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K inga West

“ You can be in the streets and not be in the streets. Just because that is how you make your money doesn’t mean it has to consume you. You can just be you and someone will love you for just that.”

“Tete, c’mon. You know I ain’t out here looking for love. That shit can miss me.” I sucked my teeth, looking everywhere but at the old woman. She hated when I cursed and wouldn’t hesitate to hand me my ass for it.

“Everybody is looking for love, Kinga… everybody. Even the toughest man hiding behind his words and venom is looking for somebody to love him constantly… You’re just denying it. That’s fine for only so long. When the time comes don’t be big headed and let it pass you. Let it be everlasting and infinite. Let it be constant.. like what me and your uncle had.” She smiled, looking at the picture of him on her mantle. Sudden death halted their constant.

They said you found what you needed when you weren’t looking for it. What was messed up was I didn’t need a damn thing from a soul. Shit, at least that’s what I thought. Matter of fact, that was what I’d told myself for most of my life. I had everything I needed, and what I didn’t need, I didn’t have.

I was under my favorite oldie, checking the brakes. I heard a loud knocking sound when I was riding through the blocks earlier and I didn’t like that at all.

Some shit by Jeezy boomed around me while I rapped with the chorus. He was all I listened to, so I never knew the exact name of a song, but I knew the lyrics. When my money was good, I spent more time in the garage working on my cars than out on the streets protecting a facade. This was what brought me peace, rather than crashing out and acting up in these streets. The only time I was really with that heat was when people came out of their necks. If it wasn’t the cars, then I was in the kitchen. Nah, I wasn’t one of those big niggas or even a soft one. I just baked when I felt myself about to go there.

“How come every time I come in here you under one of these fucking cars?” Sora asked, all in my damn business as usual.

“Because it’s a job, you know? We can’t all be out here racing anything with a motor.”

My brother laughed. “Don’t be mad I beat you in the seven block.”

I chortled, then rolled from under the car. When I sat up, I peeped him leaned under the hood, looking things over like he knew what was what. “You keep telling yourself that.”

I was on my feet in seconds, moving toward my tool chest. I still had yet to find out what had my baby knocking and that annoyed me.

“What’s the problem, Kinga?”

“What do you mean?” I turned and glared in his direction.

“It’s always something with this fucking car. What got you about to go home and bake a cake now?”

I flipped him off. He always had jokes but wouldn’t hesitate to come through and go in my fridge or under my cake plate.

He chortled. “You're right about that. But what’s the problem now though?”

“Knocking near the brakes. Where are you coming from?”

“The house. You know Blaze been tryna keep me cooped up with her high risk ass.” He shook his head, seeming convincing. However, I knew how he and B were, so I knew for a fact it was him. He was always trying to be in her skin.

“Yeah, I hear what you’re saying. How is the baby?”

“She's good.” He smiled, bringing a smile to my face as well. He was about to be a father in less than three months.

“You ready?”

“Hell nah, but I will be. You talked to Oden?” He was talking about our oldest brother, the only person I knew who could go missing like Nine but live in the same city. He was a loner, but had been that way since we were kids, so we never took offense to it.

I was about to respond to him when I heard yelling in the distance. A female voice if I wasn’t mistaken.

“Hell nah, you’re not about to tell me to shut up or keep it down. I have called this fucking shop five fucking times, and nobody could call me back, so if I come in this bitch yelling, that’s on y’all.” She sounded like she was crashing and the last thing I needed was for my spot to be hot.

Sora laughed. “Looks like you got some heat out there, huh?”

“Nah, some heat got me. Whoever is out there doesn't want this shit. Big Jay better handle that.”

Of course Sora’s stupid ass laughed. Everything was a joke for him, maybe not everything because when Blaze told him she was pregnant, I damn near admitted him. Especially because at first shorty was giving him every excuse in the world why she wasn’t looking to move back to Chicago. She eventually moved and he got his head back after walking around for months without it.

“No, I will not calm down. I had to pay to get a fucking boot removed, and somebody in here is going to reimburse me.”

I glanced from my brother to the door leading up front before I dropped the socket wrench into my toolbox and started in that direction.

I was five feet from the door when it opened and Big Jay popped his big ass head in.

“Um, boss, I tri?—”

“The fuck up? This broad better be six-six and three-fifty the way she out there handing you your ass.” I pictured some big, funky ass broad up here showing her ass, so naturally when I made it to the front and there wasn’t anybody who fit that description in sight, I was confused. The only person in the shop couldn’t have been the same motherfucker in here raising hell. Not the way her backside was shaped, shit the way her backside was stacked had me mesmerized. Until she turned around and I saw the fire in those big otherwise pretty ass eyes of hers. Her eyes were on me for all of five seconds before they found themselves back on Jay.

“Excuse me, but this is not the man I handed my keys to. Where is he? You said you were going to get him.” Shorty’s fury shot at Jay with a quickness.

I’d never seen Jay cower, but as soon as she looked at him, he looked at me like I was about to save him. I was.

“Look, sweetheart, I didn’t say he was. This here is the owne?—”

“And? As a matter of fact, the other guy I handed my keys off too told me the same fucking thing. I don?—”

“Anybody ever told you that you’d catch more bees with honey than shit?” Her attention and fury rested on me from the moment I opened my mouth. Fuck, she was beautiful, so beautiful that if the next few words that came out of her mouth came right, I might’ve been inclined to swiftly fix whatever issue she was having.

Her eyes narrowed and she tilted that big ass head of hers to the side. “It’s flies, and no, because I only got shit right now.”

I laughed.

“What can I help you with, shorty? Why are you here giving my employees hell? It’s ten in the morning, too early for all that.”

She sucked her thick ass lips. “So you’re the real owner? Or somebody else claiming to be the owner? Because I’ve definitely heard this before.” She once again cut those eyes in Jay’s direction

I laughed and shook my head because I knew exactly who she was talking about. I had just got down on ol’ boy and fired him for telling people he was the owner and doing fucked up work at my shop. She wasn’t the first person to come through about some work she had done here, and the way he had been moving, she wouldn’t be the last.

“Nah baby, I’m the owner. Now what is the problem?”

“First I found a hole in my floor and no it wasn’t there when I dropped the car off months ago. Then I look up and my shit is booted. The boot might sound like a personal problem, but nah, it’s not. My driving record is perfect, so I had them pull up where I got the tickets, and they were all written while my car should have been here, getting worked on. Course I’m questioning how if my car is getting worked on over here, why the fu-freak every ticket is either on Quincy or Taylor. Now if you need me to I can give you the?—”

“Nah, I got you. How much were the tickets and everything you paid to get the boot off?”

She looked from me to Jay before pulling her phone out. “Hold on, let me pull it up.”

It was about five seconds before she was holding out her phone for me to see. I grabbed it and she stepped back, resting her hands on her hips while I scrolled the invoice from the city. Maurice had damn sure taken a joyride in shorty’s shit and was using it like it was his car.

She was steaming and I saw exactly why. I wouldn’t have even pulled up yelling. I would’ve come through blasting nothing but heat.

“I’m about to send this to myself.” I was already messaging myself the pdf before she could respond.

“Um ok.” The heat she came in here was going out, which I was grateful for. I didn’t usually take it easy on motherfuckers, but she was too damn pretty for all that balling her face up shit.

Once I sent myself what I needed, I handed her phone back. “Come show me the hole,” I then requested.

She nodded then led the way. I followed her, eyes damn sure locked on her backside, because her shit was thick, so fucking thick I just knew err’thing on her sexy ass was hers.

When we reached her car, she opened the passenger side door and lifted the floor mat. Sure as hell, there was a fucking hole. It wasn’t big, but it was big enough something could damn sure come in her car.

I shook my head and examined the hole. “I’ll handle it. What did you initially bring the car in for?”

“My brakes were making a sound. They still make the sound when it rains, but I don’t drive when it rains, so I guess I wasted money an?—”

“You should be able to drive your shit whenever.”

She looked off. “I’m no?—"

“I’ll fix it and you’ll get your funds back soon. Anything else, mama?”

“No, but when do you want me to drop my car off?”

“Now. I’ll have it fi—” I started, but barking caught her and my attention.

She rushed to the back of the car. “I have to take my puppies to get their shots.”

“Puppies?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t my business, but I still asked.

“Yes.” She looked me over before moving to the back door of her car and opening it. “This is why I need my car.”

I followed and watched her pull out a tan colored dog, nine times out of ten the one crying, because as soon as she had it in her arms, it was quiet.

“How many dogs do you have in this car, shorty?” I know I was being nosy, but right now I wanted to know her business and I didn’t give a fuck how it came off.

“Six. I’m a dog breeder.”

I tilted my head to the side, looking at her. She didn’t look like the type, but shit nobody looked like the type to do anything these days.

“Again, this is why I can’t give you my car right now.”

I chuckled, not knowing what the hell I was doing. “Yo, if I hand you the keys to my shit, can you guarantee yeen gonna get no dog shit in my car?”

“Course I can, but I’m not taking the keys to your car. I only drive my own car, nobody else’s. Now Mr.—”

“Kinga, call me Kinga.”

“Okay, Kinga. When can I come back and you fix my car?” She put an emphasis on you and I liked that.

I cracked a smile because she was funny as hell without even trying to be. “Monday night, and since I’m doing this shit for free, bring me a meal.”

She sucked her teeth. “Excuse me?”

“You heard right. I’ll see you around seven or eight, that works for you?”

She looked at me, eyes nearly jumping out of her skull. She nodded though, agreeing with my terms. “If I was to bring you something to eat, what would I be bringing?”

I laughed. “Anything, except fish. I’m allergic to that shit.”

She nodded. “Fine.”

“Now, you're gonna gimme your name or what?”

“Harlem.”

“Like the street?” I asked, just to fuck with her.

“Yeah.” She licked those thick full lips of hers, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“Good, I’ma see you then. Call that number and I will send the invoice when you pull up.”

She agreed and about fifteen minutes later, she was pulling out of the shop’s driveway, leaving me to stare at the back of her truck as she drove further and further away, because what the fuck was that?

She was not only fine as hell, but something about her had me coming at her differently than I would have anybody else. Had she been a soul else I would have told her to keep it moving, but she wasn’t. She was more than attractive, shit, she had personality and I could tell that much from her face.

I purposely chose Monday night because I knew I would be the only person in my shop. While the shop was closed to the public on Mondays, I liked to come through and work on my own shit. Also during that time I was in the shop alone and able to only be bothered with my own thoughts.

“So you offer your ride out and smile in chicks’ faces now?” Sora’s voice made me look in his direction.

“You listening so fucking hard, but you ain’t listening. Maurice fucked up her shit and my name was attached to it. Why wouldn’t I help shorty out?”

Sora laughed. “And that’s all?”

I waved him off. “What else would it be?”

“Yeah okay. Now what are you about to do?” he asked.

“Pull up on Maurice and beat about two racks out his ass.”

Sora laughed. “Thought you were baking and shit, controlling your anger.”

“I have a red velvet on the cake plate right now. I ain’t angry. This right here is fun.” I smiled and my little brother shook his head. My temper was somewhat famous around these parts because as a youngin I could go from zero to a thousand before anybody could blink. Safe to say that shit got me in a lot of trouble as a kid. Then my auntie said fuck that and made me put my energy into something else. Over the years I might have dibbled and dabbled in my temper, but I always found my center again in the kitchen. Auntie had taught me everything I knew, making sure my energy was focused somewhere and any leftover energy was spent out in the garage with my uncle and cousin Nine. “Yo, you talked to Nine?” I asked out of the blue, thinking about my blood.

“Yeah, he said he and Stella might visit sometime this summer.”

I nodded.

“I’ma ride with you to make sure you don’t do anything dumb, then you bouta take me to your crib so I can get my baby mama a piece of that cake. Ever since she tried that chocolate cake last month, she has been hooked. That piece of cake might get me some pussy tonight from her mean ass.”

I chortled, even though the expression on his face was serious as hell. Blaze being pregnant kept him on his toes now more than anything, and even though I wasn’t looking to have any children of my own, I loved that shit for him. It slowed him down in a way he needed. Sora used to run the streets heavily, then he met Blaze. He didn’t run them like me, but in a more reckless adrenaline-filled way. She slowed him down a little then the baby slowed his ass down even more. He needed that.

* * *

“I feel like you're playing me, Maurice. You tell me yeen take no money from nobody, but shorty came to the shop and acted a plum fucking fool. Not to mention the fact that you racked up over a thousand dollars in parking tickets on her shit parked outside your baby mama’s house.” My temple was throbbing and heat rose from my skull. I wasn’t mad, but I was getting there. I hated for anybody to lie to me, because one, I never asked questions I didn’t already have the answers to, and two, he was coming off too cocky for somebody who was seven seconds from swallowing their composites.

“You know I wouldn’t lie to you, King—” He couldn’t finish that statement because I sent my fist in his direction. The laughter and talking in the bar we were in the middle of died down and the only thing heard was the music.

Everybody was frozen still, waiting for my next move. Not a soul in here would say anything to me because they knew like I did they could catch this heat as well if they even attempted to step in.

“Kinga, man, you know I was going through—” Now he wanted to explain, but I was far past that.

I stepped back and handed my piece to my brother, then I delivered the ass whooping he deserved for not only playing with shorty, but also playing with my business and my name. By the time Sora’s hand found my shoulder, he was balled up in the fetal position tryna cover his head. He didn’t try to fight back, shoot, as if he had any sort of chance.

“That's enough, bro.” Sora’s voice brought me back from a place I tried to avoid. My anger always sent me blank, numb, and deaf to everything I was doing until it was done.

“Don’t let me see you again. ’Cause I promise I’ll finish your pitiful ass life for you.” I backed up and glanced around the bar. Though some people looked mortified like they’d witnessed a mauling of some sort, out west this was a normal Thursday night. Anybody from the area knew how I gave it because it was no secret. They also knew I didn’t fuck with anybody unless I was fucked with.

“You good now? You got that off your chest?” Sora asked as soon as we were back in my truck.

“I was always good,” I lied, still breathing hard and trying to calm myself. I was for sure headed in the house to bake something because had I not stopped myself I would have taken his life in that bar. It wasn’t full of people or crowded, but there were enough neighborhood people in attendance to be witnesses.

“You weren't. Your eyes went black. Had I not stopped you, shi?—”

“Nah. I was delivering a message. I knew what I was doing.” I turned the car on and rested back against the seat for a moment. “You still want this cake or am I dropping you off to your bike?”

“Hell yeah I want the cake. You know that shit is gonna get back to auntie and she’s gonna have your ass. You know those old ass ladies from the church still call her to gossip.”

I shook my head. “The old lady doesn't scare me like she scares you. I’m a real nigga.”

He laughed and held his hand up to his ear like it was a phone. “Yeah you say that, just wait until she gets your real ass on the phone.”

It took me about thirty minutes before I was dropping my brother off to his bike. Right after I went home and straight to my shower. I had been on the ground and messing with my car all day to no avail.

When I finished, I moved through my house to the kitchen where a precut slice of red velvet cake awaited me. I usually didn’t eat what I baked, but after the adrenaline wore off from when I was pissed, I always found myself in need of something sweet. I never said my temper was under control, shit I never thought it was, but I got angry less. I instead filled my days with work and business. I couldn’t help it if they couldn’t get their shit together though. All I could say was I tried my best to keep it cool and not crash out behind everything. Tonight’s thing was big though, somebody I hired had knowingly put my business at risk.

I finally made my way to my bed around ten, but before I could doze off I found myself texting Harlem.

Me: How do you want your money, ma?

I didn’t expect to get a message back so fast, let alone tonight considering the fact that she looked like the type to get all her rest.

Harlem: You got it back?

In actuality I didn’t even ask for her funds back from Maurice. I beat his ass and chalked it up as I would pay her. He didn’t have a job nor any ambition, so I knew for a fact he didn’t have the twenty-five hundred dollars to give her back.

Me: Zelle or Cash App?

Harlem: How did you get it?

I laughed aloud at her obvious curiosity. Then, instead of texting her back, I opted to call her. I wasn’t with all that texting shit. She answered on the first ring.

“How do you want your money back, Harlem?” I asked.

“Uh… I don’t know. I didn’t think you’d be able to even get it back. You can Zelle it to my phone number.”

I laughed, because obviously she didn’t know who I was. That shit was cute. “Why are you up so late?” I found myself asking as soon as she sucked her teeth.

“I have six puppies, their mother, and another pregnant dog right now. Gotta keep the hours of the puppies. What’s your excuse?”

“I ain’t got one.”

“Oh.”

“How much would one of those dogs run me for?” I asked out of the blue, realizing I didn’t want to get off the phone with her.

“Depends on which one you want. All of them have an amazing pedigree because they’re my dogs. But some people don’t think about that. They only go off color genes. Are you even looking for a dog?”

“Probably. Shit, probably not. Your customer service gotta be better than this, lil mama.”

She laughed. “You just randomly asked me about a dog at ten or eleven at night. Anyways, what kind of dog are you interested in? What is your color preference?”

Of course I laughed at how fast she switched that shit up. “I’on know. Gimme a gray one and don’t try to run my pockets either.” I warned. The fuck was I about to buy a dog for? I didn’t need no fucking dog.

“Depends. You want straight blue or blue merle? Probably even a lavender tri.”

“Yo, what? I just said gray.”

She giggled. “Check your messages.”

I put the phone on speaker and checked the message from her. She’d sent me a link to a website. On it were the different colors of bulldogs. It was extensive.

“So, again. Blue or lilac? Maybe even a blue merle.”

“Nah, that merle shit looks demonic. Either the lilac or the blue works for me.” Was I actually out here about to buy a fucking dog just for some conversation?

She laughed. “It’s just a picture. If you saw it in person, you’d feel differently. I promise. Drop by the shop and I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“The shop?” I was confused by her mention.

“I have a pet store. I breed, so the dogs are there when I am. I sell pet accessories and treats there.”

I found myself nodding as I responded. “That’s dope.”

“Thank you.”

We spoke for a little longer, her giving me the address to her shop and telling me when she’d be there. I guess I was buying a dog, knowing damn well I had never even liked them. Not since my auntie’s poodle bit my ankle as a kid. I kicked his ass halfway across the garden for that too. Safe to say he never opened his mouth near me again. As a matter of fact Scruffy never came near me again. He learned quickly.