URBAN: Chosen By A Kingpin (14 page)

I sucked my teeth and got some food on my plate. “Ya’ll don’t know what ya’ll talkin’ about. he ain’t even do nothing wrong. Honestly, I think I just gotta set things straight with him so that way he knows I’ll still help him but it ain’t just gonna pick up where we left off. I think that’s what he thought was gonna happen.”

I saw Amani looking over at the grills where a lot of the kids had gathered. “Have fun tryin’ to avoid him then. He already over here. I think he might be stalkin’ you.” Amani snickered and bit into her chicken. “I can’t always be backin’ you up.”

“Some support would be nice instead of your dumb ass laughin’ at me all the time. Imma just sit my ass at the picnic table and eat. I ain’t gonna go out of my way to talk to him.”

“Uh-huh. You gon’ talk to him eventually.” We both went over to the picnic table and put our plates down. I might’ve been avoiding my problems but it was easier than having a damn blowup in the middle of a block party. This was a happy time and I wasn’t gonna let anything or anyone spoil it for me. Amani and I ate most of the afternoon. The party really started once the sun went down and the sodas and juices wasted and all was left was the liquor. The adults got to hang out more, playin’ dominoes and cards and dancing. I was dancing with Amani and some of our other friends from when we were kids when I felt someone come up behind me and start grinding on me. I looked back and saw Markus behind me with his arms around my waist.

“What do you want?” I asked with all the attitude I could put into one sentence.

“How come every time I see you, you gotta be so damn rude? What did I do to you?” He exclaimed.

“You blew up when you saw some dude on my phone. You think that I’m yours all of a sudden just because you out the pen. I don’t belong to you.”

“I never said you did, damn.” He looked around before grabbing my hand and pulling me away from everyone else. I looked back and saw Amani rolling her eyes and I already knew that she thought that talking to Markus was a bad idea. He stopped under a big tree and pressed me up against it. “Look, you right. I was dumb to think that you would want to be with me after everything that happened but you can’t blame me for tryin’, ya know? You meant a lot to me and you still do. I got mad ‘cause I thought you were with that other dude. I didn’t want anyone with you but me. It’s my fault for thinkin’ you would wait for me after I got out.”

“You got that right!” I said. “I’m not with anyone. I ain’t tied down, I’m just tryin’ to have fun and live my life! Ever since you came back it’s been nothin’ but drama and I ain’t about that shit. You my nigga and everything, I love you, I care about you and I do want to help you but I ain’t lookin’ for anything serious right now. It’s too scary to be serious…” I looked away from him, hoping he didn’t see the tears that were starting to form in my eyes.

Markus gently grabbed my chin and made me look at him. “Why you scared?…Is it because of me? Because I left…?”

I didn’t say anything but I’m sure he got the picture. It was true though. I was so young when I fell in love with Markus that when he left it was like someone put a bullet right through my heart. I was a fool to fall in love so easily but I also couldn’t help it. He meant the world to me and I could never get past him no matter how hard I tried. I didn’t want a relationship because I was scared they would get up and leave just like he did. Guaranteed, he ain’t really have a choice in why he left but it still felt like he abandoned me.

“Tamina…” He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. The smell of his cologne filled my nostrils and his arms felt so right around me. “I’m sorry, ok? It’s all I can say to you ‘cause I don’t know what else to say. I can’t take back what happened but you know it’s in the past right? I asked you to help me and Imma help you too. Imma try and make you happy as best as I can so you ain’t gotta think about the past no more. And if being your friend makes you happy then….I guess Imma have to deal with that. I was always tryin’ to protect you from assholes that would try to hurt you but it turns out I was the asshole.”

I laughed and wiped my face, still trying to avoid him seeing me crying a bit. I never wanted to cry for any man but I still ended up doing it over Markus. “You got that right.”

He kissed my forehead and gave me a tight squeeze. “You wanna come back to the house with me? I got something to show you.”

“It better not be your dick!” I joked.

He shook his head and laughed. “Ohhh you so nasty! No it ain’t but I’m sure you’d like it just the same.”

Markus took my hand and walked me back to the apartment buildings that were close by. “I got to live with my aunt now since Pops ain’t out yet. She on my ass about gettin’ a job and shit. It’s a pain in the ass but it’s good in a way too.”

“She can help you get your life on track too. She tryin’ to help you in her own way. Trust me. If there’s anyone that knows about pain in the ass women tellin’ you what to do it’s me.” I said thinking about Momma.

Markus pressed the button to the elevator and we waited for it to come down. “I know, I know. I told her I gotta get my GED first and she was ok with that. She said she wouldn’t let me end up like Pops but I don’t think Pops is a bad dude either. He did what he had to do when Mom got so bad she couldn’t take care of any of us.”

I was shocked to even hear Markus say the word “mom”. he never really talked about her especially since she was never around. His Momma had a bad habit that she could never break and it made her never take care of the kids. Markus was lucky that the drugs didn’t mess him up while she was pregnant. She tried to quit then but she started up again soon after he was born. His dad was pretty much a single father and I guess the only way he knew how to support his family was to continue doing the thing he knew how to do best. Though some would say that he was the one that got Markus’ Momma hooked in the first place. “They both had their own shit to deal with, Markus. We just gotta try and create a better life for us and not follow in they footsteps. That’s what Momma always tells me. You know, that whole Do as I say, not as I do thing.”

“That’s the damn truth.” He stepped into the elevator and I followed right after him. I hated the way these elevators smelled. It was like every elevator in the projects smelled like piss. It was the worse. “You better live on a floor that’s quick to get too. I hate standing in this shit.”

“It’s just the fourth floor. We almost there.” The elevator rolled up to one more floor before opening. I stepped out quickly and let Markus lead the way to the apartment. It was still dark when we went in. None of the kids or his aunt was around. They were probably still at the block party. Markus turned on some of the lights and we went towards a small bedroom.

“I gotta share it with my cousins. It ain’t that bad except they always screaming and yelling all the damn time. But anyway…” He pulled out a book off his bed and showed it to me. “I got it from the library. They got a bunch of them that I can take out and study from.”

I smiled as I looked down at the GED practice book. He was really serious about getting his shit together. It made me proud. “Markus, this is awesome. I’m proud of you, really.” I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a tight hug. When I pulled away though he didn’t let me go.

“You won’t be mad if I kiss you right?” he whispered.

I closed my eyes and sighed. “No, I won’t be mad.” I couldn’t deny that even though my feelings were all over the place and kept bouncing back and forth between hating and loving him I realized that I hated to love him. Everything and everyone was telling me that he wasn’t good enough for me but they didn’t see the Markus that I saw. He was much more than a thug, or a delinquent, or someone who would intentionally do me wrong. He was Markus, my best friend, a person who had let me down but had seen the error of his ways. He cared about me more than anyone I knew. I knew deep down that I would always love him and nothing would ever change that.

>> CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS <<

LOVE IN THE PROJECTS

Shantel Johnson

© 2015 Sensual Ink Publishing

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord giveth and taketh away…” The preacher’s voice drowned out. Giselle Rogers’ tears were nonstop. She still couldn’t believe it. It felt like she was in this nightmare that she couldn’t wake herself up from. How is it that now she was standing in front of the coffins of her parents? Just a week ago she was begging her father for some new shoes, while her mother was complaining about how her father was spoiling her, and just like that, they both were gone. How did she get here? How?

Giselle Rogers is 16 years old from North Carolina. She was a cheerleader, scholar student, and just a bit spoiled by her father. Her father Enzo Rogers was a hard working business man. He opened up his first shop as a mechanic when he was 20 years old. He’d always been tinkering with cars his whole life, so when he won some money in a scratch off, he opened the business. Word got around town on how skilled he was, and he had more customers then he could handle. Then with the money he made, he opened another shop, and soon another. Next thing he knew, he had a chain of repair shops and he started to teach people his skills. Seven years into the business, he met Karen.

Karen was a bank teller. He walked in there looking to make deposits for all of his businesses. He thought it would just be another regular day; just doing an errand. Everything was running smoothly, until he looked up and saw her. Her long hair was brushed to the side and he couldn’t stop looking at her almond eyes and full lips.

“May I please help the next customer in line?” She asked. He walked right over to her with a smile on his face. “Good afternoon sir, how may I help you?”

“You can…” Suddenly the words left his brain. Enzo was a tall, burly man. People often joked and called him the black lumberjack. Despite being this huge guy, he shrunk in front of Karen.

“Yes sir?” She politely urged him. She didn’t want a line to build up and have her manager on her ass.

“May you please deposit these into the accounts?” He didn’t even look at her. He just signed the slips. When she finished, he grabbed the receipts and practically ran out. It wasn’t until two weeks later, that he made some deposits, and gathered the courage to ask her out.

Their relationship started out slow. She had a 120 day rule. There was to be no sex at all. She had her heart broken before and she wanted to take her time. At first he agreed to it because he just was glad to be dating her, but then he was glad that he did. The rule gave them time to get to know each other. A year later, they were married and it wasn’t long before Giselle came into the picture. After the birth of his daugher, Enzo wanted to be home more, so he sold his businesses and just focused on teaching the skills to future mechanics. They lived in a big beautiful house, and everything was great...for the time being.

Karen had always wanted to go to New York City. There was something about the tall buildings and the bright lights that just made her feel like a little girl. So for their anniversary, Enzo booked a huge trip for the entire family to New York City.

“Why can’t I stay here?” Giselle complained as she packed her bags. “I love it here. I heard New York City is nothing but rats and dirt. Why would anyone want to go there?”

“Because we can go see the Empire State building. We can go see the Statue of Liberty and there are great museums.”

“So?”

“And then we can go shopping.” Enzo added the bait that was sure to lure her in.

“Yay!” She cheered in the same demeanor as she used to as a toddler.

“Ugh!” Karen rolled her eyes. “It is your fault that this child is spoiled rotten.”

“You’re suppose to spoil your kids.”

“No, you’re suppose to teach them skills on how to survive. That girl doesn’t even know how to do laundry.”

“And she will never need to as long as I’m around.”

Giselle wished she could go back to that moment. She just wanted to go back to that moment. If she could just close her eyes hard enough, click her heels hard enough, and just wish hard enough, maybe it will change. She just didn’t get how one car accident changed it all. All it took was one drunk driver, one wrong turn, and her world changed.

The funeral started to wrap up and the closer it got to the end, the more her reality dawned on her. She was now an orphan. Like her parents, she didn’t have any brothers or sisters or any cousins. There was a talk about grandparents somewhere in New Jersey but she was never given specifics. What was to happen to her now?”

“Miss?” The preacher sat next to her. They were the only people there. The coffins were already lowered into the ground. “Would you like to throw the dirt?” He suggested as he closed the bible. Giselle shot him an incredulous look. She couldn’t believe his words but this whole thing was still a bit surreal. She got up and threw the dirt on top of their coffins. She looked off in the distance and saw the black SUV. She walked up to it and knocked on the window.

“So what now?” She asked as soon as the window rolled down. “What happens to me?”

“We tried to find some family back in North Carolina but we are still unable to locate anybody.” The person said to her.

“I told you that my mother and father were only children. I have no uncles, aunts, or cousins. My father said that his mother might still be alive in Georgia.”

“You’ve told me that.”

“Well have you guys found her? You said that you’re going to help me.”

“Miss Rogers, we’re trying our best but it looks like you are the last relative there is.”

“No.” She was crying once again. The bad news never ended. “What happens to me?”

“You become a ward of the state.”

“But there’s nothing for me back in North Carolina. Can’t I stay here until you guys find my grandmother?”

“Miss Rogers, I already informed you that there might not be any grandmother. As far as you staying here…”