Country Boy (17 page)

Q had purchased five acres of land. There was plenty of room.

“Someday we will ma. Right over there,” he said pointing. From the kennel they split up. Van headed home while Q made a few more stops. He called Tim’s room.

Tim answered. “Hello.

“What up T?”

“What’s up Q.? What’s tha deal?”

“Nuthin’ my nigga, is Terri still there?”

“Nah, she had to be at the salon by twelve. Had a few appointments coming through.

“I spoke with the doctor before I left homie,” said Q.

“Shit,” Tim said, “I forget to tell the doctor.”

“Don’t worry T; I didn’t say anything to The Crew.”

“Thanks Q.”

“No problem, Fam. I can’t wait to see you back home myself.” They talked for a while longer before Q hung up and called the salon.

“Hello, Honey’s, how can I help you?” It was Tee.

“Hey stranger,” said Q .

“Hi Baby,” she responded. “I was just talking about you mister.”

“Oh yeah. Was it good or bad ma?”

“It was bad,” somebody yelled in the background.

“Never that,” Tee whispered into the phone.

They talked for a while about the salon. When Q closed his flip-phone he was sitting on East Washington Street. He sat in his car scoping out the scene. Looking at the fiends walking around all zombie-like made him dislike The Game even more. He only could hope that the rest of The Crew would one day see what he saw and leave The Game for good. Q’s attention was drawn to a black sedan sitting in Nelsons Funeral Home parking lot, camouflaging itself between the rests of the black cars. He was positive they were snapping pictures.

From where Q sat it was a clear view of the whole block. None of The Crew would be seen outside, but Q knew they were there. Opening his phone he called June’s cell. Like he figured, June, Fat Dave, and Corey, were all in Janie’s getting their eat on. After giving them the lowdown on the car parked at the funeral home, all three exited through the back. They informed all the small time hustlers and runners on the Po-Po. Quickly The Block became a ghost town. An hour or so later the black sedan slowly pulled out of the parking lot and left. Q sat in silence thinking to himself. “Why hadn’t one of The Crew’s contacts downtown put them up on what he just witnessed?”

They all decided to meet at The Club. Big Kev and Poo were already there. The “Bike Fest” was only two days away. The outside stage had already been set up.

“Who do you think those cats were Q?” June asked.

“I don’t know homie. I talked to our people downtown on the way here and they knew nothing about them. I think everybody should stay off The Block until we find out something.”

They all agreed with Q and decided not to do any type of business on the set until their connect told them something.

Wipe The Tears From Your Lonely Eyes

Tex’s body had been identified and claimed within days. His body now laid in Smiths Funeral Home. The wait was almost over. Lonely sobs could be heard throughout the building. Tex had terrorized The Boro for years. Most people around The Boro still didn’t believe the notorious “Gun For Hire” was really dead, but they kept their fingers crossed. Hoping the rumors were true that he was.

Raising to her feet she gently made a cross sign over her chest. One last look at the closed casket. She mumbled the words, “I love you baby.’’ There are very few things in life that are unbreakable. No matter the circumstances, nothing breaks the bond of a mother’s love. Mrs. Johnson turned and walked out of the empty funeral home leaving her only son.

***

Dina and Shea were slowly becoming close friends again. But today was a day that neither would ever forget. This was the day they lost a brother and a boyfriend. Every year they would visit him on this day. The past two years they had went at separate times. Leaving the flower shop they headed to Wadesboro Memorial Cemetery. Before they arrived both were in tears. As they reached Bolo’s grave site the sobbing continued.

Dina and Shea were so caught up in their grief they hadn’t noticed the freshly dug grave only two plots down from Bolo’s.

They paid their respects and were getting ready to leave when they noticed the black hearse entering the double gated entrance of the cemetery. Only one car followed with its headlights on. They stood motionless as the hearse stopped almost directly in front of them. As they began walking towards their car the door on the single car opened. It was Tex’s mother. After a long stare she spoke, “I’m sorry about your brother young lady. He was a good boy.”

Dina nodded her head, making one lonely tear fall from her eyes. Unsure what to say to the woman who had produced the killer of her brother, she thought her silence would be the best response. Shea, recognizing that both women were uncomfortable, grabbed Dina and motioned her off.

Can’t Trust No One

Officer Jacobs had eight years in as a deputy sheriff. He had went from being a behind the desk petty officer to second in charge, over the narcotics department. His partner and senior officer went by the name of Stokely. Jacobs was a good cop, receiving several awards and bonuses for his outstanding work in the community. He was mainly noted for bringing down some of the biggest drug operations in Rockingham and surrounding counties.

Having access to the evidence room and anything else dealing with narcotics had one day gotten the best of him. No one would miss it, he kept saying to himself. Eventually Jacobs went from snorting less than a quarter gram of cocaine every two days to close to a quarter ounce a day. At first he would cover his tracks by going around the neighborhood to different known drug areas busting petty drug dealers, taking their money and all the drugs confiscated from them or whatever was thrown on the ground. Since crack had hit so hard in the 90’s Jacobs hardly ever ran into a drug bust involving powdered cocaine. He had to find another way to support his habit.

The Block was known throughout the police department as the “Red Zone”. Its location had been circled on the board. Officer Jacobs had patrolled The Block several times while on duty. Whenever he saw one of The Crew members he would search them. On a few occasions he found weapons. In exchange for not going downtown he would take pay-offs. From there it went to giving information. Then hauling kilos. Unknown to him was the fact that his partner was also on The Crews payroll. That is until the department brought in the S-R-T (Special Response Team). They were brought in to clean up the heavy drug activity in the neighborhoods. After making several arrests they began hearing cases. During different trials, evidence either came up missing or had been tampered with. After an internal investigation Officer Stokely was approached by the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) about his partner.

Seeing a chance to cover his own tracks he agreed to help them with a sting operation. Beginning with his partner. The next few weeks they gathered all the information they could on Jacobs. The final straw came when they planted three kilos of powdered cocaine in the evidence room with a built in transmitter. Within forty-eight hours it was taken. Using a tracking device they located the drugs at Jacobs’s residence. Guilty. .. Instead of being arrested he agreed to help gather enough evidence on the P.G. Crew for an indictment.

Q hadn’t been involved in the drug game in almost two years now. But he still relied on his street instincts. Street instincts which had been telling him the last few weeks something wasn’t right. He had told the rest of The Crew to stay out of sight as much as possible and absolutely no drug transactions out in the open.

Tee hadn’t spoken much with Q since the Bike Fest. Seeing Q enjoying himself with Van so much had dulled her spirits. She had left without telling anyone, including Elbony. Even though Q had wife Van up, Tee still felt like one day they would be together. Especially with the secret she was now keeping. Now sitting in her lobby area after closing, her thoughts of Q were interrupted by the black car sitting across the street. The same car she had seen for the past three days. “Why would someone be watching the shop,” she mumbled to herself. Robbery crossed her mind. Maybe they were waiting for her to leave. She quickly shook away that thought. If they were planning any type of stick-up they wouldn’t give themselves away like that. Grabbing her purse she removed her .38. Then she opened her cell and dialed June’s number, not wanting to confuse Q or herself anymore than she already had. Within minutes June was on the phone.

“I’m on the way sis, don’t move.” When June pulled up Tee unlocked the entrance way door, stepping outside to meet him.

“What’s going on sis?”

“I don’t know,” she responded. “There was someone watching my shop from across the street,” she said pointing in the direction she had last seen the sedan.

Before June could respond Q was pulling in the salon’s parking lot. Tee gave June a look as if asking him “why didn’t you tell me you called him.”

June sensed it and spoke, “I... I forgot to tell you I called Q.”

“Damn June if I had wanted him to know I would have called him myself.”

“I’m sorry sis, but either way someone was going to be mad at me.”

Q stepped out of the car with a concerned look on his face. He still had not spoken to Tee as June explained what was going on. Afterwards Q turned to Tee.

“Are you okay Tee.”

“I’m fine,” she said.

Q’s voice was low and serious as he continued. “Was it a black car?”

She nodded.

“When was the first time you noticed the car there, Tee?”

“Three days ago.”

“Three days?” Q asked as if not believing what he just heard.

“About three days ago Q,” Tee said with a heavy sigh.

“Why didn’t you call me Tee?”

“Why didn’t I... Because you were too damn busy, you always too busy for me. Damn Q just go home and take care of Van, that’s were you decided to be, just go.” she said, before walking back into the salon. Q didn’t follow her; he talked a few more minutes with June.

Q spoke, “Homie, our connects downtown are either slipping, or they know what’s going on.”

“Maybe their involved,” June said.

“Yeah I was thinking the same thing. You have to stay out of the way homie. Your case is supposed to be dismissed this time up in court.”

“Yeah, but why would someone be taking pictures of Tee’s salon?”

“I don’t know fam, but I intend to find out.” After June left to inform the rest of The Crew, Q stepped in the salon with Tee. He found her in her office sitting on her recliner. For a long moment they stared at one another without speaking. Finally Q broke the ice. “Tee, listen to me ma. We have our differences; I’ll be the first to admit that. But whoever that was out there today could have been anybody. You know I love you ma, and I know I hurt you, but that’s no excuse for not calling. If those mothafuckas were stick-up boys you would be dead by now Tee.” She knew Q was heated. He hardly ever cursed during their personal conversations. “Promise me ma... Promise me right now that it won’t happen again.”

She didn’t respond, she knew Q was right anything could have happened. Q grabbed Tee by her waist and pulled her close “What’s been going on with you lately?”

“You haven’t been returning my calls or anything”

Tee wanted to desperately tell him what had been on her mind. But she didn’t know how to tell him she was carrying his child. Since him and Van seemed to be so happy together. Tee didn’t know if he would want her to keep the child or do the unthinkable. So she was buying time until she could figure a way to drop the news on him.

“It’s nothing Q, nothing”

As he sat staring at her he knew that he still had love for Tee. Damn why couldn’t he have both he thought to himself. Before leaving the salon Q promised that he would stop by her condo later.

***

Tim was flipping through the channels when Terri walked through the door. “What up ma,” he said.

“Hi Baby,” Terri responds.

“Where’s lil’ man?”

“He’s asleep ma.”

Terri walked over to the couch beside him, sitting down kicking her shoes off. “My feet are killing me,” she said.

“Let me take care of them for you Boo.” Tim grabbed both feet giving her a long gentle massage. Before long her shirt was opening with Tim trying to draw milk from each breast. After carrying her to the bedroom he made love to Terri until their bodies collapsed. Now they laid in each other’s arms enjoying one another’s company. Tim spoke, “You know Mrs. Johnson called again today.”

“Yeah, I figured she would, she called me twice at the shop.”

“What do you think we should do Baby? I know she misses her grandson, but we’ve been through so much lately, I’m still a little uncomfortable leaving Lil’ Ty with anybody.”

“Mrs. Johnson is not just anybody Terri. I was shot the day we met her, but I still remember the concern she had for her grandbaby’s safety ma. That old lady was scared to death.”

“I understand that Tim, but she could’ve warned us before we got there.”

“No she couldn’t Terri. Mrs. Johnson did everything she could that day to save Lil’ Ty. Trust me ma, if she would have given us the slightest bit of warning ...” He paused a second then continued, “We would’ve found her and Lil’ Ty both dead.”

Terri stared at the ceiling as Tim stroked her long silky hair. “I think she has suffered enough,” Terri said.

Picking up the phone, Tim didn’t say anything but nodded his head showing his approval. Ring. .. Ring ... “Hello, Johnson’s residence.”

“Hello Mrs. Johnson, this is Terri. Are you busy...?” Terri could hear Mrs. Johnson’s sobs seeping through the receiver.

“Don’t worry Mrs. Johnson, Lil’ Ty is fine, but he misses his grandmother dearly.”

Through tears of joy Mrs. Johnson spoke. ‘‘Thank you my child. Thank you... Thank you... Thank you.” Terri made plans to meet Lil’ Ty’s grandmother at the salon after work the next day. Hanging up the phone she felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her.