by Wahida Clark
“She’s not here yet, baby.”
“Ms. Della…” Click. All Nina had was some dial tone ringing in her ears.
“No, this bitch didn’t hang up on me!” Nina screamed. “What the fuck is the matter with her?” She dialed Peedie.
“Yo!” he answered on the first ring.
“I’ma need you to come over to Ms. Della’s, ASAP. Call Mommy and tell her to go to Ms. Ruthie’s and get the kids. I am not going to be responsible for my actions tonight.”
“Nina, don’t do shit until I get there! Do you hear me?” he warned.
“Fuck that! How they gonna take my child?” she screamed. “That’s my baby, Peedie! And you telling me to don’t do shit!”
“I said wait for me, Nina! You gonna need somebody thinking with a level head to have your back.”
She clicked Peedie off, rested her head back onto the headrest and let the tears fall. “I can’t believe this shit! I really don’t believe it.”
Michelle remained silent as she squeezed her ride into a parking space. After she cut the engine off she looked up at Ms. Della’s house and all of the lights were out.
Nina hopped out and ran up to the front door. She began knocking and ringing the doorbell at the same time. When Ms. Della didn’t come to the door, Nina began yelling threats about her calling the police and getting her arrested for kidnapping. Ms. Della still didn’t respond. Nina dialed 911 on her cell phone and told the operator what was going on. The operator told her to stay where she was and a squad car would be there shortly.
* * *
Two and a half hours later, Peedie was hugging a defeated Nina. “We’ll get her back. Trust and believe that,” he assured her. “I know Supreme don’t want his moms to go to jail. So he’ll have her brought back.” As his cell phone rang he motioned for Michelle to come get a sobbing Nina.
Michelle led Nina to her car. She didn’t know what to say. She had no children of her own so she could only imagine what Nina was feeling. All the police had done was tell Nina that she had to wait twenty-four hours to file a missing person’s report, since she had dropped the baby off at a relative’s. Michelle hugged her sobbing friend. They both turned toward Peedie when they heard him getting loud.
“Calm down, Mommy. What are you talking about?” He waved Nina over to him.
Nina’s heart was beating at a pace of one hundred ninety miles per hour. Her intuition had already told her what her mom was all frantic about.
“Here, talk to Mommy.” Peedie shoved the phone into her face as he turned his back and knelt down on one knee as if he was about to pray.
“Ma, what’s the matter?” Nina’s voice was trembling.
“What are you into?” she screamed. “What are you into, Nina, that could get my son killed?” She was hysterical. “You the devil, girl! I raised you better! You are the devil!”
“No, Moooom!” Nina screamed.
“I didn’t raise you to do like you doing,” she continued. “Now you got your brother’s blood on your hands! Nina, you got these kids to raise. Do right by ’em. Lead by example. Do right. Live right.” Click.
“Mommy,” she mumbled into the phone. “Mommy,” she said again. “I’m sorry,” she kept repeating as she dialed her mother back. All she got was the answering machine. Nina sat on the curb and cried like a baby.
Michelle was still in silent mode as she watched Nina and Peedie mourn his death.
She was an only child so again she couldn’t relate one hundred percent. But everyone knew that however she could help she would be down for whatever. After about a half hour five-o cruised up the block.
“What’s going on? Is everything all right?” the officer on the passenger side inquired as his partner looked on.
Since Peedie and Nina didn’t respond Michelle said, “We just found out a few minutes ago that we had a death in the family, sir.”
“Well, it’s late and I suggest you people take it inside.”
“Whatever,” Michelle mumbled as they cruised off. “C’mon, y’all. You know them clowns will be back.”
Peedie came over to where they were, pulled Nina up and gave her a hug. “We gonna bounce back,” he whispered to her. “You aiight?” He felt her shaking her head no.
“Well, you gotta remain focused. Stay on your mission and get the fuck outta New Jersey. Ain’t shit here. Plus Canada’s mom was announced DOA.”
“What?” Nina and Michelle both gasped at the same time.
“Yeah. So shit’s gonna be hot for a minute,” he told them. “You gonna be all right?”
“What you think, Peedie? My baby has been kidnapped, my brother is dead, and my own mother just disowned me for the second time. Mommy has put all the blame on me. She even said I’m a bad mother in her own little way. Shit, that’s why I’m out here struggling. Because I’m trying to be a good mother. I’m trying to give my children the best so that they can grow up to be good adults. She never gives me any credit.”
“You know how Mommy is. Don’t take that shit personal. You need to stay on point and get the fuck outta Dodge. You understand?” She nodded her head yes. “Michelle, you gotta make sure she stay focused. You hear me?”
“I hear you.”
“Y’all both gonna end up in prison if y’all don’t. Plus y’all don’t know who Canada’s mom is connected with.”
“Jatana…”
Peedie cut her off. “Let her stay with Supreme’s folks for now. I’ll stay on top of that. You need to be getting the fuck outta Jersey, Nina! This ain’t no game.”
“I’m not leaving my baby,” Nina cried. “I can’t, Peedie. How do you expect me to do that?”
“Well you might as well be prepared to not see none of your children, ’cause your ass is going to prison. Call Ms. Della, tell her to keep Jatana until you get situated. You need to leave, Ni. You in a lot of trouble.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“What the fuck is two bodies?” When she didn’t respond he said, “Aiight. Play stupid if you want. When you ready to act like you ain’t stuck on stupid holla at me.” He walked away.
SEVEN
Four days later…
Nina had been staying at or rather hiding out at Darlene’s, Peedie’s chick on the side. She had a four-bedroom house out in Ewing Township. For the last two days she and Michelle had been back and forth at Nina’s packing up everything Nina wanted to take with her down South. Michelle had a big truck in front of Darlene’s almost full with everything that she would be driving. Nina and the kids would be flying down. Because she had to leave town so soon, she had never had the chance to go looking for a place to move into.
In the evenings she and Michelle had been out writing checks for furniture, appliances and all the other household items she would need for the move to her new house down South. Plus all the shopping helped to keep Derrick’s death off Nina’s mind.
As Nina put Michelle’s Land Rover in park she told Michelle, “Just one more night of shopping and one more bank job and that should do it. Don’t you think?”
“Shit! One more night? Anything from here on out is gravy, why you bullshittin’.”
“Whatever. So you gonna be here first thing in the morning?”
“Yeah. Don’t try to get rid of me. I need to come up and get my shoes and those earrings we got last night. You tryna steal my shit on the sly?” Michelle teased.
“Girl, please.”
They unloaded the car and proceeded to take the bags in the house.
“What up, Darlene?” Nina and Michelle simultaneously said as they walked past a half-asleep Darlene. She was curled up on the couch watching TV.
“Hey,” she drily responded.
“What’s her problem?” Michelle whispered to Nina.
“Who gives a fuck? In three more days, I’m outta here and she can be miserable all by her damn self. I got enough shit to deal with.”
“I know that’s right.”
After they made the last trip from
the car, they settled into the bedroom that Nina was claiming and opened up all the shopping bags. They had three piles. One for the household goods, another for clothes and the last for the stuff Michelle had gotten for herself.
“You gonna help me put this stuff in the truck?” asked Nina.
“Yeah, but first give me my Jimmy Choos from last night and my platinum earrings. Let me find out you tryna be slick with my shit. I’ve had to ask for my shit too many times.”
“Girl, let me get your little fake platinum earrings so you can leave me the hell alone. You obviously forgot that I got my own shit!” Nina headed for the closet where she stashed all the stuff she didn’t feel safe storing outside in the truck.
“Be right back, Ni. Let me take some of this stuff down to the truck.” She skipped down the stairs, and walking past Darlene she said, “Your hair looks good. I like that color on you.”
“Thank you, girl.”
Siiiiiike, Michelle laughed to herself. On her way back past her, Michelle eyed her as she tried to figure out why was it that she had never liked Darlene.
“What the fuck?” she heard Nina yell among a bunch of commotion. When Michelle went back into the bedroom, Nina was pulling everything out of the closet.
“What’s the matter with you?”
“My shit is gone! That what’s the matter!” Nina yelled.
Michelle ran over to the closet. “What’s gone?”
“All of my jewelry, my Gucci bags, four pair of shoes including your Jimmy Choos and my leather coat. This bitch got me fucked up! I put my freedom on the line for this shit. I’ll be damned if I’ma let some lazy, broke-ass ho take it from me! I’ma beat that ass right about now!” Nina was running toward the bedroom door.
Michelle dived for it first, blocking it, and had her hand on the knob. “Hold up, Ni. What are you doing?”
She grabbed Michelle’s shoulder and yanked her off the door. “Move, bitch!” Nina ran out the door with Michelle right on her heels, but not before she grabbed her Smith & Wesson out of her purse.
When they got downstairs, Darlene was still chillin’ on the couch as if she hadn’t heard all the commotion upstairs. “Bitch, where is my shit?”
She looked at Nina as if she was crazy, then lazily yawned, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Nina turned around and ran upstairs to Darlene’s bedroom. Michelle came behind her, closed the door and locked it. They both began ransacking the bedroom. Nina in the closets, Michelle in the dressers.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Darlene was banging on her bedroom door. “If you don’t come the fuck out of my motherfuckin’ bedroom, I’m calling the police,” she warned. “You in my fuckin’ house, remember?”
When she said that, Nina snapped. She ran to the door, snatched it open and punched Darlene in the face, again and again.
“Bitch… don’t… you… ever… threaten… me… with… the police again! I’ll call my brother and tell his wife where you live and I’ll… tell… him… about… that… nigga… you fuck with named… Dre.”
“Nina! Save some of that ass for me!” Michelle grabbed Darlene by her collar and stuck her gun in her face. “Where is our shit, bitch?” Darlene began screaming as if she were getting raped. “Shut that fuckin’ noise up!” Michelle smacked her in the face with the gun. “I’m not going to ask you again,” she warned while placing the barrel over Darlene’s already swollen eye.
“Okay. Okay,” she cried. “Don’t shoot me. I’ll give you your stolen shit back.”
“Where is it?” Nina yelled.
“In the basement in a trunk.”
Michelle yanked her up and pushed her out of the bedroom. Nina was right on their heels. A petrified Darlene led them to the basement and over to a large black trunk. She popped it open and sure enough all of their goods were right there. Michelle made Darlene carry the majority of the merchandise while she and Nina carried the rest. After they put everything back in Nina’s closet, Michelle turned to Darlene, put the gun in her face and cocked it. “This stays right here, am I right? In other words your ass-whipping never happened, comprende?”
Darlene was nodding her head up and down so hard, it looked as if her head might pop off her neck.
“I know where you live, bitch. You’re free to go.” With that said Darlene ran out of the room.
Nina slammed the door behind her. “Ain’t that some shit?” she said in disbelief.
“That bitch just messed up my plan. You know I can’t stay here no more, right?”
“Yeah. I know.”
Nina flopped on the bed and buried her head in the pillow. Michelle began gathering everything together. Nina turned over on her back and said, “Damn, I don’t want to call this nigga Reese.”
“Yo, you gots to do what you gotta do.”
“Fuck!” Nina grabbed her cell phone and dialed Reese. When he didn’t answer she said, “Ain’t this a bitch!” as she listened to his voice mail. She thought about hanging up but then figured what the hell. “Reese, this is Nina, let me hear from you.”
“Now, that wasn’t hard, was it?” Michelle teased. “He ain’t nothing but a trick, so I don’t know why you nuttin’ up.”
“Whatever. Let’s pack this shit so I can get outta this ho’s house. She’ll have me under the jail for real.”
An hour later, when they were almost done loading up Michelle’s Rover and Nina’s Jetta, Nina’s celly rang.
“Hello.”
“What up, shorty? Don’t tell me you finally got time for a player! You must be ballin’ outta control, ’cause a nigga can’t never get with you. What’s good, ma?”
“What you mean you can’t never get with me? You ain’t been trying.”
“Girl, I came by your house several times. You know you dodging a nigga.”
“Trust me. It ain’t even like that.”
“Then why you keep havin’ me come by and you don’t be there?”
“I apologize for that but trust me it was not intentional. My shit is so fucked up right now, you don’t have a clue, hell I don’t have a clue!”
“I told you. Whose shit ain’t fucked up? I know you know how to bounce back.”
“My shit is so fucked up, bouncing back is a joke to me.”
“What? You need some more doors fixed?” he joked. “I can do that for you.”
“I wish. That door was just the beginning of this major setback I’m having.”
“What about the beatdown you gave the nigga with the baseball bat? What was up with that?”
“That was the second event. The nigga I beat was my brother and now he’s dead.”
“Damn, shorty.”
“Yeah. So now you have a little idea of what’s up. I’ve been laying low these past few days…”
“I still want to see you. What you need?”
“Well you told me if I ever needed anything then you was that nigga. Well, nigga, I’m in a big jam. For starters I need a spot to chill in ATL or Charlotte. You got something that way? I need it like yesterday.”
“You ain’t said nothing but a word. Can I swing through a little later?”
“I’m not at that spot anymore. I…”
“Nina!” she heard Peedie yell. He slammed his car door. “Why in the fuck are you still here? You think this shit is a game?”
“Reese, let me call you back. Keep your line open.”
“Is everything aiight?”
“No. Give me about ten minutes.” Click.
Peedie snatched her by her arm, almost yanking her shoulder out of the socket.
“Why are you still here?”
“I’m leaving in a couple more days, Peedie. I told you I don’t even have a house yet.”
“You big-ass dummy! That’s why they got hotels! You don’t even know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“Your fucking house got burnt down, Nina! You done stole money from them niggas and now they out to get your ass. Then on top of that, five-o been questi
oning peeps in the hood and you know them niggas are talking. It won’t be long before your dumb ass will be charged with being an accessory to a murder.” He looked at all of the bags in both cars and flipped. “I know your ass ain’t shopping for clothes!” Smack! He slapped her across the back of her head. “You leaving right now.” He grabbed her by the back of her neck and pushed her toward her car.
“Wait, Peedie! I got a few more things in the house,” she pleaded.
Just then they heard a car screeching around the corner and before you know it the Chevy Impala was right up on them. “Get down!” Peedie yelled and whoever it was began spraying bullets.
When it finally quieted down Nina raised her head. “Are they gone?” She looked behind her and Peedie was patting his arm. Blood was seeping through his shirt.
“Peedie!” Nina screamed at the top of her lungs.
“I’m good. It’s just a flesh wound.”
A few feet over, Michelle’s brain matter was splattered all over Nina’s Jetta. “Nooooo! Oh God whyyyy? Call an ambulance somebody!” Nina was screaming as she stood up. She ran over to Michelle’s body and then back to Peedie’s.
“She’s dead, yo. Get the fuck in the truck and go. You know they comin’ back.”
Peedie watched as Nina frantically jumped in the big truck. He hoped that she could drive that thing. A sharp pain caused him to grit his teeth. “Go, Nina,” he yelled.
The truck finally turned on and was gone. “Shit,” he gritted. Peedie got up and headed for Darlene’s porch.
“Darlene!” he screamed as he ran toward her porch. Nina turned around at the sound of screeching tires. “Open the door, Darlene!” He stood in the doorway, separated from her by a screen, astonished at the sight of blood. “Open the door, bitch!”
Splat! Splat! Splat! Darlene stood there in shock as the bullets caused her lover’s body to twist and jerk before slowly sliding down the screen door.
“You bitch!” were Peedie’s last words as blood gushed out of his mouth and his blank stare rested on Darlene.
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