Читать книгу It Is What It Is - Montez Jordan - Страница 4

Another beautiful morning, Cho thought as he sat on the stoop watching the sun rise and counting his money. He’d only been out for about an hour and a half, and already he’d made a few thousand dollars. He knew he had no business being out on the street by himself, but he didn’t mind. As long as he had the 17 shot S&W nine millimeter that he never put down, he would allow his team to sleep until around 9:00.

He knew their routine and figured they would be recovering from the previous night. Smoking weed, drinking and poppin’ pills were the norm after they closed shop. But Cho opted to eat good and go home, leaving them niggas to do that other shit. He knew he had to get up the next morning. If he didn’t, then who would?

Morning money was important. That early rush consisted mostly of the working class getting their fix before they went to work. Doctors, lawyers, nurses, school teachers, construction workers, white, black, Chinese, young or old — people of all sorts got high. It was sad but it was the truth. They would come from all over Baltimore city. Some would even travel from the furthest counties of the surrounding area just to get that gate shot from Cho and his team. It was very hard to find good dope in Baltimore, but Cho and his crew kept a monster. They nicknamed it “the truth” after Beanie Sigel’s album. That’s what they were listening to while they were at the table making the testers and since the dope was so good, the shit stuck.

• • // • •

By the time Cho got up from the stoop and went to put the money up, the cloudless sky had turned orange with streaks of red and purple that started to vanish as the sun became brighter. There wasn’t a fiend in sight and looking at his watch, he knew he had a good 15 to 20 minutes to step off. He cautiously walked up the street looking for anything out of the ordinary. Cho knew every car that was in his neighborhood and was familiar with each resident’s routine. The slightest change caused him to raise an eyebrow. But today, everything was normal and to Cho’s satisfaction. He rounded the corner and sauntered to Sheila’s house, which sat right on the end of the adjacent street. Cho could see his whole operation from Sheila’s bedroom window.

He opened the door to Sheila’s house and stepped into dead silence. It was obvious that everyone was still asleep. Cho glanced at his watch again. 6:35 am. He heaved a sigh of frustration. Sheila had yet to get her kids ready for school. She had four children ranging in age from 3 to 13. They were very intelligent and Cho made sure that they always went to school.

He crept downstairs to deposit the money in a safe he kept in the basement, and then went straight to Sheila’s room. As he opened the door he knew what to expect. Sheila was lying there naked, as if she was in a deep sleep. The sunlight streaming through the window reflected off of her honey brown skin.

Sheila was very pretty, but age and childbirth had taken their toll on her body. She had a big ass and nice breasts, but they were countered by a gut, stretch marks and baby fat that she couldn’t seem to lose. Mentally, she was 31 years old going on 17. She never wanted to grow up and acted like she never planned to. She was an assistant at a nursing home in downtown Baltimore and made pretty good money. You couldn’t tell her anything — the bitch knew she was the shit.

Sheila’s children had three different fathers. One of them had been murdered, another was locked up and the third was too trifling to do anything for his son. She didn’t care though. She made sure her kids were well taken care of and didn’t have a want in the world. Between her, Cho and her family, her kids had everything.

That’s one of the reasons she was in love with Cho. He made sure her and her children were well taken care of. She had this fantasy that he was her man and the father of all of her children. She conveniently blocked out the fact that the nigga had a girl that he went home to every night.

The two met a few years back when she first moved around the way. Cho and his homeboys were at the top of the block when she and her sister pulled up in a U-haul truck. It was just them and all that furniture. Ol’ head, the dude who put Cho on, had taught him that in order to be successful, he had to take care of the neighborhood. Being respectable and helping people out whenever they needed it kept them from calling the law. “You don’t want any enemies in the ‘hood,” he warned him, so everything had to be love at all times. While everyone else continued to smoke, Cho and his boys Radi and Swervo went over to be of assistance.

“Damn, I wonder where these bitches from,” Radi asked out loud as they walked across the street.

“I don’t know but they fat as shit!” Swervo said, shaking his head.

“They probably from over East,” Radi said.

“Well, we’ll know in a minute,” Cho smiled.

“I’m tryin’ to get the driver.”

“I hear that shit Swervo,” Cho grinned. Swervo swore every bitch wanted him. He thought his tall, lean stature, cornrows and golds made bitches melt. Cho got a kick out of his confidence.

“Man, who is these niggas?” Tiff whispered to her sister as she carried a box onto the porch. Sheila cut her eye as she picked it up to carry into the house. “I don’t know but the short one is sexy as shit.”

“He alright, but I think the fat one is kind of cute,” Tiff said. “You know I like big niggas!” Just then Swervo, wanting to be the first one to crack at the ladies, asked, “How y’all doing? Can we be of some assistance?”

“Sure,” Tiff smiled. “We could really use the help.”

“Well, I’m Swervo, and this is Radi and my man Cho.”

“Hey Swervo. I’m Tiff and this is my sister Sheila.”

“How you guys doing?” Sheila called over her shoulder as she walked into the house.

“Sup?” Cho and Radi said together under their breath as they surveyed all the furniture they were about to carry. They knew it was going to take up the rest of the day.

“Well,” Cho told Radi, “Let’s just hurry up and get this shit over with.” He grabbed one side of a couch and gestured to Radi to get the other end.

“I feel you. Plus once we done, we can get some crabs,” Radi said.

“Crabs! I would sure love some, too. How ‘bout we treat y’all since you guys were so nice to help us?” Tiff said, smiling at Radi. It was something about him that just made her panties wet.

“That’s cool,” Swervo interjected. “And I’ll get the drinks.”

“I don’t drink too heavy,” Tiff said, “but my sister does.”

“Do you smoke?” Swervo asked.

“Weed or cigarettes?”

“Either.”

“Sometimes,” she added.

“That’s what’s up. Then once we’re done, we going get some crabs, drinks and some smoke,” Swervo said.

“Cool. My cousin should be off of work by then,” Tiff smiled as she winked at Swervo. “I think she would like you.” That fucked Swervo’s head up. He just knew he had Tiff, and this bitch straight tried to put him onto somebody else. He wanted to drop the TV right in the grass and go on about his business but he thought, Shit, the cousin might look better than her.

Cho started laughing to himself. He knew Swervo wanted Tiff; he also could tell that Tiff had her eye on Radi.

Tiff was gorgeous. She had a light brown complexion with hazel eyes. Her hair was cut short like Halle Berry’s and she had a beautiful smile accented with two golds, one on each side. She was shorter than her sister and had a bangin’ body. Everything about her was right.

After about five hours, they finally finished moving all of the furniture except for a bedroom set that Sheila explained would be delivered the next day. She was relieved that the guys had helped them and now she had the rest of the night to do whatever she wanted. Her mother had her kids, so she was good.

While Radi and Tiff went to get the crabs and Swervo ventured off to get the weed and drink, Sheila and Cho sat on the front porch. Their conversation had gotten pretty deep — from her end anyway. She told Cho her whole life story up to the present, about her first baby father who had gotten killed when her son was only three and how the twins’ father got locked up for some shit he didn’t even do while she was still pregnant with them.

“He caught 20 years for some bullshit and he wasn’t even out in the street, you know,” Sheila explained in a sad tone that made Cho feel sorry for her.

As she was talking, Cho was taking in everything about Sheila. He really wasn’t all that interested in being with her, but he did want to fuck. He didn’t know the bitch so he wouldn’t give her any information about himself. All he told her was that he grew up around there, and he didn’t have any kids but he did have a girlfriend.

Cho always said he had a girlfriend, but he really didn’t. Most women didn’t really care anyway, but he thought it would keep them from getting too attached. He was right about them not caring, but wrong about them catching feelings. They always did.

Once everybody came back, they all ate, drank and got high. Cho didn’t smoke weed and Sheila couldn’t because she got pissed at work.. Everybody in the house was fucked up, tripping all night and laughing at all kinds of shit.

Tiff was all over Radi, and Swervo was on her cousin Shae, who had finally shown up. Cho was dozing on the sofa and Sheila couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She gestured to Tiff, hinting for her to get Radi to take her home.

Once she got the others to leave, she woke Cho up by rubbing her hand across his leg. She wanted him but she was too shy to come out and say it. When he woke up he realized what was going on and went straight at her. They fucked in the middle of the living room floor until the sun came up. When Cho had that drink up in him, he could fuck for hours. That’s one of the reasons women caught feelings. And that’s exactly what Sheila did.

• • // • •

Sheila heard Cho come in the house, so she threw the sheets to the side to expose her naked body. She always slept in the nude because she thought maybe Cho might come in and fuck the dog shit out of her like he used to. Sometimes he did; sometimes he didn’t.

Years had passed and he was still around. They were never a couple, just good friends. He had become very fond of her children and even when she did have a boyfriend, Cho played the role of her “little brother.”

Because she appreciated their relationship and the mutual agreement they had, no nigga was ever allowed in Sheila’s house unless he was with Cho. She always told the guys she dealt with that she didn’t allow no man around her children unless he planned on marrying her. That really wasn’t the truth. Cho didn’t want any niggas being nosey where he chilled. He paid the bills and helped her take care of the kids so if it wasn’t him, then couldn’t any nigga lay up in there. She respected that rule and that’s the way it was. None of the niggas she dealt with compared to Cho anyway. The way he dressed, his looks and his swagger were so much more advanced than the guys she dated — not to mention his money was much longer.

Sheila always thought one day they would be together as a couple. Then she got pregnant. She had met some nigga named T in the club one night and they hooked up. They kicked it for a couple of weeks and she thought he was the one. T had a nice car, a bangin’ crib and a few dollars. He told her everything she wanted to hear and she fell for it.

It wasn’t until a few months later that the truth came out. T was actually housesitting for his brother Bruno, who had taken his girl on a vacation around the world. His brother was the one who had that cheese and wanted to show his lady how much he loved her by taking her around the globe before he proposed. Their vacation lasted two months and he had left his brother with the crib, the car and some dough.

T started shitting on Sheila because he knew his brother was about to come home. He didn’t want her to know that he was broke, didn’t work, didn’t hustle, didn’t do anything. It had been fun while it lasted, but just as fast as he hooked up with Sheila, he cut her right back off. She couldn’t believe or in a million years understand why he started acting that way. She was hurt for a minute, but in time she got over it.

Cho paid attention to detail. It was rare for him to forget a person, place, car or event. It didn’t take long for him to realize that T was driving Bruno’s car and that they shared some facial resemblance. Bruno had West Port on lock. He and Cho didn’t know each other personally, but they knew of one another.

One morning Cho was in the breakfast spot on Edmondson Avenue. He overheard a group of girls gossiping about Bruno’s little brother being a lame ass flunky. Evidently one of them was friends with Bruno’s girlfriend and had dated T in the past. She went on to talk about Bruno’s trip and recent proposal, and how she had gotten the wrong brother. After Cho heard that conversation, he didn’t hesitate to call Sheila and put her down with the whole situation. He rode her back for falling for such a nigga and warned her about being so careless. She accepted the scolding and they laughed together while Cho reennacted the conversation between the girls in the restaurant in detail.

Little did she know at the time, but Sheila was pregnant. By the time she found out, she was too far along to get an abortion. And to make matters worse, T denied the baby and refused to see her. That crushed her spirit — bringing a fourth child into the world without a father was the last thing Sheila wanted to do. She became extremely depressed.

Cho didn’t want to be with Sheila but he didn’t like seeing her feeling like that, either. He tried to comfort her and support her through her pregnancy. He made an extra effort to take on the responsibilities that T was neglecting and her other babies’ fathers were unable to carry out. He promised Sheila that she would never have to depend on another nigga for shit as long as he was breathing. Cho saw himself stepping up as a true friend, but Sheila took it as more. She already wanted Cho. She disregarded his actual intentions to twist his actions and words into her own little façade. In her world, her children had a father and her fantasy family was complete.

• • // • •

Sheila hadn’t fucked in God knew how long and she hoped Cho would give her some sex this particular morning. “Girl get your ass up and get them kids together! Its 6:40 already,” Cho exclaimed as he smacked her on her butt. Damn, she looks phat this morning, he thought.

“Alright nigga! But why don’t you come here first?”

As much as he wanted to, he knew he had to get back out to the block. “Not right now,” he replied. “I’m by myself right now and you need to get them kids together before they’re late.”

“They won’t be late plus I know you want some,” she said as she cocked her legs open and began to play with herself. “I’m horny and wet as shit. Look!” She pulled her fingers out of her pussy and rubbed them together in his face. They were dripping wet.

You stay wet, he thought. He did want some, but there were more important things at hand. He walked away and looked out the window. He noticed a lot of cars had pulled up and were waiting on him.

“I don’t know why you don’t get your workers up early and let them do that shit. You know damn well you’re not supposed to be out there doing that shit yourself,” she grumbled as she pulled a satin robe closed around her. “What do you pay them for if you’re going to do all the work yourself?”

Sheila was right and Cho knew it, but he always wanted to give the lil’ niggas a break. Plus, there was just something that he loved about the early morning. It was calm and beautiful—not to mention prosperous. And he liked the rush of being in the mix. It showed everybody on the team that he wasn’t too good to do that shit himself.

He turned and watched Sheila switch out of the room, butt cheeks shaking with every step. Then he looked back out the window. More cars were pulling up. He knew that they wouldn’t leave, but he also knew they had to get to work and he didn’t want to make them late.

He gathered his thoughts, walked out of her bedroom and down the steps. “After I get them niggas up, I’ll be back!” he yelled as he stepped out of the house. She smiled and went on to get her kids ready for school.

• • // • •

Cho walked around the block to observe his surroundings. He wanted to make sure no law was undercover, in covert or playing bent. Plus he didn’t want his customers to see where he was coming from.

Once he saw that the coast was clear, he went back to the stoop in the middle of the block where most of his business was conducted. He signaled those waiting to come in the hole. They knew the routine. They approached in a single-file line, mumbling orders like “give me four,” “can I get five,” “11 for 100” and “three.”

After serving all the fiends, Cho went to get Scrappy and the rest of the squad. Scrappy was Cho’s lieutenant and had worked for him since he was 11 years old. He handled the day-to-day business on the block and was in charge in Cho’s absence.

Sheila was right—he didn’t belong out there. He had put in his work over the years. It was time for him to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor while the little niggas earned their stripes. Besides, the block generated nearly $30,000 every day. It didn’t make sense for him to get knocked off for hitting. That was just fucking stupid.

Radi never hit. Shit, Radi never did too much of anything. His sister Netty distributed the packs to all of there blocks. He allowed his workers to do everything else. Once he taught them what and what not to do, the dope practically sold itself. All he had to do was pick up the money. He ran two spots that together brought in $25,000 every day more or less, depending on the time of month.

Swervo’s younger brother, Pimp, was the same way. Two months after Swervo had been murdered, he picked up the slack. He had been one of Swervo’s lieutenants so he was already pretty much running shit. He kept everything the same as his brother had had it, but he gave the workers an increase in pay to maintain their love and loyalty. Pimp ran three different dope shops, and together they brought in $40,000 on a daily basis.

Cho’s main focus was the block where they grew up, but he had two shops in East Baltimore. One was down the hill doing about $10,000 a day. His little cousin Chico operated it. The other had just opened up and his older cousin Randy ran that. Randy had only been out for a week so his numbers weren’t established yet.

Cho and Radi split everything down the middle. It didn’t matter whose shops made the most: they were in it together. They allowed Pimp to run his brother’s territory but he was not a partner. It was too soon and he wasn’t ready yet. They felt that he was too much of a hot head and not at all mature enough to be on their level. He was cool with his cut and didn’t have any complaints. They had been homeboys all their lives, but business was business. They accumulated a lot of cash every day and wanted to keep it that way.

Cho went to Scrappy’s house and banged on the door. After a couple of minutes Sambo, one of his workers, answered the door.

“Wake up nigga!” Cho said as he walked past Sambo. “You still got cold in your eyes. Go wash your face!”

Sambo stretched and took a deep breath. Cho frowned. The scent of alcohol, weed, funky niggas and Sambo’s breath attacked his nostrils. His whole crew was there. They were laid out every which way all across Scrappy’s living room.

“It stink in here. I gotta get the fuck outta here!” He turned and walked backed to the door. “Sambo, get these niggas up and come the fuck on! Y’all got 20 minutes. Hurry the fuck up!” Sambo shook his head as Cho slammed the door shut.

It took them about a half an hour to get themselves together and make it to the hole. Everyone was up and lively, joking about the night before. Cho was sitting on the stoop tapping his foot. They had taken too long and he couldn’t wait to let them have it.

“A yo, you lor niggas gonna start getting da fuck up inna mornin!” Cho warned his crew. “I’m not doin’ this shit no more. I been spoilin’ you niggas for too long. From now on, Scrap,” he said to the skinny one in the middle, “you can’t be so fuckin’ lazy! You’re in charge so you have to make sure the rest of these niggas on top they shit.”

Scrappy looked around. “Man, I can’t get these niggas up at no 5 inna morning. Dat’s early as shit!”

“I be just getting in the house at 5,” Rocko added.

“Why we can’t come out 9?” Sambo suggested.

‘Cause by 9 we would’ve made at least eight grand, Cho thought. “Because we would miss out on a lotta dough cheese,” he answered. He never really discussed how much they made every day. It was none of their business. He paid them very well and made sure they didn’t blow all their money.

“Look, I haven’t told you niggas anything wrong. If y’all do shit the way I tell you, we’ll make a lot of money and no one will get knocked off. Everybody has a part and if you do yours correctly,” he frowned, “we’ll prosper. You niggas been doing your jobs, but y’all just have to get the fuck up in the morning. I’ve been doin’ da shit all this time. It’s time y’all niggas step up.”

“Man, I’ll get up and do it as long as someone wakes me up,” Lor Man interrupted. “I’m wit whatever as long as we gettin’ paper.”

“Yeah, fuck dat shit. I’m wif it,” Scrappy added.

Out of his whole squad, he loved these two young niggas the most. They looked up to Cho and did whatever he told them to. He would always go on and on about how to get money and how to keep it. Damn near every experience he had he would tell them about. He wanted them to be better than he was, so he stressed a lot of shit so they wouldn’t make the same mistakes in the game. Cho stayed preaching, and Scrappy and Lor Man stayed listening. They treated selling dope like a job. It wasn’t a game—their lives were on the line, and one fuck up could cause them to be gone.

“Good! So Scrappy, you get Lor Man up so he can come out at 5. He’ll hit ‘til 9 and take his ass to school!” Cho said, grilling Lor Man.

Lor Man was 16 and hadn’t been going to school, which made Cho angry. “By 9 the rest a you lames should be up and shit should move smoothly.”

“That’s cool ‘cause I know I couldn’t get up at 5 inna morning,” Rocko said, looking at Phill.

“I know. I would probably still be rollin’ at 5,” Sambo added. Everyone laughed.

“OK! Enough congregatin’. It’s hella fiends in da hole.” They all went to their designated positions and business commenced as usual. “Scrap, if you need me I’ll be in the one crib chillin’.”

• • // • •

Time had flown. He hadn’t realized he’d been gone for two hours. He hadn’t fucked Sheila in over a month and he knew it was about time that he did. For some reason that morning, she turned him on something terrible. Just the thought of how wet she was made his dick hard. His thoughts were interrupted when he walked in the door and saw little Kicks sitting in the middle of the floor, watching Dora the Explorer.

“What’s up Cho,” Kicks said, smiling. He loved Cho and thought he was his dad. He’d never met his father and since Cho took care of him, that’s all he knew.

“What’s up my nig? Why you so close to the TV?” Cho asked. “Back up some.”

“OK. I’m waiting for my ride to skoo,” Kicks explained as he scooted away from the television. He was very intelligent for a 3 year old. Sheila had found a Headstart program that kept him all day while she worked. Her girlfriend’s daughter went there also, and she picked Kicks up every day and brought him back home.

Just then a horn beeped. Cho looked out the door and waved his hand. “He’ll be right out!” he shouted. “Come on, get your coat.”

Kicks jumped up like he was a superhero and put his hands on his hips.

“Who are you today?” Cho asked.

“Biderman, but my real name is Beter Barker,” Kicks said.

Cho smiled. He knew what Kicks meant. “OK Spiderman, put on your coat and get your bookbag.”

“Yes,” Kicks said as he jumped in the air and acted as if he was swinging from a building using his web. He put on his coat and grabbed his Spiderman bookbag. Then he dashed out the door yelling, “Bye Mom! Bye Cho! See you later.”

“Alright my nig,” Cho replied. He watched him get in the car and shut the door.

Cho walked up the steps and into Sheila’s room. She had just gotten out of the bathtub and was lotioning her body. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, pretending to have an attitude. “Hmph, I didn’t think you were coming back.”

“I'ma man of my word, ain’t I?”

“Hell no!”

“Whatever bitch!” He smacked her thigh.

“That shit hurt!” she yelled as she threw the lotion at him. “You play too much boy!”

“Whatever,” he laughed, dodging the lotion bottle. “If that would’ve hit me I would’ve fucked you up!”

“I hear that shit,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“What? You think I’m bluffin’?” he asked as he jumped on top of her. “Run your mouth now.”

“Boy, get the fuck up. Stop playin’,” she said jokingly. She knew she didn’t want him to move. In fact, she wanted him to stay there forever. Because she knew that he wouldn’t, she decided to just be satisfied to have him for that moment.

As they tussled, she began to rub his dick. She enticed him easily. When it got hard, she grabbed it, looked at him and began to lick her lips. She had him where she wanted him and he gave in. She unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants down. He was a sucker for head and Sheila’s was a beast. As soon as she licked around the shaft of his penis, his eyes rolled to the back of his head. From there it was on.

• • // • •

Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!

The phone vibrated on the nightstand. Cho rolled over and grabbed it before it vibrated itself onto the floor. Screening the call, he noticed that it was now 1:00 in the afternoon. He and Sheila had fallen asleep after their sexual encounter. Cho answered the phone with sleep in his voice. “Who dat?”

“Get up nigga! You still sleep?” Radi barked, knowing he himself had just gotten up from the night before. He always made it seem like he had been up all morning, but Cho knew better.

“Shit nigga, I’m just taking a nap. You know what time I hit the block. That’s your fat ass that wants to sleep late every day. It’s only 24 hours in a day, you know.”

“I been up too,” Radi lied. “Tiff had me in here cleaning up and shit.” Radi and Tiff had been together since the day they met. They had a little girl and just found out that they were expecting another baby. Tiff had turned Radi into a family man, but she ran shit for real. He didn’t hang out anymore and he never cheated on her.

Cho teased him saying, “Tiff must got that shit, ‘cause her lor ass got you gone. You always cleaning and shit! Come on out. Meet me down at the market.”

“Aight, cool, Give me like an hour.”

After they hung up, Cho looked at Sheila. She was still out. He rubbed his hand across her thigh to her midsection. When she shifted her legs he could feel the wetness and his dick started to get hard.

Fuck it, he thought. I got an hour. He spread her legs and entered her. Once he got all the way inside of her she woke up—or so he thought. She had actually been waiting for him the whole time.

He looked at her and smiled. “We have to make this fast. I have to take care of something.”

“Fine…by…me…,” she said between breaths as he went in and out of her. She didn’t know how long it would be until the next time they were intimate, so she was satisfied with the time she’d gotten.