by Chunichi
“Where?”
“In the stomach and exiting out your back,” Jewel said, confirming exactly what I’d suspected.
“So, how bad is it?”
I watched Jewel’s expression change after I asked that question. That was a sure sign a nigga was fucked up.
Jewel came with some bullshit answer. “Baby, don’t worry about all that. You’re alive, that’s all that matters.”
“Yo, this me you talking to, Jewel. Don’t give a nigga the runaround. What’s the deal? Am I paralyzed or something?”
“No, you’re not, but you’re gonna have to go through extensive rehab to learn to walk again.” Jewel dropped her head and began to cry.
There was nothing I could say. So many emotions were hitting me at one time. I was so fucking vex that I let this nigga Calico take so much from me. I was hurt that Jewel had to see me go through this. I felt like shit because, at the time, a nigga was like a fucking baby. Somebody had to feed me, bathe me, change me, and I even had to learn to walk again. What good was I? I didn’t know if you could even consider somebody in that state as a man.
“I’m gonna kill Calico,” I said, pure hate in my heart and eyes.
Jewel tried her best to divert my anger to positive energy. “Baby, please don’t talk like that. Don’t even focus on him. Put your energy into your health. We just need to get you better.”
“Matter of fact, why are you even here? I can’t do shit for you. If I can’t walk or even feed myself, I definitely can’t fuck you. Plus, we both know how you love money. If I can’t grind, the money will be gone soon, which means you’ll be out looking for the next cat. Ain’t no point in waiting. Just leave now. You ain’t gotta stick around because you feel sorry for me, or because you feel like it’s the right thing to do. Haul ass!”
“Touch, why are you acting like that? I’ve been here by your side every day and night for an entire week while you lay here unconscious. I love you and I’m not giving up on you, no matter what!” Jewel cried.
“Did you not hear me? Get the fuck out, Jewel!” I then began to yell for the nurse. “Nurse!”
The nurse rushed in. “Yes, Mr. Davis?”
“Could you have her leave?”
“Mr. Davis, she’s been here by your side every day and night.”
“So what? Are you gonna make her leave, or do I need to call security?”
Misty hesitated before speaking. “I’m sorry, Jewel. I have to respect his wishes,” she said reluctantly. “I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
“Misty, I’m not going anywhere. He’s just upset right now. This is a lot for him to handle.”
“Jewel, if he calls security, you won’t ever be able to re-enter the facility.”
With tears in her eyes and hurt written all over her face, Jewel gathered her things and headed toward the door. “I love you, Touch, and I refuse to give up on you, even if you give up on yourself. I’m standing by your side, no matter what.” Her words were followed by the sound of the door closing behind her.
The next few weeks were filled with intense rehabilitation and constant questioning by detectives. At times, I didn’t know if the DTs were trying to find my shooter or get up in my business. On the real, this one detective was making me feel like I was the fucking criminal instead of the victim. They kept asking if I knew my shooter.
Of course, I lied and said no. Shit like this had to be handled on the streets. There was no getting the cops involved. But they just weren’t happy when I told them I didn’t know my shooter. From there they tried to insinuate it was drug activity that provoked my shooter to come after me, like a drug deal gone bad or some shit. These niggas had to be crazy if they thought I would admit to something like that. Needless to say, after two or three of these bullshit interrogations, all contact was off when it came to the police.
Jewel and I had made up. She didn’t give up on me. I swear, if she hadn’t done just like she promised and stayed by my side the entire way, I would have fucking lost it. In fact, she showed me more love than I’d ever expected. She’d shown me so much that I knew I had to give her all of me. I had to give her a part of me that no other woman ever had. There were times when I felt like shit, less than a fucking man, and I took that frustration out on her, but no matter what, she still was there encouraging me. She was at my bedside each day, feeding me at mealtime. Although she had no proper training, she would beat the nurses to giving me a bath and assisting me to the bathroom. I always knew Jewel was that down-ass bitch, but now I felt like I owed her big time.
Chapter 6
“Here Comes the Bride”
Jewel
“Come on, baby.” I helped Touch out of bed and into a standing position so that he could use his walker.
He had made a lot of progress over the past few weeks. He’d gone from being totally dependent to walking, bathing, eating, dressing, and basically doing everything on his own. Although Touch was recovering, I still had a deep hatred for Calico, and I wasn’t going to be happy until he paid for his deed.
Touch’s mother walked through the front door.
“Hey, Ma!” I said.
Touch’s mother would come over periodically to give me a break. That gave me an opportunity to do any errands I may have. I refused to leave Touch alone until I was sure he could bust a nigga ass if he had to. Until then he would never be alone. I’d purchased extra guns and placed them throughout the house for added protection. I’d even gone as far as to teach his mom how to shoot. This nigga Calico had just tried to take Touch’s life, and there was no way I was gonna take a chance of him coming back to finish the job.
“Okay, baby, I’ll be right back.” I kissed Touch and then headed toward the front door prepared to set the alarm on my way out. Although we lived in a prominent high-end neighborhood, crime had no address, so I needed to protect my man at all costs.
“Wait!” Touch called out as though he was in pain.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I said in a panic.
“Come sit next to me.” Touch patted on a stool at the breakfast bar next to him. “I wanted to wait ’til my mom was here before I did this.”
Confused, I slowly walked toward him and sat on the stool as he requested. I watched as he struggled to dig an item from out of his pocket. I immediately reached out to assist him.
“No, baby,” he said, resisting. “I got it.” He then finally pulled out a small box. “This isn’t the way I dreamed of doing things, but this can’t wait any longer. You’ve shown me love that no other woman, other than my mother, has ever shown me. We’ve shared good and bad times, and between it all, you stood your ground as my ride-or-die chick. Jewel, I love you, baby, and I can never repay you for your loyalty, but I can give you all of me for the rest of my life. If you would accept, I would love for you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
My eyes filled with water, and it felt like someone was literally tugging at my heart. “Yes, baby. Of course, I will be your wife.”
We kissed each other passionately.
My ring was beautiful. Touch had outdone himself. As soon as I’d seen the name Harry Winston, I knew there was no way I could be disappointed. He was a celebrity jeweler, so I knew Touch couldn’t go wrong with him. I opened the box to see a 14-karat white gold princess and baguette matching ring and band set with a total weight of eight carats. I immediately placed the ring on my finger and admired it, leaving the band in the box for our actual wedding day.
“Well, it looks like I’m finally getting my wish,” Touch’s mom said. She’d always wanted me as a daughter-in-law.
Way back when Touch and I were truly platonic friends, I could remember his mother constantly saying, “Boy, I sure wish you were my daughter-in-law.”
“Now get out of here and go do your wifely duties. Get me some groceries, woman!” Touch said in a playful tone.
I grabbed my Gucci bag and headed out the door and made my way to Wal-Mart. Like always, the Wal-Mart parking lot wa
s full, and the store was busy like a damn nightclub. I breezed my way through the aisles of the store, picking up items and checking them off my grocery list.
“Yo, Jewel,” someone called out to me.
I turned around to see one of Calico’s boys that went by the name Poppo standing before me. I unzipped my purse that sat in the child seat of the shopping cart. I wanted easy access to my gun in case I needed to shoot this nigga.
“Yeah?” I responded with an attitude. I didn’t know what type of shit he was on, and I didn’t want to make the mistake of showing fear.
“What’s good with you, baby girl? Still looking good, I see.”
I could tell by his body language and his words that he wasn’t on no beef shit. In the past, he had tried to get with me, but since Touch had gotten shot, I didn’t know what to expect or who could be trusted.
“Whatever, nigga.” I blew him off then continued to look for Touch’s favorite cereal, Fruity Pebbles.
“Why you keep blowing me off? I been trying to holla at you for a minute now.”
I was just about to diss the hell out of this nigga, but then it hit me. Poppo was obviously one of those niggas that was weak for pussy. He had been trying to get with me since I was dating Calico. Every time Calico would send him to pick up some shit from me or to deliver me some money or anything, he would always make a pass at me. One time he even grabbed my ass. I figured, if he would stab his boy in the back during that time, why not do it now? Literally, that is. Plus, I knew firsthand how Calico treated his boys. He treated them like shit. I knew I could easily get in Poppo’s head, so I executed.
“Yeah, you have, Poppo, but I’m a boss bitch, and I need a boss by my side. I can’t have no nigga that’s being bitched out every day by some other nigga that thinks he’s the boss.”
“Man, fuck that nigga! I’m trying to do a little something on my own, so I can break off from that nigga now. He be trying to play niggas for a little bitch, and I’m getting tired of that shit.”
Poppo’s simple ass played right into my little game when he said exactly what I wanted to hear.
“So you think all you need is a little drug connect to get away from Calico? Hell, if that’s all it takes, I can put you on to a connect, but Calico will kill your ass if he knew you was trying to do your own thing. That shit makes you his competition.”
“Man, I’ll deal with Calico.”
Poppo’s words were music to my ears.
“Okay, look . . . this is the deal. You know Touch is fucked up, so he ain’t even fucking with the drug game right now. So I’m gonna need a new boss by my side. If you can get rid of Calico to assure we won’t have problems, I will put you on to my connect, and me and you can build a new empire of our own.”
“Done deal. Say no more. How can I reach you?”
Poppo’s weak ass had fallen right into my trap. Just like the average nigga, he was weak for pussy. I knew I could tell him anything and have him eating out of the palm of my hand. Sure, I made him feel like he was the man and I was gonna be by his side, but it was only to get what I wanted, which was Calico out of the way and my man safe. What better way to have Calico killed than to have his own boy do it?
Poppo and I exchanged phone numbers, and I finished up my grocery shopping excited as a kid on Christmas.
Chapter 7
“Indecent Proposal”
Poppo
“Damn right!” I said to no one in particular as I walked back to my car in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart shopping center.
Running into Jewel was a coincidence, but the offer she made had to be a sign that it was time to break away from Calico. But, still, I had to wonder if this bitch was for real. I must admit, her offer did seem too good to be true. Was this bitch trying to set me up? After all, my man did just try to kill her nigga. Maybe, once I get Calico out the way, I would be her next man. All kinds of shit was running through my head, but fuck it! I needed the come-up. It was whatever.
Once I got to the crib, I couldn’t get that shit off my mind. This would be the perfect fucking come-up. I could be on top, and I knew that’s all I needed to get Jewel. I’d wanted that ass for a long time and it looked like my time was finally coming. I stayed up late watching episodes of The First 48 and eating pizza and drinking Heineken, which eventually got a nigga tired as hell. I slowly began to doze off to sleep.
“Poppo, I’m going to ask you this, one time,” Jewel stated as she handed me a glass of Nuvo.
She was dressed in a red wife-beater and torn, tight-ass jeans that looked to have been painted on her. And, gotdamn, that ass was phat! We definitely weren’t at my place or hers. Instead, it looked as if we were in one of those uppity expensive hotels like the Westin or Loews or something. The room was huge.
I lifted my head from the king-size bed to see pink roses scattered all over the carpet. A Jacuzzi was to the right of me. A tray of all kinds of cheeses, meats and fruits were to the left of me on a table. Yeah, I could get used to this kind of lifestyle. Jewel was definitely high-class and high-maintenance, but a nigga wasn’t complaining. I was confident I could keep up with her and supply all of her wants and needs.
“Thank you,” I responded as I took the glass from her and took a gulp of the sparkling pink wine.
“Did you have anything to do with Calico’s death?” she inquired. “That nigga was found with a rat in his mouth, and his eyes were cut out. Everyone is in disbelief.”
“Don’t worry about it. Now that he’s out of the way, I will take the throne and have you right by my side as my queen.” I rubbed her cheek with my hand.
I thought back to the funeral that I’d gone to just to be nosy, and so that I didn’t look suspect. Dressed in all black and my Dolce & Gabbana shades, I was playing the part to the hilt. Calico had plenty of people from near and far there to see him off. His mother, baby mamas, and thousands of “side-bitches” were all trying to hang on to the casket as the funeral groundskeepers lowered it into the ground. He had so many bitches there, for a minute I thought a fight was gonna break out.
“Like I said, Calico is gone. It’s time for us to get on with our lives,” I told her.
“Let’s make a toast,” Jewel suggested.
“To making money, happiness, and prosperity,” I said, touching glasses with her.
“Well, I’ll drink to that!” Jewel grinned then took a sip from her glass.
After she took several sips of her drink, she slowly took off her clothes, revealing a black lace teddy. She turned on the DVD player, and the song “12 Play” by R. Kelly came on. I had no idea how she knew this was one of my favorite songs. When she started dancing around and popping her ass in my face, my dick instantly got hard. One by one, she took off each piece of lingerie.
“You hungry?” she asked.
“A little.”
Jewel began feeding me a little meat, cheese, and strawberries dipped in white chocolate.
“Now, I’m very hungry,” she said before placing watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon all over my body.
Afterwards, she started eating it off me. I’d never had any girl do this shit to me. Before I knew it, she began licking my balls and deep-throating my dick. I closed my eyes. I couldn’t help it and came right in her mouth. And she gladly swallowed.
“Damn!” I woke up with my dick covered in cum.
That was one of the best dreams I ever had. I took that as a sure sign that Jewel was going to be mine for good.
Chapter 8
“Snitch Bitch”
Sasha
“Free at last, free at last! Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!” I loudly recited the famous words of Martin Luther King, Jr. as I exited the confines of Virginia Beach jail.
After spending three days there, a bitch was happy to finally get out. When I was originally booked on the lesser assault charge after speaking with the detectives, I went to speak to the magistrate about a bond. That bitch nigga denied me bond, claiming that I was a flight r
isk, since I lived out of state, so I had to wait to get a bond hearing. When I went before the judge, he granted me a $10,000 bond. I got in touch with a bondsman, and he let me out for a thousand dollars.
I waited patiently for my cab to arrive and literally jumped for joy when I saw him pull up.
“Yippee!” I skipped to the cab like a little kid and hopped in the backseat. “The Doubletree Hotel at Military Circle Mall in Norfolk.” I directed him to the hotel I’d stayed at during my arrest. I needed to return there to pick up my car.
As soon as the cabby pulled up to the hotel, I paid him, hopped into my car, and made my way to the interstate, headed back to Columbus, Georgia to my parents’ crib to pick up my kids. I’d gotten my own little crib in Atlanta, but I rarely spent any time there.
As I was driving, the scene from New Year’s Eve kept playing over and over in my head. The two things most disturbing to me were, one, I’d witnessed Touch getting shot by Calico, and two, I was so damn close to death myself. I knew in my heart that Calico would not have hesitated to put a bullet in me just as fast if he knew I was that chick that robbed him of his money. With that in mind, I began to reflect back on the agreement I’d made with Detective Tarver. What the fuck have I done? I wondered to myself, realizing I had made a big mistake. I’ve just given myself a death sentence. Calico is gonna fucking kill me. I’m never gonna make it to court.
My brain started racing, and my nerves were starting to get the better of me. If Calico found out I was an eyewitness, and planning to testify against him, he would make sure I didn’t have a breath left in my body, come the trial date. As paranoia set in, I began constantly looking in my side-view and rearview mirrors to see if someone was following me. I was beginning to feel like a fucking lunatic fleeing from the crazy house.
For a moment I could have sworn that a tinted-out black Tahoe was following me. I was so shook, my tank was on empty, but I refused to get gas. When I finally was forced, I circled the gas station two times to be sure no one was following me into the station. I pumped my gas and jumped back on the interstate in record-breaking time.
