It Is What it Is

by Ivory B.

  The man wasn’t much to look at from afar but he had to get a better look. Although their job was done Meat and Real stayed around being nosey. Everyone watched as Los leaned back in his chair for a second rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He got up suddenly walked around his desk and sat on the edge loosening up the knot in his Armani tie that Lucky had tied to perfection that morning. She had a thing for tying his ties in the morning. He could already have it tied but she would untie it just to tie it again.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Los asked cutting the thick silence and intrigue in the air. “He dope sick; he was fine earlier but on our way back he started scratching at his arm then he nodded off,” Meat answered recognizing the signs of a heroin addict when he saw them. Los reached for the phone on his desk and pressed a few buttons. “Yo!” A voice barked over loud sounds of music in the background. “Jah come up here for a sec,” Minutes later Jah entered Los’ office and grimaced. “Damn which one of y’all nasty niggaz cut the chee…” his eyes traveled to the figure slumped in a chair and he fell silent. Los spoke before Jah even had a chance to ask who the stranger was in the chair. “Jah get me something for this man right here, he sick and I need something to wake him up.” “I mean, cuzo on some real shit I ain’t got nothin but some purp,” Jah responded with his eyes still glued on the unknown man. “Jah c’mon son don’t it look like this nigga way past the stage of purp? That shit ain’t gon do nothin for him,” Los said. Jah smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “Which one of them lil niggaz holdin down stairs?” “None of em, ever since you told me to let them know not to bring no…” “Yo, yo, yo Jah not today, I’m not in the mood for the bullshit. I know one of them holdin, so just go downstairs and bring me somethin,” Los said in a no nonsense tone. Los wasn’t stupid he had told Jah a thousand times before to cut down on the weed smoke this was a place of business. And to make sure the lil hood niggaz he was working with in the studio weren’t dirty. The last thing he needed was the Jakes busting down the doors to his business and legal front on petty drug charges, but he knew them lil dudes were hard headed and didn’t listen. While Los waited on Jah he sat patiently and quietly while he drank from a bottled water. Jah returned handing over two small baggies of coke and another small baggie that was knotted at the top consisting of small crack rocks bundled together. “I made them run they pockets, this all they had.” Jah pushed the door closed but didn’t dare leave. He wanted to know what the hell was going on just like everybody else.

  Los walked over to the unconscious man and tipped the rest of his bottled water upside down on Green's head. The man groaned uncomfortably but didn’t open his eyes until Los tapped him on his cheek with the back of his hand firmly to get him to snap out of his stupor. Everyone watched this mystery man open his eyes and look around wide eyed and confused for a second. The confused look was wiped from his face once Los threw him the two baggies of coke. The look on the man’s face was damn near comical when he looked down in his lap and noticed what had been thrown at him. Everyone watched on in silence as Green savagely opened the two baggies of coke and vacuumed up the powder in no time. The coke was pure raw, so it was potent enough to wire a thoroughbred horse and enough to wake Green up apparently. Now he was fully awake and just now becoming aware of his surroundings.

  “What’s ya name?” Los asked in an even tone. “Green, they call me Mean Green or Green Machine cause I can fix anything. You need somethin fixed?” Los stuffed his hands in the pockets of his designer slacks, leaning his tall muscular frame against his desk. He shook his head back and forth “Nah I’m straight. What’s your real name? The one your Momz gave you.” “Oh, Louis Badea,” he answered. “Ayo Real, why don’t you get this man a washcloth out the bathroom so I can see his face when I’m talkin to him.” Real damn near ran to the bathroom this shit was just getting good. Real handed the washcloth to Green and watched as he turned the once blue washcloth black after wiping his face. Once his clean face was revealed everyone looked on in marvel. There wasn’t a doubt to anyone in that room who the man was; it wasn’t hard to tell at all. With his face wiped clean you could actually see the sparkle and color of his green eyes, green eyes that he undoubtedly passed on to his daughter. You could tell that back in his day he was a ladies man. Years of hard living, drinking, and drug abuse still couldn’t hide the fact he was once a very handsome man.

  “So where you from Louis?” Los asked genuinely interested. “I’m from Louisiana Gumbo land. My family moved to Philly when I was a teen.” Both men stared at each other in silence for a few uncomfortable seconds. “You don’t know who I am do you?” Los asked wanting to play head games with him. “Uhh no,” Green answered nervously. Green looked Los up and down taking in his expensive wrist watch, clothing, and diamond earring in his ear. He was clean but that thug in him couldn’t be hidden behind thousand dollar slacks and button up shirts, Green was no fool. “Are you the man that owns the video company that comes down and uhh… pays us to have sex wit dogs and whatnot for those DVD’s?” Los blinked rapidly showing his annoyance and disgust. “No. I don’t know nothing about that nasty shit.” Green picked up on Los’ tone and thought for the first time being there he might be in some type of trouble. He Looked at Los and knew for sure he wasn’t a D-Boy but he damn sure did look like somebody’s Boss. Green’s mind started wondering and his scheming ways came to the forefront of his thoughts. “Now I ain’t steal dem damn boys packs. I know they done told you that I stole they stash again but I didn’t. I ain’t touch no one stash since Lil Steve and em beat me wit that two by four and put me in the hospital for stealin they stash when they went to jail.” Los shook his head back and forth signaling that Green had it all wrong. Green looked clearly stumped and was beginning to look a little worried. Los smirked loving the fact he had him right where he wanted him.

  “What’s your pleasure?” Los asked out of the blue. Green’s facial expression showed his confusion at Los’ question, so Los decided to dumb it down a little. “I mean, what do you do for fun? For pleasure? What do you like doing besides smoking crack? Excuse my frankness but that much is obvious.” “Well uh uh… I’m good with my hands, you know I can fix just about anything,” Green answered proudly “Oh is that right?” Los asked with a raised eyebrow. “Yes, yes sir.” “Well see I hear differently. I hear that you like molesting kids, I hear that’s your pleasure,” Los said coolly. “Who said that?! Now that’s a gotdamn lie! I don’t touch on nobodies kids. I swear on my mama. Matter fact I don’t touch nobody at all since I found out I got the package, somebody tellin a gotdamn lie! I will swear on a stack of bibles!” Green denied the allegations vehemently but all the dramatics did was make his ass look guiltier.

  Carlos was calm, too calm that is. Green’s chest was heaving up and down with each heavy breath he took. He needed a hit. If he was high on his favorite drug of choice he wouldn’t have cared if Jesus Christ himself came and questioned him. He looked over at Los and couldn’t figure him. Green didn’t know if Los was upset to the point of doing something to him or just uncomfortable. All the dirty and grimy deeds he did in his past came to the forefront of his mind. This man standing in front of him could’ve been anyone, a brother, uncle, or father of someone he violated. Green thought about more recent events that took place and had a light bulb moment.

  “Is this about Belinda? I know this gotta be about Belinda; ole crusty ass bitch goin round telling everyone I raped her daughter and that ain’t true. She lying, she mad cause I was supposed to look out and split some rocks with her from the scrap metal we stole from the junk yard and sold, but I took her for it and smoked it on my own. Now er’sense that happened she been tellin lies on me.” Los looked into Green eyes, “You sure about that? You don’t wanna lie to me.” Los’ eyes told Green that although he didn’t know Los, Los damn sure knew things about him and his best bet was not to lie. His situation was looking dire as he looked around the room at all the men glaring at him angrily.

  “Alright, alright I
’ma…bout to tell you what really happened,” Green stuttered nervously. “We was all gettin high down in Belinda basement when her daughter came down stairs. And I always seen the way she look at me, you know like she want me. She always prancing around in front of me wit them lil hot pants on and stuff, Belinda gave me permission to have her daughter. That’s how that went down, on a stack of Bibles!” Green threw his hands up dramatically. “I swear foe God! That’s how it went. Belinda talkin out her ass sayin I did somethin wrong…” Los shook his head in disgust as Green rambled on and on pleading his innocence. Yeah this nigga right here is a fuckin pedophile. “Yo! Yo!” Los said waving his hand signaling Green to stop pleading his case. “On some real shit Green I don’t even know Belinda, her daughter or whoever else you talkin about that’s not why you here. Let me ask you somethin,” Los said while reaching over his desk to retrieve his Iphone. “You don’t know me but do you know this woman right here?” Los placed his phone in Green’s face exposing his screen saver which was a picture of a bikini clad Lucky on their honeymoon. Green’s reaction repulsed Los. The picture had Green’s attention alright, his full attention. A bulge in front of Green’s pants formed as he smiled looking at the picture. “That’s my baby girl,” he responded finally after getting his jollies off of the photo. “Yo what the fuck?” Nice hissed as he looked down and realized Green was rock. “Nah, that’s not your baby girl. That’s my baby girl,” Los said with a cocky taunting tone correcting Green. “And she’s doing just fine despite all she’s been through.” Los leaned back taking a picture frame his desk and turning it around so that Green could see it. It was a picture of Lucky in her cap and gown. “She’s a smart girl, beautiful inside and out.” Green eyed the sparkle of the wedding band on Los’ finger and took note of the way he talked about Lucky with so much pride. “Are you her husband?” Green asked. Los shook his head yes. “Well in that case it looks like she really has done good for herself. Welcome to the family,” Green said as he admired his luxurious surroundings. This was going better than he thought; maybe he could even hit up his new Son in-Law for some money. Green smiled exposing teeth that had been gravely damaged from years of drug use. How the fuck do two weirdo’s breed and make something so beautiful and kind? I don’t get it. Carlos thought to himself.

  “It’s funny though, she’s definitely nothing like you or her weak ass mother.” The smile Green sported was suddenly wiped from his face and he somehow found his manhood and stared at Los with defiance. “Now don’t go talkin bout my Karen. She was a good woman.” “Fuck that bitch,” Los snarled with venom staring a murderous hole through Green. “She was a desperate, weak, bitch that would do anything to keep a man. Even turn a blind eye when that piece of shit nigga was molesting her daughter.” Green’s eyes bulged. “Now hold a gotdamn minute! You don’t know what you talkin bout Young Blood. That’s a bold face lie! I done did a lotta thangs in my life but I ain’t never touched my baby girl. Who said that? Who said that? They lying on me!” “So you calling your daughter a liar?” Los asked. Green suddenly became quiet. “She don’t know what she sayin, those people came and took my baby from me said I wasn’t fit. Then they put thangs in her mind. They made up stories to keep her for her Mama’s social security checks. As God as my witness…”

  “Ayo shut the fuck up!” Los barked making everyone in the room hair stand up on the back of their necks. The sudden anger in his eyes was almost like seeing the devil himself. He went from 1 to 10 on the scale of madness within seconds. “All I wanna know is how you could do that to your own daughter? Do you really know how much you hurt her? I’m having a hard time understanding how you could do that to ya own kid especially when she looks so much like you. Real talk, how the fuck could you repeatedly molest and sodomize ya own shorty?” Los asked with his tone back calm again. “Awe hell nah! Los that shit ain’t right. Do somethin with this nigga before I do?” Nice warned looking at Green with deadly intent. He had a daughter himself so he took shit like this very personal. Los sat patiently waiting for Green to give an answer to the questions that had been eating Los since Lucky told him about her father. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around how Green could do such a thing.

  Green hung his head in shame, when he looked back up his green eyes were misty with regret written on his face. “I’ve been sick for a long time, sick in the head cause these drugs. They make me somebody else; make me do thangs I ain’t proud of. It’s the drugs. I swear by it if I ain’t never get on these here drugs I would’ve been a better father, better man.” Carlos wasn’t moved; there was one thing he knew about crackheads they had the gift of gab; they could talk their way out of just about anything.

  “C’mon that’s bullshit you and I both know you weren’t on drugs or drinkin when you tried to rape Lucky the day of her graduation.” Shock and surprise showed all over Green’s face. He had never thought he would be faced with what he’d done to Lucky. He thought for sure his secret was safe, especially when Kevin had never confronted him with anything before he passed away. “What you thought you fucked her up bad enough that she would never love someone enough to tell her secrets to? Nah she told and she told all.” Los got up from the edge of his desk and walked behind it. He pulled open a drawer to retrieve a thick pair of black leather gloves that pulled all the way up to his elbow. “She told me when her mother was sick with cancer begging you to stay overnight in the hospital with her you never would. Nah, you couldn’t waste one minute of going home to violate ya daughter. She also told me how you used to tell her when she was ready and old enough you was gonna be her first. That Daddy was gonna pop her cherry, remember that? C’mon nigga I know you remember telling her that,” Los pressed with a smile. Green looked away from Los with a mortified expression on his face. For once in his life he was feeling ashamed of his actions. “Guess what? I popped that cherry and let me tell you nigga it was good. She was so wet and tight she bled all on my dick, I even made her call me Daddy too,” Los taunted. Green looked at Los as if he could murder him. The anger in his eyes wasn’t of a loving father and that tickled Carlos who laughed in his face. “On some real shit though, what I really wanna see is this dick that was so special you couldn’t even stay in the hospital wit your dying wife, you had to go home and have it sucked by your 5 year old. Go head don’t be shy I wanna see it.” Green began to shake, “Plea…” Green began to plead. “Nah, nah, miss me wit that bullshit. Go head whip it out. I mean you used to all them other times right? It was imperative that you got ya knob slobbed right? So I wanna see what’s so special about it.” Green trembled unfastening his pants before pulling out his semi limp member. “That’s it?” Los asked as if he were expecting more than to see a sick looking dick.

  It happened so fast no one actually saw it, only the quick flicker of light from the blade of the G.I. Joe looking army knife that Los pulled from his pocket. Green let out a blood curdling scream. Grabbing at his crotch but feeling absolutely nothing but blood gushing. “Aaargh!” Green screamed. “Here suck on ya own dick you sick bitch,” Los gritted, stuffing Green’s severed member into his own mouth muffling his screams. Los brought the knife back plunging it deep into Green’s chest, face and neck over and over again until he got tired of stabbing. Everyone in the room looked on in slight fright seeing that Los had lost it for real. Los grabbed Green’s head back slicing him from ear to ear finishing his kill.

  “Jah, Real take this fuckin garbage out. Do the clean up, y’all know what it is. Make sure y’all leave this piece of shit where he can be found so Lucky never has to wonder what happened to him. I’m going home,” Los said sounding exhausted and winded. He slipped the knife back into his pocket and walked to the door in a daze. Everyone in the room stood there motionless, paralyzed physically from what just took place. They were all used to busting their guns but this shit right here was on another level.

  Jah snapped out of it and ran off to the bathroom to start the clean up to get rid of any and all traces of DNA that could’ve transfer
red during the stabbing. He came back with commercial industrial bleach and poured it all over Green’s body. Real hopped right in pushing the lifeless body to the floor and grabbing the thick tarp that was strategically placed under the chair Green was sitting in, and began to roll him up in it. Everyone knew the drill they had been getting rid of bodies for so long without any mishaps it became second nature. It was only going to take them a little bit of time to have the office looking as if nothing had ever taken place there. Nice looked over at Los and could see how much of a toll this whole incident had taken on him. “Go head, go home Baby Boy I got this,” Nice assured. With that Los was out. He knew for sure Nice would make sure everything was on the up and up.

  Los honestly didn’t know how he got home. Everything seemed to be in a blur for him. This wasn’t his first kill, no. He had caught a few bodies; it came with the territory of living the life he lived. It was kill or be killed, survival of the fittest. This game was cold; when beef broke out hell yeah Los had to cock back and let his hammer bang at times. Busting your gun and catching a body on some beef shit was one thing but this right here was an entirely different beast. This right here was personal, he had never killed over love before and the feeling he got after this kill was totally different than any other. Los couldn’t ignore the adrenaline rush and uncontrollable sting he got from it at the time. Now afterwards he was emotionally and physically drained. He was in such a daze from the incident he didn’t even bother to change his clothing before driving home. Damn what the fuck was I thinkin I coulda been pulled over by the boys. Stressing about the stupid move he made didn’t make any sense now, he was home and as he stood over the bed looking down at a sleeping Lucky he couldn’t help but wonder if she would still love him the same if she ever found out about what he’d done to her father? There wasn’t much time to dwell on the situation as exhaustion and sleep deprivation took over his body. Los hadn’t been able to get a good sleep since the night Lucky confided in him about the abuse she endured. That shit literally woke him up out of his sleep some nights reaching over to hold her closer. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing that the man that hurt Lucky so deeply was still out there walking around like shit was sweet. Now that Green was taken care of Los knew for sure that tonight he would have a damn good sleep. He stripped down completely naked, leaving his clothing by the bed then climbed in bed spooning Lucky holding her close. He felt Lucky pushing her backside closer to him getting in her rightful spot where they both fell off into a deep sleep.