Chapter Thirty-three

Pooch

Man, I was one grumpy muthafucka. Lack of sleep, being locked up, and not locating Trinity was fucking with me something awful. The real culprit, however, was that ever since I caught Wolf and Cock Diesel together, I’d been sleeping with one eye fucking open, on the real. I wasn’t tryna wake up in the middle of the night to Wolf having a midnight snack at my expense. Shit. Wolf tried to explain that shit to me again, but I didn’t need or want to hear it. My only words about that shit were to do whatever he fucking wanted, but to be clear, to keep it with Cock Diesel and don’t be messing up my muthafucking money.

Wolf was the one nigga who I felt I could really be down with, and now every time I looked at his punk ass, my stomach hurt. He was constantly tryna stay on my good side by doing every little thing I asked. I could tell that bitch to jump up and down like an orangutan like Eddie Murphy did ol’ girl in Coming to America, and he would do it. He was that desperate to keep that shit a secret. That’s what I didn’t respect. If you didn’t want your shit in the streets, then don’t be doing shit that was gon’ embarrass your ass.

At least Cock Diesel was admitting his shit. He still kept his dime piece at bay, but every nigga in this joint knew that he would give it and take it any way he could get it. I could respect that shit, though. If you sucked dick and packed breadcrumbs, be courteous enough to let it be known. Cock Diesel wasn’t punkin’ nobody for ass. There were enough admitted shit packers and plenty more undercover booty lovers to keep him satisfied, so Wolf wasn’t shit but a notch on his belt.

The truly fucked-up part was that I was gonna put Wolf down with Lisa to keep his dick sucked until he went before the parole board next year. But he fucked that all up. Ain’t no way in the hell Lisa was gon’ wrap her lips around my dick after putting her mouth around his, and he been lettin’ Cock Diesel smoke on the pipe. Fuck that. That was like being around secondhand smoke to me. Secondhand gayness. I was already around that shit twenty-four seven. I didn’t need to be that close to another dude, even if it was only secondhand.

Hell, for all I cared, Wolf could’ve claimed Cock Diesel as his boyfriend, since Flava was makin’ sure to keep Adrienne on ice for me until this plea bargain went through. And I did believe that Adrienne was startin’ to get fond of ol’ Flava, too. Every time I talked to Flava, she was talking ’bout some shit her and Adrienne did together or with the kids. Flava said ol’ girl was open like the 7-Eleven for her nowadays, and I couldn’t even be mad at that. From what I used to hear about how Flava got down in the bedroom, she’d probably make me forget Trinity’s ass.

Speaking of, sometimes I straight forgot that my whole purpose of getting out was to find that damn woman. I wanted to know what the fuck was going on with my daughter and my son. Being locked up made me realize just how much I had taken for granted. When I got out of this joint, I was gon’ raise my kids, you know, actually be in they life. Hell, all I knew was this street shit, but if this was how my kids was gon’ end up, then fuck it. I’d have to learn to show them how to fly right. Get an education. Play sports or music or some shit. Make it that way. Don’t be in your twenties facing 101 years of nothing, just being a damn free-labor worker for the state.

I missed Trinity, too. Man, it was so much I wish I could’ve redone with her. I wish I coulda been a better nigga for her and the kids. She wanted to do her art shit, and I shoulda let her. She still coulda been my dime piece with her own grip. I’ll admit that the main reason I never wanted Trinity to do nothing with her life was because I was afraid of her being successful. If she was successful, then I knew she’d leave a nigga like me, so I used my power and money to keep her from doing what she wanted to do. I was wrong for that.

I hadn’t asked Flava about her lately, but I was definitely gonna get back to that. It was time to find out what the hell was truly going on with Trinity. Whether I missed her or not, if I found out her ass with Terrence this whole time, she was gon’ wish I got that fuckin’ triple cocktail concoction instead of this prison sentence. Real talk. But if I found out something happened to her, whoever did it wasn’t gonna have time to worry about running from me, nor would their family members have to worry about retaliation, because I was gonna meet that person’s muthafuckin’ ass in the same hell I was gonna send them to. I was definitely gonna get the chair if that was the case, and I wasn’t gon’ mind one bit. Hell, I’d strap up in the seat and stick the needle in my arm my damn self. I’d made up in my mind that once Flava called, I was gonna hit her up about whether she’d tracked down Skeet or anybody who may have known about Trinity’s whereabouts.

I looked at the clock again. I knew I had been doing too much random-ass thinking, and my attorney, Stein, was supposed to been there. Between my work on the inside and a little hookup from Skrilla, I was able to extend that olive branch to Judge Watson, so I was anxious like a muthafucka to find out the outcome. When they finally called me, I was happy as hell, but when I marched out, I saw Flava sitting there, which surprised the fuck outta me. Don’t get me wrong. It was a good surprise, but I didn’t take too well to surprises ’cause they were always full of shit.

“Hey, baby,” Flava said, standing up and kissing me on the lips.

“’Sup,” I said, hittin’ her with the head nod as we sat down. “Where the hell is Stein?”

She pouted, sucking her teeth. “Yeah, I’m doing good.” She copped an attitude.

“Don’t get all fuckin’ offended and shit. I was expecting Stein. That’s all.” I leaned forward, staring at her. “So, where the fuck is his punk ass?”

She pursed her lips even harder. “Well,” she said, exaggerated.

“Don’t come at me with no bullshit today, Flava. I don’t wanna hear that shit. I’m telling you right now.”

“Fine, then I won’t tell you.” She shrugged, crossing her arms.

My eyes bucked. Who in the fuck did she think she was talking to like that? This bitch done went loco for real. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“You said not to tell you—”

“Stop playing games and shit. That’s your damn problem. Get to the point.” Hell, I was too frustrated to be dealing with her issues today.

She smacked her lips. “Fine, Pooch. Stein ain’t coming.”

“What the fuck you mean, he ain’t coming?” I asked angrily.

She looked around. “Can you calm the hell down? Damn,” she fussed as some other people and inmates looked at us strangely.

I sat back and took a deep breath. “A’ight. What’s going on?”

“First off, Stein is too scared to come back to talk to you, so he asked me to do it for him.”

My screw-face expression could not be helped. “Scared? How he gon’ be scared? He’s my attorney.”

“That might be one reason why you shouldn’t be jackin’ the muthafucka up by his collar and shit. You’re a convicted murderer, Pooch. What you thought he was gon’ do? Be cool with you puttin’ your hands on him?”

Okay, she had a point. “But he still gon’ be my lawyer, right?”

“Yeah, but he couldn’t come here and tell you this, so he sent me.”

“Tell me what?”

She took a deep breath and looked me dead in the eyes. “That fifty grand we offered Watson was a no go. He refused it.”

“What you mean? That bastard wouldn’t accept the money? As crooked as that bastard is, you can’t pay me enough to tell me he’s flyin’ straight all of a sudden.”

“He ain’t flyin’ straight, Pooch. He wants more. He said that wasn’t enough.”

“Ain’t he a bold muthafucka? Who in the fuck puts stipulations on a bribe? Damn. He ruthless. So, what does he want? A hundred?”

“I wish, Pooch. That’s what Stein offered him, since my dude Skrilla was gonna front you up another fifty Gs, but that grimy muthafucka refused a hundred. That bitch wanted two hundred.”

My eyes nearly popped outta my head. “Two hundred Gs? Are you fucking shitting me?”

“Hell no. And he wanted that shit in unmarked bills. Dirty bastard.”

I rubbed my face to ease the tension. Hopefully, that was the only bad news. I needed to know where that shit left me. “So, what is Skrilla saying?”

“Skrilla was willing to put up another fifty Gs, but that’s it, Pooch. He said he can’t take a hit like that not knowing if you were gonna get out to push the real weight to repay your debt. The only thing we have is a hundred Gs to give, and Watson wants a hundred more on top of that.”

I would be in here for double murder if I could’ve put my hands on that damn Watson. I hated that summa bitch with a straight passion. If I couldn’t get this appeal to go through or this plea bargain, I was trapped in this hellhole for life, and I simply couldn’t see it. I had to give myself time to think on what the fuck other options I had, so I switched the subject.

“Did you ever find out anything about Trinity?”

“I thought you had left that broad alone.”

I clenched my teeth. Now Flava was crossing the line. She may have been my number one due to my situation, but she was looking to get chin-checked for her loose lips. Number one, I was sick of her poppin’ fly with me, and number two, she wasn’t gon’ just dog my baby mama out like that in my presence.

“First off, my reasons for wanting know about Trinity go deeper than just tryna keep up with her. We’ve got kids together, Flava. I want to find my daughter and son. Lastly, I’m the muthafucka that calls the shots around here, and it would be best for you to remember that shit,” I said with a straight, no-nonsense tone.

She must’ve figured out I was dead-ass serious because she put her hands up as if to apologize. “Skeet said he’s been tryna catch up with Terrence for the longest, and he don’t know where he went. Everybody is either being tight-lipped about this thang, or they really don’t fucking know. That’s all I know.”

I hit the table. “Damn,” I said aloud and shook my head.

“Look, Pooch. The only thing I can suggest is to see how Stein does with the appeal. Maybe that will go through.”

That wasn’t an option. That appeals shit was taking too long, and I felt like I was dying in this piece-of-shit-ass place. I needed out, and I needed out like yesterday.

I leaned forward and grabbed her hands. “Do you love me?”

“I have love for you, yes, but if you asking me if I’m in love with you, then no, I’m not. On the real, Pooch, I care about you. I want you to get out because you seem like a good nigga, and I think we could really have something together, but I ain’t puttin’ my heart on the line for you when the only bitch you can talk about is Trinity. I wanna love you, but I need love too,” she said, taking her hands away from mine and leaning back.

Now, how could I convince this bitch that I cared enough about her to ask her to put herself at risk? Flava wasn’t your run-of-the-mill type of chickenhead broad. That bitch was smart, and she knew how to make chess moves. If I came at her with some bullshit, she’d smell it a mile away, call me on it, and then I’d be stuck like Chuck in this muthafucka for real. So, I had to exercise some caution. I was fucking with a heavyweight.

I leaned back, then nodded my head. “You’re right.” I threw my hands up. “I can’t knock what you saying because you’ve always been real with me, Flava. That’s why I’ve always stuck with you. We were forced together due to this situation, and I know it’s hard for you to trust me because of my past with Trinity. I ain’t gon’ lie. I’ll always love Trinity. She was my heart. But I love my kids, and she’s the chick that has them, so I talk about her a lot. I don’t expect you to be in love with me because I can’t really offer myself to you the way you deserve, but if I can get outta here, I’ll show you that I can be that man you need in your life.”

Flava looked away and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Checkmate, bitches. I was still as smooth as Schlitz malt liquor. Damn, I’d been hanging around these old-ass cats in lockup too long with that reference. I knew I had her with that shit. For the most part, it was nothing but the damn truth, and she knew that. They say the truth shall set you free, so I was hoping like a mutha that that truth I’d just slapped on Flava was enough for her to do what I needed her to do to help set me the fuck free.

Obviously touched, she leaned in close and reached for my hands. “What is it that you need me to do?”

Got her. “I need for you to let Skrilla put you on the team. I need you to push that weight on the outside to get this money up real quick. I know you’re risking a lot for me, and I damn sure don’t want you to get caught up, but if you do this for me, I promise you when I get out it’s all about me and you. I got you for life, mama.”

Flava blushed. She asked, “You mean that shit, Pooch? It’s just gonna be me and you? I mean, I feel you wanting to know about your kids, and I promise I’ll help you find them, but no more Trinity, right?”

I crossed my toes since I couldn’t cross my fingers. “Yep, no more. It’ll just be Pooch and Flava, ruling the muthafucking world,” I said, winking at her.

She nodded happily, but she still seemed a little cautious. “Let me think on it, Pooch. I wanna do it, but I just gotta make sure I don’t end up in lockup too. Ya know.”

I knew I had her, so it was time to go back to my old attitude. Good. I was done frontin’ for this bitch. “I’ma call you on Monday for an answer.” I wasn’t playing no games. I’d thrown my best lies—and hell, best truths—at her. She had better do this.

“That only gives me one day to think on it.”

“You’re good at counting. That means you can be good at pushing,” I said snidely. “One day is all you need, ’cause basically, either you love me enough to do it, or you don’t. You’ve got the rest of today and all of tomorrow to make a decision. That’s fair enough.”

She shrugged. “A’ight. Call me on Monday.”

Jackpot. I was the man again. I had this bitch wrapped around my finger now.

“Monday morning at nine a.m. Be by your phone,” I commanded, adding a kiss to her lips and forehead for good measure. “I’m depending on you.”

With that, I walked off. I knew she was gonna do it. She had to. If she didn’t, Pit had cousins that weren’t locked up who were just as ruthless as he was. I didn’t want her to suffer the same fate as phone dude, but I’d do it if I had to stay in there any longer. At least it’d make me feel like I deserved to be there. Whether she wanted to or not, she’d better handle her business. As if her life depended on it.