Black Scarface

by Jimmy Dasaint

  Veronica looked into Pamela's scared eyes and said, "I think you need to get your son and get out of town for a while. I'm sure Hood has a few of his henchmen running around looking for you," she added.

  "Where the hell will I go? Philly is the only place I've ever known. Ever been," she said as she held her hands up helplessly.

  "Didn't you tell me once that you had an older brother that lives in Los Angeles?" Veronica asked.

  "Yeah, but it's been ten years since we last talked." Pamela replied.

  "Well maybe you need to call him and talk to him now. California sounds a lot better than Philly right now. Especially with all the drama that's going on," Jay interrupted, as he walked to the window and stood nervously staring out of it.

  Veronica reached out and grabbed Pamela's hands. "Just call him, Pamela. I don't want to see anything happen to you, girl, or to that handsome son of yours."

  "But, Philly is..."

  "The hell with Philadelphia! If you stay here, then you're asking to be killed. And not only will you be putting yourself in great danger, but you'll also be bringing harm to your son and the unborn child in your womb," Veronica said, in a serious tone.

  "So, you decided to keep the baby, huh?" Jay asked as he turned from the window.

  Pamela shook her head sadly. One night after having a long, deep conversation with Momma, Pamela had finally made up her mind to keep her child. It was a decision that had weighed heavily on her mind. Abortion was something Pamela had strongly opposed, even if the baby she was carrying was by a man she hated with every muscle in her body.

  Pamela noticed the disappointed look on Jay's face. They both had feelings for each other. Hers was a strong liking, but his a strong love.

  "Jay, you alright?" she asked.

  "I'm cool," he lied.

  Hurt and disappointment was written all over his face. Even if he tried, he couldn't hide his love for Pamela.

  Pamela stood up from the couch, took a long deep breath and said, "I'm gonna miss ya'll."

  Veronica stood up and gave her a hug. Tears fell from their eyes as they embraced. Jay walked over and joined in. His eyes shed no tears, but his soul was screaming in anguish.

  Early the next day...

  Outside the downtown Greyhound bus station everyone stood around hugging and crying. No one was more hurt than Momma; Pamela was like a daughter to her and it was hurting her like hell to see them leave.

  Veronica and Jay stood watching as Momma and Pamela held each other in a long emotional embrace.

  After Pamela called her brother Allen and told him about her current situation in Philly he didn't hesitate to let his younger sister come out to L.A. to stay with him.

  Tasha walked over to Face and looked into his sad eyes, tears rolling down her face. Without warning, she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

  Everyone stood around with surprised looks on their faces.

  Black Scarface

  Reese and D.J. couldn't believe their eyes.

  Tasha put her mouth to Face's ear and whispered softly,

  "Remember our secret, Face? No matter what, I'm yours forever." After Face had given everyone a hug, the last person he walked

  up to was Reese. They stood face to face and looked into each

  other's eyes. They had been best friends since they were four years

  old, and now Face was moving on and leaving Reese behind.

  "I’m ‘a miss you, Face," Reese muttered sadly.

  "Don't worry, Reese. I’m ‘a be back one day, I promise," Face

  said confidently.

  Reese saw the seriousness in Face's expression and smiled.

  "So, we'll be best friends for life?" he asked.

  "For life Reese…For life," Face promised, as the two

  embraced in a long brotherly hug.

  After all their luggage was loaded into the belly of the bus,

  Pamela and Face said their final goodbyes. Before Pamela got on the

  bus, she called Veronica over to her. "Don't forget what I asked

  you to do for me," she said, when Veronica stood in front of her.

  "Girl, are you sure about that?" Veronica grinned.

  "I'm positive. It will help him in the long run. So, will you do

  it or not?" Pamela asked seriously.

  Veronica turned and looked over at Face and smiled, then

  turned back to Pamela. "Alright, I'll do it," she said. "Just call me

  when you're ready."

  "Don't worry, I will," Pamela said as they hugged one last time

  before she and Face boarded the bus.

  They stood watching the doors close as Pamela took a seat by

  the window, tearfully waving goodbye. It was hard leaving friends

  behind, or watching them go, but there was really no choice, she

  was a wanted woman. And to make matters worse, her unborn

  child's father was the person who wanted her dead.

  Face looked out the window and waved goodbye. Tasha, Reese,

  D.J. and Momma all stood around wiping tears away from their eyes.

  When Momma blew him a kiss, he returned the gesture.

  As the bus pulled away from the station, Face continued to

  stare at the friends and loved ones that he was leaving behind.

  Although his heart was breaking, he refused to let the tears behind

  his eyes fall. He knew that one day he would be back and the

  person responsible for all this pain would feel his wrath. He

  knew that person was Hood, the man who raped and beat his mother

  and put the permanent scar under his left eye. One day Hood would pay.

  It was a promise Face made to himself.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Inside his plush condominium, Hood was relaxing on the sofa. Two of his men stood in front of him and Detective Ron Perry stood by the front door. Scared looks were on the faces of the two men standing in front of Hood. They were both filled with fear and insecurity, not knowing what Hood would do and knowing he held their lives in his hands. He glared atthem.

  "Where the fuck was ya'll when I got shot?" he demanded angrily. His men could only remain silent, sweat beading on their faces.

  "I know, while a motherfucker was shooting me in the back, ya'll two assholes were too busy smiling in some bitches faces to watch my back!" Hood vented, his voice turning cold as ice. "I told ya'll two idiots toalways, always watch my back!"

  "We was, Boss, but somebody turned the lights out," one of the men

  said.

  Hood stood up slowly from the sofa and looked into both men's eyes."That's the only reason ya'll two are still alive. Now, get the fuck out my face and go kill that bitch!"

  "What about her son?" one of the men asked nervously.

  "Did I ever have a problem killing a kid before?" Hood asked.The man shook his head no.

  "Well then, make sure ya'll put a bullet in the little bastard's head also. Now leave!"

  Both men turned and rushed out the door.

  Ron Perry walked over to Hood with a smirk on his face. "Calm down Hood, it wasn't all their fault. You were set up, but luckily you're still here. You should be thanking God."

  "Fuck God!" Hood yelled angrily. "I don't believe in no fake-ass God, Heaven or Hell! I’m God!" He snapped.

  Ron Perry saw the seriousness in Hood's eyes and just shook his head. He knew that Hood had no conscience, no love or any sympathy for human life. Hood was a perfect product of his own violent environment - murder, sex, lust and hate.

  At 14 years old, Hood had committed his first armedrobbery: a gunpoint mugging of an elderly black couple walking home from a neighborhood grocery store on 43rd Street. It had been quick and easy work, even though all he got from them was $23. Since that night fifteen years ago, Hood had never been the same.

  "Ron, I need some time to think. I'll see you later."

  They nodded at each other and Hood watched as Ron P
erry walked out the front door.

  He sat back on the sofa and folded his arms across his chest. He stared at the wall in front of him and thought about Pamela and the unbornchild she was carrying. But, after she had tried to get him killed, he wanted them both dead. He still had doubts that the child was his, anyway. To him, Pamela was nothing but an attractive highpriced whore, fucking anybody who had the money to pay for her pussy.

  A knock on the door jerked him back from his thoughts. "Come in," he called toward the door.

  The doorknob turned and Britney, the attractive white police officer, walked in smiling. She closed the door behind her. "I needed my daily fixbefore going to work. I hope you don't mind," she added walking toward him and fell straight down onto her knees.

  “Mom! Mom!" Face said, snapping Pamela from out of her daydream."Yes, Baby? What is it?"

  "How long are we gonna stay in California with Uncle Allen?" Pamela sighed, "Face, we're gonna be living in L.A. for a while." She didn't want to lie to her child. It was something she never did. The two

  were as close as ever and she wanted it to always stay that way.

  Pamela watched as he slowly and sadly dropped his head and stared at his feet dangling from the bus seat. She knew how much it was hurting him to leave his friends behind. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Face, don't worry. One day me, you, and the baby will come back toPhilly. I promise."

  Hearing his mother say that was like music to his ears.

  "So, are you gonna try and give California a chance?" she asked. "Yes, Mom," he grinned.

  "What's up with you and Tasha?" Pamela asked, changing the subject. "I saw that kiss she gave you."

  Face blushed, grinning. "She's my girlfriend."

  "Ain't she a little too old for you?" she joked.

  "Nope," Face chuckled.

  Pamela looked lovingly at her beaming, handsome son and smiled. She knew Tasha was his first crush and she was enjoying it just as much as he was.

  "She's a pretty girl. You don't think some other boy is gonna try andtake her away from you while you're gone?"

  "Nope. 'Cause she told me she was gonna be my girlfriend forever," he replied in a serious tone.

  Seeing the excitement in Face's eyes, Pamela just smiled and shook her head.

  As the half-full Greyhound bus continued to drive down the interstate, she got comfortable in her seat and closed her eyes once again. With seven thousand dollars hidden safely in her pocketbook, she was ready to take on Los Angeles, California. She had left another twenty thousand dollars in a bank account that Momma had helped her open. Shepromised herself she would never touch it unless it was an emergency.

  Barely starting to show, she rubbed her rounding belly. Thinking about how the baby had been conceived, and who the father was,made her hate what was growing inside of her. The decision to keep it hadbeen one of the hardest she ever had to make in her life. She actually felt no love for the child, but didn't hate it enough to end its life, either. However, many nights she had laid in bed wishing it would die inside her.

  How could she have a child by the man who had raped and beat her? The same man who killed Norman? She painfully wrestled with her decision. She knew she could never love the child the way she loved Face.It was selfish, she knew. Love was never fair.

  But, on the other hand, how could she hate what was half hers? Tears slid down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes. She sat trapped in her own confused world, not knowing if she would, or could, ever escape the perplexity that surrounded her. So far, her life had been a roller-coaster ride and most times it felt as if it would never stop. Maybe a change would be helpful she tearfully thought and silently prayed.

  When she opened her eyes, Face was staring at her. He leaned over and laid his head across her lap. She unconsciously ran her fingers through his fine, curly black hair. She took a long deep breath and closed her tear filled eyes.

  When Momma and the kids got back home she went upstairs to her bedroom and closed the door. She lay across the bed and started crying, unable to hold her tears any longer. Pamela and Face had become a part of her family, and it hurt to see them have to leave, running for their lives. Momma had no idea when she would see them again.

  After Pamela explained everything that had happened, Momma understood the predicament she had gotten herself involved in, and why she had left the house and car with Momma to sell. She had promised to deposit all the money into Pamela's savings account. Pamela had given Momma Power of Attorney and she was the only person other than Pamela who had access to the savings account.

  After wiping her tears away and getting her emotions at bay, she reached out for the remote control and brought the TV to life. She couldn’t take her mind off of what had just happened, the TV didn’t permit the usual escape from reality. She turned off the TV, tossed the remote aside, and closed her eyes. Whispering softly, she prayed, "God, watch over mybabies and keep 'em both safe. Amen."

  Reese stared at Tasha with a hard look on his face; D.J. stood by his sidetrying his best to look hard, too.

  "Boy, what's wrong with you?" Tasha asked, standing with her handson her hips.

  "You!" Reese snapped. D.J. nodded his agreement.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "You, Tasha! Why are you trying to take Face away from us?" "Boy, I'm not trying to take nobody from ya'll. Face is my friend,

  also."

  "He is not!" Reese vented.

  "He is not!" D.J. repeated.

  "For ya'lls information he is. And not only that, but Face is my newboyfriend! Now, how do ya'll two airheads like that!" she teased. "You're lying!" Reese fumed.

  "You're lying!" D.J. repeated.

  "I am not!" Tasha said, smiling. She turned and walked toward thestairs.

  "You're messing everything up! Why can't you just leave Face alone?"

  Tasha turned around and walked back towards her two cousins, "What am I messing up?" she asked, intrigued.

  "My money!" Reese stated seriously.

  "What money, Boy?"

  "My million dollars," Reese replied, spreading his hands in exasperation.

  With a confused look on her face, Tasha asked, "What money are you talking about?"

  "The million dollars that me and Face betted."

  "Ya'll betted a million dollars?" she asked in disbelief, a wry smile beginning to form on her lips. This was gonna be good, she told herself.

  "Yeah, Face betted me a million dollars that one day you would be his wife. And I betted him that he wouldn't marry you because he's to young for you."

  Tasha stood with an excited look in her eyes. Knowing that Face feltthat way about her had made her love him even more. And right at that moment, Tasha promised herself that she would always wait for him. She turned, her grin blooming into a full, openmouthed smile, and walked towards the stairs once again. Her heart was filled with joy.

  "So, what are you gonna do?" Reese asked in a worried tone.

  Tasha paused and turned around to face them. "Sorry to tell you two airheads the bad news, but ya'll are out of a million dollars," she laughed excitedly, then ran up the stairs to fantasize about her future life with Face.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Los Angeles, California...

  After a long tiresome bus ride, Pamela and Face had finally reached their destination. It had taken them three long days, but they were now in California. Once they had gotten all their luggage, Pamela and Face walked over to a nearby pay phone. She called her brother Allen and told him they would be waiting outside the Greyhound bus terminal on Grant Street.

  The bus station was filthy with trash and empty bottles were everywhere, the horrific smell of human urine marked the walls in streams and large wet spots on the sidewalk. This Pamela assumed was from the drunks, homeless and rampant gangs of the city.

  A block away from the dilapidated bus station was skid row. A place where the homeless, drug addicts and young runaways called home.

  Pamela stood t
here feeling very uncomfortable and keeping Face close to her side. People were coming and going, all in a rush to get somewhere fast.

  Almost two hours after Pamela had called Allen, he finally pulled up in a brown Dodge Caravan. Even though Pamela was upset that he had taken two hours to get there, she was still glad to see her older brother again after a ten-year separation.

  Allen had left home for college when Pamela was fourteen. He had graduated from U.S.C. with a degree in childhood education. He had decided to stay and make California his new home. By the looks of his old van, he wasn't doing all that well in the education field.

  Allen was a tall, brown-skinned, handsome man with short, curly dark hair. He was an educated, hard working, family man, even though he had no kids of his own, he gave his fiancée and stepson all the love they would ever need.

  "So, this is my handsome little nephew?" Allen said, smiling and reaching out to give Face a hug.

  Pamela stood back smiling. Out of all of the people in her family, Allen was one of three people she always felt truly loved her. The other two people who had shown her love were her Italian grandparents. Though they hated the fact their only daughter had run away and married a black man, they never denied their love towards their two grandchildren, Pamela and Allen.

  In fact, their grandparents had paid for Allen's college education. Their grandfather was a successful defense attorney and money for them was never a problem. When Pamela and Allen were still small, their grandparents would come and get them for the weekend. Spending time in their large, beautiful home in the suburbs was like being inside a castle. They had lived for their weekend visits; it was always an escape from their miserable, abusive parents.

  The love that Allen and Pamela received from their grandparents was the love that their mother had yearned for, yet was denied. But now, since her parents had neglected her in such a cruel manner for running off and marrying a black man, the love they had once had for her was now given to their two grandchildren. Their mother had been jealous ever since.

  After Pamela ran away from her abusive home, she eventually lost contact with her grandparents. And once she met Norman, nothing else mattered. Everything in her past life had become stale memories, including her grandparents-even though they had always shown her love.