Your Husband My Trick

by Solae Dehvine

  “What is he going to do if I don’t? Kill me...Fuck him.” I told her.

  “He could kill you. Or if you leave he could kill me.”

  “No...I would take you with me.” She shook her head, the tears beginning to fall. “I need him. He is going to produce my album.You don’t understand. There is too much to tell. I just...I...I can’t leave. I need to pay what I owe first.” She began to shake like a leaf.

  “Calm down boo...Calm down.”

  “No...it’s okay. I just. Just do what he says, okay? He’s going to ask you to go on dates with his friend. That guy...just do it okay? That will pay everything off quick, then you can get out of here and get on your feet.” She said, softly wiping the tears off of the discolored part of her face where the bruise was forming.

  “Then what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “I’m not leaving here without you. What do you owe him?”

  “Too much, way too much.”

  “Tell me then. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. I’ll help you.”

  “He bought Aunt Trini a house.”

  “What?” Aunt Trini was our Mama’s sister, she was the only one there for us when she passed. Her health was bad, but with Aunt Trini, whatever she had was yours. We had to take care of her.

  “It’s a long story but, the house is in his name. I need to pay it off or Aunt Trini will be on the street, or maybe worse. Maybe he hurts her. I can’t live with that.” A cup appeared from her side. She threw a couple pills in her mouth and drank from the cup quicker than I could blink.

  “How much is that?”

  “Fifty thousand left.”

  “Shit…”

  “Yeah...I gotta get ready for work. So…”

  “I can help you.”

  “No Sis, I’m fine. I promise.” I pulled at her arm, pulling her close.

  “I’m here...we're going to get away from this bastard together. Plus bitch, I’m better at doing makeup than you.” I told her and she didn’t fight me. Instead she squeezed me close. Tears coming heavy as she dry heaved her tears into my shoulder.

  “I’m here. I’m going to fix this.” I told her, rubbing her back. Back when we were kids she used to protect me. After Mama died Lark and my Aunt Trini was all I had. Now that we were grown, it was time I repaid the favor.

  There was no way I was going to let this bitch ass, wannabe pimp hurt my sister. I know, you think I should go shoot his ass, stab him, take Lark and run because, after all, I’m a man. But no, I’m not dammit. I’m a woman, I have the stretch marks, surgery bills, and hormone injections to prove it.

  But what I will do is strategize this shit like a woman.

  “Yo, wassup with that one nigga?”

  “Who?”

  “Uzi...something like that…”

  “Oh...he’s the mud man.”

  “The who?”

  “The Actavis...syrup.” Bingo, the lights sparked in my head like fireworks.

  “Cool…”

  “What? Why you ask that?”

  “Because girl...you know what, don’t even worry about it. I'll handle all this shit.”

  “No...no Fendi. These niggas down here are the real deal. Like they don’t play no fucking gay games. That shit won’t work down here.” I wanted to laugh dead in my sister’s face.

  “Promise me you won’t do it...promise me.”

  “Lark.”

  “Promise me…” She was so serious. She looked frightened, like she had seen a damn ghost.

  “They will kill you.” Lark said pulling me to her. “Please promise.”

  “Lark boo. Calm down, its cool, I’m not gonna do shit.” I told her but not even I believed that.

  “So when you gonna get in the studio and record this hit.” I changed the subject.

  “Tonight, after work I’ll go in. I can’t wait.” She lit up like a Christmas tree as she talked, but I was barely listening. I was making a master plan.

  9

  Family Man

  Don

  I’m like a dog. I’m loyal, but sometimes I jump the fence to go see what bitch is on the other side in heat. I always come back, maybe with a little bit of a scent on me, but I’m always back and I’m loyal to my yard.

  That was the only way to describe my life. But to my wife I was a saint, and to me she was my backbone. No matter how many fences I jumped or bitches I sniffed, I am always coming back to her.

  “Baby. I’m home.” Walking through the door with the Gucci bag I heard little feet.

  “Hey my baby.” My baby girl walked to the door, looking like her mama more and more every day.

  “Where’s your mom?” She pointed to the bedroom, I walked in with her gift only to see my baby down on her knees.

  “What’s wrong...What happened?”

  “Nothing Don…” She laughed. “I’m praying.” I waited while she finished, but she put out her hand and pulled me down with her.

  “Dear Lord. You brought my husband home at just the right time Father. I want to share the great news, but I ask you to give my husband an open heart and mind, and a desire to do the right thing?” I listened to her words but I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about, or what this news could be.

  “And Lord, please let it be a boy this time.” My eyes shot open like a cannon. “Amen.”

  “Amen...Amen? A boy? You're…” Before I could put it together she was pulling up a pregnancy test.

  “Oh my God...Oh shit…” Picking her up from the side of the bed, I twirled her around like she weighed nothing.

  “You're having my baby.” But putting her down reminded me of what that would mean.

  “Did you get my shoes?” I watched as she limped over to the bag.

  “Oh yes… I think these are going to be perfect.” She moved well for her disability. But later in her last pregnancy she needed more help, doctors, nurses, that all meant more money spent for me.

  “They look good on you too baby. Shit, why don’t you wear them while I bend you over?” She laughed and so did I. At the end of the day she was carrying my seed, and I always said that I would never leave, and I was keeping my word.

  “You know how much I love you?” I asked in the airy playful voice I reserved for my wife.

  “Enough to leave them streets alone?” She was already starting on me.

  “Come on baby. You said we weren’t going to talk about that?”

  “No, you said we weren’t going to talk about it.”

  “Shhh…” I tried to quiet her as I closed the door to keep the kids from listening, but she only got louder.

  “Don’t be shushing me. I want this shit to end. You told me you were going to leave these streets alone and produce full time.”

  “And I gave you my word. I am going to do that.” But I never told her when. I knew one day I was going to have to switch to the other side completely, but right now I was making too much bread.

  “Baby, I’m real close to getting shit together. You gotta trust me.” When I said that she looked at me like I had 3 heads.

  “Trust you? Trusting you almost cost me my life.” She said pulling up her shirt to show the scars where the bullets went into her back.

  “I took bullets for you remember. The reason I walk like this is because I saved your life.” She told me as if I would forget.

  “And if that wasn’t enough, I took a damn charge for you. Now I have a felony on my record to keep your ass out of jail.” She took me down memory lane with her words but I never forgot what she did for me.

  “Heather...baby. Please calm down.” Pulling her closer to me, we were interrupted by the doorbell.

  “Dammit. Who the hell is that?” She hated when I brought work home, but in my line of work some shit had to come home.

  “That’s probably Astro baby. I’ll have him wait in the car.”

  “You're leaving back out.”

  “Yeah boo. This is a work night. I gotta get my artist in the studio. She
has a major hit.” Heather acted like I punched a clock or something. Going into the closet I pulled out a new set of clothes, some Balmain jeans, Buscemi sneakers, and a Gucci shirt.

  “You getting dressed up for that bitch?” I was counting, I had to be patient with her. I knew she was going through a lot, but I didn’t have time for this shit.

  “Heather. Let me get ready to go baby. Like for real.”

  “I thought you were going to stay here. I mean…”

  “I gotta pay for this motherfucking house girl, for all this shit, procedures, how you think I’m gonna get it huh?” Since she got shot it was like she had lost her fucking mind and didn’t understand how shit worked.

  My phone buzzed as she looked at me. Answering the phone on speaker I heard the bass from his stereo before I heard his voice.

  “Hello.”

  “Yeah nigga. I was at the door. You in there.”

  “Yeah I’ll be out in fifteen.”

  “A’ight then nigga. Let’s go get this money. I talked to ole girl and she got a good hook for today. I think it’s going to be a hit.”

  “You talked to Lark?”

  “Yeah she called and asked me about studio time, if we were still meeting tonight.”

  “A’ight, I’ll be out.”

  “Bet…” No sooner than I hung up was Heather going off.

  “Fine. Fuck it, but I’m telling you Don. You get fucked up again I’m not...I’m NOT helping you at all.”

  “I’m not going to need nobody's help because I’m not getting fucked up.” I told her but she only shook her head. Turning her back on me she left me alone, which was exactly what I needed. Grabbing some black sweat pants, a black hoodie, shirt and my all black Air Forces, I stuffed the shit in a bag and changed my clothes. I put on the clothes I pulled out and put my work clothes in a duffle bag.

  A nigga didn’t even have time to take a shower. That’s how bad I needed to get this money. I wasn’t clean but I looked like it, running out the house with a duffle bag full of clothes into the setting sun.

  “Damn nigga, it took you long enough.” Astro called from his car. The nigga was like my right hand, but we had so much shit cooking in the city that we had to divide and conquer.

  “You good G? You down to do this shit?” G said already wearing all black like an undertaker.

  “Yeah nigga. Let’s get this shit.” I gave him a shake, his big ass hands damn near covered mine.

  “We gon’ take these niggas for all they got tonight.” I more than knew that.

  “Pop the trunk man.” Looking back at the crib I saw Heather peeking out. The nigga was huge from all his years playing football but now he was back in the streets and the studio with me.

  “Man she looking down here and shit. What she on?”

  “She don’t want me to go but these fucking houses, kids, and cars don’t pay for themselves.”

  “Damn right…” My nigga said, agreeing with me.

  “Let me see what you got. Everything all loaded right?” He popped the trunk, showing me the arsenal that would serve us tonight. Five Dracos and three 9mm might be enough. He had everything laid out like we were some hired hit men. Maybe because we were, niggas knew not to fuck with us.

  “Come on let’s roll. You driving.” I told him jumping into his car. Heather was still there in the window but I didn’t give a fuck. I had to get this money. I had to be the king of Houston and right now going to battle was what Kings did.

  “So where we hitting tonight?”

  “We’re going to Bottom’s Up, down south. Lark said they got shit wide open there.” In Houston, strip clubs were like stop signs, they were on every corner.

  Some you noticed and others you didn’t, and for me I had an inside track. I had a runner that would tell me the ins and outs of a club. I would know when they drop money, switch security and all that shit.

  “Man we got the perfect lick.”

  “Hell yeah. She stay bouncing at these clubs. We fuck around and hit for about fifty racks tonight.”

  “Shit fifty racks for four minutes. That’s a bet. But what about that club she at now?”

  “Nigga...that’s gonna be the biggest payday of them all. Four hundred racks guaranteed.”

  “Word?”

  “Hell yeah. We just gotta ride this shit out. I’m gonna let her work there for a couple more weeks then I’m sending that bitch to LA.”

  “Word?”

  “Hell yeah. I’m about to get into that porn shit and she’s gonna be my first lady.” I had it all planned out. Houston wasn’t but so big and I need to get my wife somewhere she could get medical marijuana for her condition.

  “Damn nigga, so you're moving the operation to Cali.” Astro said, and I knew he couldn’t believe it. We had been in H-Town running shit for so long but it was time for a change. “Yep, sometime in September I’m gonna start it up right after we hit this last lick.” This all was like a dream to me. I set it up like this, to work so easily and progress, and now I was here. Shaking off my thoughts, I had to get focused.

  “So you still gonna let her record on that one beat we made?” I almost forgot about the beat.

  “Yeah her sister helped her do a hook or some shit. After we finish this shit tonight, if she feels like it, we can get it done.” I had so much shit going on it was hard to keep track. I had bitches, a family, niggas to watch, and money to count. I couldn’t wait to get out of Houston.

  “But don’t worry about that shit my nigga. Let’s go rob this club.”

  10

  Stripper Confidential

  Lark

  I said I would never strip, I wanted to be a lawyer and fight cases in prestigious courtrooms but that was before Mama died, before the abuse, before I had to work hard to survive. When you go through pain at a young age your thoughts change.

  Hell, there was a lot of shit I said I would never do, but now I didn’t give a shit what I did, I just wanted the money.

  I learned that I didn’t have to do what everyone else was doing, I could be me and still make a bunch of money. And most of all, I could play everybody around me like a damn chess piece, they just had no idea what part they played at the moment, but they soon would.

  Riding down Westheimer I looked at all the shining lights of Houston. All the people like to talk shit about strippers, but they don’t realize the reason why we do what we do. Here in Houston, strip clubs are a part of the culture, like Starbucks and football. We are in the fabric, like pecan pies and BBQ, you can’t remove ass from Texas, it's impossible to separate the two.

  “You good?...You hella quiet over there.” Fendi asked me. “Your makeup looks bomb thanks to me.” She felt proud of herself, I could tell. Like I should thank her for covering up my bruises.

  “Yeah I’m good. Just thinking.” All my life she was pushing into my thoughts. Everything I had always involved Fennis, and then that evolved into Fendi.

  Mama always pushed him on me.

  “You know you are special, you and your brother. You're chosen.” She always used to tell me. “Children without a mother are always chosen.”

  “But we do have a Mama. We have you.” I would tell her, but she always let me know that truth.

  “I’m your granny, baby. I love you like your mother but I’m not her. And one day I won’t be here with you, so you must protect your little brother.” She told me I needed to take care of Fennis and I kept my word.

  Then as I got older it was Fendi there, playing with my friends more than I did. She was giving them makeup advice, going with them to pick out clothes, and before I knew it Mama was gone, and I really had to have her sewn to my side. But now Fendi had taken over, I didn’t have a life separate from her. Now after all of my work, she was back, trying to push her way into some shit.

  “I’m good. I just...got a lot on my mind.”

  “It’s cool sis. Big sis is gonna take care of it.” I wanted to tell her ass the truth. That I didn’t take this Fendi shit seriously
. That she did look like a good bitch, maybe better than me, but I knew the real her, or him rather, and a big part of me hated her. Hated that Fennis couldn’t just be himself, but he had to try to be me so much that he became a better version of me.

  “You like your makeup? I think I did a good job.” He said as I got closer to the club. You could see the Diamonds sign sparkling in the night, but a big part of me just wanted to drive the car into a tree and kill his ass right now.

  “Yeah it’s cool.”

  “Good...Just give me a couple of months and I’ll have us out of this shit.” I wanted to laugh in his fucking face. If he thought he was going to come down here and change my life and get all this credit like he was saving the day.

  “Yeah you did a good job sis.” I played the role. Smiling and patting him on the leg. But I wanted to tell him to man the fuck up and take off this dress. Stop being a little pussy, but I was done talking. Now it was time for action.

  “So what should I do until you get done working?”

  “Chill. You can go to VIP, but just don’t embarrass me.” I told her but she was too busy staring at me.

  “I just...you are so brave. I can’t believe you go up there and strip. And you got Aunt Trini a house...I can’t believe that.” I cracked my neck as she spoke about Aunt Trini.

  “Uhoh...what’s wrong. You crack your neck when you're mad.”

  “I just...I don’t understand why you haven’t talked to Aunt Trini. She was good to us when Mama died. You could at least call.”

  “Because...she insists on calling me Fennis. I am Fendi now.”

  “She’s almost 80. You can’t get mad at her because she doesn’t want to call you by this new name.”

  “It’s not just new...it’s my name now.” We had been over this argument more times than I cared to go through it. I was done arguing with everybody. “Fine...whatever. Just whatever.”

  “So...how do you do it?” she asked, changing subjects. It was classic, whenever she wanted to talk about something else she moved on but without permission.