There Can Only Be One

by Hood Rich

  She looked into them for a long time, then smiled. “Yeah, I hear you, Daddy. But, most of all, I believe you.” She laid her face onto my chest, kissed it, then closed her eyes. “Now hold me, so I can fall asleep in those big muscles. I need it.”

  I kissed her forehead once again. “I got you, Boo.”

  Chapter 3

  Paper took his razor blade and chopped through the platter full of cocaine. He separated four thick lines and rolled a hundred-dollar bill into a straw, put one end into his nostril, and tooted a line hard, before doing the same with the other nostril. He pulled on his nose, and sat back in the chair, looking across the table at me with glossy eyes.

  “This that shit right here.”

  I licked my cherry blue wrap closed and lit the tip. Inhaling the Loud smoke deep into my lungs, as I looked him over closely. “Bruh, whatever made you start fucking with that shit like that?”

  I was curious because as long as Paper and I had been trapping together, I’d never known him to put shit up his nose. To me, it was mind-boggling. Especially since we’d grown up watching many dope addicts make the transition from tooting to smoking and from smoking to shooting heroin. That was all it took for me to stay away from that shit. Paper tooted up another line. He pulled on his nose and treated his right nostril to the candy.

  He grabbed the bottle of Bombay off the table and turned it up. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, setting the bottle down. “Man, when my mother got killed, that shit hurt me worse than I actually let on, Rich. I used to cry every single night, and even sometimes while me and you were together.” He lowered his head and shook it like he was in deep in thought. “She was all that I had in this world man. Can’t nobody duplicate a mother. Then the way shit went down still ain’t right with me. I feel like she’d still be alive had we at that nigga Jamie that day. We should have either got him earlier or later. I just wished it never happened, but I can’t handle it now, so this is my only escape. Would you believe that I even thought about taking my own life, bruh?” He shook his head and ran some of the powder along his teeth to numb them.

  I blew my weed smoke into the air and sighed. “I feel you, bruh. I miss my mother, too, and now Keyonna as well. We just gotta be strong, we can’t allow this shit to break us. We have too much at stake and we gotta a lot of people counting on us to make shit happen. You sure, you this shit under control?” I dumped the ashes from the blunt in the ashtray in front of me. They landed on two blunt roaches that were already in there.

  Heaven, came out of the back room, dressed in some red lace boy shorts that were so small I could make out each of her pussy lips. Her thighs were fully exposed. She wore a white tank top, that stopped at the top of her stomach. Both nipples were clearly visible. She was barefoot, and her toes looked freshly painted. She was a redbone goddess. Thick as a choke sandwich there was no doubting that.

  She walked up behind, Paper and placed both of her hands on his shoulders. “Hey, baby, can I have some?”

  He grabbed her by the waist and pulled down into his lap. She grabbed the hundred-dollar bill from him and treated her nose, loudly. The strap to her tank top fell and nearly exposed her right breast all the way to the nipple. I couldn’t help but stare because she was that bad. Back in Memphis, I’d turned down a threesome with her and Chasity, a part of me was regretting it just a lil’ bit at that moment.

  I pulled her strap in place. “Shawty, why don’t you take that shit to the back room so, me and the homey can holler for a minute.”

  Paper nodded his head, and smacked her on the thigh, while she bent over, and cleared a line. She pulled on her nose like he had and when she stood up her camel toe was exposed through her shorts.

  “A’ight, but don’t forget, I gotta go get my nails done today, Paper. We gotta get me a whip, too, ‘cause I don’t fuck wit’ Ubers or buses. I am worth more than that, right?” She raised her eyebrows and ran her fingers across her teeth.

  Paper frowned. “Bitch, if I get up out this chair, on everything I love, I’m gon’ stomp you into this muthafucking carpet. Now you heard what my nigga said. Get yo’ lil’ yellow ass in that backroom, or you ain’t getting shit! Go,” he pointed.

  She scrunched her face and sucked her teeth. “Dang, fuck wrong wit’ you?” She left out of the living room with her panties all in her yellow ass. Both cheeks were exposed. Every step she took caused her thighs to jiggle. It was hard to not pay attention to that. I couldn’t wait until Chasity got into town, she was slightly more strapped then Heaven.

  Paper shook his head and turned up the bottle of Bombay. “Why is it always the bad bitches that are the craziest?” He laughed and cleared his throat. “To answer your question, I do have it under control. We should be more worried about your decision making than anything.” He sucked his teeth.

  “So, I guess we are getting into this shit, right now, then?” I crushed the blunt in the ashtray and sat back in my seat. "What’s on your mind, Paper? Keep that shit uncut, too.”

  He curled his upper lip and took another long sip from the liquor. “I feel like you getting a lil’ soft, bruh. You give muhfuckas too many chances. You let the enemy live longer than they need too. And you be allowing these bitches to run script on you. I feel like I need to take over the decision making for a while. Or at least have you run shit by me before we move forward or hold back.”

  I scoffed and rolled my head around on my neck. “That’s how you feel, huh? And what brought this on?”

  Paper laughed. “The shit with Andrea, Fax, His son. That fuck nigga, Maxwell, and now this club shit with my sister, Chasity. I feel like we should of handled all this shit differently. Had I been in the driver’s seat we would have. I just think its time that I lead for a minute and you follow. It ain’t gon’ be easy, but I did it.” He sucked his teeth. “Hated it every step of the way, but I did it, though.”

  I rubbed my sweaty palm on the legs of my jeans and exhaled slowly. I was irritated, I felt like I was on the verge of exploding. I never could take constructive criticism. That shit just wasn’t in me to accept. I wanted to attack him for all his misjudgments and drug usage, but I held my tongue. “My pops about to put us on like never before, and you think I’m finna sit back and allow you to his drive his blessing when this honor is being handed down to me? Bruh, you, done lost yo’ rabid ass mind! It ain’t happening. I feel like we both made mistakes. We can do this shit together, make sure we stay on the same page. I ain’t following no nigga. I’m a born boss, fuck that!” I said harsher than I meant to. I was getting angry and couldn’t disguise it.

  Paper clenched his jaw more rapidly. He lowered his eyes and nodded his head. “So, it’s all good when I’m following yo’ ass, but when it’s your turn you can’t stomach it, huh?” He scoffed and ran his hand over his face. “Yeah, a’ight then.” He stood up and began pacing back and forth, and balling and unballing his fists as if he was about to blow. “You about to let this money shit come between us, Rich. I can feel it. Before I let that happen, bruh, I’ll let you do your own thing and I’ll fall back. I got too much love for you, nigga. Fa real.”

  I placed the suitcase that was on the side of my foot, on top of the table, and opened it. I took out one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars that I’d previously separated and stacked it on the table. “Nigga money a never change me. First of all, we ain’t got enough of it yet. Secondly, I got too much love and respect for you. just can’t follow no nigga. I got this vision in my head that only I can bring into fruition. All you gotta do is trust me, that’s all I ask.” I slid his money across the table, next to his Bombay. I accidentally knocked the bottle over. Luckily the top was on pretty good. It rolled, and dropped off the table, by Paper’s foot.

  He picked it up and set it back on the table. “What’s all this?” He picked up the stack of hundreds and thumbed through them.

  “That’s a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. It’s your split from the lick with my pops. I’ma give two h
undred and fifty gees to the Misfits as well. We splitting this pot four ways. That’s how it’s supposed to go.”

  Paper frowned and rushed to my side. “Wait a minute. We already pay them weekly. Every lick they hit with us is included in their detail. See, that’s the shit I’m talking about, Rich. You about to trash two hundred and thousand for no good reason. They don’t get a bonus for coming to work. What are you thinking?” He shook head, then mugged me with seething anger.

  He had me thinking I was doing something wrong and making another terrible decision. “Bruh, what’s wrong wit’ hitting them lil’ niggas the way they are supposed to be hit. Long as we’re all eating, loyalty will stay amid us. Can’t you see that?” I closed the suitcase and picked it up off the table.

  Paper shook his head. “Cause that’s not how the game go. Just because you’re seeing certain numbers don’t mean that your workers are supposed to see the same amount. That’s how muhfuckas become too big for their britches. After they get their bands all the way up they ain’t gon’ need to work for us no more. They will become the competition. That’s the last thing we need because them lil’ niggas are savages to the utmost. They got a group of hungry killers that follow their every lead. All they’re missing is money. Long as they ain’t got that they’ll be dependent on us. It’s the reason why every time we hit them wit’ a nice amount, I encourage them to go shopping. To buy a whip or spend some money on their crew. I need them to spend them dollars as fast as they get them. The longer they stay blinded by the flash, glitz, and glamour of the game. They longer they will be our slaves in a sense. You feel me?”

  I did, it made sense, but part of me didn’t like shystying our lil’ homies. They have proven to be loyal, and down for the cause, against all odds, I liked that in them and wanted to see them eat like starving fat chicks at a buffet. “So, how much do you advise we break them off wit?”

  Paper sucked his teeth and pulled at the hairs of his chin. "I say we give ‘em twenty-five thousand a piece. Then take ‘em and spend ten on each of them. That way it look like we’ve done more, but, we wound up saving one hundred and eighty thousand. We can buss that shit down the middle that’s an extra ninety bands a piece. That’s how bosses are supposed to do it.” He drank from the Bombay and smiled.

  I really ain’t feel like constantly going over the same thing with him. I opened the suitcase and gave him another fifty gees bringing his total to one hundred and seventy-five thousand. “I’m giving them lil’ niggas a hunnit a piece. They deserve it. The only way we going to remain a tight-knit group is if everybody is eating. So, that’s how that’s gone go. You can say I’m making a stupid decision or whatever, it is what it is.”

  Paper grabbed the money and shrugged his shoulders. “You’ll learn sooner or later. I ain’t finna waste my time trying to teach a nigga that think he know it all. I’ma just let that shit come to you when it do. I just hope wisdom don’t show up too late. Nah’ mean?” He grabbed all his money and turned his back on me, leaving out of the room.

  I stood there for the second time in silence. My brain was racing like crazy. I knew that deep in my heart that I to do what was right for the Misfits. I didn’t give a fuck what Paper was talking about. I texted them letting them know I’d be on the way to drop their money off.

  * * *

  When I got there, Macho let me in through the back door. I noted that there were two Misfits in the hallway with ski masks over their faces. I stepped inside, and Macho put the big two by four back over the door. He laid his hand on my shoulder as we made our way up the stairs into his trap. As soon as I crossed the thresh hold I could smell the intoxicating Marijuana. It was heavy in the air. So much so that it boosted the high I already had. We walked into the big den where Porky was laid back with two of the Misfits behind him armed with Tech .9s. They wore masks on their faces. they each had a handgun on their hip, and gloves on their hands. Porky sat in front of a table that was covered with an orange and yellow colored weed. It looked chunky and smelled strong. Up under it was a transparent plastic bag.

  He stood up and gave me a half of hug. “What it do, Bossman?” He patted my back and sat back down.

  I sat across from him in a leather love seat, Macho took his place beside Porky, grabbed a blunt and set it ablaze.

  “It’s good to talk wit’ shooters in here?” I looked from one of the Misfit shooters to the next.

  Porky smiled, his chubby face looked a little red. I could tell he was high as a kite. “We’re all a family here, Boss. Secrets are for broken families. Not ours.” He handed me the blunt that he had in his left hand. “This shit from Veracruz, Mexico. It’s pure, you gon’ love it.”

  I took a pull from the blunt, set the suitcase on my lap and opened it up. “It’s two-hundred gees in here. One hunnit for you, Macho, and one for you, Porky. For the lick with my old man. There’ll be more to come. Trust me on that.”

  Porky shook his head. “Naw, Homes, you don’t owe us for doing that shit. It’s our job, Ese.”

  “Yeah, bro,” Macho added. “You hired us, so we can handle that type of business. I mean don’t get me wrong the money looks good, but it’s not ours. We don’t accept handouts.” He pulled off his blunt and inhaled it deeply.

  Now I felt like everything, Paper had said was right. I felt like I was making the wrong decision once again. “Look, man, I understand what it is, but this time I want you lil’ niggas to eat like we ate. So, you’re taking this money, and we’ll go from there. I got crazy love for you lil’ niggas, and I appreciate your loyalty.” I handed the suitcase across the table to Macho.

  He opened it on his lap and picked up a ten-thousand-dollar stack. “No bullshit. This is for us, big, Homie?”

  I nodded and took a strong pull from my blunt. I was high as a muthafucka. It felt like all kinds of music was playing in my ears. I licked my lips. My mouth was getting dry.

  Porky nodded his head. “That’s what’s up, Homes. And you never gotta worry about our loyalty wavering. It’s in our blood, Homes. You and Paper keep us well fed. That shit doesn’t go unnoticed.” Macho closed the suitcase and set it beside him. “When we find out who did that shit to your sister, you better believe we’re going to make their whole family pay the consequences. I’m talking chopping their kids into itty bitty pieces. You’ll see. We got the Misfits out scouring the streets using every C.I. we have. In a little while, we’ll know what’s good. In the meantime, did Paper, tell you we needed to talk to you about this move we wanna buss?”

  I shook my head and blew my smoke to the ceiling. “Naw, what’s good?”

  Porky stood up and grabbed the handle of the suitcase. “Hillside. We wanna take over that hood and have you and Paper flood us with a nice amount of product after we do it. There is a crew of Spanish Flies there right now. They’re making seven-hundred thousand dollars a day of heroin and meth. If we can move them around, we can soak up those funds and expand our crew. With the product that you guys have, if we work hard enough we can make nearly a million a day.”

  Macho, nodded. “Yeah, but it ain’t gon’ be easy. These Spanish Flies are crazier than any gang I’ve ever seen before. They are ruthless and believe in dying for their crew, just like us Misfits. Their leader was just killed two days ago, by an Asian crew out in Chicago, so they are trying to pick up the pieces. I say right now is the best time to attack. I wanna hit them before, during and after their leader’s funeral. We wanna run their ass out of town and kill as many of them as we have too.”

  “Yeah, fuck ‘em, Homes. The Misfits need to expand. We need that territory. It’s a gold mine. What do you think?” Porky asked sitting back down with the suitcase.

  “I trust you lil’ niggas, I don’t know exactly what y’all seeing, but if you’re looking to strengthen your mob I support that. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  “Once we take it over, all we need is a plug on the dope. We wanna cover all the bases. I mean, we’re good on the weed, but everything else
we’ll need,” Macho said.

  “Like I said, I support y’all. I’ll even buss my gun for you lil’ niggas with no hesitation. Just say when.”

  Porky laughed. “This crazy, Homes. He’s our boss and he’s talking about getting down for us. You’re a real one, Rich. Sabes Que, you have my heart, Homes.” Porky stood up and we embraced.

  Me and Macho did the same thing. Afterwards, I sat back for the next two hours while they explained their game plan to takeover Hillside row house. I became intrigued by how their minds worked, and some of the strategies they put together. It had not only opened my eyes a lot, but it also helped me understand that I had to step my game up if I wanted to become the king of my trap. I left out of their headquarters with a new perspective.

  Chapter 4

  It was mid-August, officially two weeks after we’d buried my sister, Keyonna. The sun was beaming down so hard that every time I wiped away a bead of sweat with my white washcloth, another would appear. Not only was it hot, but it was also humid, with very little wind blowing. I sat on the rocks of the lakefront, while, Kesha stood and skipped a few rocks over the water. She had been quiet, the whole time we’d been there. I was also at a loss for words and didn’t know what I was going to say to her. I knew she’d been struggling ever since Keyonna’s death and I just wanted to console her as best I could. She kneeled, picked up a small black rock, and skipped it off the grayish water, as a sailboat lingered on in the distance.