Through the Storm

by Vanessa Miller

  Isaac knew how much it embarrassed Keith to discuss his mother’s drug usage so he said, “Okay Leonard, we get your point, that’s enough.”

  Leonard waved his money in the air. “Oh no, Ike-man, it’s time to pay up, remember? Let’s all pay up.”

  “Shut up, Leonard, nobody needs to pay anything,” Isaac said then looked toward Leonard. “Just remember to keep your sampling,” he then turned to face Keith, “and your mother’s stealing to a minimum. This is not a charity house – I lose money every time something goes out of here for free.”

  Leonard nodded and put his money back in his pocket. “That’s fine, I’ll pay for whatever I sample from now on.”

  Keith rolled his eyes and mumbled, “crack-head.”

  Leonard threw another crack rock at him and said, “Your mama.”

  Keith jumped up, ready to fight. He charged at Leonard, but Isaac got in between them. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t we have enough to worry about without fighting against your own brother?” Isaac asked Keith as he held him back.

  “He’s not my brother. He’s a crack-head,” Keith spat as he spun around and grabbed his jacket. He headed toward the front door, but just before he left, he turned back to Leonard and said, “And don’t you worry about my mother. That’s my business to handle.”

  “He’s so sensitive,” Leonard said as he watched Keith walk out the door.

  “Shut up, Leonard. Why do you always have to keep mess going?” Isaac asked angrily.

  “Don’t even try to blame me for this.” Leonard pointed at the door Keith had exited and said, “That boy has been keeping his stash at his mother’s place all the while knowing that she would steal from him; and you knew it too. He was trying to keep her from turning tricks for her drugs, and I’m not mad at him about that; but if the two of you want to play Robin Hood and Little John, that’s on y’all. But it’s still like I said, if I got to pay, so does he.”

  “Don’t flex on me, Leonard,” Isaac said while his cold, dark eyes bore into him.

  “I’m not flexing,” Leonard said and then with a little less bravado he added, “I’m just saying.”

  “Whatever.”

  Leonard reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out three cigars. “Look, man, I’m not trying to argue with you today. I brought these cigars with me so we could celebrate.”

  Isaac took one of the cigars out of Leonard’s hand, sat back down at the table to continue bagging their dope and asked, “What are we celebrating?”

  “What do you think? I’m a Dad and you’re a godfather!”

  “What?!” Isaac jumped out of his seat and asked, “Did Clara have the baby?”

  “Yeah, dog.” Leonard leaned back and lit his cigar. “I’m Big Daddy now.”

  “What are you doing here with us? When did she have the baby?” Isaac was so excited; one would have thought the woman had just birthed his baby.

  “Relax, she had the baby last week. She called me from the hospital.”

  “Last week?” A puzzled expression was on Isaac’s face as he asked, “Why are you just now telling me? Have you seen the baby yet?”

  “Naw, man, I haven’t seen him yet. I figured if I rushed over there, Clara would get the wrong impression and start telling her wacko family that we’re back together and all that.” Leonard had broken up with Clara as soon as she’d started showing. He’d told her to holler at him after she delivered his baby.

  Isaac put on his coat and grabbed his keys.

  “Where you going?” Leonard asked.

  “To see my godson and tell him about his trifflin’ daddy.”

  “See, there you go, trying to make me look bad,” Leonard said while grabbing his coat. “I’m riding with you.”

  ***

  Tired of having to defend his mother’s drug usage, Keith decided that he would confront her once and for all. He was still steaming mad about what big mouth Leonard had to say about him allowing his mother to steal drugs from him; but even though he was mad, Keith couldn’t deny the truth in that statement. He hated knowing that his own mother turned tricks just to get high. So yes, he had allowed her to take a few rocks from his stash from time to time. But now that Keith thought about what he was doing, he realized that he had become an enabler to his mother. Because if he really wanted her to get off of drugs, he would lay down the law.

  The rundown apartment his mother lived in made Keith sick, but she refused to let him move her to a better place. He knew she just wanted to be around her drug friends and continue to have easy access to all the pills and crack she could take in a day. Dirty diapers were strewn on the ground next to dirty needles, cans of baby formula and other trash. As he climbed the stairs to his mother’s apartment he had to side step more trash and the drunks that paved the way. When he reached the third floor, he opened his mother’s door with the key he had been given. She’d given him the key three years ago and said, “You might need to get in to revive me or identify my body.”

  Keith remembered that his mother had laughed after saying that to him. He hadn’t found anything funny about it, nor did he find anything funny about the condition he found his mother in as he stepped into her small, one bedroom apartment.

  Dorthea Williams was stretched out on her dirty couch. It had once been orange, but now it was brown with tints of orange. She was leaning over, vomiting on the carpeted floor. Between vomit and wipes of the mouth, she looked up at Keith and said, “Hey, Son.”

  Keith didn’t speak. He walked into his mother’s bedroom opened her closet and took his bag loaded with his stash. And yes, it was indeed lighter than it had been the day before yesterday when he put it in her closet. He walked back into the living room, if you could call it that. It was more like the zombie room.

  The zombie on the couch that used to be his mother saw the bag in Keith’s hand and sat up. “Where are you going with that bag?” she asked.

  “I’m not going to be your fix it man anymore, Mother.”

  “I-I’m gon’ give this stuff up, Son. You believe me don’t you?” She heaved, lay back on the couch and turned back to the floor. Spilled out the rest of her guts, then told him, “This stuff don’t mean me no good.”

  Keith stood at the door, his hand on the doorknob. He wanted to go to her, put her in the shower and clean up that mess. But he was tired of fixing everything for her.

  “You’re not getting another dime from me. Do you understand what I’m saying, Mama?” She didn’t respond. “And I won’t keep my stuff here anymore. You’ve stolen your last crack high from me.”

  Dorthea pulled herself back into a sitting position again and wiped her mouth. “Boy, why are you being so high and mighty? You’re the dope man, remember? If you and your friends didn’t supply the stuff, I couldn’t use it.”

  His face was set. “And you won’t blame me for your addictions ever again. At least not to my face. I’m not coming back here again. I refuse to see you until you get clean.” He opened the door and walked out of his mother’s life.

  Chapter 22

  The Killing Years Continued…

  That night, Isaac, Leonard and Keith went to a night club on the South side of town where the liquor was good and the gold-diggers were fine. They sat at the bar tossing back shots and in general just enjoying their brotherhood. Isaac was on a high about being a godfather. He told Keith, “You should have seen him, man. The most precious thing I ever saw in life.”

  Keith laughed. “You act like it’s your baby.”

  Isaac got silent for a moment as he thought about that. He was only twenty-three, but he knew that he was missing something; a family. He told Keith, “I do want a child, but it has to be with the right woman.”

  Leonard lifted his drink and tapped Isaac’s glass against his. “Amen, brother. ‘Cause I have three problems with my baby’s mama.” He started listing the problems while holding up one, two and then the third finger. “My first problem with my baby’s mama is that she wasn’t somebody else – y
ou know, somebody that I could really be all into; number two: that chick has a psycho family. Her mom wants me to put a bullet in her mouth; and finally, she is a friggin bug.” At that moment, his beeper went off. He let it testify of everything he’d just said as he let Keith and Isaac see the number on his phone. “See what I mean? Everything is a 911 call with that nut. I’m going to change my beeper number.”

  When Leonard sat down and gulped back his drink without making a beeline for the pay phone in front of the club, Keith asked, “You need me to give you a quarter so you can call ol’ girl back?”

  “Forget Clara, I am not about to call her and ruin my buzz,” Leonard told them.

  “What if something is wrong with the kid?” Isaac asked.

  Leonard gave him a ‘Duh, are you stupid?’ look as his eyes bugged out of his head. “Do I look like a doctor? If something’s wrong with the kid, they need to get him to the hospital rather than bugging me,” Leonard said.

  “Don’t you worry,” Keith said. “You’ll get that Father of the Year plaque any day now.”

  “Forget you – I’m new at this. Clara knows what type of man I am. So she better pray that this whole Daddy thing grows on me.”

  A woman in a baby blue sequined dress, wearing her hair in a French roll, with long legs glimmering beneath shiny stockings came over to the side of the club where Isaac sat with his crew. She was dressed fine enough to be headed to an opera or a special night out of dinner and dancing with the one she loved; but there weren’t many special occasions between hustlers and gold-diggers on the South Side of town. It was Saturday Night Live at the night club; a chance to see and be seen.

  Debbie McFearce set her sights on Isaac. She smiled as she reached him and squeezed in next to him at the bar. “What’s up, Baby? How’ve you been doing?” she asked.

  “I’m doing. I see you’re looking good as ever,” Isaac commented as his eyes canvassed the lovely portrait of perfection in front of him.

  She stepped back to show off her dress and her curves, she twirled around, then asked, “You like?”

  “I like,” he responded, then asked, “How much did Marko pay for that dress?”

  Debbie shook her lovely head. “Naw, Marko didn’t pay for this. I bought it myself. Anyway, I’m through with him.”

  “But is he through with you?” Isaac wanted to know.

  “He kicked me and our son out. Didn’t care what happened to his own son, he just wanted to move some other woman into my house; don’t that sound like he’s through with me?” Debbie asked.

  “That’s how it sounds to me,” Leonard said with a laugh.

  Debbie ignored Leonard and smiled back at Isaac. “You know what my Mama used to tell me?”

  Isaac had always loved and respected his mother. Up until the day she died, there was nothing she could ask that he wouldn’t have done for her. He was slouched a bit in his chair. He swiveled around to give her his attention. “What did Mama say?”

  Debbie raised her chest so Isaac could see the prize that was in front of him and then said, “Baby Girl, don’t you fret; one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

  Isaac put his index finger and thumb to his lips and checked for drool, because his mouth was watering. Truth be told, he had wanted to get at Debbie for a long time. But since she was with Marko, he let it go and settled for other women. “Your mama sounds like a wise woman,” he told her as he stood, grabbed her arm and said, “Let’s go find a place where we can talk about some things.” They strolled across the dance floor over into a dark corner that held a few lounging chairs. Isaac and Debbie sat in one together.

  Leonard and Keith watched Isaac as he worked.

  Leonard shook his head. “Will you look at him? He’s about to take Marko’s main squeeze, and he’s doing it out in the open.”

  “Forget that. Marko let her go, so she’s fair game,” Keith said.

  Leonard pointed to Marko Stevens as he leaned against the mirrored wall in front of the dance floor. Marko was the kind of hustler who dressed as if he was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company responsible for paying taxes on legitimate businesses. In truth, Marko owned an auto dealership; two car washes and a drive thru; but he was still a pimp, drug dealer and numbers man.

  “It don’t look like he let her go,” Leonard told Keith.

  “What are you talking about?” Keith asked as he turned toward Marko, and then he saw what Leonard meant. Marko was leaned against the mirrored wall with his menacing eyes trained on Isaac and Debbie.

  “You see how he’s looking at them? He’s going to make a move. I can feel it.” Leonard began jumping around in his seat. He then got out of his chair and balled his fists. “That negro don’t even want that girl. But I guarantee he’ll put a bullet in Isaac just on GP.” Leonard shook his head. “Naw, I’m not having it.”

  “Don’t do nothing stupid,” Keith said.

  Leonard waved him off and strolled up to Marko as if they played on the same football team and were frat brothers. He gave him the Negro hand shake, then asked, “What’s up, man? I know you’re not thinking about trippin’ in here, right?”

  Leonard stood in front of Marko, blocking his view of Isaac and Debbie. Marko got agitated and lost his cool. He told Leonard, “Get out of my face, Nigga.”

  Keith stepped to them and said, “You all right, Leonard?”

  “You know me, Keith. I’m super fly,” Leonard answered Keith while staring at Marko. “But this man’s gon’ have a problem if he talks crazy to me again.”

  “What?” Marko said as he pulled his nine hundred dollar Armani jacket off and let it fall to the floor. “Boy, I will crush you.”

  Two of Marko’s soldiers came up on either side of him and grabbed his arms, holding him back. One of them whispered in his ear, “Not in here, man.”

  Marko shrugged them off and picked up his jacket. As he put it back on, he noticed Leonard staring him up and down. “What are you looking at?” His lip curled in disgust.

  “Nothing,” Leonard told him. “I’m just sizing you for your body bag. You look to be about six-one, two hundred and twenty pounds. A large bag will be good enough for you, right?”

  The force of the blow Marko dealt to the left side of Leonard’s square jaw caused him to stumble backward. Unable to hold his balance he fell on his backside while holding his jaw.

  “You don’t know me, Boy. I will kill you,” Marko spat. If not for the strict no guns, all-thugs-must-walk-through-the-medal-detector policy the club had, Leonard would have been shot instead of punched.

  Keith stood in front of Leonard to give him time to get up off the floor and examine his teeth. “You ain’t about to do that again. Not without going through me first,” Keith told Marko.

  Isaac saw the exchange from where he sat. He jumped out of his seat, almost knocking Debbie to the floor, and ran to where his boys were.

  Marko turned to Isaac and said, “If you want to keep your crew in tact, you better keep them out of my face.”

  Before Isaac could respond, Leonard picked himself up off the floor and said, “No, you better stay out of our way. You ain’t nobody.”

  “Shut up, Leonard,” Keith whispered.

  “Naw, naw,” Leonard said while jumping around. “This negro thinks he’s Al Capone or something. He hit me in the mouth and you think I’m just gon’ let that go?” He was brave as long as he had back-up.

  Isaac gave Leonard a stern look and then turned to Marko. “Look, as far as I’m concerned, we don’t have a beef with you.”

  Debbie had walked up behind Isaac. Marko lifted his chin in her direction and asked, “If you don’t have a beef with me, why you in here cozied up with my woman?”

  Isaac glanced back at Debbie. She was still looking good to him and he still wanted to get with her so he said, “She told me she was a free agent. So the way I see it, if you don’t want her, I’m willing to try her out.”

  Marko glared at Debbie and asked, “Is that what you told him? You�
�re a free agent now?”

  “You put me out, Marko,” Debbie reminded him.

  Marko pointed toward the exit and told Debbie, “Get your butt outside and wait for me by my car.”

  Debbie pulled on Isaac’s arm and moved him a few inches away from the group. She asked him, “Are you really interested in seeing if we can make something happen?”

  Isaac nodded. “I’m interested.”

  Debbie let his arm go and turned back to Marko. “I’m not leaving with you. Go on home to your new woman and leave me alone.”

  As Marko smiled, he showed his predator like pointy teeth. “All right then.” Marko turned to his boys on either side of him and said, “Let’s go.”

  After Marko left, Isaac and his crew tried to enjoy the night as best they could. Leonard was still fuming about almost getting himself knocked out. He thought that Marko and his henchmen shouldn’t have been allowed to walked out on their own two steady feet; they should have been dealt with, taken out on stretchers and rushed to the hospital. Isaac refused to go there with him and told Leonard to, “Shut up.” He looked around the night club and then back to Leonard.

  Isaac said, “We’ll discuss this at my house when we leave this joint.”

  Isaac played his hand close to his vest. He didn’t believe in letting outsiders know his plans, unlike Leonard who spilled his guts every chance he got.

  When they left the club Isaac took Debbie home with him as Keith and Leonard followed in their own cars. Debbie grabbed herself a sandwich out of Isaac’s fridge and went into his bedroom to give him time to speak with his boys. Leonard and Keith sat down with Isaac around his kitchen table.

  “Okay,” Isaac said, “How did all that mess get started?”

  Keith rolled his eyes in Leonard’s direction and said, “Genius here, got mad because Marko was staring at you and Debbie.”

  “He looked like he was about to do something,” Leonard said.

  “How many times have I told you looks don’t mean a thing?” Isaac asked Leonard.