Chapter 83
Gucci
“Cousin Gucci, over here!” Rhythm waved from her parking spot in front of the bus station. She was holding a damn sign with my name on it like I didn’t know who she was.
“Girl, why do your crazy ass have that billboard?” I ran up to her. “You think I wouldn’t recognize my favorite cousin?” The girl was still tall and skinny just like back in the day. The only differences were that her dookie braids and pimples were traded for crochet braids and a small nose ring. Her tits and ass had filled out nicely, too.
“Look at you, city girl.” Rhythm smiled, exposing the gold fronts on her bottom teeth. It must’ve been a Southern thing, because nearly everyone working inside the Birmingham bus terminal had them.
“You got a grill!” I smiled.
“It’s removable.” She pulled them off for me to see. “I wear them on the weekend or when Mama ain’t around.”
“Aunt Lucy is still a trip, huh?” I shook my head. “Your mother is nuttier than a fruitcake.”
“I love my mama, but sometimes she is a little too overprotective.” Rhythm laughed.
“Girl, overprotective is something you are with a child. Your ass is in your thirties. She needs to let it go.” Raising my hand, I blocked the sun from my eyes. The temperature was in the mid-eighties.
“Mama ain’t letting nothing go until I’m married, and even then, she’s liable to move in with us.”
“Speaking of marriage, do you see that in your future?” I raised a brow.
“One day, cousin Gucci.” Rhythm looked away briefly. “Enough about me. What brings you my way? Where is your husband, and where is your baby?”
The mention of my daughter made me sad, but I didn’t let on. Leaving her with Nikki was the hardest thing in the world for me to do. “May I see your phone?”
“Sure.” Rhythm reached into her pocket and handed me the oldest phone I’d seen in a long time. It actually had real buttons to press instead of the flat screen, but who was I to complain when I didn’t even have one? Quickly I dialed Nikki, but the phone went straight to voicemail.
“Hey, Nikki, it’s me. Call me back on this number as soon as you get this.” After ending the call, I handed the phone back to my cousin.
“So, are you going to tell me why you came all the way down here?”
“I got into something in Detroit.” I sighed.
“Something like what?” Rhythm frowned.
“The less you know, the better off you are. Until I can get a handle on it, I need to lie low.”
“Mama is gonna need more than that before she lets you stay with us.” Rhythm shook her head.
“I’ll just tell her that I’m having domestic issues with my husband, and she’ll believe me.” My aunt Lucy was cold, but she wasn’t the ice queen.
“Are you sure this won’t come back to bite us in the ass?” Rhythm asked skeptically, and rightfully so. As children I always kept us in deep shit.
“I promise, cuz.” With a smile I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist.
“All right. Well, let’s go then.” Rhythm hit the lock on her two-door maroon Mazda, and we jumped in. “First stop, the mall!” She was excited, but I had to burst her bubble.
“Nah, cuz! I don’t have no money for shopping,” I admitted as she reversed from the parking space.
“What?” Rhythm frowned. “Since when are you broke?”
“I’m not broke. My funds are just tied up at the moment.” Even thinking about it caused a lump to form in my throat. It was crazy how things could change in the blink of an eye. I needed to come up fast!
“We can still go. I got you,” Rhythm offered. “Forever 21 is having a big sale!” she added while driving down the street.
“Girl, I don’t shop at no goddamn Forever 21! Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom are more like it.” I laughed hard, but after realizing I had offended her, I quickly changed my tune. “Look, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry.”
“I know it’s not Hermès, Louie, or anything like that. I just wanted to do something nice for you, that’s all.” Rhythm laid it on thick, making me feel like more of an ass than I already did.
“I appreciate your effort, cuz, I really do. You know I just say shit as it pops in my head, but I need to work on that,” I admitted.
“It’s all good, cuz.” Rhythm smiled, although I could tell she was still tight. “I guess I’ll take you to the house then.”
“Hold up!” I hollered. “Pull up in this strip mall.”
“Why?” Rhythm asked while swerving into the driveway, nearly sideswiping the car beside us. “What’s over here?”
“The pawn shop,” I replied while grabbing the diamond necklace around my neck. It was a gift from Mario. Looking at it now made me depressed. I would be lying if I said my thoughts and prayers weren’t with him. As much as I wanted to hurt him, I didn’t ever want to do it like this. He was sitting in jail because of me. The pain was a hard pill to swallow. “Come on,” I said, beckoning my cousin to follow me.
“Welcome to Will’s Place. Can I help you ladies?” a fat white lady with dirty blond hair asked from her seat behind the counter. The place smelled of sour mop water and stale bread, but they had a nice setup. It reminded me of Zeidman’s back home.
“I would like to see how much I can get for this necklace.” With a frown I removed the jewelry from my neck and handed it over. Instantly I wanted to snatch it back.
“This is nice,” the woman said while inspecting it carefully. “About two carats, right?” She looked up at me.
“Three and a half,” I replied, and her eyes bucked.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Cuz, are you sure you want to part with such a pretty piece?” Rhythm asked once we were alone. “I’m sure that set you back a mint!” She whistled.
“Actually, it was a push gift from my husband when I had our daughter.” I smiled momentarily.
“Hello, ladies. I’m Will.” An older white man approached us. He was now the one carrying the necklace.
“Will, I’m Gucci and this is Rhythm.”
“Those are some creative names.” Will chuckled. When neither of us joined the conversation, he continued. “So, I hear you’re looking to get some money for this here necklace. I have a couple of questions first.” He looked from me to Rhythm. “Is it stolen?”
“Absolutely not!” I was offended.
“That’s good.” Again, Will chuckled. “My next question would be, are you looking to sell it or pawn it?”
“What’s the difference?” I hadn’t pawned anything a day in my life. All I knew was people took their shit in and came out with money. A few of the crackheads I used to serve did it all the time.
“Selling means just that, and pawning it means we’re just holding it for you. We give you a lump sum and then a repayment schedule. Once you’ve repaid your loan, we’ll give you the necklace back.”
“How much will you give me if I sold it outright, and how much if I pawn it?” I asked as this was the determining factor.
“Two thousand cash right now if you sell it, and nine hundred if you pawn it.” Will shifted his stance.
“You are out of your fucking mind!” I snapped. “The necklace cost almost fifteen grand!”
“Sweetheart, I don’t know where you think you’re at, but this is the best you’re going to get from Will’s Place!” he said as a matter of fact. “Do you want the deal or not?”
“Make it five thousand if I sell it and you’ve got a deal.” I was still getting the shitty end of the stick, but I needed cash in my hand pronto.
“Make it three thousand and you’re in business.”
“How about you hand me my shit and I’ll go elsewhere?” I extended my hand.
“Fine, five thousand it is,” Will relented. “I don’t keep that much money in the store. Can I give you fifteen hundred now and write you a check for the rest?” Will asked while walking over to the cash register.
“Fine.” I shrugged. Even though I would have liked all my money up-front, I was happy to at least have something.
After counting my cash and telling him to make the check out to my cousin, I stepped outside to call Nikki again. “Come on,” I said. Just like the last time though, I ended up getting the voicemail. “Nikki, it’s me. Please call me back and let me know that everything is okay.”