Against the Grain (9 page)

“Fuck both of ya’ll, I’m grown. I ain’t going to cuss around him.”

“Lady, what happened to those two girls I bought over here to stay?” Kay asked.

“After you got arrested, Tia was hurt, but Janita took it the worst. They continued to stay here and we loved having them, too. They were like family. Tia went to school for hair and started doing hair full-time. She met a young man that was going to school at Johns Hopkins and they moved in together. Once he finished school, they moved down south, but Janita stayed with us since Tia and her husband were paying for her to go to the University of Maryland. As a matter of fact, she just graduated a few months ago. We all went to the ceremony. She lives down in south Baltimore. She still comes by to see us. Since her mother died, we’re the only family she has up here,” Lady said. She got up and left the room.

“So what’s up for tonight? You and Lady coming to my party?” Kay asked Scatter.

“Nah, we’ve got to work tomorrow. Maybe we’ll catch the next one.”

“Well, get a pen so that I can give you my pager number.”

“Bug! Buuuuug!” Scatter yelled. It was short for Ladybug. Only he called her that.

“What?!” She yelled back from upstairs.

“Bring a pen and paper back with you,” he yelled. Then, Scatter asked, with a sneaky grin on his face, “Yo, you had some pussy yet?”

“Not yet, probably later on tonight.”

“Nigga, let me find out that you’re scared.”

Lady walked back into the room with a big photo album in her arms. She handed Kay a piece of paper. “Here’s Janita’s phone number. I know she would love to hear from you as much she used to talk about you with her fast-tail self,” Lady said.

“I don’t know what you giving him that for, that nigga scared of pussy, baby,” Scatter said with a laugh.

“No I’m not. I’ma knock your ass out in here, old man.” This time Kay and Lady laughed.

Scatter jumped up, “Do it, I dare you, punk. You pussy if you don’t do it. Now what?”

Kay jumped up and threw up his guards. They both squared off.

“Look at the both of you. Acting like some damn kids. I can tell ya’ll miss each other. Scatter, sit yo ass down and leave that boy alone. I’m sure he’ll get some when he’s ready. You better hope you get some tonight.” Lady had a serious look on her face. Scatter sat on the couch. She stood directly in front of him. Kay laughed and pointed at Scatter from behind her back. Lady turned around real quick and caught him.

“Boy, sit yo ass down, too, and stop pickin’.” She sat between them and they went through the photo album to catch Kay up on what had been going on.

Kay’s pager went off. “Where’s the phone?” he asked. He called the number back. It was Mike.

“I’m in front of your house. Where you at?”

“I’m at Scatter’s.”

“You still fuckin’ with that old nigga?”

“Yeah, that’s my man.”

“Well, don’t move. We on our way.” Mike hung up.

“That’s my ride. They’re on the way to pick me up.” Kay wrote his pager number down. Lady wrote down the new house number and gave it to him.

“Call us if you need us, alright?”

“I will. As a matter of fact, I’m going to call you tomorrow and tell you all about how I put somebody’s daughter in the hospital,” Kay said with a grin as he looked at Scatter.

“Get yo raggedy ass out of here and have a good time tonight.” Scatter told him.

They walked him to the front door. Mike and the crew pulled up and took up the whole block. Everyone had their music blasting like they owned the street. Kay turned around and hugged Scatter and kissed Lady on the lips.

“I never did like that boy Mike. Stay out of trouble, baby,” she said.

“I will,” he said as he turned to go get in the car.

“Yo, Kay, if you kiss my wife like that again, I’m gonna put my foot in yo ass.”

Kay looked back at Scatter and laughed. “Love ya’ll,” he said as he got in the car with Mike.

“Love you, too,” they said back as they closed the door.

The woman now sits in front of her vanity mirror with her robe on. She has done her hair and is putting the finishing touches on her makeup.

“Boo, are you ready yet?” her husband asks from the bottom of the stairs.

“No, not yet, baby,” she yells as she walks over to the bedroom door. She looks over the outfits laid out on the bed. “Give me about fifteen, twenty minutes, baby. I’ll be ready to go then.”

She walks back to her vanity mirror. As she applies eyeliner to her eyes, she starts to reminisce again. . . .

11

The club was packed and there were a couple of hundred people outside trying to get in. Everything from pimped-out old-school cars to brand-spanking-new foreign automobiles were being driven up and down North Avenue in front of the club. Young men and women were standing around with their crews; everyone on some fly shit, especially the women wearing all that short, tight shit.

When Kay and his boys pulled up, it looked like they were some kind of rap group, the way the women came running. The security team had to rush them all inside to the VIP. Only the elite were allowed in this secton of the club. If you weren’t a part of Mike and his crew, a celebrity, a nigga getting big money, or a broad fucking one of the three, you didn’t get in. Period. The VIP was more lavish than the rest of the club. There were sofas, private booths, and all types of extra amenities. The lighting was red and there were waitresses to serve your every need. Cocaine flowed like water and the weed burned all night. They even had a special cook and menu.

When they got to their private booth, the waitresses bought over ten bottles of White Star Moët. Everyone grabbed a bottle and popped the tops. Then they all raised the bottles and toasted, “Family.” Gee pulled out a plastic sandwich bag with top-shelf weed and rolled about ten blunts of chocolate from his personal stash. He passed everyone a blunt.

It had been a long time since Kay had been high and he was feeling good. He noticed the song that was playing at the time,
Life’s a bitch and then you die, that’s why we get high. . . .
“Yo, who is that?” he asked Tank.

“Yo, that’s my man Nas. We got him coming through to do a show in a few weeks.”

Kay liked the song. He was sitting back enjoying himself when he noticed Bernette and another beautiful woman walking toward the booth. Bernette looked even sexier in her clothes—if that was possible—Kay thought to himself. Everyone at the table got quiet when the two women stopped at their booth.

“What’s up, Kay?” Bernette asked.

“What’s up, shorty?”

“Did you get my message I left with your muhvah?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

She knew not to question him about why he hadn’t called her back. She didn’t want to overplay her hand and have him check her in front of everybody. So she introduced the woman she had with her.

“This is my girlfriend, Mattie. I told her how fine you were and she wanted to meet you.”

There was something about Bernette that Kay liked. She was confident with her shit. She hadn’t looked at anyone else at the table but Kay. “How you doin’, Mattie?”

“I’m straight. I see that Bernie wasn’t lying,” she said with a smile as she extended her hand to shake Kay’s.

Then Gee asked her, “Where you from, shorty? I hear an accent.”

“I’m from New Haven.”

“Are ya’ll drinkin’ tonight?” Kay asked. “You want some Mo?” He poured two glasses and passed the goblets to them.

“So, Kay, what’s up for tonight? I’m trying to get some of that dick,” Bernette said bluntly. She caught everyone at the table off guard, and even Kay was at a loss for words.

He quickly regained his composure. “I don’t know, shorty. I’ve got other important things on my mind. I’m on a paper chase.” His whole crew was pleased with his response, because as far as they were concerned, it was always about money. Bernette reached into her Coach bag and pulled out a stack of money, secured by a rubber band, and threw it on the table in front of Kay.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“It’s a grand,” she said before tossing another stack next to the first one. “And that’s for my girl Mattie. We’ll see you later. C’mon, girl,” she said. They both turned and walked out of VIP.

“Damn, nigga! Where you know Bernette from?” Tank asked.

“She was with Caleek at my mom’s today,” Kay answered.

“Did she tell you she was married? To this nigga named Gerald, on the Eastside? I don’t know him that well. He copped a few ki’s off me once when he ran out, but that’s it. I know he would kill that bitch if he knew she was out here fucking and spending his money like that,” Tank said.

“I’ll make a note of that,” Kay shot back. “But tonight she’s getting FUCKED!” He gave Tank a pound.

“Yeah, I heard that pussy is like that. Fuck around and that bitch will get that two grand and some of yours back,” Tank said, making everyone at the table chuckle.

“Yo, Kay, what’s up?” Gee asked. “Let me have that bitch Mattie?”

“Do you,” Kay told his friend.

“Ahhh! Heeey Baaaby!” Kay looked up and saw his sister, Lyniece. He asked Dre and Tank to get up so that he could get out of the booth.

He grabbed his sister and swung her around and kissed her. It had been too long since he’d seen her.

“Look at you, boy, looking all good and shit. Tramaine said he’ll see you tomorrow.” Kay could tell that Lyniece was taking real good care of herself from the way she was dressed. Lyniece turned to her friend and said to Kay, “You remember Shu-Shu, don’t you?”

“You mean little Shu-Shu from down the block?” Kay asked, looking at Lyniece’s friend. He couldn’t believe that it was the same young girl that had a big crush on him. She’d grown to be one of the most beautiful women that he had ever seen. Her skin was the color of caramel and she had long, naturally curly hair like Ananda Lewis and Chilli from TLC. She was wearing a beige leather Gucci jacket with a spaghetti strap dress and a pair of beige leather Dolce & Gabbana pumps. A pair of D&G sunglasses sat on the top of her head.

“How you been doing, Kay,” Shu-Shu asked as she hugged him. After the hug, she handed him a single rose.

“C’mon, let’s sit down,” he told her. When Kay turned around and saw Lyniece sitting on Mike’s lap, he paused, a puzzled look on his face.

Mike and Lyniece both smiled at him. “This is what I had to talk to you about, Kay. Me and your sister been going together for like three years,” Mike told him.

“He finally wore me down,” Lyniece confirmed. “Coming around every day sniffing my ass and beggin’, so I gave in.” She smiled and gave Mike a kiss on the lips.

“Damn, time really has changed things,” Kay said, looking at his sister and best friend.

Ten minutes later, Quchelle came in with Gee’s wifey, Sandra. They were all having a good time. People lined up to get a good look at Kay or to meet him. All the major playaz greeted him with handshakes and welcome-home hugs. All was well until Kay looked up and saw Sonia and Mina slicing through the crowd. Mina walked over and gave Kay a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome home, nigga,” she said as she took her place next to her man, Dre.

Sonia stood there for a moment looking back and forth from Kay to Shu-Shu, who was sitting next to him.

“Can I talk to you for a minute, Kay?” Sonia asked. She had her arms folded in front of her and rolled her eyes at Shu-Shu.

Shu-Shu laughed; Sonia must have thought that they were together. Then she thought to herself,
She’s not his girl anymore. She doesn’t even deserve him. Fuck her!

“Whatever you got to say, say it in front of my family,” Kay said. Sonia sucked her teeth.

“Please, Kay, I just need one minute.” Kay got up. He and Sonia walked over to an empty booth.

“Before you get started, I’ve been waiting almost nine years to say this: Fuck you! I don’t even know why I’m sitting here with you. Whatever it is that you want to say, hurry up, so that I can get back to my party,” Kay told her.

“I guess I deserved that. First let me say, I apologize for not returning your letters. But I felt every one of them. I’m sorry that I did you the way I did, Kay. I was young and I didn’t know what to do. I never stopped loving you and I never stopped thinking about you.”

Yeah right, bitch,
Kay was thinking to himself.

“I was mad at you for leaving Lil ‘C’ and me. Throughout the years I used to catch myself smiling and laughing from the remembrance of you. Or it might be something you said. Back then I felt peaceful and free. With you I was able to be myself. Thank you for loving me and allowing me to be me. When we were together, I can’t remember one time that you tried to change me. You loved me for the person I am inside. That’s one of the reasons why I love you so much. Kay, I hope that I was special to you because you were more than special to me.”

This bitch has got to be dumb as a bag of rocks to think I believe any of this bullshit,
Kay thought.

“You taught me how to be a young lady. How I should be treated. What to expect in life. Survival on the streets. Please, Kay, don’t shut me out. Baby, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. Let me make it up to you.” Kay just stared at her with a cold hard stare. “You’ve always held a big part in my life and still do. One time I wrote you a letter and my boyfriend found it and freaked out because he really saw how I feel for you, versus him. He tore it up. I guess he was shocked that you meant the most to me.”

Kay couldn’t believe she said no shit like that to him.
So you let a nigga stop you from writing your son’s father? Bitch! I’ma drag your ass the first chance I get,
he wanted to say to her.

“Kay, I just want you to know the time I spent with you was the best of my life, and I’m not just saying that. I hope I’m not coming on too strong, but it’s time to be honest with you and myself. I was running from you because of what I felt. I didn’t understand how I could still love you and be in a relationship. I’d wish the feelings would go away. That didn’t work, though. I’m with the same guy. I wished you could be there or that he could be more like you. I guess once you get treated like the lady you really are, nothing less is accepted. Dealt with yes, but not accepted in your heart. I remember you told me never let a man play me. Let’s just say your advice stuck with me, but I didn’t put it to good use. I’m dealing and dealt with more than I should have. But what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger. Overall, I’m beginning to make the best of my life. It’s so easy to guide someone else in life, but when it’s self, where does the knowledge go?” She paused a second for effect, then continued, “If you want me to leave my boyfriend, I will. I would like for us to start our relationship again, so that you can tell me about that next level. I still love you because of who you are, how you make me feel and how I always had that desire to make you feel good. You took care of me when no one else was willing. You respected me and would never ask me to do anything that would make me disrespect myself. You kept me smiling and were always full of surprises. Most of all you were truthful to me. From the very first day you made me feel special. All these years I’ve remembered that in my heart and that made me continue to love you. I was so young when we met. I was learning and you taught me more than you could believe. You tried to guide me from making mistakes. Some I still made, but after I made them, I could remember when you warned me. Only someone who really cares would have done that. So how could I still not love you? And you still love me, too, that’s why you’re sitting here with me. I just want to be happy again. I’ve got a little money saved up. I want me, you, and Lil ‘C’ to move out of Baltimore. I want you to be the man that you have always been to me. Can we be a family again, Kay? Can we put this behind us and move on?”

Kay seemed unmoved as he looked at Sonia.
She must think I’m a fucking sucka or something,
Kay thought to himself. Then the music stopped.

“Can I get your attention for a moment?” Mike said on the microphone from inside of the DJ’s booth. “Yo, this is your main man, Big Money Mike. I’m the governor and you bitch-ass niggaz is Kraus,” he said, sarcastically referencing the old TV show
Benson.
Everyone laughed because that was Mike. He would say whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted and he dared them to step to him about it. “All of ya’ll came out to help me celebrate the homecoming of my best friend. I just want to say thank you to everyone. Yo, Kay, come out here for a minute.”

Kay looked at Sonia. “Fuck you, shorty!” he said, refusing to forgive the woman who broke his heart and deprived him of his son for so many years.

Sonia was crushed.

Kay got up and walked to the entrance of the VIP room. Everyone clapped and the women screamed and howled. Mike raised a bottle of Moët and said, “Welcome home, Kay.” So did everyone else in the club. “I love you, man,” Mike said.

Kay smiled and said, “I love you, too.”

Mike yelled over the mic, “Yo, DJ Caleek, enough of this shit. Let’s get this shit pumped up in here!” Then the music continued. “It’s time for the Per-cu-la-tor! It’s time for the Per-cu-la-tor!” The crowd went wild.