Authors: Nikki Turner
He just started laughing. He knew she was sharp.
They went out for brunch the next day at the Jefferson Hotel.
For the next 16 days, he sent her some type of flowers. It had been sixteen days since they first met at the club. He explained,
"These are for everyday I wanted to bring you flowers and couldn't." Bengee wanted to make up for it now. They met at the movies the next day. When she came out of the movies, somebody had spray painted "Bitch" on her car. Another time they met at TGI Fridays for Happy Hour, to have a cocktail after Bengee got off work, when they came out, somebody had stolen her tags and colored her inspection sticker and her county sticker black with a marker. He then told her that from now on, he'd drive his car. Yarni knew that she really had to get a new car.
With her car being paid for, she could surely trade it. The value had depreciated so much from all the times it had to be painted from the many times of being vandalized by the playa haters, plus her insurance premium was escalating as high as gas. She felt helpless. She couldn't help but to think.
Shoot! It doesn't make any sense. Why do people who have a problem with a person, always mess with their car? What did the car do to you? Why are you taking it out on the car? Take it out on the person. The car can't fight back. Sabotaging somebody's car is a real cowardly move. What people fail to realize is that when you vandalize somebody's car, nine times out of ten, the person has insurance. And if their car is paid for, then you are probably putting a few extra dollars in their pocket.
After all this drama with Yarni's car, Bengee decided he needed to get her away from all this madness. He decided to take her to the Poconos. They stayed at Caesar's Resorts with a champagne glass Jacuzzi, swimming pool and fireplace in the room. It was truly the getaway she needed.
When she returned from their four-day weekend getaway, she heard that Rallo had raised the stakes up to $500.00, and if somebody broke a bone or made her have a fracture or anything of that nature, it was $750.00. She couldn't believe what was happening all because his heart was broken. Who does he think he is, that he could put a price on my safety?
Throughout the years, Slim, and Yarni had became very good friends. He was a brother to her. He never got into anything concerning her and Des. He wanted no parts of it because he knew that they may go through things, but ultimately Des and Yarni would always be together. She tried not to involve him in any of her negative situations because she knew that he is a certified tickbird and would overreact.
Slim already had his differences with Rallo before Des left the street. He found out Yarni was messing with Rallo; Rallo became a part of Yarni's life and was her sole provider, and for the most part, she seemed happy with him. So, he spared Rallo for the sake of his sister, Yarni. But he had carried it to another level now. He didn't like what he was hearing on the streets.
Two days after Yarni came back from the Pocono's she met Slim for lunch and she was driving Bengee's Porsche. He could tell that she was a little shaken up. She told him that she really didn't want to drive it because it was too flashy, but she had no choice. She told him how Rallo was so petty to get Tina or some female to call the insurance company and cancel the insurance on her car. While the car was parked outside the front of her house, he came and set it on fire. She couldn't get any money for it. It was burnt to a crisp. She explained the whole story to Slim.
"I am not going to worry about it. I'm just going to get me a little hoopty to kick around in, get me from point a to b." She joked, "after all, it's not the car, it's the star driving it." She continued to make jokes. "Now, had I spent one penny of my money in that car besides putting gas in it, oh, I'd be pitching one. He's the stupid one. He should've just taken the car up top to the chop shop. He's the one that lost out because his money gone down the drain. What did I loose? Shoot, I rode all summer at this cat's expense."
Slim wasn't having that. He told her that he was going to help her get a car. Slim tried to keep his cool, but he knew what had to happen. This dude Rallo's life had been spared time after time, like a cat, who only has nine lives he thought to himself.
This cat, Rallo was on his last one. One way or the other, Rallo is going to be just like Christopher Columbus - History.
A couple of weeks later, the Feds did a sweep in the 643-Killa Villa where Rallo hangs at. They picked up twelve people, including all of Rallo's homeboys. All of them got indictments except for Rallo. Now these are the guys who Rallo is with everyday, day in and day out. They all hustle and gamble right there around the 643 together. The boys wondered how come Rallo didn't get picked up? It looked suspect to his boys in jail as well as to everybody on the streets.
On their warrants it stated that a "confidential informant" was snitching on them. Rallo's drug supplier cut him clean off.
He couldn't find anybody to buy any dope from or anyone who would buy any from him. He was slowly going broke. He lived off his stash money, but he pinched off of that because he didn't know exactly when the police was going to come and pick him up. Nobody wanted to be around him. Everyone kept his or her distance.
Rallo started driving to Baltimore to buy dope. They were beating him in the head with those high prices because he was an out of towner. He was going to the Dinwiddie County in the boon docks to hustle, but them country dudes wasn't having it.
They kept robbing him. He didn't know what to do. Hustling was all he knew.
He couldn't sleep. He was too paranoid, not knowing when the police was going to come or when niggas was going to kick up in his house and kill him. He was wearing a hard label. The label of a snitch is the worst kind of label. In all actuality, he was locked up, just minus the bars. And for Slim, that was the best get back. With the label of a snitch, he might as well be dead.
He's invisible to all the people he once cared about. So he's just dead weight walking around. A label of a snitch is like a tattoo, a mark that one will have for the rest of his life. Once that label is placed on somebody, it is damn near impossible to take it back and fix it.
THROWING BRICKS
Des called Yarni.
"Am I going to see you, Saturday? Des said.
"Boo, I don't have a ride. Andrea's motor went out in her car.
She's driving my mother's Cressida, and you know how my mother is, since she got this new boyfriend. If she's not at work, she's out with her man."
"What, Gloria got a man?"
"Yep."
"Where she get him from?" Des was happy for Gloria.
"She met him at a single's conference through the church."
"Is he a square?"
"I don't know because I haven't met him. She always goes out to meet him for coffee and donuts. She's still scoping him out. She says once she gets to know him, then she'll introduce me. All I know is his name is Sam."
"I am happy for Gloria."
"Me too," Yarni was quite serious.
"Baby Girl, I am going to call Castro or Slim, to tell him to get you the rental car. He's going to call you later." Des changed the subject.
Castro got the rental car for Yarni to go visit Des. Yarni woke up bright and early Saturday morning to get on the road. On the way, she got a flat tire on 95 South. She pulled over, opened up the trunk, only to find that there was no spare tire. Now ain't this some shit? She slammed the trunk and went to sit in the car. She called roadside assistance. They told her it would be at least three hours, before they could get there. She tried to call her mother, Slim, Castro and Joyce; none one of them were available. She called Bengee, who asked, "Why didn't you call me earlier?" He arrived the same exact time the roadside assistance people showed up. They towed the car. Bengee took her to the nearest rental car place where she got another car. After she had gotten everything straight with the rental car, it was too late to get on the road to go see Des. This was the first time in almost three years that she didn't go see Des when she said she was.
Awful was the feeling she felt, and she really had her heart set on seeing him.
What a day she thought, as she walked into the door. She kicked off her shoes. She looked at the caller ID. She saw some out-of-areas on the caller ID, and some numbers she didn't recognize. She checked her answering machine.
Beep. Baby Girl, it's 12:30 and you're not here yet. I spoke to Castro and he told me he got the rental. I guess you should be showing up any minute now.
Beep."Yeah, Yarni," Des never calls me Yarni. "If you needed a rental car for something other than coming to see me, you should've just said so, and it wouldn't been no thing. No love lost. No need to rush to get up here. Guess I see you whenever." The next morning Yarni was up bright and early to get on the highway to go visit Des. She arrived at the prison at 8:46. She knew they had to call for Des before 9:15 because of the count.
The correctional officer sitting at the front registration desk looked Yarni up and down from head to toe when she approached the desk. The masculine looking guard sat there on the telephone carrying on a personal conversation, not even acknowledging Yarni other than the stank look she gave her when she walked in the door. Yarni was patiently looking at her watch knowing that time is not on her side right now.
"Excuse me miss, are you working or am I waiting on someone else to come and check me in? If so, would you call them please?"
"Would I have on this uniform if I wasn't working? I am going to check you in when I get off the phone." What do I do?
Should I ask to see her supervisor or should I just chill, since I am trying to get in there? I really don't need any hold ups. Right then and there, the bell rung for count. Yarni knew she had to wait now.
"Oopps, look at there. You've got to come back after 10:30
when the count clears."
I can't believe this Jheri Curl wearing heifer. I'm not even going to comment on all that jheri curl activation on the collar of her shirt.
Yarni left and came back around 10:35 when the lobby was packed with tons of people. When Yarni reached the front of the line the same guard informs her, "Oh, your jeans are too tight.
You can't go in. Let me make a suggestion to you. There's a Dollar General Store down the street, maybe you can go and purchase some jeans."
The nerve of this big dyke looking wench, she could have told me that before, when I was here the first time. I feel like smacking the hell out of her, but then I know that I really won't be able to get in there to see Des. Be cool, Yarni. And if you want to, you can show your ass, but wait until you come out from seeing Des.
Yarni left the prison and returned with some jeans that were on the clearance rack for $6.00, at the Dollar General Store, the only store in the town. She left her shirt and shoes on. She was then processed in. She went into the room with this other guard that looked like she was an Amazon.
"Face the wall, hold your hands straight like level with your shoulders." She began to pat Yarni down. You are too into this. Is this the highlight of your job? "Take off your shoes. Lift up your feet." The things a girl's gotta do to be supportive of her man while he's in prison. I realize, though, that this is the way the system is set up, to discourage us from coming in here to see our loved ones. These people want us to just say, "Oh, I'm not going through all this to get into a prison to see him. I'll see him when he's released. So me giving into these people would be allowing them to win this political war.
Yarni walked in the visiting room, and handed her visitor's pass to the correctional officer sitting at the entrance door.
"Ma'am he's at table 33. He's already visiting with another visitor so you can just join them. Table 33 is outside. Walk through those double doors and you should see him."
"Thank you," Yarni said. He's about the only person who works at this place who has some sense. I think it must be a thing with the female guards. Most of the women are mad because you coming in here dressed all fly, with the hairdo to match. You got your head all up in the air. They know you know that you looking good, so the only way they know they can mess with you, is by trying to use the little toy badge and imitation police uniform to try to make your day rough, when all they gotta simply do is, ask "where did you get those shoes, or who did your hair?" I'd surely tell them, alls they gotta do is ask. No, that's just too easy, they've gotta reveal that nasty disposition instead, and guess what? They still don't know where I got the shoes from either. Wonder who's in here seeing Des? It's probably Joyce.
Wonder why she didn't call to see if I wanted to ride with her?
She knows my car was just torched. Yarni looked around the visiting room to see who was visiting whom. I can't believe there are chics in here with jeans way tighter than mines. Ooh, look at that plump chic over there with some stretch pants on, and they got the nerve to make a big issue about me coming in here with my jeans on. Just then, Yarni had the table in sight. The nerve! No he don't have some chic up here visiting him!
The girl sitting at the table with Des was a bright light, pale complexion, with sandy brown hair. Her hair was geled back into a neat ponytail with a scarf wrapped around it. She had a single red pimple on her face that stood out from afar due to her light skin tone. She was tall and slinky possessing no shape at all. Her eyes were dark brown with black eyeliner around them, along with the same liner for her lips, which possessed candy apple red lipstick. She had on some bell-bottom jeans with some Bass denim bo-bo sneakers, blue and white Guess shirt with her neck, fingers and ears possessing an assortment of gold jewelry.