Chapter Four

Venus parked the car, grabbed her briefcase from off the back seat and walked down the steps. She lived on the ground floor of Share’s brownstone on 144^th right off Willis Avenue in the Bronx. As soon as she put the key in the door, Bullet began barking and jumping all over the place. He had gotten so big and strong that she had to push her way in every day. That was a good thing because Venus knew he held the house down while she was at work. And she never worried about anybody breaking into her place; Bullet would tear a muthafucka apart, so she definitely didn’t need an alarm system. He didn’t even want to let her man, BJ, in sometimes, let alone a stranger, and on days like today when the weather was good, Venus didn’t think twice about leaving the front door open and allowing the late September breeze to flow through the screen door.

Bullet was jealous, like most male dogs with female owners, and Venus knew her dog was funny style. He was one of those sometimey dogs; some days he would bark and growl and some days he wouldn’t. Venus loved that dog to death, and she couldn’t wait until Diamond had their puppies.

Venus stepped into the living room and turned on the ceiling lights. She walked to the back to let Bullet out in the yard for a little while so he could do his thing. She then called Porscha, who rented a one-bedroom upstairs on the third floor, to let her know she was home and to come down a little later. Porscha told Venus that she was sending Diamond down so she and Bullet could spend time with each other. ”Spend time with each other? That’s why she’s having puppies now,” Venus said laughing. They talked about their pits like they were real people, and as far as they both were concerned, their dogs were smarter than a lot of people they knew.

Venus let Bullet inside and walked back to the front of the brownstone. He was fast on her heels now. ”Oh, boy, be quiet; she’s coming.” Bullet seemed to know when Diamond was coming down. He was patiently waiting by the time Porscha let Diamond downstairs. Diamond was his pit chick. Bullet barked and ran behind her to smell her butt. She lifted up her tail and then went into the living room and spread out on the carpet. Bullet followed and lay beside her, licking her nipples. She was going to have those puppies any day now. Venus watched Bullet licking Diamond’s nipples until he gave her a ‘beat it’ look. Yeah, my dog is definitely human, she thought.

Venus checked her messages to see if Share had received the e-mail she sent her. She hadn’t. She had tried calling her, but the phone just kept ringing. She knew Petie was there and that Share probably had a dick in her ass and couldn’t get to the phone.

Venus went into her bedroom, got undressed and put on a pair of shorts and sneakers. She popped her aerobic videotape into the DVR for her daily workout and did a couple of stretches before the music started. She set the timer on her watch and began her usual thirty-minute exercise routine. She went to the kitchen when she was done and got a big glass of ice water. As she sat at the kitchen table catching her breath, Diamond started growling and Bullet jumped up and raced to the front window. Venus heard a car door close outside and then her gate being opened. She knew it was BJ when she heard his keys. Diamond and Bullet were both growling now, just waiting for the door to open. Bullet was bearing down on his front legs in an assault position and Diamond was to his right, holding him down. Venus looked on from the kitchen, observing how well the two pits were guarding the house.

 

BJ had stopped at Pathmark on 125^th Street to pick up some milk, juice, Applejacks for him and Fruity Pebbles for Venus. He also picked up a twenty-pound bag of Pedigree for Bullet, and he had copped some trees from his man, Derek, outside a corner bodega, where he purchased a Heineken and a pack of cigarettes. They talked for a few minutes, and BJ told him that Diamond would be having her pups any day now. BJ knew Derek wanted one, so he told him that he would sell him a newborn baby pit for a hundred—take it or leave it. Derek agreed to it, but he was hoping that BJ would just give him one on GP. Derek told BJ that he would throw him a buck next time he came through on the strength that he gave him first dibs on the puppies. BJ agreed. He knew that Venus and Porscha each wanted to keep one for themselves. The rest they would sell.

When BJ had slammed the car door, he saw Bullet jumping up and down in the front window. If it hadn’t been closed, he would have jumped right through it. Now here he was, trying to get inside the house with grocery bags and his backpack.

BJ pushed the door open, stepped around the dogs and went straight to the kitchen where he put everything away. Then he hung his coat up in the closet and pulled out a phillie and a dime bag to roll. ”Ma, what’s good,” he yelled out when he heard the shower running.

”Ain’t nothin’. Come wash my back,” Venus yelled back. She had always attracted younger guys, and it seemed like they understood her better than men her own age.

BJ walked into the bathroom with his Sean John’s hanging off his ass and a doo-rag tightly secured around his braids. This nigga looks so good, Venus thought to herself. Even after almost a year, she was still infatuated with him.

BJ took a bar of soap and lathered up the scrubbie that Venus handed him. She tilted her head back, letting the water from the showerhead beat down on her scalp. He ran the soap from her chin down to her nipples, circling them with the edge of the soap until they were hard as peanut brittle. ”Turn around, ma,” he said, ”and put your hands on the wall.”

Venus loved being in this position with BJ, when she played the cop and he played the robber. ”Like this, baby?” she asked in her sultriest voice. She arched her back and stood on her tiptoes while demonstrating the pat-and-search position.

”Yeah, ma, just like that. Don’t move,” BJ said. He had jumped out of his Timbs and jeans and was now stepping out of his boxers. He slid off his socks and T-shirt and was up in Venus with one swift movement. He held her hands against the wall as she bent forward and gave her the anaconda. Water was all over the floor now, and their bodies were slippery with lather when BJ let loose. His body shook and his legs became weak. He stood under the showerhead and washed the sweat from his body. Then he dried himself off and went to roll up his vanilla flavored blunt.

Porscha called downstairs and BJ told her that Venus was in the shower. He told her she’d call her back when she got out, but Porscha didn’t wait. She called her sponsor and went to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting on 139^th and St. Ann’s; she had to make a meeting every day. No matter what happens, don’t use, she’d always keep in mind. Porscha had been doing all right since she came home, but lately she felt like getting high. However, she was scared to use and she was afraid of failing and losing everything she had worked so hard for; so she made her meetings and stayed connected.

When she got back home she noticed that Venus’ living room lights were out, so she went right upstairs. Venus had left her a message, saying that she was crashing for the night and would call her in the morning.

Porscha got undressed and laid back to read her basic text: Recovery and Relapse and How It Works. She had just celebrated two years of being clean. No matter what, don’t pick up, she thought.