“You said the truth would set me free!” Mama cried out. “Why won't you just let me be and leave me the hell alone!”
Stan yanked open a drawer and pulled out a long, shiny knife with a sharp-ass blade. I rushed into the kitchen, and while standing in nothing but my dingy underwear, I pleaded with Stan too.
“Don't hurt my mama.” I smacked tears away from my face. Didn't want him to think I was soft, and crying was for punks. “Please, please, don't kill my mama. She all I got.”
Stan had a smirk on his face while gazing at me. Then the nigga had the nerve to laugh. The direction of my eyes moved to Mama. I was upset with her for bringing this coldhearted animal in our house, and how in the fuck could she put a nigga like him before me? I wanted to ask, but the sad look in her eyes, as she looked at me, said she was sorry. She knew better, but it was too late.
“Go, baby,” she said to me. “Go to your grandmother's house. Get out of here before he hurt you too. He will hurt you, and I don't want you to leave here like this.”
I refused to leave her. Shook my head from side to side, indicating no. “No, Mama, I . . . I can't leave you.” Snot dripped from my nose as I threatened Stan, hoping to put some fear in him. “Put the knife down or else I'ma call the police. You gon' go to jail, and those niggas in there gon' beat you up!”
Stan laughed, then raised the knife over his head. “Call the police and tell them what? That yo' Mama is a ho, and I did this to her?”
He dropped his hand and plunged the knife right into the center of Mama's chest. She and I gasped at the same time. My breathing stopped. Face twisted and stomach tightened in a knot. Mama's sad facial expression tore at my heart and soul. Salty tears streamed down my face as I saw her eyes pleading for me to do something. She even reached out her trembling hand for me to hold it. I rushed forward, and that was when Stan had his way. He yanked the knife out of her chest and jabbed it inâagain and again. At least fifteen to twenty more times. Her blood sprayed my body and soaked every inch of the clothing she had on. Her head was tilted, and Stan dropped her to the floor as if she wasn't shit.
“Now,” he said, swiping his hands together, “you can call the police on me.”
I tried to speak but couldn't say one word. Thought I was dreaming, but unfortunately, this was my reality. I blinked away my tears and saw a blurred vision of Mama lying dead on the floor in a pool of thick blood. I lost it. Ran up to Stan, and he lifted his hand high again.
“Think before you act, li'l nigga,” he said. “I ain't got no beef with you, but if you want to die today, that's fine with me.”
I didn't care about dying. So fucking be it. Stan would do me a favor by killing me. I charged him, and in an instant, I felt the knife slice me above the brow. On my chin. My hand and somewhere on my back. In the midst of me trying to overpower him, I heard gunfire. Several bullets whistled through the air and one of them tore into Stan's forehead. His body wobbled, then dropped on top of mine, damn near crushing me as we both hit the floor. All I remembered after that was seeing a gang of police officers surrounding us. The next day, I woke up in the hospital with my grandmother praying by my side.
My break was over too soon. After I cleared my thoughts of what had happened that day, I chalked up my feelings and strolled with confidence back to work.
“He got that Curtis Jackson, 50 Cent swag,” one chick proclaimed as I walked smoothly by her and a friend.
I had heard the same comment before, but the way I saw it,
I
was an original. I tossed my head back and kept it moving. The second I walked through the door, my supervisor was at it again.
“You only have one minute left. By the time you go to the back and clock in, you'll be considered late. This is totally ridiculous. I'm not going to keep babysitting you. Don't bother to clock back in. I'll be sure to have your check mailed to you by the end of the week.”
I lifted my hand, causing his frail ass to jump back in fear. All I did was scratch my head, pretending as if I was the idiot he proclaimed me to be. “So, what you're saying is I'm fired, right?”
He confirmed. “Yes. F-I-R-E-D, fired!”
I glanced at several people standing around, watching the whole scene. Mr. Drama Queen had put on quite a show. But there was a time and place for everything. Now wasn't the time, so I responded with a shrug.
“It's all good,” I said. “Just make sure I get my check.”
Without responding, he walked off. I went to the back to swoop up my belongings, then left. Every eye was still on me. Was I embarrassed? Hell yeah, I was. One lady stopped me as I headed for the main exit doors.
“That was totally uncalled for back there,” she said. “I don't appreciate the way he spoke to you. If I were you, I would call his boss.”
“It's not worth it to me,” I said to the concerned woman. “Muthafuckas like that always get what's coming to them.”
She nodded. “You got that shit right. God bless you. I hope you find another job.”
I was sure that somewhere down the road I would. I thanked the woman and parted ways with her as she went to her car and I went to mine. I chilled inside for a while, thinking. Unemployed, again. Dissed, again. Disrespected, no doubt. Two steps up, five back. That's what my boy Nate always said. I couldn't resist calling to tell him just how right he was. I knew that he and Theo would laugh and make fun of me for getting fired, and you best believe, when I hit Nate with the breaking news, he cracked up.
“Man, I told you about dealing with those two-bit-ass jobs. You need to come play where the real players play. I don't know, nor do I understand, what is holding you back.”
“You already know what's up. I can't be taking no risks like y'all do. The last thing my ass want to do is spend my life in jail. I'd rather put up with the bullshit out here, than deal with the bullshit in there.”
“I feel you, bro, but sometimes, taking risks pays off. And the last time I checked, ain't nothing wrong with doing what you must to stay afloat and keep a li'l change in yo' pockets.”
We'd had this debate plenty of times before. I just wasn't down with selling drugs, robbing folks, gambling, or pimping hoes. Making money by any means necessary wasn't my motto, but at the rate I had been going with these jobs, I had to rethink some shit.
“We'll talk about my situation later. Meanwhile, what did ol' girl cook today? I know she done hooked you up.”
“Not yet, but a late dinner is being prepared. I got home earlier and there wasn't nothing on the table. Told that bitch to get off Facebook and make some music with pots and pans. She working on something now. Stop by, if you want to.”
“Most definitely. Give me about an hour and I'll be there.”
After I ended my call with Nate, I removed my dress shirt and relaxed the seat back. I still sported my white, V-neck T-shirt that displayed an array of tats on both arms. My entire back was covered with BONES tattooed in script across it. I still wanted more on my chest, but that shit was costly. Money was an issue.
I removed a joint from my pocket. Started to get high and filled the car with a cloud of smoke as I released some of it into the air. It had gotten dark outside, but I kept watching the exit door. When I spotted my supervisor come outside, I positioned my seat up straight. I massaged my strong hands together while eyeing my target, as well as several cameras that I assumed wouldn't get a clear picture of me or my license plates, because it was too dark. I was thankful for broken parking lot lights that made it easier for criminals to shake and move. Even easier for me, as I saw my supervisor looking down, searching for his keys. By the time he looked up, he bumped right into my hard chest.
“Excuse meâ”
My dark eyes narrowed. His mouth clamped tight and fear washed over him. That pleased me, more than ever. I reached up and gripped his red neck. Squeezed so tight that he could barely breathe. He scratched at my hands as I shoved him against his car and lifted him from the ground. His feet dangled. Pleading, watery eyes begged for me to let him go.
“D-E-A-D, dead. That's what you will be, if you keep disrespecting muthafuckas, and if you open yo' mouth about this problem you now have to anyone, I know where you live,
and
I know where you work. Consider this payback for all of yo' bullshit and referring to me as, âthe stupid nigger over there who don't do shit.' FYI, here's what I can do.”
Tears seeped from the corners of his eyes, and his whole face turned beet red. He thought he was in the clear when I released my grip, and when he doubled over to cough and soothe his neck with his hands, I reached for his arm, pulling it behind his back.
“Pluu . . . please,” he said between coughs and spit foaming from his mouth. “I . . . I'm sorry.”
So was I. Sorry that I hadn't done this sooner. I used my overpowering strength to twist his arm and stretch it, tight, eventually breaking it in two places. The loud snaps caused him to yelp in excruciating pain and drop to his knees.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh, ahhhhhh, ahhhhh,” he hollered out while holding his limp arm that required immediate attention. His screams had awakened the dead, so I rushed to my car and sped off. I thought about running that muthafucka over, but seeing him in much pain satisfied me enough. Enough to make me wash the serious look off my face for only a few seconds, and smile.
BONES
Theo, Nate, and I sat at the table smoking blunts, talking shit, and drinking a mixture of alcohols. Alexis was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the food. Their daughter, Brianna, was in her bedroom playing video games with her cousin Jo. YG's “Who Do You Love?” thumped in the background, and a comedy show was in and out on the TV.
Nate made a comment about Theo's whack haircut that made him look even more like a nerd. He patted the top part of his tiny fro, then rubbed his shaved sides. “Stop hating, nigga. It's not a good look for you. I'ma ignore you, though, and get back to Mr. Bones. I thought you were done breaking bones and necks. That fool must've really pissed you the fuck off!”
I shrugged from across the table, pretending as if it was nothing. “As they say . . . You get in return what you put out. He deserved it.”
Nate twirled his brown liquids around in a glass. He stood and washed the liquids down his throat, then cleared it. “He lucky you didn't kill him. I would have done so, and we already know that Bones is weak.”
I jumped up from my chair and gave Nate a playful pound to his chest. He staggered backward while smiling. I always thought of Ludacris when I saw Nate, and if he'd had Luda's paper, we'd all be good. I tried to punch him again, but this time he dodged my punch.
“Back the fuck up!” he laughed. “I don't want you breakin' shit over here. I was just playing about the weak thing so don't go scheming on beating me down later.”
I returned to my seat, then put the bottle of alcohol up to my lips. “That's what I thought. Rethink that shit, take two aspirin, and holla at me in the morning.”
Nate laughed again. Pulled up his sagging gray sweats and slid into his Nike sandals. “What in the hell is taking this slow bitch so long?” he whispered. “Did she fall asleep?”
Looking dope as always with her straight, long hair parted through the middle and resting on her breasts, Alexis came through the swinging door with two plates in her hand. “No, the slow bitch didn't.”
One plate was piled high with crispy chicken, the other with mac & cheese. The aroma breezed through the air as she passed by me.
“Smelling good,” I said, eyeing the food as she put it on the table.
“I know, baby. I do smell good, don't I?” She pursed her lips, shot Nate a dirty look, and then sashayed back into the kitchen.
“Baby?” Nate said. “Who in the fuck is she referring to as her baby?”
“Who cares?” Theo said, snatching up a piece of chicken. “I'm hungry, and this sholl look good to me.”
I was starving too, but I wanted to wait until Nate and the kids got their food. He still seemed a little irritated, though, and he paced while holding his manhood.
“Nigga, don't trip,” I said. “She didn't mean nothing by that shit. You know she was just playing.”
For a minute, I thought he was playing too, but as soon as Alexis came through the door with buttered rolls, he approached her with wide eyes.
“What's up with the baby thing, li'l mama? Since when do you think it's okay to refer to one of my boys as your baby?”
Alexis waved him off. She put the buttered rolls on the table and pulled back a chair to take a seat. Catching everyone off guard, Nate raised his fist and slammed it at the side of her face. The blow was so hard that it sent her flying out of the chair and on the floor. I jumped from my seat, and so did Theo. He didn't like this kind of shitâthere was no secret; I didn't either. We had seen it play out time and time again, between Nate and his other bitches. This, however, was the first time I witnessed him get at Alexis like that, even though I knew he had done it before. She shielded her face with her hands and started to weep.
“Damn, man,” Theo said with disgust washed across his face. “Why you tripping? You ain't have to do that.”
Nate was on some shit that I couldn't comprehend. “That bitch don't disrespect me, then blow me off. Answer me when I ask you a question, dammit!”
I tried to help Alexis off the floor, but she pushed me away. That's when I turned to Nate, already knowing that heat would swing my way for taking up for her. My voice was calm because I didn't want to argue with him. These days, anything would set him off.
“You need to chill with that shit, man. It wasn't even that serious, and I have to ask what in the hell is wrong with you?”
He sucked his teeth, then dropped back in the chair. “I'm glad you asked, 'cause I'm about to give you an earful. What's wrong with me is I got a bitch that don't do nothing all damn day but talk to her friends, laugh at vine videos, and lollygag on Facebook. I need somebody to help me pay the goddamn bills around here, but this bitch sit on her ass all day doing nothing but looking pretty. Even her pussy ain't about nothing anymore. Ask that ho when the last time she's offered me some of that without me having to take it. I take too many risks and work too hard out there in them streets to be dissed in my own home. If she could, at least, get a job at Hooters or something, then maybe I can accept some shit. Until then, I demand my fucking respect,
and
I need a bitch in my life who is motivated!”
Alexis lifted her head. A red, swollen mark had formed on her light skin, right next to her eye. She mean mugged Nate and finally spoke up.
“You ain't shit, Nate. I swear you ain't shit! The rent here is fifty damn dollars a month, and if you think you should be praised for paying that, sorry. It ain't gon' happen! If yo' boys want an earful, here it is. I get assistance for the electric bill, Brianna goes to school for free, and the water and trash bills total less than twenty bucks a month. Food is paid for by the government, and most of the clothes we wear are sold to us by shoplifters who I pay less than half price! You can beat my ass all you want to, but I have to appreciate what a nigga does for me, in order for me to up this pussy. You are not deserving, and I wishâGod, I wish like hellâthat you would get the fuck out of
my
house!”
A look of embarrassment came across Nate's face. He charged toward Alexis, but Theo and I held him back. Well, truthfully, I did. Theo was too skinny, and he was, what I considered, the weakest link of us all.
“Go,” I said to Nate, shoving him backward. “Go somewhere and cool off. We'll catch up later, all right?”
Nate was mad as hell. He snatched his sweatshirt from the chair and looked at Alexis as if he could tear her to pieces. “You lucky they saved you this time. Next time, they won't be able to. Trust and believe that. I'm out.”
“Me too,” Theo said, grabbing a few more pieces of chicken and putting them into his pockets. He flipped his hoodie over his head and exited right behind Nate. I was getting ready to make a move too, until I saw Nate's daughter, Brianna, and her cousin standing by the doorway. Brianna had tears rolling down her face. Her cousin was trying to wipe them with a tissue. Seeing that shit took me back to where I didn't want to be. I looked at Alexis, as she pealed herself off the floor and eased in a chair. The bruise on her face was starting to darkenâshe wouldn't be able to hide it. No question, she was very beautiful, but as far as brains were concerned, she was lacking. To me, she had put up with Nate's shit for too long. But he was my boy, so I kept quiet about the shit. Especially when Brianna tried to comfort her mother, and she yelled for her to go to her room.
“Now, Brianna, and close the door! Take Jo with you!”
With a sad look on her face, Brianna did what she was told. I followed behind her and Jo, just to make sure they were okay.
“Who won the boxing match y'all were playing earlier?” I attempted to divert their attention elsewhere and make them forget about what they had witnessed or heard. They both claimed to be winners.
“You didn't win, Brianna. Stop lying,” Jo said, then plopped on the bed and pouted.
“Yes, I did. I beat the pants off you, and you know it.”
I teased Jo. “Man, you let a seven-year-old girl beat you? You'd better step up your game and get down to some for-real business with her.”
Jo snatched the remote and turned on the TV. We all started to play the game, but this time Jo was winning. Brianna didn't like that, so she got mad and indulged herself even more in the game. She'd forgotten all about the argument between her parents, and by the time I left the room, they were laughing again.
I closed the door, then made my way to Nate and Alexis's bedroom. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, long, model-like legs crossed while scrolling through Facebook. Her tight jeans were unzipped, and with a half shirt on, nipples erect, I could tell she wasn't wearing a bra. I leaned against the doorway and eased my hands into my pocket.
“Can I get you anything before I go? I already know where Nate and Theo at, so I'ma go holla at him again about this. Maybe I'll be able to talk some sense into him, so don't worry about him coming back here, starting trouble.”
Alexis lay the phone on the bed, then shifted her head in my direction. Her voice cracked as she spoke tearfully to me. “The only thing you can tell him is to come pack his things. I'm tired of this shit, Bones. Y'all just don't know how bad things really are. Tired of him putting his hands on me for no fucking reason at all.”
She got up to blow her nose and looked at her bruised face in the mirror. While shaking her head, she moved her long hair behind her ears. “This is ridiculous. Last time, it was my lip. The time before that, it was my nose. And look at this right here. Trust me when I say you have no idea what kind of animal your friend is.”
She came over to the doorway and lifted her shirt. Showed me two big-ass bruises near her breasts that looked like severe bite marks. She then moved her jeans away from her hip and showed me a bruise next to a heart tattoo with Nate's name scripted across it.
“He kicked me out of the bed last week and did this. Said I was snoring too loud, and he couldn't sleep. It's petty shit like that, that keeps setting him off. I honestly can't take this shit no more. Eventually, I'ma start fighting his ass back.”
I released a deep sigh. I knew things were bad between them, and I feared that Nate would hurt her or she would hurt him. “Like I said . . . I'll talk to him, all right? Meanwhile, chill out and see about Brianna. He hasn't put his hands on her, has he?”
“No,” Alexis said, biting her nails while standing in front of me. “He hasn't touched her, but it ain't like he gets any points for being a good dad. That nigga is a live-in deadbeat.”
Sorry, I had to defend Nate. In actuality, he was the only one bringing money into the household. And as far as I knew, he did a whole lot for Brianna. He loved her, and he always talked about doing big things for his little girl.
“You may not know the real definition of a deadbeat,” I said. “I can tell you this. It definitely ain't Nate.”
Alexis rolled her eyes at me and professed that I was on the outside looking in. I kept trying to make my point, but it was as if she wasn't paying me much attention. Her eyes started to shoot me a seductive gaze. I would be lying if I said I hadn't seen that look in her eyes before. There was a possibility that Nate had seen it too. That was why he reacted the way he did. Her stare made me uncomfortable, so I quickly changed the subject.
“I'm getting ready to make a move. Put some ice on yo' face, and if or when Nate comes back, try not to go there with him.”
As I stepped away from the door, Alexis reached for my bicep, squeezing it. “I need a
real
man in my life, Bones. I'm tired of messing around with little boys. You already know what's up, and one of these days, I want you, and only you, to rescue me from all of this bullshit.”
I was never one to show my anger unless I had to. I wasn't sure what kind of game Alexis was playing, and I despised bitches who weren't loyal. This was a dangerous move. Alexis knew it.
“I rescued you once, and I won't do it again. I don't approve of how Nate treats you, but I'm starting to understand why my nigga can't control his actions.”
She snickered at my comment and blew it off. And after taking a few steps back, she lifted her shirt over her head, exposing her breasts.
“Bones, you have things so twisted. I thought you, of all people, would be able to recognize your haters. If you think I'm one of them, you're sadly mistaken. At the end of the day, I'm on your side.”
I didn't know that we needed to pick and choose sides. But I did know that something with Alexis was starting to stink real bad. She pressed her perky breasts against me, and as she brought her glossy lips to mine, I turned my head and stood there like stone. Rejection didn't play well with her, so she snatched my face and tried to force her tongue into my mouth. My face twisted, and I shoved her away from me.
“Back the fuck up,” I said.
Her response was not anger, but persistence. She kept her eyes locked with mine as she paraded to the bedroom and stood by the bed. After dropping her jeans to the floor, she stood naked. Her near-perfect curves were a pretty sight to seeâI couldn't lie. And so was her shaved pussy, when she sat back on the bed and opened her legs. She lifted her finger, motioning for me to come to her.
“Five minutes, Bones. All I need is a measly five
or
ten minutes of satisfaction. I promise to make every minute worth it. Afterward, you can go play with your boys.”
I felt frozen in time. Couldn't help it that my eyes were glued to the prettiness of her pussy. Couldn't help that my dick was starting to rise, and I couldn't help that my anger and bad feelings about certain bitches was starting to grow.