The Fix

by K'wan

  Persia found a payphone on the corner near the bus stop and fished around in her purse for some change. She dialed Marty’s bedroom line and waited, but the phone just rang. She figured Marty might be out or either at Sarah’s, so she called Sarah’s house. Sarah picked up on the third ring.

  “Hey, white girl,” Persia said into the phone cheerfully.

  “Persia? Oh my God, where the hell have you been?” Sarah asked. It was clear by the tone in her voice that she was happy to hear from her friend.

  “I’ve been living my life like I’m supposed to. For the first time all is right with the world. I tried to call Marty, but she didn’t answer. Are you guys together?”

  The line was silent.

  “Sarah, what’s wrong?” Persia asked.

  “Persia, I’ve got something that I need to tell you,” Sarah began, but she was hesitant.

  “Sarah, you’re starting to scare me. Just tell me what’s going on already!” Persia demanded.

  “Marty is dead!” Sarah finally belted out.

  Persia looked at the phone, knowing she had heard her wrong. “Sarah, if this is your and Marty’s idea of a joke, it’s not fucking funny. Put Marty’s ass on the phone before I beat the crap out of both of you.”

  “I’m not kidding, Persia. She’s dead, she killed herself,” Sarah explained.

  Persia couldn’t believe it . . . she wouldn’t believe it. Marty was beautiful, rich, and popular; why would someone with everything going on for herself take her own life?

  “Persia, are you still there?” Sarah’s voice came back over the line.

  “Yeah, I’m still here,” Persia said, barely able to find her voice. “Why? Why would she do something like that?”

  “After the club we went back to the hotel with those guys we met from Bad Blood, to their after party. There were a bunch of industry people there and we were having a good time at first. Marty was wasted and passed out on the couch, so True left with some other groupie and the guy Tone ended up stealing me from Pain. Tone and me went into his room to have sex, and when we were done we came out and . . .” Her words trailed off as she relived the painful night. “When we came out we found Marty on the floor unconscious and naked. Pain and some of the others were taking turns raping her,” she said emotionally.

  “Oh my God.” Perisa covered her mouth.

  “I don’t know how long they had been doing it or how many of them had been involved,” Sarah continued. “When I saw what they were doing to my friend I wanted to kill them and I would’ve had Tone not grabbed me and snatched that lamp out of my hand. After I threatened to call the police they let us go, and I got Marty to a cab and took her to the hospital.”

  “What did they say? Did you call the police?” Persia asked.

  “Yeah, but they weren’t much help. When they questioned the guys from Big Dawg they claimed that the sex was consensual. They even had footage of Marty popping pills and putting on a strip tease in the limo on the way to the hotel. One of the guys had recorded it with his camera phone. The detective told Marty that she could press charges if she wanted to, but if she did the video would have to be submitted as evidence and everyone would see it. Marty didn’t want to face the embarrassment so she didn’t press charges.”

  “Why didn’t you make her?” Persia was livid. Had she been there she would’ve not only made Marty press charges, but she would’ve taken one of Chucky’s guns and killed the bastards.

  “I tried, Persia, but she wouldn’t listen to me!” Sarah shouted back. “Why do you think I kept asking you to come over? I knew Marty would’ve listened to you. I stayed with her over the weekend and when I left Sunday night she seemed okay, but when she didn’t show up in school Monday I got nervous and went to her house to check on her. By the time I got there the paramedics were bringing her body out. They said she overdosed on her mother’s Valium. Her funeral was a week ago. Nobody knew how to contact you to give you the news, but your parents were there . . . Sorry, your mom and your stepdad.”

  This made Persia feel even worse. She had been so busy with her head up Chucky’s ass that she had missed her best friend’s funeral. “Do her parents know why she killed herself?”

  “They didn’t at first, because Marty made me promise not to tell, but when she died I told them everything. I think they hate me now,” Sarah said sadly.

  “They don’t hate you, Sarah. They just need time to grieve. You know you’ve always been like a daughter to them. They’ll come around, just give it a minute.” Persia tried to make her friend feel better. “Are her parents going to pursue it?”

  “Marty’s dad was talking about killing them, but somebody beat him to the punch. Every member of the group who was involved in the rape was killed in a shootout over drugs. How ironic is that? It’s been in all the newspapers, I’m surprised you haven’t seen it.”

  “I’ve been kinda busy lately,” Persia said, thinking about how she had been holed up in Letti’s house smoking Woos and drinking for weeks and hadn’t so much as been outside until that day.

  “Persia, are you okay?” Sarah asked.

  “I’m fucked up about what happened to Marty. I just need a minute to process all this,” Persia told her.

  “That’s not what I meant. I mean are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, why do you ask?”

  “Well, one of the burnouts who went to school with us said that he was up in Mount Vernon to score some coke and saw you in a crack house.”

  The statement hit Persia like a slap. Letti’s house was a hot spot, so people of all ages and colors came and went all the time, especially since Chucky had started selling crack and coke out of there. It never even occurred to Persia that she might bump into someone she knew way up there. “That’s ridiculous. What would I be doing in a crack house?” Persia asked as if the story was so farfetched.

  “That’s the same thing I said. I mean, we all do a little of this and a little of that, but it’s only a weekend thing for us, right?” Sarah laughed.

  “Right,” Persia said weakly. “Sarah, who else did you tell what he said?”

  “Nobody, why would I? For one it can’t be true, for two that guy snorts so much powder that he probably sees shit that isn’t there all the time. Anybody with a half a brain knows that it’d be a cold day in hell before Persia Chandler would let herself slip that far.”

  The more Sarah talked, the worse Persia felt. She decided to get off the phone. “Well, it was good talking to you, Sarah. I’ll try to call you again soon and please don’t tell my mom you spoke to me.”

  “I won’t, but she’s worried about you, Persia. I don’t know what happened between you guys, and I’m not trying to convince you to go home if you’re not ready to, but you should at least give your mom a call and let her know you’re okay.”

  “I will, I promise.”

  “Oh, and before I forget, there’s something else I should tell you. Richard was asking about your friend, the one who got us into the club.”

  That struck Persia as odd. “Why would Richard be asking about Chucky?”

  “I have no idea. At Marty’s funeral, he pulled me to the side and was asking me a bunch of questions about the guy you were dating who drove the red BMW. I knew who he meant, but I acted like I didn’t know his name. From the way he was acting, you’d think you had been abducted by the devil himself.”

  Persia sucked his teeth. “Just like Richard to act all concerned when it’s his fault I’m gone. Chucky is taking good care of me.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Listen, I gotta go, Sarah, but I promise to try to call you again soon,” Persia said, wanting to get off the phone. There was too much going on at once and she needed time to process it.

  “Persia, one more thing before you hang up.”

  “What’s that, Sarah?”

  “In case I don’t speak to you again for a while, happy birthday. I love you and I miss you.”

  “Thanks, Sarah. And I love you too,” Per
sia said before hanging up.

  After speaking to Sarah, Persia felt like the world was spinning. She had to press her head against the phone booth to keep from falling over. She couldn’t believe that Marty was gone. Her mind went back to all the times they had shared growing from competitive little girls to adventurous young women. Knowing that she would never get to laugh or get in trouble with her friend again, Persia let go the river of tears she had been fighting back. Persia felt broken and there was only one voice that she knew of that could make her feel whole again.

  Composing herself as best she could, Persia placed another phone call. This time the phone only rang once and her mother’s voice came over the line. “Hello? Hello? Persia, is that you?”

  “Mom,” was all Persia could manage to say.

  “Baby, where are you? Are you okay?”

  “Marty is dead,” Persia sobbed.

  “I know, baby. I’m so sorry to hear about your friend . . . we all were. I know how close the two of you have always been.”

  “It hurts so bad, Mom.” Persia broke down. She just wanted to go home, throw herself in her mother’s arms, and cry until it didn’t hurt anymore.

  “Then come home, Persia. You don’t have to deal with this alone,” Michelle pleaded.

  “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. This is where you belong! I know that we’ve both said and done some things that we wished we hadn’t, but we can work through it. As long as we’re a family there is nothing we can’t overcome. Just come home . . . please.”

  Persia felt herself caving. For as much as she loved Chucky and being with him, she needed to be around people and places that were familiar to her. She needed to be home.

  “Is that her? Are you talking to Persia?” She could hear Richard’s voice in the background.

  “Persia, just tell me where you are and I’ll come get you. The two of us can talk, just like we used to.” Michelle ignored Richard, and kept trying to convince her daughter to come home. Before Persia could answer, Richard picked up the other phone.

  “Persia, do you know how worried your mother has been? You’ve been gone almost a month!” He started right in.

  Hearing Richard’s voice made Persia’s mood immediately flip. “Richard, I’m not in the mood for your bullshit right now.”

  “Bullshit? You run off for a month to God knows where and it’s me who’s shoveling bullshit?”

  “The both of you stop it!” Michelle demanded, but nobody seemed to hear her.

  “Fuck you, Richard. I didn’t call for this,” Persia spat.

  “Do you hear how she’s talking, Michelle?” Richard’s voice was raised. “Persia, I’ve known you since you were a little girl and this doesn’t even sound like you. Who is it, the guy in the red BMW? Is that who’s poisoning your mind? You tell that scum bag he better hope to God he gets killed in the streets before I find him!”

  All Persia wanted was a little comfort and instead she was getting judgment and orders again. Calling had been a mistake. “Mom.” Persia wiped her face. “I was just calling to let you know that I’m okay, and to tell you that I love you.”

  “Persia, wait—”

  The line went dead.

  CHAPTER 30

  It was freezing outside, but Chucky was sweating like a runaway slave. He had all the windows of his car rolled down and it still felt like he was sitting in the middle of the jungle. He had been snorting and drinking all day long and was as live as a lit match.

  Persia had been calling his cell phone back to back, but he didn’t have time to talk to her. He was too busy running the streets, trying to hustle up enough money to bust his power move. The last few weeks he had felt the tension between him and Ramses. His mentor still smiled and treated him like everything was all good, but Chucky knew better. When Ramses promoted Omega, it was all the proof that Chucky needed to know it was a wrap for him. It would only be a matter of time before Ramses was ordering someone to dig a hole for him. There was no way in the hell he was going to stick around and wait for it to happen. He was leaving, but first he had to tie up some loose ends, starting with Charlie.

  Charlie was the latest pawn in Chucky’s chess game. Chucky needed an outlet for the coke he was trying to get rid of, a little bit at a time, and he used Charlie to move it for him under the radar. He was also using Charlie to try to get a lead on his sister, Karen. It had been nearly a month since she had vanished along with the murder weapon he had trusted her to stash, and he was nervous.

  Chucky’s brain switched to high alert when he hit the neighborhood. Every time he came on the block he had no idea if he would ever make it off again. When Ramses demoted him, he feared the worst but a few weeks went by and he was still alive. If Ramses knew anything, he made no mention of it, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t coming. He knew Ramses and his methods. He was like a cat toying with a mouse. Once he tired he would devour him. Chucky had no plans on waiting around for that to happen. After a few more moves were made, he was ghost.

  Just like the good little soldier, Charlie met him at the Spanish restaurant on Third Avenue as Chucky had instructed him to. He was sitting at a table in the back, sipping a Corona and picking over a plate of chicken and rice. When he saw Chucky walk in, he put on his best tough guy face. Chucky disliked Charlie because he was weak and fraudulent, but dealing with him was a necessary evil. People in the streets were turning their backs on him left and right so he took his allies where he could find them.

  “What up, my nigga?” Charlie gave him dap.

  “You got that for me?” Chucky asked, skipping the pleasantries.

  “No doubt.” Charlie reached under the table and pulled out a briefcase, which he placed on the table.

  “What the fuck is that?” Chucky stared at the case.

  “The money,” Charlie said as if it should’ve been obvious.

  Chucky shook his head. “You gotta be the only fool in the world who carries five grand in a briefcase like it’s fifty grand.” He popped the case open, took the money out, and stuffed it in his pockets.

  “So what’s up, when are you going to start giving me more than a few ounces at a time to move for you?”

  “When I think you’re ready and not a minute before,” Chucky told him. “Any word on your sister yet?”

  “No, my mom claims she don’t know where Karen is at, but I don’t believe her. I heard her on the phone talking to my aunt down in PA, so I know something is funny,” Charlie told him.

  “What makes you think that just because she was talking to your aunt it has anything to do with Karen? Maybe it was just family catching up,” Chucky suggested.

  “Nah, my mother and my aunt hate each other and haven’t spoken in years. Lately they’ve been talking regularly, and my mother is always whispering or leaving the room when she’s on the phone with her.”

  It made sense. Chucky knew that Sissy was just as larcenous as her daughter and she was no doubt a coconspirator in Karen’s mysterious disappearance.

  “I still can’t believe it,” Charlie said.

  “What’s that?”

  “That my sister would run off like that because she’s carrying your baby and doesn’t want to get an abortion.”

  For a minute Chucky was confused, but then he remembered the lie he’d fed Charlie to get him to be his little spy. Chucky told Charlie that he had gotten Karen pregnant, but didn’t want to have any kids and was trying to get her an abortion. Karen was trying to keep the baby to bind her to Chucky, so she ran off so that he couldn’t force her to abort the baby.

  “That’s how bitches do . . . no disrespect,” Chucky said.

  “Nah, I understand,” Charlie said as if his sister hadn’t just been insulted. “So, you gonna drop some more work off on me? I got them fiends down on the Lower East Side rocking off that butter.”

  “Yeah, but not right now. I got some moves to make right quick, but I’ll hit you later on tonight. I got some new product that’s really gonna blow their s
ocks off,” Chucky lied.

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” Charlie rubbed his hands together greedily. “Once we get our weight up, we gonna run this whole city. Fuck Ramses and Pharaoh, it’s gonna be Chucky and Charlie. Shit, we should start calling ourselves C and C like the soda.”

  “I like that.” Chucky nodded, humoring Charlie. Little did Charlie know, once Chucky’s business was conducted he was going to be left holding the bag. “A’ight, I’m out. If you hear anything else about your sister, make sure you call me immediately.”

  “I will,” Charlie promised.

  Chucky left Charlie sitting there and hustled back outside. He had one more stop to make before he headed back up to Mount Vernon to check in on Persia. Lately she had been on his ass about spending time with her and he knew he was going to have to tighten up if he wanted to keep her content and bound to him. He still couldn’t believe how easy it had been to rope her into his web. She thought that Chucky was in love and wanted to build a life, but in truth he wanted to destroy her life the same way her father had destroyed his life when he murdered his brother. Chucky could still see that day clearly in his mind as if it has only just happened. Seeing his brother stretched out on a Harlem sidewalk was an image he would never be able to erase from his mind. Persia would suffer for the sins of her father.

  Chucky had just made it to his car and was about to get in when he felt someone behind him. The minute he turned around, something crashed into his forehead, splitting it open and dropping him. Chucky made to reach for his gun, but his attacker had the drop on him and he felt the cold touch of steel to his forehead.

  “You know how long I’ve been looking for you, you piece of shit junkie?” Wolf snarled down at him.

  “Wait, let me explain—”

  “Time for explanations has come and gone.” Wolf snatched him to his feet. He reached inside Chucky’s jacket and snatched his gun from him, tucking it in his pants. “You think it’s a game, so I gotta show you how real it is.” Wolf commenced to beating Chucky like a stray dog on the street for all to see. A crowd had started to form, but no one dared interfere.