Violet: Strawberry Mansion 3

by Julia Press Simmons

  She smiled at Begonia. “You don’t have to buy it, honey, ‘cause I shares the cancer sticks.” She handed Begonia two out of the pack and lit the first one for her.

  “Thank you, Ms.”

  “Oh, no problem,” the lady said as she walked away.

  Begonia called T-bird, and he picked up on the first ring.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, T, did you get that stuff we talked about?”

  “Bee, where the fuck have you been? I went by your job, and your foster mom’s house, ain’t nobody seen you in days.”

  “Yea, well, I’ve been kind of busy.”

  “Busy my ass. You in trouble? Why you ain’t call me?”

  “I’m calling you now.”

  T-Bird was silent for a while. Begonia did her best to calm down. She took one long pull on her Newport and exhaled.

  “Look T, I’m really sorry. I know I should have called you but I’m in some real deep shit and I needed some time to get my head on right.”

  “Damn, Bee, how far we go back? You know I got your back no matter what.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Well then tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Ain’t shit wrong now, It’s all handled.”

  “Are you sure, because the streets are buzzing?”

  “Don’t listen to gossip, T-Bird, you’re better than that.”

  “I’m just sayin…

  “Look, T, I need to see my sister. Do you have what I asked you for or not?”

  “I’ll meet you at Portia’s in 15 minutes.” He hung up the phone and Begonia stared at the receiver.

  “He is tripping for real!” Begonia walked around to Portia’s and ordered a drink. Honey satas on the steps rubbing her feet.

  “Bitch you smell like pure Vodka I ain’t giving you a drink.”

  Begonia smiled. She liked Honey almost as much as she liked Portia. “Where the fuck is your boss?”

  “Out minding her damn business, and leaving yours alone.”

  Begonia sat on the steps. “Stop playing, Honeydip. I want a drink.”

  Honey put her feet down and squeezed it back into a black pump. “I ain’t playing, Begonia. You are a little fucking girl and I’m not giving you shit to drink. Now give me those sneakers, ’cause these heels are really killing me.”

  “Go put on your own sneakers.”

  “Portia threw them all the hell away. She says I have to learn how to dress like a lady.”

  Begonia laughed and Honey stood up and gave her a dirty look. A white Grand Cherokee pulled up in front of the house.

  “Looks like that’s my ride, young buck.” She turned towards the house. “Aye you, Peanut, I’m leaving. Tell Portia I’ll be back tomorrow and don’t give this little ass girl nothing to drink.” Honey tip-toed down the steps, and wobbled to the Jeep.

  Begonia smiled. “Where are you and your date going, Honey?”

  “Foot Locker of course. Didn’t I just tell you that a bitch don’t got no sneakers?”

  T-Bird walked up the street just as Honey was pulling off. He handed Begonia a bag. “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”

  Begonia riffled through the bag and smiled at the hunter’s knife. “Hell no.” She pulled two-hundred bucks out of her bra and handed it to him. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  T-Bird opened his mouth to speak, but Begonia cut him off. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him into a passionate kiss. “No matter what, T, you gots to know that I’ve got mad love for you. I’m gonna call you as soon as I can.” Begonia started walking down the street.

  “Why won’t you let me help you?”

  Begonia held the bag up in the air. “You already have.” T-Bird became brick hard as soon as she started kissing him. She stroked that meat log in his pants hard and fast so he didn’t notice his piece or his money being lifted from his jeans. “I’m going to have a serious talk with that boy one day.” She slipped the two hundred she stole back in her bra, and checked his gun. It was loaded.

  Begonia rode the El train to the end of the line twice trying to think of what to say to Daisy. She tried so hard to protect her from everything that’s going on, but she couldn’t help thinking that if she’d told Violet the truth every once and a while they wouldn’t be in this predicament. She got off the El at 30th street and crossed over to the trolley stop. She would have walked the rest of the way, but her gear was heavy and T-Bird’s gun felt awkward in her waistband.

  Begonia had made an additional four-hundred dollars from boosting on the train, but it wasn’t enough. I ain’t gonna get nowhere by pick-pocketing people, she thought as she got on the trolley. She stared at her reflection in the window. It was too dark outside to see out of them. The woman sitting in the seat in front of her had an infant on her lap and forty dollars visible in an open diaper bag. Begonia shook her head. I’m going to let you and the baby have that, Ms, she thought as she got up to exit the trolley on 63rd street. Begonia pulled the cord and moved towards the door. She turned to the woman. “Your bag is open and your money is showing.”

  Begonia didn’t wait for the woman’s response. When the doors opened, she flew out of them like she’d actually took the cash. I’m tired, she thought as she hefted T-Bird’s bag on her shoulder. I am so damn tired.

  When she got to Daisy’s block, she sat across the street from her house and looked longingly at the bar on the corner. “Come on now, Begonia, focus. You can’t do what needs to be done if you are all drunk and high up.”

  She walked across the street into Daisy’s back yard, and dropped her bag in the dirt. Bending down. she unzipped the bag and rifled through it. Aw shit, T-Bird, you really know how to come through for a sister. The bag was loaded with enough stuff to break into a bank. Begonia pulled out the envelope with the codes to override their security system and a container of acid for the bars on Daisy’s window. She pulled her ski mask from her back pocket and placed it on her head. A car door slammed and Begonia jumped. She had the mask halfway over her face when the image of Kisha blowing her brains out all over Rodney’s wall hit her like a hammer. Begonia’s breath came hard and fast. Kisha died so she didn’t have to go through what they did to Violet. Tears ran down Begonia’s cheeks. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and looked up at the sky. “What’s worse than death, God? What did they do to my baby sister?”

  She snatched off her ski mask, dropped the acid and the envelope back into the bag. Hefting it back onto her shoulder, she walked out of the yard and up to the front door. Begonia rang the bell and banged on the door. A light flicked on and Mr. Briggs snatched open the door.

  “Why are you here in the middle of the night banging on the door like you’re crazy?”

  Begonia walked by Mr. Briggs without waiting on an invitation.

  “I need to talk to your wife.”

  Mr. Briggs rolled his eyes and closed the door. “That’s obvious, Begonia.” He wrapped his robe tightly around his towering frame. “Do you have to talk to her in the middle of the night?”

  Mrs. Briggs came down the steps in a matching robe. “Who is it, Jim?”

  Begonia walked into the living room and grabbed the TV remote off of the coffee table.

  Mrs. Briggs gave her a look hot enough to melt butter. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Nice to see you, too, sweetheart.” Begonia turned the TV on and turned the volume up to max.

  “God damn it. This is crazy.” He tried to snatch the remote from Begonia, but she dodged his advance and walked around the sofa.

  “Don’t tell me you came all this way to watch cable?”

  “No, I came all this way to talk to you, and I don’t want my little sister to hear what I have to say.”

  “Daisy is asleep,” Mr. Briggs said, leaning against the door jamb. “Turn the TV the hell off, say whatever you came to say, and then get out of here before I call the cops.”

  “Look, just hear me out.” Begonia felt like kicking Jim in his temple. She
turned to his wife. “You know that Daisy isn’t asleep. She’s upstairs standing by her window waiting for me.” Begonia closed her eyes. She’ll always be waiting for me. Begonia’s heart broke in a thousand places. She gasped at the feeling and grabbed at her chest. Tears sprung to her eyes and Mrs. Briggs came around the couch to console her.

  “Are you alright?”

  “No, I’m not.” Begonia placed her hand up halting Mrs. Briggs in her tracks. “You said you wanted to keep Daisy. You said you want her. Did you mean that?”

  “Begonia, what’s going on, what’s the matter with you?”

  “Did you mean it?”

  “Yes, I meant it.”

  God help me, Begonia thought. Tears fell in a steady stream. She pointed the remote at Mr. Briggs. “Do you mean it?”

  Mr. Briggs nodded looking concerned. “Begonia, what is the matter? Are you in some sort of trouble?”

  “Mr. Briggs, I’m in more trouble then you could imagine.” Begonia walked around the couch and handed the remote to him. “I’m not going to come back here. You tell my sister that I love her very much.” Begonia gulped in a mouthful of air and wiped her eyes. She stepped into Mrs. Briggs face. “You protect my sister, you hear? Don’t let anyone hurt her.”

  She looked over Begonia’s shoulder to her husband who just shrugged. “I love her. I would never let anyone hurt her.”

  Begonia searched her eyes looking for any hint of deception.

  Mrs. Briggs laid her hand gently on Begonia’s arm. “I love Daisy and I will protect her with my life.”

  “Okay,” Begonia sighed, “Okay.” She looked around at their house, with its bright colors and nice furniture. “You have a nice house, Mrs. Briggs. I can’t give her this. I can’t protect her.” She wiped her eyes again and walked out the front door. I can’t protect anyone, but I can try.

  ***

  Begonia walked away from that house as fast as she could. Her stomached heaved but she refused to get sick. God, please watch over my sisters. She was a good six blocks away before she slowed down. Scanning the cars on the block, she looked for a good, solid hoopty that she could jack quickly. Her eyes landed on a beat-up grey Chevy Celebrity. That’ll work, she thought as she walked over to the car. She looked up and down the block for movement before squatting down and opening up her bag of tricks. She put her gloves on, pulled out a Slim Jim, stood up and stuck it into the driver side window, popping the lock. It took her two minutes to hotwire the car. She pulled off the street and headed to South Philly. Time to go to work, she thought.

  Begonia pulled over on the corner of 17th and Reed. She watched the corner boys make a couple of transactions, waited for their traffic to die down, then got out of the car. The corner was jumpin’. They had to have made three-hundred dollars in the last forty-five minutes. She switched up to the dude she thought was calling the shots.

  “Aye, you, can I talk to you for a moment?”

  The young boy looked her up and down, and licked his lips. His eyes lingered on her thighs before returning to her eyes. “What can I do for you, sweetheart?”

  Begonia returned his smile and eyed the two guys that were with him. They were all babies playing at being hard. You would think that whoever really ran this corner would put at least one merc on the job, she thought. Oh well. She pulled the gun out of her pants and stuck it in his crotch. “I’m gonna need ya money, holmes.”

  “Oh shit, this bitch is strapped.”

  “You’re a fuckin’ genius, youngin. Do you know that? Now hand over your money and your work, or I’m gonna put three holes in your dick.” Begonia patted his pockets with her free hand. She pulled his gun out of his jeans and put it in her bag. “Come on, baby,” Begonia said sweetly. “I’m sort of pressed for time.”

  “Bitch, you must be crazy.”

  “You’re right again, Einstein.”

  He looked over at his boys. “Aye, y’all just gonna stand there and let this trick jack me?”

  Begonia eyed his friends. She pulled dude’s gun back out. “Unless you fuckers are faster than a bullet, I’d suggest you lay the fuck down before I lay you down.”

  His friends hit the deck no questions asked.

  “Aww, y’all some pussy’s for real.” He pulled his money and his bundle from his pockets and put it in Begonia’s bag.

  “That’s a good boy, now lay down, gooood.” She backed up with both guns trained on them. When her butt hit the car, she licked two shots in the air, hopped behind the wheel and sped off. She hit two more corners before ditching the car in Frankford, where she hopped on the shuttle to go home.

  Begonia spent the next three nights the same way. That’s how long it took for the word to get out that a young girl was sticking up the corners. That word spread like lightning and real killers were put out on the street with the young boys. All good things must come to an end, she thought as she drove by a heavily armored set. She boosted some Koture clothes from Lord and Taylor and sported a short cut wig to change her image. She had only made fifteen grand off of the young boys that she robbed so she figured it was time to step her game up to robbing ballers, because she was 185 grand away from lifting the bounty off of her and Violet’s head.

  ***

  Shanice walked into McDonald’s and headed straight to the counter. Denise leaned over the register and patted her arm. “Hey, Shani, what’s good?”

  “Ain’t nothing good, girl. Where’s my sister? Oh never mind, I see her.” Shanice leaned over the counter and screamed at the top of her lungs. “Hey, Lisa, come here.”

  Lisa took off her headset and sucked her teeth. “Stop hollering like you’re crazy. I’m in enough trouble as is.”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “Okay, we’ll talk when I get home.”

  Shanice walked around the counter and swiped at Lisa’s headset.

  “What are you doing? We talked about this; they are threatening to fire me, girl. Get out from back here.”

  “Lisa, I need to talk to you and I honestly don’t give a flying fuck about this job when it comes to family.”

  “Family,” Lisa pulled her headset off. “What’s wrong with our family?” She looked through the crowd in the front of the restaurant. “Where’s Tab? What’s going on?”

  Shanice frowned. “Tabitha and Erica are fine. I’m talking about Begonia and Violet.” Shanice dropped her head down to a whisper. “They have a contract out on them, Lisa. No one has seen Begonia in days and there is some serious stuff going on. If we don’t help them, who will?”

  “How in the hell are we supposed to help them, Shanice?”

  “Tabitha’s outside waiting in the car. We’re heading over to Portia’s to get to the bottom of what’s going on and see if we can help.” Shanice turned and walked out.

  “Hey, wait,” Lisa said. She took her headset off and put it on the counter. “I’m going with you.”

  Denise picked up Lisa’s headset. “I know you’re not walking out again. What am I going to tell the manager when she gets back?”

  Lisa pulled her purse from under the counter and took her name tag off. “Tell her I quit!”

  Part two

  The Solution

  Chapter 9

  Violet put her pillow over her head but it didn’t drown out her cellmate’s snoring. This bitch sounds like she’s operating a buzz saw, she thought. Violet almost wished she was back in the infirmary they stuck her in when she flipped the fuck out during her intake. They had her drugged up for two days until one of the staff doctors intervened for the baby’s safety. Violet could give a fuck about the damn baby. She longed for the sweet oblivion that the drugs provided. She couldn’t feel a thing and spent 40 hours of those two days knocked the fuck out. Her third day she was examined by every nigga with a lab coat on, they pronounced her well, and transferred her over to A-block with all the other pregnant prisoners. She kicked the top bunk. “Barbara!”

  “Huh, what’s the matter, mami?”

  “S
hut the hell up. I can’t sleep with all that noise.”

  “What you mean, I’m sleepin’, baby, I’m not talkin’.”

  “No, but you’re snoring loud as shit.”

  “How the fuck can I stop snoring, when I’m sleeping, mami? That shit don’t make no sense.” The top bunk creaked loudly as Barbara repositioned herself. “Let me sleep, mamacita, I’m tired as hell.”

  You’re tired, Violet thought. I know she didn’t just say she was tired. I should climb up there and smother this bitch with her own pillow. Violet counted to ten because she could feel herself about to snap and she liked Barbara’s psychotic ass. She looked around the cell at all of Barbara’s posters and pictures taped to the wall. The entire place was plastered with pink butterflies and Hello Kitty bullshit. Good old Barb was determined to give herself the childhood she never had on the outside. Violet couldn’t understand that, but she didn’t knock her for it. Hell, if I can overlook the fact that this bitch stabbed her ex-boyfriend’s fiancée to death, then I can overlook her obsession with Rainbow Brite.

  Violet turned on her side and pulled the covers over her head in an attempt to get some kind of rest before the night was over, however nothing worked. Barbara’s snores became louder and memories of Kyle floated through her mind. His soft kisses and the way he felt inside of her. He would smile at her in a way that made her feel like she was the only girl in the world. “Leave it alone, Violet, none of that shit was real,” she said softly. “Nobody gangbangs the girl of their dreams, so just let it go.”