I walked up and spoke to her. She looked at me as if I were a stranger or something and was disturbing her from something very important.
“Oh, excuse me, you’re speaking now?” she sarcastically remarked.
I was thrown off balance, because she caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting her to respond like that, but I had an idea why.
“I never stopped speaking to you, Lisa. Just because I didn’t call doesn’t mean that I didn’t want to speak to you. A lot has happened down my way in the past few weeks,” I began to explain. “And time flew past me. Before I knew it school was starting again.” I didn’t know why I stood there explaining myself, but for some reason I felt she deserved an explanation. “For what it’s worth, I apologize for not calling, and I apologize for bothering you right now,” I told her as I turned around to walk off.
“Kamil, wait!” She stopped me. “I’m the one who owes you an apology. I had no right snapping on you like that just now,” she said, apologetic.
“Yes, you did. I understand. That was inconsiderate of me. Besides, if the shoe were on the other foot I would’ve acted like that too, but worse,” I added with my signature grin.
She laughed. “Listen to you trying to use big words, ‘inconsiderate,’” she mocked me. “And I don’t believe you would’ve acted like I just did, either.”
“Maybe not like that, but I would’ve been mad,” I said with a smile on my face.
The teacher cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to interrupt your date or anything, but some of us are here to teach and learn about metal shop. This is not the love shop. Do that on your own time.”
Everyone in the class began to laugh along with Lisa and me. “Pardon me, Teach,” I said as I grabbed a seat.
“It’s all right, my brother; and you can call me Mr. Brown,” he corrected me. “Although ‘Teach’ sounds cooler, I don’t think my boss would find it appropriate if she heard you saying it,” he said.
When class was over, Lisa and I went our separate ways. She told me if we didn’t see each other after school to call her later around 5:00 p.m.
The school day was finally winding down. It wasn’t so bad, especially since I got to talk to Lisa, but I just had the urge to get out of there. Mal was in my math and social studies classes. Reef was in my science class, along with Lisa, and Black was in my gym class. We all ate lunch together, which was cool because it felt like we were up in the hood chilling.
“Yo, it’s a lot of fly honies up in this piece,” Black said.
“You ain’t lyin’,” my brother shouted, giving him a high five.
“I saw that dark brown shorty in science class checkin’ you out the whole time we was up in there, Mil. What’s up wit’ that?” Black said, putting me on the spot.
“Who, Lisa? Yeah, she’s cool,” I answered. “But why you clockin’ me, kid?”
“Nigga, ain’t nobody clockin’ ya punk ass. I was just sayin’ that I peeped her checkin’ you out, that’s all.”
As if Black had conjured her up, Lisa walked right up on our conversation, along with her friends Felicia and Tracy who I remembered from elementary.
“Hey, Kamil. Hey, Kamal. Hey, Black,” Lisa said. “I don’t know your other friend, but hi anyway.”
“What’s up?” Shareef said.
“This is my friend Shareef, but everybody calls him Reef.”
“What’s up, Kamal?” Felicia joined in. “This is like déjà vu,” she said.
“Déjà what?” Mal asked.
“You know, like déjà vu, like seeing or doing something twice. Remember last year you two were unchaining your bikes and we invited you to our pool party? Only difference now is that you’re unchaining your mopeds and we’re asking for rides to Lisa house.”
Lisa rolled her eyes at Felicia’s boldness. I could tell she had no idea that was the plan.
“Oh, I get it now,” Mal said. “I didn’t know that’s what that was called, though.”
“So can we?” Tracy asked.
“Can you what?”
“Can we get a ride to Lisa’s?” Tracy followed up with.
“Oh, yeah, that’s no problem. Reef, Black, this is Felicia, and Tracy. Tracy, Felicia, these are my boys, Black and Reef,” Mal introduced them all.
“Nice to meet you both,” Tracy and Felicia said to them.
“The same,” they both answered.
“So, who’s riding with who?” Kamal asked, looking in Lisa’s direction. “Not you, Lisa. We already know the answer to that.” He snickered.
Lisa blushed at my brother’s comment.
“I’m riding with you, Kamal,” Felicia said, approaching his bike.
“Shorty, you can ride with me if you want,” Shareef said to Tracy.
“Okay,” Tracy replied, giddy.
You could tell this was their first time ever riding on the back of mopeds before by the way they were acting when they got off.
“Thanks for the rides,” they all said.
“That was fun as hell,” an excited Felicia screamed. “Kamal, you’re crazy, swerving through traffic like that; I thought you were going to kill us.”
“I’d never do anything to try to hurt you.” Mal smiled.
A blind man could see that Felicia was digging my brother.
“Shareef, it was really nice to meet you. I’ll see you in school tomorrow. Thanks again for the ride,” Tracy said as she ran to Lisa’s porch.
“So, Kamil, are you going to call me later?” Lisa asked me.
“I planned on it, unless you don’t want me to,” I joked.
“Stop playing, boy, you know I want you to call.”
“Then I’ll call.”
Lisa leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks for the ride. You better call,” she said, smiling.
“I will,” I said as cool as I could sound.
They waved good-bye from the porch as we rode off, beeping our horns.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I couldn’t believe that it was almost Christmas. Less than two weeks away. It seemed like we were just terrorizing the neighborhood about a week ago on mystery night before Halloween, and celebrating Thanksgiving just the other day. This year was basically over with. Those three months of junior high flew by quickly. I guess time flies when you’re having fun, and I was definitely doing that, especially since winter had officially started. Ever since the snow had been on the ground, the projects had been the most fun for us ever. Between having snowball fights, bombing cars, and playing tackle football, I didn’t think that it got any better than that in the hood in the wintertime, besides watching the police slip and fall while trying to jump out of their cars chasing the guys around here who were hustling. It was like watching a live cartoon, like the Road Runner or Tom and Jerry.
It was nine days until winter vacation, and school didn’t start back up until January 2 of next year. That was eleven days of freedom I was looking forward to. I had been working hard in school to keep up because the work was a little harder than what I was used to. I couldn’t believe how much work they had loaded us up with for the Christmas break. I intended to knock all of mine out on the first two days of our vacation and I suggested my brother and boys do the same. But my words fell on deaf ears as they continued to complain.
“Man, I don’t know why they gave us all this homework anyway. This supposed to be a vacation,” my brother sulked.
“That’s what I’m sayin’,” Black joined in. “I’m not doin’ this shit, kid, unless I can do all of it the night before we have to go back to school. Hell, I might not even go back. My moms don’t give a fuck anyway,” he added. His words came out of nowhere, surprising us all.
“Don’t talk like that, Black,” I said, trying to reason with him. “It would make your moms proud to see you bring home your high school diploma,” I pointed out. “That piece of paper is going to be your ticket out of the hood, man.”
“Mil, check this out, the only paper that’s gonna get me and my moms
outta the hood is that green paper, you dig what I’m sayin’?”
“Yeah, you right, but you can’t get no good-paying job without an education.”
“Yo, fuck that! If I can’t make it then I’ma take mine in life,” Black said angrily.
“Black, you talkin’ crazy, man,” Reef stepped in. “That’s the same attitude your pops had when he was out here. And, no disrespect, but look where it got him. I thought you said you ain’t wanna turn out like him when you grew up.”
After a short pause Black spoke. He began to shake his head and shift from side to side like a little kid. “You right. I’m buggin’ out.” He came to his senses. “But school is borin’ and wack, and if y’all wasn’t up in there I would’ve been dropped out.”
“I hear you, man,” Reef replied empathetically. “But remember what we agreed to. We said we were gonna stay in school and gut it out.”
We all surrounded Black and gave him a group hug. It was times like this where we really came together. The last thing we wanted was to lose any more of our boys to the streets because of a wrong choice or bad decision.
* * *
We were supposed to meet Ant and the rest of them in the field on the other side so we hurried home, dropped off our book bags, and headed for the train tracks. Against our better judgment, every now and again we would defy our grandmother and cross over with our boys. Before anyone who knew our grandmother had a chance to notice us, Mal and I quickly ran up the snow-covered rocks and waited for Black and Shareef to follow.
“Mil.” Mal pulled at my coat as he whispered my name. My back was to him so I turned to face him. When I spun around to see what he wanted my eyes widened. A little ways up on the other side of the tracks was one of the hustlers from our side of the projects with his pants down to his ankles, head tilted back, and hands on top of a female’s head, who was squatted down in front of him giving him a blowjob.
“Dag!” I said in a low tone. I couldn’t believe that we were witnessing the act in person. The closest I had come to ever seeing a female perform oral sex on someone was in a dirty magazine we had found one day by the Dumpster in the back of the projects. Mal and I were mesmerized by the sight. I caught an instant erection just watching.
“Oh, shit! She suckin’ the fuck outta his dick!” Shareef bellowed.
“Can I get next?” Black followed up with.
Our trance was broken by the sounds of Black’s and Shareef’s voices. They had also managed to interrupt the hustler’s tricking session. The girl wasted no time. She immediately shot up and tried to hide both her identity and embarrassment by hiding behind the hustler named Rich. Rich, on the other hand, stood there with his exposed manhood still standing at attention.
“What the fuck is wrong with you li’l niggas?’ He let out a light chuckle as he reached down for his pants. “You never had your dick sucked before or something?” he asked as if he’d be surprised if our answers were no.
“Our bad, Rich, we were just havin’ a li’l fun,” Black answered.
“Yeah, well, you just blew my fun,” Rich shot back. Rich’s next words let us know that the girl hiding behind him had said something in his ear. “Chill the fuck out, Tee. Those are my li’l homies right there; they’re not going to say nothin’.”
“Nah, we not gonna say nothin’.” Shareef assured Rich.
“We appreciate that, li’l homies. I got somethin’ for y’all when I catch y’all back in the hood,” Rich told us. As we walked off, Rich wasted no time convincing the girl to finish what she had started and we had interrupted.
“Yo, y’all know who that was up there with Rich?” Shareef was the first to ask.
Mal and I were clueless.
“Yeah, that was that chick Tia from building 540,” Black replied. “I know that fat ass from anywhere.”
When Black said her name and the building she was from it hit me. Tia was considered one of the prettiest girls in the projects. She was also one of if not the youngest mother in our projects. I knew that because my grandmother used to talk about it every time she saw Tia walk past her window with a new outfit while her little two-year-old son always trailed behind her looking like he had just finished playing in the mud. My grandmother would say how she couldn’t believe the housing authority allowed a twenty-three-year-old single mother to move into the housing projects. She was old-fashioned when it came to certain things and believed that the projects were for elders and families who were not fortunate to maintain a regular household income. In a conversation, I heard her tell one of our neighbors that she felt Tia was just another young, lazy female who refused to work and used welfare as a crutch to minimize her responsibilities as a woman. If only my grandmother could have seen Tia now. I couldn’t understand why she was on the train tracks degrading herself like that until Shareef pointed it out.
“Yo, she must’ve started getting high,” he said.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Black chimed in.
“That’s messed up.” Mal shook his head. “I wonder where her son at while she up there playin’ herself,” he added.
I was with my brother. That was my thought exactly.
“That trifling bitch probably left him in the crib,” Shareef retorted.
I couldn’t help but think about Tia’s son. I wondered if she’d thought about him while she was on the tracks. In a way, I felt sorry for him because he didn’t ask to be here and he had no say on who brought him into the world. I shook my head as I thought about my own family and situation. Even though my dad was locked up at that moment, I was thankful that neither he nor my mom was strung out on drugs and that my moms was able to walk away from the life my dad had introduced her to.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I never believed in Santa Claus, because before my pops went away he and my moms did a poor job of hiding the gifts until Christmas Eve. Plus, we used to peek out the front window while they were taking them out of the trunk of the car, so we always knew what we were getting ahead of time, and that Mr. and Mrs. Claus were none other than Dad and Mom. My mother and grandmother didn’t even try to hide the gifts anymore because we were all too big to believe in Santa Claus, even Jasmine. Instead, they just wrapped them up, put them under the tree, and told us we better not touch or open anything until Christmas.
None of us played with toys anymore, besides Jasmine, and she only played with dolls, so we already know that all the gifts were full of clothes. We just hoped they weren’t imitations. Mustafa had hooked us up with so much gear that we didn’t even have to wear what my moms had bought us for the new school year. Well, we wore it, but only to Ant’s house and then we changed over there. It would’ve broken my mom’s heart if she found out what we were doing, and that was the last thing Mal and I wanted to do. She wouldn’t understand, though; at least, in our minds that’s what we thought.
We didn’t think she knew what it was like to go to school and have on low-budget gear while everybody else rocked name brand. We didn’t think she knew what it was like to want to be popular rather then being considered a cornball, geek, or nerd. And we didn’t think she knew what it was like to be looked down on just because of where you lived.
We all sat around the tree opening up our gifts.
“Thank you, Ma. Thanks, Grandma!” Mal and I kissed them both as we gathered up all the boxes of Christmas clothes we had received.
“You’re welcome,” my moms said.
“Merry Christmas, babies,” was my grandmother’s response.
Just as we figured, everything was imitation from the shirts down to the sneakers, but we didn’t complain. We knew that we got what our mother and grandmother could afford, and we weren’t trying to be ungrateful.
Both Monique and Jasmine seemed happy about what they had received. It didn’t matter to Monique what type of clothes my mom brought her because she was going to make them look different anyway. She was into fashion designing and she hooked up every piece of clothing she owned. Jasmine got a bunch
of Cabbage Patch Kids, Barbie dolls, and some new dresses. What more could a nine-year-old want?
“Ma, we going outside,” Mal and I yelled.
“Okay, but I want you back in time to clean up that mess y’all made in the living room with those wrappers.”
Just as we were about to walk out the door the phone rang.
“Kamil, telephone,” Monique announced. “It’s Liiisssa,” my sister said, dragging Lisa’s name out trying to be funny.
“Give me the phone, girl.” I snatched the phone from my sister. “Hello?”
“Merry Christmas, Kamil,” she said.
“Same to you.”
“How was your Christmas?” she asked.
“It was good,” I answered. “I got bunch of clothes.”
“Did you get a hat and gloves?” Lisa asked.
“Nah, why you asked that?”
“I was just asking, that’s all. Anyway, I was calling to tell you that when you get a chance, come over to my house ’cause I have a Christmas present for you.”
“What?” I said as the guilt hit me, knowing that I didn’t even think to get her anything.
“You heard me, I have a Christmas present for you,” she repeated.
“Ah, man!” I said, blowing hot air into the phone.
“What, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
“No, tell me what’s wrong, Kamil,” she insisted.
“You got me feeling bad now, because I don’t even have a gift for you and you got me something,” I admitted.
I could hear her laughing. “Kamil, I didn’t get you a present expecting one in return. Besides, your friendship alone is a gift to me, so don’t feel bad.”
I had never heard anyone refer to me as a gift before, let alone a twelve-year-old girl, but I really believed she meant it.
“All right, since you broke it down like that, I won’t feel bad, only if you agree to something,” I said.
“What?”
“Let me make it up to you,” I asked.
“Make it up how?” she wanted to know.
“Never mind all that, just say yes.”
Memoirs of an Accidental Hustler Page 7
