Tyrant

by Tiana Laveen

  “What tha fuck! You’re not Justin! Who the hell are you?!”

  “Funny, you don’t know me, but I know exactly who you are. You’re the boy who cried ‘Wolfe,’ so here the fuck I am. The better question is who I am not… Unlike you and your dumb ass friends, I’m not out here playin’ in the streets. I am the streets. You’ve made a wrong turn and fuckin’ with me and mine is definitely a dead end.”

  He tossed the man down onto the ground, shot all four tires of their car, and took off at high speed with police sirens blaring in the distance…

  …A couple days later

  Everywhere I go, despite my best efforts, there’s always trouble. Tonight though, that trouble goes by the name of Nita. I like this kind of problem… She’s wearing some tight ass jeans. I can see the shape of her nice rounded ass and in the front, I can see the outline of her pussy. It isn’t quite a camel toe, but good enough… The shit looks fat. Like it could take some blows. She’s got on a cute low cut magenta shirt that shows some cleavage. Not as much as I’d like, but it works. I like her jewelry, too. She’s got on some gold hoop earrings that I can see my reflection in. I keep catching myself grinning at her. Her long ponytail is swinging around and around as we skate and laugh our cares away… I feel good tonight.

  Hunter was loving every damn minute of this. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d laughed like this. Nita hadn’t skated in a while either, so both of them were awkward and looked rather silly on the skate floor. Flashing colorful lights matched the tempo of the music and they practiced a bit, trying to force their bodies to remember how to move on wheels.

  “Stop, boy! You gonna make me fall!” She cackled as he saddled up close to her and tugged at her hips. He turned, moving now in reverse.

  “I got it now!”

  “Oh, you’re just showin’ off!”

  He clapped his hands to the music, then did a turn, and another. It wasn’t long before he was zooming past her, rubbing it in while she still struggled. Suddenly, she lost her footing and went down hard on her ass.

  Shit.

  He made a beeline to her and helped her get to her feet.

  “Are you all right?”

  She brushed her behind to get rid of any debris. There was a look of distress on her face, as if her ass was truly hurting, then she burst out laughing. Her cheeks glowed and warmed to a dark ruddy hue. He smiled at her, relieved she wasn’t hurt, then brought her into his arms and kissed her on the lips. When he released her, she appeared taken aback. He looked down at her, not certain what to make of her reaction.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” She dusted her ass off again, then began to move once more, this time her leg strokes a bit more confident than before. He chased behind her, then moved to her side as they clapped to the music, both in sync, enjoying themselves. A couple songs played and they kept right on, like kids outside for the first time. Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He slowed to a stop and she followed suit.

  Justin.

  “Hey Nita, it’s my brother. Give me a second.” She nodded and kept on skating as he made his way over to some chairs that were lined up near a popcorn and soda machine.

  “Yeah?” he said aloud over the music.

  “Ishuntfut…”

  “Huh? What? I can barely hear you. Let me step outside.” As soon as he opened the front door, a cool rush of air hit him. Sliding his hand in his jeans pocket, the music now only a faded version of its former self, he resumed the call. “All right, what’s up? You good?”

  “Yeah, I’m healing but still sore, man. Miranda said there was an envelope full of money in our mailbox today. It was dated from yesterday though. They musta left it last night.”

  “Yeah.”

  Justin paused, probably confused by his lack of a true response, then continued. “Do you know where it came from?” Hunter said nothing. “Fine… I guess that’s my answer. Um, the phone is broke, but I can get it fixed. Thanks again for droppin’ it off a couple nights ago. Miranda said it was late and that I was asleep so you didn’t stay long.”

  “You’re welcome. Rest up, okay? Miranda told me your jaw got real messed up.”

  “It did… Hunter, thanks…” His little brother got all choked up and fell the hell apart. “You really do care about me…”

  Of course I do, you silly ass son of a bitch. Why else would I do such a thing?

  “I’m on a date. Can I call you back?”

  “Oh, hell yeah, man! I didn’t mean to interrupt!” His brother laughed hoarsely.

  Justin seemed to be getting ready to say something else, but Hunter ended the call. He stood still, feeling strange inside. He lit a cigarette and drew on it. Fact of the matter was, he didn’t realize until he’d moved in with Justin how alone the guy had been. For years, Hunter had thought his brother had lived the good life, riding down easy street while he suffered in silence. He’d been dead wrong.

  Justin’s mother wasn’t a bad mom per se, but she wasn’t exactly attentive, either. In fact, she kind of let him raise himself. Justin craved her attention, but she filled her time with piddly jobs, no good men, and dreams of becoming an actress in California. She eventually gave birth to his little sister from some man she’d had a one-night stand with and could never locate again. It seemed in the last five or so years, she was trying to be more involved in his life, calling more, checking on him. But there was still distance – an emotional disconnect. Justin had spent his entire life trying to find peace and an identity of his own… a reason to breathe. Hunter knew that feeling all too well, the one where you asked God why you were here and why did you have to suffer needlessly. That was followed up by, ‘What’s my purpose in life?’

  As he observed Justin, it was crystal clear that the man wasn’t cut out to be in the streets. Deep down, he was a good kid who had just lost his way. Had he been raised by a more traditional family perhaps, he’d be in real estate or something like that. He’d be a proud square with a nice home, perfectly mowed lawn, and a 401K. It wasn’t too late for him.

  So, when Hunter had gone after the bastards who’d attacked his brother, it hadn’t been just for Justin but for his family and all the good things he had the potential to become. It’s over for me… This is just who I am.

  But Justin still had time.

  Hunter checked the time and extinguished his cigarette under his shoe. He returned to the skating rink and looked about for Nita. Soon, he spotted her over by the cotton candy, eating mouthfuls of a fluffy pink mass of spun sugar. She rocked to the beat of the music, still donning her skates, looking beautiful, sexy, fuckable. Beads of sweat lined her face like small diamonds. She seemed oblivious to his stare.

  “Can I have some?” She jumped then laughed lightly.

  “Why do you keep doing that?” She grinned. “Here.” She handed him the bag.

  “Nah,” He bit his lower lip. “Feed it to me.” The woman’s eyes hooded and then she rolled them. Dipping her fingers back into the bag, she broke off some. He opened his mouth and waited as she placed it along his tongue. It melted instantly. Taking her into his arms, he lifted her with ease off the floor and kissed her once again. This time… she kissed back. Eyes closed, breathing harder, he worked his tongue within her mouth. He tasted the sweetness he longed for as he probed slowly in and out, around and around. Cradling the back of her head, he brought her in for a deeper kiss. The music vibrated throughout his body and his entire core heated. His dick thickening and twitching with need, he pushed her against a wall, kissing up and down her neck. A light moan escaped her lips as he pressed his body to hers.

  “Get uh room!” someone yelled, followed by pockets of laughter, including their own. Hesitantly, he stepped back, releasing her. She looked up into his eyes, reached up, wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him back towards her. They began to kiss again, and he wished with everything in him that they could go further… preferably naked in a bed.

  She finally dragged herself away, as if
it took all of her strength to end the kiss. Shyness overtaking her, she resumed eating the cotton candy. He snatched the bag away from her in a playful way, then popped a handful in his mouth. He handed it back and she frowned.

  “Nothing left in there now but crumbs! Damn, you’re greedy!” Laughing, she tossed it in the trash.

  He took her hand and led her back out to the dance floor. Midnight Star’s, ‘Freak-A-Zoid’ started to play.

  “Awww, shit! This is my jam!” Nita swayed and began to snap her fingers. They danced together; though he wasn’t much of a dancer, he did his best. He must’ve been doing all right because the woman was smiling and had no complaints. The night warred on and the final dance was announced. When it was all over, they were both breathing hard – nothing but smiles.

  “I’m going to the bathroom,” he announced as the bright ceiling lights began to come on, one by one.

  “Me, too.”

  “Meet me by my car when you’re finished.” She nodded and disappeared into the lady’s room.

  Minutes later, he was smoking a cigarette by his car. He’d beat her outside, imagining she was probably reapplying lipstick and fixing her hair – the type of stuff women do. Soon, she came bouncing out. He flicked the cigarette onto the ground, rounded his car, and opened the passenger’s side for her. He switched the stereo on and the sounds of ‘How Does it Feel,’ by D’Angelo, came through. He cracked the window, letting the breeze in, and lit another cigarette.

  “You think you’re warming me up for something later.” She chuckled. “You may as well forget all about that.”

  “I’m not tryna do anything… ’cept trying to quit smoking.”

  “I can’t tell,” she quipped. “You smoke harder than a chimney. It’s tough to quit. I completely understand. I used to smoke, too.”

  “Really?” He raised his brow. “When’d you quit?”

  “Seven years ago, give or take.”

  “What was your motivation?”

  “My kid.” Her lips curled in a proud smile. “Tisha complained about it all the time… then she started comin’ home with these lung cancer pamphlets ’nd shit from school. I made several attempts after that and failed miserably. Then, it finally stuck. I’ll admit the scent of it sometimes makes me crave it a little, but I’ve been doing well to leave that alone.” He nodded in understanding. Silence stretched between them for a bit as he drove in the direction of her house. “Hunter.”

  “Yeah?”

  “When was your last relationship?”

  “Mmmm, ’bout three years ago. We broke up during my last sentence.”

  She ran her hand along her knee.

  “Why’d you break up?”

  “Because she didn’t want to wait for me, then got mad when I said ‘fine.’” He shrugged.

  “Did you love her?” He thought about that for a while.

  “Yeah, I think I did.”

  “You just think you did?”

  “I mean, I feel like there’s degrees of love, you know?” He tossed up his hand. “Like, I mean, sometimes you’re real close to someone. Other times, you love them, but it’s not like intense or anything… I don’t know. I don’t really think about it that way.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean. To me, either you love someone or you don’t.”

  “I agree with that, but like I said, it’s sort of a scale… or a monochrome color radiant in shades of gray. The darker the hue, the more intense the love.”

  “I kinda like that. I can understand that.”

  “All right, so, I believe you said your parents are still married and living?”

  “Yeah.” Her cheeks plumped. “They live only about twenty minutes away. They’re both doing well, too. My mother is a real cut up.” She smiled. “She’s so funny. I have a half-sister who lives in Alabama. My mother had been married before.”

  “Oh, okay. You ever go ’nd see her?”

  “On occasion. Haven’t seen Naomi in four years, but we talk on the phone at least once a week. She’s nine years older than me.” She shrugged. “So we didn’t really have a lot in common growin’ up.”

  “I get that. Nice that you two talk though.”

  Hunter leaned forward and turned up the volume a little when Sade’s ‘The Sweetest Taboo’ began to play.

  “You said you have a younger brother, right? The one that called you tonight?”

  “Yeah. Justin. He’s not much younger than me, but uh… we weren’t close until the last year and a half or so.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  “We have different mothers. His mother cheated with my father who was married to my mother at the time. Justin is the affair baby, as they say.” He didn’t miss how big Nita’s eyes got. He could see her from the side, even though he didn’t look directly at her. He tossed his cigarette out the window and rolled it up.

  “Damn… uh… I have no idea what to say.” She laughed nervously. “That’s rough. Skeletons in the closet always come out, don’t they? I’m glad you two are talking now though because that was neither of your fault. No need for you to suffer from something you didn’t do.”

  “Yeah, true. We were kept apart.”

  “Are your parents still together?”

  “No. My father is in prison. My mother is dead. My grandparents raised me after my mother died.” Nita didn’t say anything else. In fact, she crossed her arms and looked down into her lap. He didn’t know what was crossing her mind, and he didn’t dare ask. The last thing he wanted to do was to keep talking about that shit. The music kept playing and after about five minutes, she reached for his hand. He hesitated, then gripped her fingers. Her smooth skin felt so good against his palm. Her hand was small and warm, comforting. She exuded femininity… strength. Peace. Some shit he’d never had before.

  He pulled up into her driveway. Putting the car in park, he shut the engine off. They sat quietly, holding hands. He felt the hairs of his beard with his free hand while staring at the windows of her home, all aglow with interior light.

  “Thanks for tonight, Hunter. I had a hell of a lot of fun… haven’t had that much fun in a while. Kinda felt like a teenager again. You’re funny and easy to talk to. I appreciate that.”

  He gently released her hand, and faced her.

  “Glad you had a good time.” He stared at her for a second and swallowed down all the things he wanted to say. With a sigh, he opened the car door and went over to her side. Taking her hand, he helped her out of the car and walked her up to her front door. She slid her key in the lock, then paused. Turning to him, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged tight, then kissed him passionately. He hugged and kissed her back, feeling warm from his head to his toes.

  “Thanks again, Hunter.” She turned back to the door and opened it, exposing her living room.

  He felt so… incomplete. Sad to say goodbye.

  “Can I come in?”

  She put her hand on her hip. “Now you know that wouldn’t look right.”

  “Why not? I’ve been inside your house before.”

  “Because you know what it will lead to.”

  “I just want some water, baby.” He laughed lightly as he lied through his teeth. “You’d deny me something to drink?”

  “You are lyin’, Hunter!” She giggled. “You and I have somethin’ going on… chemistry, I guess you could say. I am not ready for us to move that fast, and if I invite you in, I don’t trust myself to have you leave before things get… heated. My daughter and Olive are asleep in here. Or at least they better be.” She cocked her head to the side, looking all radiant and breathtaking. “I like you, Hunter… more than I thought I would.” She averted her gaze for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully. “I want to see you again… spend more time with you but—”

  “You want to take it slow.”

  “Yeah.” She smiled sadly. “I hope you can respect that.”

  He stepped closer to her and gave her a peck on the mouth.

  “I thin
k people should do whatever feels right, not overthink everything but yeah, I can respect that.”

  “Thank you. I’ll call you.”

  He turned to walk away. “I won’t be able to answer right away… will be too busy beatin’ off.” He grinned as he heard the woman burst out laughing. Reaching into his pocket, he took out his keys, his dick so damn hard it could cut glass. “Yeah, call me tomorrow, Janet Jackson.” He stopped, looked back at her. “For real though, I had an amazing night… thank you for it. Thanks for everything.”

  Then he got in his car, and drove away…

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The Cupboard is Bare.

  The room warmed with sullen vibes and drew cool with despair. Olive’s complexion deepened and her blue eyes sheened with unspent tears. It wasn’t long before her cheeks were blanketed with a shiny wet luster. Tisha raised her long, thin arms, almost as if in slow motion… like a ballerina about to start a spin but instead, she draped them over her best friend like a thick blanket, then pulled her in and squeezed. Hunter reminded her of a mere shadow of a soul, donning a gray hoodie and matching jogging pants, his expression unreadable like a newspaper caught in torrential rain.

  “So, that’s all I’ve got.” His deep voice cracked the silence like a whip. “It won’t be long now… He can barely talk,” he stated gruffly, then turned away abruptly. His oversized black coat made a noise as he marched out of Nita’s house and closed the door behind him. She presumed he was out there in the cool air lighting a cigarette, standing perhaps by the lopsided Halloween pumpkin with the kinked frown Olive and Tisha had carved, but it was more than likely just an excuse to not have to look into Olive’s eyes. She could barely focus on the girl her damn self. Nita’s heart broke into a million pieces as she slowly walked into her kitchen. Air escaped her lungs but things felt tight and cramped inside her ribs, signaling a need for oxygen, to breathe, to grieve… She regretted leaving the girls alone in the living room, but something in her gut was churning and she feared her expression would tell on her. Everything was coming to a head.