by L. E. Newell
Sparkle nodded. “Yeah, I heard ya earlier, dude. I just ain’t used to this geeking shit; know what I’m saying?”
Percy finally spoke up. “Hmmph, that shit can be a bitch, my nigga, but you’ll get back on track soon enough.”
JJ said impatiently, “Yeah, uh-huh, enough of that play by play, fellows. Okay, Sparkle, here’s the system, yo. Percy here hits off some fifties first and you put them on the scale. If they over point five, you trim them down to fit. And if they under, add the pieces you done already put to the side. Then you put them on this saucer here; feel me?” They nodded as one and got busy.
They had cut up one of the bricks when JJ suddenly stood up and went to the back. Moments later he was tiptoeing back, so Debra must have still been asleep. Otherwise she would’ve been out there cussing up a storm; especially if she knew JJ was sneaking around playing with coke with the kids in the house.
JJ spoke up to match his thoughts. “Yo, man, we got to keep it down in here. It sho won’t do no good for Debra or the kids to wake up right now; know what I’m saying?”
Percy rolled his eyes like he really wasn’t worried and pulled three glass tubes out of his jacket pocket. “Yo, JJ, you got any more of that charboy? I left mine in the glove compartment.”
When JJ got up and returned with some fresh charboy, Percy took three of the rocks out of the baggie and placed the dope and shooter in front of them. After a couple of good blasts, they started on the other five bricks, cutting up thirty-two eight balls weighing 3.4 to 3.6 grams.
“You know, JJ, this is a lot better than the other stuff,” Percy said between gasps. “How you wanna work it?” JJ hunched his shoulders. “Okay then, since it’s better and all, let’s give them a .8 instead of a .10 on the dimes.”
For the first time Sparkle began getting some bad vibes about him. Either the coke had him paranoid or he wasn’t feeling dude. He had to stay on the alert, dealing with this snake.
JJ tossed a bag of smaller baggies at him. “Naw, my nig, we gonna keep it the same weight. Hold up and hear me out, man.”
Percy had started fidgeting like he wanted to complain but JJ stayed firm. “Man, we gotta keep it the bomb and weighted better than these other folk. That way people gonna be hunting us instead of us waiting on the street corner like them other fools.”
“Yeah, man, and it sounds a lot safer, too,” Sparkle added.
They worked in silence for what seemed like forty-five minutes or so until two plates were full. JJ finally broke it. “Sparkle, put these dimes in the pink bags and the twenties in the brown ones.” He reached back into the shoebox and tossed him some mediumsize clear ones and placed them on the table. “Then put thirty dimes and twenty twenties into each of these.”
They kept blazing rocks as they worked. When they got down to the last brick, JJ cut it in half, cut one of the halves into thirds and said, “This here is so we won’t have to dig into the sellers.”
After all the cutting was finished, Percy pinched his nose, leaned on his elbows and arched one brow awkwardly. “Yo, Spark, check this here out. Jay let me know a while back that you was about to come up. Now I don’t know you personally, but I done heard some thorough thangs about you, which is all good. It’s the main reason I agreed to team up with ya to get this cheddar to be had. So this is how we do this thang.” He smiled at JJ. “Since you fresh outta the beast, it’s understood you got to take yo time getting yo feet wet. In other words, we know that it’s gonna take you a lot longer than us to get rid of this stuff. We gonna give you this here bag of fifties, eighteen of them. That’ll add up to nine-hundred dollars, and if you got plans to work that slimy bitch Dee, the standard is twenty percent. So taking in her bullshit, let’s just say you looking for seven hundred, which allows for shorts and that ho’s lying about what she got. You feel me here?”
“Mind now that we be looking at you working these for thirty percent. So it’s really up to you if you want to work that bitch or not, but we be looking for you to toss us six hundred-thirty dollars per sack. You feel me now? So by us tossing you four of these joints we be expecting a kickback of, let’s round it off to a straight twenty-five hundred.” He paused to let that sink in. “Dog, I know that all this is like foreign language to you right now, being you done just raised and shit, but you set your goals at that figure and we be rolling partner, okay?”
Sparkle nodded to let him know that he understood. He continued, “Now me and JJ been scoring four-and-a-half ounces or an eighth of a kilo at the reup. But now that you on the team we are gonna be shooting for the quarter kilo. That’ll be fifty-five hundred to the source we dealing with right now. Which means that each of us have to come up with eighteen hundred apiece per joint.”
Right off the grip that shit didn’t quite add up, but hell, Sparkle definitely wasn’t in the position to say a damn thing. These niggas were getting him on his feet. And on his first day out of the joint, the half slick-ass nigga was in the driver’s seat; he could have his say; at least for now.
JJ saw the inquisitive look on his face, even if Percy was egotripping too much to do so. “Hey, don’t bug, dog. We know you don’t have any hoes right now, so we’ll get you settled in on two, three hot spots until you can work in your own route. Oh yeah, in a couple of days we gonna get you a rental car after you get your driver’s license and a cell phone.”
Sparkle was leaning across the table, taking in all of what he was kicking. He didn’t necessarily like all of it but what choice did he have? He was on his dick. So he pinched his nose and sat back in the chair. “So when is the catch day? You know how long I got to get up the ends?”
“We usually try to reup every three or four days,” Percy said.
“Okay. I can probably get with that, but ya’ll know that I got to go handle my legal for the next couple of days while I’m blending in with ya’ll on this here. Shit, JJ knows how Debra and Janet be all up in my shit firsthand.”
“Whew, do I ever,” JJ chimed in, “but don’t choke on that, dude. We’ve taken into account that it’s gonna take you a bit to get your routine down.”
Percy cocked his head to the side and studied him for a few seconds. “I’ll bring you a piece later on tonight. What kind do you prefer?”
“I can work with something that I can easily hide in my back pocket. I don’t like people to know that I’m holding; you know the threat they are dealing with,” Sparkle added quickly.
“I can dig that. Let’s see, whatcha say about a thirty-eight mini; you know something that you can practically palm in your hand around say eight or nine o’clock tonight?”
Suddenly all eyes flew to Debra strolling down the hallway rubbing her eyes.
“What ya’ll niggas doing? Aw hell, why I even got to bother asking.” She gritted when she noticed Percy sitting at the table trying to look innocent.
She tightened the sash on her robe, put her hands on her hips and looked directly at Sparkle. “Damn, boy, you ain’t even been out a full day and you in this shit already,” she said, eyeing the dope on the table.
He bowed his head and raised his hands to the ceiling. “Got to get off my dick, sis. What else can I say?”
“Muthafucka, you can say I’m gonna get a job and dodge penitentiary bricks; that’s what the hell you can say and do, nigga.”
She huffed and turned her attention to JJ. “Al just voice mailed you; that’s what woke me up. Says they got a good game rolling over there.”
“Who be over there? Damn, he could have let us know that when we met him a little while ago.”
Debra was in the kitchen fixing up the coffee pot and whirled on him. “And what was you gonna do; leave me here?”
“Naw, baby, I would’ve called you myself so you’d know I was on the way to pick you up.”
She laid the cup down and hissed, “You a lying-ass nigga.”
JJ got up and went in the kitchen and hugged her from behind. “Yeah, baby, you right, I wouldn’t have woke you up; especially knowin
g you got to be at the shop in the morning. Figured my baby needed her beauty sleep.”
“Nigga, there you go lying again, knowing damn well that I ain’t gotta be there ’til eleven.”
He gazed back at Percy with a damned look on his face and hunched his shoulders. “Okay, Mike and Ebony know how to get ready and go to school. Go ahead and get ready.”
Uh-huh, you didn’t really think I was gonna let you run that weak one on me. Did ya, nigga? She smirked on the way back down the hall. “Ten, fifteen minutes, so don’t ya’ll niggas go to smoking that shit with these kids in the house. And I ain’t playing either.”
“You know we wouldn’t do that,” JJ whispered.
She sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, right, sure you wouldn’t. So what’s that I’m smelling? Some fake coke or something? Nigga, please.”
Percy waited until he heard the door shut before he started stuffing a boulder in the shooter. He flicked the lighter before he looked to see the expressions on JJ’s and Sparkle’s faces.
“Patio dog, whaddafuck you think, she playing or something? She dead serious, man,” JJ said.
He got up and slid the glass sliding door open and stepped outside. After a deep toke, he stuck his head back inside and whispered, “Hmm, this stuff be that skunk, for real, yo. Oh yeah, it’s that skunk, aight. Ya’ll niggas ready to roll?”
Sparkle started to nod his consent when JJ held up his hand to cut him off. “There are five hotels we got people slinging out of. All you gotta do is pick up the ends; probably sit awhile if you want to and leave them something to work with.”
“I ain’t got no problem with that, dog, but what’s up with that poker game? Shiiiit, I wouldn’t mind some of that action there.” He looked at JJ and then Debra, who had gotten dressed in record time. “Ya’ll know that be my drop there, dog.”
JJ giggled. “Do I ever; all that money you beat me out of before we got tight.”
Sparkle smiled sheepishly and hunched his shoulders.
“Don’t worry; Peggy will jet you over there after ya’ll done finished making those runs.”
Whodahell is Peggy and where she at? Sparkle thought as his brow wrinkled in confusion at the unfamiliar name.
Percy saw his confused look and smiled. “Hey, man, stop looking so fucked up. Peggy’s my main squeeze. She should be here any minute now. She’s gonna take you around the hotels and introduce you to the crew and then bring you over to the poker spot.”
Sparkle’s nose wrinkled in disgust as he stared the nigga up and down his body. Percy assumed that he’d accept whoever and whatever because he was out of the joint. The look only lasted for a moment though; he quickly realized that he definitely needed help in getting his game together. It was tough but he held his ego in check. It was probably because he didn’t like or trust the nigga from the get-go.
Luckily, before he could dwell on the negative thoughts any further, his attention zoomed in on Debra striding down the hall counting a wad of bills. His baby sis had a knot of paper she was prepared to invest in the poker game. That didn’t bother him one bit; he had given her the cheat game years ago. Honey could hold her own with any hustler.
Debra, who had that gambler’s glitter in her eyes, slapped JJ on the shoulder. “Uh-huh, well, we got to get on over there before that tight-ass Jew nigga cuts off. Ya’ll know how he gets when he senses the money getting low.” She turned her attention directly to Sparkle. “Oh yeah, before I forget, I heard your slimy-ass partner Johnny Ivey’s raggedy grumbling in the background when I called back.”
Sparkle started beaming. “My ace coon boon is over there? Hell, let’s get a move-on then. I definitely got to holla at my boy.”
He stood up, pulled JJ to the side and whispered, “Let me holla atcha for a sec.”
They walked into the kitchen, where JJ opened the fridge and pulled out a Pepsi. He handed it to Sparkle. “Yeah, what’s up, bro? I hope you make this quick because we finished here anyways.”
Between sips of the ice-cold drink, Sparkle said, “I wanted to let you know that I left six-hundred dollars’ worth of stuff with Dee; you know, just to see what she do.”
“You did what?” he replied in mock surprise. “Man, I told ya that bitch had the super pussy and that she has a constant flow of geekers rolling through her crib and all, but godayum, dog, I hope you ain’t got weak for her already.”
“Man, I got a hunch, just a hunch about her.”
“Well, I sure do hope your hunch is right. Hey, man, this here is going to be a lesson on you as far as I’m concerned. And I really expect that six hundred. So that’s on you, for real, dog, if she’s fucked up like I think she is.”
Sparkle frowned. “Okay, it’s your stuff anyway, but I told her to get back at me with four-fifty.”
JJ gritted. “Okay, four-fifty then, but on the real, don’t expect but half of that. I told ya she’s a slick bitch but then again, she smart enough not to fuck it all up. Come to think of it, she probably ain’t gonna play a good lick all the way out, not right off the bat anyway. Matter of fact, she’s gonna try to keep the string on ya to stay high and fuck you to death. You’ll see.”
He punched JJ’s shoulder and laughed. “Shit, I can go for that kinda death, for real, yo. But on the other hand, I got a feeling I can handle her fine ass to be one of my bases. Hell, at least until I get my own routes.”
JJ spat back in a tone full of skepticism, “I guess you know whatcha doing. You been in the game long enough; that’s for sure. But on the real, partner, keep a sharp eye on her; she has a vicious bite.”
“Man, all the time, believe that there,” Sparkle replied with all the confidence he could muster.
“Man, I hope that you haven’t gotten too rusty with all that time you did; that’s all.” He walked away and tapped Percy on the shoulder. “Let’s roll, dog.”
CHAPTER SIX
Rolling The Hotel Strip
A few minutes later, as they were leaving the apartment, Sparkle was introduced to Peggy, a honey with creamy brown skin who was parked in a Mustang behind Percy’s ride. Without any fanfare, they split up. The next thing he knew, they were pulling into the parking lot of their first stop at the Red Roof Inn on Candler Road across I-20.
With a street veteran’s flair, Peggy conducted the business and introduced him to a light-skinned girl named Brenda. The room was full of smokers lounging around so they went into the bathroom to handle their transaction. After a brief session of kicking it, he told Brenda to get in contact with Peggy for the time being, but things would be changing in the upcoming days. Brenda hunched her shoulders like whatever, not really giving a fuck who served her as long as she got served.
They continued down I-20 where they made stops at the Motel 6, the Holiday Inn, the Sheraton and finally the LaQuinta Inn in Lithonia. He didn’t take any hits, even though the girls did. He wanted to portray a straight-up business image with them. All the sellers were girls in Percy’s stable—at least that was what he was led to believe.
The ride down I-20 brought back memories of when he and a fat dude named Perry used to hijack furniture trucks. Those used to be some good licks. He’d never forgotten the time he was in Fulton County Jail looking at TV. The same dude that used to buy the whole tractor-trailer from them was on the tube slamming a jail cell, bidding to become an Atlanta City Commissioner. All he could do was nod with respect, recognizing dude as a member of the biggest gangsters of them all—the government.
Sparkle juggled the mental notes he’d collected on the honeys he’d met at the drug spots. He could be lenient with some of them and others he would need to handle with a longer-handled spoon. There was one jet-black queen named Lisa, who was six-feet-four and scored a whole sack from him for $600; some $120 he pocketed because he didn’t have to give it to one of the girls. He’d never dealt with an Amazon and had no problem whatsoever when she wanted him to go to her room. She even smoked some of the stuff with him; the only one he let know that he go
t high. She gave him a quick five-minute head job. Not bad; not bad at all. He made sure that they traded numbers before he left. He’d definitely be checking her out in the future.
While Sparkle and Peggy were at the LaQuinta, he got a call from Dee. Since he wasn’t too fond of anyone knowing his business, he slid to the lobby with the pretense of going to get donuts on display. When he was sure that no one was paying attention, he went to the phone and called girlie. “What’s up, sweetie?” he said nonchalantly when she picked up.
There was an anxious tone to her voice. “I need to see you like fifteen minutes ago.”
“All of that is gone already?”
“I ain’t got but three dimes left. How far away are you? One of my regular customers called to let me know that he was on the way,” she spat rapidly.
‘Whatcha call a mint, girl?”
“At least five-hundred, for sho.”
“You sound real serious there, girl,” he said, not sure if he believed her.
“Hell yeah, for real,” she responded impatiently.
“Damn,” he said more to himself than to her.
“Whatcha mean damn?” she retorted in a doubtful tone.
“Girl, I’m way out here in Lithonia.”
“So.” Dee’s sassiness returned.
“So.” He held the phone away and stared at it.
“Yeah, so.”
“Aah, godayum, I’m on my way to a poker game.”
“Naw you ain’t,” she responded with urgency.
“Naw I ain’t; why I ain’t?”
“Baby, you just got to turn around and get back here,” she said nervously.
He let her stir for about thirty seconds.
“You still there. What’s up?” she squeaked, sounding unsure of herself.
“Okay, okay, godayum. I’ll be there in about twenty, thirty minutes. Hold your ass ’til I get there.”
“I’ll be calling you back in twenty minutes,” she assured him.
He smiled at her sassiness. Hell, he definitely wanted to keep that pussy on the ready. “Okay, girlie, see you in a few.” He hung up before she could reply.
