It's Like Candy (27 page)

“But seeing that, it didn't stop for me with his death. A few months later, my mother went crazy and she got admitted into an institution. But she got worse over the years, and never came home. So
I moved in with my aunt Fran, and became close wit' my cousin Russell. Yo, we did everything together, so that people thought we were brothers. We ran the streets like it was our playground.

“I remember the night I got shot fuckin' wit' Russell. I was eighteen at the time. We had beef wit' these Brooklyn niggahs who wanted to muscle their way onto the block we had set up shop on. Yo, we ran up on them and fucked them up, I mean we came at them wit' bats, chains, and everything, and embarrassed them on the block, so that some of them had to be carried away by their home-boys. We wasn't playing. But we underestimated them, thinkin' they were pussy. They came back on us that same night, guns blazing and everything. We were at this social club, hanging out and drinking, and this car came from around the corner and niggahs stepped out. Yo, they must have fired at least twenty rounds into the crowd. I got hit in my shoulder, but my man Links caught it bad. He got hit four times, and died right next to me.”

River squeezed him gently, listening to him tell his story and open up his heart to her. Just like her, he had a painful past, and she figured that was the reason she felt so connected to him.

“That's why when I met you and we bonded, I knew I could be happy wit' you. I never been in love,” he proclaimed. “I just wanna die happy, and knowing that I didn't miss out on something good. I wanna love you.”

“Eric, I'm so fo' real wit' this, and I promise, I'm not going anywhere,” River said. “We both share the same troublesome past, and you make me happy. That's why I risked coming back here.”

Eric heard what she said, and the thought of dying scared him.

“Do you believe that everything in your life happens for a reason?” River asked him.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, do you think that the steps we take, the pain we go through, the trials and tribulations we endure, all lead us to some important part of our life or maybe someone?” she continued. “Growing
up, when I used to visit my grandmother in the South, she used to tell me and my sister that the day we're born, God already has a plan for us. We just have to listen to Him closely, and everything will fall in place. I believe that I'm here for a reason. I believe our destiny was to find each other, Eric, and help each other. I've done many bad things in my life, and I'm not proud of what I've done . . . but I'm ready to change and leave this behind. I'm ready to make something right out of my life.

“I have a younger sister that I haven't seen in five years. I left home when she was eleven, and I would do anything to see her again.”

“What's her name?” Eric asked.

River thought about her sister with a smile, and then answered, “Starr.”

“Starr . . . why does that name sound so familiar to me?” Eric said, trying to recall where he'd heard that name before. “She's still in New York?”

“I don't know. I don't have a number or address. I don't even know if she still alive,” River said, her voice saddened by the thought of not knowing anything recent about her sister.

“But if we get the chance to escape the world we were born into, I want to find her, Eric. I want to know if she's okay. I need to know.”

Eric looked her in the eyes and saw this compassionate, innocent woman, and his heart melted. The vibes he got from River were real. He said to her, “When I was living wit' my aunt, the one thing she instilled into me and her own kids was having faith and learning forgiveness, because you may never know when you may ask for forgiveness from someone else someday. She used to tell us that those are the two ingredients for a healthy soul. She had so much faith in us. She always believed that her kids and myself would achieve so much in life. She believed that we would overcome the
stigma of our family created by my father and uncles in the streets. No matter what happened wit' us on the streets, she kept her faith in us until the day she died. She was a strong woman. The only one who would have made her proud is her daughter. She's living in New Jersey, got married, and is enrolled in law school to become a criminal attorney. It's ironic wit' my family's history that she chose that profession. But my cousin, he holds too many grudges, and I see that in him every day. He thinks the world owes him something because he did seven years. It's odd that my aunt, the sweet and caring woman she was, gave birth to him.

“C'mon, we gotta go,” he exclaimed, reaching for his clothing.

“Go where. I can't stay here?” River asked.

“No. It's too dangerous. You said yourself that Red will come after you. He'll come back here sooner or later. And I don't want to chance it by leaving you here by yourself,” Eric stated, quickly getting dressed.

“But where are you taking me?”

“Someplace where nobody will look for you,” he informed her.

 

Parked outside Erics's builing
on Hillside Avenue was a black Nissan Maxima, and the occupants of the car were Big Red and Twinkie. They both sat patiently scoping out the lobby, watching who went in and who came out. Big Red was furious about River's sudden disappearance. It was slowing up his money and his affection for River grew into hatred and rage when he thought about the possibility of her dissin' him by coming back to see Eric.

Big Red, Twinkie, and two other thuggish-looking men paid a visit to River's place, being disappointed that she hadn't been home in days. Tah-Tah quickly gave up River's business, but she had no idea where River was. Big Red didn't believe her, and had both his men manhandle her to get some truth from her. Tah-Tah had relentlessly called River's phone until she finally picked up, and tried to
convince River to come home to a trap. But River was too smart for that. Tah-Tah was selfish and put her life first before anyone else's. It was easier to have River killed than endanger herself any further. But her plan backfired when River never showed up. And being furious, all four men raped and beat Tah-Tah in her bedroom, cut her up afterward, slit her throat, and left her bound to her bed, naked and saturated in her own blood, where she still lay—dead.

“I fuckin' knew we shouldn't trust that bitch,” Twinkie exclaimed. “You think she chillin wit' homeboy?”

Big Red was seething with jealousy and hatred. “Yo, if she is, we gonna handle this bitch and that niggah like we did her fuckin' friend. I fuckin' swear I'm gonna rape and torture that bitch,” Red exclaimed. “I shoulda murdered this niggah when I had the chance. How the fuck I let this stupid bitch talk me out of puttin' a bullet in his head!”

Both men were armed with automatic weapons, and two Glock 17s and a .45 rested under the car seats.

“Handle your business, niggah,” Twinkie encouraged.

“Believe me, I will.”

Moments later, River walked out of the lobby with Eric looking as happy as ever. Twinkie tapped Red, pointing out the two, and cursed, “Sheisty bitch!”

Big Red's face was twisted with anger and disgust as he gazed at River from a short distance.

“You wanna kill ‘em both now?” Twinkie asked, retrieving his gat from under the seat.

“Nah, not now,” Red answered. He wanted to murder them both where they stood, but it was too risky with so many people around. And he wanted to take his time with River, make her feel pain and have her suffer as he slowly plunged his knife into her, wanting to cut out her heart.

“Follow them,” Big Red said.

Twinkie started up the car and followed the Scion at an unnoticeable distant.

 

Eric stopped his scion
in front of his uncle Pumpkin's house, believing that River would be safe with his uncle at his home. He was unaware of the Maxima that followed him the whole trip.

He rang his uncle's doorbell, and a minute later, Pumpkin answered. He looked out at his nephew with curiosity.

“Eric, everything okay?” he asked.

“No, Uncle Pumpkin, I need a favor from you,” Eric said.

Pumpkin gazed at River, admiring her beauty, and knew that the young woman Eric brought to his home had to be dear to his heart.

“Uncle Pumpkin, this is River, the woman I told you about. She needs a place to stay,” he informed his uncle.

“She's in danger?” Pumpkin asked.

“Some dangerous men may be after her and me as well. They know about my location, so she can't stay there by herself. Nobody knows about you, I figure she be all right here,” Eric mentioned.

Pumpkin looked at his nephew and then at River. He couldn't tell them no, so he said, “Okay, but you owe me.”

“I know,” Eric uttered, pushing River into the house.

They both walked into the living room, and Pumpkin quickly closed the door behind them, securing the front entrance with four thick double bolts.

River glanced around his home and wasn't impressed.
A simple place for a simple old man,
she thought. Wooden floors, no style or decoration, old furniture positioned sparsely throughout the room, and the room was clustered with bits and pieces. In fact, his home kind of reminded her of
Sanford and Son.
But she didn't mind because she felt safe there.

“Excuse me, young lady, while I talk to my nephew privately,” Pumpkin said, pulling Eric away from River.

They went into the kitchen and Pumpkin asked, “How much trouble are you in?”

“My friend Donald was killed last night,” Eric mentioned.

“I'm sorry to hear that. How are you holding up?”

“Could be a lot better,” Eric replied.

“So what are you about to do?”

“Unc, there's a lot happening, and I ain't got time to explain,” Eric said, looking hurried.

“It's Russell, isn't it?” Pumpkin inquired. “That boy ain't even been home a month now, and already one of your best friends is killed.”

“Uncle Pumpkin, I ain't got time for this,” Eric said, walking back into the living room.

Eric looked at River, and said, “You'll be okay here. My uncle knows how to hold it down if there's any trouble.”

River was content with what he said. She pulled him toward her, and kissed him passionately. “Be safe, baby.”

“I will.”

Eric then pulled out his .380 and put it in River's hand. “Take this just in case.”

River was reluctant to take the gun, but Eric insisted. “You ever shot a gun before?” he asked.

River replied no.

“It's simple, you raise it, point, aim, and squeeze,” he quickly instructed.

“I know the basics,” she replied.

“And what you gonna use just in case them fools come at you?” his uncle asked. “Since you leaving my house unarmed.”

“Don't worry about me, Uncle Pumpkin. You know I can handle myself,” he countered.

“Boy, I've heard a lot of men said that before they were murdered,” Pumpkin said. He went into his cabinet and pulled out a .357
and handed it to Eric. “You take care of yourself. I don't want to hear about you on the news.”

Eric nodded, concealed the gun in his waistband, and headed for the door. River watched him exit, and said a small prayer for both of them. She knew things were definitely going to get ugly.

 

oytside, Big Red
and Twinkie watched Eric leave the house without River.

“What you wanna do, Red?” Twinkie asked. “He left her alone, so now's our chance to get at the bitch.”

“Nah, too risky,” Red said. “We don't know how many people up in there, and what they holding up in that crib. It's a blind move.”

“So I say we murder this niggah right now,” Twinkie suggested.

“Something else is goin' on . . . I feel it,” Big Red said, looking transfixed on something.

They both watched Eric get into his Scion and drive off.

“We not gonna follow this faggot?” Twinkie asked.

“Nah, we gonna hold off for a minute. The one thing we're good at is being patient. Our time will come, when we'll catch ‘em both slippin', and believe me, when we do, it ain't gonna be pretty. We know where he's stashing her, so the bitch ain't goin' nowhere,” Red said.

Twinkie nodded.

“So we just gonna sit here?” Twinkie asked.

“Fo' a minute, see what kind of activity pops off, and watch and see who else comes out that crib. I don't wanna take any chances,” Red said.

“Just say the word, and I'm down.”

Big Red stared at Twinkie. He was proud of his right-hand man.

“Ain't no niggahs
gettin' money out here, fo' real,” Critter exclaimed, furious about Donald's demise. “It's on! It's muthafuckin' on!

He brandished a loaded .45 around the room while he spoke to his peers in the basement of Dreams, the local strip club on Hillside Avenue.

“Word, son! I'm ready to do this,” another cohort shouted, his face twisted with anger.

The room was packed with twenty bloodthirsty thugs, ready to revenge the death of one of their lieutenants. Guns were displayed everywhere, from shotguns and Uzis to the typical street handguns, .45s and a few 9-mm pistols.

News of Donald's death spread quickly throughout the hood, and there was going to be hell to pay. The strip club Dreams had a bunch of trigger-happy thugs ready to shoot up the whole hood.

Yung Slim walked into the room with Barnes and Bishop. His face was tightened with sadness and hostility. He was dressed in black army fatigues. He stared into the crowd, and announced, “Yo, I'm puttin' up ten grand for any niggah that bodies that faggot nig-gah, Reality. And another fifteen for that faggot niggah, Rome.”

Everyone in the room nodded at Yung Slim's offer. Every man wanted the cash for themselves.