Authors: Blake Karrington
“Jon Jon! Jon Jon! Pick up the phone!” Jonathan’s girlfriend, Gator, yelled from the top of the stairs.
He got up from the table in the dining room where he, Kevin and A.J. were counting the money from the lick. If somebody was calling him on the landline instead of his cell phone, that could only mean one thing. It was somebody from his family like his mother or Brianna. They were the only two people who still used landlines.
“Yo, what’s up?” Jonathan said, picking up the phone that was hanging by the kitchen door.
“Where you been all day? I been tryin’ to call you…” Lorraine, his mother yelled into the phone. “I need you to come pick me up and take me somewhere.”
“Momma, I can’t do it right now,” Jonathan said, looking over at all of the money on the table being counted by his boys.
“Jonathan Eugean Carter, I don’t believe I just asked you a question. Now you get ya butt over here and pick me up before I am late for my appointment!” She demanded before hanging up the phone.
She didn’t even give Jonathan time to deny her again, even though he wasn’t going to. He loved his mother more than anyone in the world, so whenever she needed him for something, he was at her doorstep immediately. Jonathan looked down at his Audemars and saw that it was 11:00am.
Where the hell does she gotta go?
He thought to himself. “Aye yo… Finish countin’ dis bread. I gotta go take care of something real quick. If I’m not back by the time y’all get done, give my money to Gator,” he told A.J.
One thing Jonathan didn’t have to worry about from the niggas in his crew was an act of disloyalty. It wasn’t that A.J. and Kevin were scared of Jonathan; it was more so that they respected him a great deal. They had a genuine love for one another and a bond that was truly unbreakable. It could have been a million dollars on that table, and in Jonathan’s absence, it still would have been broken down three ways, right down to the penny.
“Gator!” Jonathan yelled up the steps.
“Yes babe?” she answered, coming down the stairs with her Couture pajamas on and her hair tucked under a scarf.
“Yo, I am about to take my mom somewhere. Kev and A.J. gone stay here and finish counting this bread. You wanna ride wit me or stay here?” he asked, wrapping his hands around her small waist as he began to think about the first time they met.
He was starving that day, leaving the hospital from a visit with Charrise. Walking into the store, the aroma of potato wedges and fried chicken filled the air. His stomach growled as he nodded to the Asian woman behind the counter while he walked towards the drinks. He grabbed two bottles of apple juice and a bottle of orange juice. He walked back towards the grill where one of his high school classmates was working.
“Hey Jonathan, man. What’s good wit you?” Mouse said as he dropped the basket of wings into the grease.
“Everything is everything, Mouse. Brah, you got it smelling something good in here and I am starving!” Jonathan spoke while placing the drinks on the counter.
“Yeah, I got you, cuz. What you want today? What classes are you taking this semester?” Mouse said as he handed a girl an order of fried pickles.
Jonathan dropped his head. He and Mouse were both A students in school, but Jonathan had postponed college after he was shot. For some reason, he couldn’t focus or sit still, and it had broken his mother’s heart. He had promised himself that he would re-enroll in the spring, but for right now, he had needed to get his head straight.
“Man, I took the semester off after… well you know.” Jonathan said.
Mouse studied him for a minute, and then patted his shoulder. “Hey, I understand. You gotta get ya head clear then go back to taking over the world. So what ya want?”
“Give me four wings and an order of potato wedges.”
Mouse nodded and walked over to the cooler.
Jonathan was checking his text messages when a warm breeze entered the store carrying a sweet smell of vanilla and coconut. He looked at the door and the darkest skinned female he had ever seen in his life walked in. She had a low-cropped hair cut with a pale pink off the shoulder linen blouse, dark denim Chanel Jeans with wide legs, and a pair of pink peep toe gator Chanel shoes. She carried a pink and blue Chanel clutch and gold tree earrings. He watched as she walked towards the cooler and the back view was just as impressive as the front; her ass was round and high. That pink was making her ebony skin glow.
“Damn, she got to be straight from the mother land. I ain’t seen nobody that damn dark before. She is almost blue.” Mouse said.
Jonathan shook his head. Women usually didn’t make him speechless, but this ebony skinned chick was breathtaking. She grabbed a soft drink and made her way towards the grill. Jonathan tried to drop his eyes from her but he continued staring.
Mouse cleared his throat and Jonathan closed his mouth.
“Hello, how are you doing?” Mouse asked.
She smiled at him and exhaled. “I am tired, whew. Been on the road for a good minute, boo, and I am starving. What you got good?”
Jonathan noticed she did not have an accent at all, and up close, she was flawless. Mouse handed Jonathan his food. She glanced at his tray and turned her gray eyes to him.
“So is that good?” she said.
Jonathan swallowed. He had to get his swag under control. “Uh… uh yeah try one.” He slid the tray of wedges over to her.
She smiled and took a wedge. “Thank you, I will.” she answered. “Mmm, either I am hungry or you know what you doing with yo wedges, boy. Give me an order of those and some wings.” She grabbed a napkin and smiled at Jonathan. “Thank you for the sample.”
Jonathan stared at her for another moment. “You are one beautiful woman,” he said, and immediately felt his face burn.
She laughed and he dropped his head. “Well… thank you young buck! If the men in the south are like you I am going to be in trouble!”
Jonathan smiled. “My name is Jonathan, and where are you from?”
“Hi Jonathan. My name is Gator.”
That response made Jonathan laugh. “Oh ok, I get it. You not going to give me your real name.” Jonathan said.
“No, that is not my real name, but that is what everyone calls me.”
“I gotta say that name definitely doesn’t fit you.” Jonathan uttered as he scanned her body.
“Oh yeah, how you know? You just met me.” Gator spoke with a seductive look.
Mouse handed her order to her. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Jonathan.” She turned to walk to the register.
Jonathan winked at Mouse and grabbed his food and drinks. “I will pay for the lady’s.” he said, handing the petite Asian woman a hundred dollar bill.
Gator smiled at him while he took his change and opened the door for her. “Well thank you again for the southern hospitality, Jonathan.”
“Of course… my mama raised me right. You never said where you were from. Unless you just don’t want to tell me right now, but you could tell me over dinner.”
“Look at you. Going for what you want, huh? Boy I am old enough to be your mama.”
Jonathan scanned her again. She couldn’t be over thirty, he thought. “I doubt that, and besides, I like a mature woman.” Gator laughed again and began walking towards the baby blue G63 AMG Mercedes SUV. She clicked the alarm and Jonathan opened the door for her.
“I bet you do… I bet you do.” She said as she put on her Marc Jacob sunglasses and rolled the window down.
“Let me take you out and show you around town. I promise I won’t bite.”
“Ahh, I know how to handle puppies, boo, believe me. I ain’t scared of bites.” She studied him for a moment. Youngin’ was fine as hell, slim waist, broad chest, and she could tell by the way he stood that he had some size between them thighs. What the fuck? She needed to blow off some steam. She handed him her business card. “Call me later and we’ll see.” She rolled the window back up and pulled out of the parking space.
Jonathan stood there until she waved to him as she pulled out onto the street.
It took Jonathan two days to get up the nerve to call her, and ever since then, they had been inseparable.
Gator threw her arms around his neck, breaking him from his thoughts. She leaned in and kissed him. Jonathan was so in love with her. She knew she had him sprung ever since the first day she met him. She knew he was someone she could mold into the man she wanted. It was Gator who had convinced him and his crew to start robbing niggas. She was the original brain behind all the heists, but Jonathan had proved to be a worthy student. In a short time, she felt like they could be on top of the city with her brains and his brawn.
Jonathan had never expected he would be in the street life. Shit, just a year ago he was on his way to college. After surviving five shots, he was now dating a woman at least 15 years his senior, so he now felt invincible.
“No babe, you go ahead and handle your business with your mother. I don’t think I’m ready to meet your family yet… especially your mother. I know how they can be about their sons and you her only one, plus you the baby… no not today,” Gator uttered with a smile.
Jonathan grabbed his keys and headed out the door, but not without grabbing one more kiss from Gator before exiting.
__________
Lorraine walked down the steps as Jonathan pulled into the driveway. It was only a matter of time before Herman exited the house with an attitude. Lorraine didn’t even make it to the car before Herman yelled out her name.
“Where you going Lorraine?” he asked, walking up to the car.
Lorraine opened the passenger side door.
“What you didn’t hear what I just said?” Herman asked, taking the passenger side door in his hand before Lorraine could close it.
“Last time I checked, I was grown, Herman. I don’t have to check in with you every time I go somewhere,” she responded with attitude.
Herman huffed at her and turned his attention to Jonathan, who was gripping the steering wheel so hard his hands were cramping. He looked straight ahead to avoid making eye contact with his father.
“Ahhh, if it ain’t big time Jonathan,” he said, looking into the car.
“What’s up, Herman?” Jonathan responded, giving him the peace sign.
“Herman? Oh, so you don’t call me dad anymore?”
“You gotta start acting like one first!” Jonathan shot back without even looking at him.
That statement caught Herman by surprise. “Oh, you think cause you out here living these dope boy dreams like your trifling ass sisters that you can speak to me any kind of way?”
“Herman, don’t go there” Lorraine chimed in.
“Shut up woman. That’s the problem now. You always talking out of place and taking up for these bad ass kids.” Herman screamed, while pointing his finger in her face.
“Yo, cool da fuck out talking to my motha like that. Show some respect for a change!” Jonathan warned his father.
That was just about all Herman could take from Jonathan. He stormed around the car towards the driver side of the Charger and tried to open the door. It was locked, so all he could do was tap on the window to get him to open the door.
“Get out the car tough guy. You bad? Get on out da damn car!” Herman yelled.
“Don’t pay him no mind, baby.” Lorraine said, buckling her seat belt, and locking the door. “Let’s just go.”
“Nah. Pops got me fucked up.” Jonathan responded, reaching under his seat and grabbing the .38 snub nose.
He opened the door and got out of the car with the gun down by his side. Jonathan was still recovering from being shot, so he knew he could not handle a physical confrontation with his old man right now. Herman was such a coward. He knew that Jonathan was not 100% and he could take him out easily. One punch would probably take him down in his current state. Herman was a disrespectful piece of shit. Jonathan had stood by long enough watching him being cruel and mean to the women in his family. He was sick of his shit, and today he was going to shut his punk ass down.
“Oh, you really must have lost ya mind, boy.” Herman said while looking down at the gun in Jonathan’s hand.
Herman took a step forward, but stopped when he saw Jonathan clutch the gun tighter in his hand. The look he had in his eyes told Herman that his son was willing and ready to shoot him.
“I am not the same timid little boy I was five months ago. You can’t talk to me or my mom any kind of way you want. Those days are—”
“I can talk to my wife any kind of fuckin’ way I want!” Herman said as he took a step forward. “That damn bullet must have your mind fucked up, and I am going to remind you of your place, boy!” As he charged towards him, Jonathan grabbed him by his shirt and jammed the .38 into his mouth. The gun broke the thin skin of his inner lip, causing Herman’s mouth to bleed.
“Jonathan, you stop it right now!” Lorraine yelled out.
Herman’s eyes grew wide as a 50-cent piece looking up at the empty stare that his son was giving him. Jonathan blanked out for a moment because he couldn’t hear the pleas from his mom. Lorraine had jumped out the car and forced herself between her husband and son.
“That’s enough, Jonathan.” Lorraine said in a low firm tone.
She turned his face to hers. He blinked his eyes and slowly released Herman’s shirt. As he looked into his eyes, he slowly pulled the gun out of his mouth and grabbed his shirt again. “Hear me clearly… you fuckin coward. You got one more time to come out yo mouth to another female in this family, and I don’t care who’s around… Imma blow you fuckin face off!” Jonathan pushed Herman back and he fell to the ground.
Herman sat on the ground, breathing heavy. He wiped the blood from his chin and slowly stood. He tripped as he walked backwards towards the front door of the house. He was shaking in disbelief that Jonathan had the balls to threaten his life.
Lorraine looked at Jonathan and shook her head. She knew that she needed to go help Herman with his lip because if she didn’t listen to his rant, it could be worse for everyone involved. She knew he would make her evening unbearable if she didn’t baby him and pretend to take his side in regard to being disrespected. She kissed Jonathan on the cheek and began walking towards the door.
“Ma, come on. You got stuff to do. He can take care of himself. It is just a busted lip.” Jonathan said as he opened the passenger door.