Читать книгу Knock Knock Whooz There? - Marvin Griffin - Страница 5

"This is some fucked up shit," I mumbled furiously. I thumbed through my thoughts as I listened to Brick and the others talk about how they were going to take over the streets of Miami and make it rain with blood if anyone got in their way. I knew their blanket threats was made directly or indirectly towards me, that's why I didn't say anything. I just pondered on what I was going to do. When I thought I'd heard enough I got up and walked in the restaurant where Faith was. "Maybe I could talk some sense into her," I thought. I'd better talk some since in someone's head.

Brick and Famous and Burden and Glory and Religion and Equal and Justice had moved their conversation to the side of the building. That's where Brick had recently installed a car wash and game-room. That was a more appropriate spot to finish talking considering the topic of their conversation. It wasn't like they could sit around normal people and talk about taking over an entire city only to build their own drug empire. Taking that approach would only result into unnecessary problems before they had a chance to do what they had to do. Naw, they had to be more discreet as they strategized the best way to read the blueprint of the street hustler's manual. Plus Faith ran them all out of the dining area. On second thought Brick didn't run nothing but his mouth when it came to how the restaurant's business was conducted. In that department Faith was the boss lady and that's why at 7:30 sharp she opened the doors to B.R.I.C.K.S., and customers poured through the door like streams of water.

"Hello boss lady. . ."

"Hello boss lady…"

"Hello boss lady..." All the customers recognized Faith's role. However, Faith's dream role was more a gun toting hood chick than a neck rolling diva. And who knew that more than me. That's why I realized it didn't make any sense in trying to talk to her. Blame it on our chemistry, the fact that we didn't get along. The truth to the matter is I was in this by myself. Which is why I decided to join the crew until I could figure out what route to take. I have to be honest with you when I say this is the most painful story I ever had to tell. I decided to rejoin the fellas and see and see if I could catch up on what was going on. I didn't care if they ignored me. I was going to voice my opinion.

As Equal continued to implant the first seeds of his future in our heads he called hisself building a relationship with us. There was always a common goal on any mission and his and ours were to establish a sense of brotherly love amongst the group of thugs. Equal thought this was the only thing that would keep everybody on the straight and narrow. He was wrong though however because it was always a weak link. No matter how much money we got somebody was going to fall foul of the crew and fuck everything up and in this case that someone just turned out to me. Don't get me wrong I was down with getting money. I just didn't like the idea of selling drugs to my own people. I never did, even though I was knee deep in the game once upon a time. When I seen the devastation it done to my friends, family, community my conscious got the best of me, you know everybody have a conscious, rather they want to admit or not. Mines wouldn't let me rest. Every time I drove down the street I witnessed a product of my immaturity. Then one day I decided to get out and make a bold stance against drug dealers and even myself.

As the laughter, the banter ensued amongst the boys my mind took a snap shot of the faces that surrounded me. The faces of Famous, Burden, Justice, Equal, Religion, and Glory, I knew them all because they had stigments of the black man's struggle from day one. And rightfully so they knew me, they knew my rep what I once was and what I had become, and yet they choose to ignore the changes I'd made to my life.

Time had wedged between us. Equal was prudent to flaunt upon everybody's childhood days when we were all one body; how our street names came into play. Then he detailed some of the struggles I we endured over the years, the trials and tribulations we faced that ultimately grew us from boys II men.

Once upon a time our friendship circle was larger but over the years dudes were either sent to prison for extraordinary lengths of time or killed. Simply put, though, however, it was just too grave of a matter what we were planning for us not to touch on everything. And that's not-withstanding the fact that every man had his or hers own agenda, all of us had one thing in common and that was to be rich and to live a rather generous opulent lifestyle - in the perimeters of the ghetto that the powers that be had sanctioned or sentenced us to.

"But listen Brick y'all," Equal whispered like he was in a crowded room of strangers and didn't want any of them to hear what he was saying. He leaned towards the middle of the table, as everybody also leaned towards him, and dropped his voice a tad bit lower and said. "All of us from the hood and we got mad love for one another and if we put our minds togetta' we can take over this shit and do the damn thing. And what's good about it is it'll be enough money in it for all of us. Brick, you gone be the leader because everybody has to have a head attached to it, and we'll be the body, your arms, your legs, ya feel what I'm sayin'. Whateva you say goes. Plus you already got mad reputation out here in the streets.

"Yo,I like it dawg. I'm in," Glory announced.

"Same for me," Justice said. "I'm in."

"I'm in." Burden spat.

"I'm in" Religion chimed.

"I'm in" Equal chanted lively. His lips tightened with resolution.

"I'm in" Famous said, as he peered around the circle.

"It's unanimous," Equal spat.

"So I guess the only issue now is where we gone get the dope from to do this?" I brought the question up to Brick. "Ask them where the drugs at."

"The dope, all this talk about taking over and we missing the main ingredient. So what's up with that?" Brick asked. Silence permeated the crew as everybody hung on Brick's deliberate question. The truth of the matter was none of them didn't have an ounce to their name; much-less the amount of doe it would take to pull something like this off. "To supply an entire city? Psp, c'mon Brick these niggas full of shit." I thought. Right then Brick should've got up from the table and walked away. Instead Equal severed the silence and said. A shitty grin flashed across his face.

"There's one thing I forgot to mention to you Brick."

"And what's that?"

"That's another reason why you're the leader boss, my bad." Equal stroked Brick. "'Cause you got all the contacts..."

"Oh I knew it was a catch," Brick said. He shot Equal a smug look and said. "Boy you got it all figured out dont'cha."

"It ain't that poppa. Boss I mean. I'm just confident in my judgment." Equal responded.

"Brick, this nigga Equal ain't nothin' but a con artist with an evocative name." I thought. Brick was well aware of that though and he was well aware of the little fable to which his name was attached to. They didn't call him Equal for nothing. Some people even argued that his name should be king con.

"Yeah, but'cha forgettin' one thing, though money that I'm a legitimate business man and I been so for the last few years, ever since I walked away from the game. And now all the connections I got is in the food and produce department." Brick joked. There was a collective laugh.

"C'mon stop bull shittin' my nigga B.R.I.C.K. !" Equal placed emphasis on Brick's name. "We talkin' 'bout millions here you clocking dat type of dough here?" Equal threw his hands up. "I seriously doubt it."

"Naw - you're right, I ain't. But that ain't the issue. The question is where I'ma get that type of dope from, an' how much you talkin' 'bout again."

"We need at least fifteen kilos of cocaine and 'bout a couple kilos of boy. We'll start off with that. Take over a couple spots first and then go from there."

"So you talking about almost a million dollars-worth of drugs or more. Man I ain't got that type of juice no more. And I definitely don't have that type of money."

"Let's just take the shit from one of the coward ass Cubans." Glory suggested. "Brick you put in an order and we'll do the rest."

"Noo! That's one thing you don't want to do..." Justice said.

"And what's that?" Glory asked.

"Go to war with a bunch of wacko ass Cubans and/or Columbians." Justice responded.

"What'cha scared - let me find out." Glory said, as he stood up and stretched.

"Homeboy, I ain't scared of nothing. I just know the hood'll sell a nigga out with the quickness. And we'll be warring with them and tryna get money at the same time. Shit'll be too crazy." Justice reasoned.

"That's good thinking," Equal added. .

"Naw he right" Burden chimed in. "Them crackas come from overseas, so we don't have access to them like they have access to us."

"Oh, but y'all niggas ain't got no problem killing up a bunch of niggas, yo own people?" Religion spat.

"Y'all hol' it down, we gettin' too loud." Famous spoke up.

"Brick you can put the restaurant up for collateral and let somebody front us the work." Equal suggested.

"Put the restaurant up you talkin' 'bout my restaurant?" Brick asked in disbelief.

"Yeah an' I'll get all the admonition we need." Justice said.

I was a little relieved when I saw the direction the conversation was headed. They didn't even have the drugs. Everybody went back and forth for a minute. Right then Faith emerged from the restaurant and stole everyone's attention. She just had that type of effect on people. Besides Faith being gorgeous everyone knew she had a coveted place in Brick's life. Which is why everybody got quiet as she made her way through the door that adjoined the game room holding the cordless phone up to her ear. She walked towards Brick talking to whoever it was on the other line at the same time. The closer she got you could tell how she cased the mugs of everybody like as if to say yeah um the shit.

"Brick telephone." Faith announced. But Brick already knew it was for him. He just didn't know who it was.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Love."

Instinctively Brick extended his hand out towards her to receive the phone.

"Tell Love I say what's up" Equal said.

"Yeah, tell my nigga to hang in there" Burden, Famous, Glory Justice, and Religion all gave a shout out in the background. Then they talked amongst themselves through the intermission, mostly about the good ole days when they used to hang out. They talked about different hoes they fucked and even sparred at times about who had the baddest girl or ride that'd grown out of style with time.

"Hey my nigga, Equal, you remember that slow as green Cougar you had?" Justice cracked a joke.

"What's up lil bro," Brick spoke in the phone.

"Wut up big bro. Who all them people is over there" Love asked and Brick commenced to name everybody one by one.

"That's Famous, Burden, Justice, Religion, Glory, and Equal."

"Equal? I thought he was locked up?" Love replied unevenly.

"He jumped yesterday. But he didn't make it here till dis morning you wanna holla at 'em?"

"Naw I'm straight. Just tell them niggas to stay out there boy 'cause this shit in here ain't nothin'." Love said. His voice drifted off into a sigh. Love just wished he was in Equal's shoes, he wanted to be free so bad. He wasn't alone. Brick wished it was him who surprised him this morning also.

It made him feel bad because he could even hear the disappointment in his little brother's voice. He was more-so disappointed himself for failing to get Love out of prison by now. But it wasn't like he hadn't tried everything, just nothing seemed to work. Not to mention how much money he spent over the years. It dawned on him that maybe he needed to take a different approach, what only God knew. But he was certainly thinking if a million dollars couldn't move this brother nothing could.

"I know what'cha can do." Love remembered. "Tell all them niggas to chip in and send me something."

For a moment or two Brick was in a place of void and he couldn't hear much-less understand. His life still haunted him at times. It was Love's voice that snapped him back to reality when he said.

"You comin' thru tomorrow?"

Brick's eyes quickly surveyed the crowd as he thought about his brother's discomfort being in prison for all those years. A light clicked on his head and suddenly he had an idea how he could free his brother and get rich at the same time. He would need a little help from Faith but he was sure he could bust his brotha out.

Brick cool veneer finally cracked, his mind raced to the finish line at the same time. He remember he did still have a connect he could holla at. He liked the name Mercenary's Crew and he definitely feigned on the anthem Boss!

"Um I'm supposed to but, if I don't make it Faith will definitely be there. Yo big brother working on something for you that might set you free."

Brick whispered. "But I'll definitely be there next week to tell you all about it. I already sent you five hundred dollars last night - same day delivery -did you get that yet?"

"Yeah, bet dat up - boy 'cause I needed it. I was just saying I needed to call and see why you haven't sent nothin'. My account was low - down to a hundred dollars. Then I checked my account last night before lock down and seen an extra five hundred. Bet dat up."

"Yeah I was gone drop a lil' more but it's been a little slow 'round here. Aye but hold on a minute Love."

Brick stood up, with the phone in his hand, and pulled Faith to the side.

"Faith my nigga look here for a minute."

As soon as Faith and Brick got to a secluded area in the game-room away from the crowd, Brick smothered the receiver in his shoulder and said, "Boss lady, what'cha thank we can do? 'cause man I'm tellin' you if we had some real money we could get Love out of prison once and for all."

Brick looked back over his shoulder the whole time he talked. He didn't want anyone to hear what he was saying. But no one was paying him any attention.

"You really want my answer?"

"Yeah boss lady - tell me." Brick cheesed.

"I'm in" Faith chided.