Page 31 of Meek: Chasing That Gangsta Love

“ W ho the fuck is this?” I answered the private call for the third time. The other two times nobody said shit.

“Meek.” Said the familiar voice of a girl sounding as if she was crying.

“Who is this?” I asked again.

“It’s Brittany.” She said. I started to just hang the fuck up.

This girl was on my last nerve, and she was coming on hard.

She kept finding reasons to come to the shop and she wouldn’t let up.

I felt like she was having some kind of issues; she just hadn’t told me yet and one of my biggest blessings was my gigantic heart which also happened to be my biggest curse because I had a genuine soft spot to want to help people.

“What’s up Brittany?” I asked.

“Can I come talk to you? Or can you meet me?” She asked.

“What’s wrong?”

She sniffed. “I just need to talk, I kind of need help.”

“Don’t come to the shop, meet me at Betty T. Ferguson.” I told her shaking my head. Lord why me? Why I always get the women who always have issues? Why was I like a magnet to them? I wondered.

“I can be there in fifteen minutes.” She said.

Although I knew I shouldn’t meet her, I’d feel like shit if something was really wrong and with the girl and I wake up seeing her face on the news for some shit knowing that she was crying out for help.

I pulled up and parked my truck closer the bleachers where she was sitting in front of the track field wearing a white fleece suit and some K-Swiss since those were coming back in fashion.

I sat next to her as she removed her shades showing me her black eye. “So, he hit you?” I asked knowing the answer.

She nodded her head. “Yes,” she sniffed.

“Why?”

“Because he’s controlling as fuck, that’s why. Look, I need a job like ASAP so I can save some money and get on my feet. I can’t deal with only having money when somebody sees it fit for me to have it. It’s not fair.” She sniffed.

I felt bad for the girl. “So why did you call me?” I asked, at the same time this shit was aggravating. Everything in me told me to get up and walk away.

“I don’t have anyone I can call.” She said looking at me putting her shades back on.

This shit was crazy. “You you’ve only known me a couple of months Brittany. Who would you have called if you didn’t know me?”

She shrugged her shoulders and focused on the kids walking up getting ready to warm up for track practice. “I don’t even know.” She said honestly.

“All I’m asking is for a job at the shop. I’ll do anything y’all need. File paperwork, run errands; be y’all secretary or something like that.”

I thought about what she was saying, and truth was, we needed all of that but I rather it not been from her. She must’ve read my thoughts because she spoke again.

“Meek, I promise you I’m not on no funny business.” She said. “You have a girl, and I get it, I totally understand but right now I’m in a bad spot. Just give me a couple of months.”

“I’ll talk to Demond about it.” I told her. “But I can’t promise shit.”

“That’s all I ask.” She replied.

“Anything else?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “That’s it.”

“Aiight, I’m out then.” I stood up stepping over each step to get back on turf. When I hit the bottom, I turned around. “You should probably stay away from that nigga for a couple of days.”

She didn’t respond; maybe embarrassed or some shit, I really don’t know. All I knew was, she better not had been trying to pull a fast one.

I called Demond as soon as I got in the truck. “I’m on my way, running a little late.”

“Hurry up man.” He snapped. “You know the contractor will be here soon. I need you here.”

“Chill the fuck out nigga, I’m coming. I had a situation.” I told him.

“Let’s hear this shit.” He chuckled.

“The lil chick Brittany, she needs our help. Her nigga is whooping her ass, and I guess she’s trying to get on her feet to get away from him.”

“And what she want us to do?” He asked sounding like this really didn’t have shit to do with him.

“She wants to be our secretary.”

“Not a bad idea.” He said. “We need some eye candy around here to keep the niggas coming.”

I felt where he was coming from, but I didn’t know about this one. “I don’t know yet man.”

“Why?” He questioned. “You don’t trust yourself?”

“Of course, it’s her I don’t trust. I don’t need no drama and shit.”

“Let me think about this some more.” He said. “Meanwhile, hurry up and get your ass here. The guy just pulled up.” Click! He hung up in my face.

I was right around the corner, but I needed to call Kisha. She was three months along right now and her little stomach was growing quick as hell. “How you feeling baby?”

“My back hurts Meek. This is crazy, I didn’t expect this to happen so soon. I just got out of class and guess what else?” She said.

“What happened?”

“I got the approval on the rental spot for the shop. I want to stay there and rent for a year before I think about buying just to see how well the business does. I’m heading to get my flyers made right now and I’m going to hire some girls from my class to work in there also.

They’ll just have to pay me chair rent.” She said damn near out of breath.

“Goddamn Kish, slow down.” I laughed now sitting in the parked truck in front of the shop so I can check in with her real quick.

“That’s good baby, I’m proud of you.” I told her; she’s been working her ass off and the way she was so disciplined with money was amazing to me.

She hardly asked me for shit and the money that she did have, she spent smart, that’s why I didn’t mind doing all the shit for her that I was doing.

“I’m just excited.” She giggled.

“Me too.” I told her.

“Did you go to your doctor appointment?” She asked me.

I nodded my head. “Yeah, this morning and although I’m healed, I’m having those minor pains from the fragments, so they want to schedule a surgery to go ahead and remove them.”

She sighed. “Again?”

“Yeah Kish, but not right now though I’ll probably wait until the baby gets here and is a couple of months old cause I need to be able to help you.”

“Can you wait that long?” She asked concerned.

“Shit, I’ve waited this long so a little more time shouldn’t hurt.”

“Oh, okay. Just checking. What you about to do?”

I looked up at Demond who was at the door waving his arms in the air trying to get my attention. “I’m about to handle some business but I just wanted to check on you.” I said. “I’ll see you when I get to the house.”

“Okay, love you.” She cooed.

“I love you too Kish, you know that.” I said before hanging up.

I got myself together and prepared to get out of the car so I could handle this business real quick and go on about my day.

It was always something about some money or a contract.

In reality I didn’t want to have shit to do with the paperwork aspect, all I wanted to do was go get the money.

I tucked my gun on my side and walked inside.

Work was work and it was way better than jacking niggas and shit.

When it was all said and done, Demond and I hopped in one of the rental cars; a brand-new Rolls Royce was his choice, and I couldn’t figure out why he chose this one out of all cars but leave it to him to want to show off. We rode down 37 th passing a joint back and forth.

“Where you going man?” I asked letting a thick cloud of smoke out of my mouth.

“To the Scott’s so I can holla at this nigga real quick.”

“The Scott’s, huh?” I chuckled. “That was me and Kish old stomping ground. I hadn’t been through the Scott’s in a while but shit, it was still home and the place that made me into the man I was today.

As soon as we turned down the block all eyes were on us.

The sun was going down leaving a reddish orange color in the sky and the little kids were beating up the blocks on their little bikes or scooters.

We parked on the side of the road and got out.

Damn, the first thing that hit my nose was the scent of fried chicken and liquor.

I had on a new sheepskin today and my Timbs were fresh.

My ice hung how it was supposed to, and we were both shining like some stars in this bitch.

Every kid who was any kid ran up to us holding their hands out for money; they thought we were rappers or something; I was convinced.

We played the part anyway though and gave them all the dollar bills we had in our pockets.

“Look at these niggas.” Demond said staring at the crap game. It was the same shit, different day. Rags and the rest of those niggas were up to the same shit trying to make a dollar bill.

I was glad I didn’t live here anymore; it was all about growth and if you weren’t growing then what the fuck was the point? “You go handle yo business I’mma sit on top of the ride and wait. These greedy ass niggas will call a tow to come get this bitch and break it down in no time.”

Demond laughed. “You right about that.” He said. “I’ll be back, watch yo back nigga don’t slip on that burner. Let these niggas have it if they try it.”

I sat on the hood of the big ass car. “You ain’t gotta tell me, I already know.”

Same shit, Rags wouldn’t look my way if a bitch paid him.

I earned my stripes over here a long time ago.

As usual, the neighborhood chicks were doing the usual, flashy clothes, long nails, and bundles for days.

Dreka was the first one I spotted as our eyes locked with each other.

She looked like she wanted to say something and before I knew it, she was crossing the street, coming my way.

She still looked good, but it wasn’t shit about her that I wanted, especially after they beat Kisha’s ass like that, I’d never forgive her for that.

She stood directly in front of me a couple of inches away. “So, what’s up Meek? You come on this side and don’t speak anymore?”

I chuckled. “You know what it is already, so I don’t know why you asking.”

“Oh, come on, you can’t be all that mad about Kisha. That shit is old.” She said like it was okay.