Hood Rich: The rise and fall of one of Brooklyn's Finest (2 page)

“You aight youngin’... cute too. If you wasn’t so
young I probably give you some.” Shakita smiled
again. I knew what she was thinking... if this nigga
had some money...
“So what you gone do? You 17, you just graduated. Is
you going to college or the army or something. You
not like the rest of these tired ass dudes around here.
You smart... just don’t be no corner boy, they the
worst, they stay broke.”
I didn’t know too much about the game, but I thought
about it. The dudes that stand on the corners never
get the cars, and the jewels. Only the bosses had it. I
settled it right then and there that I was going to be a
boss. Just like Manny was, but bigger, smoother, and
smarter. I smiled and looked into Shakita’s eyes.
“I’m gone be a boss.” I said I smiled, then she smiled
and laughed.
“Boy... what do you know about being a boss? Do you
even know what it takes to be a boss?”
That was the easiest question of the day I thought.
“Money!” I shot back at Shakita.
“No... boy anybody can make money. It’s what you
do after you start getting that money that counts. Lots
of dudes start out good, take a fall, and never get
back. Sometimes they spend their whole life trying to
get back. In and out of jail, beef on the Street, bitches,
shootouts. Bosses maneuver they way around all of
that shit. I been around bosses all my life. Boy you
crazy, you aint never even sell drugs, how you gone
be a boss?”
Shakita was right. I didn’t know shit about the drug
game. The only thing that I did know for certain is
that I could make money. I knew that Shakita probably knew everything. The only other person I could
think of was my foster brother P.J. . He was a big time
angel dust dealer. P.J. Was the man to see before he
got booked by the narcs trying to buy embalming fluid from the funeral parlor. Cars, jewels, money... P.J.
had it all, then lost it all. He’s still doing a four year
bit up north in Elmira. I wish I could show him what I
had, but I guess for now I had to settle for Shakita’s
smoking ass.
“Can you teach me?” I asked her. There was a moment of silence as she looked up, then down, and finally at me.
“How I’m gone do that? Rich you know Manny
booked. They kicked in my door. They ran in the
house on Moffat Street. Everybody was there. The
coke, the money. Everybody got booked. Who you
gone work for?”
I was trying my hardest to keep my secret, but I had
to tell somebody. I had to say something.
“I found something, when my foster mom go to sleep
I’m gone bring it over.” Shakita’s face looked confused.
“What do you have?” She asked.
“Coke.” I answered.
“How much?”
“I don’t know... I’ll show you later.”
“Aight youngin’, but if I show you, what I get out the
whole deal?”
I knew this shit was coming but I didn’t care, plus I
wasn’t gone show her but a little piece of that brick
anyway. I had a question burning in my mind
though.
“Shakita, is it true what they say about you... that you
smoke the pipe?”
I just had to ask. I figured I may as well just be
straight to the point. Shakita sighed and placed her
hand on her hip.
“Baby I’m a grown ass woman, and I take care of me.
I lace my weed wit that naughty shit, but I don’t fuck
wit’ no straights. I’m not a crackhead, I just do me.
And those same niggas that be talking shit is the same
niggas that would be standing in line waiting to taste
this pussy. I’m twenty-nine years old and I still look
twenty baby. Play your cards right and I might just let
you taste it. You just come get me when you ready
youngin’... aight!”
I was speechless. Shakita did still look good, but she
had been around the block. I couldn’t trust nobody
else to teach me though.
I went inside my house and sat in front of the computer. I googled cocaine. I decided to do some research before I get down with this. I looked at wholesale prices, Street prices and weights. I also learned
about cutting and cooking. I decided to take what appeared to be a quarter of the whole brick and then I
broke that in half. Yep I figured an eighth of a brick
would be about four and a half ounces. That’s just
enough to get me in the game. I decided not to let anyone know what I had. I put the rest of the coke in my
closet. I put the four and a half ounces in a zip-lock
bag and wrapped it up. I walked over to Shakita’s
house. I sat down on the couch as Mr. Nick, the
neighborhood smoker/handyman was fixing the
door. Shakita was at the top of the steps.
“Come up here youngin’.” She yelled.
I walked up the stairs and past the twins, both asleep
in their room. She closed the door to their’ room and
grabbed me by the hand, leading me to her bedroom.
Mr. Nick yelled up the stairs, after having finished
working on the door.
“I’m finished baby girl, I’m gone, I’m gone lock the
bottom lock on my way out. The keys on the table.”
This was my first time inside of Shakita’s house. It
was nice. You never would have thought she was a
smoker. It was very clean and well kept. Shakita took
off her shirt and pants, and sat down on the bed. All
she had on was a lace panty and bra set. I stood there
for a moment. I saw why everyone was going coo-coo
for cocoa puffs over her. It was like watching television: Pamela Anderson-Lee on Baywatch. She was
about to roll up a dutch. I watched as she licked the
dutch with her tongue and top lip at the same time. I
licked my lips. I know she felt me watching her with
lust.
“So what you got, scary ass youngin’? I aint gone bite
you yet... chill.” I went into my pocket and pulled out
the coke. Shakita’s eyes opened wide as I unwrapped
it. She looked into my eyes and smiled. She got up
and picked up a digital hand-held scale from off the
dresser. She emptied the bag onto the scale. It read
139 grams, which was a gram short of 5 ounces. It was
more than the four and a half I needed, but I didn’t
care... it was all free! Shakita sprinkled a little on top
of the Dutch and rolled it up. She lit it and took a few
puffs before closing her eyes. She laid back on the bed
and put one of her hands in her panties, as the other
was holding the dutch. She looked into my eyes and
gave me an instant hard on. I wanted her, and I know
she wanted me. The only problem was that I was a
virgin. Yep... that’s right, seventeen years old and still
a virgin. I could feel the tension and the awkward
moment coming, and it came.
“Boy is you gone come and get this pussy, or is you
gone fuck me with your eyeballs?”
I was stuck. I didn’t want to make a fool out of myself. I didn’t know what I was about to do. I had one
escape.
“I don’t have a condom.” I said.
Shakita got up and took her panties off. She did it
slowly and calculated, looking me in my eyes the entire time. She reached behind her back and unlatched
her bra. As her breasts emerged, my man instantly
hardened. She kneeled down in front of me and
pulled him out. As he entered her mouth, I felt a
warm soothing sensation. She continued to suck as I
laid back and closed my eyes. The sucking stopped
and she climbed on top of me. It felt so good inside of
her. I knew it was wrong. No condom... but it was too
late. I knew this was crazy, but it felt so good inside of
her. All of a sudden I felt a strong tingling sensation.
“Ahhh... shit... ooooh!” I moaned.
Shakita jumped off of me infuriated.
“Damn youngin’, you wasn’t supposed to cum inside
me, I get pregnant fast. This that I'll na-na right here. I
tell you it’s the truth boy. You couldn’t even last ten
minutes!”
I couldn’t even front, it was good. It wasn’t the way I
had envisioned my first time. I was thinking more
along the lines of romance and what not. Well... at
least it was good. I laid there as she wrapped her lips
around my pole and sucked it back to life. She looked
into my eyes the entire time. Shakita knew how to
make a man feel good. I mean real good. Round two.
This time when she straddled me she looked into my
eyes as she moaned quietly:
“Daddy, do it harder... it’s yours daddy, it’s yours!”
I knew Shakita was just gassing me. Had I not known
her, I would have believed it. It didn’t matter though,
It was turning me on. I was jaded.
“Daddy, I want you all up in me... I can feel it in my
stomach... get on top daddy... beat it up!” If nothing
else, she boosted the hell out of my confidence and
gave me a crash course in beating’ it up. Every time I
went soft, Shakita’s mouth went up to bat. It was
about four in the morning when we finally got down
to business. I learned so much that morning. Mostly
about how to deal with workers, connects, customers,
narcs, and competitors. I was sure that Shakita must
have seen her share. First she tried to convince me to
make a quick sale for four and a half ounces at three
thousand dollars.
“Get the cake and bail” She said.
“No... I’m gone be a boss!” I replied.
“Damn youngin’, you putting all that bass in your
voice. So I guess you serious. Well, if you in it to win
it then we gone break this whole point down to
nicks... I need half.”
Here go the dumb shit, I thought to myself.
“You not getting half.” I said, staring her directly in
her pretty green eyes. I was young but far from dumb
or soft. Shakita frowned and then smiled as she continued.
“Einstein... you have to give me half. What makes you
think Manny gone let you hustle on his strip? I’m
gone tell Manny I found two ounces. Everybody got
booked on Moffat Street, so I’m gone tell him you trying to get put on, so you can hustle on Wilson Avenue. He aint coming home no time soon, so you good.
He gone tell you to run half that money in to me, but
he only gone know about two ounces. So you getting
in on the strip for one ounce. Just look out for me and
I’m gone look out for you.”
Shakita smiled. I swear she had more game than John
Madden. But she was right. I could do it right there in
my own hood. Shakita laid down on top of me and
kissed my chin.
“Youngin’... watch out for chicks like me. You cute,
young, and you say you gone be a boss. Once they see
you eating, they gone be at you. Before I started dealing with Manny, I was playing niggas for that bread.
That's what every other chick is gone do. They gone
try to complicate your life. You gotta find somebody
that dig you for you. One that don’t care about money... if they still make those bitches! Just find somebody that’s not too materialistic.”
All I could think of at that point was what I had just
experienced. Shakita must have complicated the lives
of plenty niggas, especially with those babies. I definitely didn’t want or need any complications. I didn’t
want to get up, but I didn’t want to fall asleep there
with Shakita. I saw that she would betray her own
man. Before I could lift myself off the bed, the phone
rang and Shakita picked it up.
“Hello...”
“Hey baby I love you...”
“Everybody on Wilson Avenue and Moffat Street got
booked. The cops got everything. I found two circles
though. P.J.’s little brother Rich just came through. He
trying to work... he here now...”
“Aight, hold on.”
Shakita smiled and handed me the phone.
“What’s up Manny.” I said in my most masculine
voice.
“What up youngin’... did you hold that down for me
like I asked you to?” I could hear the distress in his
voice.
“No doubt O.G., it’s done.”
“Aight, that’s what I’m talking bout. Shakita gone
give you some work. I need half of that bread. If you
burn her... you burning me. Put Shakita back on the
phone.”
I could hear the change in his voice as he was relieved. I gave the phone back to Shakita and they
talked about five minutes before she hung up. I
couldn’t help but to ask:
“Shakita, how could you have sex with somebody
and then talk to your dude on the phone like nothing
happened?”
Shakita smiled and laid on top of me again. She whispered in my ear.
“Because nothing happened... right?”
I couldn’t help but grin at Shakita’s statement, but I
had to agree.
“I guess you’re right. Nothing happened.”
Shakita got up. She grabbed the coke and scale and
started out the room. I followed her down to the
kitchen and watched closely and carefully as she
cooked up the coke. She reached to the back of the
fridge and got some bags out of an instant oatmeal
box. After bagging up all the crack, we separated it
into twelve packs. We bagged up more than ninetysix hundred dollars worth of nickel bags. I never been
around that much. My foster brother P.J. Was a big
time drug dealer, but I was never around when he
counted money or packaged up his angel dust. He
used to pass off bread, clothes, and sneakers until he
got booked three years ago. I wish he could be here to
see this. Shakita placed the bundles into a shopping
bag.
“The next thing you do is round up some of your
boys, like four or five of them. Make sure they all under eighteen so they don’t get bail if they get booked.
Don’t deal with none of them directly. Feed your boy
Zeke and let Zeke feed them. Make sure everybody
think you working for Manny so nobody don’t think
they can get away with burning you or robbing you.
And you definitely got to get a stash spot. You can’t
use Moffat Street, and my crib is hot. Stash at your
crib until you find a spot. Don’t tell nobody where
you stash... not even Zeke. Stick to the script
youngin’. When you get that bread right, I’m gone
take you shopping. You gotta get up out those jeans
and white tees. Manny probably gone put you on his
connect cause you gone need more work when you
finish with this.”
I left Shakita’s house a new man. I traded my virginity for the game. It was a small price to pay. My swagger changed overnight. I found a place to stash in my
basement and went to sleep. Later that night I woke
up and tried to call Zeke. His welfare one-way line
was busy as usual.
Zeke lived on Irving Street. He was my homie since
the first grade at P.S. 384 elementary school. Zeke was
like me, he never sold drugs, but he was built like the
“Jolly Green Giant” and he loved to fight. I was the
smooth one, but I didn’t mind a fight if it was necessary. Zeke played football. His grades weren’t up to
par, so college was a far removed thought for him. It
would be easy for Zeke to do the recruiting, I thought.
I had it formulated in my mind how I would run
things. I would definitely do it from the background.
Zeke would be the muscle, pass out the work, and recruit. Shakita would cook up the work and keep
Manny appeased. On that night, Shakita introduced
me to the game that changed my life up.