Authors: T Styles
Tags: #Fiction, #Literary, #Urban, #African American, #General
After School – At Jace’s House
Jace and Jayden were enjoying dinner in silence at his house. He had things on his mind and so did Jayden. But he called her after school to talk about Madjesty.
“Baby girl, have you talked to Madjesty about Kali?” He asked forking some of his spaghetti.
“Yeah, but I don’t think she’s listening much. I think she’s gonna do what she wanna do, dad. I’m starting not to like her.”
Frustration showed on his face. Part of him wanted to get this nigga so bad, that if he had to kill his daughter’s twin sister he’d gladly do it. The other part of him wanted nothing more than for Mad to heed his warnings and stay away from her own father.
“Well I want you to stay away from her if she’s with Kali.” He looked into her eyes seriously. “Never be alone with him.”
“Okay…but I really don’t see him anymore.”
“That’s good.” Then he smiled at her. “We have to talk.”
“Okay.”
“There are some things you don’t know about me, baby. I’m a…”
“Drug dealer.”
He looked into her eyes looking for some ounce of disappointment. It wasn’t there. “That doesn’t bother you?”
“No. You gotta get your money how you gotta get your money.” Her mother was right. She needed to do the right thing with school and obeying Harmony, or else she could be removed from home because she doubted the mean Katherine Sheers would allow her to stay with him if he was breaking the law.
He smiled. “You definitely my girl.”
“I knew that the moment you came into my hotel room.” She smiled. “Your eyes are like mine.”
Going off point Jace said, “Jayden, I’m gonna kill Kali and I’m gonna kill him soon. You need to tell your sister to stay the fuck away from him and she needs to know that I’m not gonna ask her again.”
“She not gonna do it, daddy.”
“Well she’ll be in my way.” He said seriously. “Do you understand what that means?”
Jayden looked into his eyes, “I understand. But can you talk to her yourself one last time? For me please?”
He exhaled and said, “Okay.” He paused. “Do you need anything? Any money?”
Although Jayden could have anything her heart desired from him, she always feared that if she got too comfortable with handouts, they would be taken away from her. So she made it her business to try to remain independent. Besides, Thirteen Flavors was earning that paper so she was doing pretty well. She planned that when she turned eighteen, she’d be able to buy a house of her own along with a new car. If things folded, only then would she call on daddy dearest.
“No I’m good. I don’t need any money, dad.”
Jace looked at her worried face and saw something was bothering her. “Jayden, you know you can talk to me about anything right? Even your past?”
“Daddy, I’m not ready to talk about my life when I was younger. Plus me and mama really trying to work things out. We’re doing good now.”
“Why won’t you talk to me about your life back then? If you are doing so well now it shouldn’t matter. How was life with your mother growing up?”
“Daddy, please. I just want to leave it alone.” She couldn’t bring herself to tell her father that for the longest time she and her sister thought they were boys.
“Just be careful, Jayden. She can change up on you just like that,” he snapped his fingers, “I know.”
“I know.” She smiled. “But she’s still mama.”
Silence.
“Is there anything else bothering you that I should know about? You seem a little out of it.”
“Kinda.” She paused. “My friend is with this guy and he gets her to sell her body and stuff for money.”
His eyebrows rose. “Really? How old is she?”
“My age.”
“Is he some kind of pimp or something?” He said growing angrier by the minute.
“I think so.”
Jace grabbed his phone and said, “Give me his name and number and I’ll have it taken care of.”
“No!” Jayden said extending her hands. “I don’t want you to do that. But I want to know how is it possible that he got her to do what he wanted so easily? My friend always seemed so strong and I can’t imagine somebody breaking her down that far.”
Jace put the phone down and said, “So you want me to tell you how he possibly pimped her out?”
“Yeah. Kinda.”
Jace smiled because he thought his daughter was trying to be one step ahead of them knuckle head niggas out on them streets and that made him proud.
“Well first he probably gave her anything she didn’t have before he met her. If she’s young, that’s usually clothes and money in her pocket. Then when she got used to the good life, he probably threatened to take it away from her after some small fight. And at this point in the game, if he was good with his shit, she couldn’t live without him. So she’d beg to be back in his good graces by doing anything he asked. He wouldn’t take her back right away though. He’d make her beg a little and when he finally agreed, he’d demand that she prove her love.”
“How?”
“By selling her body.” He paused. “That’s when the pimping would get started.”
Jayden thought about the process. She’d done almost everything he said but break her down. She reasoned that if Passion wasn’t fucking with different niggas including Shaggy, she’d have her right where she wanted her. But Passion had too many men willing to do whatever she asked.
“Wow.” Jayden said.
“Too much for you?”
“No. Its just amazing how somebody can get into another person’s head so easily.”
“Yeah, there are other ways to do it to.”
“Like what?”
“Beating her.” He paused. “Or by pitching two girls together. Shit like that. See if he favored one more than he did her, she’d do whatever she could to regain position. This is usually if she acts up after it’s understood that she’s being pimped.”
Jayden immediately thought about Foxie and how she’d start throwing all of her attentions toward her to get Passion jealous. She figured if she did her job right, Passion would come running back to her in no time.
“I answer all your questions?”
“Yeah, dad. Thanks.”
“So are you still seeing Evan?”
“Evan?” she frowned.
Jace laughed and said, “Shaggy. Paco’s son.”
“No.” She shook her head and frowned. “We barely speak at all.”
“Good, because he’s not good enough for you and I don’t want you hanging around him.”
“But I thought he works for you.”
“He does. I trust him with work but not my daughter.” Then he touched her hand. “You’re precious cargo as far as I’m concerned and I want only the best for you.”
“Thanks, daddy.” She smiled. It felt good to be loved in that way.
“What about Xion, daddy?”
“What about him?”
“Is he a good dude?”
“I guess.”
“Because Shaggy cut him off and now he’s not working anymore. Is there something you could do for him?”
He was immediately angered. “Did he ask you to ask me that?”
“No!”
“Good, because a nigga who would put his girl up to asking her father some shit like that is no good.”
“Oh.”
“Baby girl, you need to stay out of that kind of shit.” He said seriously. “I don’t want you talking to anybody about drugs. You never know who’s wired and who’s not. You hear me? You gotta always think smart.”
“Okay.” She said sadly.
“Don’t be sad. If he’s a man and worthy enough for you he’ll find his own way in life. As a matter of fact, ask him to do something to prove himself to you.”
Jayden thought about what her father said when her phone rang. It was Madjesty so she answered.
“I waited here for over an hour for you and you didn’t show.” Madjesty said into the phone.
Jayden stood up from the table and said, “Oh my God! I forgot all about us hooking up today.”
“Don’t even worry about it,” Mad paused.
“I’m with daddy. I can come later.”
“It figures. You always putting that nigga before me.”
“Madjesty, please! Don’t be angry. We can hang out another time.”
“I blew my friends off for you tonight. I should’ve known better.”
“Where are you? I’m leaving right now.”
“Stay the fuck out of my life, Jayden.”