URBAN: Chosen By A Kingpin (57 page)

“Dude, look at you? You all buffed and shit! I guess them prison pushups really do work!” Mook said commenting on Kings chiseled chest and arms.

“Yep, yep!”, King said flexing.

“Well get in” he said. We got a lot of catching up to do.”

“That we do bruh!”

***

The two of them drove around for hours catching up. So much had changed about Atlanta in the last three years, but he really liked what he saw. He couldn’t wait to share with Mook about Carmen. And even though Mook seemed happy for him, he also seemed a bit hesitant.

“So, you awfully quiet bruh…what’s up?” King asked.

“Man, you know,” Mook said shaking his head. “You ain’t seen this girl since High School, right? How do you know she is still down for you? How can you be sure? High School bruh? What you think she been doing all this time? Keeping herself for you?”

“ Naw man. I know she had boyfriends, probably getting her freak on, but all that don’t matter because I was locked up. It is what it is. I’m just saying I would like to give it a try. She’s been down for me…like forever. She is everything I have ever wanted in a woman and now that she is a real grown ass woman…shit, I feel like I’m on top of the world.”

Mook turned to him, giving the side eye and asked. “So she knows about your situation?”

King knew this was coming up, and yet even though he wanted to lie, he couldn’t.

“Naw man, she don’t know shit! I mean she knows I did some time, but she don’t know what I did time for. Still, she kept in touch. Man we talked like every day. She loves me man.” King said looking out the window.

Moments went by without either one of them speaking. For King, It was cool though, because he was too busy taking in the Atlanta landscape, the trees, the grass and flowers. He was damn near flying up there with the birds. He let the cool wind and smooth jazz sounds permeate the air while he relaxed and continued to dream his dream.

***

They pulled up to Mook'ss place. A two story all brick condo in Buckhead. He didn’t know what the inside looked like, but from the outside he could tell his brother was doing pretty damn well.

“Awe man! This is nice! Damn homie!”

Mook stuck out his chest like a proud motherfucker and he had every right to be. He had made it and it wasn’t by dealing drugs. That was some positive reinforcement for King. That right there made a difference.

“Yep, all me. The job pays real good, just got this back in December. Come on, we got people waiting.” He said, getting out of the car.

King followed Mook up the stone stairs and when Mook opened the door he was welcomed with loud applause, laughter and shout outs. King recognized a few old friends like Lil Reese his homeboy from way back. Reese hadn’t grown an inch since 5th grade. Reese sported a unique version of dreads that were gathered and wrapped into three or four spikes rising from his head. This motherfucker made him a crown. Looking at him today, he had to be one of the most feared black men around. Everything about him was defiant, rebellious and spoke loudly of his convictions without saying a word. But that wouldn’t be Reese. Reese always had something to say and the last word. But he wasn’t mad. He was glad to see a nigga.

“What up Bruh!” Reese shouted slapping King’s hand and pulling him into a hug. “Been a minute man! Dayum yo azz done beefed up! And you almost as tall as Mook. Check this out Mook I didn’t know they grew motherfuckers in prison!”

“You a fool bruh.” King laughed. “But, you know how it is…ain’t shit else to do but exercise and read.”

King gave pounds to some of the people he didn’t know while being introduced by Mook. Some faces seemed familiar and others didn’t but they all seemed pretty cool. Not long after, his home girl Big Cissy came around the corner carrying two bottles of Corona and a fifth of 1800. He laughed, some shit changed, and some shit stay the same. He couldn’t hold back the smile. Cissy was like a sister to him since 4th grade and for as long as he could remember she has been bigger than just about everybody, and blacker than most. But that didn’t stop her from being one of the sweetest and down to earth women he has ever known.

“Big Cissy!” He said hugging her. Usually she would slap the shit out of him for calling her that, but this time she just hugged him back. He actually saw tears in her eyes.

“Y’all,” she said turning to the group. “This the only Nigga I let call me that. Everybody else can just shut the fuck up! Here you go Boo. Somebody get me some shot glasses. We got to toast this motherfucker!”

At that moment, King felt happy as hell. Nothing like hanging with your crew and feeling that love and loyalty like family. After all the shots were poured, Mook stepped up, gathering everyone for a toast.

“This here for my nigga, my homeboy, my brother, King. Glad you back brother! To King!” he said.

“KING!” everyone responded.

***

Lil Reese was holding court in the middle of the room, going in on everybody and everything. The funniest thing about Reese’s story is that he acts out every one of them. He was like a one man show.

“Them motherfuckers out here is weak ass pussies! They be falling for shit like Craigslist posts to selling iphones and getting hit up every time. These motherfuckers killing over a fucking IPhone 6. We out there doing shit ass robberies while the Mexicans running all the drugs. Ain’t nobody got no game in Gwinnett anymore man…not like when you was here.”

King listened but wasn’t buying it. Looking around the room, it seemed these niggas was doing well. They had on clean Nikes, sporting polos and shit, gold jewelry, fancy watches and every single one of them had a smartphone. Nothing spoke broke to him, so what was up? Somebody was still in the game, he just had to figure out who.

Mook moved into the kitchen and motioned King to follow. “Man”, he said, pouring them another shot. “You can’t believe everything Reese is saying. I mean there is some truth to it, but everybody moved on. Shit, the way they was locking us up, it was like every fucking day somebody was getting arrested. Like they were herding cattle bruh. I got out after you went up.”

“Wow, man I had no idea. What about Dewon and Mason? They still dealing?”

“Naw man, Dewon got 20 years for a botched robbery and Mason drowned last year at Lake Lanier.”

“For real dude? Dayum! What happened to Marco? “

“Man, ain’t nobody seen Marco since you went up.”

That was the biggest mystery…where was Marco? It was hard to believe that so many of them got lost into the drug scene, but it is what it is. Sometimes you win at it, but most times you lose. King could remember handling stacks of money, bringing in like 2k a week. He had everything he wanted, clothes. Cars, clout. Pretty much whatever he wanted he could have. Money and power is a man’s true addiction, can’t have power without money. He was making the money and working on the power. Marco on the other hand had both…that’s why King looked up to that nigga. Now it seemed the climate had changed. The Mexicans and Nicaraguans were running the streets. For King, that was hard to believe.

“Damn man,” King said. “We were so young. Young heads trying to run these streets and it just seemed we couldn’t win, if the streets didn’t get us, it was the police.“

Mook stopped sipping on his drink and got real serious. “You not thinking about getting back in, are you?”

King could see the concern on his face and said what he knew Mook wanted to hear.

“Naw man, Naw. I’m staying clean.”

***

They all sat on Mook’s back porch reminiscing on old times. It seemed like it was just yesterday. Of course Reese had the most animated stories.

“King! Man I remember when you would do the craziest shit ever!” Reese said jumping up from his chair. “This nigga here, me him and Mook had just robbed like 5 houses. We had so much shit we could hardly carry it. This motherfucker goes back into the house and grabs a damn suitcase and we wheeled that shit down the street in front of the police!”

“Dayum I forgot about that. But now I remember, because ole stankazz, snitching motherfucker Wilson turned us in when his daddy found the gun I sold him.”

“Yeah that nigga big as hell, cried like a god damn baby to his daddy,” Reese said kneeling on the ground imitating Wilson. “Daddy I won’t do it no more, it was them, not me.”

Everybody laughed.

Big Cissy stood up and walked over to Reese and said. “Awe nigga I heard your daddy whooping the shit out of you, so you are one to speak!

“That’s a fucking lie Big Cissy, my daddy never whooped anything, and he BEAT my azz!”

He was right. Reese’s daddy wasn’t nothing to play with. He beat Reese even if he didn’t do anything. He always got beat, but no matter what he couldn’t beat that crazy out of him. King glanced around the room, counting 6 dudes and one girl, Big Cissy and funny how it had always been this way, She always had his back, since grade school, her and Mook being his oldest friends, so it was good to have them both there.

No one ever looked at Cissy as a girl, or now woman, she was just one of the homies. To say that Cissy was big-boned was an understatement. She was full breast from head to toe, but that never stopped her from eating and drinking or cutting back. She liked to have fun, like the rest of us and if need be, kick a nigga’s ass. Big Cissy wasn’t no joke and that’s why no one fucked with her like that. When most everyone had left, King sat on the porch just looking up at the sky and the stars thinking about where he was just last night. Staring at a grey ceiling, grey walls, grey floor, and grey furniture. Staring and dreaming, wishing for this moment. What a difference a day makes. He had to thank his blessings and promised right then and there that he would do whatever it took to right the wrongs of his life. He was going to make his mom happy and proud, because he believed she suffered the most, and that he would take care of Carmen and his homeboys.

When I make it, everybody makes it…that’s how we do.

King grabbed himself another Corona and dreamed the most beautiful dream any man could ever have straight woke. Life for him was about to change.

King woke up to birds chirping and the bluest sky he had ever seen. Even with the peaceful surroundings he could swear he heard cell doors opening and closing through the night. Something about that prison life stays with you, like the night screams, and hearing niggas getting beat for soup or socks. Fuck that shit.

He snapped out of momentary lapse into hell and took a moment to once again appreciate all that was before him. He stood up, looking around Mook’s patio, where he had slept the night laid up on a lounge chair. He could truly attest that it was best bed he had ever slept on. He stretched, taking in all the mellowness while also seeing the mess they left behind from last night. Bottles and bags were everywhere. He decided to help Mook out by cleaning up a bit. King carried the bag of bottles into the kitchen and dropped them in a trashcan then turned around to find the surprise of his life.

“King!” Bae screamed. “Wow, it’s been so long. Mook told me you were out.”

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Surely this was not little Belinda, Mook’s younger sister. No, his eyes must be deceiving him, because Bae had become one very fine, grown ass woman.

“Bae! Girl, oh my God! Look at you! I mean dayum. Yeah, I’m back!” He said, looking her up and down. He liked everything about her. Cute little pixie haircut, beautiful smile and a shape that could compete with Beyoncé. “ Wow!” Was all he could say. He was truly at a loss for words. Bae had that cute schoolgirl look compounded with grown woman sexy, something he was not expecting. Last time he had seen her she wasn’t in pigtails or nothing but she was wearing braces and skinny, real skinny.

They both started hugging and laughing by the embarrassing moment. It had been some time since the two had seen each other. She was starting her first year in college the year he left. Only a few years younger than both Mook and him and yet he had always thought of her as a little girl.

“So…” King asked, “What’s going on? You finished with school?”

“Yes, I finished last year, working in finance now.”

King even liked the way she talked, not like no hood rat but with perfect diction with a touch of Southern.

Mook joined them in the kitchen. “Bae!” he said hugging his sister. “What are you doing here?

“I stopped by to pick up your paperwork for the condo. Dayum boy your memory is messed up.”

“Oh yeah, you right. So, what do you think about our boy King here? Got my homie back!”

“Yeah,” she said , while giving a flirtatious grin King’s way. “He looks good! But hey I gotta run brother, you know duty calls.” Then turns to King and says, “I’ll catch up with you later King.”

“For sure,” He said while watching her walk out the door, staring particularly at her cute, plump ass before Mook caught him.

“Man, I know you are not staring at my little sister’s ass. I know you not.”

“Bruh, your sister ain’t little no more! Feel me.”

“Yeah, well on the real…look but don’t touch!”

“I feel ya Bruh!”

***

Three weeks home, everything seemed to be going well. King signed up for his drug rehab classes and managed to snag a part-time job at the Exon station. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to pay for gas and food. The drug classes were like a living hell, full of privileged white kids hooked on meth and coke all complaining about what they mommy and daddy did. King ain’t never seen so many whiny, crying misfits with money in his entire life. He didn’t know what was worse, sitting there for hours listening to them, or having to spend money just to sit and listen to this bullshit. Then to add more drama his mom had been coming down pretty hard on him about starting school, but he wasn’t ready yet, even though August was just around the corner. His mind was on two things, making money and making more money so he could get out on his own.

He had just finished his shift when in walks none other than Belinda, “Bae”, looking luscious and very business sexy. She wore a tightly fitted black top, and a white pin-striped pencil skirt that flattered her petite shape. King could almost imagine her straddled over a desk.