“It’s time we take this shit to the next level.” Boss’s six-foot-five muscular frame stood up. His skin tone was identical to Aphtan’s and had that same high-yellow glow. His voice was deep and demanded respect. He wouldn’t be caught without a suit on or his hair freshly cut. His face was always neatly shaved, taking years off of his age. His motto was cleanliness was next to godliness. He was a laid-back type of man who was about business and business only.
“What do you mean?” Loon “Money” Dixon, Boss’s right-hand man, asked as he sat around the cherrywood table along with eight other workers.
“This right here.” Boss tossed a Ziploc bag full of white rocks in the center of the table.
“What the fuck is that?” Buggy, the man who took orders over the phone, asked as he picked up the bag and felt the crystal-like drug through the plastic.
“Our future.” Boss took a seat. “That shit right there is going to make us a fortune. No niggas in the south is pushing this shit. It’s more addictive than weed, and it cost way more.”
“What is it called?” Danny, the man responsible for the growing of the weed, asked as he ran his fingers through his perm-pressed hair.
“It’s called crack.” Boss looked back. From his expression, Aphtan was willing to bet her life he’d seen her shadow dancing on the hallway through the crack of the door. “Danny, since you make sure our Mary grows right, you gon’ be the nigga to get this right.”
“I got it.” Danny nodded.
“Money knows my plan and my goal. He’s going to explain that shit to y’all niggas while I go talk to my nosy ass baby girl.” Boss stood up. “Soak this shit up and take it in. I want y’all niggas to learn this before the week is up. Or I can find some other cats that will. We’re taking over the rest of the eighties with this one. All of the nineties will be ours.”
Aphtan ran to her apartment as fast as she could when she saw her father coming. Not wanting to hear his lecture, she hopped on the couch and cut the television on as if she had been there watching it for hours. Boss walked through the door and smiled at his baby girl’s attempt to pretend she was into the show that was blasting from the top-notch entertainment system.
“Baby girl.” Boss grabbed the remote and cut off the television. “What did Daddy say about being nosy while I’m handling business?”
“I don’t know, Daddy.” Aphtan batted her long eyelashes at him.
“Aphtan, you can’t listen to everything. Some things aren’t meant for your ears, baby girl.” Boss grabbed the white t-shirt on her person. “What the fuck happened to your shirt?” His nostrils started to flare.
“Calm down, killer.” Aphtan reached down and untied her shoes. “I was shooting dice with these niggas from the B building, and one of them didn’t want to pay up. So I decked him.”
“He hit you back?” Boss asked in a serious tone.
“Yeah, he started choking me, but this dude named Scooter came and handled it.”
“Good thing I told him to look after you, then.”
“So who is he, Daddy? Where is he from? Does he have a girlfriend?”
Boss smiled. “My baby girl has a crush?”
“Shut up, it’s not like that.” Aphtan crossed her arms into each other.
“It bet not be. That little nigga a good worker, but I’ll cut off his dick if he even thinks about some shit like that.”
Boss reached over and kissed Aphtan’s forehead as she chuckled at how overprotective he was. Her father was dead serious; she could tell from the stern look plastered all over his face. Boss got up as he adjusted his tie to go back to conduct the rest of his meeting.
“Daddy?” Aphtan stopped him in his tracks. “What were those rocks in that bag?”
“It’s a drug called crack, baby girl. It’s going to be the thing that gets you the fuck away from this place. This is going to change our lives, Aphtan. Before you know it, we’re going to be the fuck up out of here and in one of those rich neighborhoods with the stuck-up ass white folk.”
“What’s going to be the street name for it?”
“What do you mean?” Boss asked, in shock at the level of his daughter’s street smarts.
“Well, we call marijuana, weed, Mary Jane, ganja, and a whole bunch of other stuff. So, what is the name for this crack?”
“That’s a good question.” Boss walked back over to Aphtan and kneeled down to look her in her face. “They say the first man to sell marijuana named it Mary Jane because it was the woman who meant the most to him in his life. So, since I’m the first cat to sell it around these parts, I guess I’ll name it after the most precious thing to me.” He gazed into Aphtan’s eyes.
“What is that?” she asked.
“You, baby girl.” Boss smiled, exposing his pearly white teeth, which was a rare thing for him. “I guess we gon’ call it Aphtan. That shit gon’ spread fast, and it’s the perfect name for it.”
“I don’t know if I want my name to represent a drug, Daddy.”
“Think about it, baby girl.” Boss took some crack out of his pocket and held it in front of Aphtan’s eyes. “It’s dangerous, but it’s worth a lot. When it comes to drugs, it doesn’t get any finer than this. It’s the most addicting, so it’s going to always be in high demand.”
“I don’t get it, Daddy.” A puzzled look took over Aphtan’s face.
“I keep forgetting you just a baby.” Boss stood back up and walked toward the door. “Don’t worry, baby girl, you’ll understand one day.”
“That’s enough of that.” Simone, Aphtan’s mother, walked through the front door. “Don’t be teaching our baby girl about that shit.” She set down a slew of shopping bags on the couch.
An unearthly chill fell upon the room as she entered. All voices hushed and movement paused, as if time itself did not dare continue its incessant journey in the presence of such a creature.
She walked so gracefully that she appeared to float through the room, seemingly unaware of the effect her presence had on those around her as she sat on the couch and crossed her legs. Her perfect lips curved into a smile, but her rich chocolate cheeks showed no hint of color to support the gesture.
Boss’s mouth opened, but no words issued forth as she pinned him with a look from her coal-black eyes. She thanked him for being quiet and moved on, leaving him feeling simultaneously elated and disappointed. She had spared him a glance, albeit far too brief. Though she struck the fear of God into him, the feeling he would die for one more moment drowning in those bottomless pools of darkness remained long after her attention had dwindled.
Her beauty was both unnatural and breathtaking. A nightmare in motion, yet poetry personified, and no one could tear their eyes away from her. From the first moment anyone saw her, they were ensnared. They stood no hope of escape. She was the finest woman in the hood and every man wanted her, but she belonged to Boss.
“Whatever you say, Simone,” was his delayed reply.
Boss closed the door behind him, unaware of the can of worms he was about to open. The drug he was about to start distributing would be a blessing for them, but a curse all the same. The drug would be the biggest thing to sweep the streets of Dallas, Texas, ever.
CHAPTER 2
The sun beamed rays of gold onto the public pool that was located across the street from the projects. It burned like a perfect circle of melted butter in its blue sky dish. The breeze whistled through the turning leaves of the solid oak trees. A blue sparrow flew anxiously above the tops of the willows.
The smell of chlorine tickled Aphtan’s nose as the laughter from the other kids from the projects boomed throughout the gate separating the pool from the busy street. Aphtan fixed her bathing suit as she walked around the pool looking for a familiar face. When she saw no one she knew, she thought it was a bad idea to sneak out against her father’s will. Boss would never let her go to the pool by herself, if at all.
The brand new Jordans on her feet scuffed against the scorching concrete ground as sh
e approached the edge of the pool. She looked down at the rectangle with its edges smooth and rounded. It was filled with glittering water as clear as the sky, not murky anywhere.
Aphtan noticed how the bottom of the pool sloped gently, going far enough down that she couldn’t guess the depth. Some parts were tiled, and the tile glinted in the sun, making the water shimmer even more. Like a silvery blue sidewalk, it was straight and formal looking.
“Them Jordans nice,” a girl said from behind as Aphtan was about to jump in.
The sun dazzled in Aphtan’s eyes as she turned around to look at the girl who stood before her. Aphtan could tell the girl was around her age as she examined her outfit. She sneered up her nose at her and turned back around as if she’d never said anything at all.
“Fuck her ass.” The girl walked off. “Scooter’s fine ass and his crew coming in right now, anyway.”
Aphtan turned around as Scooter entered the gate to the public pool. Her heart sped up as his eyes met hers. He smiled at her, and she wondered if it was because she didn’t have on a baseball cap, because it was the first time he’d seen her without one. Although she was younger, her body told a different story. She was more developed than any girl her age.
Aphtan sat on the edge of the pool; the sun’s ray’s bathed her with her natural oils. Water from kids playing in the pool splashed on her as a shadow hovered over her. She knew it was Scooter. She could smell him, but still, she ignored him as she removed her socks and shoes.
“Does Boss know that you’re here?” Scooter asked.
“Yes.” Aphtan handed him her socks and shoes before diving into the pool.
“Stop lying.” Scooter bent down as her head came out of the water. “Man, if your pop knew that I saw you here and didn’t take you home, I’ll be in some shit.”
“I won’t tell him.” Aphtan leaned back on the water and started floating, pushing her curly hair out of her face.
“Get out,” Scooter ordered. “I can’t take that chance.”
“How about you get in?” She splashed him twice.
“Girl, this Tommy Hilfiger,” he protested as he wiped the little droplets of water off his shirt. “Get out, Aphtan.”
Aphtan obliged; as she held her hand out of the water for Scooter to help her get out of the pool. He leaned his hand down, his gold watch fighting with the sun’s oasis for the brightest light at that moment. Aphtan smiled as she grabbed his arm, and before he could mouth a word, she pulled him into the pool.
“Fuck, Aphtan!” Scooter exclaimed as he wiped the water out of his face.
Leaping downward through air, Aphtan immersed herself in the element that felt like soft velvet to her skin. She glided through the pool’s luxurious depths, trying to get away from Scooter’s reach as she laughed between strokes. Breath flowed through her body, giving her legs and arms the power to stroke and kick, as she watched Scooter swim after her.
The sun shone down on Aphtan’s face as she hopped out of the pool. She rushed up the underwater stairs as she felt her pursuer getting closer. She looked back as Scooter grabbed her, his body colliding with hers as the heat roaring from his body made the water on her skin evaporate.
“Apologize.” He squeezed her. “You ruined my watch, you menace ass little girl.”
“I’ll get you a new one.” Aphtan giggled between each word that she spoke.
“You’re ten.” Scooter released her. “You can’t buy me a piece of gum.”
“Scooter, who is this?” A girl approached them. Her eyes stuck on Aphtan’s while her nose flared and her hands rested on her hip bones.
“She is my boss’s kid.” Scooter stood in front of her, blocking the girl’s view of Aphtan. “Go home, Tiny. I’ll come through later.”
Tiny looked past Scooter, and if looks could kill, Aphtan knew she would have been dead. She winked at Aphtan as she kissed Scooter passionately for all to see, holding his waist. A look of frustration took over Aphtan’s face as Scooter held on to the small of Tiny’s back seductively while their bodies moved in unison.
“Is there a problem?” Tiny asked Aphtan after her lips released from Scooter’s lips.
“I was about to ask you the same question,” Aphtan responded as the pool grew quiet. All the kids from the projects looked on to see what would happen next. They were probably just hoping for a fight.
“Tiny, she’s ten,” Scooter interjected. “You’re fifteen. You don’t have shit to argue with her about.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” she said to Scooter as she got in Aphtan’s face. “This little bitch better recognize who the fuck I am. I’ll cut her fucking throat.”
“Don’t fuck up my paper,” Scooter warned her as he pulled her by her arm. “This is my boss’s kid, Tiny. You can’t trip on her like you do these other bitches.”
“You better count your blessings, little bitch,” she spoke menacingly to Aphtan as she looped her arm into Scooter’s.
“I’m not counting anything,” Aphtan called out as she started to walk behind them. “I don’t want Scooter, bitch. You can have that nigga.”
“Bitch?” Tiny balled her fist up and turned around. “I’m about to show you why you should have kept your mouth closed.”
Aphtan swallowed hard as her throat accepted the saliva going down it. She looked around at the crowd and knew that she would have to fight to prove herself. She wasn’t scared at all; she just didn’t know what she was fighting for. She looked at Scooter for answers, but the way he shook his head told her that the fight was inevitable.
“I don’t hit girls,” Scooter told Aphtan to let her know that he couldn’t save her from Tiny. “You better handle your business.”
“You.” Tiny’s voice dripped with hatred. She looked Aphtan in the eye with a stabbing glare.
The way Tiny raised her eyebrow and gave an amused grin of satisfaction let Aphtan know that she thought she had already won the fight. She took two very confident strides toward her enemy, not wasting energy or breath, and looked as fearless as anyone, but Aphtan remained unfazed. Suddenly bursting with an uncontrollable rage that couldn’t be calmed, Tiny hacked at her with her fist relentlessly, but Aphtan parried her every move, seeming to absorb every shock with a single hand.
Aphtan spun around after her fist glanced off Tiny’s cheek. Aphtan’s ring had drawn blood, and Tiny cursed, charging forward like a bull. They crashed against the pavement, scattering around as they went blow for blow. Tiny’s grunts filled the air as she punched wildly with both fists, only making contact once, while all of Aphtan’s blows landed upon her skin.
Aphtan managed to get on top of Tiny, and she pinned her arms down with her legs. She shook as her fist made a beat with the flesh of Tiny’s face. Blow after blow, she delivered as she watched the blood break loose from its normal place and onto the heated concrete ground.
“That’s enough, killer.” Scooter pulled Aphtan off of Tiny. “Go home.” He handed her shoes and socks to her. “You handled your business.”
Aphtan approached the gate to leave as the girl from earlier blocked her. She huffed in an annoyed manor as she tried to push through her. She bit her lip feeling as if she would have to fight again. She tossed her shoes on the ground and balled up her fist.
“Wait a minute.” The girl held her hands up, the blow pop in her mouth stuck inside the skin of her cheek. “I’m not trying to fight you.”
“What do you want?” Aphtan slowly released her hands from the tight balls and picked up her shoes.
“I’m trying to be down with you.” The girl took the blow pop out of her mouth and pointed it to herself. “I’m Jamila, but everyone calls me Mila.”
“Why me?” Aphtan left the pool and continued to walk. The heat rising from the concrete irritated her bare feet.
“Because Boss your daddy. I know you gon’ be the head bitch in charge one day.” Mila grabbed Aphtan’s shoulder for her to turn around. “I’m from where you from. I just want to be friends.”
; “How old are you?” Aphtan crossed the street with Mila tailing behind her.
“I’m ten.” Mila bit into the outer shell of the blow pop.
“I don’t do well with friends,” Aphtan said as they approached the entrance of their projects. “But I guess I can try.”
“I think we can be the best of friends,” Mila suggested as they walked through the projects side by side.
“Before we can be friends, we need to make sure we like the same things,” Aphtan said.
“Let’s ask each other some stuff, then,” Mila replied.
“I’ll ask something and we’ll answer it at the same time.” Aphtan sat on the front stoop of her apartment building after they made it there. “Then you can ask and we’ll both answer.”
“I’m down” Mila agreed and sat down next to her.
“What’s your favorite color?” Aphtan asked as she squinted her eyes at Mila.
“Purple,” they said at the same time.
“What’s your favorite candy?” Mila asked.
“Suckers,” they both answered in sync.
“What is your favorite shoe?” Aphtan leaned back on her hands.
“Jordans,” they said together.
“I guess we can be girls.” Aphtan made a fist and held it out for Mila to hit.
“I think we can.” Mila made a fist and hit Aphtan’s.
The girls sat on the stoop and talked as the sun’s beauty faded slowly and the light provided to the earth disappeared. On the stoop of Aphtan’s project building, a bond stronger than blood formed within a few hours. They promised to be girls for life and be down with each other through whatever.
CHAPTER 3
The fiery ball of light was shining ever so brightly. The cloudless sky was as blue as the sea below it as Boss, Simone, and Aphtan stood in front of their project building. The sun was so bright that its reflection off the thin rope necklace around Aphtan’s neck made the view blinding for all passersby.
Pearl Tongue Page 2
