AMANDA WAS ON her sofa regretting missing Smooth’s calls. She was in a deep sleep and had her iPhone on the charger on silent, so she never heard the calls. She was watching Steve Harvey on television while thinking of Smooth.
I can’t wait until this shit is over with, she thought, when she heard knocks rapping on her door. Who the hell is that? she wanted to know, since she was not expecting any visitors.
She got up from the sofa and went to answer the door. When she looked through the peephole, she saw that it was Smooth’s homeboy, who Smooth had brought over once before. Amanda sucked her teeth, unlocked the door, and then opened it up.
“May I help you?” Amanda spoke with an attitude.
“Hey, Amanda, do you remember me?” Sue Rabbit asked.
“Yes, I remember you. Now what is it that you want?”
Damn! This bitch already trippin’! he thought.
“Listen, can I step inside to discuss something private with you?” Sue Rabbit suggested.
Amanda didn’t trust anyone, but being that Smooth introduced them, she gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Smooth wouldn’t bring anyone to my place who wasn’t trustworthy, Amanda thought.
“Come in,” Amanda said as she stepped aside to allow Sue to enter.
When Sue Rabbit entered, Amanda walked to the living room and turned off the television. The apartment was dead silent.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Amanda, can I take a seat?”
“Sure, but let’s not get too comfortable,” Amanda permitted.
Sue Rabbit sat down on the sofa, released a sigh, and then spoke. “Listen, Amanda, we’re all uptight about Smooth being in jail, and we can’t bond him out. If he had a bond, he would be home, and that’s no question,” Sue Rabbit explained to Amanda, who stood up and crossed her arms as she listened. “Smooth left a team out here, and as a team, we gotta hold him down.”
“Smooth is straight,” Amanda said.
“We know he’s straight, Amanda. And while he’s gone, I want to do what I got to do to make sure he is straight.”
“And how will you do that?” she asked.
“By making sure his turf is protected, Amanda.”
“Oh my gosh! Is you people crazy? The DEA just did a big sweep, and you guys still want to play with them?” Amanda asked.
“Amanda, we don’t see the DEA, and the DEA don’t see us. We were never targets, Amanda.”
Sue Rabbit stopped short when Amanda’s phone chimed in blasting Rihanna’s ringtone. When she saw that it was Smooth calling, she held up her index finger directing Sue to hold on momentarily.
After getting by all the automated prompts, the call connected.
“Hey, baby. Sorry I missed your call.”
“It’s okay. How are you?” Smooth asked.
“I’m okay. I’m having a chat with one of your boys who just stopped by.”
“Who is that?” Smooth asked curiously.
“The only one you brought over,” Amanda replied, looking over at Sue Rabbit.
Smooth knew that she was talking about his second-in-command. And he knew the only reason Sue Rabbit would be at Amanda’s was to cook up some product.
“Is he on business?” Smooth asked.
“I’m suspecting. We haven’t got that far,” Amanda began.
“Listen, that’s my boy, baby. Whatever he needs, handle it for him, okay?”
“Yes, daddy,” Amanda said without protest.
“Let me holla at him,” Smooth ordered.
Amanda looked at Sue Rabbit, who was all ears, and handed him her iPhone. “He wants to speak with you.”
Sue Rabbit grabbed the phone and spoke. “What’s good, homie?”
“Shit! You tell me, bro?” Smooth shot back.
“I just thought that it was time for me and Guru to shake the dust from our shoes and get shit back popping. We out here to hold you down, bro,” Sue Rabbit informed him.
“I appreciate everything y’all two doing, man. I know that the other part of the equation is going to be hard to solve without China. So give me time to see what I can do for the team,” Smooth told him in code language, indicating hooking up Sue Rabbit with his connect.
“That’ll be nice, soldier. Real nice,” Sue Rabbit said.
“You boys have to be careful, like really careful. We’re all walking on eggshells. When China gets back, I need you to meet with her and get all the information she’ll have for you.”
“You have sixty seconds left,” the automated voice said.
“Okay, bro. I’ll do that. Here’s Amanda before the phone hangs up,” Sue said as he hurriedly handed the phone back over to her.
“Hello.”
“I love you, baby. Make sure he gets taken care of.”
“Okay. I love you too.”
“Thank you for using GTL,” the voice said as the call was disconnected.
When Smooth was gone, Amanda looked at Sue Rabbit.
“How much is it you need cooked up?”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Sue was exhilarated.
“Boy, all that’s not even called for! Now how many we need to cook up? And know that it’s $1,000 for every five,” Amanda informed him.
“I need fifty of them done tonight,” Sue said.
“Well bring them over to the other apartment. The same rules apply. No more cooking at my spot,” Amanda said.
“I got you. Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank Smooth. Because without his word, I wouldn’t be doing shit!” Amanda told Sue Rabbit.
“I respect that, Amanda.”
* * *
China lay in her bed at the hotel and thought about what Smooth had to tell her. She would only be able to see Jenny for one day, and she was resting until it was time to drive over to the prison. Then she would be back on the road traveling south to go visit Smooth. Like with all of her visits with him, she was eager to see him.
She rubbed her stomach after eating a pint of butter pecan ice cream and a handful of chocolate cookies. The baby kept her munching, and it seemed that she gained weight every day.
I can’t believe I’m about to be a mommy, she thought while looking at the small knot in her stomach.
She was almost three months pregnant, but she could still hide her pregnancy if she wanted. But she was too excited to hide her gift from anyone. China recalled when she had first learned of her baby. The Arab doctor had emphasized the positive in the most beautiful way China could ever imagine. After her morning sickness and the incapability of keeping down her food, Roxy and GaGa advised her to take a pregnancy test. She wasn’t fond of Walmart’s quick tests, so she went to visit the doctor for possible STDs. Instead, her results came back that she was pregnant.
Amazing! China thought as she closed her eyes and dozed off to sleep in no time.
* * *
When Javier pulled up to Roxy’s soul food restaurant, he pulled in next to a blue Suburban and rolled down his window. The window of the Suburban rolled down at the same time.
“What the news over here, esé?” Javier asked his M-13 brother, Marco, who was keeping an eye out for China to show up at the restaurant.
“Like always since we’ve been coming here. The bitch hasn’t shown her face. It’s like she knows we’re watching. Or maybe it’s her watching us, homes,” Marco said, passing a kush blunt to his M-13 brother named Jr. sitting in the passenger seat.
“I’m sure she’ll show up soon. If not, we just gotta make her come to us, homes. Her sister owns the joint,” Javier informed Marco.
“That’ll be a piece of cake, esé.”
“I know. Let’s just give her a couple more days before we act on that suggestion, amigo,” Javier continued.
“Okay, homie. Just know, we watching this spot with an eagle eye,” Marco said.
“Good, because that’s what we’re gonna need, Marco. So let’s continue to keep our eyes open,” Javier said as he backed out of the parking space and departed.
“I can’t wait to meet China,” Marco told Jr.
“Me neither. I want to see how sideways Chinese pussy really is,” Jr. replied with an evil smirk on his face.