Chapter Two

 

Jarvis and I went to work as usual putting up with the same old bullshit on our jobs. I worked at a restaurant that was new in the area. It served gourmet burgers with homemade rolls and baked goods. Jarvis worked in the bakery down the street that made the baked goods for the restaurant. The pay was just barely seventy cents more above minimum wage. I wasn’t complaining too much ‘cause it beat the welfare check I was receiving once a month and the food stamps that didn’t buy shit but a two-week supply of food.

On welfare, after two weeks of eating good, the food supply would dwindle. Then came the noodles. I thought Hysear and me were going to have high blood pressure from all the sodium. I put every imaginable thing in them to make them different. I used boiled eggs, cheese, hotdogs and anything else that would make it into a meal.

Hysear never grew tired of them though. He ate them and never said a word. He was just happy to be eating. So I was happy to be working and collecting a paycheck every two weeks. Shit, one paycheck alone equaled what I was receiving on welfare for an entire month. My ass was thankful but Jarvis wasn’t.

After work, Jarvis and I stopped by one of his spots so he could get some smoke. We chatted about the workday and what we were gonna do for the summer coming up. We talked about taking Lil Man to Six Flags and maybe to Ocean City but the problem was getting there. The raggedy ass car that we owned wasn’t going to make a trip to DC to Six Flags or the Eastern Shore.

“We gonna have to rent a car if we going to Six Flags.” I told Jarvis.

As soon as I let that statement slide outta my mouth I knew it would lead right into a conversation that would only perpetuate Jarvis’s belief that he needed to sling.

“See that’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout, Neesh. We can’t even take a ride up to DC without wonderin’ if this bitch ass car is gonna break down.”

“Jarvis, all I’m sayin’ is that we’re gonna have to rent a car. Stop tryin’ to turn this into a reason to sling. If you gonna do it, just do it.”

“That’s not what I’m sayin’. We need a credit card to rent a car and we don’t have one.”

“I found a place called Rent-A-Wreck. They take cash.”

Jarvis looked at me quizzically. “Kaneesha, you fuckin’ around right?” He laughed.

“No, I’m serious. I saw some of their cars. They’re three times better than what the fuck we sittin’ in right now!” Jarvis stopped laughing and wiped the tears from his eyes and I found his laughing offensive.

“For real, Kaneesha. I ain’t about to pay for no rental that comes from a company called ‘Rent a Wreck’.” He snickered.

“Fuck it! You tell Lil Man that he ain’t goin’ no where this summer.” I said angrily.

“Oh stop bein’ so Goddamn dramatic! It ain’t that serious, woman. Hysear ain’t gonna lay down and die if his little ass don’t get to Six Flags this year. Shit, most of the muthefucka’s in the neighborhood don’t even know what Six Flags is. He’ll be aight.”

There was something behind his tone and I felt he didn’t care. All he cared about was slinging drugs.

“Every night, lately, he asks me if we’re gonna keep our promise this time and not stand him up like we did last summer. Stop makin’ promises to my son if you’re not goin’ to keep them!” I yelled.

“Wait, hold the fuck up. First off, who you talkin’ to like that, Neesh? I ain’t one of your girlfriends. I will knock your fuckin’ head off. I’m still the man and I’m holdin’ shit down. Now, I got this. I’ma get the money to rent a real fuckin’ car and take your son to Six Flags. Everyday you give me a reason to do what I gotta do.” He threw in.

I rolled my eyes at Jarvis and sat back in the car with a pout on my face. Fuck him I said to myself. He better do what the hell he said. I looked out the window as we drove in silence.

Jarvis’s cell phone rang out scaring me out of my contempt for him but I listened intently. Lately Jarvis was having sneaky conversations that he didn’t want me to hear. He was also talking in a code, which could only mean that he was talking to Stone.

“So when a nigga gonna get laced?” Jarvis paused to let the caller talk. “Word? Cool. You know the spot. See you then.” He said as he ended the call.

Jarvis flipped his phone shut and put it back in the carrying case attached to his hip. I was still seething about the conversation we just had so I felt uncomfortable asking him what was up. But his secrecy was causing a riff in our relationship.

“Stone’s comin’ over tonight.” He broke the silence with bullshit. I didn’t respond and continued to look out the car window.

“Kaneesha, you hear me? I said Stone is comin’ over in a little while.”

“What the fuck eva, Jarvis.” I sighed. “He the only one you still keep your promises to.”

“Why you always gotta act like a spoiled bitch?”

I snapped my head around and mean mugged him.

“I got your bitch, Jarvis.” I told him heated.

“Fuck you!” He hollered.

I knew then he was tryin’ to start a fight on purpose. I guess to feel better about neglecting his family and our relationship, but I still couldn’t make myself stop.

“No fuck you!” I yelled back and before I knew it I had slapped Jarvis in the back of his head. He snatched the wheel to the side of road, slammed on the brakes and stopped the car.

He got out and walked around to the passenger sidecar door and snatched it open. Before I could react, Jarvis grabbed me by the arms and pulled me out of the car. He slammed the door shut, threw me up against it and got in my face.

“Bitch, I ought to beat your ass right here and right now! Why the fuck you hittin’ me while I’m drivin’? Bitch, is you crazy!!? He yelled into my face.

“You wanna see crazy!” I screamed.

“Don’t disrespect me out in public like this! I will beat you down out here!” He promised through clenched teeth.

I didn’t give a damn anymore about the consequences. I snatched my hands out of Jarvis’s grip and smacked him across the face. Silence filled our space and he looked fed up.

“Get in this car! And if you put your hands on me again and Kaneesha, so help me God, I can not be held responsible for my actions!” He spit, as he applied more pressure to my arms and my back.

He pulled me toward him, opened my door back up and pushed me down in the seat immediately slamming my door shut again. He got in and turned the key in the ignition. The car sputtered and then shut off. He tried the ignition again with the same results.

“Come on Goddamn it! Come on, Betsy!” He pleaded to the car as he tried again to turn the engine over with the same results as the last time. Jarvis slammed his fist into the middle of the steering wheel and then he snatched the keys out of the car and threw them out the window and into the street. He looked over at me and said, “Don’t say a mutherfuckin’ thing!”

He got out of the car and walked away. I watched him make a call on his phone. He stood outside against the hood of the car and smoked a cigarette. If we really wanted to, we could just catch a bus or walk. If we walked it would take about an hour. But I knew Jarvis wasn’t doing either of those things.

After fifteen or so minutes, a black Range Rover pulled up in back of our car. Jarvis went over to the driver side window and began to talk to the driver. I sat in our raggedy car gawking at the truck of my dreams. It was the Flagship autobiography Range Rover. You couldn’t see shit inside. Even the license plate had a tinted cover over it so that when you looked at it, the numbers were blurred. The Range was floatin’ on 26 inch Asanti black iced rims. Who was pushing that mutherfucka?

Jarvis finished talking to the mystery driver and came back to our car. He opened the door and directed me to get my shit and to come on. We had a ride. Jarvis didn’t waste no time getting back to the truck, leaving me to get our shit along consisting of several CD cases and our workbags. I felt like a Princess whose prince had come to rescue her and then I remembered that my crazy ass boyfriend was riding shotgun and I would be in the back. At least the bastard had the decency to get out and open up the back door so I could get in.

I could smell new car scent the minute the door was opened. I couldn’t believe the interior of the ride as I slid into the buttery leather seats and inhaled the scent. I wasn’t surprised it was Stone.

Stone was beautifully black because of his dark chocolate complexion. He had a thin precisely squared cut goatee. His eyes were big and penetrating and looking into them made you want to tell him the truth. His head was razor cut bald and his were manicured. And I had heard from MeMe, a neighborhood gossip, that his workouts with his personal trainer were consistent and efficient.

“Wow. This is tight.” I said to no one in particular.

“Thanks.” Stone replied with a slight Jamaican accent. “I just got her today. A nigga likes the best things. I take it you do to?”

“Yep, this is one that I’ve had my eye on for a long time myself.” I responded not knowing if I liked him or not. After all, he was the current reason for my dismay. “It’s on my wish list.”

“I bet you would look great pushing one of these.”

Just then Jarvis spoke up and I almost forgot he was even in the truck.

“Yeah, it won’t be on my baby’s wish list anymore.” Now I’m his baby. A minute ago he was manhandling me into the broken down piece of shit back there and now I’m his baby? “We gonna get one, just as soon as I’m put on.” Jarvis said looking at Stone. “She’s gonna look good in this.”

“Yeah mon, she looks good alright.”

Jarvis didn’t hear his comment. He was too busy talking about business. I glanced up from looking around and caught Stone looking at me in his rearview mirror. He kept sneaking glances at me and smiling. Stone was giving Jarvis just enough focus to answer his questions, while keeping his real attention on me.

We got to our apartment building and before we jumped out, Stone looked at me with an inquisitive stare. I could tell he wanted to know was I interested. I gave him a look back that said hell yeah! I guess I like Stone after all.

 

****

 

Jarvis and Stone were in the living room talking and I was in the kitchen pretending to be cleaning up. I was eavesdropping on them. My cell phone rang scaring the shit out of me. It was my son calling from Pittsburg and I talked to him and my father briefly. By the time I ended the call an hour had passed and I was angry I didn’t get a chance to hear what Jarvis and Stone were talking about.

I put my phone in my sweatpants pocket and continued to clean the kitchen until I heard, “She holdin’?” Jarvis asked.

I wondered who he was talking about.

“Yeah. Come here, Reds.” I heard Stone say.

“Okay.” A female’s voice responded.

I couldn’t get out the kitchen fast enough. I waltzed into the living room and was taken aback by another woman in my home. When did this bitch roll up in here? I recognized her as a well-known Crack-head in the neighborhood.

Even still, Reds was a pretty young lady. Her skin was flawless other than a few red freckles that adorned her face. Her long red hair was gathered in a ponytail and gracefully fell down her back. Most people would say that Reds has “good” hair. Thick, long eyelashes and light red eyebrows made up the rest of her pretty facial features. She was on the thin side but she had a big gut. A closer look led me to believe that she was pretty far along in a pregnancy. She just carried it a little differently because she was thin.

“Who dis?” I questioned with my hands on my hips.

“Chill, Kaneesha!” Jarvis said. I rolled my eyes at him.

Stone looked over at me and gave a slight wink and then he said, “This is Reds. She’s one of my associates. I called her to come over. She and I got some business to ‘tend to. I hope you don’t mind now, do you?” he asserted.

“What kind of business you talkin’ ‘bout, Stone?” I asked.

“Nothin’ serious. She just droppin’ off something’ for me and Jarvis.” He replied.

“Neesha, we ‘bout to do a little bizzness. Disappear.” Jarvis told me.

All of a sudden he was some BIG drug dealer. It had been years since he slung and times had changed. Back in the day, Jarvis had enough pull that if he needed a nigga to get a message, he could make a call and the message would be sent. But that was over eight years ago. Niggas is killin’ niggas for sport now.

“Whatever, Jarvis. I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” I said reluctantly.

I looked back over my shoulder just in time to see Reds lift her shirt up, reach around to the back of her clothing and pull out a huge plastic baggie from her stomach, and hand it to Stone.

She pulled her shirt down and I heard Jarvis ask, “So when you due Reds?”

“In two months.” she replied.”

What kinda of shit is that?

“Okay everyone, listen up. First and foremost, I need to know what the plan is since Jarvis ain’t tryin’ to tell me.” I demanded.

“Kaneesha, let me holla at cha for a minute in private.” Jarvis said.

He walked with attitude towards the kitchen area. I knew he was getting ready to lay into my ass but I didn’t care. I didn’t know that Stone was going to be bringing drugs up in my crib and shit. I followed him into the kitchen and as soon as I rounded the corner, he snatched me by my arm and pulled me into his face.

“Kaneesha,” he snapped, “You tryin’ to fuck this up?” He harshly whispered.

“I’m tryin’ to find out what’s goin’ on! You don’t talk to me anymore. I didn’t expect Stone to bring his ass up in here to conduct no business like ya’ll fixin’ to do. And I never condoned the town’s crack queen to come up in here makin’ deliveries and shit!”

“Listen to me, Kaneesha. I’m tryin’ to get my packages tonight. I told Stone he could come here with his business. It was my way of thankin’ him for pickin’ us up when we was broke down.” Jarvis explained. “Or have you forgotten?”

“But why he got her bringin’ shit up in here?”

“What you jealous?” I don’t respond. “Look, we need him. We don’t even have a car. Don’t you wanna be able to go to the mall and get them designer bags you always got your eye on? Don’t you wanna be able to get your hair done weekly? Don’t you want Lil Man to have nice shit?”

I sighed long and hard. I rubbed my eyes and then my temples. When I reopened my eyes, Reds was standing in my kitchen.

“Listen, I didn’t come up in here to be startin’ nothin’. I was just doin’ what I was told to do.” Reds explained.

“Umph, if you say so.” I responded. She came further into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

“Well, in case you didn’t catch my name, it’s Reds.” She offered.

“I didn’t ask you to throw it.” I said sarcastically. She ignored my tone.

“Can I sit down?” she asked.

Jarvis walked out.

I shrugged my shoulders and pointed to a chair at the table. As she pulled out the chair she asked me, “You got something to drink?”

I wanted to tell her hell no but I handed her a cup of City Punch and Kool-Aid. City Punch was the term we used to describe faucet water.

“Thanks,” she said gulping it down. “I just wanted to thank you for letting us handle our business over here. And as a woman, I needed to come to the woman of the household personally.”

“Just don’t stay long.” I told her rudely taking my cup from her.

“What’s up wit’ you? Why you act like such a bitch? You get high?” Reds shot.

“I do lines, but not all the time. I’m not no where near addicted like you.” I shot back.

“We’re all addicted to something. Men…Drugs, something.” She said rubbing her belly. “The only difference between me and you is that I know who I am. We’re going to get acquainted real soon. You’ll see.”

“Doubt it.”

Reds pushed the chair away from the table and got up. I followed behind her and we both sat on the couch. Stone and Jarvis seemed to be in a world of their own. Fifteen minutes later, Reds got up and started walking towards the back of the apartment. I jumped off the couch and shouted at her.

“Yo, where you goin’?” I questioned her in the hallway next to the bathroom.

“Neesha, sit down!” Jarvis yelled.

“Shut the fuck up, Jarvis!” I yelled back.

“This fuckin’ girl, is gettin’ on my last!” Jarvis said to no one in particular.

“I’m goin’ to piss if that’s fuckin’ aight wit’ you, unless you want me to pee on your couch.” Reds said.

“I’m just checkin’.” I said a little embarrassed.

“You ain’t gotta be checkin’ on nothin’ concernin’ me. I might smoke crack, but best believe I works for mine and ain’t got to steal shit out this bitch.”

“Then leave your purse. That way I don’t have to worry about you puttin’ nothin’ in it.”

“Girl, please! I got more money in my bag than you’ve seen in a whole month. I ain’t leavin’ my purse with you.”

“Leave the purse or pee outside.” I gave her an ultimatum.

“Here.” she said pushing the large brown purse against my stomach.

When I saw the bathroom door was closed, I quickly ran to my room and rummaged through her bag. She had a stack of money that I counted out to be twenty five hundred dollars. That was big money for a crack head. While going through her shit, a small bag fell out. I held the bag of White Girl up in front of my face and shook it. Immediately my mouth began to water and my heart quickened it’s beat. I could actually smell it. Damn, I would love to get a twenty-five cent piece of this to snort. Upon further inspection, I noticed the coke was beige in color. Good God, this was good shit in my hands and I had to have some. I put everything back in order in her purse and headed back to the living room.

Several minutes later Reds came out and met me in the living room. She gave me a knowing stare and sat next to me. We held a conversation. A long one. Let’s just say I had a change of attitude, but not heart. I no longer cared what Jarvis and Stone were talking about, I met someone who could supply my need. And for right now, that’s all that mattered.