Page 5 of Meek: Chasing That Gangsta Love

“ M eek! Snap out of it. You might as well leave that shit alone because the only place you’ll end up is dead or in jail behind some stupid shit.” Reesie fussed at me standing behind the register at Home-styles Soul Food. “You better hurry up and prep that meatloaf before Rob gets back in here.”

I checked the temperature and took my plastic gloves off before putting on a fresh pair. “You know what Reesie.” I said finally looking at her. “I don’t give a fuck about Rob; he working a nigga like a slave and enjoying his muthafuckin’ life. A nigga can’t even get a free meal out this bitch.”

She released the top button on her collar shirt so she could finally breath easily and took a deep breath; she looked at me with those dark brown eyes like she always did and smiled showing her dimples.

“Look, you’ll be okay Meek, I promise, but don’t go and run behind those niggas.

It’s nothing that nobody can do for you, that with time, you can’t do for yourself. ”

Something snapped in me when she said that; it was something about the powerfulness of that statement.

I didn’t have shit to lose, and she was right.

I took the new pair of gloves off and untied the apron Rob made us wear while working in this fucking slave house.

“You know what Reesie? You’re absolutely right, and after tonight, I’m out this bitch. Fuck Rob and this sweat box.”

Reesie stopped smiling and was now frowning with her arms folded across her chest. “You can’t just quit like that Meek, do you know how bad that shit is going to make me look? I put in a word for you to get this job.”

I knew it was wrong of me to do that, and she was right, while I appreciated it I had to do what I had to do.

“I appreciate that, you can come with me, or you can stay here and keep sweating your weave out. Either way, I’m out this bitch.

Yesterday was my nineteenth birthday and I won’t go into my twenties like this.

” I shook my head. “Nah, not like this.” I turned away from her and walked out leaving her to make the decision.

I didn’t know what tomorrow was about to bring, I didn’t even know where my next dollar was coming from, but I was going to get it by any means necessary.

I grabbed my jacket and walked out the door after zipping it up.

It was 45 degrees this evening and cold as hell.

I put my hood on and tucked my hands in my front pockets preparing to walk to the projects which were right down the street.

I hadn’t even made it halfway down the block before I heard Reesie calling me.

“Meek! Hold up Meek!” She jogged to me wearing her thick royal blue jacket and UGG boots.

She also wore her hood covering the top of her head.

A matching pair of royal blue gloves graced both of her hands.

“Damn, you’re walking fast.” She caught up now walking on the side of me.

“I don’t know what your plan is, but I want in. I’m with you.” She said.

I stopped on the corner and looked into her face to see how serious she was; her eyes told me she meant it.

She was always down for whatever. I knew Reesie was tough because she was forced to have to be.

When she was 10 years old, she watched her daddy get killed right in front of her.

Some big-time dope dealing ass nigga blew his fucking brains out over some petty cash.

After that, she moved in with her older sister and her weak ass boyfriend.

Eventually the nigga started raping Reesie and her sister ain’t do shit about it.

When she told me about it, I acted on that shit immediately.

I even took her to file the report on his ass.

Whatever happened after that was none of my business and since she had nowhere else to go; I let her come stay with me in my little one bedroom.

The cars zipped down the Liberty City streets and I thought about everything as quickly as my brain allowed me.

When I got home, I had a plan. “Come on.” I told her.

“It’s colder than a muthafucka out here.

” We weren’t used to this shit, winter in Miami was never really winter, it was hot all year around but for some reason after summer, we’d been having cold fronts more than usual.

Reesie walked next to me until we reached the projects.

I saw Rags bitch ass posted up sitting on top of his new Audi and thought about what a bitch ass nigga he was.

He wouldn’t even look my way; that ass whooping I gave him, was an-‘L’ he had to deal with in the hood.

Half those niggas knew not to fuck with me, I minded my business and did my own thing but if you pissed me off, these hands were lethal.

I was known in the hood as Floyd Jr. After Kisha left, I stopped fucking with all these weak ass niggas that thought it was funny to sit up and gossip with Rags bitch ass.

How you gonna talk about a girl without knowing her whole situation?

I actually got a chance to know her, and I’ve never met a person with a more beautiful heart.

Even though it seemed like she forgot about a nigga, I would never forget about her, and I prayed for her every night.

I opened the door and dropped my keys on the nightstand that sat right next to the door when we walked in.

I pulled my jacket off and kicked off my Timbs.

Reesie did the same and sat her boots next to the door.

Sitting next to me, she threw her head back on the couch and then focused toward the picture of Kisha and I hanging on the wall in a gold frame.

“Are you ever gonna take that picture down?” She asked.

“No.” I replied.

She cleared her throat. “What’s so special about her, besides the fact that she’s pretty?” She asked.

I focused on the picture myself. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

We were all hanging out in front of building ‘B’ in the front.

For once, Kisha’s mama had finally done something nice for her and threw her a huge birthday bash that everybody in the projects were welcomed to out in the field.

Kisha was so happy that day; she was fourteen and she looked so pretty.

Her makeup was lightly done, and her hair was flowing down her back.

The crème jumper she wore was so pretty.

“She’s a special girl period; she was like my best friend.

Even if I tried, I could never forget about her.

She didn’t have shit to her name; not nothing, but she still tried to share some of what she had with me.

All the nights my mama locked a nigga out; she still opened her room to me.

Its nights we used to starve together; shit we got bit up by bedbugs together.

” I chuckled thinking about it. Shit was crazy.

“You miss her, don’t you?” She asked now staring at me.

I nodded my head. “Of course, I wish I knew where she was just so I could at least know she was okay.”

“I’m sure she is.” She smiled and placed her hand on top of mine.

In my mind, I couldn’t say that was true because I didn’t know, but in the heart, I wanted nothing but the best for her.

She’d been through shit in life that she should’ve never had to experience.

I looked away from the picture no longer wanting to talk about Kisha.

I had to push her out the back of my mind to come up with a plan.

I could start off small and sell weed bags until I graduated to dope, or I could do something else and make quicker money.

I focused back on Reesie and wondered if she was really down for me.

I had a plan; all these bitch ass dope niggas was about to get it.

Not the real niggas the flaw ones. Niggas like Rags; I was about to break them niggas down.

I was about to be the jack-boy nobody wanted to see.

“Reesie, I got a plan.” I said thinking about all the bills coming up.

“What’s that Meek?” She asked.

“If I told you I was about to stick niggas up and get this money, what would you say?” I asked her in all seriousness.

She looked at me like she was thinking about it. “Are you serious?”

“As a muthafucka, or else you and me both are about to be living on the streets.”

She swallowed hard before responding. “Well, I’d say don’t shit where you sleep and don’t get caught.”

“So, you down?” I asked her. I didn’t want her to literally be involved; I wanted her to watch my back cause right now I didn’t have a nigga in my corner that I could say I trusted.

She licked her lips and smiled before sitting on my lap mounting me. “I’ll always have your back.”

She said it out of her mouth, but I really already knew that and while I knew not to shit where I slept, it was one nigga that I absolutely had to get, and it was no other way around it.

“Who’s our first victim?” She asked.

I thought about the guns that I had stashed away in the hall closet. “Rags.” I said.

That was all she wrote, it was all or nothing; time for the come up.