Page 3 of Meek: Chasing That Gangsta Love
I looked downat my red skin; I guess since I was so used to it, I wasn’t even itching anymore. “I’m sorry about that.”
“No need to be sorry,it’s not your fault, it’s your sorry ass mama’s fault.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out a fifty-dollarbill handing it to me. “Here, I didn’t make much at the crap game last night, but you can have this, make sure you have food and shit, hygiene and all of that, I mean, I don’t really know. I’m just trying to look out since you always come through for me.”
I tuckedit in my bra and waited for Meek to crawl out of my window before standing up.
“I’ll see you around.”He said walking off with his dreads hanging.
I closedthe window back and took a deep breath before putting those same jeans on with a different shirt. Instead of putting on my Old Navy slides, I put on the only pair of Air Max that I had. I took care of those shoes with my life. I picked up my brush and dipped it in the cup of water that I had sitting on my nightstand so I could slick my hair up.
When I walkedout the room, my mama was sitting on the couch watching the News just as the house phone rang. She snatched it from the receiver without greeting me first. “Hello? And who the fuck might his be? Kisha don’t get no phone calls on my fucking phone, you better make this your last time!” She warned and passed me the phone. I know she saw the bruise on my face from her slapping me, but she ignored it.
“Hel-Hel-Hello?”I stuttered feeling uneasy, especially about talking on the house phone.
“You little dirty bitch!I saw Meek climbing out of your window this morning! When I see you, I’m going to fuck yourdirty ass up. You think your mama be over there fucking you up in that stank ass apartment but watch what I do to you!” Dreka barked in my ear before hanging up.
“Who the fuck was that?”My mama asked.
“That wasmy friend from upstairs asking if we were still going to look for jobs today.” I said.
“Humph.”She rolled her eyes. “Well, you damn sure better do something cause your lazy ass won’t be living off me. Lock the door on the way out.”
I wasn’t scaredof Dreka, but I was still smart enough to watch my back, so I took the back ways of the projects instead of the normal route. This Miami heat was something serious today and I instantly felt my clothes sticking to me. I was headed to a little boutique down the street hoping to buy me at least one outfit. Next, I hopped on the bus and headed over to Walmart so I could purchase more panties, bras, and some personal hygiene. I was working with $250 so I was going to have to spend it wisely.
By the timeI got back to the projects, everyone was out by now and I’d completely forgotten about Dreka and her threats. It wasn’t until it was time for me to walk pass her building, did I remember, and thank God, I saw her before her and her friends saw me. I took a left to go the back way dodging that bullet. When I made it to my building, my mama was sitting on the couch getting ready to shoot up in her veins. A gush of sadness overcame me.
“What the fuck you looking at?”She asked. “Go to the store and get me another pack of cigarettes.”
I ranto my room and sat my bags down before running back out to do as I was told. I ran all the way to the store and back, but this time when I went the back way, Dreka and her crew were waiting for me.
“Didn’tI tell you I was going to fuck you up!” She charged me like a bull throwing a blow to my face. I dodged it causing her to swipe the side of my face and fall to the ground. Before I let her get the best of me, I threw a blow to the side of her face getting ready to defend myself.
Before I could getthe second blow; I was being pull down by my hair from behind.
“Ahhh!”I screamed out in agony, that shit hurt like hell, but nothing hurt worse than the way the five of them jumped me and took turns using my body for a kicking and punching bag. I lay balled up in a fetal position trying desperately to protect my face.
The only thingthat made these bitches stop was the fact Rags was coming out of his girlfriend’s building and ran over to stop it. “Yo what the fuck ya’ll doing?!” He slung them off of me one by one. One of her friends tried to jump back at him and he balled his fist up warning her. “Bitch I wish you would.” He growled.
She suckedher teeth as I stood up with my whole body aching. Blood dripped from my nose as well, so I used my shirt to try andstop it. I guess I was gonna be down by four shirts now because I knew this blood wasn’t coming out.
Dreka sucked her teeth.“Fuck you Rags, the only reason you’re even saving this hoe is because she’s been sucking your little ass dick!” She fumed. “Yeah, I saw ya’ll last night, that’s why I’m telling everybody.” She smirked.
I sho’nuff feltlike a dirty little tramp after that, I felt the vomit in the pit of my stomach as I looked at Rags with hurt eyes. I took off to my building wishing I could hide and never come back.
“That’swhy I called social services on ya’ll dirty bitches! They’re gonna come take you away from yo mama!” Dreka taunted me but that shit fell on deaf ears. I didn’t care about anything anymore.
I walkedin the house with the bruised face and the tears falling. I reached in my pocket and sat the cigarettes next to my mama on the couch since she was high as hell and didn’t have a clue to what was going on around her. Once again, I went in the bathroom to wash myself up. My face and body both wore bruises. When I got to my room, I closed the door and threw my body on top of the mattress where I stayed for the rest of the day. I didn’t worry about my mama bothering me knowing that she’d be incompetent for at least another day. At midnight, Meek came knocking on the window and I let him in. This time he had a tiny cake in his hand.
“What’s that for?”I asked.
“You forgot it’s your birthday?”He shoved it in my hands. I turned on the tiny lamp and smiled forgetting the fact that the sheet wasn’t covering my body.
Meek frowned examiningme up and down. “What the fuck happened to you Kish? Who the fuck did that shit to you?” He gently grabbed my arm and looked at every bruise my body wore.
“Drekaand her friends did it because she saw you climbing out of my window.” I said removing my arm from his grip and wrapping myself in the sheet again.
He balledup his fist with visible anger wearing his facial expression. “I’ve been in Broward all day and I rushed back in time to catch you by midnight, but I promise you I’mma handle this shit in the morning.”
I didn’t wantto dwell on what happened; neither did I want to live in misery. I was still a firm believer that I was God’s child, and he had a happier ending for me. I picked up the pretty pink cake that said, ‘Happy 17thbirthday Kish’ and thanked him again.
