Reverend Cash: Let Us Prey (6 page)

Chapter 14

Lady was a tramp for a fee for most men, but she was always a lady for Mr. Morales. Luckily he only came through town once a year because being a tramp paid the bills. The businessman, from Trinidad, always made sure to coordinate his trip to coincide with her birthday.

Every year he would treat her to a night out on the town for dinner, dancing, and mediocre sex in a five star hotel. Preparation for the big night began a week in advance. Lady would close her legs to all regular traffic from her regulars. Mr. ‘Take Yo’ Time’ got to take his time one last time before the visit.

The day before the visit she would go downtown to Selma’s to get a wash and curl. She made sure to dress up for the occasion, knowing that she was a regular topic of conversation at the shop. A number of women had to skip their weekly appointment because their man had spent the money with Lady.

“Mary, I want my kitchen clean ‘fo I get back. And when I get back you gon’ tell me which one of these niggas put that baby in you!’ Lady barked. However, the threat had no bite since she wasn’t going to do anything. Not to mention that the truth was worse than whatever she could do anyway.

“See you later, Mama,” Billy said and tried to hurry and duck into his room.

“Un uh! You got Junior Pastor Team meeting,” Lady reminded him.

“Oh okay,” Billy groaned. He had other plans for the day so planned to skip it.

“You wanna fuck?” Mary asked the second their mama stepped out the door and onto the porch.

“When I get in… here…” Billy said and handed her an ice cold pop.

“Thank you!” Mary smiled and turned it up. She frowned from the odd taste but sucked the bottle dry. “I think it was bad. Pick me up another one on yo’ way back.”

“Okay, Mary,” Billy said, saddened at having just poisoned his sister into aborting their baby.

****

A good round of gossip was raging in Selma’s Beauty Salon when Lady walked in. The bell above the door tinkled causing all the nosey ladies to look over to see who’d entered. Renise paused and started right back up when she noticed who it was. She was the old school equivalent of a social blogger pre social media.

She had the scoop on everyone and everything. Several of the women present were there to see her instead of getting their hair done. She and Mandy’s mother took turns talking about everyone in town that way the focus would stay off their own fucked up daughters. The women present moved their heads back and forth between the two women like they were watching a tennis match.

“Gurl, who dis young boy runnin’ round layin’ all dis pipe?” Renise threw out. It was a purely rhetorical question since she knew exactly who he was and who his mother was too. “Sellin’ it for the low!”

“I’on know, but I hear he a regular meat man! Slangin’ dick all over the Southside!” Mandy’s mama lied. She hadn’t heard anything about it but would not be one upped by her competition. The shop got completely quiet because everyone wanted to know who was selling quality dick for the low.

“I heard they call him Dollar Bill or somethin’ like that. They say he a machine! Put a few dollars in him and he go all night!” Renise sang, winding her hips in her chair.

Lady had heard enough to know who they were talking about. It all suddenly made sense, it explained all of the extra female attention, as well as all of the extra cash. She lifted her chin as far as it would go, and still allow her to be able to see, and marched out of the salon.

“What’s her problem?” Mandy’s mom asked of her hasty departure.

“That big dick lil’ boy y’all talkin’ ‘bout… oh that’s her son,” Renise cackled.

****

Lady marched all the way across town with her arms swinging like a North Korean soldier. She was so angry that she didn’t even register any of the car horns blowing offering her a ride. She was soaking wet from sweat by the time she reached Pastor Paul’s house. She began yelling for her son as she walked up the walkway.

“William Cash! You get out her this instant!” Lady demanded.

“Miss Lady! What you out there hollering about?” Mrs. Paul asked with eyes wide from both fright and embarrassment. Her eyes shot up the street and back hoping no one was out.

“I need to see my boy! Send him out right now! Billy!”

“Shush, Miss Lady! He ain’t even here. He never showed up,” the preacher’s wife confessed. Lady did a military about face and started back down the walk. “Hol’ up. Let me drive you.”

Mrs. Paul ran back inside and grabbed her purse and keys. Lady was half way down the street by the time she caught up with her. She looked at her and kept right on marching. It wasn’t until The First Lady produced a stick of reefer that Lady gave in.

“I guess I could use the ride,” Lady acquiesced. She hopped into the Caddie and took a toke. “He prob’ly at… that… pool… hall.”

“Okay, but um… two tokes and pass, Miss Lady,” First Lady said reaching for her weed. “Anyway, what’s wrong?”

“Just found out my boy been having sex for money!” Lady huffed. The pastor’s wife frowned but held her tongue knowing Lady did the same. “They say he got a big ’ne (big one) and he know how to throw it too!”

“Sho’ nuff?” Mrs. Paul asked curiously. “So, what he chargin?”

“Ain’t chargin’ nothin’ after I get hol’ of ‘im!” Lady said. She grumbled and cursed the rest of the way to the pool hall. They both had a mellow buzz when Mrs. Paul pulled to a stop out front.

“I better stay out here. Probably wouldn’t be good for me to be seen up in there,” the First Lady suggested correctly; especially since she’d peddled pussy out of there once upon a time. Pastor Paul knew but she too knew his secrets. Their marriage was more of an understanding and agreement than one of love and honor.

Lady hopped out and stormed inside. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the dim light and that allowed Leroy to spot her before she spotted him. Seeing her and her son in the same room removed any doubt of paternity. He would never openly admit it but he knew that William Cash was his son. Billy was across the pool hall so he couldn’t warn him of his mother’s approach from the rear.

“William Cash!” Lady shouted as she popped him upside his head. He spun around ready to fight until he saw his mother standing there.

“What you doin’, Mama?” he shouted while he ducked and blocked her blows.

“Don’t be asking me no questions boy! Now come on up out of here!” she insisted and dragged him out by his ear. Byron tried not to laugh at his friend’s predicament but failed.

“I win then!” he shouted behind him and collected the dollar bets they placed on the table.

“We better take him to see Pastor,” First Lady suggested as she got a good look at him through her mirror. “I better drop you off first, Lady, and then…”

“That don’t make no sense since you gotta pass your house first! Drop him off with Pastor and me and you can talk one more ‘gain while you drop me off,” Lady said, unknowingly cock blocking.

Pastor Paul and little Earl had just stepped out of the house when his wife pulled up. He had a one on one session with girly boy a couple times a week. The boy had a pretty bright smile on his face until he saw Billy in the backseat.

“What’s going on Mrs. Paul?” Pastor asked of his wife’s company.

“I better let her tell you,” she replied passing the mic to Lady, who took it and used it to snitch on her son.

“This boy selling himself is what’s going on! Tell him!” she shouted and gave him another pop upside the head that got a girlish giggle out of Earl.

“Is that right?” Pastor said shooting a glance to Billy’s crotch. He’d never seen any signs of sexual interest in the boy. He’d never heard him speak about girls or a girlfriend.

“Speak up!” Lady shouted as she went upside his head once more.

“Take Earl home while I tend to him,” Pastor ordered and led Billy inside. Led him inside to change his life forever.

Chapter 15

“Well, let’s have a look,” Pastor Paul ordered off handedly when they reached the room. Billy looked confused as he looked around to see if he might be talking to someone else. They were alone so he guessed he meant him.

“Look at what?” he asked hoping he didn’t mean the reefer in his pocket. He needed it before his appointment with Carlita later that night.

“At all that dick you s’pose to be slangin’ around town,” Pastor said with authority.

Billy frowned up like he wanted to cry as he unbuttoned his pants. He looked away as he pulled his limp dick from inside his pants.

“Mm hm. Just as I suspected,” Pastor said moving in closer to inspect it. “About a ten inch job, I reckon.”

Billy shrugged his shoulders since he had no idea. He’d never saw a need to measure it and The Buffalo Gals didn’t seem to mind its size. His eyes were closed so he didn’t see the pastor open his mouth and lean in. He’d spent the afternoon freaking off in and on Earl but couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“W–w–what are you d–d–doing?” Billy stammered when he looked down and saw half his dick in the preacher’s mouth. He tried to fight off an erection but Pastor Paul sucked a mean dick.

“Mm hm,” the preacher hummed and nodded in agreement when he felt the boy growing long and hard in his mouth — so hard and long that he had to pull it out and marvel at it for a second before he put it back in his mouth and went to work.

Billy’s mind wandered as pastor sucked his dick. Earl’s attitude towards him whenever he came around now made sense. Even though it was usually the other way around the sissy wanted Pastor Paul all to himself. Then he wondered if this meant he was gay too. His answer came a couple minutes later when he did.

“Mph!” Billy grunted from behind the hand he’d used to cover his own mouth with. It stifled his scream but not the explosion. The boy came so hard that some came out of the pastor’s nose.

“Mm hm,” the preacher said between swallows, with his nasty ass. He refused to let the dick free until it went completely limp. It hit Billy’s leg with a thud once he finally spit it out. “I hope I learned you a lesson.”

“Yassir,” Billy agreed, assuming that the lesson was how to get your dick sucked.

“Now you leave them fast gals alone. You need something you come to me,” he offered. It was a set up because nothing in life is free.

“Yassir,” Billy repeated with mixed emotions. He didn’t mind letting Pastor blow him or take him shopping but he liked pussy too, and wine and reefer, and the danger and excitement of the streets.

“Good, now I guess I’ll drive you home since my wife ain’t back yet,” he said twisting his lips at the clock.

“Yassir,” he replied hoping he still had time to make his date with the waitress. The ride was made in total silence — after Pastor sucks your dick what is there to talk about.

“Y’all having a party or something?” the preacher asked seeing quite a bit of activity in front of his house.

“Not that I know of,” Billy frowned and craned his neck to see what was going on. The ambulance had just pulled off as they pulled up and took its spot. Billy sprang from the car before it stopped. “Is my mama okay?”

“She’s fine,” Pastor Paul’s wife said stoically. “She just passed out. Your sister dead, she killed herself.”

****

The weight of the news pulled Billy to the ground. He plopped onto the porch and broke down. He could not understand why his happy sister would take her own life.

“What done happened?” Pastor Paul leaned in and asked his wife. She scrunched her face up at the smell of semen on his breath and leaned away. She was slightly jealous that he’d beat her to the boy. He always beat her to the boys.

“When I pulled up to drop her off she ran inside to get a… um… then she came running back out screaming ‘bout her daughter. I got out and went inside to see what was wrong and found her with her eyes open and foam coming from her mouth. She was already dead.”

“Dayum!” Pastor said in reply. No sooner than she finished the coroner attendants came out with Billy’s big sister in a body bag. Billy let out a heartfelt moan that sounded more like a wounded animal than a human.

“You go on home. I’ll take the boy to the hospital to sit with his mama,” Pastor urged. He helped the languid boy to his feet and into the car.

Billy didn’t register a single word Pastor said on the way to the hospital. The man rattled off scriptures and song lyrics but the hurt boy didn’t catch any of it. He couldn’t help but think that if he’d just stayed home and had sex with her that she’d still be alive — and that’s a pretty fucked up thought to have.

“Here we go,” Pastor said as he led the boy into the hospital. He got his mother’s room number and took Billy to see her. “Buck up boy, yo’ mama need you!”

“Yassir,” Billy finally replied. Lady was seated upright on the bed rocking and wringing her hands in despair. Billy quickly made his way over and gathered her up in his arms. “I’m here mama.”

“My baby gurl don’ kilt herself cuz of me!” Lady wailed.

“No Mama! Don’t blame yo’self. It’s not yo fault,” Billy said rocking her in his arms. Lady pulled back to make eye contact before she spoke.

“Shol’ is. I kept pressing her ‘bout who her baby daddy was gone be! She couldn’t take it. I lost my baby gurl and my grandbaby!” she moaned and broke down once more.

Pastor fought back a tear as he watched the sorrow before him. Even for a man who only cared about himself this was hard to watch. His mind searched for a way to incorporate it into his next sermon. Misery was always good for the collection plate. Maybe he would send another plate around for the family. He would split it three ways of course.

“Preliminary results are in,” the doctor announced as he barged in the room. There wasn’t a shred of empathy in his tone as he relayed the bad news. Bad news that made the bad situation even worse. “The girl drunk some turpentine. That’s what killed her!”

“Turpentine! Why in the world would she drink turpentine?” Pastor Paul shrieked in horror.

“She was pregnant. Sometimes girls drink it to get rid of the baby,” the doctor explained.

Billy’s heart died right there on the spot. It turned completely black as his last fuck to give escaped in a solitary tear. He’d killed his sister, it made him a monster in his eyes.