Amra looked up at Tasha, and then back at Manolo. “You’re not going to take a cut?”
Manolo shook his head. “You won’t have enough to handle your business if I take my cut.”
Amra hugged Manolo tightly. “Thank you so much, Manolo. You don’t know how much you are doing.”
“Oh, I ain’t doing this out of the kindness of my heart,” he quickly replied. “I got another job for y’all.”
Tasha cut in. “I can’t do that shit no more, Manolo. I’m sick of this hustle. It’s getting old.”
Honey added, “Yeah, we done with that.”
Manolo shook his head. “Fuck that! I need y’all to do this job for me. Y’all owe me, as much shit as I’ve done for you. Or y’all can give me my cut from the Keys job, and we’ll call it even.” Manolo was calm. He didn’t get loud or anything, but he made it clear that they were going to do this for him. He knew they couldn’t afford to give him a cut of the money because of Ms. Pat’s surgery, so he had them right where he wanted them. Their silence was his cue to continue.
“It’s not the type of job that you’re used to, though. This is a one-time thing. And it’s going down the day after tomorrow.”
Tasha didn’t care what type of job it was. Whatever it was, she wasn’t down with it. “I’m not doing it. I told you, I can’t fuck with that shit anymore,” she said in a shaky voice, remembering how she felt when she saw Keys fall onto his floor, his head bleeding.
Manolo sat back on the couch and stared Tasha in the eye. “I need all four of y’all for this. I looked out for you when I didn’t take my cut out of the hundred and fifty gees. Now you need to look out for me with this.”
Tasha rolled her eyes at Manolo and sat down in the chair farthest from him. “Fine, but after this, don’t ask me to do nothing else, because I’m done. This is the last time.”
Manolo nodded his head. “I need y’all to deliver a package for me. I need y’all to deliver some dope to my cousin down in Florida. I can’t get it through the airport, but y’all can.”
“Hell nah!” Mimi stated, shaking her head. “If we get caught with dope in the airport, that’s a fucking felony.”
Manolo quickly replied, “You won’t get caught.”
“Well, why can’t you do it yourself, if it’s no chance of getting caught?” Honey asked.
Manolo had been expecting them to ask him questions. He knew they weren’t dumb, and he would have to talk them into doing it. “I’m a black man. I’m guaranteed to get searched. They won’t search y’all.”
Amra stood up and walked toward the door. “I’m not doing that shit.”
Tasha dropped her head, knowing they didn’t have a choice. “We have to,” she said quietly. She turned her attention toward Manolo. “What do we do?”
Manolo smiled mischievously and rubbed his hands together. “Just deliver the package and pick up the money and bring it back. Your flight leaves out of Bishop Airport the day after tomorrow at ten in the morning. Come to my house that morning at six o’clock.”
Honey asked, “How are we supposed to get drugs through a damn airport?”
“You’ll see when you come over that morning.”
The girls, pissed off that Manolo had pulled them into something so hot, got up and left the house. When they finally arrived home, they passed out in their beds. They were tired, and upset.
Tasha went to sleep. Her dreams seemed like the only place she could get away. Since the day she had arrived in Flint, she had been doing things she wouldn’t normally do. She was exhausted from partying every night, paranoid from the thought of being caught by the police for Keys’ murder, and homesick from being away from Joe.
The next morning, Tasha woke up and walked downstairs, where Tammy was making breakfast. She took a seat at the table.
“Hey, Tasha,” Tammy said. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Tammy.”
Tammy placed a plate in front of Tasha, and she sat and ate breakfast with Honey, Mimi, and Tammy. Amra was still asleep.
“Is Amra doing alright? She hasn’t been looking too good lately,” Tammy commented.
“Yeah, she’ll be okay.” Tasha got up from the table and fixed Amra a plate of food. She walked up to the room that she shared with Amra, who was tucked underneath her covers.
Tasha pulled back the covers and noticed that Amra’s skin was blotchy and her eyes were dark around the lids. “Amra, wake up. You need to eat something. You haven’t eaten much lately.”
Amra groggily sat up in her bed. “I’m not hungry.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
Amra shook her head and started to cry. “I can’t do this shit no more, Tasha. I’m ready to just go home. We need to hurry and go back home, so my momma can have her surgery. I’m not trying to do no more grimy shit. I just want to go be with her.”
“We’re going back to home as soon as we do this last job for Manolo. We’ll be back home by next week.” Tasha hugged Amra and left the food on the stand by the bed. “Eat something, okay?”
Amra nodded her head and wiped her eyes, and then Tasha walked out the door.
The day crept by slowly, giving the girls too much time to think. Tasha couldn’t wait until she was back in New York. I just want to be with Joe, she thought to herself as she remembered the night she’d spent with him. It had been months, and she just wanted to hurry up and get back to him.
She made her way to Honey’s room and sat on the bed across from her.
“Close the door,” Honey told her.
Tasha got up and closed the bedroom door, and then asked, “What’s up?”
Honey pulled out the ten thousand dollars she had taken from the money that was in Keys’ safe. She counted out five thousand dollars and handed it to Tasha.
“I don’t want to do this thing with Manolo.”
Honey nodded her head. “I know, but what else is there to do?”
Tasha didn’t answer. She just walked out of the room and walked into her own, and then went to sleep.
The next morning, all of the girls headed to Manolo’s place. The ride was quiet, and the anticipation of what they were about to do grew more and more during the ride. The girls arrived at Manolo’s house, and he greeted them at the door. He felt the animosity from them, but it didn’t bother him. They owe me. I don’t give a fuck if they want to do it or not.
Once all of the girls were in and seated, Manolo pulled out a duffel bag from behind the couch. He opened the bag and pulled out duct tape and eight white packages. He then walked into the back room and returned with an arm full of clothes. “Alright, this is how it’s going down. I’m going to strap y’all with the dope, and my cousin will meet y’all at the airport in Florida. He’s going to give you two briefcases full of money and plane tickets to a flight that comes back the next day.” Manolo started searching through his pile of clothes. “Who’s first?”
Mimi stood up, and he gave her a corny outfit. “I ain’t wearing this ugly shit!” she said.
“Mimi, be smart. This is not a fashion show. We trying to move weight.”
Mimi quickly changed her attitude.
“Take off your shirt.”
Mimi looked at Manolo like he was crazy. “What?”
“Take off your shirt. I’ve seen titties before.”
After Mimi reluctantly took off her shirt, Manolo began to strap the dope to her chest, wrapping it firmly.
Thirty minutes later, Manolo had taped all of the girls. As he escorted them to the airport, he briefly went over the small details of the task. “Be calm. It’s going to be easy. Just don’t seem nervous.”
It seemed like the girls became more nervous when he said that.
“My cousin is going to take y’all to a hotel. Just give him the drugs, and he’ll give you the money. He’s family, so don’t worry about anything.”
They finally reached the airport. Just before they exited the car, Manolo grabbed Honey’s arm just as she was getting out,
and whispered, “Don’t fuck with me!”
Honey smiled at Manolo. “You know we don’t even get down like that. We would never try to get over on you.”
Tasha, Honey, Amra, and Mimi entered the airport, walking side by side. All of them could sense the other’s nervousness, but no one said a word. They each had a pit in their stomach, and they were growing uneasy as the minutes passed by. Without looking at each other, they separated, each going a different way, as if they didn’t even know each other.
Tasha’s appearance was far from her usual attire. She wore a yellow sundress with yellow flip-flops, and the dope that was taped in place around her stomach made it look like she was at least five months pregnant. She had on a pair of sunglasses that covered most of her upper face. She was glad that something covered her eyes, because she knew that if someone were to look into them, they would see how nervous she was. She was breathing hard, and the palms of her hands were sweating profusely. She kept looking around. It felt like everybody in the airport was looking her way.
The lady that sat next to her looked at her with concern. “Miss, are you okay? Do you need some water?”
Tasha shook her head no, and put her hands on her stomach, patting her “baby”. “No, thank you. I just get short-winded sometimes.” She got up and hurried to the bathroom. She felt the plastic dope package stick against her skin. I can’t do this. I’m never gonna make it on that plane with this stuff.
Tasha stood in the mirror and set her luggage down. She grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and then patted it against her face, trying to gather herself. She was shaking from paranoia. She had to control herself, or she was going to be a dead giveaway. Sweat started to form on her skin from the plastic bags taped around her. It was uncomfortable, and she was trying her best to appear to be a pregnant woman. She turned to the side and studied her stomach to make sure that she didn’t look too bulky. She took a deep breath in the mirror, and picked up her luggage. She exited the restroom and went back to her terminal, where she waited to board her flight.
Mimi, in a long jean skirt and a W.W.J.D. T-shirt, sat with a Bible in her left hand and her suitcase in the other. Every time she saw a security guard, she thought they were coming for her. Calm down. You can do this, she told herself as she sat there clenching the Bible. She felt the dope that was taped around her chest, and prayed that it didn’t bulge out.
She saw Tasha sitting across from her, waiting for the same plane that she herself would soon board. She didn’t look too long though, not wanting to make any contact with any of her girls until they landed safely and undetected in Florida. Mimi was scared, and it seemed like her senses were working overtime. She was aware of everything around her. Her heart was pounding and she couldn’t stop her face from showing how nervous she was. Just get through this. Please, God, just get us through this!
Amra was in the restroom of the airport, her heart pounding. She was sick to her stomach, and she felt weak, as if she would pass out. She gripped the sink for support and turned on the cold water. She splashed the water onto her face and stared at her reflection. We’re not going to get away with this. It’s too hot. This is way out of our league. She looked at the gray sweatshirt and jeans that she had on and prayed that no one could tell that she had something taped to her chest. Please let me get away with this.
Amra walked out to the terminal and sat down in front of the boarding gate. She bit at her nails and tried to focus her mind on something else, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about getting caught.
Honey sat across from Mimi as if she had never seen her before. She wore a black business suit, and at her feet sat a black briefcase worth more than gold. I wonder how much money Manolo is making from this lick. She tapped her foot against the ground. She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost time for them to board their plane.
Honey was shaken. She knew that if they got caught, they would do a lot of time, but she didn’t intend on getting caught. She tried to keep her nervousness hidden, but she couldn’t hide the butterflies floating around in her stomach.
She stood up and grabbed the briefcase when she heard them announce the boarding of their flight. With each step she took toward the gate, her nervousness grew. She felt her mouth getting dry and felt her stomach tie in knots when she made it to the security checkpoint. Okay, make it through here, and I’m good.
“Hi,” an airline worker said. “Can you place your briefcase on the conveyor belt, please?”
Honey placed the briefcase on the belt and crossed her fingers. She had wrapped a towel around the dope. She prayed that it was the only thing they saw on the x-ray. She walked through the metal detector, and it didn’t make a sound.
Another airline worker handed her the briefcase. “Thank you. Have a nice flight.”
Honey had held her breath through the entire thing, and finally released a long sigh of relief. Hell yeah! She looked back at the line and winked at Amra as she stepped up next to be searched.
Amra stepped up and walked through with no problem. She continued walking to the plane.
Mimi, up next, stepped up and walked through with no problem. Even though she had gotten through, her heart was still racing. She didn’t look back as Tasha stepped up.
Please let this be easy. Tasha could hear her heartbeat in her ears and she felt sick. She slowly walked through the detector, and her eyes grew wide when the alarm sounded loudly.
“Miss, please walk through again.”
Tasha shook her head and walked through the metal detector a second time.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
“Do you have any metal objects on you?”
Tasha felt the lump in her throat. “No, I don’t have anything.”
The woman motioned for a male guard to come over. “Take her.” She pointed to Tasha.
Tasha felt the tears forming behind her glasses as the security guard put his hand on the small of her back and escorted her into a small office. A tear slid down her cheek. The guard came over to her and ran a small device up and down her clothes. Tasha couldn’t stop the tears from coming. The guard put the device to her face, and it beeped loudly. “It was your glasses,” he said in a calm voice. “The metal frame made the detector go off.”
Tasha looked at the guard and breathed deep. “Can I go now?”
“Yeah, you can go.” He looked at her wiping tears from her face. “Are you okay to fly, Miss? You know you shouldn’t be more than seven months pregnant when flying.”
Tasha laughed to herself. “I’m fine. My ankles are just swollen and sore. They get to me sometimes.” She walked out of the security room, and quickly boarded the plane and sat in her seat. She looked across the aisle at Honey and read her lips.
“What took you so long?”
“You don’t want to know,” Tasha whispered. She sat back and took five deep breaths. Thank you, God! She had never been so afraid in her life.
The planed landed in Florida at five p.m. The girls quickly exited the plane, and they all headed to the bathroom, where they all yelled at Tasha, “What the fuck took you so long to get on the plane?”
Tasha walked over to the sink and splashed water onto her face. “My glasses set off the metal detector. I thought I was caught.” Tasha couldn’t believe how lucky they had all been.
Honey looked in the mirror and fixed her hair. “Okay, let’s go find Manolo’s cousin.”
They walked outside of the airport, and a tall dark-skinned man with a huge gap in his teeth approached them. Honey led the way toward the man. The man didn’t say anything to them. He just turned around, and they followed him to a black Escalade that sat near the curb. They got into the truck, and he drove off.
“Y’all look shook. It’s cool. Y’all got the dope?”
Honey opened the briefcase she had carried through the airport and showed him the drugs. She asked, “You got the money?”
He nodded. “We’ll make the trade at the hotel.”
He drove them to the Marriott Hotel. When he got out of the car, he grabbed two briefcases from the back. Then he checked them in and led the way to their room.
As soon as they got into the room, Tasha started peeling the duct tape off her skin. “Damn! This shit hurts! I’m about to take off a nipple!”
Mimi slowly peeled the sticky tape off her chest.
The girls put the dope in a duffel bag that Manolo’s cousin had sitting on the bed.
“Here’s the money and the tickets. “Y’all know what to do next?”
“Yeah, we know what to do,” Tasha replied.
Manolo’s cousin didn’t linger around to chat. He zipped the duffel bag full of drugs and quickly left the room.
As soon as he left, Amra ran over to the bed and opened the two briefcases full of money. “Damn!” she yelled, pulling stacks of money out.
Mimi went over to the bed and flipped through one of the stacks. “These are all hundreds!”
Honey looked at the suitcases and thought to herself, It’s got to be at least a couple hundred thousand in there.
Tasha got on the phone and called Manolo. As soon as he answered the phone, she said, “We got the money.”
Manolo smiled to himself. “Good. See you tomorrow.”
Tasha sat down in the chair. She looked around at the plush room they had for the night. “I am glad that this shit is done.”
Mimi looked at her and busted out laughing. “Yeah, me too. But for real, Tasha, I was cracking up when your ass finally got on the plane. It looked like you was about to piss on yourself.”
Amra and Honey started cracking up.
Tasha laughed. “I know I was looking crazy, because I was scared as hell. When they pulled me to the side, I started to dip out on they ass.”
Her friends were laughing so hard, their eyes started to water.
Honey got serious again. “We ain’t done yet. We still got to get this money back home.”
The girls calmed down for the rest of the day. Tasha was busy thinking about Joe. She couldn’t wait to get home to him. They all kept to themselves for the rest of the night, anticipating going back through the airport.
A Girl From Flint Page 15
