by LadyJ
“Yeah?” She answered.
“How was your first day?” He asked.
“It was okay. I’ll tell you all about it when I get out of the shower.” She said turning on the hot and cold water. She climbed inside and let the water run over her body for a minute. Her mind drifted off into a visions of Meek serving hard time behind bars. She softly cried knowing that these next few months will be the most difficult months of her life. She was nowhere near ready to say good-bye, and damn sure wasn’t looking forward to that day when they would have to part. She cleansed her body, hopped out, and wrapped herself with a towel. Moe picked up her dirty clothes from the floor and stuffed them into the clothes hamper. She dragged her tired body into the bedroom and curled up underneath Meek.
“So, how was it?” He asked wanting to find out how her first day of work went. “You didn’t quit already did you?” He teased.
“It was interesting.” Moe giggled.
“What’s so funny? What did you do?” Meek sat up on the bed and prepared himself to hear one of his lady’s funny stories about her day. He loved how silly she could be at times.
“First, my ass couldn’t figure out the proper way to hold the nozzle. First time I tried to wash somebody’s hair, I got water all over the shampoo room.” Moe dropped her head, made a sad face, then shook her head from side to side. Meek had his hand over his mouth trying to keep from laughing in the middle of her explaining how her day went. “Bae,” She lifted her head with a stupid look on her face, “you should’ve seen how wet that lady was when I got done.” They both busted out into laughter. “I bet her ass ain’t never coming back,” Moe finished.
“You did her like that, Moe?” Meek asked, weak off of laughter.
“It ain’t like I tried to, it just happened,” she said. “You know I didn’t know what I was doing, then I done lied to them folks like I knew what the hell I was doing.” She got up off of the bed and headed to the kitchen. “You want something to drink?” She asked Meek while opening the refrigerator. She looked over the small selection they had to choose from and grabbed two bottles of water.
“Baby, come sit down. We need to talk about something.” Meek said when Moe returned to the bedroom with a more serious attitude.
“What’s wrong Meek?” Moe’s eyes popped wide open thinking he was about to give her some more bad news. She was already emotional and she didn’t know how much more she could take.
“Just come sit down baby.” He held his hand out for her to take. “You know I don’t ever want to leave you right?” Moe instantly began to cry. “Stop that Moe. This is already hard on a nigga.” He said wiping her tears away. “You got to be strong with me, you hear me?” He asked her. “In exactly three days from now I’ll be checking myself into the Right Path Drug rehab. I’ll be gone away for four months.” Moe stared at him motionless with red watery eyes. The hurt his words was bringing to her wouldn’t allow her to speak, even if she had something to say. “Baby, listen to me clearly, before I go into this rehab I have to put that shit in my system. They won’t even think about accepting me in the program if I go down there clean.”
“What if you get hooked, Meek?” Her words escaped with pain behind them.
“I won’t baby, I promise. Just this one time.” He assured her.
Moe sprang up from the bed and searched the items on the dresser top for some pain meds. The instant headache she gained upon Meek mentioning putting cocaine into his system had the entire right side of her head banging. Meek walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Yes, I trust you, baby.” Moe replied softly.
“Good.”
THREE DAYS LATER
Moe listened to the music that was softly playing while she relaxed her mind in the bathtub. She had so much on her mind, and she was sick of that messy ass salon already. She tried to focus her mind on other things, but Meek had only been home for a few weeks and he was about to leave her again. Moe soaked in the tub for a while not wanting to get out. She dreaded watching him walk out of their home. She had barely gotten any sleep the night before because she stayed up all night watching Meek as he slept. Moe closed her eyes and let her body sink deep underneath the vanilla scented bubbles. Her relaxation was very short lived when the banging on the bathroom door scared the hell out of her. Her eyes shot open as heart rate sped up.
“What’s up?” She yelled knowing it was Meek on the other side of the door.
“Hurry up. I need you to help me pack my bags.” His words dragged as if he was high out of his mind. “Come on, bae!” He banged on the door again. “Get out of there.”
“Damnit, I’m coming Meek. Can I at least wash my ass first?” Moe spat back feeling annoyed at the fact the he had probably left the house early that morning to put the coke in his system before he checked his self into the rehab facility. She hesitantly slid out of the tub and dried herself off. Moe slipped on her housecoat and house shoes and exited the bathroom to find Meek still standing in the hallway leaning against the wall. She stopped and stared him in the eyes. “You high?” She asked with a mean look on her face.
“Yessssss!” Meek slurred his words. “But baby, I only did one line.” He assured her. His eyes kept jumping and his head nodded back and forth like a bobble head doll. Moe didn’t reply, she just walked away and left him standing there. “Man, that shit got to be the purest shit in the city.” Meek wiped the sweat from his forehead as he followed behind her. “Is it me are is it hot as hell in here ,Moe?” He stopped at the thermostat and turned the air on.
“Your ass is hot because you geeked up, Meek.” Moe flopped down on the bed beside the huge pile of clothes Meek had piled up on the of the top mattress. “Sit yo ass down somewhere before you fall over.” She yelled as Meek staggered his way through their bedroom door. “And did you have to pull out all these damn clothes?” Meek looked at Moe as if he wanted to say something back, instead he just walked over to the bed and fall backwards on the pile of clothes while she was trying to fold them. “Meek, stop it, move.” She pushed him away.
“Come on, bae, play with me.” He picked up a hand full of his clothes and threw them in Moe’s face. “You ain’t gone play with a nigga? You know you gon miss me. Stop trying to act like you ain’t.” He said.
“Dameeko Brown, if you don’t get yo ass over there and leave me alone.” She pointed to the other side of the bed. “Are you can pack this shit up yourself.” She spat.
“Damn baby, why you handling me so rough?” Meek whined as he made his way around to the other side of the bed and laid down.
“I’m not, but if you keep playing, I ain’t gon get all these damn clothes folded and packed before time for us to leave.” She checked the time on her cell phone. “We got two hours,” she finished
“Okay, okay.”
Moe turned back around and started folding his shirts then the pants. When she had folded all the clothes, she hopped up off of the bed and opened up the closet door. Pulling out two large suitcases, she dragged them over to the bed side. She stuffed the clothes neatly inside the suitcases, then put them by the door. Checking the time once more, damn I good, she thought noticing she had a whole hour left. She walked around to the side of the bed and tapped Meek on his chest. He was knocked out whit his mouth wide open and drooling all over the comforter. “Meek!” She yelled but he didn’t budge. She smacked the hell out of him and he still remained asleep. “I know just how to wake your ass up.” Moe said as if he could hear her. She unzipped his jeans and pulled them and his boxers down around his ankles. She slid out of her house coat and slowly climbed onto his lap. She bounced up and down on his pole until he started to move his head. “That’s right, nigga. Wake that ass up.”
“Ohhh shitttt!” Meek moaned when he opened his eyes to Moe riding him. He rolled her over and banged her back out, making her scream out his name in ecstasy. “Whose pussy is this?” He said feeling himself.
“All yours, daddy.” Moe shouted. They both ran off to the bathroom when they were done. Moe quickly jumped back in the shower to wash away the scent of their love making while Meek washed his self up in the bathroom sink.
“Come on, Moe, we gotta be out.” He rushed her by pulling back the shower curtain and cutting the water off himself. He tossed her a towel and left the bathroom. Meek hauled the heavy suitcases to the car while Moe put on a simple crop top and a pair of blue jean shorts. When she walked outside to the car, Meek stopped her before she even opened up the passenger’s side door of his truck. “What the fuck are those?” he asked.
“What?” Moe replied looking down at the clothes she had on.
“Those lil ass shorts you have on. If you don’t go back in there and take that shit off.” He snapped. Moe pouted then turned and ran back inside their apartment. She put on a pair of leggings then returned to the car. “Now that’s better. Let’s go!”
Fourteen
It was early morning when Meek’s eyes shot open. He sat up and wiped away the sweat from his face with the sheets on his bed. He checked the time on the alarm clock. It was 2:45 am, and he had just been woken up out of his sleep because the dream he had seemed all too real. He had been at the rehab for all of four days and he was having the same reoccurring dream every time he closed his eyes. He had no idea where the dreams were coming from and he never could get all the way through it without waking up out of his sleep. All he could remember was hearing the gun shots going off, and then his phone ringing was how each dream seemed to end. He laid his head back on the pillow and stared up at the sky. He wanted to call and check on his people, but he wasn’t allowed to have his cell phone with him. He would have to wait and use the facility phone. Meek rolled over on his side and tried to go back to sleep.
When day break hit, Meek hopped out of his bed and roamed the facility in search of a phone to use. He had to call Moe and make sure everyone was okay. His mind was playing tricks on him and he felt as if the dreams he had been experiencing was a sign of something soon to occur. He let the phone ring, then hung up and called again. Moe finally answered with a slight attitude.
“Man, who dis calling so early in the morning?” she asked upon answering the unknown number on her cell phone.
“It’s me, baby,” he said.
“Oh, hey baby.” Moe said changing her voice to a happier tone. “What you doing up so early?” She asked realizing that the sun hand barely had a chance to come up.
“Couldn’t sleep. How you doing though, Ma?” he asked.
“I’m good.” She yawned. “Just trying to adjust to getting up and going to this damn Salon. You know what I realized?” Moe asked Meek.
“What’s that?”
“I can’t stand fake ass bitches. Them hoes go make me cut up in there.” She said.
“Ohhhh, don’t get em’ tiger.” Meek laughed. “But other than that how is everyone else? You seen my lil bro? What Trent ass been up too?” He asked.
“Bro came by yesterday to drop me something off and I don’t know what the hell Trent’s ass been up to.” Moe replied.
“What about the girls? They good?” He asked about Roshel and Carmen. Meek considered everyone close to him as family. They all had been through hell and back together and still had each other’s backs.
“Ro cool, Carmen on the other hand ...” Moe paused.
“What happened to Carmen?” Meeks held his chest and prepared for the worst, fearing something bad had happened to Carmen.
“She had a little mishap at the spot the other night. She got hit for the cash and the work. She say them niggas up the strap on her and threatened to blow her head off if she didn’t give it up.” She explained what happened to Carmen just two nights prior.
“Man, what the fuck? Do they know who did it and why the hell do Trent got her in that bitch by herself?” Meek said, quickly getting upset with the fact that he would put the mother of his child in danger like that. “I told him this was a bad idea.”
“He say he got an idea. One of those lil dudes y’all got working for you was supposed to be over there with her, but Carmen say his ass disappeared out of nowhere and not even thirty minutes later she was being robbed. That shit crazy but I bet his lil ass had something to do with it. No one else knows where the spot is but them.” She concluded. “That shit had to be an inside job. Carmen said she ain’t going back.” She finished.
“Look, y’all be careful out there, Moe. Make sure to keep that heat on you when out there. Ima’ hit up Trent and let him no not to let you be out there alone. I don’t trust these grimy ass niggas. We all know they’ll do anything for a come up.”
“Yeah, I know baby. Bets believe ya girl busting at these fools. They want get the chance to get me.” Moe said assure of herself. She wasn’t the type to fear anyone who bled just like her.
Meek shook his head at his woman. She had always been in beast mode since the day they met. “I see I taught you well. I got to get off this phone tho, Moe. Love ya girl and watch yourself,” he said before the phone line disconnected. He tried to get in touch Trent but was unable to reach him. He left him a voicemail to call him a.s.a.p. then headed back to his room. He sat there damn near all morning trying to put all the current events of his life together. He was in a crazy mood and not really wanting see anyone at the moment, but it was just about time for his first group counseling session. Meek was anticipating it to be over before it even started. He wasn’t addicted to anything other than making money and smoking marijuana, and he hated he even had to pretend to be a junkie in order to try and save himself from doing fifteen years in prison. Even if he it didn’t get him out of serving the entire sentence; he was hoping the judge would at least cut his time down.
He stood from his small full sized bed and walked over to the large bay window of the Right Path Drug Rehab center. His mind was overworking itself with worries of Moe’s safety, and the safety of everyone else in his crew. He couldn’t seem to wrap his head around his run in with police, Moe nearly getting robbed, and the trap getting hit while Carmen was there. This Miami street life was no joke, and it took a real goon to run these streets.
Meek began to think about his past and what led up to his life of law breaking and dope dealing. He was raised by a single mother in the middle of the one of Miami’s most dangerous housing projects. He was the oldest son of two, and neither one of them had never met their father. For all they knew; he could have been any nigga in the state of Florida because their mother never breathe two words to them about him. Even when they got old enough to ask about him, she would always tell them that she is both their mother, and father and she was all they needed. Meek was three years older than his little brother and by the time he turned sixteen he introduced him the drug game and taught him everything he knew. He had his little brother peddling dime bags and nick sacks of weed on the corner in front of the apartment building with him all night trying to get their moms’ up out of the hood. On Meek’s 20th birthday he ran into Trent at the Marathon gas station on 5th St. He pulled up at pump number four and Trent was on the other side of him at pump number six putting gas into a white, two door BMW coupe.
Meek was still sitting in his car when he heard the commotion of the two men who walked up out of nowhere. He slid down in the front seat and watched, trying to see what was going on. Meek hated to see someone being robbed by a coward ass nigga who couldn’t get off of their lazy asses and make their own money. He watched as Trent threw his hands up in the air and surrendered as the two men both aimed their firearms at him. Meek knew he couldn’t just sit there and watch the next young man lose what he had possibly hustled hard for and being a young hustler himself, he couldn’t let it go down. Meek cocked both of the .40 caliber pistols he had and hopped out of his old Chevy Caprice and aimed both guns at the two men that were attempting to rob Trent. He ordered them both to get down on the ground, and when they did, Meek and Trent ending up robbing them. That was the night he m
et his best friend; Trent put him and Nino on with the cocaine. At 22 years old he met the best thing that ever happened to him. He was staring her down from the time he seen her enter the door that night at the Mansion night club, and when Moe introduced herself to him; he knew then she was the one. Over the course of their relationship, he turned Moe into a straight savage just like he was. She was the true definition a real woman. She was definitely every hustla’s dream. She was down to ride, and not only that, she added something more valuable to Meek’s life, and that was real, loyal love.
It was clear that the two were made for each other and he planned on asking her to spend the rest of her life with him because he knew it would be hell living without her. Moe had been more than his lover; she was also his best friend and partner in crime. When they first got together he used to go pick her up at Roshel’s mom’s crib back when she used to stay in the projects. It was something about her that made him want to keep her around. She was different, and she was harder than a lot of niggas he knew. Meek clearly envisioned her fighting in the projects, she stayed knocking hoes off their feet and she didn’t take shit from anyone. He fell in love with the beautiful shorty. Moe made him want to get out of the game and change his life around. If not for him, then for her. He knew she deserved better and he felt like less of a man at that moment because she was out there busting her ass slanging dope to fiends on the block just to make sure the bills and rent got paid back at home.
FUCK! He cursed himself for getting into the situation he was in. He hated putting this burden on his lady, and it was literally killing him knowing he couldn’t do anything about it. He was miles away from her, sitting up in some damn rehab center when he should’ve been out there hustling instead of Moe.
Meek’s head snapped around quickly to see who was tapping on the opened door. “Mr. Brown, are you ready for group counseling?”
