Tyrell

by Coe Booth

  After a while, Andre say, “So what you thinking about, Ty?”

  “Yeah, what you need?” Cal ask again.

  I’m tired of him always asking me that. But I do need something, so I can’t front. “I got all my pops equipment and records and CDs and shit,” I tell them. “It’s in storage.”

  “You wanna sell?” Greg ask. “ ‘Cause I know a guy that would buy all that shit.” Greg always know a guy that wanna buy something.

  “Nah, I don’t wanna sell his shit. He gettin’ out in a couple months. I wanna use it, throw a couple parties like he used to. But for our age. I’ma find a place, and I’ma charge people to come. Y’all can sell your shit outside, and I’ma DJ. What y’all think?”

  Greg look at Andre, who the oldest and make the decisions for all of them.

  “Sound a’ight to me,” Andre say.

  “What you need?” Cal ask me for the third fuckin’ time.

  “I need cash. ‘Bout two, three hundred to get the place and set shit up. We pack that place, make this party off-the-hook and we all get paid. But that’s only the first one,” I say, trying to make them see that this could be big, like my pops parties used to be. “We keep havin’ them, folks keep coming, and we start making some real money then.”

  I don’t tell them that all I’m trying to do right now is make enough money to get me, my moms, and Troy our own apartment. ‘Cause we been at the EAU over two weeks now, and I’m starting to think they ain’t never gonna get us no Tier II.

  I mean, most of the time, they only make you stay at the motels a couple nights, then they put you in a Tier II shelter where each family get, like, they own apartment with a kitchen and bedrooms and shit. And yeah, them places ain’t all that nice, but they way better than Bennett and least you get to stay there for a while. Least you know where you gonna be sleeping every night.

  But they treating my family different now. That’s ‘cause ‘bout three years ago, when my pops was locked up, we was broke and living in a Tier II shelter, and my moms scammed the city. She bought some social security numbers and other shit and was getting welfare money for three different families with all kinds of fake names and shit. She said she only did it ‘cause she was desperate.

  When the city found out, she was arrested. They ain’t put her in jail, but she still on probation for it. She s’posed to be paying the city back, but they givin’ her time since they think she got a retarded kid, like that ain’t another one of her scams.

  The problem is, now that we homeless again, the EAU don’t wanna give us no Tier II again, not when my moms was convicted of welfare fraud. That’s why we been at the EAU for two weeks now and they ain’t found nothing for us. My moms think they just trying to fuck with us long enough that we give up and find a place to stay on our own. But we don’t got nowhere else to go. If we did, why would we be sleeping at Bennett?

  Andre reach in his pocket, pull out a big roll of cash, count off three fifty-dollar bills, and just hand it to me like it ain’t nothing but a thing. “We in business,” he say.

  “A’ight,” I say. “But for real, y’all gotta keep your shit outside.”

  They don’t say nothing, but I’ma make sure they don’t bring no drugs in my party. I do things right, I can make some good money like my pops was makin’. But I ain’t trying to go down like the man. Nah. I’ma hafta be smarter than him.

  ELEVEN

  I only got a hundred fifty in my pocket when I leave the apartment, but least it’s something. Now I gotta get my shit together and find a place for the party. And I hafta make sure I make some money outta this. When my pops throw his parties, he be charging people like thirty dollars just to get in, then he make more money selling drugs and drinks. But I can’t charge kids that much. And I ain’t selling no drugs, that’s for damn sure.

  The snow is real bad now, and I don’t know how I’ma get back to Bennett. The cars on the street is sliding ‘round, and I don’t see no buses nowhere. I walk down the street trying to keep from busting my ass, which ain’t easy with sneakers on. And I’m still fucked up, which really ain’t helping none.

  When I pass the laundromat where Ms. Jenkins work at, I see her standing inside near the door looking out like she waiting for someone. I wave to her and try to keep on going, but she open the door and lean her head out. “Tyrell, come here a minute.”

  I stop and go back. “Hi, Ms. Jenkins.”

  “You coming from seeing Novisha?” she ask. She forever making sure me and Novisha ain’t together when she ain’t ‘round.

  “No, I was with Calvin and them ‘round the corner.”

  Ms. Jenkins give me a look like she think I’m up to something. “I hope you’re not getting yourself mixed up with them boys, Tyrell. You know what they do, right?”

  “Yeah, I know, but you don’t gotta worry ‘bout me, Ms. Jenkins. I ain’t gonna do nothing stupid.”

  “Good,” she say, but I can tell she still not sure she can believe me. “Because you know where those boys are headed, right?”

  “I know,” I say. “But they don’t got a nice girlfriend like I do.” I smile ‘cause I know she like what I’m saying. “I ain’t gonna do nothing to mess things up with my girl.”

  “Good,” she say again. She stare at me for another couple seconds, and I start to get nervous. Damn, I hope she can’t tell I’m high. Then she say, “Can you help me with some bags? I’m closing up early here, and I have a lot of groceries to take home. My husband was supposed to pick me up, but I don’t know where he is. I guess the snow is holding him up.”

  I go inside and wait while she turn off all the lights and lock the back door. She got six plastic bags on the floor with all kinds of food inside. She got turkey wings, collard greens, yams, and all kinda stuff. “You making Thanksgiving dinner or something?” I ask.

  She laugh. “You know how I do on Sundays, Tyrell. I should invite your mother and brother over sometimes.”

  “Yeah, my moms would like that. And Troy too. That boy can eat. You should see how big he getting.”

  “Alright. Let me plan something. It would be nice to see your mother again.”

  I can tell she just saying that to be nice, ‘cause the truth is, them two don’t really got that much to talk ‘bout. When we used to live in the projects, my moms and Ms. Jenkins ain’t hardly said more than two words to each other. They was living in like two different worlds. They ain’t start conversating ‘til me and Novisha started going out, and that was mostly by phone.

  I pick up four of them heavy-ass bags, two in each hand, and leave her the two light ones. We go outside, and she lock up the front of the laundromat and pull down the metal gate and padlock it. Then we walk down the street. “I hope Mr. Jenkins don’t show up now and find the place closed,” she say.

  “He got a cell phone?”

  “He has one for work, but he’s not allowed to give out the phone number. He said they fired a guy for taking personal calls on it.”

  I wanna tell Ms. Jenkins that her ex-husband is full of shit, but maybe she ain’t gonna wanna hear it from me. “You and Mr. Jenkins gonna get back together?” I ask her.

  “You sound like Novisha now,” she say. “I don’t know what we gonna do, but I’m a Catholic, so as far as I’m concerned, he will always be my husband. I don’t care what those divorce papers say.”

  Getting to her building with all them bags take longer than I thought it was gonna take, and I’m getting worried that I ain’t gonna be able to get back to Bennett. The snow is deep, and it’s hard just walking. And it’s so cold I can’t even feel my hands or feet no more.

  When we get to the apartment, Novisha in the living room on the computer. She kinda look happy to see me, but at the same time she look like she upset ‘bout something. She give me a hug, but she don’t seem all that into it. I wanna get a real hug from her, but I don’t want her smelling no weed on me, so I just let it go.

  “You staying for dinner, right, Ty?” Ms. Jenkins ask.

>   “You don’t mind feeding me three days in a row?”

  “Boy, you know I would feed you everyday if I could. Especially with all you and your family going through right now.”

  “You been doing a lot to help us, Ms. Jenkins, always giving us food and being so nice.”

  “Does that mean you staying?” She smile and put her hands on her hips like she want a answer already.

  I laugh a little bit. “Yeah, I’m staying. Thanks, Ms. Jenkins.”

  “Now, boy, go relax while I burn up some of these pots and pans!”

  Me and Novisha go in the living room and watch TV. We sitting close, but not that close ‘cause her moms don’t like to see her little girl up under no guy. Before I can even think ‘bout it, she whisper to me, “I thought you weren’t gonna get high anymore.”

  “I’m not,” I tell her.

  She stare at me like she don’t believe me or something. She getting that same stare her moms got. “I know what I smell.”

  “Nah, I was just over at Cal apartment, and you know them niggas is always getting high. I just walked through the door and, next thing I know, my eyes is burning, and I got that weed smell on me.”

  She look me in the face hard, like she trying to make sure I ain’t lying.

  “Seriously,” I say. “I ain’t lying.” Her moms ain’t looking, so I put my arm ‘round her and pull her a little closer to me. But when

  I try to kiss her real quick, she turn away and tell me to stop.

  “I ain’t high,” I say again.

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what’s the matter?”

  “Nothing,” she say, but she don’t look at me when she say it. She look down like she hiding something.

  “Novisha, we was just here two days ago, and you told me the same thing, that nothing was wrong. Then you tell me some guy is stalking you, and now—”

  “Shh.” She get this serious look on her face now. “I don’t want my mother to know about that.”

  “Then just tell me what’s wrong.”

  She look over at her mother again, then she talk real quiet. “That guy, he called here a couple of times today. Like five times.”

  Damn. I’ma hafta do something ‘bout this.

  “I don’t know how he got my number, but—”

  “What he say?”

  She take a deep breath. “Well, first he just talked about school stuff, that he wants to help me with the volunteer project I started. I told him I don’t need or want his help. Then he said he likes the way I look in my gym shorts, but I don’t have gym with boys. It’s like he’s spying on me or something.”

  I try to stay calm while she telling me this shit, but it’s hard. If I get mad, I know Novisha gonna stop talking, and she gonna stop telling me when this guy do something else. But his shit gotta stop. “Look, Novisha, you tell me who this guy is, and I’ma take care of it. Then you don’t gotta worry ‘bout him no more.”

  She whisper, “You don’t have to protect me, Ty. I’m in high school now. I can take care of this myself.”

  “Then what you need me for? What kinda man I’ma be if I can’t take care of my girl?”

  She just shake her head. “Let me handle this, Ty. I’m a big girl.”

  Man, that shit just frustrate the hell outta me. What she want from me, to just sit here while she going through all this and not do nothing? ‘Cause if that’s what she want, I don’t know if I can do that. That ain’t who I am. Shit, my pops ain’t raise me to be no pussy.

  I close my eyes for a couple seconds trying not to get mad. I love this girl, but, man, I don’t like what she saying to me. She trying to be all grown and shit, but the truth is, she real innocent. How she gonna protect herself from some guy that’s so bold he calling her house in the middle of the fuckin’ day? To me, that’s a nigga that don’t care.

  When I open my eyes, it take me a while to focus ‘cause that weed is still fucking with my head. Damn, man, how I let Ms. Jenkins talk me into coming up here? And how I’ma act like I ain’t high through dinner when I can’t hardly see straight?

  “Are you okay?” Novisha ask me. I know she can tell I’m high.

  “Yeah, I’m a’ight.”

  “So, are we done talking about this?”

  I look over at Ms. Jenkins in the kitchen, but she ain’t paying us no mind. “We done with this for now,” I say, “but I got something I wanna ask you, ‘cause I don’t understand something. Why you tell your moms I’m getting good grades when we both know I ain’t stepped foot in that school for like a month now? What, you lying now?”

  Novisha look like what she is—cold busted. “I’m sorry,” she say. “You know my mother. If she finds out you’re not going to school, she’s not gonna let me go out with you anymore. She’s gonna think you’re a bad influence on me or something.”

  “So, you go and lie to her?”

  She don’t say nothing.

  “That ain’t cool, Novisha. I’m talking to your moms on the phone, and she telling me all this crap ‘bout how proud she is that I’m doing good in school, and I’m like, why Novisha gotta lie like that?” Maybe it’s the weed, but all of a sudden I’m just telling her what I really think ‘bout what she did. “You ain’t had to say nothing to your moms ‘bout me, you know. You just making stuff up ‘cause you don’t think I’m good enough for you the way I am. How you think that make me feel?”

  “I’m sorry,” she say again. “I just wanted to be able to see you.”

  “What you two whispering about in there?” Ms. Jenkins ask from the kitchen. She got her hands on her hips and shit, and she got this suspicious look on her face like we planning a bank robbery or something.

  “Nothing,” Novisha say.

  “You do all your homework, girl?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Then let Tyrell watch TV, and get to it. I don’t want you up all night.”

  “They’re probably gonna cancel school tomorrow with all that snow out there.”

  “You don’t know that yet. So get to work ‘til I finish cooking dinner.” She start to turn ‘round, then change her mind. “You hear from your father?”

  “No.”

  “I just hope he’s not stuck out there in that snow.”

  Novisha roll her eyes. “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”

  She get up and go back to the computer to finish her homework. I stay on the couch and start watching the news, but the weed is still messing with me. The apartment is warm, and I’m all comfortable and shit. Next thing I know, my eyes is closing.

  My stomach wake up before me. The apartment smell real good, and I can tell them turkey wings is gonna be slamming. By the time me and Novisha get married, I hope she know how to cook like her moms, ‘cause if she do, I’ma be one happy brotha.

  The guy on the news is talking ‘bout the snowstorm and how there’s gonna be ‘bout twelve to eighteen inches before it stop. Shit, ain’t no way I’ma get to Bennett now. I’ma hafta go back to Cal apartment ‘cause I ain’t sure Ms. Jenkins gonna want me to stay here.

  My cell ring. I can’t tell who it is from the caller ID, but I flip it open anyway. “Hello.”

  “Where you at?” It’s my moms, probably on that pay phone at Bennett. And I can tell she wilding out.

  “At Novisha house.” Novisha look up from the computer when I say her name. She look like she wanna ask who I’m talking to, so I cover the phone and tell her who it is. I ain’t the kinda guy who gonna conversate on my cell when I’m with my girl. That shit just ain’t right.

  My moms start screaming at me. “Well, you got me and your brother here with no money, waiting for you to bring your ass back with some food and shit.”

  “How I’ma get there in this snow? You see what’s going on out there?”

  “Well, what the fuck we s’posed to do? Starve?”

  I can’t stand when she be making me feel responsible for her and Troy. I ain’t her husband, and I ain’t Troy father. I wanna curse her
out too, but I’m in Ms. Jenkins house and I don’t curse in front of her or Novisha. “I can’t do nothing,” I tell my moms, but the truth is there is something.

  So while she cursing and screaming, I’m trying to decide if I should tell her where I keep my emergency money ‘cause the second I tell her, I ain’t gonna be able to stash nothing there no more. She forever looking though my stuff trying to find money. But, damn, Troy don’t got no food, so I don’t really got no choice. “A’ight. You know that little black case where I keep the keys for the storage place? I think it’s at the bottom of one of the garbage bags. Look in there. I got some dimes and quarters in there, pro’ly a couple dollars’ worth. Buy some chips and stuff from the machine on the first floor, and I’ll buy some real food on my way back in the morning.”

  “Ms. Jenkins gonna let you stay there? Do she know you screwing her daughter?”

  I just ignore her ‘cause she think she know everything when she don’t. “I’ma go back to Cal apartment and sleep on his couch.”

  “You get money from him?”

  That’s all she care ‘bout, but she ain’t getting no answer from me. And she ain’t getting no money from me neither, not ‘til after I make money from the party. “What’s Troy doing?”

  “Driving me crazy, what you think he doing?”

  “You take him out to play in the snow?”

  “He went out with them other kids. He don’t need me watching him every second of the day.”

  Damn. She can’t do nothing.

  “Don’t let him out no more,” I tell her. “The snow getting too deep, and he don’t got no boots. Get him some chips, and tell him I’ma be back in the morning.”

  “You ain’t answer my question,” she say. “How much Cal give you?”

  “My minutes is running out,” I tell her. “I gotta go ‘fore the phone cut off. Bye.” I flip the cell closed. How I’ma get through this week at Bennett and plan this party with only a hundred fifty? The party gonna hafta be this Saturday, ‘cause I need to make some money real fast.