathe for the mob. This is my life,” he retold one of Kasey’s many quotes. “If ain’t nobody ever told you I’m telling you, Kasey was one bad ass woman in this dope shit. She the reason I even considered you because I knew you had the same hustling traits in you as she did. I know you’d serve this family good.” Bonjo kissed her on the top of her head and walked off, leaving Semaj standing there to her own thoughts.
The thin black cardigan she wore wasn’t the best defeater for the blistering winds and Semaj rubbed her arms roughly, as she gazed around the city and thought about the life she was stepping into. She knew at that point there was no turning back for her and continued looking out at her surroundings. It was a big ass city around her and Semaj knew it was an even bigger world out there.
As she continued to glance around distantly, Semaj felt that she wanted the world and realized she wanted everything in it too. It was definitely Semaj’s turn to rule the world. Semaj took one final look at her surroundings and before walking away, she thought to herself. It’s time to get this money. Get on my grind like momma always told me and make this cake. The world is yours, Maj, and once I’m where I wanna be, I’ll get Ox’s bitch ass. No doubt about that shit!
One Month Later
Semaj stared out of the window as her driver coasted up to her twenty-five thousand square foot lakeside estate on the outskirts of Connecticut. It was the same home her grandfather had brought her to when they reunited, and since then she had made it her home. Semaj knew the rules to the game, don’t shit where you eat. Since she was in so deep, Semaj knew that living out the way was best. She pressed the numeric keypad on the back of the leather headrest, and the twenty-foot-high brick gate opened, welcoming her onto the private grounds. The estate was under protection from a high-tech security system and an army of bodyguards. A mu’jucka won’t be able to get within a hunnid feet of my shit, she thought as she observed the many men patrolling her home.
Two hulking Dominican sentinels exited the tall, massive sentry-booths and once Semaj confirmed her identity both men swung open the tan rock-stoned doors that led to the entrance of the mansion. The car glided smoothly along the extended cobblestone driveway and crossed over a short bridge that framed the face of her home. The lights that were set up alongside the lake mirrored across the water, shimmering the area and illuminating the estate. The beautiful trees and opulent garden lined the front, creating a flawless sight. Semaj’s favorite fixture was the luxurious fountain that sat in the center of the estate. It was made up of a huge statue of her mother holding her in her hands when she was a baby as if they were angels. The Greco Roman stoned mansion suited her taste perfectly. From roach-infested project housing to rented lofts to this, Semaj knew that she was now truly living every hustler’s dream.
In only thirty days, Semaj saw her life change right before her eyes. She was no longer just the dopeman’s wife, lost in Vega’s shadow, but had come into her own quickly and was getting
it. She had seen and dealt with Hefty trash bags full of money as wifey, but more money had went through her hands in under a month as acting boss of the Family than she had seen in her entire life.
Twice a month there was a boatload of bricks shipped from overseas by private jets, and the drug smuggling ring that she headed was ran with so much sophistication it was as if her organization was a legit business. The Dominican Republic doesn’t have radars to track planes and the hidden airstrip her family had was undetected by U.S. authorities, so her operation fell under the radar. Semaj made sure to be careful and precise as she was establishing herself in the family business and was moving through the blocks faster than a full-time bricklayer.
Semaj pushed real weight and with the Milano Hitters behind her she was unstoppable. They made sure that Semaj was untouchable and in return she gave them absolute respect. Every since the incident in London her appreciation heightened for her cousins. She learned to follow their lead as far as her protection goes. She knew they would never steer her in the wrong direction. They each were given Caran d’Ache lighters that the men in their family had. But in place of the gold ones theirs were diamond encrusted. The gifts were a token of their commitment, loyalty and honor to her. Her cousins were loyal and their devotion was unmatched. Semaj admired them and got schooled from their street savvy ways.
Each of them had an eye for realness and they read men that she did business with as if they’d graduated summa cum laude with a Psychology degree. The girls gave the approval of the buyers and solved all problems while she sat on the throne and made the connections. Fuck being a dope girl, Semaj was a queenpin and made hustling look too easy. Most men wouldn’t know how to handle ounces and she was handling more bricks than any nigga she every fucked with had ever seen, with the exception of maybe Quasim.
Her uncle Paulie’s set price had been twenty thousand per kilogram but she was in position now to set her own market value and sold them for $15.5 a pop. Whereas her uncle’s bricks went for grown man numbers, Semaj decreased the cost and was selling ‘em for teenage numbers. Dope prices were at an all-time high and Semaj knew that she’d lose big profit in the beginning, but also knew the cheaper she sold the work for, the faster the birds flew and the more her customers would cop. It didn’t take long for her clientele to raise either. Because Semaj wasn’t as skeptical as Gio regarding the ‘hood, and unlike Paulie she fed the streets and niggas copped whole bricks… half bricks… quarter bricks. She was a hustler by nature and wouldn’t miss out on no money—not a dime. Buyers didn’t have to purchase ten bricks or more for her to have business sit-downs and close deals. Semaj was fair and allowed her people to get a piece of the pie. Everybody ate, so the streets were happy and her profits quickly proved just how big-time she actually was. Her name may as well been Jack Frost how she was making it snow all across the country. After only two flips Semaj could stop today and still walk away with a pretty penny, but the allure of the game had locked her in immediately and she had fallen in love with the hustle. Just as well as the streets needed her, Semaj needed them to survive like a shark needs water.
The family business gave Semaj something to focus on and her attention was on flipping money and the re-ups. It was a welcome diversion from replaying the murder of her son on a daily basis. She had reverted back into her money hungry self and the cash became her motivation. It was a way for her to cope and she was going hard. The pain of Niran’s death had nearly drowned her in a pool of sorrow, but the grind was a pleasurable distraction and gave her air to breath above water. The sounds of money machine counters were poetic to her ears the same way her seller-buyer meetings were uncannily therapeutic. The dedication that she put into it separated her from her past and she gave the game all of her as she lived in the present and there was no doubt about it that she was the future.
Tonight Semaj had canceled everything on her itinerary so that she could surprise Vega for his birthday dinner. I’ve been so in tune with this drug shit, I’ve been neglecting my baby, she thought as she stepped out of the back of the town car. “Thank you, Arturo,” she said as he held the door open for her to exit the vehicle. Semaj walked up the Italian travertine marble walkway and immediately headed to the kitchen. She sat her Prada purse on the centered island.
Semaj set up her indoor glass patio romantically and then arranged their table. She brought out a bottle of Rose from the wine cellar and sparked up two honeysuckle-scented candles and put on her Keith Sweat CD, setting the perfect mood for the evening. She walked back inside and retrieved the cordless phone and dialed Vega’s number as she got ready to prepare his meal.
“Hey, you,” she greeted him seductively.
“What up, Maj?” he replied. “I’m on my way home to see you. I miss you.”
“Okay, well let me know how much you miss me,” she said. “Because I’ma let you know how much I miss you.”
“Straight up?” he inquired. She had his complete interest and he wanted to hear more.
“Six o’ clock,” she confirmed as she closed the oven and made her way up to the master bathroom. She turned on the massage showerhead and began to undress out of the silk jumpsuit.
“How long is it going to take you?” she asked, probing to make sure she had enough time.
“I’m ‘bout twenty minutes from the exit. So not that long,” he informed.
“Okay, when you get here come out to the patio. I got the best gift for you to unwrap.” She cooed sexily before hanging up and stepped underneath the stream of hot water as she gently washed her body clean. Once she got out, Semaj kneaded massage oil in her silky skin and dressed herself in a red seductive thong set.
Walking over to the vanity mirror, she unpinned her hair that was wrapped from her Dominican blowout and took a seat. After applying mascara onto her lashes, she sprayed perfume on her body and began to brush her hair. Stepping into six-inch stilettos, Semaj was satisfied with her dolled-up look. She glanced at her security cameras noticing the Porsche Panamera 4 pulling through their private gates and rushed to the kitchen to make their plates.
She heard the house alarm go off as she sipped slowly from her wine goblet and waited patiently for her husband to enter.
“Oh, word!” Vega smiled excitedly as he emerged and took in of all Semaj’s sexiness. The sunset lighting that came through the shingled blinds highlighted her glazed honey-colored skin. “Damn! That’s how you feel?” Vega asked, laughing and nearly tripping down the steps.
“Happy birthday. I miss you,” she replied as he walked over to her and pulled her into his chest, cupping one of her butt cheeks. “With business and all, I know that we haven’t been able to spend any time together so I had to make up for lost times.”
He kissed her on her soft lips and then pulled out her chair as they sat down at the dinner table. Semaj took the lids off of the silver platters where a full-course meal consisting of lamb chops, corn-on-the-cob, mash potatoes, Caesar salad and garlic biscuits awaited them. “You like that I cooked for you?” she asked giggly.
“You made all this?”
“Of course,” she replied, telling a bold face lie. She already knew that he knew she was fibbing, but that didn’t stop her from trying to get it off.
Vega looked at her with a “yeah a’ight” expression on his face, but found it cute that she was stunting as if she’d temporarily turned chef on him, but albeit her effort to impress him was flattering.
Semaj couldn’t remember the last time they had dinner alone and she was going to take advantage of their quality time. She popped the cork off the bottle of champagne and they enjoyed the food and ran through the entire bottle of Rose.
They laughed and reminisced on the old times, leaving the present in the present and fell out as they mused over their younger lives. No business, no wars, no drugs were discussed and it felt good to reminisce on yesteryears.
“I know you be on your wine and champagne shit,” Vega stated, “But you know this shit don’t do shit for me
. Where the strong liquor at?” he asked with a laugh.
“Should’ve known. You must want me to bring out some of that white shit you like. I done forgot who in the hell I done married. A damn alcoholic,” Semaj laughed. “But because it’s your day I’ma hit a bottle of Goose with you.”
“Oh, it’s gon’ be a party fo’real now. Do it like only bosses can, huh?”
“What? You ain’t know.” She replied arrogantly, her eyes already low and mischievous from the glasses of champagne she had consumed. She stood up clumsily and fell right back into her chair.
“Now how you gonna handle some vodka if you falling and shit off a little champagne?” He asked and scooted his seat back, but Semaj interrupted the gesture.
“Boy, sit down. I got this,” she arose, this time slowly. “It’s your day. I’ma cater to you and you ain’t gotta do shit.” She walked goofily over to the liquor cabinet and plucked a bottle of Grey Goose from the top shelf and grabbed two shot glasses. When she returned to her seat she placed a glass in front of both of them.
“You know I’ma bottle type nigga. You can keep the glasses for yourself lil’ lady.” He playfully grabbed the bottle and filled her shot glass up to the rim. “You talkin’ all big and shit. Let’s see what you can do with that. What you need some salt and a lemon?” he raised the bottle to his lips and took it straight to the head as if it
was water.
Semaj chuckled as she noticed how he hit a triple shot straight from the bottle waiting on her to indulge. “Babe!” she continued her laughter. “I was just fucking with you. You know I can’t handle no liquor.”
“I knew your punk ass was bullshitting. This Goose was gon’ have your lil’ ass loose as a goose too,” he laughed. “You got my dick over here all hard and shit. Blood pressure up and shit,” he joked. “I thought you was finna be on one, tonight?”