The War Report

by King Benjamin

  “Really?” Michelle said. It was definitely exciting news.

  Is this why Andrea’s running around in ass kissing panic mode? She thought. Michelle could not lie to herself –if Diane was leaving, she really wanted this job. Diane was the lead anchor on the evening news. A six-figure salary plus a prime time slot for all her ideas on how to bring change to the station and the Detroit community as a whole. It was truly her dream job, but she wasn’t about to get her hopes up, knowing there was a lot of politics involved in picking the lead anchors. For one, Diane was white and her co-anchor was a black man. That fact alone had her thinking in her mind that Diane would more than likely be replaced with another white female. As they all squeezed in for the final shot, Michelle couldn’t help but fantasize about how grand her life could become in the very near future.

  __________

  “Look, nigga, you gotta stop turning your fucking phone off all the time. Niggas need to know where you at in case something go down,” Jay ordered Lines as he slid in the passenger seat and strapped on his seatbelt.

  “I know, man. This J-Rock shit just been fucking with me heavy, dog. I was high as a kite last night,” Lines confessed, picking at his nose. It was something he did frequently because the cocaine was destroying his nostrils from the inside.

  Today was the day that Lines would take Jay to meet up with the connect in southwest. The crew was just about out of drugs, and although J-Rock’s death still had everyone on guard, life had to go on. The only solid information they had about Bones was the fact that he was definitely out of jail. Niecey Girl had pulled up his name on the internet and found out his release date. As Jay and Lines rode to southwest, Jay tried to talk Lines into thinking and acting more responsibly, but it only turned into an argument.

  “Niggas been looking for you for damn near two days, Lines. The fuck, man? You don’t call nobody back, you still driving around in that truck that everybody know. You think this shit is a game, nigga?”

  “Man, fuck you, Jay! I did leave you a message on your voicemail letting you know I was straight. Ain’t nobody else sitting at home hiding under the covers, so what you want me to do? You still hanging out with the li’l bitch you just met at the fundraiser, Gunner still hanging out, E and Bake still doing them…What the fuck, Jay?”

  “Niggas ain’t still riding around in them same cars either. As soon as I told them niggas to put them cars up, they switched up. Niggas is checking in on each other every day too, while you still playing stupid like you don’t know what’s going on. But if you don’t appreciate niggas trying to look out for your punk ass, then fuck you too. I’m not into keeping tabs on niggas ’cause I ain’t got no kids.”

  “Okay, Daddy. I went to the club last night. I got in with my banger. I took Ray Ray with me, and he got in with his banger too. I met a bitch, took the bitch to the room, and fucked the bitch. Is it anything else you wanna know about last night?” Line asked sarcastically.

  “Yeah okay.”

  “Huh? You wanna know what the pussy taste like, nigga?”

  “Your nasty ass probably did eat her pussy too.”

  As they arrived in southwest, Jay thought the area always reminded him of Los Angles. Southwest was predominantly a Mexican community, and it was evident in everything from the restaurants to the names of the businesses up and down Junction Street. Jay tried to calm himself as he came closer to their destination. Deep down, he felt like Lines was using J-Rocks death as an excuse to let his coke habit spiral out of control and act irresponsibly. He glanced over at Lines picking at his nose, and was slightly disgusted.

  “This spot right here, Jay,” Lines said, pointing to a collision shop that had been painted with elaborate graffiti of old school muscle cars. A few esès stood out front politicking in a huddle. Lines called Hector to let him know they were out front.

  “Amigo?” Hector answered.

  “What’s up, baby? I’m outside.”

  “Okay. Pull around back, my brother’s gonna let you in.”

  They pulled around back of the building. All three shutters were up, and there was clearly work going on inside. It looked as if the collision shop wasn’t just a front for moving drugs. As Jay removed the duffle bags from the trunk, he glanced around wisely. A Mexican man of average height appeared in the doorway and waved them in.

  As Jay walked in, a strong whiff of car paint smacked him in the face. Latino rap music could be heard on low volume near the work area. The man quickly escorted them to Hector’s office. At first glance, Jay’s thoughts were that Hector did not look like what he expected. A small baby faced man, he wore his hair in one long braid down the small of his back. He wore a wife beater and no tattoos, which was really odd in Jay’s mind.

  “Hector, this is Jay, Jay this is Hector,” Lines said, making the formal introduction.

  “Good to finally meet you, amigo,” Hector said.

  “Likewise, ya dig,” Jay returned as he squared his shoulders ready to get straight to business.

  The door to Hector’s office had a window that was covered with white blinds. Hector moved from his recliner and pulled down the blinds so no one could peek inside. He could see Jay wanted to get right to business, and so did he. From the cabinet above, he pulled out a money counter and set it on his desk. There was a three foot long chest on the floor behind Hector’s desk. He opened the chest with a key and pushed the lid back, revealing keys of cocaine stacked to the top.

  “Let’s do this,” Hector said.

  Chapter 13

  Jay secured twenty bricks at sixteen-five a piece. He put it out to the crew at eighteen-five each, giving him a profit of forty grand each flip. With a profit margin like that, Jay knew he would be a millionaire in no time. He got everyone set up with their packages, and then he showered and changed at Niecey Girl’s house where he always kept plenty of clothes. He had a date with Michelle, and it had been on heavy on his mind since he left Hector.

  Earlier in the week, Michelle had mentioned a play that was coming to town with some local celebrities and some b list actors. Whether she was giving Jay a subtle hint or not, he decided to surprise her the next day with two tickets to the show. This would be their third date, and Jay was happy he had earned enough trust to pick her up from her downtown loft. He picked her up in a 2005 rented Camaro.

  __________

  Michelle had given it some thought before she decided to let Jay pick her up from home. She was growing more comfortable with him by the day, and being that the play was right down the street at the Fox Theater; it seemed to only make sense. It was mid-afternoon and the light drizzle that started outside was enough for her to bring an umbrella, but not enough to make the sun cower from the sky just yet. She noticed the car was different than the one he’d driven on their last date. It seemed he was in something different every time.

  “Do you also own a car lot Jason?” She asked, siding into the passenger seat.

  “Ha. No I don’t.”

  “Well, how many cars do you have, if I can pry?”

  “Well, I only own a Mercedes and a truck. I’ve been driving rental cars since my Mercedes has been in the shop,” he lied.

  “Did you crash it?” she asked.

  “No. A friend did.”

  “Some friend.”

  “Never again,” he countered with a fake laugh. Jay hated every time he had to lie to Michelle, and he began to wonder was it even worth all the trouble. It was definitely something he knew he couldn’t get used to.

  They pulled up in front of the Fox Theater and the valet attendant opened the door for Michelle. She could tell he recognized her but wasn’t sure if it was her. Inside, she held Jay’s hand – not to be romantic, but to make sure they stayed connected as they moved through the jam-packed lobby. They found the usher, who showed them to their seats right before the play started. The play was definitely better than Jay expected. He thought it was something nice to do for Michelle, but was surprised to find himself into it too. The come
dic timing was on point, and he and Michelle laughed or didn’t laugh at the same things. One thing he had noticed in the past few weeks was they had a similar sense of humor.

  Near the end of the show, Jay’s cell phone began to ring nonstop. He saw it was Neicey Girl, so after the third call, he stepped out into the hallway to return her call.

  “What’s up, cousin?”

  “Come and get your muthafucking boy!” She yelled in his ear.

  “Who?”

  “Lines stupid ass!”

  “What’s wrong? What he do?”

  “I don’t know what this nigga is on, but he said he hasn’t been to sleep in three days, and he is straight tripping. I told him to go lay down in your bed, but this muthafucka went outside and on my porch and just started shooting in the air for no reason. He just flipped the fuck—”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Okay, but he outside now. I put his ass out, ’cause he can’t come back up in here acting like that.”

  “Fuck!”

  Jay hung up the phone with fire on his insides. He stormed back into the theatre in a panic, thinking about all the dope and guns at Niecey’s house while this fool was outside shooting. He was putting everyone in jeopardy, including Niecey Girl. If the police arrived before he did, he would never forgive Lines.

  “I’m sorry, Michelle, but I gotta go. Something is going on with my cousin.”

  Michelle could see the panic in his eyes and she immediately grabbed her clutch to leave.

  “I’m so sorry. Is she gonna be okay?”

  “I’m not sure. I just need to get over there fast.”

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  The two rushed out of the building before the play ended, and as soon as the valet brought the car, Jay went flying down Woodward to drop Michelle off at home.

  “You might wanna slow down a little. You know it’s swarming with cops around here,” Michelle suggested.

  Jay didn’t say a word, nor did he slow down. When he pulled into her lot, he swung around and dropped her off right in front of her door.

  “I’ll call you,” he said.

  “Okay, and be careful,” was all she could say. She exited the car, concerned for him and whomever he was running to rescue.

  Jay sped off toward the freeway as the rain began to pour down hard.

  When Jay arrived on his cousin’s block, he spotted Lines’ truck with the driver’s side door flung open and the music blaring. He glanced around, feeling a small sense of relief that there were no police in sight. He spotted a man stretched out on the front lawn bucking around sporadically as the rain drenched his body from head to toe. The man began to yell for help, and Jay parked and got out in the pouring rain. He tried to get a good look at the man on the ground, but the severe rain blurred his vision. The closer he got to the man, he could hear him now rapping the words to the song that was playing loudly in Line’s truck. Seconds later, it became evident that the crazy man laid out in the grass was his friend Lines. Jay became furious, and as his blood boiled out of control, he was tempted to rear back and kick the shit out of Lines, but he caught himself.

  “Lines, what the fuck is wrong with you?” he shouted, snapping Lines out of his cocaine induced escape from reality.

  He locked eyes with Jay and grinned, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “I was just washing my clothes, Jay.”

  “You what?” Jay yelled, ready to punch Lines in the mouth with all his might.

  “Get yo ass off my grass!” Niecey yelled from the doorway.

  Jay spotted Lines’ .40 cal. lying in the grass and picked it up. “Nigga, if you don’t get your ass up off this grass, I’ma shoot you myself!” Jay warned.

  When Lines saw the pistol, his dilated pupils bucked. He rose from the soaked grass quickly, and wiped the mud from his jeans.

  “Naw man, I’m straight, Jay,” Lines said still wiping.

  “You ain’t straight muthafucka, you tripping! You wanna die, nigga?” Jay said clutching the pistol but not pointing it at Lines.

  “Whachu mean, Jay?”

  “It’s a simple question. ’Cause I’ll kill you myself before I sit and watch you go out like this.”

  Lines was standing straight up now, but his posture was slumped and his jaws sagged like a man with a broken spirit.

  “Come on, Jay. Put the gun down, man. You can’t kill me.”

  Jay handed him his gun back.

  “This your gun, stupid muthafucka.”

  “I just need some sleep, man. I been up for three days blowing cane, dog. This shit done took over.

  Lines looked all of sudden rational, and Jay just wanted to get him away from the house as soon as possible.

  “Can you drive?” Jay asked as Lines headed to his truck.

  “Yeah dog, I’m straight. Jay, I just need to go to lay down.”

  “You sure you can drive, man?” Jay asked, not believing he could.

  “I’m straight, Jay. I’ma call you tomorrow.”

  Lines quickly hopped in his truck and pulled off.

  Jay still followed him to make sure he went straight home. When he saw Lines pull in his driveway, Jay drove past and kept going. He was still furious at Lines for putting the whole crew at risk. He had ruined his night with Michelle and pissed Niecey Girl off to the point of no return. For the first time ever, he considered cutting ties with Lines altogether.

  As Jay drove down Lines’ block, he realized he was almost out of gas. He’d have to make a stop at a low-key gas station nearby. Thunder clapped ferociously as the unexpected storm continued to match the mood of the moment.

  __________

  Michelle sat at home, hoping everything was all right with Jay. He sounded so upset when they parted; she couldn’t help but wonder what had happed and what was going on at that very moment. The curiosity was killing her, and after sitting quietly for too long thinking about it, she decided to undress and try to get comfortable for a night at home alone. She had enjoyed the time they spent together, and deep down she wished it hadn’t ended so abruptly. Just then, her cell phone rang and she flipped it open to see that it was Jay calling.

  “Hey,” she quickly answered.

  “Hey. How you doing?”

  “I’m good. How are you?”

  “I’m good. Everything is good.”

  “Really? I’m so glad to hear that,” she said truthfully.

  “You not mad at me for bailing out are you?”

  “No, of course not. As long as everything is okay.”

  “Yeah. My cousin was just having some beef with her boyfriend. She made it sound more serious than it really was.”

  “Well, good. I’m glad you’re okay, and I’m glad she’s okay.”

  “I’m not okay. They fucked up my night!” Jay admitted, causing Michelle to burst into laughter.

  “Oh, as if you really had big plans,” she teased.

  “You know I did,” he shot back.

  “Yeah, well… they fucked up my night too.” Michelle said, shocking herself. It was one of the few times she had let him hear her curse.

  “I hope you mean that.” Jay said as he drove in search of the best gas station to stop and get gas. He couldn’t help but wish he was in route to go and spend time with Michelle.

  “It’s pretty bad out there, huh?” Michelle said, listening to the constant patter of the rain outside her window.

  “Yeah, it’s coming down pretty hard.” Michelle could hear a conversation in the background. “Give me forty on pump one,” Jay told the attendant. He watched his back as he exited the gas station.

  “So, what are you doing, Mr. Smooth?”

  “Just getting some gas and talking to a pretty girl,” he said, moving fast trying to keep from being soaked.

  “You mean pretty woman?”

  “Yeah.”

  The two flirted back and forth, as Jay pumped his gas. The conversation began to veer in an intimate direction for the first time. When Jay got in the car and
started it, the windshield wipers wouldn’t budge. He played with the switch a few seconds but still got nothing.

  “Fuck!” he vented.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Damn windshield wipers not coming on.”

  “Wow, you’re not having the best day are you?”

  “Not at all,” Jay agreed.

  He continued to turn the windshield wipers off and on, but it was an obvious waste of time.

  “They still not coming on?”

  “Nah, they won’t budge. Damn.”

  “Well, you can’t drive without wipers in that mess. Do you have a road side service number?”

  “Yeah. Let me find it in my wallet and I’ll call you back.”

  “Okay.”

  Michelle hung up the phone and realized her blouse was still halfway off and halfway on her shoulder because the phone had rang while she was undressing. She hadn’t moved from that one spot since she had answered the phone. Instead of undressing, she slipped the blouse back on her shoulder in case Jay needed a ride or something. She sat on the side of her bed distracting herself with the television, waiting for him to call back. About ten minutes passed before she got irritated with her indecision on whether to take off her clothes or keep them on.

  She decided to called Jay back, and he quickly answered.

  “Hey. Did you get in touch with anybody?” she asked.

  “Yeah. The dude I talked with said it sounds like the motor on the wipers is gone. They said if I can’t drive it, they’ll send a tow truck to come get it, but I won’t be able to get another car until tomorrow.”

  “Did you need me to come pick you up?” she offered.

  Jay had been sitting at the station trying to decide his next move when the phone rang. When Michelle offered to pick him up, it was a no brainer.

  “You sure you wouldn’t mind coming out in this mess?”

  “Well, I don’t wanna leave you stranded at the gas station,” she said honestly.

  Lines was the only person in the area he could call to come pick him up, and he’d be damn if he was going to be responsible for Lines any more tonight.