It is What it is: A Hood Love Story

by B. , Ivory

  Once Los and Nice rented a room and stashed the money they had on them they met up with Lissette and her girls. The group gambled for a couple of hours then ended up meeting at a Posh little night club in the VIP section. Nice was surrounded by three of Lissette’s friends being his usual self saying off the wall shit, cracking jokes on people in the club and her girls. Everyone seemed to be throwing drinks back relaxing and having a good time. Lissette looked over at Los who was sitting off to the side by himself texting away on his phone. This wasn’t how she had anticipated this evening to go. Lissette figured once he got a few drinks in him he would relax and let loose a little, then she would make her move.

  Lissette made her way over to Los and sat beside him. “Hey what’s up? You don’t look like you enjoying yourself at all.” “I’m a’ight,” Los answered nonchalantly. “Carlos let me ask you somethin, what are you?” Carlos sat there for a second and didn’t say anything. He chuckled and lifted his snapback off his head and ran his hand over his waves. Lissette looked on with desire. “What am I?” Los repeated her question more to himself. “Ayo that’s a crazy ass question. I don’t know whether or not I should be offended.” Lissette’s face turned into a frown, she hadn’t meant to offend him. “I’m a human being,” Los said sarcastically. Lissette sucked her teeth. “You know what I mean. Like what’s your ethnicity?” Lissette said squinting trying to take all of his features in. “I’ma nigga,” Los stated bluntly. Lisstette cringed at his choice of words. “Oh you don’t like that?” Los asked seeing she screwed her face up. “Well I’ll be politically correct, I’m a black man.” “Yes, that much is obvious but your mixed with something.” “You think?” Los asked with a raised eyebrow. “Let’s see if I can guess, hmmm” Lissette said dramatically placing her finger on her chin as if she were in deep thought. “You look like you can be one of my peoples. The smooth brown complexion and all, but I know you’re not. Your Spanish is different, Your definitely not Puerto Rican.” She paused and squinted her eyes as if she were in deep thought. “You could pass for one of those Brazilian cuties, but they don’t speak Spanish they speak Portuguese, so I know your not that.” Carlos couldn’t help but laugh. She was really trying to figure it out. “Oh shit, I see someone passed Geography 101,” Los teased. Lissette burst out into laughter as well. “So you really not going to tell me ha?” Los shook his head with a smirk on his face. “So tell me this, am I going to be able to call you Daddy too? Or do you prefer Papi?” Lissette saw Los adjust slightly in his seat not too much, but she caught it.

  She stood up directly in front of Los invading his personal space pushing her perfect perky tits thanks to 10 stacks and her good plastic surgeon in his face. She was almost mesmerized by his amber brown eyes that seemed to be sprinkled with bits of gold and his dimples were to die for. “If your not gonna answer that question for me answer this one, Why are you so afraid of me?” She asked seductively. Los remained sitting he sighed heavily, his breath brushing across her breast sent a shiver to run up her spine. “Damn ma, I guess you never heard of playing a lil hard to get?” Lissette laughed. “I have no time for playing hard to get, game playin is for little ass girls. And trust me I’m a grown ass woman that knows what she wants, goes after what I want, and takes what I want.” Los rose from his seat and was now towering over Lissette. She stood looking up at him and her nana had a mind of its own, it was doing things that she never felt it do before. “Well that’s too bad ma cause I ain’t up for taken,” he said before brushing past her to get some space between the two of them. Nice had watched the entire encounter go down between Lissette and Los and it was quite entertaining. All he could do was shake his head; Los had a pretty little problem on his hand. Lissette didn’t get it, she was usually the hunted not the hunter. She turned around and watched as Los said his goodbyes and started to head out the door. The more he rejected her, the more she wanted him. She wasn’t used to not getting what she wanted, especially from a man. From that moment she vowed to get his ass one way or another.

  “Yo son, I got one word for ole girl back there, trouble,” Nice said. Los chuckled “Yeah I know, she a lil much, not at all good for business. Nah mean?” Nice laughed “I know what you mean, but I ain’t even gotta tell you,” Nice said giving Los a chastising look. “C’mon nigga act like you know, ain’t no quick fuck worth losing Lucky over.” “A’ight nigga, I just wanted to see where ya head was at. Watch ya walk with ole girl, she got other plans in mind, she straight thirsten. We need to give that bitch a Gatorade, early!” “You ain’t gotta tell me that. That’s why I’ma start having Jah and Real handle this one client out here.” “Aww nigga you ain’t right, get poor Jah killed by crazy ass Keema why don’t you.” Los burst out in laughter “Better him than me,” Los joked.

  Nice peeped Los look at his watch, it was already a little after 1am. “Baby boy, I know you don’t wanna hear this but we gon have to stay at the room tonight. Both of us driving down the turnpike at this time of night with all that cash, not a good move, we just gon have to camp out here then leave in the afternoon.” “Fuck!” Los spat shaking his head back and forth. He knew Nice was right but he had told Lucky he would be home tonight. “Nigga I feel ya pain. I know all you wanna do is get back so you can take your sexual frustration out on poor Lucky that ole girl done worked up in you, but you gonna have to do all that tomorrow.” “Sexual frustration? Man get da fuck outta here! What is you the ghetto Dr. Phil or some shit?” Nice burst out laughing holding his stomach. “Dude you owe me one now, you got me in hot water with wifey,” Los complained.

  Hot water was exactly what Los was in. For two days straight Lucky gave him the silent treatment. By the third day Los was on bended knees begging Lucky to talk to him. He hated when she ignored him and treated him as if he weren’t there that was one of the worst punishments in his opinion. Los took notice that this was the longest Lucky had ever went not talking to him. Damn was she just getting plain ole sick of his shit or what?

  Get Down or Lay Down

  Rel was racing towards Broad street to link up with Chilly. It had been a long time since he kicked it with him, so when Chilly called him out the blue it kind of threw him for a loop. Chilly said he wanted to talk to him about something and Rel had no idea what it could be. He had heard about the stunt Chilly pulled at Los’s cookout and he had to laugh, that was something Chilly would do. Even though Rel didn’t mess with him to tough anymore Chilly would always be cool peoples to Rel. Rel kinda felt as if he owed Chilly since he was the one who introduced him to Los. From the first day of getting hooked up with Los and his street fam Los had looked out tremendously and put Rel on.

  Right now Rel was getting paper, real paper. He was one of the key players transferring drugs to the Midwest. Rel could still remember how this all became possible. Los told him he wanted him to take his test for his CDL’s. Rel looked at him confused, He couldn’t figure out what Los wanted him to do that for he had never showed interest in getting his truckers license. He wasn’t sure if he could pass a test like that, shit he barely made it out of high school. Los had this sound of finality when he told him he needed to take the test. Rel knew he really wouldn’t have a leg to stand on in arguing against Los’s crazy idea.

  The first time he took the test his head wasn’t into it. He really wasn’t feeling it but he knew he had to at least show up so that he could keep shit cool with Los. Rel never even got to the road test portion he failed the written part. When he told Los the results Los was fuming he got into his ass and told him to go take it again. The second time around he passed everything and was granted his CDL licenses. He didn’t know then but having those extra endorsements on his license would pay off.

  There was a method to all of Los’s madness once Rel passed that test he was thrown right into truck driving, only thing different about him and other truck drivers was he was transporting that yay in the back of his big rig. He had been doing it for over a year now, the plan was genius. Rel and another dude from the
fam would take trips all over the Midwest. If they were ever pulled over they could produce a valid license and if a state trooper ever requested to see the back of the rig, sure why not. There would be only food goods in the back that really consisted of coke that was sprayed and wrapped with some solution that contained the smell and threw drug dogs off. The few times he had been pulled over for nothing in particular but being a black man, it always took all of him to not laugh in the redneck state troopers face once they ran the registration and found everything was up to code with the truck and his license was good.

  Payment for his work was crazy. He was finally able to afford his baby mama, kids and side chick the life of lavish he had promised when he was broke. The work wasn’t easy driving kept him away from home for about two weeks out of the month but it was all worth it in his opinion. When he pulled up on Broad street where Chilly said he would be he noticed Chilly was sitting shotgun in a Ford Explorer being driven by that Harlem nigga Killa and some other dude he didn’t recognize was sitting in the back.

  Chilly hopped out of the car with the dudes then hopped in Rel’s new Infinity truck. “Yo what up fam?” Chilly asked as he shut the passenger side door. “Ain’t shit nigga, what’s good? I see you still fuckin wit them niggaz from Uptop.” Rel said referring to the two men that were in the truck eyeing them hard as they pulled off. It was something about the dude in the back seat that rubbed Rel the wrong way. “Yo who the nigga in the backseat?” “Oh that’s my dude Zoo. He just got outta the bing, we got him down here celebrating. Brought this nigga to a few strip clubs out here. You know ain’t nothing like a Philly stripper ask Kanye.” Rel laughed shaking his head in agreement. “Yo I know you got that fire?” Chilly asked. “Hell yeah but yo I ain’t got no blunt.” “Pull over right here to the corner store so I can cop some,” Chilly said. Rel reached over and grabbed his hammer from under his seat and placed it on his waist band as he watched Chilly disappear into the corner store. Better safe than sorry he thought to himself. He didn’t know what type of shit Chilly was on lately since he been hangin tough with them New York dudes.

  After driving around with Chilly for over an hour smoking and reminiscing Rel felt kind of guilty for even thinking Chilly was trying to pull grimey. They sat on a side street with the lights off and the music on low trying to avoid any cops. Rel and Chilly were in a hearty laugh at an incident that had popped off a long time ago when Chilly suddenly became very serious.

  “Yo Rel that’s why I always liked you nigga. I can definitely respect the caliber of nigga you are. That’s why I wanted to come at you first, nah mean? Cause I could use a dude like you on my team.” Rel listened to Chilly intently trying to decipher where Chilly was going with this. “I know you gettin paper with my cousin; I see the new truck and shit. The jewels” “Yeah nigga I never got a chance to thank you for puttin me on with Los, good lookin out, I owe you.” Rel said taking a hard pull from his blunt, “Nah son, you don’t owe me nothin, I’m glad to see you eaten. And I know you content with what you got workin with Los but see a nigga like me will neva be content. I won’t be satisfied till I reach a billion nah mean?” Rel just bobbed his head up and down in agreement while smoking only half listening to Chilly. He figured that purp had that nigga rambling, it be like that sometimes when you hitting premium. “Fuck workin for a nigga when you can work for ya’self. I’ma keep that shit ahunnit it’s about to be a hostile takeover out here. Shit gonna get wild; my cousin and them niggaz had they run, they got papered up and got soft. So I’m coming to you on some real nigga shit, givin you a heads up cause we go way back. You can get down with a winning team, or go down wit a crumbling kingdom?” Rel was quickly becoming sober almost instantly. He couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of Chilly’s mouth. He felt like letting off on Chilly for even coming at him like that. Then having the nerve to say he coming at him on some real nigga shit, there wasn’t shit real about this snake nigga. “Yo Chilly you already know I ain’t the typa nigga to switch sides. That’s ya fam nigga, your own blood,” Rel tried to reason with Chilly. “You don’t switch sides?” Chilly asked coldly. Rel felt the tension in the car rise enough to suffocate the both of them. Before Rel could reach for the burner on his waist Chilly pulled the trigger on the glock he had tucked in the pocket of his jacket. The gun shots ripped through the silence of the street hitting Rel in his upper chest and neck. “You just did muthafucka.” Chilly spat before hopping out the SUV. He pulled his hood over his head and sprinted into the darkness. Rel’s will to live and his adrenaline kicked in as he slammed on the gas pedal and drove full speed off the quiet side street onto the main busy road colliding into another car. Rel could hear the sirens from afar as he held the gaping hole in his neck that was now gushing blood profusely. Rel lay there slumped over his steering wheel with the horn blaring as he heard sirens approaching from afar. With each passing second he could feel the life slipping from his body.

  Los was sitting in his office with Nice getting ready to take it in the house since Lucky had been throwing him lots of shade ever since he stayed over in Atlantic City. He had seen a change in her attitude and it wasn’t for the good either. Los’s cell phone rang breaking his convo with Nice. He already knew who it was from the ringtone. “Jah what up? Yo I’m out here posted up on Saunders; a lil nigga from out here ran up on me saying somebody just popped Rel like an hour ago!” “What?!” Los asked not believing what he was hearing. “What up?” Nice asked with alarm, wanting to know what was going on. “That shit ain’t looking good son, he got hit in the neck, and his peoples said they brought him to Temple hospital I’m on my way up there now” “Yeah I’ll meet you up there,” Los looked over at Nice in a dazed way. “Rel just got popped it ain’t lookin too good for the lil homie, he was hit in the neck.” “Damn!” Nice said shaking his head back in forth with a sad look on his face.

  The scene at the hospital was chaotic. The waiting room was littered with Rel’s closest family and friends. Los had no intentions of staying all he wanted to know was if Rel was going to pull through or not. He looked on as Rel’s wifey lost it, falling out on the floor and sobbing uncontrollably. Rel’s mother was trying to do her best to comfort her but it was pointless. As he watched the two women he couldn’t help but think of Lucky. He knew it would kill her if anything ever happened to him.

  Hours flew by before a surgeon came out and approached Rel’s mother. No one had to hear what was said they already knew the outcome from his mother’s blood curling scream. Rel was a fighter but after 2 hours of surgery he died from his injuries. As Los walked towards the emergency exit he felt a lump form in his throat as he caught a glimpse of the women in Rel’s life grieve. He drove home that morning with a heavy heart. All he wanted to do was get home and get as close to Lucky as humanly possible. Even if that meant waking her up out of her sleep just to dick her down and put her back to sleep.

  Lucky sat on the sofa in the living room with her knees pulled to her chest as silent tears fell from her eyes. Her heart was so broken she was having chest pains. She had called Carlos all night and not once had he answered his phone. How did she get here in this situation loving a man with all her heart, who didn’t seem to appreciate her? And was now blatantly disrespecting her by not even bothering to come home to her when he wasn’t off on business. How did they get here again? She thought they had made it through some dark times in their relationship only to come out loving each other even more. She was fed up; fed up with the lies, the other bitches, and she refused to sit like a dummy while he came in the house as if nothing was wrong. “Not today muthafucka” she spat to herself. Lucky heard his key turn in the door causing her to sprang from the couch like it was on fire. She was angry, hurt with the added dose of jealousy running through her veins creating a concoction of emotions that was combustible.

  “Where the fuck have you been Carlos?!” Lucky didn’t give him a chance to answer instead she attacked! Slapping him across his face hard then grabbing him at the
collar of his shirt yanking and ripping it slightly. He didn’t react; he had this sort of dazed look on his face. He calmly but forcibly pulled her hands from his shirt and walked past her with an emotionless expression on his face. “You know what muthafucka? Wherever you laid ya head last night is where you need to be. Go back to that sorry bitch that laid up with yo sorry ass all night! I don’t give a fuck anymore!” Lucky screamed losing her battle with her tears. “I don’t give a fuck! Carlos I wouldn’t care if ya ass was laid up in the hospital half dead somewhere don’t call me. Call that bitch you fuckin!” Carlos stopped dead in his tracks turning to face her “What you just say to me Louchanna?” he asked in a even tone with his face screwed up. “I said I wouldn’t give a fuck if ya ass was half dead laid up in the hos…” SMACK! The sound rang throughout the large room. Before Carlos knew what he was doing he reached out and snatched Lucky up by her hair. “See that mouth of your’s gon get you fucked up today, you hear me?” Los gritted. Lucky reached up and tried to get her hair free from Los’s vice grip. “Please, Carlos you hurting me,” Lucky cried. Los snapped back to reality after hearing Lucky’s cries letting her hair go immediately. Lucky stumbled backwards and her mouth flew open but no sound came out, her entire body froze in shock. She couldn’t believe that Los had put his hands on her. The initial shock had delayed the sting from the smack, it wasn’t until she felt the fire growing on her face did she accept the fact that he did indeed hit her. Big tears instantly clouded her vision and one blink sent them rushing down her face. “You hit me?” Lucky said in a low stunned tone. “You hit me,” she repeated as if she were trying to believe it herself. She placed her hand on her burning cheek in disbelief backing away from Carlos with a mixture of hurt and fear on her face.