Page 8 of Taming a Menace

Four

K eywan

For the third time in the month since I had been out, I tugged on the door to my anger management class only to find it locked.

It was twenty minutes after nine. Staying at Sonny’s until after three had me clinging to the sheets for another few winks.

I was exhausted, but I knew I had to make it to this fucking class.

I pounded on the door, getting the counselor’s attention.

Jenny took her eyes off the group of people sitting in a semi-circle as she held a hand up to excuse herself to come to the door.

I stepped back, prepared to walk in as she opened the door.

Using the same hand she’d excused herself with, she halted my steps.

“Mr. Glover, you’re late again,” she stated.

“I realize, Jenny. I overslept.”

“I had to drop you from the class. You’ve already missed three sessions before today, not to mention the ones you showed up half an hour late for. I can’t sign a certificate knowing you’ve already missed a third of the sessions.”

“Jenny, you can’t do that. My parole officer already has a hard on for me. The only reason he put me in this morning class is because he wants an excuse to send me back to prison.”

“It’s policy, Mr. Glover. I’ve already submitted the paperwork after the last session. Has he not contacted you?”

“No, he’s probably waiting to surprise me with a violation.” I huffed.

“I’m really sorry. We have night sessions. Maybe he will put you in the eight o’ clock class next time.”

“I can’t get in that class either. I work from six to two in the morning.”

“I’m not sure what to tell you other than to get in contact with him,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

“You sure there’s nothing else you can do?”

“The only thing I can do is accept a referral to allow you into the next session.”

“Appreciate it,” I said, shaking my head as I turned for the door.

There was no use in standing there talking to her any longer. I knew it was only a matter of time before Franklin came to me on the bullshit. I needed to enjoy what freedom I had left. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I called my brother Kannon.

“What’s up, ugly ass boy?” he answered after the first ring.

“Damn, nigga, you don’t even let the phone ring. You must be waiting on a booty call,” I joked.

“I just knew if your soft ass was calling while you’re supposed to be in class, you must have fucked up.”

“Why I gotta be a fuck up?” I asked him.

“You gotta consult with the Lord on that one, my boy.”

“Whatever, son. I called you because I have a crisis.”

“When are you not in crisis mode?” he asked me.

“You know what, bitch. Bye!” I ended the call before I became even more livid.

By the time I put my ass in the front seat of my truck, my phone rang. I could have breathed fire when I saw Franklin’s number bouncing back and forth on the screen. I should have used a shit emoji for his punk ass contact. There was no use in me ignoring the inevitable, so I answered.

“Hey, what’s up?” I answered.

“Mr. Glover, I just received a disturbing email.”

“Is that right?” I asked, praying that he cut to the chase before I cursed him out.

“You have been released from your anger management sessions. As you know, therapy sessions are mandated as part of your parole.”

“I understand that, or I wouldn’t have been crawling my half dead ass out of bed after only a couple of hours of sleep trying to get here.”

“I’m in the field today, but I need you to be at the office in the morning at ten.”

“If you’re going to violate me go ahead and tell me now so I can say my goodbyes to my family.”

“Just be there at ten, Mr. Glover,” he said before hanging up the phone on me.

“I know damn well that bitch ass nigga didn’t hang up on me,” I muttered, looking down at my phone to verify that he had in fact ended the call.

Since I wasn’t sure if I was about to have a going away party or what, I needed to decompress. Kannon was on some bullshit, so instead of calling his sorry ass back, I called my oldest brother.

“What’s up, Key?” Kross answered.

I could hear dogs barking like hell in the background, so I knew he was working. Cassius and Clay didn’t bark unless something was going down.

“This nigga about to violate me, bro,” I complained.

He sighed. “What did you do, man?”

“Why did I have to do something?”

“The man is not just trying to violate you for no reason, Keywan. What happened?”

“I can’t get to these fucking anger management sessions on time. The counselor dropped me.”

“Fuck!” he spat. My big brother’s anger was apparent in his words. The feeling was mutual. “So what is he saying?”

“He told me to come in tomorrow at ten,” I explained.

“This is your first time fucking up, ain’t it?”

“Yeah, but that nigga don’t like me, bro. He wants a reason to get me off his case load.”

“That’s why you gotta make sure you’re on your shit, bro. Come on now. You almost killed Ma when you were down the last time. You can’t put her through that again, Key.”

“I’m not trying to, bro. I don’t know what the hell I need to do.”

“Let me make a few calls.”

“Thank you, bro. I really need to get off this fucking night detail. It’s fucking up everything.

Then I hit a nigga in the mouth last night.

So I might not even have a job anyway. Sonny’s cool, but I don’t want to work with no nigga I gotta put hands on.

You know me, bro. His ass going to the cemetery fucking with me. ”

“You been fighting already, nigga?”

“Fuckin’ young, white asshole called me the N word.”

My brother scoffed. “What? I can’t believe he lived to tell the story.”

“His only saving grace was the fact that he said N word instead of the actual word. Plus, there were witnesses.”

“When the hell have you ever cared about witnesses?” he wondered.

“When I was a month out of the joint with my mom in my ear telling me how she prayed me up out of that hell hole.”

“I’m glad to see you’re trying to change. I agree that you need a new job though. Are you taking that gig?”

“What gig?”

“Have you been checking your emails? There’s a gig for a dinner party.”

“You know I haven’t checked no emails. I’m not with all that computer shit. That’s what I got you for,” I reminded him.

“I’m not a secretary, lil’ nigga.”

“When is the dinner, Kross?”

“Tonight at seven.”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed.

“At seven.”

“Yes, tonight at seven, parrot ass nigga. They paid fifteen hundred. The original chef had to cancel last minute, so he’s paying a 10 percent bonus for someone to take it up.”

“Damn, I hate I gotta work.”

“I hate it too because I already accepted it on your behalf.”

“What? You should have asked me.”

“I didn’t feel like I needed to ask you. I know you’re trying to get your shit back rolling. The guy was all excited when I responded. He said he didn’t know you were back in business. You know a dude named Kierre?”

“Yeah, I met him in a pastry class back in the day.” I confirmed, recalling the only person in the class that I could relate to.

“Well he just looked out for you in a major way. He also sent over information about an app that you should download too.”

“Bro, I can’t leave my steady job for some one-off shit. Franklin wants to make sure that I’m keeping myself busy and out of trouble.”

“I hear what you’re saying, but this is the perfect chance to get back in the game. Kannon is already putting the word out in the industry that you’re back in business. From what he said, everybody is glad to hear that you’re back on the scene.”

I sighed. “Yeah for now anyway.”

“For good, my guy,” Kross corrected me. “I’m going to get you another shot.”

“Enough about that. How’s my niece?”

“She’s good aside from blocking like hell.”

“How’s she blocking?” I laughed knowing that some foolishness was about to follow.

“She’s in a phase where she’s sleeping with us. Janelle gets mad when I put her little ass back in her own bed. I’m trying to get a son before I’m forty-five.”

“Well damn.”

“I know they’re in cahoots. That’s why her mama insists on letting her sleep with us. I gotta sneak and get my own pussy. It’s crazy out here, bro.”

“I see. Thank God I don’t have those types of problems.”

“I ain’t gon’ lie, bro. It’s the best feeling in the world when I come home and both of their eyes light up like I brought the sun home with me. I wouldn’t trade my life for all the money in Fort Knox.”

“I hear you.”

“I pray that you find the same thing one day.”

“Naw, man. You can have that. Kannon told me you were whipped, but he didn’t say you were delusional too.”

“I’m sure he figured you knew that part already.”

“True. Well let me get home and whip up some breakfast. This might be my last good breakfast for a while.”

“Well shit, after I let the groomers in and check on the pits, I’ll slide through. I’m hungry as hell.”

“Bet.”

I got out of bed bright and early whistling a song that I couldn’t get out of my head as I made my mom breakfast. Knowing that my freedom was hanging in the balance took my appetite. I was too nervous to eat.

“Look at my handsome baby up cooking breakfast,” my mom sang as she walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Ma.”

“You’re up early. You must not have had to work late last night.” She observed.

“No, ma’am. I had a dinner party to cook for.” I filled her in.

“Oh, that’s good. So you’re building your client list back up?”

“I’m getting the word out slowly,” I assured her.

“When we go to church Sunday, I’ll have them make an announcement that you’re back in business.”

“I wasn’t planning on going to church Sunday, Ma,” I contested.

“The Lord don’t ask you for but one day out of the week. You think you survived in them folks’ prison all that time because you’re such a bad ass? There are a lot of bad asses six feet underground right now. The power of my prayers brought you back home to me safe.”

“I don’t deny that, Ma. I appreciate every single one you said for me. All I said was I hadn’t planned on going to church. It’s my only day off. I wanted to sleep in.”