Daddy Dearest (21 page)

I doubt it. Your good with me. When I be telling you to shoot people, I really be saying graze them. You know, to let them know that you ain’t shark food. Because you know that the ice niggas always come in last. In prison, they come out gay.

“So what about what we talked about earlier? What did you mean by it? ‘Cause I ain’t trying to get into any trouble.”

I’ll tell you what. Let’s get us something to drink and we’ll talk about it.

“But Dr. Yessuh-“

Fuck Yessuh’s gay ass! You keep forgetting that he has been treating your ass for a non-existing sickness. Fuck him. Don’t ever say his name around me anymore. Don’t even think it! Damn! Sick of your ass!

“Okay! Jesus Christ! I’m so use to applying his references to my life.”

Fuck him.You got to break off from his and do your own thing. Like my man Mike Jackson did with The Jackson Five. Like Pattie did with the Blue Belles. Like punk ass Justin Timberlake did with-

“Okay, okay!” he said, talking over him. “I get the picture.”

Think about it, I’ve been right about every single person that crossed you. That has to count for something, right?

“It counts. Tat’s the only reason I’m entertaining this. So check, you’re saying that my doctor was wrong about alcohol?’

Negative. He’s right about what studies proved about depressed people consuming alcohol. But he was wrong in his evaluation on you, because you’re quite sane. You’re soft as a muthafucker, but sane.

This kind of talk was new to Rafeal. He hadn’t seen himself as a sane person since LeLe’s death. So once EL The One DeBarge broke everything down to him, Rafeal decided that he would quit resisting him so much. He made good on his word by going in the convenience store for some alcohol.

 –—Chapter Twenty-Three–—

With the exception of being on her period, Dehila felt fresh and clean from the hot shower. If someone would have told her a year ago that she would rarely bathe because she was too busy getting high, she would have dismissed them as being delusional.

Bathing had always been her favorite past time of the day because for her, it symbolized peace and serenity. It also gave her a chance to reflect on the day, and ponder on what had and hadn’t worked for her.

She rummaged through her closet for something to wear, knowing that she had only one chance to make a first impression. It crossed her mind to steal one of Cataya’s exclusive outfits from her suitcase, but she disregarded that thought. Cataya was on high alert, and she didn’t feel like fighting again.

There was only one clean item that suited the occasion. It was a sundress that revealed a lot of cleavage. She hoped that Mike was a fan of oral sex because her period was on, and she wasn’t ready to try anal again. The local drug dealer that lived up the street had messed up that privilege for everybody when he refused to stop.

Dehila didn’t like to think what her life had resulted to, because it depressed her. She remembered the days when she thought her opportunities to be unlimited. But now that she was a senior in high school for the third year straight, life seemed more complicated than ever. She sometimes wondered what was the point?Dehila went out on the porch and waited for her shining knight to temporarily relieve her from the harsh reality that was not her life.

Her ex-boyfriend surprised her when he walked over from next door in a friendly manner. He had been bitter with her ever since he found out the she had stole his mother’s diamond earrings.

“Hey, Eddie. What’s up with you?”

“Shit. See you sitting here, so I came to holler.”

“Oh. Haven’t seen you around lately; where have you been?”

“Grinding. I got two jobs now. One at Duke, and another one at the mall.”

“That’s good. You’re doing way better than your boy. They say he got three years.”

Eddie nodded solemnly an sat down beside her. “Yeah, I know. He be writing me regularly.”

“Who would’ve thought that Red would start robbing people? He was scared of his own shadow when we were kids.”

“Who would’ve ever thought that he would’ve started using drugs. He was always against them when we were kids,” he countered.

Dehila was alarmed. She sat there staring at her feet.

“Yeah,” he continued, “he writes me at least once a week.”

“Yeah?”

“Hmm…hm. The funny thing is, people be getting all religious and shit when they get locked up they start confessing to all the fucked up shit that they have done.”

“You can’t believe everything that they be saying,” she said, weakly. “Being so-called religious doesn’t necessary make you a saint.”

“People lie to make their selves look good. Or, to cover some bullshit that they done. But not to expose their selves to embarrassment or scrutiny.”

“Hey, what are you about to do?” She definitely didn’t like the direction that this conversation was heading. “I’m expecting some company, and you know how jealous some men can be.”

“He told me that you was the one that turned him out on powder. What’s wrong with you?”

There it was, the conversation that she didn’t want to have with him. “Ain’t nothing wrong with me; that boy is grown. Ain’t nobody put a gun to his head and make him get high, that’s what he chose to do.”

“But why are
you
messing with that stuff for?”

“Because I’m muthafucking grown, that’s why!”

He laughed, coldly. “I guess I know why you stole my mom’s earrings now. You’re a goddamn junkie.”

“Look, I don’t got time for this shit. I done told you one time I’m expecting company, and I’m not about to let you fuck my groove up. So, I’mma need you to roll out.”

“I’mma leave,” he said, standing, “but you’re going to hear what I have to say, first. It’s bad enough that you’re doing coke, but don’t be going around here turning people out. How would you like it if somebody turned your lil’ brother out?”

“I don’t got no lil’ brother!”

“What if you did?”

“If I did, that would be on him. It’s a free country.”

“You got to be the most ignorant broad that ever lived on this street. You got about the same basic understanding on the world as a rock does. I don’t know how I ever dealt with you on the level I did.”

“Okay. Are you finished?”

He was. He walked away as she studied her dirt-encrusted fingernails. This baffled her because she thought that she had cleaned them while showering. She usually kept them French manicured prior to using cocaine. Now, that money was nonexistence.

When some headlights illuminated the street, Dehila abandoned her woes and slid off the porch. The car moved towards her in a slow manner that suggested that it was about to stop. She smoothed out her dress and waked to the edge of the street, just as the passenger side window came down.

“Dehila?”

“Mike?”

The door unlocked.

“Get in.”

She was momentarily shocked when she saw his face, but she quickly got over it and kissed him on the cheek.

“I can’t believe that I’m finally meeting my baby!”

“I feel the same way.” He placed a hand on her thigh. “You’re more beautiful in person.”

“Thank you. You are, too,” she lied.

Actually, the man that Dehila was now seeing was a totally different person from the profile picture that she had seen on Facebook. She didn’t mention this because the promise of cocaine overrode everything the logical of the situation.

“Your mother sill isn’t home?”

“No. She won’t be home ‘til the morning; she working overtime.”

“But your cousin and her boyfriend is there, right?”

“Hmmm…hm.”

“You probably don’t want to go in there, I assume.”

“Uhhh, I don’t think that’s a good idea. They’re kids, and I don’t want them in my business.”

“That’s-“

“I hope that’s not a problem,” she panicked, cutting him off.

“No. Certainly not I was about to say that’s quite understandable. Kids can be a thorn in the foot when you’re trying to do certain things.”

“I know, right.”

He turned into a park that she was quite familiar with. It was a place that she had been with different men who didn’t want to pay for a hotel room.

“What do you want to do?” he asked, after he parked his car.

“I’m down for anything as long as I have something to party with.” She became nervous when Mike didn’t respond. “Y…you did remember to bring me a wake-up, didn’t you?”

“A wake-up?”

“Yeah. Some coke to get me off E.”

“Calm down, will you?” He produced a small baggie from his shirt pocket. “I’m a man of my word.”

“Thanks!” She grabbed for it, but he snatched it away.

“Patience. Patience.”

She humbled herself with great difficulty.

“You said that you wrestled the gun from your uncle. Where is it?”

“I threw it in the gutter. I hate guns.”

“So do I, that’s why I asked. I couldn’t have you riding in my car armed.”

A provocative expression came across her face. “You can search me if you don’t believe me.”

“Maybe later. One more question. This is important, so I need for you to focus on me.”

Dehila reluctantly took her eyes off the baggie. “I’m focused.”

“Who was that man that you was just talking to?”

“You saw…How did you see me…talking to him.?’

“I’m asking the questions here,” he said, waving the baggie in the air.

“I’m so sorry!”

“Who is he?”

“He’s nobody! Just a kid form next door that occasionally stops by for general conversation.”

“That conversation didn’t look general to me. It looked intense.”

“Okay, okay. I’mma tell you the truth. The truth is, he likes me, but I won’t give him the time of the day. So, he basically came over to get an explanation.”

“I see.”

“But I swear to God that I don’t mess with him!” she added, quickly.

Mike flinched. “Do you think he watches to see who comes to visit you?”

“I doubt it.”

“What makes you so confident that he doesn’t?”

“Because his mama keeps plastic on the windows all year ‘round, so he can’t see out of them. He would have to come on the porch to see who pulls up, and I never seen him do that.”

Mike seemed satisfied with her answer, and handed her the baggie. “Enjoy.”

She didn’t bother to respond. She was too busy scooping the powder out of the baggie with her pinky nail. The two scoops took effect quickly, causing her to pant.

“Something’s not right.”

“A lot of things in this world isn’t. That’s why God appointed me to clean it up.”

“What are…you talking…about?””

“It’s people like you that turned the Garden of Eden into a needle infested field.”

“My heart…is beating too…fast.”

“Speed seems to have that effect. May God have mercy on your soul, dear child.”

At that moment, Dehila clutched her chest and went into convulsions. But Mike, aka Chaplin Stephens, didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy driving towards the creek that he had scouted out earlier.

 –—Chapter Twenty-Four–—

“Damn, baby. You’re diesel,” the prostitute remarked, as she approached Hammer in the parking lot of the convenience store. “I know you’re looking for a date. It won’t cost you much of nothing.”

Hammer was momentarily confused until it dawned on him that she was propositioning him. She wore a short-sleeved cat suit and flaunted her leggy frame.

It was her heels were what stood out the most to him. They were some black and chrome stilettos with a six-inch heel. He had never seen anything like them before.

“No, Miss. I’m looking for a ride.”

“Ha! I ain’t running no Yellow Cab here. The only thing yellow to ride around here is this ass.” She turned around to show him her video vixen butt.

“No, thank you. I’m not interested.”

“Well, you need to get the hell on before I call the police on your ass, escapee.”

Hammer immediately threw his hand up in a defensive manner.

“I don’t want any trouble. I apologize.”

“If you’re apologizing, that means you done violated my woman.”

Hammer spun around to see who had spoken, and saw a man brandishing a large revolver!

* * *

“So, I’m not crazy, huh’ Rafeal slurred.

Hell, nah! Never have been. Crazy is Macy Gray. Now that bitch is loco! That’s why she never do her hair.

“That’s good to know. Want to know something else?”

What, my nigga? Holla at me.