Young-Minded Hustler

by Tysha

  Prince came to the door and smiled at Karl. He extended his hand and gave a shoulder bump.

  “Hey, Mr. Karl, how you doing, man? It’s good to see you.”

  “What’s going on? Am I being punk’d? Just a second ago you didn’t know me.”

  “That was my brother you saw.” Prince laughed. “You know I’m a twin, right?”

  Now it all made sense. Karl had no idea that Prince had an identical twin brother. It was a little eerie how much they looked alike. They were identical without question.

  “No, I didn’t know that. You guys are mirror images of each other. That’s crazy. I thought you were trying to play me,” Karl joked.

  “Never that. Come on in, Mr. Karl,” invited Prince. He stepped aside for his visitor.

  Prince let Karl into the family room where Jayden and Quincy were playing Xbox. After introducing everyone, Prince offered Karl a seat and something to drink. It was kind of strange to have a teacher relaxing in his house. Prince handed a bottle of water off to Karl and sat across from him, right next to Jayden.

  “What brings you by?” Prince asked.

  “I’ve been trying to call but could never get an answer so I thought I’d come check on you. My bad for just popping by like this.” Karl made an apology.

  “You must be calling the house number. My mom keeps the phone off the hook all the time. I don’t know why she even has a house phone.”

  “The last time we talked, you said you’d think about finishing school. What’s up, man?”

  “I ain’t trippin’ ’bout that. I’m out here making moves. School has to wait,” Prince answered honestly.

  Jayden glanced at Prince and rolled his eyes. That was the lamest excuse Prince had ever come up with. Karl saw the disapproving look Jayden had to Prince’s explanation and assumed that he wanted his brother in school as well. Karl looked around the room, impressed with its organization and décor.

  “So what’s your plan for life?” Karl inquired.

  “To make as much money as possible and become hood rich. I’m my daddy’s son.” Prince smiled.

  “Oh, you never mentioned your father. Is he around? I’d like to meet both of your parents,” Karl said.

  Prince, Jayden, and Quincy suddenly looked ill. Their eyes became glassy and the carefree smiles they held were now sad, subdued expressions. Karl didn’t know why the mood in the room changed but he knew he’d said something wrong.

  “Our father was killed seven years ago,” Jayden announced.

  “I didn’t know. I am so sorry. That’s my bad for sure,” Karl said, surprised.

  “It’s cool. I thought you knew about it,” Prince stated.

  “No, why would you think that? The only information I had was school records. I don’t need all the in-depth reports on my students.”

  “It was big news around here for months after it happened,” Quincy added. “My uncle was killed by a police detective. Prince witnessed it.” Quincy hated the story of how his Uncle Mel died. They were close and Melvin always took Quincy along when he and the boys went fishing and played ball and stuff. Quincy thought of Melvin as his second father. His own was always working. When he wasn’t working, he claimed to be too tired to do anything. As a child, Quincy couldn’t understand. It hurt him not to have a tight relationship with his dad but he had Melvin. After Melvin was gone, so was Quincy’s father figure.

  Karl remembered the story. He had no idea Prince was the young boy whose father had died in his arms. That explained why Prince didn’t think very much of himself. Karl took notice of Prince’s lack of desire to learn. Prince had to be holding on to guilt and pain. From past experiences with kids, Karl knew that in order for Prince to really live his life, he’d have to let go of the past. That information would help Prince change his way of thinking. He only hoped Prince would be receptive to his helping hand.

  “Please forgive me, I had no idea. I didn’t connect that tragic story to you, Prince. If any bad memories surfaced because of me, I am sorry,” Karl said sincerely.

  “It’s cool, man, don’t sweat it. I ain’t trippin’. Hey, Mr. Karl, what you know about this latest Madden?” Prince asked, trying to change the subject.

  “Boy, you don’t want any of this. I’m fierce on the sticks,” Karl bragged.

  The three boys laughed, doubting the older man knew anything about their electronic toys. Prince grabbed a stick and handed his teacher the other. They played three games back to back. The third game was the tiebreaker and the winner would have bragging rights. Being with the McGee family felt comfortable to Karl. They discussed and sometime argued about professional sports. Everyone had their opinion about LeBron James leaving Cleveland, Shaq retiring from the game, Dwayne Wade’s personal life, and Michael Jordan’s stats. Prince, Jayden, and Quincy liked Karl. He was easygoing and didn’t take himself too seriously. All of the other teachers they had known only cared about grades and behavior. Karl seemed to care about them.

  “Where is everybody?” Shy yelled as she stepped in the door.

  The boys could hear anger in her voice. They immediately knew Shy was still furious and her visit with Cherise only made it worse.

  “We’re in the family room,” Jayden replied.

  “I almost had to beat the breaks off that bitch,” Shy vented. “I have to tell y’all something explosive.” Shy continued her walk toward the family not knowing the boys had company. She had to let the boys know what Cherise confessed to.

  “That bitch told me Raequan has been . . .” Shy stopped. Her eyes locked with the stranger as she stepped down into the family room. She was embarrassed by her language.

  Karl was sitting on the couch with Prince playing a game. He heard the woman walking through the house clearly upset about something. Karl had assumed it was a girlfriend of one of the boys. He never imagined the voice belonged to the twins’ mother.

  “Ma, we have company,” Jayden announced with a nod of his head.

  “Ma this is my teacher from when I was in juvie. This is Mr. Karl. Mr. Karl, this is my mom, Shayla McGee,” Prince happily introduced.

  Karl shifted his attention from the game to the woman standing near him. She was beautiful. Shy’s pretty face was like a magnet pulling him to her. Karl scanned her hourglass shape, causing him to fight off the erection growing in his pants. This woman was stealing his heart without even knowing. Karl wanted to speak but was tongue tied. He looked into her eyes and his heart skipped a beat. At that moment, Karl knew they would be together one day.

  Shy saw something in Karl’s eyes that she hadn’t seen since Melvin died. He was a pretty boy but didn’t seem arrogant. Shy found his dreads and eyes sexy. Her stomach had butterflies. Their eyes locked along with an undeniable connection. She forgot all about her anger.

  Quincy noticed something going on between Karl and Shy. He wondered why they hadn’t said hello to each other. At a closer glance, Karl’s mouth was open. It looked like he had something to say but his mouth wouldn’t let him. Quincy laughed. He had had that look when he met his girlfriend Caron. After a few seconds of awkwardness, Shy blinked and shook her head.

  “Hi, Karl, everybody calls me Shy. It’s nice to meet you.” Shy blushed.

  “It’s nice meeting you too. I, umm, I just stopped by to check up on Prince. You raised a very respectable young man,” Quincy complimented as he stood to shake her hand.

  “Thank you. I’m sorry about my language when I first got home. We have some complicated issues going on right now. That’s not a daily thing, please forgive me.” Shy giggled, a little embarrassed.

  “Don’t worry about it. We all get to that point from time to time.”

  Karl had a knot in his throat. He cleared his voice and glanced over Shy’s body. She looked well put together. Karl wanted to kiss her to see if her lips were as soft as they appeared. His eyes fell down to her hips and long, smooth legs. He felt his manhood move and put a hand in his pocket. It was his turn to feel embarrassed.

&nbs
p; “Have a seat. Do you make home visits to all your students’ homes?” Shy fished for information on his marital status.

  “No. Prince is very intelligent and I tried talking him into returning to high school. It would be tragic for him to waste his intelligence. I know with some focus he would hone in on his skills and perfect them. Something about Prince reminds me of myself,” Karl admitted.

  “You see it too? Prince is his own person and he’s going to be who he is though I want better for him. I want all my children to get college degrees and move away from this city.”

  “I don’t appreciate being talked about like I ain’t here,” Prince interjected.

  Shy and Karl laughed. They apologized to Prince through laughs.

  “I should be going. I have a few errands to run,” Karl said.

  Shy was disappointed to hear he had to leave. She enjoyed their brief conversation. His voice gave Shy goose bumps. Karl stood up and Shy smiled. It was good to see he was taller than her and his physique was exactly as she’d hoped. His body was a beast. This brother is sexy as hell.

  “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  Karl said his good-byes to the boys and promised to keep in touch. He followed Shy to the front door, his attention focused on her wide hips and firm behind. It took great willpower for Karl not to grab Shy and run his hands over her body. From talking to her, he knew Shy was a lady and deserved to be treated as such. There was something about Shy that made him want to know her better. Karl was thirsty.

  “It was nice meeting you,” Shy said.

  “You too, I appreciate the hospitality. The boys were very welcoming.”

  “That’s good to hear. Well, don’t be a stranger.” Shy smiled with a racing heart.

  “I don’t want to be forward but do you mind if I call you sometime? Maybe we could have dinner or something,” Karl stammered.

  “I insist,” Shy flirted. She ran off her cell number and stood in the doorway until Karl was in his car.

  Shy was smitten and totally taken aback by the instant attraction between her and Karl. She didn’t know what it was but Karl felt familiar. They’d never met or run into each other before but the connection was undeniable. Something was awakened in her the moment she laid eyes on this complete stranger. With everything that went on earlier in the day, meeting Karl was a welcomed distraction. It almost made Shy forget about her fight with Cherise, almost. She still had to tell Prince just how deep Raequan’s betrayal lay.

  The boys pounced with a million questions as soon as Shy returned to the family room.

  “Did you get his number?” Jayden joked.

  “Where does he live?” Quincy inquired.

  “He was the coolest staff people in lock-up but I don’t know that nigga all like that. Who are his people?” Prince voiced suspiciously.

  “Yeah, we don’t want another Dwayne coming through here,” Quincy added.

  Shy stood quietly while her sons and nephew talked among themselves. They spoke as if she weren’t even in the room. If she weren’t dealing with her best friend and godson’s disloyalty, the scene would have been comical.

  “I didn’t even think about that. I’m just happy dude had a job. Mommy don’t need a thug,” Prince stated.

  “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a thug. Ya daddy was a thug. Remember, every thug ain’t a gangster and every gangster does not deal in street pharmaceuticals,” Shy educated them all.

  “Any man you bring around has to be good enough for you, Aunt Shy. He needs stability,” Quincy said matter-of-factly.

  “You’re right, Q, but it takes a certain type of man to handle a woman like me. I prefer a man to be taller than me and he has to have some thug in him,” Shy stated with a neck roll and huge smile. She also liked a man with his own money and a pole at least eight inches long and as thick and fatty as a cut of prime steak. Shy didn’t think they needed to know that.

  “He gon’ have to see me if he hurts you,” Prince threatened.

  “Stop jumping ahead. I’m going to enjoy a meal with the man, not walk down the aisle.”

  Shy’s heart was touched. It felt good to know she was so loved. Melvin had treated her like a queen. With him, she never wanted for anything. Melvin took care of her every need. Shy missed that feeling of a strong body next to her at night. Her battery-operated boyfriend couldn’t take care of all her needs. At times the loneliness felt overwhelming but, somehow, she always worked through it. She had resolved herself to being alone if the alternative meant settling for a man who wasn’t right. All of that didn’t matter because she had just met the man. He had asked her out for dinner. Dinner was just that: dinner.

  The boys knew Shy was right. They were overprotective but only because she was such an important part of their lives. Quincy felt like more than just a nephew; he felt like a son to Shy. Her love for him was invaluable to Quincy. Prince and Jayden saw the sacrifices their mother made for them and their baby sister. They wanted her to be happy and supported her desire to find it. The twins could tell by the look on their mother’s face that she had more on her mind than going out on a date. Something was wrong.

  “Prince, turn that game off for a minute. We need to talk,” Shy instructed. She sat on the ottoman next to Quincy. Prince and Jayden sat across from them on the couch. Shy could only imagine Prince’s reaction; she knew it was going to be explosive.

  “What happened when you went to talk to Cherise?” Jayden asked cautiously. He thought back to how Cherise came home and assumed she was going to drop a bomb. Jayden never expected the news his mother was about to deliver.

  “Cherise and Raequan are no longer a part of our family. They have both betrayed us in the worst way. I never want to hear of any contact with them again. This situation is so foul that I almost pulled my .22 from my purse and shot that bitch in her own house,” Shy declared angrily.

  “What’s going on, Ma?” Jayden asked worriedly.

  “Prince, your broken arm and all the other bullshit you dealt with in juvie were calculated,” Shy began.

  “I’d been hearing that Raequan was behind all that bullshit. I ain’t trip on it ’til that nigga shot out my engine,” Prince responded nonchalantly.

  “Why didn’t you ever mention it, bro?” Jayden worried.

  “It wasn’t nothing I couldn’t handle.”

  “Wrong. Raequan wasn’t working alone. He didn’t just turn on you overnight. That boy had somebody pulling the strings,” Shy explained.

  “What you mean?” Prince immediately grew heated.

  “The night supervisor paid Raequan to make you unhappy. Basically Raequan got special treatment to fuck with you.” Shy was infuriated. She hated the thought of not being able to protect her child from the evilness of the world.

  “Ma, that don’t make no sense. I ain’t trip with no staff all like that.” Prince tried to make sense of it all.

  “I know, baby, none of this has anything to do with you. It’s about your daddy.” Shy tried not to show the anger in her voice.

  “What?” the three boys asked in unison.

  “Roberts works there. He put all of this in motion. He’s probably who dropped Dwayne into my life.” Shy was furious.

  “I ain’t ever seen that bitch nigga. How you know all this?” Prince grew more and more livid.

  “That was probably by design. He worked at night and stayed out of sight. Cherise knew all about it and never said a thing to me. She supported that spiteful shit. I understand having your child’s back but as a parent, you let them know when they’re wrong. It does not mean I wouldn’t have your back but I damn sure won’t rally you on. There’s no rationalizing what they did. Raequan is just like his daddy: an immature, jealous, think the world owes him everything, asshole.”

  Prince felt as if a knife had been jammed into his back. He had been a loyal, lifetime friend to Raequan. Prince was probably the only true friend Raequan ever had. Jayden and Quincy never trusted or cared for Raequan. As kids, he always got jealou
s when all of Prince’s attention wasn’t focused on him. Raequan would break their toys, steal money, and lie to get them into trouble. Prince treated Raequan like a brother because he was their god brother. Even though Raequan was older, Prince felt responsible for him. After a lifetime of dealing with all his bipolar ways, Prince felt used and deceived.

  Jayden was outraged. He knew Prince was hurting and Jayden resented Raequan’s treatment of his brother. The twins felt each other’s happiness and hurt. When Prince broke his arm, Jayden felt the physical pain. He told their mother that Prince had gotten hurt before the juvenile facility called to notify her. It had been that way their entire lives. Jayden also knew that Prince was homicidal. If Prince were to leave the house and find Raequan, he would kill him for sure. Jayden could not let that happen.

  Prince paced the length of the family room, punching his fist into his hand and breathing hard. He was so angry and hurt that tears stained his face. Shy, Jayden, and Quincy were nervous. They had no idea what Prince was going to do but Shy’s hypothesis was correct: things were about to explode.

  “Ma, fo’ real? This nigga played me like that? He stepped on my neck, bro. How am I supposed to let that shit slide?” Prince cried angrily.

  Before Shy could find the right words to calm her son, Prince punched a hole in the wall. Quincy rushed to grab Prince before he could do any more damage. Prince threw a vase against the wall before his cousin could stop him.

  “Bro, calm down, bro. We got you,” Quincy demanded.

  “Bro, he ain’t worth all this. You need to bring that down, bro. Mommy right here and she’s upset, man. Come on, Prince, calm down.” Jayden pleaded with his brother repeatedly.

  Everyone in the room felt the pain inside of his heart but Prince was giving Raequan too much power. Until Prince understood that, anger and hatred would rule his life. Shy was determined not to let that happen. Somehow she would make this right for her son. By any means necessary, Shy was going to take his pain away.