Pointe of No Return: Giving You All I Got (12 page)

She thought she spotted her earlier, but wasn’t sure.  Her mother left the room saying nothing, and even though she was in practice she had to speak to her.

Demi hated how things played out. She never wanted to choose between her family and the man she wanted to be with.

              “Mommy!” Demi called her mother’s name. Dorane didn’t bother turning around. Demi knew to not call her name again in fear of embarrassing her mother, so she pushed through the pain and ran after her mother.

“Mama!” Demi called out again.

Dorane snatched her shades off and faced Demi.

“What do you want, Demi?” Dorane asked her daughter, not wanting to be bothered with her dumb ass. All the things she had done for Demi was a waste in her eyes.

“How did I do?” Demi questioned. Her mother was her biggest critic, but she knew Dorane would only tell her the truth.

“Your ending was horrible, your landing is rough. I keep telling you to control your footing when you’re going back into your Demi-plie.”

“The reason you named me Demi,” Demi smiled, trying to warm her mother up. But Dorane was unfazed by her daughter’s big pretty smile.

“What a mistake now,” Dorane told her and walked off, heading to her car.

Hurt would be an understatement, but she couldn’t let her mama get to her today. Demi pushed her emotions to the side for the time being and she got back to work.

After practice, Demi stopped and got food for her and Papa and made her way home. She was surprised to see his bike in the parking lot when she pulled up, but was happy because her feet were aching. Over time Papa’s foot massages had become famous and he had the magic touch.

She limped up the steps and into the house. Papa was in the living room rolling a blunt and listening to rap music.

Demi placed their food on the bar in the kitchen and her dance bag on the floor.

“Hey babe,” Papa acknowledged Demi.

She told him hello as she removed the Ugg boots from her feet and wiggled her toes, they were bleeding and hurting so bad.

              Her mother’s words stung her heart and she took her anger out during practice. Demi went extra hard and even stayed an hour after, helping some of the girls who couldn’t master the piece as easy as she could.

“You good?” Papa asked Demi, seeing the pain she was in.

Demi shook her head as she made her way to him. “I can’t keep doing this,” Demi said, sadly.

“Aww baby, yes you can and you will,” Papa told her.

“How was your day?” she asked her lover.

“Same shit, different day,” he said, nonchalantly.

“So are you a millionaire?” Demi questioned.

Papa laughed. “You need something boo? You wanna go shopping?” he asked.

Demi said, “For what? I don’t have a life, all I do is dance and eat,” she complained.

“And fuck me,” Papa added.

Demi asked another question. “No, for real Papa, are you like, super-duper rich?”

“I don’t know what super-duper rich is, but you ain’t fucking with no broke nigga,” he told her.

“Yeah, but are you like rich, rich?” she pressed for information.

“I’m good, you good,” he said and went in the kitchen to find a lighter, since he couldn’t find one in his pockets.

“Does your uncle know what you do?” she asked him.

Papa ignored her and asked her what was for dinner.

“Papa, I want to know what you’re involved in,” Demi told him.

“Why? That has nothing to do with you,” he said, getting irritated.

Demi didn’t care though. “Because we’re together and if something happens to you I want to know what to expect and I wanna be prepared. I feel so clueless when it comes to your other life.”

“Key words, other life. Just chill, we good, and nothing’s gon’ happen to me,” Papa told her.

Demi sat back and massaged her ankles. She needed to be involved, especially with her father’s constant line of questioning.

              He respected Demi’s decision to be with Papa, but as his only child her safety was his main concern. Demi’s father knew it would come a time that Demi had to grow up and do things herself. Unlike his wife, he didn’t expect to hold her hand and coddle her for the rest of her life. Papa wasn’t the ideal man for his precious baby girl, but he trusted that he raised Demi the right way, and she would make good decisions. Demi called him daily, unbeknownst to Dorane, and he texted her, “Goodnight don’t let the bed bugs bite” every night as if she was still across the hall.

Demi had a home to go to if she ever needed to. He would never make her feel like she had no one. Dorane was trying to teach her a lesson, but was going about it in all the wrong ways. Isaac stopped preaching to Dorane a long time ago. As long as she had her wine and her pills she was a happy camper, so he left her ass alone.

Demi’s account was stacked, she wasn’t worried about nothing and as long as Isaac had breath in his body she would be well taken care of, as always.

“Papa, I’m going to leave you alone for now,” she told him.

She wouldn’t even get started on her rant today. It was apparent that Papa was in a good mood and enjoyed his day, so she wouldn’t piss him off by being annoying.

She started watching one of his favorite television series,
The Wire,
and although it was a good ass show it raised so many red flags and she now had a million questions. Demi wanted to know if he was like Marlo. She wondered if Papa was really getting it or was he risking his life for a few dollars?

She wanted to know how he handled conflict, or worse, did he ride around with drugs in the car? She knew his temper was off the meat rack, but she had never seen Papa in the act.

It bothered her that Papa spoke with so much confidence as if he was untouchable, but not even a member of The UNDERWORLD could escape a bullet….

***

Papa was in the hood with his peoples talking cash money shit, as usual. Red flag tied around his forehead, pants sagging, gun toting, tattoos on display. Demi was out of town with her friends for the weekend so he had nothing better to do but kick shit and pop a few bottles.

              Papa was bobbing his head to some music, rolling yet another blunt, and leaning against his car when gunshots rang down the block.

The first thing he did was crouch low, pull his burner from his waist, and took that motherfucker off safety real quick.

“What the fuck going on, bruh?” Papa’s cousin yelled, as he started clapping back.

Papa’s heart was beating erratically, but he was pumped up and whoever thought they would win today had shot at the wrong niggas. Papa came around the car shooting too. There were a few of them hanging out the car firing.

Before he could tell his li’l cousin to move out the fucking way, a bullet pierced his stomach and he gasped.

“Shit!” Papa grunted without letting that throw him off. He still continued shooting. His vision was getting blurry, but he wouldn’t stop shooting until he got at least one of them.

He heard his cousin, Pookie’s voice, behind him screaming for someone to call Unc, and that was all he remembered before he felt himself falling back on the ground.

Clap
.

His gun fell right along with his ass.

***

Demi ran through the double doors of the hospital, her weekend in the Hamptons for Labor Day had come to an abrupt end.

When she saw Unc’s name flash across her cell phone she instantly knew something was wrong. Demi’s friends all understood that their girl’s weekend was over because Demi had to get to her man’s side. She prayed non-stop on the way to the hospital. Unc couldn’t tell her much because he didn’t know shit.

Demi asked, “Is he okay?” once she joined everyone in the waiting room.

Roderick, a member of The Underworld, couldn’t help but to look over young Demi. Her beauty couldn’t be denied. Even if she was only eighteen- years-old, she was sexier than a motherfucker.

Unc handed her his jacket without saying much. Demi knew he wanted her to cover up. Demi was standing in the middle of a hospital with a mesh bathing suit cover-up and booty shorts on and Gucci flip-flops. She was headed to the pool when she got the call and getting dressed was the last thing on her mind.

“Yeah, he good,” Unc told her. Demi released her breath, she was so nervous.

“We were just talking about this a few weeks ago. I told him he wasn’t untouchable!” she cried.

Nasir said, “How this nigga eighteen-year-old girlfriend smarter than him? Shit is ridiculous.”

Malachi told him, “Chill out.”

He wasn’t in the mood for no bullshit. He knew how naïve Demi was and she heard Nasir loud and clear, which meant she would be telling Papa what he said, which would only start some bullshit.

“Can I see him?” she asked.

“Not yet Sweet Pea,” Unc told her, patting her shoulder.

Demi told her friends they didn’t have to stay, but they insisted. She was extremely thankful for the support. Hours passed before a nurse came and got Demi. She hopped to her feet and followed her back to his room with Unc in tow.

“Babeeee,” she said happily, as she walked into the hospital room and went to his beside.

“Demi,” he said. Papa was still under the medication.

Although the two bullets did no major damage, Papa was still madder than a motherfucker.

“I love you,” she told him, kissing his dry, chapped lips.

Unc stood in the corner with his arms crossed. He couldn’t deny that when he got the news he was scared out of his damn mind. Papa was all he had and Unc tried to play shit cool most of the time, but he always worried about his nephew.

Papa lived a fast-paced life and he didn’t have to. Unc didn’t appreciate Nasir throwing his nephew under the bus like that, but he knew Nasir was right.

Papa needed to keep his ass out the hood. He thought that just because he came and showed love that everyone fucked with him. Unc preached to him on the daily that it’s the ones closest to him he needed to watch.

Papa wasn’t as loved as he thought he was and Unc would bet his last dollar that the knuckle heads that shot at him was from the same neighborhood Papa liked to hang out in.

Unc wanted Papa to understand that elevation required separation. It had to happen. No one worked hard as hell to stay the same, and once you got to where you desired everyone couldn’t come with you. It came with the territory.

“I’m sleepy,” Papa whispered.

“Get some rest, baby,” Demi told him, and reached behind her to pull the chair closer to her side.

“Demi, I’ll stay here with him,” Unc told her.

Demi told Unc, “We can stay here together. Can you tell my friends thank you for coming and I’ll call them tomorrow?”

Unc knew not to argue with her. Her mind was made up; she wasn’t leaving his side.

“Okay,” he said.

“Unc, can you grab my overnight bag and purse too please?” she asked.

Unc told her, “Sure thing.” He watched Demi take Papa’s hand and kiss it.

He prayed he got his shit together because that young girl damn near had a heart attack when Unc called her with the news. Unc told everyone that Papa was knocked out and that he was doing well.

Malachi told Unc, “It’s security up here so he’s good. We can’t really do anything until he wakes up.”

Unc cut him off. “I know, son.”

Malachi smiled. He always respected Unc, and he was an OG in the hood.

Unc dapped the rest of The Underworld up and made his way back to Papa’s room. He was trying to catch the news to see if the shoot-out was on there.

It was very rare for The Underworld to be seen together in public. When they went out to the clubs they kept a low profile and paid for a private section with the velvet rope.

Malachi, Rod, and Nasir were all in town and Sean was in Atlanta, ducked off as usual.

“This nigga gotta get his shit together,” Nasir hissed. They all nodded their hands in agreement.

“I’ll talk to him,” Malachi said.

“You keep saying that, but then he keeps getting into shit,” Roderick said.

“Well you talk to him then, Dr. Phil,” Malachi snapped.

Malachi knew Papa would brush them off, but with Malachi he listened before he just went off.

“Somebody needs to talk to him ‘cause if I do it won’t be nice. I can’t hold his hand,” Nasir complained.

Roderick knew Nas was pissed. The nigga rarely talked and he had been running his mouth all night. He wondered if he was drunk, but doubted it since Nasir rarely drank.

“He gon’ have to get it together or I’m kicking his ass out, and that’s my word,” Nasir told the others.

8

Papa smiled when he saw Mary Jane enter his hospital room. “Damn, I know I almost died for you to come visit me,” he joked.

Mary Jane didn’t smile. In fact, she punched him in the arm and threatened him. “You’ll listen to me eventually.”

Papa knew she was referring to her brother’s passing, but he wouldn’t be dying any time soon. They caught him slipping, nothing more, nothing less. What threw Papa off was how no one noticed a car creeping down the street.  His mind was on his blunt so he wasn’t looking up, but out of all the niggas that were out there on the block, nobody noticed anything? In Papa’s eyes something was real suspect and it smelled fishy. But he wasn’t worried at all, because soon enough the situation would be taken care of, leaving a few bodies with toe tags.

“What’s the word?” Papa asked.

Mary Jane shrugged her shoulders. “Hell if I know, you know you my inside connect,” she told him.

Papa had spoken spoke briefly with Malachi, but he had little to say because they didn’t talk on the phone often.

“I’m ready to get out of here, what’s in the bag?” Papa asked.

Mary Jane opened the grocery bag and set out a plate covered in foil. “Your favorite,” she told him.

Papa motioned for her to grab the tray that was in the front of the bed so he could dive in.

“I don’t eat everybody’s cooking, but I damn sure eat yours,” Papa said, hungrily.

“Hi babe,” Demi said, as she entered the hospital room.

Papa said with a mouth full of curry chicken, “Sup boo?”

Demi didn’t have a pleasant look on her face, but he was too hungry to even notice it, but Mary Jane did. She spoke up which was something she normally didn’t do.

“I’m MJ,” she said, with her hand out for a handshake. Demi shook her hand and introduced herself.

“Pretty girl, Papa,” Mary Jane praised Papa.

Papa smirked like,
Yeah nigga, I know my bitch bad
.

Demi sat her book bag down on the couch, Papa eyed the time on the clock and asked Demi, “Why you not at school?”

“Because your doctor told me she would be in here between two and four,” Demi answered.

Papa snapped, “Why do you keep missing school? I’m grown as hell, I know how to talk to a doctor. Demi, go back to school.”

She dropped her head in embarrassment.

Mary Jane didn’t know what to say or do, so she fumbled with some beads on her wrist. The situation was awkward.

“Papa!” Mary Jane said. She didn’t think Papa knew how harsh that came out.

He shot her a look that told her to mind her motherfucking business and Mary Jane kept quiet.

Demi gathered her belongings. “I’ll check on you later. Nice meeting you,” she told Papa and Mary Jane and left the room.

Papa told Mary Jane, “She trying to be my wife, that shit is annoying,” he complained.

Mary Jane said, “I think it’s cute because she’s so young. She don’t know what to do, she’s just doing what she thinks is right.”

“I’m not looking for a mama, I ain’t never had one,” he said in frustration.

Mary Jane shook her head, but she felt the same way he did. All she had was her brother growing up and he was no longer here.

“When will you be discharged?” she asked.

“Soon,” Papa lied.

He was leaving tomorrow, but that was nobody’s business. Mary Jane was cooler than a fan, but he was doing his own thing right now. Demi told him what Nasir said and Papa couldn’t wait to holler at that nigga.

Papa handled his business well and his numbers were never short. Nasir thought he was the boss, but he wasn’t Papa’s boss. They ran in the same circle. Wasn’t no chief and Indians, Papa was the chief too, or so he thought.

***

“We let women come to our meetings now? Damn, I should have bought Demi,” Papa spat, once he sat down at the meeting.

Polo told him to shut the fuck up and Papa looked at him with death in his eyes. Today was not the day.

“This is Miko, my sister,” Malachi introduced.

“Your sister? Since when?” Sean asked.

Malachi was in a bad mood too and all of the questions were blowing him.

“Look, can y’all just listen? This is my sister, don’t worry about how, just know we related. She works for the White House so you know what that means,” Malachi said.

Nasir continued. “What Malachi is saying, is that with Miko’s help we can secure government connections and possibly haul our cargo in some of their flights, which is something I been working on.”

Polo asked Miko, “And you know what you’re doing?”

She nodded her head, but said nothing. Miko Sanderson, Malachi’s sister?  Hmmm, something wasn’t adding up. Although they both were light skin with curly hair, Miko was Chinese or Japanese, something like that. This nigga Malachi was already pulling something out of the rabbit hat.

“What’s the point of this?” Papa questioned.

Nasir ignored him as if he didn’t even ask a question and changed the subject.

“Miko, thanks for coming,” he told her.

Even if she was Malachi’s sister, he still wouldn’t be discussing his business around her ass, and unbeknownst to everyone else, Nasir had security detail following her and her phones tapped. Because she was their way in to the government, he had to watch her with extra eyes because this connection could either hurt or harm them.

As fine as Miko was, Nasir wouldn’t even go there with her. She didn’t look interested in them anyway and from what the security guards told him, she was involved with someone but a face couldn’t be placed, the guy always wore shades and a hoodie.

Nasir wondered what the fuck she had going on, but it would come to the light sooner or later.

“Yo, I think we need to move Mary Jane to the country,” Sean suggested.

Papa spoke up. “For what? She likes her house.”

“Damn Papa, is you fucking her?’ Roderick asked.

“Nah, but her brother died in that house, she not gon’ leave,” he told them.

“How do you know that?” Malachi asked.

“How I know she not gon’ leave? Because I know MJ.”

“MJ? Aww, you sure that’s not your bitch?” Sean laughed.

Papa ignored them. He still wanted to go off on them niggas for discussing him when he wasn’t present to defend himself, but he knew how to handle his business and deal with the bullshit later.

“I’m just saying, until she brings heat our way then ask her to move, but to just move for her no reason, that shit ain’t cool,” he said.

Nasir asked, “So if some bullshit occurs are you taking the rap for her?”

“The rap from what?” Papa asked, confused.

Papa knew just like the others did that no one was watching them. The Underworld did things in order.

“Me,” Nasir told him straight up.

Papa hopped out of his seat. “Man, who the fuck you think you is homey? You ‘round here really feeling your motherfucking self, but I ain’t your bitch, you know me Nas, stop trying me.”

Malachi pushed him back and Polo tried to diffuse the situation. “Papa, chill out.”

Papa had nothing else to say because his thoughts were not lingering in the air. Nasir didn’t crack a smile, but hell, neither did Papa. He grabbed his helmet and left the meeting.

Papa went to the barbershop to kick it with his uncle and the old heads to blow some steam off.

“Who pissed in your punch?” Unc asked him.

Papa knew without a doubt he would always have his uncle in his corner whether he was right or wrong.

“I just wish I had something else going on,” Papa admitted. He loved the streets, but if all this shit stopped, if the plug died, then what?

“I been telling you all year to get you some trucks, start you a trucking company. You don’t listen,” Unc preached.

“Man, I ain’t no country boy,” Papa said.

Unc didn’t even bother with Papa sometimes. He did what he wanted to do, but came crying to Unc when shit didn’t go down the right way.

“You gone learn one day,” Unc mumbled.

Papa said, “I mean, like, I wanna own a record label or a car shop or something.”

Unc said, “Get you something profitable that you ain’t gotta spend a lot of money to start it. You too caught up in the glitz and glam. Go buy you three trucks and pay for some of these niggas ‘round here to get their CDL license and put them on the road. Think smart.”

For the first time since Unc first came to him with the idea, he stopped and really thought about it.

“So, what I gotta do? What will be in the trucks?” Papa asked.

“You can bid on contracts, you can transfer gravel, rocks, cement, all kinds of shit,” Unc told him, paying attention to the head he was cutting.

Papa said, “Well shit, I’ll give you the money and you do it.”

Unc laughed. “I’m busy young blood.”

“Man, busy doing what? I’ll give you twenty percent,” Papa offered.

“Thirty and you got a deal,” Unc countered.

“Damn, here you go hustling your nephew,” Papa laughed.

Unc said, “Man it’s my idea!”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Line me up when you finish him,” Papa laughed.

Papa texted Demi,
When are you going to invite me over?

Ever since he snapped out on her that day in the hospital, she started staying at the crib her pops got for her. Demi texted him every day, but she kept her distance.

              She texted him back,
At practice

You still mad at me
? He asked.

Demi texted him back immediately,
nope. Talk to you later
.

Papa blew a mouth full of steam out, he knew he was tripping, but he didn’t care.

              Whenever Demi was kissing his ass, he called her annoying and clingy. When she gave him his space, he blew her up and wanted her near.

Demi was often confused by his actions and it had gotten to where she felt like she could no longer be herself around him, and that posed a problem for him, so with her friends advice, she stayed away.

And just as they told her, he was blowing her up with the, “I miss you’s” and “I love you’s”.

Demi tossed her phone back into her knap sack and went to the barre.  She had been putting in extra time at the studio to get placement on the upcoming shows.

Demi couldn’t allow Papa and his bullshit to affect her work. She was young and full of talent, so in the meantime she would remain focused.

“Papa, sweep the floor,” Unc told him.

Papa hadn’t swept the floor in so long, but he was never too good to sweep the floor. When he was younger and in and out of juvenile, sweeping the floors kept him out of trouble and money in his pocket. On a busy Saturday morning, if he wanted to take a li’l breezy to the movies, he would sweep the hell out of those floors to earn him twenty to thirty bucks.

Oh, how times had changed. Papa made his first million a long time ago and since then his worth as a hustler tripled. Papa had bank and he tried his hardest to keep a low profile, despite how “flashy” Nasir was. Papa considered himself to be laid back. He was so scared of being broke again that all the money was put away and only Unc knew where it was.

***

“Babe, if I get this part, oh my God my mom would fall out,” Demi told Papa as they were leaving dinner. He held her hand as they crossed the street, making sure he looked both ways a few times before leading Demi to the car.

Ever since he was shot at he was extra careful. It wasn’t his first time being shot at since being a part of The Underworld, and he was still a little shaken up, but he wasn’t hiding out.

Demi resumed her conversation once Papa was in the truck. “I have been working my ass off,” she told him.

Papa nodded his head. She was right, but he was proud of his boo and he was so happy when she texted him last night saying she missed him and wanted to go on a date.

Papa quickly cleared his schedule, got his hair braided this morning, and took his truck through the car wash.

Demi looked good as usual in a thick, olive green sweater dress with thigh-high boots. She was growing up although her birthday was still a few months away.

“Where you wanna go now?” he asked.

“I don’t know, let’s turn up, it’s about to be Thanksgiving. I’m out of school for a week, I’m so happy,” Demi said, excitedly.

He could tell she missed him. She hadn’t stopped talking since they linked up earlier. He couldn’t wait to fuck her tonight. Papa was so relieved when she said her period went off a few days ago and she was clear for sexual activity.

“Strip club?” Papa asked her, with a raised eyebrow. He knew Demi was a little bourgeois, but she was the one that said, “let’s turn up” and in Papa’s eyes what better way to turn up than going to the strip club.

“Papaaaaaaaa, let me call Nichelle and see if she wanna go,” she said, pulling her phone out.