Street Dreams

by K'wan

  “That's serious.”

  “No more serious than you and Trinity.”

  “Nah,” Rio said, sitting beside her. “It ain’t the same thing. I think Trinity and me are a done deal.”

  “Nonsense, Rio. You love that girl. You can act tough for your friends, but you can’t fool your mother. I see love all in your eyes. Even when you say her name, I see it.”

  “I love Trinity, Ma, but I can’t be weak.”

  “How does loving a woman make you weak? You young people have some ass backwards views on life. A man can’t be truly complete without a woman and vice versa. If that wasn’t true, then God wouldn’t have made it so it takes one of each to create a life.”

  “Ma, that's all well and good, but I can’t allow my head to be all screwy thinking about some chick. I gotta be focused.”

  “Focused for what?” she asked, getting serious. “Rio, it doesn’t take a whole lot of focus to sling poison.”

  “Ma… “

  “Rio,” she said, cutting him off. “Don’t try to lie about it, okay? I know what you’re doing out there. I don’t like it, but you’re grown. Ain’t much I can do to sway you.”

  “Ma, I know what I’m doing.”

  “Your father knew what he was doing, too, but what did that get him? Rio, you two are so much alike that it makes my head hurt. Your father could’ve been somebody big if he focused his energy the right way. When I look at you, I can’t help but to see the same thing. You’re so talented, but you have a poor sense of judgment. All of that talent going to waste.”

  “Come on, Ma. I don’t wanna talk about this with you right now.”

  “Why not? We’re just two grown folks shooting the breeze. Listen, it's your life, Rio. I raised you to manhood and now it's out of my hands. All I ask is that you use your head. If you wanna run the streets and be like Prince, knock yourself out. But don’t be stupid about it. Instead of tricking all of your money off on weed and fight tickets, put something up for a rainy day. You think when we were coming up that Prince was running around buying jewelry and cars? Hell no. Prince was stacking his money and look at him now.”

  “Yeah,” Rio said, lighting a cigarette. “Prince is caked up.”

  “Because Prince is smart. Don’t be a fool like the rest of them, Darius. Take your money and do something smart with it. Why don’t you and Trinity move out of the projects?”

  “I don’t know about that, Ma. Douglass is all I know.”

  “Then learn something else. Rio, a wise man never shits where he lives. Listen to your mother. Take that money and do something smart with it.” Sally took the lit cigarette and strolled out of the room. All the while humming her tune.

  Another day, the same hustle. For the last few days Rio had avoided all contact with Trinity. He wouldn’t take her calls and when he saw her on the block he ducked her. It hurt him to do her like that, but he felt it was necessary. Trinity had played him and that shit hurt worst. The funny thing is, he didn’t know whether he was ducking her because of what happened at the club or because of the bullshit he let Joyce pull. Either way it wasn’t a good time to see his boo.

  The upside was by him not being around Trinity he had more time to focus on the hustle. Rio attacked the streets with a vengeance. His mind was on scratch twenty-four/seven. His mood showed in the way he began to conduct his business. The happy-go-lucky nigga everyone had known him to be was gone. In his place was a pure hustler. Everything had to go as it was supposed to or Rio was barking about it. If your pack came up short, you put it back out of your pocket. If a nigga ran off with a pack, whoever was on shift at the time would have to work off the debt. That's just how it was.

  Rio and Cutty were in back of the center, bullshitting the afternoon away. Rio was tossing a softball while Cutty swung his bat in vain. They were just trying to pass the time. Their little game was broken up when a young worker named Mouse came running down the steps. Mouse was so out of breath that his words were incoherent.

  “Calm down,” Rio said, grabbing the boy by his shoulders. “Take your time and tell me what went down.”

  After taking a moment to get himself together, Mouse was finally able to tell the tale. “Stick-up kids,” he gasped.

  “What?” Rio asked. “What you talking bout?”

  “They came through and got us, man.”

  “Mouse, how this shit happen?”

  “It was me, Nate, and Petey on shift. Petey was the lookout, Nate had the work, and I was on the money. Then — “

  “Mouse,” Rio cut him off. “I know who was responsible for what. I handed out the assignments. Now get to the damn point.”

  “Okay, like I was saying. We was out there clicking, like we always do. I went upstairs, getting another pack because we had run out of product. Well, while I’m heading into the staircase I hear Nate's voice in the elevator. I know something is funny because the boy is supposed to be in the front waiting on me. I lay in the cut to see what's going on. Nate steps off the elevator looking all shaky and shit. At first I think he's alone, but then I see two niggaz step off behind him holding guns. Right then and there I blow it and come get y’all.”

  “Hold on, hold on,” Cutty said. “You mean to say that you been down here running ya yap, while some ma fuckas is up there robbing our spot?” Cutty cocked his hand back to slap Mouse, but Rio stopped him.

  “Hold on, player,” Rio said. “How long ago was this?”

  “A few seconds,” said Mouse timidly.

  “A’ight. Cutty, you strapped?”

  “Ma-fucking-right.”

  “Mouse, would you know them niggaz if you saw them again?”

  “Yeah. They wasn’t wearing masks.”

  “Come on,” Rio said. He jogged up the few stairs leading to the path, but didn’t expose himself. He just sat in the cut and watched the building. Most niggaz would’ve run up in the building blasting, but Rio was too smart for that. He had a plan for this just like every other situation.

  After about five minutes or so, they spotted the cats they were looking for. Mouse pointed out two suspect-looking cats coming out of the building carrying book bags. Rio turned to say something to Cutty and noticed an odd look on his friend's face. It wasn’t a look of fear, more like shock.

  “What up, Cutty?” Rio asked. “You know them niggaz or something?”

  “Yeah,” Cutty grunted. “I used to know em. Now, they just dead men.” Cutty moved toward them, but Rio stopped him. “Fuck is you waiting for, Rio?”

  “Hold ya head, kid. We gonna handle it, but not like this. Mouse,” Rio said, turning to the youngster, “go upstairs and check on Nate. Once you make sure that he's okay, you go find that nigga Petey. Keep them both here until we get back.” Mouse ran off to carry out his boss's orders. “A’ight, Cutty. Let's handle our business.”

  Rio led Cutty through the path to the parking lot. They made sure they didn’t move too fast because they didn’t want to get out in front of the would-be stick-up kids. By the time they reached the lot, the stick-up kids were coming down the steps. They were looking around all paranoid as if the boogie man were going to jump out and snatch them.

  It was obvious that they were afraid. Didn’t count for much though. They should’ve thought about fear before they tried to rob Rio.

  “There they go,” Rio said, ducking behind a car. “How well do you know these kids, Cutty?”

  “I know em good enough.”

  “A’ight, this is what we gonna do. You get them niggaz attention. I’m gonna creep further down and come up through the grass in front of 845.”

  “What we gonna do, Rio?”

  “Get our shit back. Quietly if possible.”

  “And if not?” Rio didn’t even have to answer. He just looked at Cutty and crept off. Cutty knew just what was about to go down. Kev and Boo didn’t understand reasoning. They were the kinda niggaz to shoot first and negotiate later. He had always been cool with the youths, but this situation was different. They had
disrespected his man and indirectly stole from him. If Rio didn’t eat, then neither did Cutty. When it came to his paper all that cool shit went out the window. Kev and Boo had to go.

  When the two robbers were almost to the area where Rio was hiding, Cutty made his presence known. “Yo,” Cutty said, waving. “What's good, fellas?”

  Boo and Kev both jumped at the sound of Cutty's voice. He was the last person they wanted to see after pulling off their heist. Even though he worked with Rio, they hadn’t stolen from outta Cutty's pocket. It was unlikely that he had found out about it so soon, but if he did then he wasn’t there to talk. Their best chance was to play it off.

  “What's good, fam?” Kev asked, showing his teeth. “What you doing over this way?”

  “Chilling. Trying to find somebody with some weed. Where y’all headed?”

  “Bout to go see these chicks. Supposed to take em to the telly.” The three of them stood around making small talk as if everything was cool. Cutty didn’t seem like anything was wrong, so they figured that they might make it out of the situation yet. That is until Boo spotted Rio hopping the fence.

  At that moment all hell broke loose. Boo was the first to react. With his free hand he pulled the 9mm from under his jacket. Cutty was the closest, so he was the most immediate threat. Boo tried to draw on him, but Kev was in the way. He spun around and let off two wild shots in Rio's direction. They missed their target, but provided Boo with the time he needed to make a run for it. By the time Kev realized what was going on, Cutty had a stranglehold on his neck.

  “You li’l dumb ass,” Cutty snapped. “Thought you was gonna steal from me and get away with it. You’re stupid Kev. Real fucking stupid.” Kev tried to struggle, but the shorter Cutty had strength and leverage over him. Somehow he managed to free his pistol and bashed Cutty in his head. While Cutty tried to get his focus back, Kev did the hundred-yard dash. Didn’t really matter though. Cutty's desert eagle closed the distance with little effort. The first shot hit Kev in the side, while the other one split his skull. Cutty ran up on Kev and put one more in his back. One down.

  Rio stood by the fence, watching the carnage unfold around him. When he set Cutty loose he never intended for this to happen. Too late to worry about it now. The damage was done and all Rio could do now was see it through. No matter what the outcome.

  “Rio,” Cutty barked. “Get his man. The nigga trying to run.”

  Rio snapped out of his daze just in time to see Boo running across the street. Willing all of his strength to his legs, he took off after him. Boo had a good head start, but fear added to Rio's speed. He knew that if Boo got away, either one of two things was going to happen. Boo would go to the police, and Rio would be tried as an accessory to murder. Or Boo would come back seeking revenge. Either way it wasn’t good for business. There was only one thing that Rio could do.

  Rio slowed to a trot and aimed his .45. His nerves were so jacked up that his hand kept shaking. Using his left hand to steady his right one, Rio aimed and fired. The cannon thundered to life and spit out two shots. The first one went wild, but the second one splattered Boo's calf muscle. People were running every which way, but Rio didn’t pay them any mind. His main focus was to make sure that the stick-up kid couldn’t come back.

  Boo was on the floor, squirming in pain. Rio jogged up to where he had downed him and flipped him over on his back. As Boo looked up at Rio, a light of recognition went off in each of their eyes. Rio knew the kid from somewhere, but he couldn’t remember where.

  “Fuck you looking at?” Boo asked. “I see ya aim still ain’t got no better, pussy. Yeah, I remember you from the last time. First my shoulder, now my leg. When you gonna get it right?”

  At first Rio didn’t understand what the kid was talking about, but then it hit him. This was one of the cats that Shamel was beefing with. The same cat that he had popped. Funny how the world is so small. People's paths always seem to cross at the most inopportune moments.

  Cutty came running across the street, holding Kev's bag. “Rio,” he said frantically. “Fuck is you doing? We gotta get outta here, now!”

  “Youz a pussy.” Boo smirked. “These ma fuckas running round acting like you God or something. You ain’t shit, nigga. Nothing but a pussy.”

  Cutty leveled his gun, but Rio waved him off. “Fuck him, Cutty. We outta here.” Cutty didn’t like it, but Rio was the boss. So he followed.

  “That's right,” Boo continued. “You get the fuck outta here, pussies. Both you niggaz. Hey Rio, you better grow eyes in the back of ya head, nigga. I’m gonna kill you, pussy. If I see you again, it's on. Fuck you and ya team. You a dead man. Dead ma fucka! When I get done with you, I’m gonna get a piece of that fine bitch you run with.” This made Rio stop walking. “Yeah, I know ya bitch, nigga. That fine yellow hoe from 845. Yep, gonna get me some of that.”

  The anger that welled inside of Rio was indescribable. Everything that was wrong with his life danced in his head. His problems at home, the situation with Trinity. It all came to a boil. Rio stood over the fallen man and felt tears forming in his eyes.

  “Aww,” Boo taunted. “You gonna cry, pussy? Go ahead, nigga. Let it out. Say Cutty, you better find yourself a new employer. This boy ain’t built for the streets. Man, if I was you—” That was as far as Boo got. Rio's finger worked of its own accord and squeezed the trigger. Once, twice, three times. Boo wasn’t talking junk anymore. He was too busy leaking all over the playground.

  Trinity sat at her kitchen table, trying to study for her upcoming GED test. She tried to focus on math, but her mind kept wondering. It was hard to think about school when so much in her life was going wrong. She had to worry about what was going to happen to her family when she met with the people from BCW and on top of that, things between her and Rio were going downhill.

  It had been almost four days since she had last spoken to him. It was the longest they had ever gone without speaking since they had hooked up. Too long for her. At first she thought he was just being childish, but as she thought about it, she realized that she was the one in the wrong. Rio wasn’t a regular dude leading a regular life. He was a hustler. It was bad enough that people were always kicking shit on his name, because they felt like he didn’t earn his position. Trinity in all her foolishness didn’t help at all. She was supposed to be totally loyal to her man and in his corner at all times. Not popping bottles with the competition. She made Rio look weak by doing that.

  Trinity wanted to continue feeling sorry for herself, but Billy had just come in the house. She watched her little brother as he guzzled Kool-Aid out of the pitcher and wondered what she was going to do. Billy always tried to be the strong little man and hold it together, but she knew he was really scared. He was only a child and being made to endure so much. All she could do was put it in God's hands and hope for the best.

  “Sup, T?” Billy asked, sitting down at the other end of the table.

  “Hey Billy.” She smiled, trying not to look worried. “You just getting home from school?”

  “Nah, me and some of the fellas went window-shopping downtown.”

  “You got homework?”

  “A little.”

  “Don’t you think you’d better get to it?”

  “I am, T. I just got in. Listen to you sounding like Ma.”

  “Oh, please, boy. I’m just making sure you fly straight.”

  “I got this, Trinity.”

  “Actions speak louder than words, Billy.”

  “I said I’m gonna do it, Trinity.”

  “Well, maybe you shoulda did it before you went window-shopping? Bullshitting around with ya friends ain’t gonna get you into college. You gotta get ya shit together.”

  “Trinity, you’re acting like I’m Richard. I ain’t running around trying to smoke my life away. That ain’t my thing. Why are you so irritable lately?”

  “My bad,” she said, closing her book. “I just got a lot on me. This GED is kicking my ass, I gotta find another job. It's a
rough on me, Billy.”

  “I know, Trinity. This stuff is all gonna work itself out.”

  “I hope so, Billy. I hope so.”

  “Oh, that reminds me. I just saw Rio.”

  “Really,” Trinity said, perking up. “Where?”

  “In the parking lot.”

  “What was he doing back there?”

  “I dunno. Him and Cutty were stooping behind a car looking at something.”

  “I wonder what the fuck he was doing back there?” Trinity's question was answered by the sound of gunfire.

  19

  Agroup of boys gathered around in back of the center shooting cee-lo. You could always tell when the weather was about to break, because the gamblers would come out. Don’t get it wrong, the bug floated all year around. But the action got heavier when it was nice out. Around a certain time every year the whole city would catch the fever. Gambling fever. In spots, buildings, people's houses. Everyone wanted to gamble. The most popular means of testing lady fate were through dice. Be it with three dice or two, you could always hear them shakers. Dice was where it was, so it was a dice game that Shamel stumbled upon.

  “Eight hundred dollars in it,” the skinny roller with the gold caps said. “Everything is good if you got money in it.” The skinny roller shook the dice in his bony mitt, looking for challengers.

  “Stick it!” shouted a kid holding a Heineken.

  “Eight to the big man,” The skinny roller said, as he went into his mojo. He flicked the dice underhanded, making them dance about like three ballerinas. The trio of dancers twirled about for what seemed like a lifetime. Finally they ended their show and 2-2-6 were the numbers they read. “Head crack, kid. Pay me.” Heineken shot the skinny roller a mean look, but reluctantly came out of his pocket. “Sixteen hundred in the bank,” boasted the skinny roller.

  “Stop that!” Shamel barked, stepping into the circle.

  “All money is good,” the skinny roller assured, without taking his eyes off the ground. “I ain’t got no problem taking ya paper. Matter of fact… “ When the skinny roller looked up and saw who was addressing him, a die popped out of his hand. “Shamel? Oh, no bet to you, God.”