A Hustler's Son II (10 page)
“Listen…I told you I got some shit to handle. When I’m done I’ll be back. And tell that cop he can suck my dick.”
“Watch your tone!”
“Whateva, Shelly.”
“You betta not be gettin’ in no trouble, Kelsi. You still a child.” She was wrong.
I wasn’t. I seen and did too much dirt to ever be able to call myself a kid. “Cuz if you get in trouble, it’ll be your own fault,” she continued. “And just so you know I filed a missing person’s report on you.”
“Whateva, Shelly,” She was five seconds from gettin’ cussed the fuck out. “I just called to check on J.R. don’t worry ‘bout me, I’m good.”
Without waitin’ for a response I hung up. And the moment I did, O slow rolled past the front of the restaurant in a red Altima with New York City license plates looking for a place to park. When she walked in, she was wearin’ a tight pink velour sweat suit. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and I couldn’t help but smile at her natural beauty. She eased into the booth style seat directly in front of me.
“What’s goin’ on, Aven?” she asked, her nose was beet red. “Why you wanna meet me so late?” I ain’t been ‘round her a lot, but from what I could tell, when she was nervous, her nose turned red.
“You nervous?”
“No. She lied. I just wanna know why I’m here.”
“It’s only 10:00, O.”
“It’s after 10:00,” she said as she placed her purse on the table, rubbed her hair wit’ her hand and waited. “Plus you know I gotta dance tonight.”
“You hungry?”
“No,” she said foldin’ her hands in front of her.
“Okay,” I said as I looked down at the worn white table. What was wrong wit’ me? Why was I findin’ it so hard to be real wit’ her? “Bout that spot…you don’t dance there no more.”
“What?”
“You can’t work there no more.” I repeated.
“I wasn’t gonna leave until
next
month,” she advised thinkin’ I was talkin’ ‘bout her movin’ back to Atlanta. “I wanna save up some more money first.”
“O…You don’t work there no more startin’ tonight. I’m not fuckin’ playin’. It’s ova for you there.”
“Explain, Aven.”
“Them niggas you got for they guns ordered me to kill you. So unless you wanna die…you don’t work there no more.”
“But…,” her voice trailed.
“You wanna die?”
“No…but…why kill
me
?” she asked pointin’ at herself. She looked confused. Like she couldn’t find the logic.
“Yes. Kill you,” I pointed back at her. “And you have to move, too.”
“But why?” she persisted.
“It’s all a game to them, O. They don’t give a fuck ‘bout you, my moms, or nobody else!”
“Your moms?”
I made a mistake and was angry at myself.
“I mean…they don’t give a fuck ‘bout nobody. Trust me, I know.”
“Aven…this is too quick, where am I gonna go?” she asked lookin’ ‘round the crowded restaurant. I think she was worried somebody was gonna walk up and shoot her right there.
“Nobody’s gonna hurt you while I’m here, O. You good. Relax.” She dropped her head and shook it.
I felt fucked up for puttin’ her in this predicament, but I needed her to do what I wanted done. My part of the plan worked. I was in. A part of me started to believe she was ungrateful. She should be happy I wasn’t gonna smoke her and be done wit’ it. The worse part of me was willin’ to do whatever it took to get closer to them, even if it did mean killin’ her.
“Okay…I don’t work there no more,” she must’ve detected that I was growin’ frustrated. “I’ll find another place in New York somewhere before I go back to Atlanta.”
“That’s not good enough. You gotta move outta state.”
“What?!” she yelled causin’ people to stare. “Why outta state?”
“Stop actin’ like you don’t know what the deal is. And lower your fuckin’ voice,” I demanded through clenched teeth. I wasn’t up for the show.
“But over some guns?”
“Naw…ova the principle. They feel played and they wanna see how far I’ll go to get wit’ ‘em.”
“How bad
do
you want to be with ‘em?” she asked nervously.
“I’d give my life to get closer to Kyope.” I confirmed. “But you safe. If I wanted to hurt you, you’d be dead by now.”
“Why is this so important to you? Why is gettin’ with him so important?”
“You askin’ the questions you don’t really want the answers to.”
“But this doesn’t make any sense, Aven,” she said switchin’ the subject. “I can’t leave right now. Where am I gonna go?”
“On a plane! What’s so fuckin’ hard to understand?”
“But…I ain’t got no place to go really in Atlanta either. Most of my people can barely take care of themselves right now. I wasn’t supposed to go back needing help. I was supposed to go back different. Successful,” she looked up at me wit’ sad eyes.
When she started cryin’, I wanted to wrap my arms around her. But an unseen wall kept me in my place and her vulnerability was startin’ to make me irritated. Suddenly I became angry. Why was she whinin’? And why did I always find myself involved in some emotional bullshit? I’m sick of this shit. All I care ‘bout is revenge.
“Look,” I said as I stood up. “I’m sorry shit got fucked up for you, but this right here…ain’t for me.”
I reached in my pocket and dropped four thousand dollars on the table. One of the dirty bills brushed her face as if found its way down. I’m sure she had dirty money thrown at her before. And it was two thousand more than she thought she was gettin’.
“Aven…are you leaving me alone?”
“I’m not your man, O.”
“But…but you said you wouldn’t let anything happen to me,” she cried standin’ wit’out collectin’ the money.
“Sorry, O. I’m out,” I moved quickly to the door.
“Please, Aven. Don’t leave me. I’m beggin’ you.”
I paused before walkin’ out the glass door. People stared at us. I felt heavy turnin’ my back on her but what was I ‘sposed to do? Fuckin’ wit’ O would cause more problems than I was tryin’ to deal wit’.
“Take care, shawty,” I told her pushin’ forward. When I went outside and flagged a cab, the look on her face stayed wit’ me. Her tears. Her pleas. Everything she said ‘bout me not leavin’ her and protectin’ her played in my mind like a movie.
“Fuck!” I said out loud. A white woman walkin’ by jumped nervously. I was surprised when a cabby stopped.
“Where to?” he asked after I jumped in.
I told him.
Feelin’ guilty, and wit’out thinkin’, I punched the back of his seat. He looked at me through his rearview mirror.
“What the fuck my, friend!!! Everythin’ alright?” the cab driver asked wit’ a Pakistan accent.
I ignored him. What did he think?
Instead of responding, I stared at the large billboards in the city and tried to focus on my next move. Fuck I care ‘bout a bitch I just met? I’m a soldier. And soldiers don’t need nothin’ or nobody holdin’ them back. So why was I sayin’, “Turn around.”
“What?”
“I said turn around. I forgot somethin’ at the restaurant.”
“You people are somethin’ else,” he said under his breath.
The moment he whipped the car around, I reached through the small window separatin’ us and punched him in the back of his head. The cab came to a complete stop.
“Get out!!!!” he screamed holdin’ the back of his head. I angrily jumped out.
What was goin’ on wit’ me? Why was I lettin’ this broad get under my skin?
I walked back to the restaurant my hand throbbin’ from lashin’ out. But when I reached the spot, I ain’t see O through the large window. Had she gone? I walked in and looked for her. For some reason…I felt fucked up. I shook my head and breathed out cuz I knew she was just like me. Out here alone, and on a mission. For some reason my mother came to mind. I wondered what she must’ve gone through when she was in New York alone. Maybe if she had someone to care for her, she would’ve had an easier life. But who was I?
Captain Save A Ho?
I turned ‘round to leave ‘til I heard, “Aven?” I stopped, turned back around and faced her. She had just stepped out of the bathroom. A smile came across her face. “I thought you left me.” Silence. I walked up to her…she met me halfway.
“Look…you can stay wit’ me for a few days. I got a crib over on 29
th
and Crescent in Queens. I’m movin’ in tomorrow.”
It was a one bedroom joint I found a few weeks back. It was small but plenty for me. The landlord ain’t ask questions and gladly accepted the six months rent in advance I’d given him.
“Thank you, Aven,” she said softly wrappin’ her arms ‘round my neck. “Thank you for not leavin’ me.” I found myself smilin’ inside.
“Listen,” I said pushin’ her away. “I’m lettin’ you stay wit’ me cuz all this kinda my fault. But there are some rules you gotta understand before we do any of this shit.”
“I’m listenin’, Aven,” she said softly. “Anything you want.”
“I can’t have you askin’ a bunch of questions about what I do when I leave my crib. And most of all, don’t tell
NOBODY
you stayin’ wit’ me. ‘Specially none of them cacklin’ bitches at Waves.”
“Okay.”
“I’m serious, shawty,” I pointed at her.
“Okaaaay, Aven. Whateva you want. I understand.”
“Seriously, don’t ever ask me ‘bout my life. If I don’t tell you it’s cuz I don’t want you to know. We ain’t together and this arrangement is only til’ shit blow over. Got it?”
“Yes, Aven,” she giggled. “Nobody will know anything and I understand I’m not your girl. For now.” I cut her a serious look. “Just playin’. I’m just so happy you didn’t leave me.”
She was shakin’ her head and agreein’ wit’ me but a part of me wanted to say,
‘fuck this shit it ain’t gonna work’.
I knew bitches thought they could change a nigga but again,
I ain’t no ordinary nigga.
“Let’s get outta here,” I told her. “Where you park?”
“Round the corner, Aven,” she said softly. I could tell from the smile on her face that she ain’t understand what was really goin’ on, but I let her have her moment. After all, she helped me get closer to mine.
The good thing about it is, she ain’t know my real name and I ain’t know hers. And as far as I was concerned, it could stay that way. The less we knew ‘bout each other the better. Cuz I was certain our arrangement wouldn’t last.
Saturday, 11:32 pm
****
Since I was a kid I never had a place to call home. Why should now be any different?
-O
“I gotta leave, Jelly. They wanna kill me,” O said as she drove to her apartment to gather her things. She had just dropped Kelsi off in Queens and he told her to only take what she could carry by hand. They separated because he didn’t want to be seen with her in case Kyope was watching him.
“Why you gotta leave ova that dumb shit?” O had already briefed her on what Kelsi had her do to Kyope a few days back at the club. O was too naïve to understand the importance of being quiet despite Kelsi’s warning.
“Cuz they trippin’ that’s why.”
“Well where you gonna stay? You welcome to stay at my crib. It’s small but I got room.” O was thankful she at least offered. Because before Kelsi came back to the restaurant, she didn’t think anybody else cared.
“Naw, I can’t do that,” she said softly. “I’m stayin’ wit’ Aven and he don’t want me tellin’ nobody. He’d be pissed if he found out I told you. But I had to tell you in case something happened to me.”
“So you stayin’ wit’ the same nigga who got you caught up in all this shit? Is that smart, O?” She didn’t respond. “He seems weird,” Jelly continued.
The only reason she said he was weird to Jelly was because he never gave any of the other strippers the time of day, including her. Jelly had done everything from offering to give him a free lap dance, to test driving her worn out pussy. No matter what he refused.
“He’s not weird, just cautious.”
“So what…he don’t want you to have no friends?”
“It’s not even like that. We not together.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. He’s just tryin’ to protect me,” she said as she pulled up a few blocks from her apartment in Brooklyn. She avoided pulling directly in front in case someone was waiting to hurt her. The streets were dark and she couldn’t see clearly.
“Humph…you betta be careful. He sounds like a controllin’ ass nigga to me,” Jelly complained. “But let me go, girl. I gotta make this money. Some ballas just came in here and they spendin’ plenty cash.”
O giggled and said, “Get that money! Later!”
While O thought about her situation, a light smile spread across her face. The best thing about leaving was that she wouldn’t have to dance anymore. O had dreams of owning her own nightclub. But first, she’d have to wait for things to die down. She hoped she could count on Aven to protect her. In fact she prayed on it.
Wednesday, 12:42 am
****
Bein’ the Boss ain’t a luxury, it’s a liability.