by Sherri Marie
‘I’m positive son. I wouldn’t lie to you. Ask her if you don’t believe me. She probably will lie about it anyways, she good at that.”
“I’m going to talk to her about it. Thanks for telling me ma.”
“You’re welcome. Oh, if you need me to beat her ass let me know. I might be old, but I can hang with the best of them.”
I laughed “Alright ma. I love you. I will check on you later.”
“I love you to son.”
I sat in the car outside my mother house trying to take in everything she told me. A part of me believe my mother but the other part of me don’t. I know how much my mother hate Sky and she will say whatever to break us up. I don’t know what to believe. My mother might be a lot of things, but a liar wasn’t one. My mother never lied to me long as I been living. I know my mother can’t stand Sky, but I don’t think she will go this far to get rid of her. I didn’t know should I look into this situation or let the shit go. I was wrecking my brain trying to figure out what to do next. Sky know if she ever crosses me in anyway its going to be hell to pay. I will make her life a living hell. I want to confront Sky about the situation, but I don’t know is that a good idea. We just got back cool from the little argument we had on Sunday. I don’t want to bring no bad blood between us. Plus, Sky already got enough on her mind I don’t want to stress her out more with this bull shit. I drove the city for a while to clear my mind. I don’t know what’s in the air but these last couple of months has been hacked. When I was done cruising the city, I went to meet up Knowledge.
“You good bruh?” Knowledge asked as I sat on his couch in deep thought.
“I got a lot of shit on my mind.”
“Like what.”
“Ma told me she heard Sky talking to some nigga on the phone the night of Uncle Jerry retirement party.”
“You believe that shit?”
“A part of me do but a part of me don’t. You know how much ma hates Sky.”
“That is true. I don’t think ma would lie about no stuff like that. I know sometimes she can get in her ways, but I don’t think she is doing this purposely. If you think about its Ma was acting really rude to Sky that night.”
“Ma always acting rude towards Sky.”
“Nah this was different kind of rude.”
“You’re right. Now that I think about it. Ma was being rude as hell to Sky after they came back from the restroom.”
“I love Sky like a sister, and I hope she isn’t cheating. I better not see her with no other man or I’m breaking they face. What you going to do about it?”
“Nothing I don’t have enough proof. If Sky is fucking around eventually the shit going to hit the fan. Like grandma use to say what’s done in the dark come to the light.”
“True shit.”
“fuck all that though. The other day when we were at Sunday dinner Pop’s told me Bishop been borrowing thousands of dollars from him and ma. Have you heard anything about that?”
“Nah, I haven’t. What he need that much money for?”
“I don’t know, but pops asked me to get to the bottom of it. Pops feel like Bishop is in some kind of trouble.”
Knowledge shook his head.
“Keep your ears to the streets and I will do the same.” I told Knowledge.
“I got you.”
Me and Knowledge talked for while than I left to go handle some business. The whole day I thought about what my mother told me; it was hard not to. I tried to keep myself occupied to stop thinking about it. If I find out the woman I love and want to marry is being disloyal to me she will pay for it possibly with her life.
Thirty-One
Bishop
Me and Alana waited patiently for the waitress to come take our order. We had just left bible study and decided to come have dinner at The Capital Grill. Me and Alana have become very close these last couple of days. Not to mention she haven’t been home since the day we had sex. I told Alana that she couldn’t stay with me, but she wouldn’t leave. She told me she was scared to go home because she was afraid that her husband would beat her. Although, I knew her husband couldn’t touch her because he was dead, she didn’t know that.
“Hi, I’m Tonya. I will be your waitress for today what can I get you guys to drink?”
“We will both have a sprite light ice.” Alana answered for both of us.
“Are y’all ready to order your food?”
“Yes, I am” Alana told the waitress. “Let me get the roasted chicken breast, with mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus.”
“Okay and what can I get you sir?”
“I will have the sliced filet migon with onions only, mashed potatoes and lobster macaroni.”
“Will that be all for you guys?”
“No, I’m sorry. Can you add on a dirty goose please?” Alana added.
“Yes I got you. Is this going to be one bill or separate?”
“One bill.”
“Okay I will be right back with your drinks.”
Minutes later the waitress brought our drinks back than went to take another order.
“Why don’t you have a woman Pastor?”
“Can you stop calling me that. I prefer for you to call me Bishop. I don’t have a woman because they are head aches and I don’t have time for that right now.”
“Maybe it’s just the women you deal with. Maybe you are choosing them wrong.”
“Maybe I am.”
‘When the last time you been in a serious relationship?”
“About three years ago.”
“Why did y’all break up?”
“You sure do ask a lot of questions.”
“I was always told if you want to know the answer to something, you have to asked questions. So, why did y’all break up.”
“Because she didn’t like the life I was living.”
“What life was that?”
“I was slanging drugs, robbing and shooting at anybody.”
“Ooh so you a thug at night and a preacher by day. I like that.”
We both burst out laughing.”
“Nah I let that life go.”
“Did you really? You carry that gun with you every where you go like you still in the streets.”
“It’s for protection.”
“God is your protection.”
“Look who’s talking Mrs. I’m scared to go home.”
“Whatever.”
The waitress came back with our food and place it in front of us.
“If you need anything else please don’t hesitate to call me over.”
“Okay thank you.” I replied.
We enjoyed our meal and got to know each other a little more. Alana was asking me all types of questions, if I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought she was the police.
“Whew! I’m so full.” Alana blurted out rubbing her stomach.
“Me to. That food was good.”
“Yes, it was.”
After we were done talking for a while me and Alana made our way out the door.
“Aren’t them the two guys that was at the church looking for you that day?” Alana pointed.
I glance over to where she was pointing at and sure enough it was them. Me and one of the dudes made eye contact and I knew it was about to be on.
“There goes that hoe ass nigga bishop right there.” The guy said to his boy.
“Alana get in the car now.” I told her.
“Bishop what’s going on?” She said still standing there.
The two men starts running towards me, I pulled my gun off my waist and aimed it.
“Nigga, drop the gun.”
“I’m not dropping shit.”
“Either dropped the gun or this bitch going to die.”
“Bitch, who you calling a bitch.” Alana turned around only to meet the barrow of his gun staring her in the face.
“I’m calling you the bitch, bitch. Either drop your gun Bishop or this bitch dying tonight.”
I sat the gun on
the ground slowly and the other dude kicked it away from me.
“I told you I don’t have the money.” He cocked his gun back and pressed it against Alana head.”
“Either give us the money or I’m going to blow this bitch head clean the fuck off.”
“Okay I have the money but it’s at my house.”
“How I know you not lying?”
“It’s only one way to find out.”
“We are going to follow you to your house, but we keeping her with us. If you do anything stupid, we going to pop her ass.”
“Alright.”
I grabbed my gun off the ground than got in the car.”
“Fuck!” I didn’t know how I was going to get out of this one. I have to think of something quick.” My mind was raising the entire time I was on my way home. I didn’t want these niggas to know where I laid my head. I was running out of time because I was getting closer to my house. I still couldn’t think of nothing so, I guess I’m going to have to kill these two motherfuckers. Minutes later I pulled up at home nervous as hell. I wasn’t nervous because of them; I was nervous because I was about to commit another murder. I been trying my best not to get into trouble, but trouble keep finding me. I got out my car and they did the same. I open the door to my house, and they followed in behind me.
“You can let her go now.”
“I’m not letting shit go nigga until we get what belongs to my people.” One dude said than cocked his gun back and pressed against Alana temple.
“Alright let me go get it.”
I went upstairs to my safe. I grabbed the money and my other gun. It wasn’t the amount I owed but it was something. After I was done stuffing the money into my duffle bag, I threw it over my shoulder than made my way back downstairs.
“Let her go.”
The man pushed Alana away from him and I tossed the bag by his feet. He grabbed the bag off the floor and glanced inside it.
The man laughed “You must take me for some kind of fool. Where the fuck is the rest of the money? Pow!”
Alana body fell to ground. I aimed both of my guns at them ready for war.
“I’m going to give you one more chance to go get the rest of the money.”
“Nigga fuck you!”
“Nah nigga fuck you.” They both cocked their guns back. My back was against the wall, but I wasn’t backing down from no nigga. It was either me or them. One thing about me my aim game is the truth I’m not missing my target. I might not be in the streets no more but I’m still a Pain brother by heart. We shoot to kill, and we destroy shit.
“You better kill me because if you don’t you going to have some goons at your neck.”
“Your goons already here.” I heard my brother Knowledge voice say from behind me. Him, Saint and Vince were standing there with their guns aimed at the two dudes.”
“What y’all doing here?”
“Don’t worry about that. We will talk about that later. Now which one of you want to die first?” Saint asked.
“I think that pussy right there want to die first, He got a lot of fucking mouth.” Knowledge said talking about the man that shot Alana.”
“Matter of fact. I got something for that pussy hold this.” Saint walk over to the dude and knocked his ass out with one hit. The other dude was begging for Saint not to hurt him. You could tell he was a punk because there is no way in hell, I got a gun in my hand but getting punk by a nigga empty handed. Saint walked over to the other dude that was still standing. “Don’t act scared now nigga! A minute ago, you had all the balls in the world. Talk Yo shit now.”
“Please don’t kill me please.”
“Nigga fuck you!” Saint hit him so hard he was snoring. “Handle these lames.” Saint told Knowledge and Vince. They threw them over their shoulders and put them in the trunk of the car.
“Alana you good?” She was lying there hold her leg.
“Yes, I’m good. I’m just in pain.”
“Let’s get her upstairs to your room grab the first aid kit.” Saint told me.
“Alright.”
‘We went upstairs to clean Alana wound. Thank God the bullet went straight through, After Saint was done patching Alana up, we gave her some pain medicine. Before we knew it, Alana was snoring.
“How did you know I was in trouble?”
“I know everything. Did you forget who I was?”
I laughed “Look Bruh I know things haven’t been good between us this past year and I apologize for that shit. I wasn’t trying to act like I was better than nobody I just wanted something different in life if you catch my drift. Before I got out the game, I did lot of hurtful things to people. I wasn’t trying to judge you I was trying to save you.”
“I’m not being funny but the only man that can save me is God. My bad for treating you how I did lil bruh I should’ve hollered at you first and got a better understanding of what you were going through but fuck all that right now. Why was they trying to kill you?”
“It’s a long story but to make it short I rob they boy Quez before he went to jail. I know it was some stupid shit to do but I did it.”
“Is that why you were borrowing money from Ma and pops?”
‘Yeah, that’s the reason. I was going to give the money back because I was wrong for that shit to be honest. Quez went to jail and I took every dime he had. I mean he couldn’t do nothing with it behind bars.”
Saint shook his head “What he locked up for?”
“Murder. A murder he didn’t commit.”
“How you know if he committed it or not?”
“Because I did it and somebody told that Quez did it. Quez want me to come to court and confess, he then lost his mind. That’s another reason why they wanted me dead. I’m not going to lie I felt bad that he went down for a crime he didn’t do but that’s part of the street life. I know one thing for sure two things for certain I’m not walking in no court room saying I did shit.”
“You mean to tell me you killed dude and Quez went to jail for it. While he was in jail you rob him, and he found out?”
“Yeah that’s about right.”
“That was dumb and sloppy as fuck. I would want to kill your ass to.”
“How you even get involve with the murder situation in the first place?”
“My boy Ace needed me to ride with him because Quez little brother had got robbed. Ace is cool with Quez and his family. We met up at Quez house than hopped in the car with him. When we pulled up to East lake meadows where the dudes that rob Quez brother was at. They start shooting at us and of course you know I got trigger happy. One thing led to another and one dude got killed, the other got wounded.”
“You know better than to get involve in some stupid shit like that Don’t never make another man beef your problem, especially somebody you don’t know.”
“I know I was looking out for my boy Ace.”
“Man, fuck that. That was between Quez, Ace, and them niggas. Don’t involve yourself in nothing that don’t have to do with you. I taught you better than that. So, as far as this preacher shit. is this something you really want to do or was it a cover up to save your ass?”
‘It was a cover up, but it started to grow on me, I actually like it now.”
“You just off a nigga the other day in your house but you call yourself a preacher.”
I was going to ask Saint how he knew that, but I already knew the answer.
“That’s was self-defense.”
“Self-defense my ass. Now that they are taking care of you back in the game or what. We trying to buy up these businesses for we can be done with this shit for life.”
“Let me think about it.” I stood there for a minute in deep thought than I told Saint to count me in.” To be honest I miss the street life and this preacher shit wasn’t for me.
“I knew your ass wasn’t no damn preacher.” We both burst out laughing.
“I was something like one.”
“Nigga you weren’t shit but a thug behind
a pulpit. What type of church be close almost every Sunday anyways?”
“I was sick.”
“Yeah okay.”
“I’m glad we were able to overcome our differences especially for mama since she got cancer.”
“Yeah me to but I will holler at you later I’m about to go home and lay it down I had a long day.”
“Alright bruh I will holler at you in the a.m.”
“Ok.”
I was happy that me and my brother Saint had a chance to settle our differences. I can’t lie I use to miss my brothers. We all used to be so close. Knowledge and Saint always been closer than me and Saint. That didn’t bother me though because I loved both of my brothers equally. We may fight, we may argue, but at the end of the day we got each other back. We will always be the Pain brothers.
Thirty-Two
Saint
The day after me and Knowledge had talked about Bishop borrowing money from our parents, we decided to go pay him a visit. We wanted to know why he was borrowing all this money and what he needed it for. When we pulled up to Bishop house, we saw him, two dudes and a lady. I knew something wasn’t right from the look on my brother Bishop face. Once we saw they made it in the house Me, knowledge and Vince went through the basement. Thank God I still had Bishop keys to his house. Bishop and one of the guys began to get in a heated conversation that’s when we made our appearance. At the end of the day Bishop is still my blood and I be damn if anybody put, they hands on him. I don’t play about my family.
I will bury a motherfucker alive over mine. I know me and Bishop had our disagreements in the past. I’m just glad we were able to overcome our problem for my mother. I’m not easy at forgiving at all but for my mother it was worth it. My mother doesn’t need no type of stress on her. She’s already dealing with high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer that’s enough. I be damn if we add more stress on her. I will do what ever it to takes to put Elise Pain mind at ease. I can’t afford to lose my mother. I don’t know what I would do if she died.
“Did the shipment come in?” I ask Vince.
“Yeah all seventy-five packages are counted for.” Vince replied.
