CHAPTER 13

Seven thirty-six in the morning, and someone was already ringing the doorbell like a madman. Too tired to move because he had just gotten in an hour earlier, Deshonne lay in bed, wishing it would stop. But the unwanted chimes continued.

“Deshonne! Deshonne, I’m in the shower!” his mother screamed. “Answer the door!”

“Shit!” he mumbled as he attempted to pull himself together. The bell continued to ring until he reached the bottom of the steps. “Who is it?”

“Probation and Parole. Is Deshonne Robinson here?” a male voice barked with authority.

Deshonne’s heart dropped at the sound of the unexpected guest’s question. His bare feet and hands caught chills as he reached for the doorknob. Fuck! What do they want? Did I miss a curfew call last night? Did somebody snitch on me already? All sorts of thoughts quickly followed within seconds as he decided whether or not to open the door. Oh, shit, I missed work this morning! They must’ve called my job this morning, he realized. “Think, think, think,” he told himself. Then he took a deep breath and partially opened the door with his foot behind it as a stopper, just in case they tried to storm in. “What’s up, Mr. Howard? Is there something wrong?”

Bruce Howard was considered the worst probation officer in New Castle County. He disliked all criminals, no matter how light or extreme their charges were. But for some strange reason, he hated convicted drug dealers more than anyone, which made Deshonne public enemy #1 on his client chart.

“I don’t know. You tell me. Have you done anything wrong between Tuesday’s visit and now, Mr. Robinson, because you look real nervous.”

“Me nervous? Nah, not me, sir. All I’ve been doing is working, eating and sleeping. But I know you don’t usually make house calls this early in the morning. So what’s up?”

To Howard everyone looked nervous and guilty. He thought that everyone had something to hide or was trying to get over on him, so he always tried to catch them off guard with unscheduled visits and surprise urines. The gray-haired, pudgy officer attempted to step in as he asked his questions, but was rejected by Deshonne’s foot. The fiery look Howard flashed frightened Deshonne, so he stepped back and let the two officers in.

“It’s a social call, son. Don’t assume so much. It makes you look guilty,” Howard said as he surveyed the front room for anything out of the ordinary.

The female officer walked over to the stairs and then peeped into the kitchen while Howard interrogated his client. “I just stopped by to check out your living quarters.”

Deshonne kept his eye on the wandering woman as he spoke. “Okay, follow me, and I’ll show you where I sleep at,” he said and turned towards the steps.

Howard grabbed his shoulder firmly. “Wait a minute, Mr. Robinson. You just tell me where your room is, and I’ll check it out for myself.”

“Umm, the second room on the left,” Deshonne said with a confused look.

Howard pointed to his partner to check out the room while they waited downstairs.

Deshonne stood there for a minute in a daze, praying that they only searched that one room in the house, or it was all over.

Luckily, the search only lasted ten minutes and then they were on their way to the next probationer’s house. Deshonne was relieved to watch them drive away without him in the back seat of their car. His mother was another story. She sounded off from the moment she came face to face with Howard’s partner.

“I’m tired of this shit already, Deshonne! I shouldn’t have to come out of my bathroom and come face to face with a damn white woman,” his mother yelled from her bedroom as she got dressed, not caring if the P.O.s heard her. “You gonna have to fly straight, or get your ass out of here soon and get your own spot. Me and your dad work too hard to go through this.”

He closed the room door and picked up the telephone.

The name on her caller I.D. brought a smile to Angie’s face.

“Good morning, Magic!”

“Hey, Angie,” he responded skittishly.

“Before you even ask, no, asshole isn’t here. And since you already knew he’s never here before 12, I’m assuming that this call is for me, right? So are you ready to taste this pussy, huh?”

“Angie, not now, please. My morning is already fucked up enough, ah-ight.”

Angie rolled over onto her elbows, facing the mirrored headboard, with a look of interest on her face. “Why, what’s wrong, sexy?”

“Man, P&P just left my house all fucking early. That’s why I’m calling your house for Pee-Wee. Because they’re probably on their way to harass somebody else, so I wanted to give him the heads-up, about those clowns.”

“He didn’t find anything, did he?” she asked, only out of concern for herself.

“Hell nah! Do you think I would be talking to you if he did?” Damn, this bitch is dumb! he thought.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about your stuff if that’s what you wanted asshole for because it’s all gone. And I have your money here,” she informed him.

Deshonne’s face lit up at the announcement. He slowly sat down on the bed, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. “Word! That’s what’s up, Angie. Good looking out,” Deshonne gushed, as she imagined he would be after hearing the good news.

“No problem, Magic. You know that I got your back.”

Oh, shit, they dumped a G-pack in one night. It’s on! he quietly told himself. “Hey, that’s definitely love, shorty. And I want you to know that I got yours, too,” Deshonne added to proclaim his own loyalty.

“That’s sweet, but I’m from the show-me state, and words can’t keep me warm at night, boo.”

“Angie, I already told you that I’m not on that type of time, so just cut it out cause you mess with my peoples.”

“Correction, I’m just fucking your boy when it’s convenient for him to sneak out. And just so you know, that’s about to stop too, because I like dick when I want it, not when another bitch is tired of it.”

“I don’t see why we have to keep going through these conversations every time I call, Angie. You need to take up your problems with that brother cause I can’t help you, in no way possible.”

“Yes, you can, Magic. I’ve already done my homework on you, and I know how you get down after dark. So you might as well quit fronting and let me put it on you.”

Man, this broad is really trifling, he thought at each passing minute.

“Angie, I’m sorry that I have to cut our conversation short, but I have to get dressed so I can pick D-e-e up for lunch in a little while,” he said with strong emphasis.

“I keep secrets, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she assured him. “As a matter a fact, I’m offering you every man’s dream. You can keep Dee if you want to. Because I bet you that she can’t suck your dick better than me,” Angie challenged confidently.

Deshonne laughed her off as if she was joking and said goodbye without waiting for her to respond.

Angie just laid back down and fantasized until she dozed back off. “When I get a hold of that nigga, I’m gonna turn his yellow ass out, watch,” she said to herself.