There Can Only Be One

by Hood Rich

  I bucked my eyes and felt my heart tear into two. My nose felt like I’d sniffed an onion. My eyes watered, and a tear dropped out of them. I couldn’t believe my father my own flesh and blood, had said that I was hurt.

  Cabo sucked his tongue to the top of his mouth and made a loud clicking sound repeatedly while shaking his head. “You’re a dirty son of a bitch aren’t you, Paulie? You throw your own son under the bus as if he’s nothing. Maybe it’s because of his skin, huh, Paulie?” Cabo laughed.

  My father shook his head. “It has nothing to do with his skin complexion. It’s about what I can bring to the table and what he can’t. He’s just a street dealer, sooner or later he’ll be gunned down by a rival gang, or something worst that takes place in the hood. If you put your eggs in his basket they are guaranteed to be crushed and found useless. I am a man, of many connections, I can offer you ten times more than he can, and you know it,” He spat, with saliva flying out of his mouth.

  I was looking him over in disbelief. My head shook from side to side. I was stunned. My own father doing to me what I would never do to a son or my daughter.

  “You hear this shit, Hood Rich? This is the father that you’ve been cursed with. It sucks, doesn’t it? This man is so easy to throw you to the wolves to be killed and ravished.” He leaned over my chair and placed his cheek against mine. “What do you have to say for yourself, Hood Rich?”

  I looked at my old man and wiped my tears away. I’d already lost my mother, by my own doing. Dropped the ball when it came to my sister, Keyonna. Now I was faced with a decision that would keep my father alive or kill him. I was stuck, I felt angry and sick to my stomach at the same time. I questioned life altogether. Why had I been placed here? Why had all those I truly cared for died with me having something to do with it? I just didn’t understand.

  “Pop, so you’d be cool with them killing me, right now?” I asked.

  He looked at me and scrunched his face. “It ain’t nothing personal son, it’s just business. It’s like in the Bible, had David, allowed his army to kill Absalom a long time ago, it would have saved him a world of pain and strife. So yes.”

  I lowered my head and shook it. “Damn, you had to say that.”

  Cabo patted me on the back and snapped his fingers. One of his security men handed him a machete. Cabo walked back to his seat and stood in front of it.

  “I am a man that loves power and money. In that order. Now the Bertolli and Battaglia family has made me an offer that I can’t refuse. Your head is worth millions to me, Paulie. And I will be given the same power that you offered, along with the Port of Florida. Am I to past up this opportunity, because you are making me promises that you are pulling out of your ass? Then, if you’d do this to your son, I can only imagine what type of businessman, you’d be down the line. No thank you.”

  “On the other hand, Rich, you have a snake’s DNA. That scares me, and very little scares, old Cabo. To kill a snake, you must cut off its head. For you to go back to your life, under my care, you must walk around this table. Take this machete and cut your father’s head off his body and set it right here.” His security man handed him a silver platter. He slammed it onto the long table in front of him. He held the machete out to me. “Do you hear me?”

  I lowered my head and shook it. Images of Shante’ and Aaliyah popped up in my head. Then came my mother, followed by Keyonna, and Kesha. I felt even sicker than I had before. I didn’t think I could kill my old man. He was my father, the only parent I had left.

  “Cabo, don’t do this, give the machete to me. I’ll kill him with no hesitation. He’s nothing, let me at ‘em,” my father spat all over the table. He tried to get up, and the security men behind him slammed him back into his seat aggressively.

  Cabo slammed the machete on the table again. This time so hard that it echoed in my ears. I jumped and got angry. "What are you going to do, Hood Rich? Either him, or you. Keep in mind that if you die, then so does your daughter and her mother. I have men parked two houses down from your place in West Allis as we speak. One word and they will dismember the two of them with no mercy or care for them. You three will meet in Heaven.” He laughed. “Tell me what it is, now!”

  More images of my daughter and Aaliyah filled my brain. So much so that my nose started to bleed. It ran past my lips, and over my chin. I felt dizzy as I imagined the Mexicans hurting my girls. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I was their protector. I’d been placed on earth to make sure that no harm ever came to them. I couldn’t drop the ball again. I just couldn’t.

  "Give it to me, Cabo. I understand the game, give it to me. We’ll work this out. I will not fail, you again, I swear it," my father shouted rising from his seat again. There was a thick vein in the side of his neck. Sweat ran down the side of his face and he mugged me with hatred.

  I took the machete from Cabo and scooted my chair from under me. My eyes were misty. No matter how much dumb shit he was talking, he was still my father. My flesh and blood, I would never be able to get over what I was about to do to him for as long as I lived.

  His eyes lowered into slits. “You don’t have the guts son. You’re a pussy. You get your heart from your mother’s side of the family. Not mine!”

  Cabo snapped his fingers and both guards that were standing behind my father forced his face into the table. Cabo slid the platter to them. My father struggled to break their holds, but they were stronger and more determined to follow Cabo’s orders than meeting death themselves.

  Cabo stood up. “Hold that Cavron steady! Let his son cut his head off like he deserves. Go ahead, Hood Rich, you do this and you’re square with me. It takes cohonas, Vato.” He balled his fingers into fists and held it in the air.

  I walked beside my father and took a deep breath, clutching the Machete tight in my right hand. “You got any last words?”

  He grunted. “Make sure you take it clean off with one slash.” He spit toward me and missed. “I hope you rot in hell you, filthy turn coat. Send my best to, Kesha. Let’s go!”

  I raised it over my head, and Cabo’s men leaned back enough to get out of the way, but they kept a firm grasp on my father. I tried to imagine all the times he’d beaten my mother when I was a kid. How he’d gotten her addicted to heroin before we moved from out east. How he’d neglected our family for his own pure Italian bred one. Even with all these things going through my head, I was still unable to go through with killing him. Something in me just wouldn’t allow myself too.

  Cabo took his phone out of his pocket, dialed something on it, and held up a picture of me pushing Aaliyah out of the hospital in a wheelchair, while she held our bundle of joy.

  “You got five seconds to kill that filthy snake before I have them, and you executed. He’ll go on with his life and never think about you again. He’s dirty like that.”

  “Fuck you, Rich! I hope he kills you and that fucking kid! You’re a pussy. A peasant, weak, just like your mother!” My father snapped with spit flying from his mouth.

  Cabo walked over and grabbed a handful of his hair. “Do it, Hood Rich. Do it, now,” he ordered. “Five seconds!”

  I raised the machete higher, as my father continued to swear under me. Imagined how Shante’ looked coming out of Aaliyah’s womb, then imagined somebody doing something to hurt either one of my girls. I clenched my teeth, and brought the machete down with all my might, severing his head from his body.

  Chapter 14

  I got home two days later. When I pulled up there were two black Mercedes Benz cars parked in my driveway. They had Texas plates and dark tinted windows. I slammed the door to my Uber, paid the man and ran full speed to my front door. Aaliyah had not been answering the phone this entire day and that caused me to grow worried about her, and Shante’. I took my key and jiggled it into the lock. Before I could push it in, it opened, and I was pulled inside by a big Italian bodyguard that looked like he played in the NFL. He was huge and smelled like Old Spice cologne.

  He pointed a .9 mi
llimeter in my face and frowned. “Hood Rich?” He asked, closing the door behind us.

  “Where the fuck is my woman and kid?” I hollered, getting ready to panic. I looked over his shoulder toward the back of the house, feeling like I was about to throw up all over the floor.

  “Rich-Rich!” Aaliyah yelled and ran into the front room from the back of the house. She ran and wrapped her arms around me.

  “Baby, what’s the matter?” I kissed her forehead and held in her front of me. “Where is Shante’?”

  Another tall Italian walked into the room bouncing a sleeping, Shante’ up and down in his arms. He cooed to her and smiled at us. “Paulie’s been taken care of, lucky for you and your family, Rich. You took care of business in just a nick of time.”

  He handed Shante’ to me and bumped me as he walked past. Your sins are forgiven. You have a nice life. You’re Cabo’s bitch.”

  Six other men walked out of the house behind him and the big NFL looking guard. As soon as the door was closed, Aaliyah dropped to her knees with her hands covering her face. She broke into a fit of tears, sobbing loudly. “I can’t take this shit no more, Rich. I just can’t. You promised me that we would be out of here already. We’re still here. Now there are people forcing their way into our home in the middle of the night. Ripping, Shante’ out of my arms, and won’t even let me change her diapers. And I won’t even mention what they did to me when they so-called searched me for weapons. Thankfully, I just had her, and the stitches are still in or we would have been in trouble.” She shook her head and lowered her face to the carpet.

  All of her crying woke, Shante’ out of her slumber. She opened her little eyes, stretched her arms above her head, and yawned.

  I bounced her up and down. “Baby, go pack our things. We’re getting the hell out of here, first thing in the morning. Do you hear me, Lil’ One?” I grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.

  I noted that she had hickeys all over her neck. This got me angry. I wanted to kill the Italians that I assumed were from the Bertolli family. I felt like once again I had put someone, I truly loved under the gun by the poor decisions that I had made. Aaliyah was my Lil’ One, my everything. Just imagining another man even touching her was enough to make me wanna go ballistic. I hugged her tighter to me.

  She shook her head. “Screw that, Rich. I’m taking our daughter, and I’m getting out of here tonight. I don’t care about nothing that is left behind in this house. We can get it again. We have more than enough money to do so. I am begging you to come with us. You can handle everything else that you need too over the phone.” She looked into my eyes, searchingly.

  I handed her, Shante’ and shook my head. "That’s cool baby, you go ahead and do what you have, too. Why don’t you take our daughter to a hotel or something for the night? Book us two one-way First-Class tickets to Houston, and I’ll meet you at the Hotel the first thing in the morning. No later than ten you got my word on that, Boo.”

  She sighed and lowered her head, then looked up at me. “Okay, but you better stand on your word. We’re leaving all of this behind as of tomorrow. Please keep that promise, Rich. Our lives depend on it.” She kissed my lips and took Shante’ to the back of the house where they began getting ready.

  * * *

  I met up with, Chasity an hour later. She was in her office at our downtown club going over payrolls on her laptop. When she saw me, she jumped up and ran around the desk, wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my lips. “Hey baby, where have you been? Why you ain’t answering none of your phones? I’ve been worried sick over you.” She slapped me on the chest and walked back around the desk, sitting down.

  She put her Chanel eyeglasses on her face. They made her look like a sophisticated, strapped ass model. She popped her shiny lips and waited for my response. Her tongue dabbed at the corner of her mouth.

  “Look, I’m about to take a trip for a few months. I’ma leave you in charge of our clubs up here. I feel like you can handle it. You been doing a good job so far.” I moved the big fish tank out of the way by rolling it. It was against the wall in her office. After moving it, I pushed on the wall twice and it popped open. I pulled the latch and exposed our big safe inside of it. I keyed in the digital combination, and it popped open. “How much bread we got in here, right now?”

  Chasity hopped out of her seat, came behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, then laid her head on my back. “It’s two point six million in this one. And three even in the one on North Avenue. Why, are you looking to take some of it with you? And where the fuck are you going anyway?” She stepped to the side, looking me over very closely. “Are you in some sort of trouble? Don’t lie either.”

  I shook my head. “Naw, Aaliyah, just need a change in scenery. So, l’ma give her what she asking for. She been stomp down since day one. She deserves to be happy.” I grabbed her Gucci bag and turned it upside down on her desk. Spilling out all the contents. They crashed on top of her desk loudly.

  “Hey! That’s a lil’ rude ain’t it? You could of asked me first.”

  I scoffed and loaded seven hundred thousand dollars into the Gucci bag, stuffing it to the max, before zipping it up. “All the rest of this paper is for you to keep the clubs running smoothly. I ain’t gon’ touch none of it from North Avenue. That’s all you. You always said that this has been your dream. To own your own business, well here you go. I’ma make sure security stay in place, but I would like for you to orchestrate your own body of security as well.”

  “Rich, why you acting like you can’t answer none of my questions? I know you hear me asking them?” She rolled her eyes.

  I tighten my grip on the Gucci bag and smiled down at her. “I done got enough people hurt in my time, Chasity. I feel like the less you know the better.” I pulled her to me and kissed her cheeks. “I want you to know that I cared about you, a lot. I always will. Anything you need I will only be a phone call away. I trust you to handle your business. Don’t allow nothing or nobody to stand in your way of success. You’ve lost enough in your life. It’s time to turn the page.”

  She hugged me with all her might. “So, you just gon’ leave me then, Rich. You helped me build all of this, then you just gon’ run off with her? Even though, you know, I need you just as much?” She blinked, and tears fell down her cheeks. She looked up at me and pulled on my shirt. “Take me with you. I ain’t trying to break up your happy home. But something tells me that you aren’t coming back. So, take me too, please.”

  I dropped the bag, and wrapped her into my arms, holding her for a moment, feeling like I was betraying, Aaliyah and Shante’ in the process. I broke our embrace and brushed her curls out of her face. “Chasity, you’re good, ma. You don’t need me or no other man in order to make things happen for yourself. I’m giving you two strip clubs when you only wanted us to open one. You’re financially stable. You got your own home, that’s bought and paid for. Two whips, and a Range Rover. You’re a healthy, stable of women, what more can you ask for?”

  She shook her head. “I know, Rich, but none of this shit means anything if I ain’t got you to share it with. I wouldn’t have none of it if it wasn’t for you. I owe you my loyalty and my life. How can I give either of them to you if you aren’t even around?” She scrunched her face and tears dripped out of her eyes. She sniffed snot back into her nose and began to sob.

  I held her firmer and exhaled. “You got this, ma. You’re a champion. You as strong as any man. Keep your goals at the forefront of your mind. Stand on them women and make them pay the way for you. Be fair and stay in prayer. You’ll be good.”

  She continued to break down for a full ten minutes while I rubbed her back. When she finally calmed down, she took a deep breath and blew it out, slowly. She looked into my hazel eyes and swallowed.

  “Rich, I ain’t never met a man like you before, and I know I probably never will again. I hope I see you again. But if I don’t, I want you to know that I love you. I have always been in love with you ever
since we were kids. And I thank the Lord above for bringing you into my life. I’ma handle my business and never hit bottom again. I promise this to you. Now gimme a hug.” She hugged me close and cried into my chest some more. “I wish we would have made a baby together or something. How about we get together one more time for old time’s sake. I’ll let you do anything you want to me. Long as you come in me, and not on me.” She looked into my eyes, serious.

  I started imagining all the times we’d been together and how good they were. I thought about her moans, and how it felt to go deep into her thick ass body. She had a real ghetto booty that shook every time I crashed into it from the back. Her head game was on point, and all in all she was a good fuck. But then, Aaliyah and Shante’s face popped into my mind. I owed the both more loyalty and respect than that. I had to be a man and raise my family. I’d hurt them enough. I exhaled loudly and looked down on, Chasity. She ran her pink tongue over her juicy lips and grabbed my pipe through my pants.

  I caught her wrist and took it away from me. “Naw, ma, I know it’ll be fun, but I can’t get down like that no more.”

  She lowered her head. "Dang, I wish you loved me like that." She hugged me again, and broke down for the last time, before I kissed her cheeks, and left her in the office sitting behind the desk with her head on top of it.

  * * *

  Porky gave me a half of hug and patted my back. I sat down across from him in the living room of his tuck away crib that he shared with his baby mother and two sons. Since the death of Macho, he’d made, Mariella move in as well. When their mother found out she was pregnant she’d nearly beaten the baby right out of her. Under normal circumstances, Porky would have allowed it, but since she was carrying, Macho’s baby, he hadn’t. There was a big smart screen television hanging on the wall of the basement. He had it on ESPN. The world was waiting to see where LeBron was headed after opting out of his contract with Cleveland. They’d just been swept in the NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors.