by Deja King
"I guess so, if you want it. You can come take a look today, and if you like it you can move in immediately. Oh my goodness I'm about to have a new roommate and I don't even know your name." We both laughed.
"I'm Precious." I extended my hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"Rhonda, and it's nice to meet you, too."
After finishing up our pedicures and letting the polish dry, I followed Rhonda to her apartment. She lived in a beautiful complex called Independence Harbor. The small city was different than any place I had ever been. It seemed so bright and cheerful, nothing like the projects in Brooklyn. The apartment was spacious, and the huge windows had beautiful views of New York City and the Hudson River.
"I want it."
"Great. I'll write up an agreement between us, for your protection and mine."
"That's fine."
"You're also welcome to use the furniture that my friend left behind."
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll get my own."
"Okay, so when are you going to move in?" Rhonda asked, sounding extremely excited.
"Is tomorrow too soon?"
"No, that's fine."
"I'm going to get my stuff from the hotel and then start doing some furniture shopping for my bedroom."
"Precious, I have a great feeling about this."
"Me, too, Rhonda."
When I left my new roommate I did have a great feeling. Although only a tunnel and a bridge separated us, I felt like Brooklyn was thousands of miles away. Before I went back to the hotel, I stopped by my storage unit to pick up all my clothes, shoes and other belongings. The only thing I left was my money. The next morning I checked out my hotel room and headed to my new apartment.
When I arrived Rhonda had our agreement already prepared. I handed her the $9000 in cash and the biggest smile crossed her face.
"Precious, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what do you do? All your belongings are like top designer stuff. You're driving a new Benz, and your jewelry is really nice. Then you give me $9000 upfront. Money obviously isn't an issue for you."
In my mind I debated for a second if I wanted to tell Rhonda the truth. I was getting tired of talking all proper and tying to pretend to be so happy-go-lucky.
"My ex-man was a kingpin. He's the one that bought me all this stuff. Before he got locked up, he left me a nice lump of money. I'm what you call a hustler's girl."
"Wow. He must have been some hustler."
"No doubt."
"So what is he locked up for?"
"Murder."
"Who did he kill?"
"His best friend." Rhonda stood there, shaking her head. Her expression was that of surprise. She definitely didn't know anything about the streets.
"My life is awfully boring compared to the one you've seemed to live."
She had no idea, I said to myself.
"Enough about me, what do you do?"
"I work at Atomic Records in the marketing department."
"That's dope. So you must know mad celebrities?"
"Yeah, but after awhile they become just regular people who are a lot more demanding and anal."
"That's believable. They probably so used to motherfuckers kissing they ass, they start acting real simple."
"Basically," Rhonda said in agreement. "So are you going to look for a job? But then you probably don't need the money."
"I just graduated from high school a year ago. I was actually thinking about maybe going to college or some type of school. I think I do need to be more productive with my time."
"Speaking of time, I need to get to work. Make yourself at home. Here's your key to the apartment and I wrote down my cell phone number and left it on the refrigerator. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."
"Thanks, Rhonda. You mad cool."
For the next few weeks, I got settled in my new place. I got rid of all the garbage that was in my bedroom and hooked it up with some fly-ass furniture I got from this place called Moda Furniture. Between decorating my new room and hanging out with Rhonda I watched the news and read the newspaper.
Because Nico's attorney requested a speedy trial, he would be going to court in the next couple of weeks. The high profile case was drawing all sorts of different opinions from legal experts. Some said he would be found guilty and many others said the Prosecution's case was weak and Nico would walk. All I thought was Say It Ain 't So. There was no way Nico could beat the case. If he did, there would be no place on this earth I could hide. He would hunt me down like an animal.
I was already scared as it was; so scared that I didn't even want to attend my mother's funeral. I tracked down the lady, Ms. Duncan, that I ran into at the courthouse that day, and called her. She had heard about my mother's death and was actually devastated. She was one of the few people that remembered how beautiful and special my mother was at one time in her life.
I told her I was going through some things, but wanted my mother to have a beautiful funeral and tombstone. I met up with her in the city and gave her thirty thousand dollars to handle all the arrangements and to keep something for all her help. The day of the funeral I watched from a distance, not knowing if my enemies were tracking me. To my surprise, a lot of people showed up to pay their last respects to my mother. I couldn't help but think that it was a shame how people would celebrate you in death instead of when you are still alive to see it.
"How much?" I asked the cashier, while putting my groceries in the cart. I seemed to live at Pathmark. In Brooklyn I ate out just about every day and night. I was constantly running the streets, so I never had time for a home-cooked meal. But since I didn't know nobody in Jersey, I was always in the crib and whipping up meals was becoming a hobby. As I handed the cashier the money, I faintly heard the sounds of my cell ringing. My purse was lodged between the bags and I barely caught the call. "Hello," I said, sounding frazzled.
"Precious, I need to see you."
"Inga?" The number came up private and the voice sounded serious, so I wasn't positive if it was her or not.
"Yeah, it's me. We need to talk."
"About what?" I hadn't spoken to Inga in almost three months so her funky tone was rubbing me the wrong way.
"We can discuss that when I see you."
"No, we can discuss it right now, or you won't be seeing me."
"I don't want to do this over the phone, Precious. I need to see you face to face."
"On the real, Inga, I'm not feeling your funky attitude. I'm also not feeling meeting you somewhere `cause how you coming at me make me think this might be some sort of set up. And if that's the case, you need to step the fuck back `cause I would hate to have to bust off on yo' sneaky ass."
"Ain't nobody tryna set you up, Precious. No matter what, we still peoples. But I do need to speak to you, but I would prefer to do it in person."
"When?"
"Today, if possible."
"A'ight, meet me in the city in an hour. I'll call and let you know the exact location when I get there. And, Inga, don't try no slick shit."
I rushed home, put my groceries away and hopped in the shower. I got dressed quickly and then headed over to my storage spot to pick up my gun. As far as I was concerned, me and Inga were no longer peoples, and I didn't trust her. When I met up with her, if I got so much as a hint she was up to no good, I was gonna waste her ass, pregnant or not.
When I got to the city, I called Inga on her cell and told her to meet me in Union Square in twenty minutes. I was already parked on the corner, but it would give me an opportunity to observe and see if I saw anybody that looked suspicious.
Inga finally showed up, with belly poked out before her. I watched her for ten more minutes, seeing if she got on the phone with anybody or if she was making any eye contact with the people in the crowds. Once I felt safe, I grabbed my purse with the gun safely inside and walked up behind her.
"What's up, Inga?"
"Oh shit, you scared the fuck outta me, Precious."
"That was the point," I s
aid, walking towards the bench. "Come on let's have a seat over here. So what's up?"
Inga took a deep breath before beginning.
"Precious, I want you to be honest wit' me about something."
"OK."
"Precious, were you seeing Ritchie behind my back?"
"Who told you that?"
"That don't matter."
"If you want me to answer your question it do."
"Porscha said that Nico told her that you were a snake bitch because you were fucking his best friend behind his back. He also said you was pregnant by Ritchie and was planning on leaving him so ya could be together."
"Oh, so you talk to Porscha now? Ya'll friends."
"That's not even the point, Precious. I want to know if what Nico said is true."
"No, it is the point if you fucking wit' my enemy."
"Are you gonna answer me or not?"
"I'll tell you the truth. Yeah, I was fucking Ritchie, but no, I wasn't pregnant by him, although I told Nico I was."
"But, Precious, why?" Inga asked with pain in her voice.
"Because after I found out about Porscha, I wanted Nico to pay, and I knew fucking his best friend would do the trick."
"But, you knew Ritchie was my boyfriend, and we cared about each other."
"Inga, wake up! Ritchie didn't give a fuck about you. He used you to make me jealous. He begged me to leave Nico.
"I told you not to get caught up in that nigga, but you swore he was the one. I did you a favor by getting him out yo' life, but then you wanna fuck around and have a baby for this dude."
I sat shaking my head. Inga was stunned by what I said, but she asked for the truth. "Inga, I didn't mean for you to get hurt, but Nico had to pay. Ritchie won't no good. He didn't think twice about crossing Nico. You shouldn't take any of this so personally. Ritchie didn't mean nothing to me. He was a means to an end."
"Nico didn't kill Ritchie because he found out he was setting him up. He killed him because you told him that you were fucking Ritchie," Inga said as if all the pieces were coming together. "That's what happened isn't it?"
"Why don't you ask Porscha, since she's your new yellow pages."
"I don't need to. You planned all of this. You knew Nico would kill Ritchie once he found out, and you made sure he did. You knew I was pregnant, Precious. How could you have my baby's daddy set up to be killed?"
"Inga, Ritchie didn't even want that baby. You told me yourself he said he would cut the baby out of you if you didn't have an abortion. Bitch, I'm the one that hit you off wit' 50 G's so yo' broke ass could give yo' baby a start in life. That's more than Ritchie ever did for you, or would've done. So don't sit up here, tryna blame me for getting knocked up by a man that didn't want you or his seed."
"Things might've been different if you would've stayed out of our relationship. He didn't start changing until he started fucking you. Now Ritchie is dead, and my child will neva know his father."
"Well, bitch, join the motherfucking club `cause I don't know my daddy neither, and what." Inga turned her face away.
I didn't know if it was because of what I said or because of the afternoon sun glaring in our path. The wind was blowing the trees in all directions as adults and children relishing in the beautiful spring day strolled past us. By the idyllic picture, the strangers going by would've never expected that two former best friends were having a lifechanging conversation.
"Was it all worth it, just so you could punish Nico for cheating on you wit' some trick?"
"Believe it or not, I've asked myself the same question and the answer is yes. He disrespected me to the fullest, knowing that the streets be watching. If I had done the same thing to him, he would've sent me home in a body bag."
"Have you ever thought that he still might?"
"Not behind bars, he won't."
"Well, for your sake you betta pray that's where he stays. Because if Nico gets out, he won't rest until you six feet under." Inga wasn't telling me nothing that I didn't already know. Nico getting out could never be. It was no longer safe for both of us to walk the same streets.
NIff Bid
he headline on the front cover of the "New York Post" read `Notorious Kingpin Found Guilty of Murder'. Underneath there was a big picture of Nico handcuffed being escorted out the courtroom. Unlike the first time I saw him in court, his ensemble didn't consist of an orange jumpsuit. He was in one of his custom-made designer suits, looking more like a Wall Street business man than a cold-blooded killer. I was finally able to exhale, knowing that Nico would be spending the rest of his life behind bars. After reading the inside story, I went to celebrate by cooking a big breakfast.
"Good morning, Precious," Rhonda said when I entered the kitchen.
"Good morning," I said sounding unusually chipper for this early in the morning.
"Anything good in the paper?" Rhonda asked as she picked up the paper I just put down on the counter.
"What's this?" she said, reading the headlines about Nico. "Look at him he's a hottie. Who would think someone that fine could be a murderer? Now I know where all the good looking men are-locked up."
I refused to put my two cents in the conversation because I didn't want Rhonda to know that my kingpin and the one on the cover of the Post were one in the same. "Do you have any plans tonight?" she asked, finally putting the paper down.
"No, I'm chilling."
"Well, I don't know if you feel like it, but we're having an album release party for Supreme. You're welcome to come."
"Supreme the rapper?"
"Yeah. He's a cutie right?"
"I didn't know Supreme is on the same label you work for. His music is slick. But, nah, I'm not going out tonight. But you can bring me back his new CD."
"Why don't you want to come? It'll be fun."
"I just wanna stay at home tonight, stuff my face and watch my favorite DVD, "Paid in Full."
"Alright. Well, don't wait up for me. I won't be home until late."
"Cool, don't shake yo' ass too hard," I said smiling. Part of me did want to go to the party, but the other part of me wanted to just chill.
I'd been feeling especially uneasy after my conversation with Inga in Union Square. Hearing her say Nico would hunt me down and kill me if he beat his case made my blood run cold. For the last few weeks I'd been on pins and needles, waiting for the trial to end and the verdict to be announced. But even hearing guilty, I wasn't completely stress free. For the rest of the day I pretty much moped around, doing entirely too much thinking, until my cell phone rang. I hated answering private calls, but I was happy to do anything to get my mind off Nico. "Hello."
"Precious, what's up? You got a minute?" I immediately recognized Inga's voice and everything inside of me want ed to hang up the phone on her. We hadn't spoken to each other since our meeting in the city, and I had no interest in speaking to her. When she revealed that her and Porscha were now talking, which in my mind meant trading information, I didn't want nothing to do with Inga.
"Yeah, I got a minute, and that's about it."
"Well, then let me get right to it. I need some money." I had to step back from my phone to make sure I heard Inga correctly.
"Excuse me. Did I hear you correctly?"
"Yes. You were the only person I knew to call for help."
"Before I even respond, what happened to the fifty G's I gave you less than six months ago?"
"It's gone. I had to buy a car and to get some things for me and the baby."
"Inga, the baby ain't even here yet and you spent all the money. What type of car did you buy?"
"That don't matter, Precious, the point is, I don't have no more, and the baby will be here in a couple of months. So I was hoping you could hit me off wit' a hundred thousand."
"I don't have a hundred thousand, and even if I did, I wouldn't give it to yo' simple ass."
"You ain't gotta call me no names, neither. I just figured since you stole that million from Nico, the least you could do was put a
hundred thousand in my pocket, since you are responsible for making my unborn child fatherless." With that said I was tempted to break the promise I made to myself of staying out of Brooklyn so I could go whip Inga's ass.
"I don't know what kind of slick shit you tryna pop, but I didn't steal no million dollars from Nico. I'm tryna maintain out in these streets just like you. So whateva you heard or you think you know is all bullshit. As for your bastard child being fatherless, you gonna have to take the charge on that for being a stupid bitch."
"Precious, you always thought you were hot shit and you still do. You walk these streets not thinking about nobody but yourself. But bitch, you can't hide forever.
"You think you can break outta Brooklyn and leave everybody behind and forget about all the havoc you caused. You the reason Ritchie is dead, you the reason that Nico is locked up and my instincts tell me you responsible for Boogie and your moms, death too. But all your scheming is going to come back on you and you gon' take it in blood."
"Fuck you, Inga!" I bellowed before throwing my cell across the room where it shattered against the wall. I was getting closer to going over the edge. I immediately threw on my clothes, grabbed my purse and headed out the door.
As I hurried through the Mall toward the T-Mobile store to replace my cell phone, a cherry red halter dress hanging in a window caught my eye. It had a wood o-ring and asymmetric lattice hem. At that moment, I decided to go to the album release party tonight and shake my ass with Rhonda.
Never one to be on time, I arrived when the party was about to end. I had called Rhonda and told her I was on my way, and now two hours later, I was just getting to the front door of the club. There were a few people on the same time schedule as me who were also just arriving.
As I was walking in, a group of people rushed pass me to a waiting Suburban. I glanced to see who it was since there was a chaotic buzz surrounding them. In an intense second my eyes locked with a sexy looking dude.
"You need to come in, Miss. there are people wait ing behind you," the humongous bouncer demanded and snapped me out of the love connection I had just made.
When I turned back around, the Suburban had driven off. I guess it wasn't meant to be I thought to myself.