Chapter 18
_______________

Keyshia and Clyde sat in a stolen Buick on the corner of 112th Street and Seventh Avenue. Clyde got the word that some young boys were pulling in major paper pumping crack 24/7 in front of the hotel on the corner. He favored sticking up the young ones because they weren’t as organized as the older cats in the drug game. You could always catch them slippin’ because they were more interested in talking to girls than they were in making money. From what Clyde saw, there were two major players who oversaw two other workers who did the actual hand-to-hand sells. They also had two workers who stood on the corner and watched the traffic flow and alerted them whenever they saw police coming through. After they finished work about six-thirty, the two bosses hit off the workers and drove off with the money to the East Side, where they apparently lived. This was Keyshia and Clyde’s second night watching and following them. Just like always, they finished work and hit off each worker, and then the two bosses, who were no older than nineteen, drove off in their black Expedition. Following them uptown, Clyde made sure that he stayed behind them at least a block away so they wouldn’t detect them. When they got to 137th Street, they made an unexpected U-turn, causing Clyde to curse in fear of them suspecting that they were being followed. Clyde held his breath and continued driving past them without looking in their direction. When he drove two blocks up, he made a quick U-turn, afraid that he had lost them altogether. But when they passed 135th Street, they spotted the shiny black SUV parked in front of an IHOP. Clyde parked a block away and waited.

“You think they in there eating?” asked Keyshia.

“I don’t know. Maybe,” said Clyde as he looked through the rearview mirror. “Let’s just chill for a minute and see what happens.” Keyshia turned and looked out the back window and nodded. After about ten minutes of waiting, Clyde said, “All right, here’s what we gonna do.” He looked at Keyshia. “Go in there and look around, order some food if you have to, and find out what they doing and come back out so I can know what’s up.”

Keyshia smiled and gave him a kiss and said, “Yes, daddy.”

Clyde returned her smile and said, “Oh, I’m no longer a boy, huh?”

Keyshia smiled slyly. “Yes, you still a boy, but I got to switch up on you sometimes, and keep you on point.”

Clyde loved whenever he saw the twinkle in Keyshia’s eyes. “Yo,” he said before she closed the door, “be careful and put on your glasses, just in case.” She nodded and pulled them over her eyes and headed toward the IHOP.

As Keyshia approached the restaurant, she could see the two sitting at a table, chatting and joking. She walked inside the store and decided to get a better look, maybe get a little information on their next plan. She saw two police officers sitting in the corner, drinking coffee while they appeared to be waiting on some food they ordered.

“Welcome to IHOP, ma’am. Seating for how many?”

Keyshia was a little startled by the unexpected cheerful greeting of the hostess. “Uh, no,” she responded. “Can I have a take-out menu?” The girl smiled and pulled out a menu from behind the counter and handed it to Keyshia. Keyshia smiled and thanked her. She edged closer to the dining area where the men sat to get a better view and realized she recognized the faces of the men, but she hadn’t known where from—then suddenly, as if a ton of bricks hit her, she realized it was two of the four guys who’d raped her at her aunt’s house. Keyshia was suddenly overtaken by fear and had to get out of the restaurant. When she turned to exit the store, she bumped directly into a man’s chest.

“Damn, baby, where the fire at?” said the man she’d bumped into. She was preparing to apologize when she looked into his face and saw that he was none other than Omar. Air seemed removed from her lungs as she simply stood frozen, unable to move, unable to think.

“You all right, sweetheart?” asked her rapist, not recognizing her while looking her over. “Or do you want to sit at my table with my mans and ’em so we can break bread and get to know each other?”

Keyshia put her head down and found the strength to walk around him and head for the door.

When she’d made it outside, she used the wall for support to keep her balance. She closed her eyes and breathed fresh air and then staggered uneasily toward the car. Clyde must have seen her the moment she exited the restaurant because he was already out of the car and at her side.

“Keyshia!” he hollered. “What happened?” Keyshia was still unable to get a grip on things and continued to gasp for air. “Baby, what’s wrong? Somebody touch you?” asked Clyde with flames in his eyes.

Still unable to speak, Keyshia grabbed him for support and managed to say, “Get me to the car.”

Clyde grabbed hold of her arm and got her to the car and sat her inside gently. He waited until she’d cleared her head and then asked her again, “Baby, what happened?”

Keyshia closed her eyes, breathed easier, and said, “Those are the guys that raped me.”

“What, who!” Clyde stuttered angrily.

“The two guys we followed and the two guys that entered after them! Omar! I bumped right into him!”

Clyde reached under the seat and grabbed his pistol and scowled. “Which one of them was Omar?”

Keyshia cried, “No, Clyde, not like this!”

Clyde flew into a rage. “Fuck that, Keyshia, just tell me which one of them was Omar.”

Keyshia had to throw her arms around him to prevent him from exiting the car. “Please, Clyde, don’t do it, baby, not like this. The police is in there and everything, this is not the time.”

It took every ounce of strength Clyde had to fight off the urge to go into the restaurant and start blasting away. He could taste his own blood in his mouth from biting down on his tongue. He began to think rationally, though, remembering the police precinct, which was just around the corner.

“Aaaahh!” he yelled, and hit the steering wheel, still reeling from not being able to act on his impulse. As Keyshia rubbed his face, he began to grow calm. She looked into his eyes and saw tears in them. “But they hurt you, baby. I just can’t take them hurting you like that. I want to get them. I want to get them back for hurting you,” Clyde cried softly.

“I know, baby, it’s okay, it’s okay, but not like this . . . we gon’ get them. We’ll get them in time, ” Keyshia said, and laid his head on her chest.

Clyde shook his head and realized she was right, it wasn’t the right time. They would get them back in time. “You right,” he said as he wiped his eyes. “You right, this is not the way to do it.” He looked at Keyshia and said, “I’m good now, baby, thanks.”

Keyshia stared into his eyes and once again realized just how much he loved her. “Clyde, I love you . . . I love you!” They kissed and hugged each other, not wanting to let go.

“I love you, too, Keyshia.” When they pulled apart, Clyde stared out the rear window and thought for a second. “Listen, you said the same four guys was all in there?”

Keyshia nodded. “I never gonna forget they face!”

“Do you remember what Omar was wearing?” Keyshia was a little apprehensive about telling him, but Clyde assured her that he was okay and handed her his gun to prove it. “No, I’m good now. I just thought about something and I’m just gonna watch and listen to him. I want to read his body language.” Keyshia frowned and he said, “I gonna look for his weakness, his gestures, and what he sound like so I can use it against him one of these days.” Keyshia still wasn’t getting what he meant, so he simply said, “I’ll explain to you later. What was he wearing?”

Clyde sat in the booth two tables away from the loud, unruly boys and watched them all the while. He paid specific attention to the one who wore a blue Yankees jacket and a blue Yankees cap with pants sagging so low, he looked like he had shit on himself. They were having discussions on everything from who was the best rapper to who had the most women and what kind of car they would be buying next. Clyde took particular interest in the apparent leader of the crew and absorbed everything that he said and how he said it. He was watching and listening to everything, knowing that it would come in very handy real soon!