On his second trip to the liquor store, a totally inebriated Little Ro tried and tried, but couldn't find Salena to do him the same solid she'd done earlier. Barely standing against the brick wall of the store , he attempted coaxing person after person, no matter who they were, in hopes that one of them would be dishonest and dumb enough to break the law and risk getting ticketed to buy his underage self another bottle.
"Hey, you," he belched out loud as his eyes darted around and he waved another fifty dollar bill. "Can you grab something out the store for me?"
"Naw, Young Playa," one guy responded.
"Ain't that Arnita's son?" another one commented to her friend as they walked pass. "It's a shame how these kids behave. Look at him. Drunk as I don't know what. He ain't nothing like his daddy."
Hearing people ignore his demands and then talk about him like he wasn't there, and on top of that, comparing him to his two timing, cheating, womanizing father, Little Ro grew more enraged than he was when he'd first walked down the block.
"Y'all don't know me or nothing about me," Little Ro screamed out like the entire world could hear him. "I'm sick and tired of y'all hypocrites trying to judge me! I'm my own man! I make my own rules!"
As Little Ro stood in the middle of the parking lot proclaiming his independence and manhood, two plain clothes police officers pulled up after receiving a call from the store's owner who'd gotten complaints from several older customers about a teenager outside disrespecting them. Trying his best to refrain from any more outbursts as they cautiously approached him with their guns drawn, Little Ro let the liquor take back over his system, resulting in him cursing them out without any regard whatsoever for their authority.
As if matters couldn't get any worse, one last sign that he shouldn't be drinking jumped off as he violently vomited all the contents of his stomach on one of the officer's shoes as they slammed him down against the concrete pavement, checking him for any weapons or drugs.
Struggling with the officers for a good five minutes or so, Little Ro, outnumbered and oversized by the two officers, finally stopped resisting and was thrown, handcuffed head first, in back of their black unmarked vehicle and quickly whisked off to the local precinct. No sooner than they arrived at the station, still defiant, drunk and pissed off, the rebellious youth used his feet to repeatedly kick the police car's window until it cracked. Fortunately for him, as luck would have it, the Desk Sergeant on duty recognized Little Ro from cutting his yard in the past and stopped the officers from any rough house retaliation that was sure to follow.
After logging in most of Little Ro's property that was on his person, the Sergeant took notice of one particular item he wasn't used to seeing in a young man's possessions. It was a small Bible. Apparently Little Ro, intoxicated and rambling, still had the mind set that God and his word was something too strong and powerful to be left on the stairs of his porch when he left to get his second bottle.
Making his one phone call, which was of course, to his mother since he was legally still underage, a dizzy Little Ro could hardly get the words out that he was arrested before Arnita started screaming at the top of her lungs. Holding the telephone receiver as far away from his ear as he could, Little Ro closed his eyes, wondering how his life had gotten so far out of control in such a short time.
It seemed to him that in between now being totally responsible for paying all the various household expenses and giving his Great Auntie Bell money to take care of his younger sister while his mom ran the streets trying hopelessly to recapture her youth, he was losing his mind.
Less than an hour later, Arnita, designer purse on her arm, neck full of gold jewelry and nails perfectly manicured, stormed through the doors of the police station yelling out obscenities and cursing in the name of the Lord. Approaching the main desk with a serious attitude, she boldly demanded to see her son and the officers that arrested him, causing her to leave the Casino earlier than she'd planned.
It was obvious to the officers that Arnita was the young boy's mother because that apple definitely didn't fall far from the tree. How they saw it, her and the boy both needed Jesus in their lives.
The desk sergeant shook his head, still amazed after all his years on the job how some so-called parents acted when their children broke the law. It was as if they were mad at the system for catching the little heathens rather than being mad at their child for being a heathen.
"Yes, are you Roland Mills, Jr.'s mother?" the Sergeant knowingly asked.
"Yes, I am," she loudly stated. "Where's my son at and what did you pick him up for?"
"There are several charges; Public Intoxication, Disorderly Conduct, Resisting Arrest and Destruction of Police Property."
"Oh, heck naw. All of that?" Arnita frowned.
"Sorry, Miss, but he's facing serious charges and his bond is rather high.Do you allow him to drink?"
"A bond?" she quizzed, planting her hands firmly on her hips. "Can't you just release him to me and stay out of the way I raise mines?"
"I wish it was that easy, but it's not."
"Yeah, well let's get on with it. How much is it?" Arnita fumed as she opened her purse, ready to get out of there as soon as possible and back to the Casino where she had been on a winning streak.
When it was all said and done, Arnita counted out $3,500. Two thousand of which she had in her purse, one thousand in small bills Little Ro had on his person, and lastly five hundred she withdrew out the ATM. Waiting forty-five minutes for the paperwork to be completed, Little Ro, still sick to his stomach, was finally freed. Before his mother yanked him out the door, the Desk Sergeant made sure to personally hand him back his Bible along with a card to his church, telling Little Ro he'd love to see him at Sunday Services.
Settling into the passenger seat, sympathy was not on his side as Arnita read him the riot act. She informed him that by the time she got home, she wanted every single penny of the bond money she'd put up on her dresser or it was gonna be hell to pay.
She's acting like I didn't give her that money in the first place. But I can't take hearing her mouth, Little Ro said to himself. He felt like throwing up again with each pothole Arnita seemed to purposely ride over.
"How much was the bond?" Little Ro asked his mother.
"You owe me twenty-five hundred," she spat matter of factly.
Little Ro didn't even think he had that much money in his stash with the way he always blew his money pretty much just as soon as he got it.
I knew I shouldn't have bought that dag on chain two days ago, he fussed at himself. Little Ro had to think quick about how he was gonna get his moms her money back and fast. Most of Little Ro's clients were young kids from his high school, but he didn't have time to wait around for them to come to him. Although it wasn't something he particular cared to do, he knew that tomorrow he would have to go up to the high school and push all the pills he could.