Chapter Twenty- Eight
Petie was on his way back to Manhattan. Ladelle had agreed to meet him at Copeland’s on 145th. Renee never showed up with the money or his clothes... What the fuck happened to her? And why is Ladelle acting so funny all of a sudden? Petie was suspect; he did-n’t really trust anyone now that there was a manhunt going on for his capture.
Petie pulled in front of Copeland’s Restaurant and waited for Ladelle. After a few minutes passed, he got out of his truck, went to a bodega and bought a beer and a pack of cigarettes. On his way back he saw a kid he knew named Bobby who he’d been locked up with while on his second state bid. Bobby had lost a lot of weight. He looked like he was smoked out or sick, one or the other. Petie got back in the Navigator and talked to Bobby from the window.
”So what you been up to? Look like you shed some pounds,” Petie said to him.
”Yeah, I lost a little weight,” Bobby replied. He was dressed in a Sean John suit and a pair of Kenneth Coles.
”So, what—you smokin’ on the down low or what?” Petie asked him, thinking he already knew the answer.
”No, I don’t fuck with that shit. I got the virus,” Bobby told Petie and saw the expression on his face immediately change.
”Oh, shit!” was all Petie could say. He told Bobby to take care of himself and he kindly dismissed him. Petie wondered how long Bobby had been sick. He should have asked him. He used to run up in Bobby when they were in the same housing unit. Damn, now he had something else to worry about.
Ladelle pulled up and parked behind Petie. He opened the passenger side door of the Navigator to get in and he and Petie sat and talked for a few minutes. Ladelle said he couldn’t understand why Renee hadn’t met up with Petie, because he’d given her the money hours ago. Petie thought that maybe the police were harassing her, thinking she knew where he was. That was the only reason he could think of that would keep her from contacting him. Ladelle told Petie he loved him like a brother, but he was done with all the rah-rah shit; it was over for him. He said the only things guaranteed from that lifestyle were prison and death. It was time for a change. Ladelle and Petie gave each other a firm hug, and Ladelle headed home where he felt he needed to be—with wifey.
Petie took a chance and went to his house. Fuck it, he had to. Renee had disappeared and he needed to get some things from the crib anyway. He rode around and made sure that the coast was clear. Finally he made it inside the apartment and got the rest of the work he had stashed. Petie grabbed the bags, the scale and threw some clothes in a backpack. He hit *69 on the phone to see who had called the house last. After hearing his cell number, he pressed play on the answering machine and skimmed through the messages that Renee had already heard but never erased. When he heard Venus’ voice he wondered, What the fuck did she call here for? He was sure it was some catty shit Share had put her up to, and he went on to the next message. He didn’t have time for the bullshit right now. He bounced and headed back to Queeens.
Kalif was in the bathroom washing himself off. When he was done he went into the living room and gave Des two dimes for the head job, but she wanted more. ”If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even know where Ladelle lived, nigga—not to mention that I can give you his exact apartment number. Hit me off for that information, Kalif. You know I always come through for you,” she said shoving the two dimes inside her bra.
”What’s the apartment number?” Kalif asked her. She told him and he threw her two more dimes. ”Now beat it,” he said. Des knew how Kalif was, so she bounced.
She remembered when she and Petie used to cut up bricks in her house, bag them up and get money. Des had let Ladelle and Petie keep work at her crib all the time. Then she started smoking. She had lost her apartment and was in the street turning tricks now. When she heard about Rasheed’s death and Petie and Ladelle being connected to it, she started giving Kalif information about Ladelle and pumping him for crack. Des didn’t know what Kalif was going to do, but she knew it was on and poppin’.
She stashed the two additional dimes and went back out on the street in search of another dick to suck. This time she needed money. She didn’t have anywhere to go and she needed some quick cash for a cheap hotel room; she was tired. She was thinking about going to the rehab when some cat said, ”Miss, you wanna hang out?”
”Yeah, where we goin’?” she asked.
”To my crib. I got a room on 128th and Park.” Des was straight for the night.