Page 42 of All The Smoke
“Why you say that?” I grinned. “I’m always nice.”
“Yeah, okay.” He laughed. “I need to go shower while they have my door open though, bro, but I’ll call you tonight to get an update.”
“Man, I’m not going today.” I frowned. “I’m ’bout to go push up on this lawyer nigga because his ass is in town for another client.”
I had been trying to get in touch with him since Bishop came to my crib talking all that bullshit. I didn’t appreciate him having talks with someone that had nothing to do with my brother’s case nor did I appreciate him saying this shit was pointless. I was paying him hella bread to make something happen for my brother. If he felt like he couldn’t, then he needed to run it by me.
Plus, Kaori could wait. She was the one that tried to play me and I was gon’ make her stand on that shit. I wasn’t some lil hoe ass nigga for her to toss aside then come running when her ass had a positive test. Besides, those could have been anyone’s tests.
“Solomon…”
I cut him off. “Naw, I’m the one paying the retainer. His ass don’t need to be discussing yo’ shit with nobody but me.”
He released a heavy sigh before saying, “Okay, I know I’m not going to be able to stop you from going, but talk to the man with sense, Smoke. You know how temperamental you are.”
“Quit psychoanalyzing me, my nigga.” I chuckled. “I’m gon’ be cool.”
“Aight, let me get off this phone though, bro. I love you and tell Solo I’ll holla at him later.”
“I got you. I love you too.”
After disconnecting the call I finished dressing so I could go pull up on this bitch ass attorney. He was defending another nigga from around his way in Cali with a high profile case so I was gon’ push up on him.
On the way to Diablo’s where that janky ass attorney was having his business meeting, I stopped at the gas station. I needed to grab some more cigars and get Solo the freeze-dried Skittles he had been begging me for.
“Smoke?” I heard someone call out from behind me. When I turned around I saw it was Meka, the bitch my brother was fucking with before he caught his bid. She was smiling hard as fuck and tried to hug me but I side stepped her.
“Don’t touch me.”
“You’re still mean.”
“Not mean, we just ain’t ’bout to be hugging and shit like we cool,” I replied. “I ain’t forgot how you left my brother for dead.”
I paid for my shit then left the store with her following me closely.
“Smoke, wait,” she said, grabbing my forearm.
“Meka, for real, quit touching me, fam.”
“I’m sorry.” She lifted her hands in mock surrender. “I just want to… how is he? Your brother.”
I wanted to tell the hoe to get on about her fucking business because she ain’t been worrying about him, but I didn’t. Meka had been ghost the entire time, claiming she couldn’t put her life on hold for him which was ironic because he damn sure put his on hold for her ass. Had it not been for her, he wouldn’t have even gotten jammed up. Noah had received a full-ride scholarship to Ohio State when he was in high school and turned the shit down to stay here with her ass. But as soon as he got jammed, she dipped. I lost all respect for her.
“Why, Meka?” I frowned. “Why you worried about how he doing now? You ain’t been giving a fuck.”
“That’s not fair, Solomon,” she responded sadly. “I loved Noah, I still do. I just… I don’t know. My father?—”
“Fuck yo’ pops, Meka,” I snapped, cutting her off. “You worried about yo’ crooked ass father when he ain’t ever give yaass a second thought. When you needed money for cosmetology school, who busted their ass to get it for you? Not ya pops. When you were hungry, needing a ride, trying to flex for your rat ass homegirls in the latest shit, who the fuck kept you up? Not ya fuckin’ pops,” I spat. I was fuming standing in front of her because she was another mothafucka that used my brother until she couldn’t no more and tried to act like shit was sweet. I wasn’t going for it though. She could go tell another mothafucka who ain’t know the real that shit. “Move.”
I opened my door and prepared to get in my car because as far as I was concerned the conversation was done. I wasn’t going to give her ass the satisfaction of knowing how well my brother was doing because if she really gave a fuck she would already know.
She was still standing in the same place and barely made it out of the way when I burned rubber out of the parking lot. Seeing her ain’t do shit but put me in an even worse mood so if the attorney nigga said anything wrong I might fuck around and end his ass.
When I arrived at Diablo’s, I walked straight past the hostess and made my way to the back where the private rooms were with the host chasing me. I figured with his status and the status of his client they were ducked off and that was cool with me.
The less witnesses, the better.
“Sir, you cannot be back here,” the host said when he finally caught up to me.
