It Is What it Is

by Ivory B.

  Lucky looked Jeffries dead in her eyes and had to do everything in her power not to laugh in this chicks face. Who did she think she was talking to some dummy? Yeah they could slap her with as many trumped up charges as they wanted but that didn’t mean she was going to be convicted of any. Her lawyer would eat those charges up like Pac-Man. The only charge they could probably get her on was the assault and battery and she would accept and wear that charge like a badge of honor. Hell yeah! She whooped ass today and was proud of it. That bitch shouldn’t have come out her mouth slick and called me no black bitch and she wouldn’t have gotten her ass whipped. Lucky thought to herself. Lucky remained stoic and unresponsive as she stared at Detective Jeffries.

  “Off the record sista to sista, I don’t blame you for beating that chick down. I would’ve done the same thing had I caught my man cheating.” Lucky raised an eyebrow yeah right; we both know dick ain’t your forte. “I wanna help you with these charges. The last thing I wanna see is a bright, young, lady like ya’self with no priors go down for being wronged by a man. But I’ll need you to help me help you; all I need is a few questions answered regarding Mr. Johnson.” Lucky’s heartbeat picked up and beat wildly against her chest although, she remained stone faced outwardly. Lucky couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “We know you live together and you may have been privy to some of his illegal dealings.” Is this bitch out of her fucking mind? I’m insulted that she would even think I was that dumb. Detective Jeffries had her pen in hand pressed on her notepad waiting on a response but none came. Lucky continued to sit there looking at her blankly. The silenced stare down between the two women had created a thick cloud of tension that was almost suffocating in nature.

  Jeffries knowing she obviously wasn’t getting anywhere with this approach decided to take another one. “You know in my line of work I’ve ran across so many women just like you. Young, beautiful, and absolutely in love with Mr. Wrong, what’s going to happen when the DEA is kicking down your door and charging you with conspiracy and attempt to distribute? When you’re facing 20 years to life on kingpin charges, will it all be worth it? There’re plenty of women in prison right now who are doing time not for crimes they’ve committed but for crimes the men they loved committed. From one sista to the next I’m trying to save you from that fate; he’s not worth it.” Jeffries looked over at Lucky for a glimmer of hope that her fake words of warning and concern had any effect on her but there was no reaction at all. Jeffries chuckled and closed the manila folder she had in front of her. “I don’t understand why you would be so loyal to a man who obviously isn’t loyal to you. I mean…gettin his side chick pregnant is a clear sign that he doesn’t share the same sentiment on loyalty.”

  Detective Jeffries had hit Lucky with a two piece combo and uppercut. Lucky literally just died inside although, she tried her best to remain stoic but the internal strife she was experiencing nearly killed her. Outside she was cold as ice but inside she was balled up in a corner bawling like a baby; her heart had broken into a million pieces. Jeffries studied Lucky intently and could see a reaction out of her for the first time. She watched as Lucky’s breathing became deeper and she blinked repeatedly to stop herself from crying. “Oh you didn’t know did you? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but yes Mrs. Chavez informed us that she’s 10 weeks pregnant by Mr. Johnson. It’s a good thing she didn’t lose that baby in the little cat fight you two had, that would’ve been really bad for you criminally speaking.” Lucky cut her eyes to the side and stared at the floor. She had to get her composure together because she felt as if she was going to lose it. Her ears were burning and her throat was closing in on her.

  She got herself together quickly and looked back at Jeffries. When Lucky opened her mouth to say something Jeffries smiled triumphantly thinking she had finally cracked Lucky. Jeffries sat back down with pen and pad ready to hear something that would make national news. “I want my fuckin lawyer,” Lucky said with enough venom to stop someone’s heart. Jeffries grabbed her files off the table roughly and stood to her feet. It was apparent that she had gotten absolutely nowhere with Lucky. “Well I guess we’re done here. I’ll send an officer to take you back to your cell.” Jeffries walked out slamming the door behind her. One lone tear escaped Lucky’s eye and she quickly wiped it away with her shoulder. These bastards better be lying to me, I swear I’ma kill that muthafucka. I love him so much and this is how he repays me by gettin some random bitch pregnant. Fuck him I’m so done!

  Before she could even delve deeper into her pity party the door swung open and in barged a white man in his mid 50’s or so with a scowl on his face. He grabbed a chair roughly, placed his foot on it and banged his fist on the table coming only inches away from Lucky’s face. Lucky sat there looking on at the spectacle Detective Campbell was making of himself. He needed to consider a career in Broadway instead of criminal justice with his horrible rendition of good cop bad cop. “Listen we’re done with the games. We know all about your dope pushing boyfriend out there. Now what we want to know is where he’s getting his drugs from? How’s he transporting and distributing the drugs? And last but not least the names of a couple of his buyer’s. Don’t try and act ignorant as if you’re the innocent, unassuming live in girlfriend that doesn’t have a clue, that act won’t fly with me. You better start talking and you better start talking now, that’s the only way you’re going to save yourself from being involved in a Federal indictment. I’m giving you this one shot at freedom because once the DEA is kicking the door down on that multi-million dollar pad of yours and charging you and Romeo out there on Kingpin charges there won’t be a damn thing we want to hear from you then. So you’re going to tell me what I need to know right now!” He said pointing his index finger inches away from Lucky’s face.

  Lucky couldn’t believe this; she had asked for her lawyer and the moment those words left her mouth legally there were no further questions that could be asked of her. But here this man stood clearly violating her rights. “I’m not going to do shit;” Lucky snapped. “You’re violating my rights. Once I requested my lawyer this interrogation was over. Therefore, we have nothing else to talk about. I know my rights! I’m supposed to have a phone call and a right to seek legal counsel.” “Oh aren’t you a smart little nigger bitch, let me guess drug money paid for that education too ha?” Campbell barked sarcastically. Lucky’s eyes bucked in slight shock before looking over at detective Jeffries who was now standing in the doorway half expecting her to say something about the racial slur her partner just used. She wasn’t too surprised when Jeffries did absolutely nothing. Lucky had to remind herself that cops didn’t see black or white the only race they saw was blue the one they belonged to. “You’ve been watching way too many cop shows on television my Dear. I run shit in here and I don’t give a shit about your rights. You won’t be gettin any phone calls anytime soon; I can guarantee you that smartass!” He jerked his leg from the chair, adjusting his clothes before storming out of the room.

  Campbell met up with Jeffries down the hall. “Shit she’s a smart one,” Jeffries admitted with a smirk. “Yeah she’s not going to budge that bastard has her coached very well,” Campbell concluded. He had initially thought at first glance Lucky would crumble like a cookie but looks were deceiving. She was taught and taught well to keep her composure under pressure and it was obvious she was loyal. She wasn’t going to give up her man even after catching him with another woman. “I got a plan.” Campbell said with a grin on his face.

  Carlos was sitting in this filthy cell stressing not only for himself but for Lucky too. He kept replaying the look in Lucky’s eyes when she swiped everything off the table and glared down at him and Lissette sitting at the table together. That look would haunt him for many nights to come. Los shook his head and ran his hand over his deep waves then face. Damn yo how did things get so fucked up? He was hoping and praying his murder game was as official as he thought it was and they didn’t come back tying him to anything he did in the pa
st. With each passing minute though it was wrecking his brain that maybe something had come up. All the other men in the cell stayed away from him. They could tell without a shadow of a doubt he wasn’t the one to be fucked with and he wasn’t in his best of moods. All he wanted to do was get out and make things right with his wifey; he would be damned if he lost her over something he didn’t do this time.

  Carlos thoughts were interrupted by loud whistling. He turned his head to see a white detective staring at him intently. “I was an old acquaintance of your father’s.” Carlos knew immediately that he was an old enemy; because his father never fucked with the police. “I just wanted to stop over and say congratulations on the bundle of joy you and Miss Chavez got on the way.” Carlos gave him the ‘what the fuck look’. Los chuckled and shook his head; he wasn’t the least bit worried about the games this detective was obviously playing. “That bitch ain’t pregnant by me.” “Oh is that right? Oops! I guess we should’ve talked to you before we informed your girlfriend about the baby.” Carlos suddenly became serious as a heart attack. “You did what?” Los gritted with fire in his eyes. “Yeah well we must’ve been misinformed. Oh well, I wonder what a heart broken and devastated woman would say once she finds out about her man’s love child? You know the old saying rings true hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Detective Campbell chuckled seeing how Los lost his cool almost immediately. Los jumped to his feet and approached the bars banging on them hard with his hand. “Y’all fuckin pigs is on some bullshit.”

  Right on cue, Lucky was brought from the rare interrogation room and purposefully walked right past the cell Los was being held in. Carlos locked eyes with Lucky and he could see she had been crying. Even if no one had actually witnessed her shed a tear, he knew his baby enough to know she had. Lucky broke their eye contact and walked with her head to the floor. She couldn’t take looking at him a second longer. He had really disappointed and hurt her this time and she swore this would be his last time.

  “Lucky! Louchanna! Louchanna look at me!” Los demanded gripping on the cell bars and trying desperately to get her attention as the uniformed cop walked a handcuffed Lucky out of sight. Detective Jeffries walked from the interrogation room Lucky came out of holding a manila folder and called Campbell over to her. The two detectives looked in the folder that had absolutely nothing but blank and meaningless papers and talked as if they had just gotten a big break. Carlos couldn’t hear their conversation or see what was in the folder but he didn’t have to see anything to know Lucky didn’t say shit; he would put his life on that. These cops were playing dirty though and he needed to get Lucky out of here and fast. He could handle himself; all he wanted was for her to be out. Damn where the fuck is this nigga Nice at?

  Nice walked into the precinct mad as hell flocked by two lawyers. The whole group was way past frustrated; for some reason these cops were playing hide and seek with both Lucky and Los. Since they were arrested on the borderline of two towns each town was claiming to not have them in custody. Nice and Los’s lawyers had just come from the neighboring precinct and waited nearly an hour only to be told they didn’t have them in custody.

  “My clients are being held here. I want to see them and I want to see them now,” Horowitz said skipping the pleasantries. The clerk at the front desk looked up at Horowitz with attitude. She knew his type, high powered Jew lawyer from the city used to throwing his money and power around. “Well before you see anyone you’re going to have to post the bail.” “Money! Is this what this is all about? Money? Well here.” Horowitz said slamming a briefcase on the counter and flipping it open exposing racks on top of racks. “Now where are my clients?” he asked with his patience dwindling with each passing second.

  The clerks’ eyes bulged looking at the briefcase. “Your client’s names Sir?” “Carlos Johnson and Louchanna Williams,” Horowitz said with a sigh. The clerk typed the names in her computer. “I can’t seem to fi…” “Get me the damn Captain right now before I have the Attorney General on his way down here,” Horowitz snapped in an authoritative and threatening tone. At this point Horowitz was past tired of the runaround he’d been getting and he didn’t want to play the games anymore, so before that clerk could even lie to his face by telling him she couldn’t locate Lucky or Los in her system he ordered her to get her boss. The clerk jerked her head back and her mouth fell agape slightly but she got up immediately and made her way to Captain Daniel’s office. “Daniels’ I think we have a problem out front.”

  Captain Daniels rushed to the front of the precinct. “What seems to be the problem?” he asked with authority. “I’m trying to figure out the exact same thing. You’re holding my client’s here. They’ve been picked up on misdemeanor charges but it seems like someone’s trying to play hide and seek with them and I want to know why?” “Well booking is a process and sometimes that process is a little time consuming,” Daniel’s said defensively. “Like hell it is, something stinks about this whole situation and if I find out that anything under handed is going on I will bring a lawsuit against this department that’ll have this little town knee deep in legal fees for years to come. We both know the higher ups in the Mayor and Governors office won’t take too kindly to that. Now I want to see my client’s to check on their well being, seeing that no one has actually heard from them since their arrests.” Daniels face was beet red after getting his ass handed to him in his own domain.

  “You can see your client’s but only for five minutes.” he said trying to save face and assert some type of authority. “An officer will escort you to the holding area.” Both lawyers started to walk towards the door leading to the back. “Only you,” Daniels added before hiking his pants up over his Santa belly. Horowitz clenched his jaw bone glaring at Daniels before turning to both his partner and Nice. “I’ll be right back.” Horowitz adjusted his custom made, Italian, designer suit and diamond cuff links trying to get his swag back in tact after losing his cool. He grabbed his briefcase and strutted through the back like he owned the joint.

  When Horowitz finally reached the cell Carlos was being held in he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The condition of the cell was deplorable to put it lightly. Carlos stood up and walked over to the bars when he saw Horowitz. “Geesh! What happened to your face? Did they do this to you? That’s the reason they’ve been trying to hide you,” Horowitz said feeling a police brutality case on the horizon with lots of money to be won. “No Lucky did.” Horowitz eyes bulged in disbelief momentarily before they went back to regular size. Los caught the stunned look on his lawyer’s face but ignored it. He had bigger fish to fry like getting Lucky out of here.

  “I’ll have you out in no time. I already have them working on the release process.” “Nah fuck that get Lucky out now. This ain’t her; she ain’t built for this and these pigs up to some grimy shit. They brought her into the interrogation room for questioning.” Horowitz’s eyes lit up with alarm, “Interrogation over misdemeanor assault charges?” Horowitz asked with his forehead crinkled in deep thought. “Yeah that’s exactly what I said. I don’t know what the fuck is going on. All I know is they tryna get Luck to flip on a nigga by filling her head up with a bunch of bullshit.” “It’s time,” the officer who escorted Horowitz to the cell said interrupting the hushed conversation between Los and his lawyer. “Carlos don’t worry about a thing. I’ll have you and Lucky out in no time,” He assured before walking to the front.

  Horowitz went back to the front and demanded Lucky be released on the grounds that he knew Lucky was interrogated without legal counsel present. He made it clear that if he found out she was questioned on anything other than the arresting charges there would be problems. Lucky was sprung from her cell so damn fast she thought she was dreaming. She’d already mentally prepared herself to stay the night in that cold, filthy cell after detective Campbell threatened to deny her a phone call. She was sure he meant what he said but after being processed for release Lucky was indeed free to go.

  Nice watched a
s Lucky stepped from the rare door of the prescient into the lobby. Hurt was evident all on her face as she looked at Nice with unsure eyes. He could tell Lucky was apprehensive about how he would react towards her after all this drama went down. Before today the whole concept of Lucky ever going to jail seemed preposterous to Nice but here she was fresh out looking traumatized. “Awe baby girl come here,” Nice said softly opening his arms for Lucky. Lucky rushed into his arms and let go of that cry she’d been holding in. She cried hard into his chest creating a wet spot on his shirt. “Luck you good now,” Nice assured as he led her outside to get some fresh air away from all the prying eyes. Lucky lifted her face from his chest and wiped her eyes dry trying to get herself together.

  “I just wanna go home to take a shower,” Lucky whispered. “I know Luck, Los will be out in a little bit so when he…” “No! No I can’t, I can’t do this with him right now. I don’t have it in me, I just wanna go home,” Lucky demanded with tears brimming her eyes. “A’ight, a’ight lil sis calm down, wait right here.” Nice went back into the lobby returning minutes later with one of Los’ lawyers. “Lucky you know Steiner, he’s gonna take you home.” Nice gave her one last hug. “Ayo Steiner call me as soon as you drop her off at the crib.” “Will do.” Lucky hopped in Steiner’s Benz and fell silent staring out the window as they pulled off.

  A good 15 minutes into the ride Los’ lawyer broke the silence. “So Lucky you were questioned today by two detectives I hear. What exactly did they ask you?” Steiner asked turning the volume down on the radio by his steering wheel. Lucky told him everything, careful not to leave anything out. “Good, you did really good but if you’re ever in a situation like this again request a lawyer as soon as the detective enters the room. Even though I really don’t think it would’ve mattered in this case. I don’t want you to worry about a thing we’ll take care of this.” Lucky didn’t respond, instead she reached over and turned the radio back up before turning her body towards the passenger side door. Lucky sat in silence staring blankly out the window not caring if her actions came off rude or not. She wasn’t in the socializing mood she needed a moment to get past the shock of what happened to her earlier that day.