by Ca$H
“Chile, he’s at University Hospital if you wanna go visit him,” interjected Miss Wanda.
“Thank you,” said Kayundra, and walked off up the block to get a ride to the hospital.
“You gon’ gimme the money?” CJ’s Mom Dukes asked.
“Three hundred dollars? Dayum!” he replied, suspiciously.
“Yeah, three hundred dollars! Unless yo’ ugly ass wanna be in the dark with no water to wash ya ass!”
“Nah, Ma, you tryna run game. I can see it in your face.”
“I am not!”
“Give me the bill, I’ll have Tamika go pay it,” CJ offered her a compromise.
“I don’t need yo’ little ghetto booty hood rat handling my muthafuckin’ business for me! What, you think I can’t handle it my goddamn self? Who the fuck you think has been handling it all of these fuckin’ years?”
“Nah, I’m not going for it, you tryna get high. That’s why you spazzin’ out.” CJ peeped game.
“I tell you what, muthafucka! Come and get ya shit out of my goddamn house! And yo’ ugly ass gold digging, dick suckin’, bitch bet’ not ever step foot in my shit again.”
“Here, Ma” said CJ, tired of hearing her go ballistic. He gave her a hundred dollars, knowing where it would go. She snatched it out of his hand and stormed away.
CJ always felt conflicted when he gave his Mom Dukes money because he knew she would spend on crack. He knew that he was helping support her habit, and that bothered him. But he would rather do that than worry about her being out in the streets sucking dick for a rock. One thing he told himself that he would never do is give her some crack.
CJ watched his Mom Dukes walk up and cop from a grinder up the block. That’s when he noticed a detective’s car coming around the corner.
“Popo!” he yelled and the block cleared.
FIVE
Tamika knew that CJ had murked those four people in Orange. She had seen a report of the murders on the news one day when CJ had left the room to go get them something to eat. Just knowing that her nigga went that hard for his made her desire him that much more. Her only worry was that he might get arrested. Like Erykah Badu said, what we gon’ do when they come for you? she thought as she shaved her legs.
She got out of the tub, rubbed herself down with body oil, then threw on Apple Bottom low cut jeans, Baby Phat halter, and a cute pair of Baby Phat sneakers. Twenty minutes later, she was walking down to CJ’s crib to get his whip. CJ was out grinding but he had left the car keys with Eric.
“Miss Wanda, you better not let CJ catch you doing that in here!” said Tamika, with her nose turned up, when she saw CJ’s Mom Dukes in the kitchen hitting the pipe. Dayum! She ain’t got no shame!
Normally any type of smart talk would’ve gotten Tamika cussed the fuck out by CJ’s Mom Dukes, who did not discriminate. But at the present Miss Wanda was occupied with her lover, the crack pipe.
“Miss Wanda, you too through!” hurled Tamika on her way back out.
“Hi, Malcolm,” said Tamika as she slid into his car and shut the door. She had met up with him outside the mall after he called to let her know that he had gotten his income tax return and would share it with her if she was willing to “act right.”
“What’s good, stranger? Where have you been?”
“Oh, I ended up going to jail that night, after you left the club. Then, lately, CJ been trippin’.”
“Right. Well, you miss me?” he asked, massaging her neck.
“You know I did.”
“Can I get a kiss?” She had to think about that. Shit! Oh well…
She touched lips with him so fast Malcolm wasn’t sure that it actually happened.
“Damn, can a brotha get some tongue?”
“Un-uh, I have an abcess.” She lied.
“So.”
“No, Malcolm, it’s infected. Eww!”
“A’ight, but ain’t nothing wrong with this,” he said rubbing her thigh.
“Of course not, let’s go inside the mall. I gotta pee.”
When Tamika came out of the bathroom Malcolm was all ready to go from store to store with her as she shopped for whatever she could buy with the one thousand dollars he had told her he would spend on her. With Tamika’s mean designer habit, one stack might only buy one outfit, at one store. There was no way that Tamika was going to have Malcolm sporting her through the mall and risk being seen by some hater who might run tell CJ.
“Uh…Malcolm…Boo, you can’t be by my side while I shop. Somebody might see us together and call CJ, and neither one of us wants that,” she explained.
“I guess you’re right. Okay, I’ma go grab myself a couple pairs of slacks and a nice pair of shoes. Why don’t we meet back outside where we parked in an hour?” Malcolm suggested.
“Malcolm, no girl worth the clothes on her back can shop in an hour.”
“Jeez. Well, just how long might it take you?”
“I’ll call you on your cell when I’m done,” she answered without really responding to the question. Malcolm went for it though, because Tamika had promised to let him hit it today. Just thinking about running up in all that booty had Malcolm walking with his hand in his pocket, tryna hide the fact that he was on bone.
Malcolm slid the stack to Tamika and she bolted off.
Two and a half hours later, Tamika hit Malcolm up to tell him that she was done shopping. “Where are you?” she asked.
“In the car. I was just checking my Facebook on my cell phone, waiting on your call. Man, it took you a long time to shop,” he said with a laugh.
“Sorry.”
“No, babe, it’s okay. As long as you enjoyed yourself.”
“I did. See you in a sec’, okay? Bye.”
Tamika put her phone in her purse and headed to the car. She had picked up some things from Vicky Secrets; sexy stuff that Malcolm would never get to see her in. His grip just wasn’t long enough for her to even consider letting him sample the goodies. If a small money nigga had the only dick on earth, Tamika thought she would rather start dyking than fuck with a petty bank dude.
Tamika smiled as she walked out of the mall, not at her thoughts about niggaz with short grip but at the cold-hearted humor she found in having used some of Malcolm’s nine to five money to buy her hustlin’ nigga a pair of True Religion jeans, which she disguised inside of a large Vicky Secrets bag.
I ain’t shit! she smirked.
Tamika rode with Malcolm to some little Italian restaurant about fifteen minutes from the mall. The plan was to enjoy a nice meal then go back to Malcolm’s place.
They were seated at a small, cozy booth. Wine and bread sticks were served as an appetizer. Malcolm ordered spaghetti and meatballs, and a Caesar salad. Tamika had baked ziti, a garden salad, and a side of chicken strips with spicy sauce.
While they were waiting for dessert Tamika put her head down on the table.
“Oh mygod! I think I’m about to be sick.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Malcolm, genuinely concerned.
“I feel like I might lose my food. Malcolm, could you ask the waiter to bring me a fresh glass of water, please?”
“Of course, babe.” Malcolm darted off to find a waiter. He didn’t need anything to spoil what they had planned for the rest of the night.
The water didn’t seem to do Tamika any good. Malcolm and a concerned waiter fussed over her, as she dry heaved. Then Tamika jumped up and ran to the ladies room with a hand over her mouth.
Inside the bathroom she looked in the mirror and giggled. Malcolm had said that she would have to “act right” to get that stack. Well, she wasn’t “acting right” but she damn sho was hella acting. And the stack had already been spent. She laughed at the thought.
Malcolm knew that he wasn’t hittin’ that pussy even before Tamika returned to the table and stated, “I’ma have to take a rain check on what we had planned, my stomach is too tore up. I’ll never come here to eat again.”
When Tamika told Star how she
had played Malcolm they laughed like crazy at the fool’s stupidity. But Tamika’s mother advised, “It’s not good to play with a man’s feelings. There’s blood on some men’s money. More than that, when a man feels used, he becomes very unpredictable.”
“Aw, Ma, Malcolm’s scary butt ain’t gonna do nothing but fall for my next trick.”
“I don’t like it, Tamika.”
“She’s hard headed,” intoned Star. The three of them were sitting in the living room of Tamika’s Mom Dukes apartment in Little Bricks.
“She better listen or she’ll mess around and some man will end up hurting her,” warned Miss Jerkins as she got up to go to her room.
“Okay, Mommie, I’ma stop with the games,” Tamika called out to her.
“You need to, or I’ma tell CJ,” she called back.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Don’t be so sure, hooker.”
“Girl, you a trip,” Star said to Tamika as she fired up a blunt.
“Don’t hate, ho.”
“Tssk! Ooh, let me tell you about this fine ass nigga I met. His name is Diamond
Rick—”
“Hol’ up right there! Sounds like a pimp’s name to me. Don’t tell me you ’bout to be a real ho!” cracked Tamika.
“Shut up, bitch, and listen. It’s not always about you,” said Star, passing her the blunt to keep her quiet long enough to get a word in.
“Okay, give me the short version ’cause you tend to be a little long winded sometimes,” replied Tamika, laughing.
“Whateva. Anyway, the nigga is all of that! And he has the swag of a major baller, not on the street level either.”
As Star went on Tamika half-listened while thinking, This ho just tried to dis my man, on the sly with that street level comment. A’ight, I’ma let her have that but she’s probably blowing this Diamond Rick clown up to be more than he is. Because if he really is all of that, why would he want to take on this chicken and her Bay Bay kids?
Tamika was saved when Star’s cell chirped and it turned out to be Diamond Rick calling.
“Well, I’ll holla, boo. Mr. Fine himself wants me to come spend some time with him.” She hugged Tamika and broke for the door.
“You know the game, bitch. A nigga is usually the opposite of his nickname. Remember that broke ass nigga you met at Chuck E Cheese with your bad ass kids? What was his name?”
“Millionaire!” recalled Star.
“Exactly.” They cracked up.
“Bye, ho” said Star.
Tamika woke up early and went down to CJ’s crib. She stirred him awake with a tongue in his ear.
“What time is it?” he growled.
“Six o’clock.”
“Dayum! Who let you in?”
“Eric,” replied Tamika pulling off her jeans.
“Is that why you came waking me up? You want some dick?”
“Yep.”
“You’s a lie,” he laughed. “You just wanted to make sure I came home last night.”
“Sho did! Uh-huh, ’bout to smell your balls too.”
“Smell ’em. Put ’em in ya mouth while you’re down there.”
“Nigga, you ain’t said nothing but a word,” replied Tamika licking his balls after they had passed the creep test.
Later, they went by the hospital to check on Rah’s condition. When they arrived they were both shocked to find Kayundra at Rah’s bedside tenderly stroking his hand singing Back Down Memory Lane in a low, sweet tone. She stopped singing when she realized that CJ and Tamika were standing there.
“What you doing here?” asked CJ in a harsh tone.
“I’ve been coming here every day for the past week and a half.”
“Don’t be molesting my nigga, either,” CJ knocked Kayundra’s hand off of Rah. “And if you keep up that shit, tryna sing to him he might not ever open his eyes. Who would wanna wake up to you!”
Tamika covered a snicker with her hand.
“Leave that girl alone. Apparently her singing to him is doing some good, he has come out of the coma,” said Big Ma who had just waddled up.
“You lying! Oops, my bad, Big Ma. When did that happen?” asked CJ, smiling sheepishly.
“Yesterday, praise God.”
“See!” added Kayundra, wanting to stick her tongue out at CJ and Tamika.
“Can he hear us?” Tamika asked.
“Well, loud as you’re talking I’m certain he can, but he’s medicated and asleep right now,” explained Big Ma.
“He’ll probably be awake in about two hours,” Kayundra repeated what the ICU nurse had told her.
CJ and Tamika waited out in the lobby for Rah to awake. CJ’s connect called to tell him that he was on deck. CJ was ready to get those two birds he said that he needed, but he was so excited about the news regarding Rah that he wouldn’t leave the hospital. He had to see his man with his eyes open.
When CJ stepped outside again, this time to call Tricia, his secret jump off, Tamika called Star and gossiped about Kayundra being at the hospital.
“Crack fiend Kayundra?” asked Star.
“The one and only!”
“Dayum! Well, Rah and her was together since before they had hair on their privates, until you stole him from her, right?”
“Whateva! I didn’t steal Rah from her. Anyway, I’ma call you back, I’m not supposed to be on a cell phone near ICU. Fuck around and flatline somebody,” she joked.
“Bitch you sick. Bye.”
“He’s awake, but he’s groggy and very weak,” Kayundra came out to the waiting area to inform them. CJ bolted to his man’s bedside.
Rah’s eyes were open though glassy, but it was all good.
“Welcome back, fam,” said CJ grinning from ear to ear. “Word, I love you, dawg.”
Rah wasn’t able to respond besides allowing the recognition to flash in his eyes. But it was all good. The nurses only allowed them fifteen minutes with him because, according the nurse, Rah needed to rest so that he could begin to regain his strength.
CJ left the hospital in a festive mood. Outside, he picked Tamika up and spun her around, screaming. “My nigga done bounced back on these clowns!”
The next day, out on the block, CJ was whistling as he served fiends and other customers. He stayed on his grind for hours, thinking about his man and wondering where the hell Tamika was. It was seven o’clock, he hadn’t heard from her since ten that morning when she came down the hill to get his car keys.
On cue, Tamika pulled up. She parked and got out of the whip with a box of hot wings.
“Hey, daddy, I brought you something to eat.”
CJ ignored her and served a fiend that had just walked up in the hallway of the apartments where CJ pumped.
“Where yo ass been?” he asked after the clucker bounced.
“My ass has been with me.”
“Don’t get pimp smacked,” CJ snapped, not finding her response funny.
“Whateva, CJ! You like my new hair style.” She spun around slowly, showing him her long bob.
“It’s a’ight. Go home and wait for me,” CJ grumbled.
“How long you gon’ be out grinding?”
“Probably all of my fuckin’ life, yo. The way yo’ ass like to spend duckets.”
Wow! Where did that come from? Tamika wondered.
“What’s wrong, baby?” she asked.
“Ain’t shit wrong, just do what I asked you.”
“Excuse the fuck out of me!” she snapped and stormed back outside and got in the car.
“Yo, gimme those wings before you bounce,” CJ demanded as he followed on her heels.
“Okay. Here muthafucka! Tamika threw the bag of hot wings out the window onto the ground, and peeled off.
Five minutes later, her Mom Dukes was asking, “Who is that bangin’ on my door like they’re the police?”
“Probably CJ,” said Tamika going to answer the door.
“Either 5-0 after that ass or he’s hot at you,” her Mom Dukes gues
sed.
“The second one,” Tamika said over her shoulder as she snatched the door open. “Boy, don’t be bangin’ on my Mama’s door like that!”
“Girl, you gon’ make me catch a domestic charge!” CJ was finna spazz out on her until he saw her Mom Dukes.
“You the one who started it, CJ,” Tamika whined.
“I’m sorry, ma.” He kissed Tamika. “Sup, Ms. Jerkins?”
“Hi, CJ.” I found some of that stuff in Tamika’s room. I don’t know how many times I have asked you and this hard-headed daughter of mine not to bring your drugs in here. I don’t care about the money, but the drugs will get my ass put out, and I don’t do homeless.”
“My bad,” apologized CJ.
“Dang, Ma! I don’t have no privacy. I wish you would stay out of my room rambling,” whined Tamika.
“Chile puhleeze,” replied her Mom Dukes as she watched Tamika lead CJ to her bedroom by the hand, giddy as a two-year-old at the circus.
Not much later, Tamika came into the kitchen in a long T-shirt. Her Mom Dukes was in there smoking a cigarette and frying some chicken. “Got yourself a minute man, huh?” she joked.
“Ma, shut up!” laughed Tamika, pushing her.
“I timed y’all,” her Mom Dukes said looking at the Cartier on her wrist.
“You did not! Anyway, it was the best minute ever. Don’t hate.”
It was dusk dark when CJ and Tamika pulled in front of his building. They got out of the car, took a few steps, and were blinded by flood lights.
“Police! Freeze! Put your hands in the sky! Now get on your knees and put your hands behind your head, one hand at a time!” CJ wanted to run for it but a dozen cops had them surrounded, guns drawn, aimed to kill.
Tamika heard the click of the cuffs being put on her man. A female officer patted her down then turned her loose.
“Cam’ron Jeffries, you are under arrest in connection with four counts of murder. You have the right to remain silent. You…”
CJ was lucky that he had mistakenly left his Glock at Tamika’s, he realized as a cop continued to read him his rights. He had murked Red with the Glock.
Whew! He exhaled.
