Eastside (27 page)

Next Day
Aunt Vera's House

I
t was two o'clock in the afternoon. Lil Fade, Marcus, Romeo, Cibon, and Antwon were all seated around Aunt Vera's porch. Romeo stopped in mid-sentence, although his mouth remained open. The others quickly turned and stared in the direction in which he was staring.

Travon was walking down the middle of the street clutching his side. He walked with a pronounced limp, and the elastic waistband of his normally white boxers was a deep, crimson red. Lil Fade smiled.

The news had given a fairly decent account of the incident, except they, like the detectives, were at a complete loss as to who had chased down the victim and why. Travon walked into the yard.

“What's up, Blood?” Marcus greeted him. “The news say that you pumped seventeen shots into that sucker.”

Travon walked his gaze across the assembled group of boys. He did not return Marcus's smile. “Where's everyone else at?”

“Out looking for you,” Antwon told him. “We was all worried when you didn't make it back last night.”

“I told y'all he would be all right!” Lil Fade told them. “Tre is a muthafuckin' killa.”

“You should have seen him in action last night,” Romeo said. “Tre took off after that fool like a madman. You really wasn't gonna smoke me last night, was ya, kinfolk?”

Travon shifted his gaze to the street, allowing Romeo's question to hang in the thick humidity. Lil Fade broke the tension.

“I knew you had it in ya, it just needed to be brought out. It was inevitable. From now on, we gonna call you Baby-Low.”

A sarcastic smile spread across Romeo's face. “Yeah, just like Too-Low.”

“Dejuan called Darius today, he says that he wants to call it quits between us and them,” Marcus told Travon. “He says that he didn't tell Quentin to kill Tamika and that he thought that it was fucked up that he did. He lost his brother and a couple of his homeboys last night, and now he just wants to bury his brother and homies in peace; and then he's leaving town.”

“In peace? Doesn't he mean, in pieces!” Lil Fade let out a demonic laugh.

“He offered two keys to call it quit so he can leave,” Marcus continued. “He says that he just wants us to respect his brother's funeral, and leave his other two brothers alone after he leaves.”

“What did Darius say?” Travon asked.

“He said of course, leave the two birds with Missy,” Marcus told him. “And then he hung up the phone and we started thinking about how we could kill this dude before he left town.”

Travon laughed and shook his head. Deep down, he knew that Darius wouldn't sell him out.

“I got an idea,” Marcus told them. “Remember what Lil Fade said at the mall that time we jacked Dejuan?”

Travon shrugged. He didn't know which thing in particular Marcus was referring to.

“Yeah, well, they ain't gonna hold his dick for him when he fucks either,” Marcus told them.

“What do you mean?” Travon folded his arms and shifted his weight to one side.

“His bitch!” Marcus told them.

Travon shook his head. “Nobody, and I mean nobody, knows where Dejuan lives.”

“Not that bitch, I'm talking about his piece of candy on the side,” Marcus explained. “Sympathy pussy is the best pussy, and Dejuan's been trying to push up on Tangela's fine ass lately. I'll bet you anything he's gonna run up over there for a little TLC in the next couple of days. All we gotta do is catch his ass over there, and pop him.”

“Why come nobody ever did this before?” Travon asked.

“Because we never had any reason to just outright kill them niggaz,” Marcus told him. “We just used to serve them niggaz to get the message across to not fuck with us. Sometimes we would ride by and pop one of their homeboys whenever they popped one of ours. There's a difference between banging and murder, Tre. Some of us just don't know the difference.”

Lil Fade smiled at Marcus's little dig at him.

“Whatever, just let me know what's up,” Travon told him. “I gotta go and take a shower and get some rest. Mika's wake is tonight, and the funeral is tomorrow.”

Travon turned and went inside.

Next Day

Travon, Marcus, and Darius rode home together from Tamika's funeral. Her family had totally shunned Travon during the services, and did not allow him to sit with the family. They blamed him for Tamika's death, which disturbed him deeply.

Travon reached into the front seat and tapped Darius upon his shoulder. “Drop me off at Poison's apartment.”

Darius shook his head. “I don't understand you, Tre. Your ass is in love with Poison, but you was acting like you really cutted for Tamika. What's up with that?”

“I did cut for Mika. Me and her was having kids together. She was my heart, but Poison is my heart also.”

“I think both of them is cool, but I just don't understand how you can cut for both of them,” Darius told him. “They are like night and day. One is ghetto and one was Gucci.”

“Shit, you know how it is. Sometimes I need to kick it real, and sometimes I needed to kick it different. Mika was from a whole different world. She turned me on to a whole lot of different things. For me, she kinda represented want I wanted to be and what I wanted to have. Poison reminds me of who I am, and where I come from. She keeps it real.”

Darius nodded. “Yeah, if it's one thing Poison does, it's keep it real.” He pulled into the parking lot of Saddle Ridge Apartments, and Travon climbed out of the car.

“All right, I'll holler at y'all later,” Travon told them. He closed the car door, turned, and ran up the stairs to Poison's apartment, where he pounded on the door.

“Hey, baby,” Poison greeted him when she opened the door. “Come on in.”

Travon bounded into the apartment, kissed Poison on her cheek, and then seated himself on the couch. She sat next to him and began to caress his arm.

“I wish that I could have gone with you and comforted you,” she told him.

Travon shifted his gaze to the carpet. “That wouldn't have been right, you know that.”

“Yeah.” Poison nodded. “So how are the babies doing?”

“Better. The doctor says that it's a miracle that they both survived.”

“Have you given them names yet?”

“Yeah, I named them Travon and Davon, after me and my brother.”

“Oh, baby, that's so nice!” Poison exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around him. “I can't wait to see them, and hold them, and play with them.”

“Huh?”

“I said that I can't wait to play with them. I really want to help you with them.”

“You're moving a little fast, ain't you?”

“What? Wait a minute,” she told him. “I didn't say that I wanted to be their mother, or take their mother's place, or anything like that. I'm not trying to be all up under you either, I just wanted to help you. If you don't want my help, then cool.”

Poison shrugged, rose from the couch, and walked into the kitchen.

Travon rose and followed her. “There you go; tripping.”

“I'm not tripping.” Poison pulled a large steel pot down from her cabinet and slammed it onto the stove. “I'm just thinking what a fool I am.”

Travon extended his arms into the air. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Poison waved her hand dismissing him. “Nothing.”

“Naw, don't nothing me. Last time you nothin'ed me, we argued for two days.”

“I know that you are going through a lot today, so let's just drop it.”

“Man, what's with this attitude all of a sudden?”

Poison pointed her finger at his face. “I'm just thinking how funny it is that I'm good enough to fuck, but I'm not good enough to touch your kids.”

“I didn't say that.”

“You didn't have to say it, I know what you meant.” Poison turned away and walked to the refrigerator.

Travon stepped into her small kitchen area. “Don't put words in my mouth.”

Poison closed the refrigerator and turned to face him again, holding two steaks. “I'm not putting words in your mouth.”

She walked to the sink and sat the steaks down in the basin. Then she faced him again. “You know what, things have changed between us, Tre. It's not your fault, it's mines. When I met you, I was talking to Kilo, and you was already talking to Tamika. I fell in love with you, and I had already quit talking to Kilo.”

She extended her finger into his face again. “But you kept on messing with me and Tamika at the same time. I should have stopped it then, but I didn't. I liked being with you, the few moments that we did spend together, so I kept on. I accepted Tamika, because she was there first, and I knew about her. But now she's gone, and I still feel like I'm second. That shit I will not stand for!”

“I love you too!”

Poison waved him off. “Bullshit!”

“I do,” Travon whispered. “I love you.”

“How the fuck can you love two people?”

“Tamika gave me something that you couldn't. You gave me something that Tamika couldn't. I loved both of you for who you are.”

Poison waved her hand through the air again. “That shit sounds like a bunch of bullshit! An excuse. And a weak-ass one at that!”

Travon turned away. “I knew that I shouldn't have come over here today! I don't have to take this bullshit!”

Poison jabbed her finger toward the door. “Then get the fuck out! There's the door, nigga!”

Travon stormed past her. “Crazy bitch!”

“Bitch? Bitch?” Poison opened one of her kitchen drawers and pulled out a large revolver. She pointed it at his face. “Bitch? Nigga, don't you
ever
disrespect me like that again. I don't know who in the fuck you think you are talking to, but I'm not one of your little hood rat tramps. If you ever, ever call me a bitch again, I'll blow your muthafuckin' face off. Do you understand me?”

Travon nodded solemnly.

“Good. I'm from the muthafuckin' streets too, don't ever forget that.” Poison lowered the revolver and un-cocked the hammer.

Travon walked to where she was standing, and once they stood nose to nose, began to kiss her passionately. With the gun still in her hand, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. Kissing and breathing heavily, Travon carried her off into the bedroom.

Later That Evening

Someone knocked on the bedroom door, rousing them.

“What?” Poison asked.

“Girl, y'all come on out here and eat this shit before it gets cold,” Peaches shouted through the bedroom door.

“All right.” Poison nudged Travon in his side.

“All right, I'm up,” he told her.

Together they climbed out of bed, got semi-dressed, and walked into the living room. Lil Fade was seated on the black leather sectional, eating a hamburger. Peaches was on the floor across from him, removing food from the McDonald's bags and placing it on the coffee table.

“What's up, girl?” Poison asked.

“Here.” Peaches handed her some bags. “Y'all need to quit making all that noise when y'all fuckin'.”

“Girl, just put a pillow over your head, I gots to make noise when I'm getting my groove on,” Poison told her, as she rummaged through the bags. She pulled out a burger and handed it to Travon. “Where's the sodas and fries?”

Poison pulled out an order of fries and handed them to Travon, who was already devouring his burger. Satisfied, Poison unwrapped her burger and bit down into it. She chewed for a few moments, and then turned to Peaches.

“Girl, this got tomatoes in it?” Poison asked.

“I ordered yours with no tomatoes,” replied Peaches, shaking her head. “You must've given Tre the wrong one.”

Poison spat the moist glob of chewed food into her hand, jumped up, and ran to the bathroom. Travon sat his food down on the coffee table, and walked after her. He arrived at the bathroom door just as she was flushing the toilet.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She shook her head. “Tomatoes just upset my stomach.” Poison turned on the faucet and proceeded to rinse her mouth out in the sink.

“Since where?” Travon asked. “We done ate a million burgers together and they never bothered you before.”

“I just realized something; you're a very nosey fellow.” Poison removed her toothbrush from its holder, rinsed it off, and then applied a generous amount of toothpaste.

Travon stood in silence and stared at her. His staring made her uncomfortable.

“What do you want me to say?” she asked. “They bother me now, okay?” She lifted the toothbrush to her mouth and began brushing.

Travon extended his hands into the air. “What's with the attitude? I thought I worked all of that out of you earlier.” He laughed.

Poison stopped brushing and frowned at him.

“Damn, your mood swings are worse than Mika's, and she was…pregnant.” Travon's gaze turned into a glare, and he frowned and shook his head.

Poison stopped brushing, glanced at him, and upon noticing his expression, resumed her brushing at a much more frantic pace.

“Uh-un, this is bullshit,” Travon told her. “I recognize the symptoms. How long? And don't bullshit me either!”

Poison ignored him and continued her frantic brushing. He grabbed her arm, stopping her in mid stroke. She pulled the toothbrush from her mouth.

“Okay, I'm pregnant!” she shouted, spitting toothpaste everywhere. “Is that what you want to hear? I'm pregnant!”

Travon stepped back. “Is it mines?”

Poison rinsed the toothpaste from her mouth. When finished, she stood erect and stared at him. “I'll bet you didn't ask Tamika that. Thanks a lot, Travon.”

Poison brushed past him and stormed from the bathroom.

Travon followed. “I mean, it could be Kilo's, right?”

Poison halted. “No it couldn't. I had just started talking to Kilo a month before I started talking to you. I never did nothing with him, because I didn't trust him. Before you, I hadn't had sex for damn near ten months. Regardless of what you and your little friends like to say about us, we ain't hoes.” Poison turned and continued walking.

Travon followed. “I'm sorry, I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me before?”

“Tell you what? That I'm not a ho, or that I'm pregnant?”

“You know what I'm talking about!” Travon shouted.

“Because I didn't want nothing from you, Tre!” Poison snapped. She pointed her finger in his face. “Do you hear me? I don't want shit from you! Besides, you and
Mika
already had y'all the perfect little family.”

“That's bullshit!” Travon shouted, flailing his arms through the air. “That shit is fucked up and you know it! I have a right to know, that's my kid too!”

“Oh, so now you're sure it's yours?” She placed her hand on her hip. “A minute ago you weren't. You went from ‘
is it mines
,' to ‘
I have a right to know.'
Nigga, you crazy.”

Poison turned and stormed off into her bedroom. Travon followed close behind.

“What are you gonna do? I mean, are you gonna keep it?”

“Of course I am! Why in the hell would I kill my baby?” Poison pointed to her bed. “I laid down and made it. I love my baby. I'll kill you before I kill her.”

“Her? You already know what it's gonna be? How many months are you?”

“Don't worry about it. When she gets here, if you want to, you can see her.”

Travon threw his arms up into the air. “What are you tripping for? I wanna help you.”

“I wanted to help you with yours earlier, and you acted as if I said something wrong. Now you wanna help me with mine?” Poison waved him off. “No thank you, we'll be fine.”

“How? What the hell are you gonna do?”

“Well, if you came by in the daytime, instead of just at night when you wanna get your rocks off, you would know all of these things,” Poison told him. “For one, I'm in school. I have only two years to go, and then I'll have my degree.”

“What? Bullshit! How old are you?”

“Now you ask? You should have been trying to ask that kinda shit months ago. Anyway, I'm nineteen, if it makes any difference.”

“What are you doing hanging out in the Heights and banging?” Travon asked incredulously.

“I'm real about mines!” Poison replied. “I know who I am, where I come from, and where I'm going. I'm trying to get my life together, but that don't mean I'm a cut my home girls loose. We sisters. We been through the same shit y'all been through, and got the same bonds y'all got. I may not be some preppy little cheerleader, but I can still have a future. Why don't you wake up before it's too late.”

“You didn't have to go there with that cheerleader comment,” Travon said softly. “You know you was wrong for going there.”

Travon turned and walked out of the room. Poison rushed up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Tre, I'm sorry,” she said softly. “Wait, baby. I shouldn't have went there, I'm sorry.”

They continued into the living room, where Lil Fade and Peaches were kissing. Upon seeing them enter, Lil Fade turned toward Travon.

“C'mon, homie,” Lil Fade said. “Let's drink to the kids, all of them. May they grow up happy and healthy.”

Lil Fade handed Travon a glass full of gin. Travon accepted it, and gulped it down like soda. Lil Fade poured him another, and lifted a second glass that had been resting on the coffee table.

“To the kids!” Lil Fade raised his glass and Travon returned the gesture.

Lil Fade poured drink after drink, with Travon tossing them down one after another. They drank until after nightfall. They drank until long after Poison had gone to her room and fallen asleep. They drank until Travon began to stagger and slur his words.

“Say, Peaches,” Lil Fade called to her. “Where are them straps I gave you to hold for me?”

“They're in the closet. Look in that big box at the top. Them masks and gloves, along with the rest of your illegal shit, is in there too.”

“Good.” Lil Fade smiled. “I'ma need you to take me and Tre somewhere and drop us off. We got some business to handle.”

“Boy, he's drunk!” Peaches protested, pointing at Travon. “He can't handle no business.”

“Yes he can. This is when he's at his best, watch.” Lil Fade turned to Travon. “We gonna get Dejuan tonight, ain't that right?”

“That muthafucka,” Travon slurred. He began crying. “Tamika, he killed Tamika.”

“That's right, and Lil Fade is gonna help you get him. Who always kills for Tre?”

“Fade…”

“Good, good.” Lil Fade nodded. He turned to Peaches. “Help me take him in the room and get him dressed.”

“Boy, what if Poison wakes up tonight?” Peaches asked, pointing at the bedroom door. “What am I gonna tell her?”

“She won't, and if she does, just tell her that you took us home.”

They helped Travon into Peaches' bedroom, where they dressed him in some dark clothing, a mask, and some gloves. Travon was inebriated, but still able to walk and stand.

“Let's go, Tre,” Lil Fade told him.

“Let's get him,” Travon slurred.