Page 27 of Krist and Moanie
“Hell nah, it’s too early.”
He laughed. “But it ain’t too early for you to get a motherfucker touched. Yeah aight, ol’ fickle ass nigga.”
I waved him off. “You talked to Lexie?”
He nodded. “Yeah, she’s pulling up. Who you want touched?”
“Alley. Moanie’s cousin. She was supposedly on some shiesty shit about setting Moanie up. I’on like that.”
“And that’s her blood? Damn. Broads will do anything nowadays. I’ll get her ass over here. You know it’s been a minute since I seen a good hood brawl.”
I chortled. “Hell yeah, since you’ve been keeping your situations at bay. What, didn’t your baby moms catch a case for beating up ol’ girl downstairs from me?”
Ben laughed. “Hell yeah. Shit too messy.” Then he pulled his phone out and swiped around until he found the number he was looking for. He put his phone to his ear about fifteen seconds later.
“Yo. Yeah, come get that bread you asked for. Yeah, you know where you pulled up on me last time.” He hung up seconds later. I felt his eyes.
“For a couple dollars, some of these chicks be going. She think I’m about to pay her rent just because she let me touch her tonsils a few times. Fuck outta here.”
I nodded.
“You must really be feeling ol’ girl ,huh?” Him calling her ol’ girl wasn’t out of disrespect but instead his way of showing respect. Ben was used to calling women everything but their names and them just going with it because of who and how he was.
“Yeah.”
“Good. You ain’t no outside nigga anyway. You my brother. Shit, always will be, but you been better than this hood shit they made us.”
I didn’t ask what he meant because one thing about Ben was that he could ramble and talk that fake wise shit for hours. Healways made sense, like always, but it didn’t mean he followed his own words.
“You hear me, bro? You my brother for life.”
“Yeah, I got you. From the cradle to the grave, right?” I said, meaning every word since I became DP in my early teens.
He nodded, then mumbled the same words, eyes tracing every car that sped down the semi empty street. It was still early, so that was to be expected.
About ten minutes later Lexie arrived, and right after her, Alley. Shorty hopped out a rideshare and walked right up to Ben. Like the damn fool he was, he pointed in my direction. I didn’t know what she thought this shit was, but she quickly walked in my direction like I was about to give her something. What she didn’t see was Lexie’s gutter ass standing behind me, putting her braids in a ponytail.
“I knew my cousin couldn’t kee—” she started, but I put my hand up to stop her there.
“You plotting on my girl? Your blood?”
She blinked no less than ten times before she started to form a sentence, but Lexie’s fist connected with her jaw so quickly she probably swallowed her words. She fell instantly and let out the loudest wail I had ever heard.
“Answer his question,” Lexie demanded.
I glanced around the space, my eyes on everybody and everything. In this neighborhood this type of stuff was normal, so nobody in attendance would utter a word. This was entertainment.
“So. She wouldn’t give me the money and she’s fucking you. I gave you to her. I could’ve fuc?—”
I shook my head. “See, that’s that shit. She doesn’t owe you shit, and keeping it a buck, I wouldn’t have touched you with another motherfucker’s hand. Shit, I’m shocked my boy touched you.”
She looked pitiful. “What’s so special about her?”
My answer was simple. “Everything.” I meant that shit with my whole chest too. “So imagine my surprise when I heard you and your busted ass friends had intentions of fucking with her? Yeah, that got my blood boiling, but I don’t put my hands on women and I damn sure wasn’t about to have her out here fighting you. With that being said, take this ass whooping as a lesson. If you even think about touching mine, I’ma pay Cuz here to hospitalize your ass every time. Then I’ma pay the ambulance workers to drop your ass off in an alley. Stay your ass away from Moanie. As a matter of fact, when you see her, you don’t even fucking know her. You lost that privilege.”
She was about to speak, but Lexie did as I paid and pounced on her. For about three minutes straight, Lexie beat Alley’s ass and not a soul stepped in. Some lessons had to be taught and learned the hard way.
I spent a little bit longer and watched the ambulance take Alley. I made sure they took her ass to a different hospital because I didn’t want her in Moanie’s face with that shit.
