Started From The Top Now I'm Here

by Midnite Love

  She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For once she had the upper hand over one of Cheron’s men and it felt glorious.

  “These niggas out here got the game all twisted. But I’m ‘bout to solve all of that. I done had enough of playing with these juveniles. They ain’t seen shit yet. It’s time to show these bitches how I roll with a real man.”

  ****

  Chapter 16 – The Big Payback

  “Damn nigga you trying to take her all the way down,” Rayquan replied to Kenterris’ request.

  “You damn right, I was just gon’ have you get that bitch for a few thousand then bounce. But considering these new developments there’s been a change of plans. I want you to clean her ass out. And whatever she gives you, you can keep,” Kenterris promised him.

  Kenterris’s eyes were narrow and his voice was stern as he gave Rayquan exact instructions on what he wanted him to do to Sonnet. Not only had she fucked over him, she had gotten rid of a baby without the daddy having any knowledge. And not only did she make him pay for it, she laughed about the shit like it was a joke. Well the joke would soon be on her. Once Rayquan was finished weaving his web of destruction that bitch would be on skid row. Kenterris knew that it wouldn’t take long to reel her in. Her greed would be her downfall.

  Sonnet did her dirt and didn’t give it a second thought and it was time to pay the piper. It was bad enough she had screwed him but the worst part was the way she referred to Cheron as his fat bitch. She had no idea how Sonnet really felt about her and if she knew the truth it would break her heart.

  “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

  “Aye nigga you know the saying hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Well I done made up one of my own. Hell hath no fury like a nigga bent on revenge.”

  “Damn! Well I’m down with it. A nigga like me need a come up. And from the sound of it this bitch is scandalous as hell, fucking over niggas left and right.”

  “Yeah it’s females like her that give women a bad name. So did you really tell her you had a jet?” Kenterris asked.

  “Hell yea, I told her I was flying her to Paris,” Rayquan replied.

  “Nigga are you crazy? I don’t have no damn jet! You putting too much stank on the shit now. You can’t be naming off shit I can’t come up with. I mean I could rent one but this bitch ain’t worth all that.”

  “My bad dog. I got carried away. Shit I’m thinking about going into this business full time after this gig.”

  “I don’t care what you do as long as you disappear from around here when it’s all over.”

  “As many hoes as I got looking for me? You know I ain’t got no problem with that!”

  ****

  Chapter 17 – Turn This Mother Out

  The sounds of the organ bellowed throughout the First Missionary Baptist church as one of the choir members crooned Precious Lord Take My Hand. When Sonnet stepped into the sanctuary all eyes turned to her. She not only made sure that she was fashionably late; she was sure to glide past the entire congregation and linger at Granny’s casket. She wanted to make sure everyone saw how good she looked in her new Donna Karan pant suit, complete with her veiled church lady brim tipped to the side. She lifted up the side of her dark Channel shades to wipe away a tear that was about to drop.

  “Grannnnyyyyyeeee!! Oh God!!” she wailed as she flung her body over the casket.

  Look at this dramatic hoe right here, Aintee Maven thought.

  Sonnet screams echoed though out the room. One of the nurses placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her before helping guide her to a seat.

  Uncle Joe immediately became vexed by her mere presence and he didn’t hesitate to make it known when she attempted to slip in the front row with the rest of the immediate family.

  “No respect…..” he grumbled as he shifted in his seat. “She couldn’t ride in the family car with everybody else. Now she got the nerve to show up late and wanna sit her ass in the front row.”

  “Bout time,” Aviare announced in a loud whisper.

  “Boy move over.” Sonnet pushed on his firmly planted leg in an attempt to sit beside him.

  “Hush!” Aunt Rita scolded as she moved to the side to make room for Sonnet.

  As the service progressed Sonnet looked around the crowded room at all of the family and friends that had come out to pay their respects and say their final goodbyes. Not only was her grandmother very active in the church before she had taken ill, she was also very popular and respected in the neighborhood for her many years of dedicated service at the community center.

  One by one her colleagues came forward to speak on her behalf and to give words of comfort to the family. There was not a dry eye in the house when Aviare stood up and read a goodbye poem he had written to his Granny. When the pastor asked was there anyone else that would like to say a few words about the departed Sonnet took this as her opportunity to shine.

  All these people are here for my Granny. They need to see that her whole family isn’t ghetto. They need to know that at least she had one granddaughter with some class, she thought as she raised her hand to go next.

  “Ain’t this a bitch?” Uncle Joe mumbled to himself as she stepped into the pulpit.

  “What can I say about my Granny other than she was my role model? She taught me the meaning of family and what it means to be there for one another,” Sonnet announced.

  “Amen!” someone called out in the audience.

  “I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for Granny’s guidance and wisdom.”

  Aintee Maven and Uncle Joe looked each other in disbelief. They couldn’t believe the show Sonnet was putting on.

  Aviare jumped to his feet. “Sit down now!” he hissed through his teeth. Aintee Maven tugged the edge of his suit jacket and demanded that he have a seat, but he wouldn’t budge.

  Sonnet pretended not to see him or feel the tension as the congregation whispered amongst themselves as she continued to speak.

  “My Granny was there for me when my momma died. I don’t know how I would have made it through that time in my life without her. She stepped in and was like a second mother to me. For that I am forever grateful. She was there for me when I needed her that’s why I was always there for her. Granny knew she could count on me to come through for whatever she needed day or night.”

  Not only was she lying about being there for Granny, Aintee Maven was actually the one who stepped in and raised her and Aviare. Sonnet had just taken it upon herself to use this opportunity to get Maven back and hurt her by not acknowledging her.

  “That’s a lie! She ain’t never been there!” Aviare blurted out.

  “Aviare! This is not the time or place!” Aunt Rita chimed in. Unfortunately her voice was overpowered by the mumbling of the crowd.

  “Y’all will have to excuse the ignorance of my family. Clearly I was the only one who inherited her class.” Sonnet gave her family in the front row a vexing stare.

  “Who you calling ignorant bitch?” Towanda, one of Uncle Joe’s twin daughters belted out. “Her bougie ass always did think she was better than everybody else.” Her twin Trina nodded in agreement.

  “Please! Hold your tongue! This is the Lord’s house,” Pastor Miles reprimanded before advising that Sonnet go back to her seat.

  “Now I don’t know what kind of problems this family is having with one another, but nothing is too big for my God to solve. I would like for everyone to please lift this family up in prayer and ask that they resolve any conflict that they have with love and understanding.”

  “Damn that pastor! This little ungrateful trollop done disrespected my momma’s funeral!” Uncle Joe shouted.

  “See that’s the shit I’m talking about! Sonnet yelled as she made her way back to her seat. “If anybody has been disrespectful it’s been you and your trifling ass kids!”

  “That’s it! I’m going to have to ask both of you to leave the sanctuary this minute!”

  Pastor M
iles prided himself on being a man that was slow to anger, but never in his thirty years of preaching had he seen such ignorance.

  By now the entire congregation were talking amongst themselves and pointing at the front row. Aviare left completely out of the building while Uncle Joe, Sonnet and his daughters took their battle to the hallway. Tempers flared as the church members and ushers tried to defuse the situation.

  “So what? You gon’ swing on me up in the church?” Sonnet asked Joe as she reached in her purse for her car keys.

  She was beyond ready to leave and was glad to see Lexi had made her way to the exit because she didn’t want to wait. She had caught a ride Cheron, but Sonnet was taking her home. Cheron was still trying to fight her way through the crowd, but was unable to get to them in time. It was just as well. That was the last bitch she wanted to see right about now.

  “Naw but I am bitch! I got yo’ trifling waiting for you right in my damn trunk. Bring yo’ sidity ass on outside!” Towanda cracked her knuckles and took off her earrings.

  “Ain’t nobody scared of you Towanda.” Sonnet snarled as she stood toe to toe with her cousin.

  “Sonnet girl, it ain’t worth it, come on girl.”

  Lexi grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards the exit while Aunt Rita and the ushers held back Towanda until she left.

  “This is exactly why I didn’t want to come.” Sonnet was so furious that she was trembling.

  “You had to pay your respect to yo’ Granny. Don’t even sweat them,” Lexi told her.

  “That’s right! You and Ronald McDonald betta’ get the hell on!” Trina yelled as she followed them out to the lot.

  “Is this bitch talkin to us?” Lexi asked whipping her head around and stopping in her tracks.

  “Fuck her Lexi. Let’s get out of here.” Sonnet hopped in the car and motioned to her friend to join her.

  At this point the ushers had put Towanda and Uncle Joe out of the church.

  “Look at that lil hoe running!” Towanda yelled. “Who is this bitch up in my sister’s face?”

  “Lexi let’s go!” By now Sonnet had turned the car around and popped the door open for Lexi who was now arguing with Trina.

  “Yo’ bougie ass friend ‘bout to leave you. I suggest you take her advice,” Trina sneered.

  “Bitch you don’t know who you fucking with do you?” asked Lexi as she prepared for battle mode.

  Sonnet knew she had to hurry up and get Lexi in the car or all hell would break loose worse than it already had. Especially when she saw her opening her purse, she knew she didn’t have much time.

  “Get in the car!” Sonnet jumped out, grabbed Lexi by the belt of her trench coat and shoved her into the vehicle.

  “Lemme go!” she protested as she fought to get loose. “That bitch don’t know me! Imma show her ass who Ronald Mcdonald is!”

  No sooner than Sonnet got in the car and locked the doors Lexi rolled down the window.

  “Put that up!” Sonnet yelled, frantically trying to raise the window from her side of the car.

  The next thing Sonnet knew she and Lexi head a loud crash. Towanda had thrown a brick through the back window of the Lexus and took off running towards Trina’s hooptie.

  “What the fuck!” Sonnet yelled as she drove off with Lexi hanging out the car window.

  CRACK! CRACK!

  The gunshots rang out. Lexi grazed Towanda’s thigh, causing her to shriek in pain before shooting out Trina’s back tire.

  “Yea bitch! You want fries with that!”

  The members screamed, scattered and hit the ground as Sonnet peeled out of the parking lot.

  “What the hell is wrong with you Lexi?”

  “She stepped to the wrong one today. I got a happy meal for any muthafucka’ that wanna get served!”

  “Lemme hurry up and get yo’ crazy ass home!” Sonnet griped as she looked in the rearview mirror at her shattered window. Granny was probably turning over in her grave at the ratchet bullshit that had just gone down today.

  ****

  Chapter 18 – Time To Reconnect

  “No wonder I haven’t heard from you in the past few days. I was beginning to get worried about you. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do for you?” Tyler asked with concern in his voice.

  “Nah… thanks baby. I just needed a few days to myself to get my head together,” Sonnet responded.

  “I’m so sorry to hear about your grandmother. It sounds like you must be taking it pretty hard.”

  “Yeah I’m really close with my family. I’m really gonna miss her” Sonnet responded with an air of sadness. It was true, she did miss Granny but that wasn’t the only reason she had been avoiding Tyler. She hadn’t shared with him what went down at the hospital or at the funeral for fear he would think she was too low class for him.

  Aside from the fact that she also had to get her back windshield replaced she was also trying to lay low in case one of her crazy ass cousins popped up on the scene and wanted to retaliate for Lexi shooting at Towanda. She still couldn’t believe that she set it off at Granny’s funeral. And even had the nerve to cop an attitude when she checked her about it.

  “I just wished you would have told me she passed earlier. You know that I would have been there for you. There is no way I would have let you go through this alone.”

  “Awww I know you would have baby, but I’m good I promise.”

  “Guess what? I think I might have something that will cheer you up,” Tyler announced with excitement.

  “What is it? I’ll take anything I can get right about now.”

  “Remember that grand you gave me to invest? You got a profit. I’ve turned it in $3,000.

  “Are you serious? Oh my God Tyler that’s the best news I’ve heard all day!” Sonnet gushed. Damn he was good. She knew her instinct didn’t lead her wrong.

  “I’ll be by with a check for you later.”

  “Nope I want you to keep it and flip it again. Let’s see what you can come up with this time.” Sonnet was more than confident that Tyler would make a wise decision with the money she had just earned. That was a $2000.00 profit in a matter of days. There was no telling what he could do if she gave him some real loot.

  “I tell you what; I’ll be by later anyway. I want you to see the check with your own two eyes, plus I just want to see you. That is if you are up to it.”

  “I would like that. I’ll call you later after I run a few errands.”

  “Cool, see you later.”

  Sonnet looked around the house at the clothes that were thrown about and the dirty dishes in the sink. She had been lying around for the past few days and hadn’t done anything to the house or herself. All of that was about to change. Her man wanted to see her so she needed to get herself together as well as tidy up.

  “Mommy has got to make herself beautiful Gucci.” She rolled the pampered pooch over on her back and rubbed her belly.

  There wasn’t much time to convert her apartment into a love nest. This would be the first time Tyler was really coming by to visit instead of sending his driver and she wanted to make sure everything was perfect, especially since she had no intentions of him leaving tonight.

  Several days had passed since they had sex. Sonnet wanted to make sure he didn’t start looking elsewhere. Tyler was the type of man that could have any woman he wanted, and he chose her. Now her only challenge was keeping him.

  ****

  Chapter 19 – Trying To Survive

  The scent of wet stray dogs filled the night air as Aviare trudged across the huge empty lot across from Scottie’s Liquor store. Aintee Maven begged him not to leave out this time of evening but he couldn’t stay cooped up in that house a moment longer. Not only was Granny’s death weighing on him, but also the anger and resentment that was festering inside of him was starting to take control.

  Aviare felt like everyone he loved had left him. His father was hit fatally in a drive by shooting when Aviare was only three years old. Then his mother
passed, and now Granny. Aintee Maven was the only person he had left in the world who cared about him as far as he was concerned. Regardless of how many times he told Sonnet that he hated her, he knew in his heart that he was lying. She was his only sibling and he loved her dearly. It hurt him to the core to know that she would barely give him or Aintee Maven the time of day.

  Somehow he thought that if he did good in school and stayed out of trouble she would be proud of him, however that wasn’t the case. Not only couldn’t he get her to spend time with him, she wouldn’t contribute a dime towards his education or any of his necessities either. It wasn’t like he was a spoiled kid that asked for a lot.

  Aviare understood that Sonnet was his sister and not his parent, but he still felt that she should at least try to help him out seeing as she was all he had outside of Aintee Maven, especially since she was sitting in the lap of luxury.

  As he looked around at the ruins of the neighborhood and the crackheads begging on almost every corner, it once again reinforced his desire to sling dope. Aviare was smart enough to know that it wasn’t a life that he would easily be able to shake once he got into it but a poor black kid growing up in the hood didn’t have many options when it came to making money.

  Each time his foot sank into the wet grass he cringed at the moisture that found its way inside his holey Air Force Ones. He bobbed his head to the music coming from the rides of the hustlers that cruised the block.

  If only I could be like that. All my troubles would be over. I could have enough money to pay for school and help Aintee Maven out, he thought.

  One thing that was for certain, he didn’t blame Sonnet one bit for not wanting to come back to the stench of poverty. He did however blame her for leaving him behind. You would have thought that growing up on welfare cheese and powdered eggs would have been enough to humble anyone and keep them grounded once they made it, but not Sonnet. Her head was so far in the clouds that she couldn’t see anything but money. And if a nigga (family or not) wasn’t talking about how she could get more of it she didn’t have nothing for them.