Crazy In Love

by Yoshe

  When the door slid open, Shamari stepped out of the cell backward and Oldman firmly grabbed his arm, guiding him toward the search area. Shamari looked up at Oldman, who was no less than six feet five inches and 250-pounds. Shamari looked like a shrimp next to him.

  While Shamari was in the search area, he observed the other inmates in his housing area who were going out to the yard. They were in the dayroom already on the daisy chain. After he was searched, Shamari was added to the daisy chain, and he and the other inmates were led outside to the pens.

  “Yo’, nigga, it’s about time we saw outside, shit!’” one inmate everybody called Dollar exclaimed, once everyone was secured in the pens. Dollar was one of the few old heads in Four South. He had a full beard and looked like he had been through some things in life. For some strange reason, Shamari felt a connection with the man even though he had never seen him before. He couldn’t explain it.

  “I was tired of bein’ in that fuckin’ sweat box!” Dollar looked at Shamari, who was in the pen next to him. “What’s up, young blood? Don’t I know you?”

  Shamari looked at Dollar, who looked like he was old enough to be his father. “Nah, not that I know of.”

  “Nah, I know you or maybe I know some of your family. What’s your name?” he asked. Dollar rubbed his beard and continued to stare at Shamari.

  “Wallace. What’s yours?”

  “Dollar. Where your family hail from, young man?”

  “We from the ’Stuy. My pops was from East New York.”

  “Hmm. Your face look mad familiar. What’s your pop’s name?” Shamari seemed hesitant to tell.

  Dollar looked around and understood Shamari’s reluctance to tell his business.

  “Listen, young blood, I don’t associate with these young niggas in here. I’m about one of the realest niggas you gonna meet. I been through it all and I done seen niggas come and go. Word up, I’m thirty-seven years old and I still got enough fuckin’ Bing time to last me for the rest of my life. Anytime I get a parole violation and I come back to the Island, they bring my ass right to this Bing and I make it do what it do. I seen your face before in passin’ and I was buggin’ ’cause you look like somebody I know or knew, if they already dead. That’s why I asked to come to the yard. Maybe I’m the person you needed to see.”

  Shamari shook his head, in agreement. He had been feeling lonely inside of the Bing and the only person he could talk to was Miss Jones.

  “Well, my pop’s name was Maleek. He got murdered in Virginia when I was five years old. My mom’s name is Brandi. She’s from the ’Stuy.”

  Dollar put his hand over his mouth. “Yo’! That’s where I know you from! You look like your father, too.” Dollar stared at Shamari. “Damn, you look just like him! Your name is Shamari, right?”

  Shamari was taken aback. “Oh shit, yeah, how you know?”

  “Yeah, I remember when your moms first met your pops. She was goin’ to the High and she was about to cut some broad over your father first day she met him!” Dollar laughed, as he recollected the memories. “Yeah, we was some fly-ass young cats. Your pops was my nigga, too. Had swag for days. Him and Brandi made a good couple and the way he did her in the end was fucked up. I didn’t agree with that shit at all but I stayed out the business and kept my thoughts and opinions to myself. Damn, I had mad love for your moms! That was my girl right there!”

  Shamari shook his head as if he knew what Dollar was talking about. Dollar continued to run his mouth.

  “Your mother was off the fuckin’ hook, too! She used to get money like a fuckin’ nigga, if not better. I think your father was kinda jealous and he couldn’t compete after awhile ’cause motherfuckers used to request Brandi’s product all the time. Imagine your baby mother blowin’ you out the water when it comes to gettin’ money? That was unheard of back in them days, ’cause if anything, your chick is supposed to be your underdog, your bottom bitch. Brandi was nobody’s bottom bitch; she was on top of her game and she pushed her cars and got her money with the best of ’em. She lay some cats down, too. She was nice with the gun, always had a biscuit on her and would use it if she had to. Yeah, Brandi was the truth.”

  “I know she was,” was all that Shamari could muster up to say.

  “Man, but the bitter end was how Maleek died, son. Maleek had broke up with your moms to fuck with some triflin’-ass gold-diggin’ ho from Virginia and he moved down there for good, leavin’ Brandi behind in New York with you. That nigga was actin’ like he ain’t never had pussy before and refused to come back to New York to see you, at least. I was the nigga in his ear, tellin’ him that how he was treatin’ y’all wasn’t right and he wasn’t tryin’ to hear me.”

  Dollar continued to run his mouth. It was as if he forgot who he was talking to. By the way that Dollar was yapping, Shamari realized that he wasn’t the only person that was suffering from loneliness in that Bing.

  “I’ll never forget when they found him on I-64 and we was down there with him at the time, hustlin’. Some real black-ass, country bumpkin nigga named Smokey set him up. It was a rumor that Brandi had your pops put down but I don’t believe that shit. And niggas tried to say she was fuckin’ with that nigga Smokey ’cause they saw her in Virginia with the nigga a few weeks before your pops got killed. She was supposedly tryin’ to convince the dude to get it done, too, I dunno. Motherfuckers lie so much, I didn’t believe that shit, not one bit. Smokey had to disappear, but hey, that’s how the game goes when you out in this world hustlin’, it’s only a few ways out. I think you know about one of them ways, ’cause we livin’ the shit right now. This shit is for the birds!”

  Shamari did everything in his power to fight back his tears. He knew that Dollar’s story had some truth to it because the man knew the intimate details about his mother and father. Shamari had never met anyone that was directly associated with his father, so this encounter was bittersweet. Brandi had never mentioned Dollar’s name and now he understood why. He couldn’t help but think that there was a reason why he needed to come out to the yard that day.

  Dollar sighed. “Shamari, I’m gonna tell you, son. Stay the fuck outta jail, man. I been comin’ back and forth for most of my life and it’s no joke. It’s bugged ’cause I can’t even trust myself enough to stay outta here. You got kids, man?”

  “Yeah, I got a son. He’s almost a month old.”

  “Damn, Shorty Wop! You need to be home with your baby. Don’t get caught up. How’s your moms doin’?”

  Shamari attempted a smile. “She’s good. She’s got her master’s degree and shit, a good career. She’s straight.”

  Dollar sighed. “Good for her. I knew she was better than that hustlin’ murder one shit. As smart as she was, I’m glad she applied her brain to somethin’ else besides the streets. Now you have to do the same.”

  Dollar paused and looked at Shamari as if he was reminiscing about someone from his past. He looked like he was about to choke up himself. He just shook his head instead.

  “Tell your moms that I wish the best for her and good luck to you, Shamari. Remember what I said and don’t your forget your pops. He lives through you.”

  Shamari watched as they cuffed Dollar to take him out the pen and back to the housing area. Shamari turned around and stared at the Bronx, which was located across the water from Rikers Island. He took in the cool breeze that was coming off the murky waters surrounding the facility. The water was supposed to be calming but he still felt wound up. He assumed it was all the things that Dollar told him but he couldn’t get mad at the man for letting him know the truth. He had nothing but respect for his mother for keeping him from knowing about her past. If his father left him and Brandi the way he did, then Shamari figured that he was better off dead anyway.

  Chapter 34

  Sean and Unique stood by the bar in their usual hangout spot, Brown Sugar. They played a few games of pool as they waited at the bar for the comedy routine to come on. Sean needed a few drinks and was happy that Uniqu
e had called him out to the lounge to treat him to a round or two.

  “Yeah, man, it’s still on. This woman is certified crazy!” Sean stated. “I feel like Michael Douglas, man! I’m just waitin’ to walk in my house and see a fuckin’ rabbit boilin’ on my stove!”

  Unique choked on his beer from laughter. “Yo’, man, you stupid! Shit, Glenn Close was a sexy bitch, though! Giving up that pussy on the kitchen sink! Mike couldn’t resist that ass, neither!” Unique stated.

  “Yeah, but I can resist. Yadi is gorgeous, man. That’s what makes it so bad. She could have any nigga she wants, so why does she keep botherin’ me?”

  “Man, she don’t want any nigga! She wants you. She don’t care about lookin’ like a fool chasin’ you ’cause in her mind she’s doin’ what she feels she’s gotta do. In her mind, you and her are already in a relationship!”

  “Damn, it’s like that? Well, she’s not my woman and I wish she would leave me the hell alone. I’m feelin’ Brandi and I gotta get rid of this chick so that we can do what we gotta do. It’s got so bad that she even started fuckin’ with Brandi’s son, who’s locked up in the jail!” Sean looked at Unique. “Why don’t you fuck with her?”

  Unique looked around to make sure nobody was listening. “Hell no! I don’t want no stalker chick followin’ me around and shit. You can have that.”

  Sean laughed. “I just gotta get her off me. Like give her a one way ticket to Africa or somethin’. And you know what’s sad? She got a beautiful little daughter and it’s a shame how she’s carryin’ on over a nigga that don’t want her ass. She probably did the same thing to her daughter’s father.”

  Unique shrugged his shoulders and looked toward the entrance. “Damn! Who the fuck is that? She’s fine as fuck!”

  Sean looked and his jaw dropped. It was Yadi and she was bouncing her way over to them at the bar. He put his head in his hands.

  “That’s her, Unique. That’s the female I was tellin’ you about! I don’t believe this shit!”

  Unique looked like his eyes were bulging out his head and began cheesing. “Shit. She a bad mother . . . shut my mouth!” he joked.

  Yadi approached the two men. “What’s up, Sean? I knew I would see you here. What you drinkin’ on?” Yadi asked. She was wearing her wavy hair wild, looking pretty with her flawless makeup and her Bobbi Brown lip gloss on. Her smooth skin glowed in the dim light as Unique stared at her along with the other male patrons at the bar.

  “How you doin’, miss?” Unique stated, introducing himself and holding her hand up to kiss it. “I’m Unique and your name is?”

  Yadi giggled. “Yadi. How you doin’, Unique?”

  “Girl, I’m fine but not as fine as you. You are gorgeous, baby!”

  “Thank you, Unique. You are so sweet. Too bad your friend, Sean, here don’t appreciate it.”

  Sean arose from the bar seat. “I’m goin’ over here by the pool tables, Unique. Good-bye, Yadi.”

  Yadi smiled. “Oooh, I love playin’ pool. You wanna play a game, Unique?”

  Unique jumped up to grab a table. “Sure, baby doll. I’ll play with you!” He looked at the short skirt and knee boots Yadi had on. He couldn’t wait for her to bend over the pool table so he could see her goods.

  Sean watched Unique walk away. “What the fuck are you doin’ here, Yadi? I told you to leave me alone!”

  Yadi pointed her finger in Sean’s face. “No, you told me to stay off your property and I did. We are in a public place and you don’t own this bar so I could be here anytime I fuckin’ want to and I wanted to be here tonight! So get over it.” She began to walk away and turned around, blowing a kiss at Sean. “Oh, and by the way, I love you, too, Sean.”

  Sean simmered as he watched Yadi play pool with Unique. He would have fucked him up, too, had he not been his best friend. Everyone thought that because Yadi was so beautiful that there was no way she could be what he described. If it were the other way around, he surely would have been arrested by now.

  Sean walked over to Unique and gave him a pound. “Look, U, I’m out. I feel a little woozy from them drinks,” Sean exclaimed.

  Unique looked disappointed, until he looked at Yadi. “A’ight, Shiz, go on home. I’ll be okay with Miss Yadi over here, right, mama?”

  Yadi smirked. “Yeah, you will be just fine, Unique. Your name is Unique, right?” she asked, glancing at Sean. “Yeah, that’s right, go on home, Mr. Daniels.”

  Unique grinned from ear to ear. “Yeah, baby girl, I’m Unique, pun intended!” Unique looked at Sean. “Okay, man, see ya.”

  Sean looked at Unique and shook his head. He was going to give him a tongue-lashing when he called him the next day.

  Sean walked out to his truck and drove home. He was a little skeptical about being in the house with Yadi so close by but he shrugged it off and laughed. He wasn’t about to let Yadi run him out of his neighborhood. Once at home, he ran the water for his shower and turned on the music nice and loud.

  While lathering up in the shower, Sean let the Calgon take him away, as he sang along with Trey Songz. He was feeling refreshed when suddenly he heard a sound. Sean turned down the radio in his shower and stood still for a brief second. He heard the noise again. It sounded like someone was on the stairs. Sean laughed at himself, thinking about how paranoid he was. All the Yadi drama had him scared of his own shadow.

  Suddenly, the lights went out in the bathroom. Sean called out to the shadowy figure in his bathroom. Sean tried to grab the intruder but his hands got tangled up in the shower curtain. He lost his balance and the intruder managed to hit him in the head with a blunt object. Sean fell backward in the tub, with blood gushing from an open wound in his head. The intruder scurried down the stairs, with the blunt object still in their hand. They ran out of the house into the silent night.

  Meanwhile back at Brown Sugar, Unique leered at Yadi and imagined her sweet pussy on his tongue, but she was into his boy, Sean. It was highly unlikely that she would want to get with him after all the things he had heard about her. Unique was going to try to convince Yadi to have revenge sex with him. He hoped she went for it. After all, Sean wouldn’t mind. Through earlier conversation about her, Sean did suggest that Unique get with Yadi.

  “So you just came out tonight on your own, huh?” he said, as he shot the ball in the side pocket.

  Yadi stared at Unique, while chalking up her stick. “Yeah, I did. Why did you ask that?” she asked suspiciously. “What has your boy told you about me?”

  Unique frowned and moved back so that Yadi could get her turn. “My boy ain’t told me shit about you. Is there somethin’ that I need to know?”

  Yadi smiled. “Nah, it’s not anything that you need to know. It’s what you wanna know.”

  Unique shot another ball into the side pocket. He was winning the game and hopefully Yadi.

  “I wanna know how does a beautiful woman like yourself decide to up and be a correction officer? You supposed to be on the cover of a magazine or somethin’!”

  Yadi laughed. “Well, I never thought about bein’ a model. I just wanted to work like a so-called regular person. At the end of the day, I’m just a regular chick with an ordinary job. I don’t like all that glitz and glamour shit.”

  Unique looked at Yadi up and down. He admired her thick legs and clear complexion. He had to have some of that tonight, especially after finding out Sean didn’t give a fuck one way or the other. He didn’t believe Sean’s story about her being all obsessed with him was true anyway. Sometimes niggas be feelin’ themselves, he had thought while Sean was talking about Yadi. He just knew his boy was overexaggerating.

  “Well, sweetheart, I’m here to tell you that you look like Hollywood! You need a manager?”

  Yadi attempted to get another ball in the pocket and missed. Unique was the winner tonight.

  “Well, Unique. Why don’t we go back to your apartment for some drinks?” Yadi winked at him.

  “I would love to, baby girl, but I’m a out-of-town
er. What about your place?” “Well, I live in Queens, a long, long way from here. What kind of car you got?”

  Unique smirked. “I drive a Tahoe. Why?”

  “Good. We can hook up there.”

  As Yadi followed Unique to his truck, she didn’t have to think once about why she was about to have sex with Sean’s friend. In Yadi’s twisted mind, she had concluded that her having sex with Sean’s friend would anger him enough to come after her. Unique, who had known Sean all his life, knew that his friend wasn’t thinking about Yadi.

  Unique and Yadi climbed in the back of his truck and she slipped off the thong panties she wore under her miniskirt. Unique got an instant hard-on, even though he hadn’t seen any parts of her box yet. Yadi climbed on top of Unique and began kissing him. As Yadi took charge, Unique was in awe her. He almost began to feel violated by the way she was acting.

  “Take out your dick,” Yadi instructed. Unique complied. Yadi pulled her shirt over her head to reveal her ripe breasts. Unique instantly grabbed for one and tried to put it in his mouth. Yadi slapped his hand away.

  “I got this,” she exclaimed. “You wanted some pussy, right?” Unique nodded his head like a puppy. “Okay, so let me handle this.”

  She lay him back on the leather seats and began performing fellatio on Unique’s rod. He closed his eyes as he submitted to her and she loved every moment of it. She thought about what Sean’s face would look like when he found out that his best friend had some of her goodies. She wriggled her tongue on the head of his dick. He moaned loudly.

  “Shut up!” she whispered. Unique put his hand over his mouth. He didn’t want to screw up a good moment. She kept going up and down the shaft and watched as the moonlight beamed on Unique’s handsome face. Even then, she had to admit that Unique was sexy as hell, but he wasn’t Sean Daniels.