Reverend Cash: Let Us Prey

by Sa'id Salaam

  “William Cash! You get out her this instant!” Lady demanded.

  “Miss Lady! What you out there hollering about?” Mrs. Paul asked with eyes wide from both fright and embarrassment. Her eyes shot up the street and back hoping no one was out.

  “I need to see my boy! Send him out right now! Billy!”

  “Shush, Miss Lady! He ain’t even here. He never showed up,” the preacher’s wife confessed. Lady did a military about face and started back down the walk. “Hol’ up. Let me drive you.”

  Mrs. Paul ran back inside and grabbed her purse and keys. Lady was half way down the street by the time she caught up with her. She looked at her and kept right on marching. It wasn’t until The First Lady produced a stick of reefer that Lady gave in.

  “I guess I could use the ride,” Lady acquiesced. She hopped into the Caddie and took a toke. “He prob’ly at… that… pool… hall.”

  “Okay, but um… two tokes and pass, Miss Lady,” First Lady said reaching for her weed. “Anyway, what’s wrong?”

  “Just found out my boy been having sex for money!” Lady huffed. The pastor’s wife frowned but held her tongue knowing Lady did the same. “They say he got a big ’ne (big one) and he know how to throw it too!”

  “Sho’ nuff?” Mrs. Paul asked curiously. “So, what he chargin?”

  “Ain’t chargin’ nothin’ after I get hol’ of ‘im!” Lady said. She grumbled and cursed the rest of the way to the pool hall. They both had a mellow buzz when Mrs. Paul pulled to a stop out front.

  “I better stay out here. Probably wouldn’t be good for me to be seen up in there,” the First Lady suggested correctly; especially since she’d peddled pussy out of there once upon a time. Pastor Paul knew but she too knew his secrets. Their marriage was more of an understanding and agreement than one of love and honor.

  Lady hopped out and stormed inside. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the dim light and that allowed Leroy to spot her before she spotted him. Seeing her and her son in the same room removed any doubt of paternity. He would never openly admit it but he knew that William Cash was his son. Billy was across the pool hall so he couldn’t warn him of his mother’s approach from the rear.

  “William Cash!” Lady shouted as she popped him upside his head. He spun around ready to fight until he saw his mother standing there.

  “What you doin’, Mama?” he shouted while he ducked and blocked her blows.

  “Don’t be asking me no questions boy! Now come on up out of here!” she insisted and dragged him out by his ear. Byron tried not to laugh at his friend’s predicament but failed.

  “I win then!” he shouted behind him and collected the dollar bets they placed on the table.

  “We better take him to see Pastor,” First Lady suggested as she got a good look at him through her mirror. “I better drop you off first, Lady, and then…”

  “That don’t make no sense since you gotta pass your house first! Drop him off with Pastor and me and you can talk one more ‘gain while you drop me off,” Lady said, unknowingly cock blocking.

  Pastor Paul and little Earl had just stepped out of the house when his wife pulled up. He had a one on one session with girly boy a couple times a week. The boy had a pretty bright smile on his face until he saw Billy in the backseat.

  “What’s going on Mrs. Paul?” Pastor asked of his wife’s company.

  “I better let her tell you,” she replied passing the mic to Lady, who took it and used it to snitch on her son.

  “This boy selling himself is what’s going on! Tell him!” she shouted and gave him another pop upside the head that got a girlish giggle out of Earl.

  “Is that right?” Pastor said shooting a glance to Billy’s crotch. He’d never seen any signs of sexual interest in the boy. He’d never heard him speak about girls or a girlfriend.

  “Speak up!” Lady shouted as she went upside his head once more.

  “Take Earl home while I tend to him,” Pastor ordered and led Billy inside. Led him inside to change his life forever.

  Chapter 15

  “Well, let’s have a look,” Pastor Paul ordered off handedly when they reached the room. Billy looked confused as he looked around to see if he might be talking to someone else. They were alone so he guessed he meant him.

  “Look at what?” he asked hoping he didn’t mean the reefer in his pocket. He needed it before his appointment with Carlita later that night.

  “At all that dick you s’pose to be slangin’ around town,” Pastor said with authority.

  Billy frowned up like he wanted to cry as he unbuttoned his pants. He looked away as he pulled his limp dick from inside his pants.

  “Mm hm. Just as I suspected,” Pastor said moving in closer to inspect it. “About a ten inch job, I reckon.”

  Billy shrugged his shoulders since he had no idea. He’d never saw a need to measure it and The Buffalo Gals didn’t seem to mind its size. His eyes were closed so he didn’t see the pastor open his mouth and lean in. He’d spent the afternoon freaking off in and on Earl but couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

  “W–w–what are you d–d–doing?” Billy stammered when he looked down and saw half his dick in the preacher’s mouth. He tried to fight off an erection but Pastor Paul sucked a mean dick.

  “Mm hm,” the preacher hummed and nodded in agreement when he felt the boy growing long and hard in his mouth — so hard and long that he had to pull it out and marvel at it for a second before he put it back in his mouth and went to work.

  Billy’s mind wandered as pastor sucked his dick. Earl’s attitude towards him whenever he came around now made sense. Even though it was usually the other way around the sissy wanted Pastor Paul all to himself. Then he wondered if this meant he was gay too. His answer came a couple minutes later when he did.

  “Mph!” Billy grunted from behind the hand he’d used to cover his own mouth with. It stifled his scream but not the explosion. The boy came so hard that some came out of the pastor’s nose.

  “Mm hm,” the preacher said between swallows, with his nasty ass. He refused to let the dick free until it went completely limp. It hit Billy’s leg with a thud once he finally spit it out. “I hope I learned you a lesson.”

  “Yassir,” Billy agreed, assuming that the lesson was how to get your dick sucked.

  “Now you leave them fast gals alone. You need something you come to me,” he offered. It was a set up because nothing in life is free.

  “Yassir,” Billy repeated with mixed emotions. He didn’t mind letting Pastor blow him or take him shopping but he liked pussy too, and wine and reefer, and the danger and excitement of the streets.

  “Good, now I guess I’ll drive you home since my wife ain’t back yet,” he said twisting his lips at the clock.

  “Yassir,” he replied hoping he still had time to make his date with the waitress. The ride was made in total silence — after Pastor sucks your dick what is there to talk about.

  “Y’all having a party or something?” the preacher asked seeing quite a bit of activity in front of his house.

  “Not that I know of,” Billy frowned and craned his neck to see what was going on. The ambulance had just pulled off as they pulled up and took its spot. Billy sprang from the car before it stopped. “Is my mama okay?”

  “She’s fine,” Pastor Paul’s wife said stoically. “She just passed out. Your sister dead, she killed herself.”

  ****

  The weight of the news pulled Billy to the ground. He plopped onto the porch and broke down. He could not understand why his happy sister would take her own life.

  “What done happened?” Pastor Paul leaned in and asked his wife. She scrunched her face up at the smell of semen on his breath and leaned away. She was slightly jealous that he’d beat her to the boy. He always beat her to the boys.

  “When I pulled up to drop her off she ran inside to get a… um… then she came running back out screaming ‘bout her daughter. I got out and went inside to see what was wrong and
found her with her eyes open and foam coming from her mouth. She was already dead.”

  “Dayum!” Pastor said in reply. No sooner than she finished the coroner attendants came out with Billy’s big sister in a body bag. Billy let out a heartfelt moan that sounded more like a wounded animal than a human.

  “You go on home. I’ll take the boy to the hospital to sit with his mama,” Pastor urged. He helped the languid boy to his feet and into the car.

  Billy didn’t register a single word Pastor said on the way to the hospital. The man rattled off scriptures and song lyrics but the hurt boy didn’t catch any of it. He couldn’t help but think that if he’d just stayed home and had sex with her that she’d still be alive — and that’s a pretty fucked up thought to have.

  “Here we go,” Pastor said as he led the boy into the hospital. He got his mother’s room number and took Billy to see her. “Buck up boy, yo’ mama need you!”

  “Yassir,” Billy finally replied. Lady was seated upright on the bed rocking and wringing her hands in despair. Billy quickly made his way over and gathered her up in his arms. “I’m here mama.”

  “My baby gurl don’ kilt herself cuz of me!” Lady wailed.

  “No Mama! Don’t blame yo’self. It’s not yo fault,” Billy said rocking her in his arms. Lady pulled back to make eye contact before she spoke.

  “Shol’ is. I kept pressing her ‘bout who her baby daddy was gone be! She couldn’t take it. I lost my baby gurl and my grandbaby!” she moaned and broke down once more.

  Pastor fought back a tear as he watched the sorrow before him. Even for a man who only cared about himself this was hard to watch. His mind searched for a way to incorporate it into his next sermon. Misery was always good for the collection plate. Maybe he would send another plate around for the family. He would split it three ways of course.

  “Preliminary results are in,” the doctor announced as he barged in the room. There wasn’t a shred of empathy in his tone as he relayed the bad news. Bad news that made the bad situation even worse. “The girl drunk some turpentine. That’s what killed her!”

  “Turpentine! Why in the world would she drink turpentine?” Pastor Paul shrieked in horror.

  “She was pregnant. Sometimes girls drink it to get rid of the baby,” the doctor explained.

  Billy’s heart died right there on the spot. It turned completely black as his last fuck to give escaped in a solitary tear. He’d killed his sister, it made him a monster in his eyes.

  Chapter 16

  Billy was already pretty fucked up but his now black heart only made him worse. You can’t live a good life with a black heart. Lady’s heart, on the other hand, was completely broken and it’s hard to live a good life with a broken heart as well. Lady was so distraught that she didn’t leave her room for days after Mary’s death. A pickle jar served as an outhouse since she wouldn’t leave.

  It wasn’t until the day of the funeral that she picked up a little. The thought of being in church propelled her from her sweaty sheets. She smelled a little pickled herself, but she still slipped on one of her Sunday’s best dresses, hat, and shoes.

  Mrs. Paul came to give the family a ride to church to say their final goodbyes. She winced from the foul odor that filled the car as Lady climbed in beside her. She almost lit the reefer just to change the fragrance in the air but held out. They would blaze up after she put her daughter in the dirt.

  Most of the congregation nodded their condolences to Lady and Billy as he led her to the front pew. However, there were some salty sisters in the church who still turned their noses up at the woman who took money out of their purses by fucking their husbands. Lady’s motto was ‘if your husband wanted his dick suck you should suck it’ and if you didn’t she would and she’d get paid for it too. And she did.

  Pastor Paul looked dapper in a somber black suit and black glasses. The choir hummed an ol’ Negro spiritual, like backup singers, as the preacher began to preach. He paced to and fro with his deacon/hype-man only a step behind ready to co-sign like a good hype-man is supposed to. Every now and again he would run over and wipe the sweat from Pastor’s brow.

  “Pastor shol’ got a mouth on him,” Lady admired bringing her word count to ten for the day.

  “Yeah, he do,” Billy replied. His mother squeezed his hand not knowing he was referring to the pastor’s head game. He almost got an erection from watching the man’s lips moving.

  It didn’t matter which chapter or verse Pastor Paul quoted, because it was just some bullshit as far as Billy was concerned. It was all just game to fill up the collection plates that were constantly in motion.

  “Take yo’ time!” Lady’s friend yelled amongst the Amens. It was purely for attention in hopes that Lady would open her legs for business later.

  No one really gave a fuck about the girl in the box. Even her friends had ulterior motives for being there. They all stared at Billy hoping to spend a little time and money with him after the ceremony. The preacher eulogized the girl he’d watch grow up but rarely spoke to. You wouldn’t know it though by the way he put on. Only about half of the mourners from the church made it out to the cemetery. Lady was in such a daze that she didn’t even notice. However, Billy did and it angered him. If he ever got a chance to make them pay, he would.

  After more mumbo-jumbo from Pastor Paul the casket was lowered into the hole in the ground. Lady moaned woefully as the grave digger began shoveling dirt back into the hole he’d dug. People passed the grave tossing in flowers and mumbling their final goodbyes.

  “I’ll take Miss Lady on home,” Mrs. Paul offered. She’d gotten hold of some good reefer and couldn’t wait to get to it.

  “Okay, and I’ll take the boy with me,” Pastor replied. That meant Lady got high and Billy got head before they made it home.

  ****

  After the funeral Lady retreated back into her room and didn’t come out again. She remained closed up in her room where she smoked her reefer and mumbled to herself. Her vagina was in a funk too since she wouldn’t bathe.

  Billy now had extra expenses and he passed them along to his customers. It now cost ten bucks for him to pay a visit to your cervix. However, his new found aggression made it money well spent. Inflicting pain became his pleasure. He now got a kick out of really beating the pussy up.

  “You gotta take it easy this time,” Shawna pleaded as they undressed for their latest sexual session. Of all the women in his rotation Shawna was the only one who really couldn’t handle it.

  “Okay,” Billy agreed. He slid into gently and then proceeded to beat it up anyway. Shawna howled for mercy but got none. Luckily for her, he got off quickly from her agony. He decided not to pull out and came inside of her. Whatever came of it would be her problem. Obviously, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Like father, like son.

  ****

  Leroy was a criminal so every time the door to the pool hall door opened he shot his eyes over to it. He never knew if it was the police, a rival, or some husband angry about him pimping his wife. Seeing that it was only Billy he nodded and turned back to his drink.

  He was far too cool to acknowledge that he was in his feelings over not being able to control Billy like he did Byron. Billy was making his own money from slinging dick and preaching revivals. He liked wine and reefer and not only could he pay for his own, but he could pay for his mama’s as well.

  “Sup Leroy, Byron,” Billy greeted. Mandy was present as usual but as usual she wasn’t present so there was no need to greet her. Her mouth hung open as her chin lay on her chest while she was in a deep nod.

  “Sup Billy!” Byron cheered while Leroy simply nodded in greeting. “You coming to make these rounds with me?”

  “I cain’t. Gotta go make sure my mama eat,” he said and turned to Leroy. “I need some reefer.”

  “Boy, I been tryna put you in charge of the reefer. You do and you won’t have to pay nar’ ‘nother day for it,” Leroy chided.

  “I’m good,” Billy decl
ined and pulled out two tens — twenty bucks was a lot of money back then and could buy you a lot of reefer, enough to last both him and his mama for a week.

  Byron handled the sale while Leroy glared at Billy. He didn’t want his damn money he wanted his soul, and one way or another he vowed to get it. It was fatherly love in a fucked up, sick, twisted, ghetto sense, but it was all the pimp had to offer.

  Billy said his goodbyes as he stood and departed. He felt the daggers in his back before he made it halfway to the door. He stopped and turned around to see Leroy staring at him with a snarl. He smiled appreciatively and turned back to the door.

  ****

  “Hey Mama, I’m home!” Billy called as he walked back into the house. His mother’s odor greeted him back in return. “You hungry?”

  “Shol’ is! That sister of yours ain’t gone cook nothin’!” she huffed, showing she had slipped another notch into mental illness.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll fix you somethin’. After yo’ bath,” he replied.

  In a rare act of altruism Billy ran his mother a hot bath. He then turned away as he stripped her of her smelly clothes and helped her inside. He lit her a stick of reefer, placed it between her lips, and left her to soak.

  Billy left Lady in the tub long enough to clean her room and fix her a plate. He got her situated in her clean bed with a full plate and a thick stick for desert. A peck on her forehead served as a goodbye before he headed out into the night.

  Chapter 17

  Billy realized that the harder he preached at the revivals the more people gave, so he gave his all to ensure that they would too. It didn’t take long before he was the star of the show. People old and young came from near and far to hear young Reverend Cash do his thing.

  Earl and Greg pouted when he became the headliner. Dwight, however, was smart and jumped on the Billy bandwagon. He decided to hitch a ride on the other boy’s shooting star by becoming his hype-man — technically it’s called dick riding, but back then the phrase hadn’t been coined yet.