Hustling on the Down Low

by MT Pope

  “Not tonight, Monica. I just want to get some sleep.”

  There was silence on her end, but I did feel her turn over in the bed. I turned over too and moved up close to her and put my arms around her.

  “Baby, you know I love you, right?” I whispered in her ear.

  “Mm-hmm,” she said as she nodded her head.

  “I just need some time to get this business taken care of; then we’ll go away. Just the two of us. I love you, Monica.”

  “I love you too, Leroy.”

  I turned back over and proceeded to get some rest.

  Chapter 22

  Monica

  Unstable

  As soon as I heard the light snores of my husband I sobbed quietly to myself. I had to admit that I was hurt. Deeply hurt. My husband wasn’t the man I married right now. I don’t know when exactly he changed, but I knew that I was not happy with it at all. He has never put his hands on me until now, even if he did say it was the pressure of the streets or the fact that I startled him. In my mind, he was unstable. And now, I felt like I was as well. My whole family felt unstable right now, as a matter of fact.

  How can I fix this? Can we come back from this? Is this the way that it’s supposed to be? I wrestled with these questions in my mind as I lay there beside a man I no longer knew now. Soon, I pulled the covers off myself and made my way out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen. I needed a snack or something to ease my mind.

  As I made my way down the steps, Corey was coming in the house.

  “Hey, baby.” I gave him a faint smile as I walked up to him and gave him a tight hug. I pulled away, and then made my way toward the kitchen.

  “Ma, what’s wrong with you?” he asked as he trailed behind me toward the kitchen.

  “Nothing, I’m good, baby,” I spoke as I opened the refrigerator and peered inside to see what I could grab for a quick snack. I purposely didn’t look at him when I answered him. I was wearing my anguish, and he would read it right away if he saw my face at this moment. My legs were threatening to give way to the floor at any moment now.

  “Ma, that is some bull.” He came over to me and aggressively turned me around. At that moment, I was too weak and vulnerable to chastise the way he talked to me and handled me. The tears that I was holding back instantly fell like a cascading waterfall when he lifted my head so that I was looking him in the face.

  “What the fuck happened?” The anger in his voice was fairly evident. He shook me a little like I was a rag doll. I was shocked that he was handling me this way.

  “Corey, let me go.” I spoke aggressively but in a low tone. He did as I requested. I retreated to a chair at the table that was in the middle of the kitchen. I put my elbows on the table, and then put my face in my hands.

  I rubbed my face feverishly trying to get myself together. I heard Corey pull out a chair that was close to me. He then put his hand on my shoulder. “Ma, what’s going on?” He had a better tone than a minute ago. It was loving and caring this time.

  “Your father . . .” I spoke with my forehead still in my hands.

  “Something happen to Daddy?” he asked. There was a little uneasiness that could be heard in his voice. He loved his father very much.

  “No, he’s fine. I guess.” I spoke, and then I finally lifted my head up.

  “You guess?” he looked at me in bewilderment. “Ma, what’s going on?”

  “Your father is upstairs sleeping peacefully.” There was a hint of scorn in my voice that he didn’t get nor would he understand.

  “So, what’s the problem?” he asked as he sat back in the chair. He looked to be more at ease.

  “Your father has changed. He’s not the same.”

  “Ma, you’re losing me. Where is all of this coming from?”

  “Your father and I had an episode earlier. It’s nothing.” I tried to sound convincing and unscathed by the events that happened earlier.

  “What type of episode?” he asked. Tension made its way back into his body as he asked the question. I always asked for him to be honest with me, so I knew that I had to do the same thing with him. At times, I hated the rules I set for him, knowing that I would have to be a partaker of the same rules. It was moments like this that I hated being an adult.

  “Well, I snuck into the shower with your father in it. I caught him by surprise, and he slammed my body into the wall with his hand around my neck. It didn’t last but a few seconds, Corey. He apologized profusely. I forgave him.”

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me. This is the second time he did this shit. This shit is going to stop today.” He stood up and marched toward the steps. I sprinted behind him and grabbed him by the arm.

  “Corey, don’t do anything. I got this,” I pleaded softly. I didn’t want any shit to go down in my house that may involve the police. Even though our family drug business is not run out of the house, we didn’t want to draw any attention toward us. My son was not a small guy, but I managed to hold him back for a minute. “Corey, please.”

  “Ma, that’s the second time he put his hands on you ‘by accident.’ That is a load of shit.”

  “I know what it looks like, Corey, but your father is really going through something right now. I need you to stand down and let me handle this. This is my husband.”

  “I don’t care, Ma, you’re a woman. A man is not supposed to be hitting on a woman for any reason.” He fumed as he looked up the steps. I prayed that he would listen to my voice.

  “Corey, you are absolutely right. There is no excuse, but please let me handle this. Please.”

  “Ma, this is the last time that this happens. Next time, I’m laying him down. Father or not.” I let his arm go and then proceeded to make my way back in the kitchen. He followed me like I prayed that he would. He pulled out a chair and sat at the table. He watched me as I fumbled around the kitchen trying to get us something to nibble on together. I had to admit that my mind was all over the place.

  I fixed us a late-night snack of grilled cheese and french fries. We ate in silence. I feared for my son and my husband. I prayed to God that my husband doesn’t have another one of his ‘episodes,’ and even more, I prayed that my son is nowhere around if it does happen again.

  “Corey, in life, we all have challenges, and sometimes those challenges bring out other personalities that are less favorable. Just like those curse words that flew out of your mouth when you got angry.” I eyed him as he bit into his sandwich.

  “I’m sorry, Ma,” he apologized after he swallowed that bite he just took of his food. “I was bugging, but that’s no excuse. I was supposed to think before I responded.”

  “Son, you get a pass this time, but next time, I just might bust your behind.” A smile followed the statement, but I was totally serious.

  We sat and talked for close to an hour before we both retired to our beds for some much-needed rest.

  Chapter 23

  Corey

  No Mercy

  I woke up the next morning with my mother and father still on my brain. I was still pissed. I told my mother that I would let her handle it, but in the back of my mind, my father was the enemy until further notice. My mom was off-limits to any and every one when it came to anything negative. I got out of my bed after a few minutes of just lying there. I quickly showered and made my way down the steps. It was still early in the morning. I heard my parents talking as I made my way into the kitchen.

  “Hey, Ma.” I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I then made my way over to the refrigerator to retrieve some milk for the cereal that I was about to eat.

  “So your pops don’t get a good morning?” he asked. I hadn’t even looked his way or acknowledged him yet. Yep, I was still heated.

  “Sorry, Pop, just got something on my mind. You know how it is,” I said as I sat down at the table. We had breakfast like this most of the time, but today was different. I wanted to break this ceramic bowl into my father’s face and watch the blood drizzle down his chin.
But I kept it cool and cordial. He was still my father no matter how bad I felt about him at this moment.

  “Son, I know all about it. So how is the basketball thing going?”

  “It’s cool,” I said in between a spoonful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I didn’t have many words for him now. And here he was pretending that he cared. His ass hasn’t been to not one of my practices, and he used to be at all my games when I played other sports. It’s amazing how things have changed. Now my mom was there, and he was handling his business. I wasn’t knocking him for handling business for his family, but at least take some time to spend it with us. An hour or two wasn’t going to derail your plans.

  “Your mother said that the coach is a lot like me; persistent and unrelenting.”

  “Yeah, he all right.” I just wanted to get up and get the hell out of here.

  “That’s good to hear. Give them other teams hell and don’t ever back down. You got my blood running through you, so I know dominating and handling your business,” he boasted proudly. I could care less about anything he said now.

  “Ma, I’ma be out back practicing. Let me know when you’re ready to go.” I got up from the table, put away the milk, placed my dishes in the sink, and walked out of the room.

  I didn’t even say good-bye to my father as I left the room. How dare he act as if nothing was wrong! Man, he can kick rocks with no shoes on for all I care.

  It didn’t take long for him to leave and for us to do the same. Don’t get it twisted. I still loved and honored my dad, I just didn’t like how he did things sometimes. He was on some new shit, and this obsession has taken over his life.

  I practiced extra hard, and it showed because my entire practice uniform was completely drenched when we finished up.

  I found myself in the coach’s office again as I waited for my mother to come and scoop me up. She usually waits around until I finished, but today, she said she wanted to go shopping and that she would meet me back here when it was time for me to leave.

  “So what’s going on with you today?” Coach asked as he came in and sat down at his desk.

  “I don’t understand.” I looked at him in confusion.

  “You played really sloppy today and too hard. You were making way too many mistakes. I don’t like mistakes, especially sloppy ones. Did I make a mistake in making you a captain?”

  “No, sir, I thought I was doing just fine.”

  “I wanted to fuck you up several times today for that foolishness. But I thought I would question you before I tore into your ass. I decided to give you a bit of mercy. It doesn’t happen often.”

  I looked at him like he was crazy for a moment. This dude has no fucks to give at all. He is straight to the point—always. If this was mercy he was giving me, I felt sorry for his enemies.

  “Coach, I have some things on my mind, that’s all. I was just going through some things, but that’s no excuse for my performance today.”

  “It’s understandable but unacceptable. Leave all that shit you going through outside the door before you walk through those doors. I don’t care about your problems and neither will your opponents in life. This world takes no prisoners, so don’t give it a chance to make you one.”

  I soaked up all that he was saying. He had a point, and he sounded a lot like my father.

  “Coach, you have any children?”

  He looked at me for a few seconds and then spoke. “Why?”

  “I was just curious.”

  “Is that information going to advance you in any way?” he asked.

  “Well . . . I—”

  “No, the hell it won’t,” he cut me off. “That information is not going to advance you in any way. You don’t need to know any fucking thing about me but the fact that I own your ass on this court and this team. Any more questions?”

  Damn, he is one cold muthafucker. I sat there in silence because I didn’t know where to go after that. He sure didn’t have to worry about me asking him any more questions about his personal life.

  Chapter 24

  Clayton

  Hugs and Kisses

  Monica’s love ballad “Love All Over Me” was playing on the speakers throughout my house. I knew it was too early to be playing that type of song, but it just made me feel good to know that the budding relationship that I was beginning was coming along quite nicely. I danced around the room in my boxers because I was that happy. It had been a long time since I felt like this. I had been in love before, but it didn’t last long because of infidelity. I was younger then too. Neither of us was ready to be committed to anyone else besides ourselves. I feel like I was ready now. Ready for love.

  What could one ask for in a potential mate? He was a handsome doctor that cares about the community and the people he treats. I was a professional in law enforcement and working my way up the ladder to the top. I got dressed in some of my finest clothes. I looked in the mirror and liked what I saw. All that was missing was the person to have on my arm. I exited my home and hopped into my car. I flipped the radio on and Jennifer Hudson’s “Dressed Up in Love” came on. A smile instantly covered my face. I hope that this was a sign of things to come. I was still a bit nervous, though. This would be our second date, and we were meeting at his house. I had already put the address to his place in my GPS and had it playing in the Bluetooth in my ear with the music softly playing.

  It was about a half-hour drive to his place. I pulled up to a house that looked like a minimansion. It was too big for one person. He was a doctor, but I wondered how one person could afford such a lavish place. But it dawned on me that I didn’t know how much a doctor makes or how long he had this place. I was a bit jealous. I could see me moving in this place and making it a complete home. I could only hope to do so.

  I got out of my car and walked up the well-manicured front yard to the door of the house. This door looked to be a solid dark brown wooden door with three glass panels that were about a foot long. It showcased the class and taste of the owner. The door opened, and Anthony stood in the doorway with a warm smile on his face. He was even better looking than I remembered him. He had on a nice lounging suit that showed off his slightly muscular body.

  “Hey, you.” He reached his arms out waiting for me to embrace him back. I wasn’t the sensitive type, but as soon as I wrapped my arms around him, I felt right at home. We let go after a few seconds; then he stepped back and let me into his home . . . maybe our home soon.

  There was soft jazz playing in the background as I looked around the very well decorated home. He had vintage-looking chairs and armoires in the large foyer as soon as we entered the house. It had a small cascading staircase flowing down the middle of a small second-floor landing. The theme was a burgundy and floral pattern. He had great taste.

  “You like?” he asked as he watched me take in the scenery of his home.

  “I love it. You have very good taste. In décor and men.” The last part was a pun to see if he would bite.

  “Yes to both of those.” He smiled. “Well, let’s make our way into the living room where I have some wine and cheese waiting for us to nibble on before we get into the main course.”

  “You lead the way,” I said as I gently placed my hand around his waist, ushering him in front of me. I followed behind while getting a good view of his behind. It was nice and round like I loved. He had class when he walked. He didn’t flaunt or anything like that. There was a natural flow to his walk.

  We walked into a living room with very exquisite furniture. The furniture had wood moldings that lined the parameter of the front with feet that looked like that of an animal’s foot. You could tell that this was not cheap furniture that was bought from Ikea. He probably had this stuff shipped from another country. A fireplace was blazing, but there was no heat coming from it. I looked at it in amazement.

  “It’s a state-of-the-art electronic fireplace. It’s good for ambience in the warmer months and rolls up to reveal a live fireplace behind it,” he enlightened me.
/>   “This is absolutely top-notch. I think I’m in the wrong profession,” I laughed.

  “Well, I work hard for all of this.”

  “I bet you do. That’s a Jewish hospital you work for. I’m glad to see that they are not cheap when it comes to the people that work for them.”

  “True.” He nodded his head in agreement.

  “You are not lacking either. I see the car that you drove up in. The city of Baltimore is not as deficient as they have led us to believe.”

  “Please, I am nowhere near where you are. I have a few more rungs on the ladder before I even come close to this.” I waved my hand as if I was Vanna White showcasing a product.

  “Well, let’s move from pockets and dollars and get to really know each other.” He changed the subject with agility and humor. “Have a seat on the sofa so we can really serve the tea.”

  “Well, what would you like to know?” I started off the question-and-answer phase of the date.

  “Tell me, why did you become an officer of the law?” He rested his arm on the back of the couch and slightly turned toward me as he posed the question.

  “It runs in the family. My father and grandfather were officers. So, it seemed the only logical choice to make. They are all retired now, so I am the lone gunman, as they say, in the family right now. What about you?”

  “Well, no one in my family is as educated as I am. Not knocking them, though. I was very bright as a child in school. My teachers took a liking to me, and I was blessed to be pushed into my purpose. I now take care of my parents and my two younger siblings.” He looked sexy as he talked. He had nice thick lips that gleamed some.