Street Fame (17 page)

Tommy stared at J.C. from across the table. J.C. looked as if he’d aged a decade since the last visit. He’d gotten some glasses, and his hair was significantly grayer than before.

J.C. cracked his knuckles. “So, JoJo has been fucking your woman, huh?”
“Yeah,” Tommy said then put his elbows on the table and looked around the crowded visiting room. “I can’t believe this shit.”
“Well, believe it, son. Let me tell you what I’ve been telling you all along. You ain’t got no friends.”
“Me, Joe, and Twin grew up together. That’s why it hurts.”
“I know. But let me tell you something. I told you I ain’t never liked that Twin ever since y’all were kids. His brother is a different story. I always knew he would be a good kid. You knew he would amount to something.”
“What about Joe?”
J.C. cleaned his glasses with his shirt. “I never thought Joe would do you like that, son.”
Tommy sighed. “I know.”
“But, Son, when you in them streets, nobody is your friend. You know the old saying: Ain’t no honor among thieves.”
“I’m starting to figure that out.”
J.C. smiled. “Now tell me about this new girl that has been keeping you busy.”
“Her name is Alicia. She’s from California. Her dad is this big real estate tycoon. He owns a mansion … all types of shit. The man has it going on. In fact, he’s showing me how to invest my money wisely …you know, putting it in some real estate.”
The smile disappeared from J.C.’s face. “Speaking of being wise, I heard you just got a new car.”
Tommy looked surprised. “How did you know that?”
“Man we hear everything in here, I heard you be parking your car in front of the club and shit.”
“Yeah, I did once.”
“Word in here is that you got the X game on lock.”
Tommy didn’t say anything. He just stared at his father. He couldn’t believe that everything he’d done had been broadcast all throughout the prison system. He thought he was being discreet, but everybody knew his business.
“So, is it true, boy?”
Tommy didn’t say anything.
“Nigga, what the fuck is wrong with you? I’m trying to get out of this place and you trying to come in here. I tell you what, I won’t be in here when you get here; that’s for damn sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“Man, as soon as they get those DNA results and check it against the hair fibers found at the scene of the rape, I’m out of here. My trial lawyer never fought for that.”
Tommy was happy for him. It had been eight years since his dad had seen the outside world. He had been convicted of raping a white university student. On the night the alleged rape had taken place, the young woman had been jogging, and a tall black man had jumped from behind some bushes and forced her behind a building. J.C. was working at the university at the time. He was waiting on the bus to take him home when the police grabbed him. He hadn’t been a free man since. He didn’t have the money for adequate representation at trial, so he was convicted and sentenced to twenty-five years.
“I’m telling you, Tommy, I’m close to being a free man again.”
“I know, Dad,” Tommy said looking away.
“Tommy, look at me.”
He looked into the man’s eyes.
“Hey, man, the shit you are doing out there ain’t you, man. This ain’t the life you want to lead. Everybody ain’t built for this.”
“I know,” Tommy said.
“Remember when you were a kid? When me and your mama used to take you fishing? You would jump on my back when we would leave the lake. I think you were about six or seven years old then.”
A huge smile appeared on Tommy’s face. “Those were the good old days.”
“Tommy, I never really had a biological son, only a daughter that I haven’t seen since her birth. But you are the only son I knew, the only son that I will ever love. I consider you my blood.”
“I know. I feel the same about you, J.C.”
“Tommy, don’t you want to experience things like carrying your son on your back, and teaching him how to fish?”
“Yeah, of course I do.”
“Well then, damn it, act like it!” His eyes were watery and he was oblivious to the onlookers.
Tommy had never seen him so angry.
Two corrections officers came over to the table. The taller one asked, “Is there anything wrong?”
“Naw, just having a discussion with my son.”
The guards walked away slowly.
J.C. zeroed in on Tommy again. “I just want you to be at home when I get out. You understand me?”
“Yes, sir ... I understand.” A tear rolled down Tommy’s face.
J.C. stood, walked over, and hugged him.
Tommy looked up at his father and said, “One more trip.” “Make this your last one, son. Promise me.”
“I promise.”

W
hen Tommy entered Twin’s house and saw JoJo sitting on the sofa, he turned to leave.
“Wait a minute, Tommy. I need to talk to you,” JoJo said.
“Fuck you, man. I ain’t got shit to say to you, man.”
“You are overreacting about this whole situation.”
Tommy turned to face JoJo. “I’m overreacting? You supposed to be my man, and I find out that you been fuckin my girl. How am I supposed to feel?”
“Hey, man, I’m sorry about what happened, and I can’t change that.”
Tommy looked at Twin. “Get this nigga out my face before I punch his goddamn lights out.”
“I want y’all to talk this shit over. We are friends, man. Been friends since the sandbox.”
“And friends are the very muthafuckas you got to keep your eye on.”
“That ain’t true, nigga. I won’t ever do anything to hurt you. I would never snitch on you. That says a lot in this business,” JoJo said.
“Do you like Nia, nigga?”
JoJo turned away.
“You don’t have to answer … you can have the bitch.”
“Tommy, don’t take this shit too seriously,” Twin said.
“When that white bitch took your money, you didn’t want nobody to tell you shit,” Tommy said.
“What do I have to do with what’s going on between y’all?”
“Nothing. That’s why I want you to stay the fuck out of it.”
“Come on, Tommy; this ain’t the end of the world,” JoJo said.
Tommy stepped closer and grabbed JoJo’s shirt, yanking him up. “Hey, muthafucka, you don’t have any idea how I feel. I had this woman in my house, sleeping in the same bed with her night after night, and she’s fuckin my best friend—a nigga I would have taken a bullet for.”
“Hey, man, let go of my shirt.”
Tommy shoved JoJo to the floor.
JoJo sprang up, grabbed a picture frame from the table, and charged at Tommy.
Twin got between them.
“Muthafucka, if you ever put your hands on me again, we’re going to be burying your fat ass.”
“That will be the day.”
“Come on, man, we got one more trip, then we can call it quits. You niggas got to be friends. We need to do business together.”
Tommy was fuming and breathing heavily.
JoJo put the picture frame back on the table. “I don’t need to be your friend.” “Good, because, nigga, we’ll never be friends,” Tommy said.
“That’s fine with me,” JoJo said.

At about 2 a.m., Twin heard a loud thud that appeared to come from downstairs. He’d been dozing off in bed. He didn’t see Jennifer. Then he remembered that she had gone downstairs to watch television. He called out her name.

She screamed. “Oh God. Help me!”
“Shut up, bitch. I will kill you.”
Twin realized he had an intruder in the house. He looked under

his mattress for the Taurus 9mm but remembered that he’d left it in his truck. “Fuck!” Why didn’t he set the home alarm? He grabbed the phone from the dresser.

Jennifer by the throat.
“I need money and I need it fast.”
“I’ve given you money already, and I’ve put you up on licks. And

this is the thanks I get?”
“Twin, I don’t want to hear that shit. I will kill this white bitch, then I
will blast your punk ass if you don’t give me no money.”
“How did you know where I live?”
“Nigga, I’m the best at tailing muthafuckas. Don’t you know?” “Twin give him the money,” Jennifer pleaded.
J-Black smiled. “I see why you didn’t want me coming here. I guess
you didn’t want me to see your lily white trophy, huh?”
Twin carefully stepped to his closet and eased out with a shoe
box. He dumped the money on the bed. “Five grand is all I have.” “I need more than this.”
“I don’t have it right now.”
J-Black put the butt of his gun in Jennifer’s mouth. He moved it in
and out. “I bet you suck good dick, don’t you?”
She began to gag.
“How about if I make your girl give me some head?”
Twin stared at him and said, “I ain’t giving you shit. I’m tired of
you extorting me. I ain’t got nothing else for you.”
J-Black took the barrel out of Jennifer’s mouth and aimed it near
Twin’s head. He pulled the trigger and blew a huge hole in the wall
about the size of a small cantaloupe.
Twin hit the floor as if he’d been shot.
The smoke detector went off.
“I’m sure the neighbors heard that,” Jennifer said.
J-Black released Jennifer and scooped up the money. “Muthafucka.
I will be back. You better have something better for me or else I’m
going to tell your boys you’re the one that’s been having them robbed.”
J-Black rushed downstairs and hurried toward the back door. “What is he talking about? You set your friends up?”
“I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about.”
“Twin, did you have Tommy and JoJo robbed?”
Twin sat on the bed and refused to look at her.
“You had your friends robbed?” Jennifer asked again. “Not quite.”
“What do you mean,
not quite
?”
Twin looked Jennifer in the eyes. “J-Black is a crazy muthafucka.” “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Well, he threatened to kill me if I didn’t give him somebody to
rob.”
“And now look, he’s still threatening to kill you.”
“I know.”
“Baby, we’ve got to move or else he’s going to come back. I don’t
feel safe here. Isn’t he the one that raped Nia?”
“Yeah.”
“And you held all of that in? You didn’t tell Tommy that you knew
who raped his girl?”
Tears rolled down Twin’s face. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Are you really his friend?”
“Hell yeah. How can you ask me something like this?” “Because all you care about is yourself.”
Twin put his head between his legs. “Don’t everybody think about
themselves?”
She didn’t answer.
“But, you’re right, we have to go. We have to leave here. Let’s go
to the condo downtown.”

They were at an exclusive resort in Negril, Jamaica. The rooms were large. There were no doors. The view from Tommy and Alicia’s room was breathtaking. They could see both the huge pool and the ocean. They noticed that people were walking around the pool naked. Everyone was free, doing what they wanted to do.

“This is the life,” Tommy said.
“I tell you what, it’s damn sure different,” Alicia said.
Tommy stripped to his boxer shorts. “Take off your clothes, baby.

Let’s meet Twin and Jennifer at the pool.”
“Damn, Tommy. The way you stripped, it’s like you’ve been here
before. I’m comfortable with mine, too, but I don’t know if I want
everybody to see me.”
“Everybody is naked. Don’t worry about this. I mean, this is what
life is all about. You can’t take nothing serious. You’re born; you
grow; you get old; and you die. We have to live every moment. You
know what I mean?”
“I guess it’s different ‘cause you’re a man.”
“I don’t think Jennifer is going to have a problem with being nude,
either.”
Alicia frowned. “Of course not. She’s a stripper.”
“Okay, why don’t you just come down to the pool in a thong.” “Okay, that might work. And if I get comfortable, I’ll take it all off.” *****

At the pool, drinks and roasted duck were being served Tommy and Twin were walking around trying to check out the women. Alicia and Jennifer were relaxing on towels, taking in the sun.

“I’m glad we finally get to talk,” Jennifer said. “I feel like I know you from somewhere … your face.”
“I heard a lot about you, but you don’t look familiar.”
“All good, I hope,” Jennifer smiled.
Alicia didn’t respond.
“Have you ever been to a nude beach before?”
“No.”
“Twin tells me that you’re from Cali… Don’t they have nude beaches in Cali?”
“I think so, but this really isn’t my cup of tea.”
“Your body is absolutely amazing. I mean, if I had a body like yours … I’d flaunt it.”
“Thank you,” Alicia said.
“I hope you don’t think I’m trying to hit on you.”
Alicia laughed a little. “Not at all.”
“So how do you feel about the lifestyle?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The lifestyle of being a drug dealer’s girl.”
“I don’t see myself as a drug dealer’s girl; I’m just doing my thing, you know? I don’t need anything Tommy has. I’ve always had money.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. My dad is a real estate mogul.”
“I’m from a trailer park, myself.”
A waitress appeared. A tall Jamaican man with short dreadlocks. He was holding two drinks. “Two sex on the beaches, compliments of the man sitting at the table on the other side of the pool.”
The man stood. He was a white man wearing nothing but a straw hat. His little pink pecker was pointing in their direction.
The women held the drinks up and thanked the man.
“Not my type,” Alicia said.
“Definitely not mine,” Jennifer said.
“The waiter, though … I’d like to see him if I wasn’t involved. You know?”
“Hell yeah. That man is fine,” Jennifer said.
“You’re cool.”
Jennifer became silent. She didn’t know what to make of Alicia. She seemed like a girl she could confide in, but she was Tommy’s girlfriend. She knew that eventually Tommy would get caught, but she didn’t want someone so innocent to go down with him. She hoped that Alicia wasn’t holding drugs or money for Tommy. She didn’t want her new friend to get in any trouble. “You know the game ain’t kind to nobody,” Jennifer said.
Alicia looked at Jennifer then said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not breaking any laws. I don’t hold drugs. I don’t smuggle drugs. I don’t take drugs, or dealers’ money, or none of that shit.”
“So why are you here, and who do you think paid for this trip?”
Alicia was quiet for a minute. Then she sipped her drink. “Good point.”
Jennifer got up and walked to the pool. She stuck one foot in. “The water is cold.”
“You have a great body yourself.”
“Thanks, but you know the tits are store-bought.”
“I ain’t mad at ya.”
“You’re cool. I want to tell you something, but I don’t know if you can keep a secret.”
Their eyes locked.
Twin walked up and smiled.