Chapter Twenty-One
Petie was at Fortieth Street waiting to report to his parole officer. He knew his urine was clean, but he hadn’t found a job yet. He had been home a little over a month, and his P.O. insisted that he get a job immediately. Petie would try and work around that; this time his P.O. was a woman, and she looked like she hadn’t had a good dick in a long time. If push came to shove, he would get at her. But he needed to feel her out some more to see if she was with it. If she was, he’d put something in her back. She would be the one looking for a job by the time he was done with her...he’d be the P.O. and she’d be the parolee. The thought made him smile. She called his name and he got up and walked into her office.
She was a little heavy, but she had nice lips. He wondered if she was a head nurse, or in her case the head parole officer. He looked at her and wondered how much she weighed...he wouldn’t be picking her up. She’d be picking him up. She needed to lay off the donuts and leave the corn chips alone. Then maybe she’d slim down.
Petie sat down across from her and gave her his pretty-ass smile. She smiled back. Yeah, I’ma give big girl something to smile about, he thought. She’s gonna be one happy bitch.
Petie got on the expressway and listened to Biggie’s Notorious Thugs while heading uptown. It felt good to be home. He rode through Washington Heights and hollered at one of his old Dominican connects. He and Calderone talked for a few minutes before coming to an agreement. Calderone knew Petie had just come home, and he remembered the status Petie had before getting knocked. Petie paid him twenty grams and Calderone fronted him ten on GP.
Petie pulled up in front of his building. When he got inside his apartment he put the material in the bedroom. He went back out to the smoke shop and bought a couple of packs of 12 x 12 thins and 12 × 12 regulars to bag up his material. He was ready to jump off again, and the feeling of getting that money made his stomach tighten in knots. He also bought two fifty-cent razors and a pack of Newports and headed back to the crib. He had about eighty dollars in his pocket, and he wanted to set his work on the street quick. Luckily, Renee wasn’t home, so he could work in peace. He definitely wanted to be finished before his sons came home. He went to work and after the first forty dimes were ready, he made a phone call.
Ty came through and picked up the first forty from Petie. He left and headed back to his project on St. Nicholas. Ty was nineteen years old now, but Petie remembered when he used to change his diapers. He always thought Ty was his son, because he was fuckng his mother around the time she got pregnant. Ty was a money-get-tin’ nigga, and he was just fifteen when Petie had first put work in his hand. He proved then that he was about it.
Petie sat back and started making plans for his next move. He was thinking about robbing the Dominicans on Broadway between 139th and 140th Street. Yeah, he would bag them, but right now he wanted to speak to Share.
He called her restaurant on 125th Street and was told that she wasn’t in but could be reached at home. Petie didn’t have her number; she’d gotten it changed. He found that out when he came home and tried to call her. No problem, booty-licious; I’ll still get at you, he thought. He missed the way Share sounded when he had his dick in her ass. The thought of her whining voice in his ear made him rise for the occasion.... Where’s Renee? Petie wanted to be up in something right now. He never had to wait to fuck somebody, especially when he was behind the wall. Mike-Mike was always ready for him with a juice-filled hole. Petie slid up in him easy—no lubrication, no nothing. He thought about the other faggot he used to fuck on a regular while on his third state bid. He wondered where he was now. He would never fuck with either of them in the real world, and he hoped that part of his life never surfaced.
Petie dozed off and was awakened by the phone ringing. It was Ladelle calling to tell him he couldn’t see him this weekend because he and Lydia were going to see a play at the Beacon Theater. He told Petie to come by and get him, and they could squeeze in a quick game of basketball. Petie looked at his watch and told Ladelle he’d be there shortly. But first he wanted to check Ty and see what he had for him.
Ty told him he’d given out five sample bags and that he still had about twenty-two dimes left. He had sold thirteen, and Petie told him to sell fifteen more and give him $330.00. He told Ty he’d take care of him on the next pack, and he would. Petie always kept the money black and never shitted on his workers. His word was his bond, and everybody knew that. He stashed the dough and headed to the Polo Grounds to play some ball with the fellas.
