Promise Broken, page 3
“Why? It ain’t broken,” she informed him. Keys looked confused so she explained. “Y’all are a month behind on the rent, so I yanked the fuses! Y’all want air and I want my rent!”
“That’s cold,” Mouse said offhandedly.
“It also ain’t none of your fucking business!” Adelle shot back. “As a matter of fact, why are you still here? I’ve done my good deed for today. Scat, rat.”
Mouse mumbled something under her breath before walking off. Keys fell in step behind her. When Promise tried to join them, Dell stopped her.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Adelle folded her arms across her chest, glaring at Promise.
“I was just gonna kick it with Keys and Mouse for a second. I’ll be up in a few.” Promise told her.
“Girl, you must’ve fell and bumped your head. You got a debt to settle.”
“What debt? You didn’t have to pay anything back at the store.” Promise was confused.
“Fuck that store . . . I’m talking about the money you owe me for the gas, tolls, and the hours I couldn’t work because I had to come and get you.” Adelle said, ticking each thing off on one of her meaty fingers.
“Are you serious, Aunt Dell?” Promise couldn’t believe it.
“As a heart attack,” she assured her. “Now I know your broke ass ain’t got no money, so I figured you can work it off. I figured you could start by cleaning the apartment and then tend to clearing them dead branches out the backyard. Tomorrow I’ll think of some more shit for you to do.”
“Promise, you need us to stick around and maybe help out?” Keys offered. He was speaking to Promise, but shooting a dirty look at Adelle.
“I got it,” Promise told him.
“You wanna help somebody? Help your mama get that rent money up before I call the Marshals.” Adelle chuckled. “Now, bring your ass on. We’ve got work to do,” she made her way up the stairs and into the house.
Promise hesitated for a minute before following. She stopped and gave Keys and Mouse a phony smile letting them know that she would be okay.
Keys watched them disappear into the house, blood boiling and teeth chattering in anger. This was nothing new, the woman’s treatment of Promise. Since they occupied the same domicile, Keys got to witness Dell’s antics more often than he liked. Ever since he met Promise, he felt protective of her. Not that she needed him to protect her. Promise could handle her own, but Keys cared deeply for Promise. He hated that old bitch Adelle though. He could take the bullshit she did to his family as being tenants of hers, but what he couldn’t take was her treatment of Promise. Keys could never understand how a woman who had been entrusted to look after a child could treat them so harshly. Keys prayed for the day that karma would come to pay her a visit. He just hoped that he would be there to witness it.
CHAPTER 3
After being unceremoniously dismissed by Adelle, the trio had become a duo consisting of Keys and Mouse. Mouse and Keys were cool enough, but Promise was usually the glue that bound their group. It wasn’t often that they hung out together without her, which was shown in the few minutes of awkward silence between them after Promise left.
“So, what now?” Mouse finally asked, tired of standing there looking stupid.
“I dunno.” Keys shrugged. He cast a glance up at the window of Promise’s bedroom.
“I doubt if she’s coming back out today, so don’t get your hopes up,” Mouse teased.
“You always think you know something,” Keys replied.
“I know that your ass acts like you can’t move unless Promise tells you where to.” Mouse joked. Keys looked more offended by her statement than amused. “I’m only playing with you, Keys. You need to learn to loosen up.”
“What? I am loose,” Keys told her. He tried to strike a cool pose to back his statement but ended up looking awkward.
“Yeah, about as loose as virgin pussy!” Mouse doubled over laughing. “You ain’t never gonna get next to Promise walking around like you got a stick in your ass!”
“Fuck you, Mouse!” Keys spat. He stomped off through the small gate that separated the three-family house from the curb. Mouse had struck a nerve.
“Hold up, man!” Mouse caught up with Keys just as he was rounding the corner to the avenue. “I’m sorry, Keys. I was only playing with you.”
“Sometimes you play too much,” Keys said, never breaking his stride. He didn’t have a destination, he just needed to keep walking.
“Man, you act like I’m saying something that everybody doesn’t know already . . . everybody except Promise, and that’s only because her head is always somewhere else.”
“She’s got a lot on her plate for a kid her age,” Keys said, sounding way older than seventeen.
“I be knowing,” Mouse said reflectively. She knew Promise’s history and her struggles better than what Keys thought he knew, but it wasn’t her place to put Promise’s business out there like that. “Can I ask you something, Keys?”
“It’s not like if I said no it would stop you anyhow,” Keys replied.
“Why don’t you just tell her how you feel?”
“Who says I feel anything? Me and Promise are friends, just like me and you,” he said, downplaying it.
“Bullshit, because you don’t look at me the way you look at her. If you did, I’d know and probably give you what you’re looking for.” Mouse half-joked. “But on some real shit, you need to boss up and tell her that you like her.”
“And risk embarrassing myself? No thanks.” Keys gave a weak laugh.
“Stop selling yourself short, Keys. You’re a good dude,” Mouse said, encouraging him.
“Exactly, and that’s all I got to bring to the table—a good heart. Good-hearted guys don’t usually get the girl,” Keys said sadly.
“You’ll never know for sure until you shoot your shot,” Mouse pressed.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass on setting myself up for failure,” Keys replied. But Mouse was onto something. Keys really did like Promise. In fact, he may have even loved her, only he had never even been in love before. Keys just knew that whenever he saw Promise, he got butterflies. He’d often thought about telling Promise how he felt, but couldn’t stand the possibility of rejection. So he suffered in silence.
Their aimless walking brought them to the corner of Washington and West Kinney, in front of the liquor store. It was November, but the weather was fair so there were quite a few heads out. Not that there wouldn’t have been if the weather was poor. Rain, snow, or shine, you could always find someone on the strip. It just so happened that night some of the big dogs were out. The biggest dog in the group at the time was a kid named Abdul.
As far as the pecking order in their neighborhood went, Abdul was second only to B-Stone, who ran the hood. Abdul was a thick cat who sported a high afro and thick beard that looked like it had never seen a comb. His face was a portrait of battle scars that he had earned over the years and his nose sat off-center. A result of being broken in a fight and not going to the hospital to get it re-set properly. He had one cocked eye with a mind of its own so it made it hard to tell if he was speaking to you or not. Ab was as ugly as he was dangerous, but he had no shortage of women vying to occupy his bed night in and night out. It was one of the perks that came with being the number two guy in the neighborhood.
Keys lived on the block, but he wasn’t “of the block” like Mouse was. He stood off to the side watching her greet the young guys and a girl who were hanging out in front of the store. It always baffled him how outside the neighborhood you could hardly speak two words aloud, but in the thick of their block, she fit the environment like a glove. Mouse gave daps and received hugs like she was some ghetto politician. Mouse got a lot of love in the circle, but not every face was a smiling one. As Mouse was receiving her accolades from the guys, Ruby was leading a troupe of her girls out of the liquor store. Ruby was a tall girl, standing at nearly five feet ten. She looked more like a model than the roughneck that she was. She was chocolate with light brown eyes and an infectious smile—when she wasn’t scowling. Her hair was braided into twenty-six-inch red box braids that tickled her slightly more-than-a-handful of ass. When her eyes landed on Mouse, hugging one of the guys, her lips turned down into a frown. It only lasted for a second and it was doubtful that anyone else caught it, but Keys did and it made him uneasy. Most of the dudes in the hood feared Ruby more than they did Abdul.
Mouse was prying loose of Abdul’s greeting embrace when she accidentally backed up and stepped on Ruby’s sneaker. “My bad,” Mouse said timidly. She didn’t want any part of Ruby.
Ruby looked down at the smudge across the top of her Air Max, and back up to the girl. There was a tense moment where there were some who thought Ruby was about to swing, including Keys, but she was surprisingly gracious about it. “All good, boo. Just be mindful where you step next time. Next, pardon yourself. I gotta speak with my people right quick.” She dismissed Mouse. Mouse nodded, happy she didn’t end up having to throw hands. She wisely turned her attention to one of the other corner boys.
“Damn, Ruby. Why don’t you turn that goon shit down for a minute? You know I’m trying to blaze shorty,” Abdul told her.
“That hood rat will still be on this corner when I leave,” Ruby said confidently. “You seen your boy today?”
“Who?” Abdul faked ignorance.
“Come on, Ab, stop playing with me. I was supposed to meet Ash this afternoon, but he went ghost on me. I know you’re gonna see him because all y’all rolling to B-Stone’s birthday party,” Ruby said. A bewildered look crossed Abdul’s face as if he was trying to figure out what she was speaking of. “Nigga, don’t give me the dumb look. The whole hood is talking about B-Stone’s birthday party, and I know Asher is going. Of course, he got me riding the bench instead of showing up on his arm where I belong. Talking about ‘Ma, you know the opps gonna be lurking,’” she said, mocking Asher.
“That’s kind of true, Ruby. We gonna be in there thick, but the spot is still open to the public. None of us are taking our girls tonight. Just the fellas,” Abdul half lied. It was true, none of the fellas were showing up with their girls because there was going to be plenty of fresh pussy at the party. B-Stone knew a stripper who worked out of Linden and she was supposed to be bringing a few of her homegirls through.
“Opps being in the spot have never stopped him from letting go before. Y’all know how I play,” Ruby said, flashing the butt of the small gun in her handbag. “I ain’t even off all that. Your boy can do him, so long as he don’t get caught wrong we ain’t got no issue. If I were you though, I’d tell that muthafucka to make sure he walks softly.” She patted the bag.
“I ain’t no messenger boy, Ruby.” Abdul reminded her of his standing.
“Of course not, but because I know you love Ash you’ll be sure to tell him what I said. Later, Ab,” she saluted him and walked off. She made sure to cut across the space between Mouse and the boy she was now talking to. It was just her way of letting Mouse know not to make too much of the pass she had given because Ruby was still on her bullshit.
Keys watched Ruby lead her girls around the corner. He felt himself breathe a sigh of relief once she had gone. There was an air about her that screamed menace. He turned back to Mouse, who was now having a hushed conversation with one of the corner boys. They appeared to be negotiating something. What? Keys wasn’t sure, but when he saw Mouse motion in his direction he had a feeling that he had just been pulled into whatever the deal was. How far, he wouldn’t know until Mouse ambled over to him.
“You got any money on you?” Mouse asked Keys.
“Why?” Keys asked suspiciously.
“Because this nigga likes me and I’m about to get him to sell you an eighth for twenty-five dollars and I only got five on me.” Mouse explained.
“So? I don’t even smoke like that,” Keys told her. He was one of those dudes who never bought weed but would smoke with you if you had it.
“That don’t never stop you from wrapping those big-ass lips of yours around whatever me and Promise are passing. C’mon, man, let me hold the twenty, and I’ll get you back tomorrow!”
“How do you even know that I have twenty dollars?” Keys questioned.
“Because I know that your mother gives you an allowance every week and from your appearance, you ain’t spending it on clothes,” Mouse said.
“How you gonna talk slick and want a favor?” Keys folded his arms.
He had her there. Mouse had to think quickly. “Dig, you know right now Dell is working Promise like a runaway slave. Probably gonna be on her until tomorrow. I know my girl is gonna wanna blaze something to let go of some of that stress. Don’t you wanna be the one who came through when she needed it?” She was playing dirty by bringing Promise into it, but she didn’t care. She wanted to get blazed.
After a brief argument with himself, Keys went into his sock and got the twenty dollars for Mouse. He held it out but when she reached for it, he snatched it back. “But I wanna roll the blunt.”
“Boy, you know you can’t roll!”
“Can too!” Keys insisted. It was a bald-faced lie. Whenever it was left to Keys to roll the weed he always fucked it up. The blunt would have so many holes in it that you had to smoke it like you were playing the flute.
It was obvious that this would be a breaker if Mouse didn’t go along. So, she compromised. “Okay, you can roll the blunt we pull up on Promise with, but I’m rolling the first one. You ain’t fucking up my first high of the day.”
Once the two of them agreed on the terms, Mouse went to close the deal. The kid who she was buying the weed from was a bit more handsy than he had been before. As he passed her the weed, he let his hand run down over her back and palmed her ass. Mouse didn’t seem to mind. Their new familiarity made Keys wonder if more than money had been negotiated for that steep discount on the eighth.
“Bingo,” Mouse said when she rejoined Keys. “And he showed love,” she said as she pressed the sack of weed into his hand so he could get a feel for what he paid for. “I’m about to go in here and grab some Backwoods.” Mouse headed for the liquor store entrance.
“Thought all you had was the fuck bucks you spent on the weed?” Keys asked after her.
“I don’t. I got something better than cash—credit!” she told him before disappearing inside the store. She was out in less than a minute holding a pack of Backwoods and two loose Newport’s. Mouse came back out of the store, ready to grab Keys and go smoke up by the park, but his night was taking a different turn.
“Michael Jackson!” A familiar voice boomed behind Keys.
Keys didn’t have to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. The eyes of everyone who had been standing on the corner turned in the direction of the woman who was yelling and making a beeline in their direction. Keys knew with certainty that whatever small measure of cool points he had earned on the block were about to be flushed down the nearest gutter. “Shit,” was all he could manage to say before he felt a palm slap the back of his head. He turned to find his mother glaring angrily at him.
“This couldn’t possibly be my son hanging on the corner like some vagrant? Not the same son who breaks our backs to pay every year so that he doesn’t end up hanging on a corner. Dear Lord, please tell me that this is a wicked illusion, placed in front of me by the demons who would try and steer me wrong!” Ms. Bernadette came out spewing her infamous fire and brimstone.
“Ma, chill.” Keys tried to quiet her. People were starting to stare and he even heard a few snickers.
“How can I chill when I’ve still so much work to do?” Ms. Bernadette fired back. “The fact that my spirit pulled me to this corner to find my son in the throes of corruption when he told me that he was going to visit a friend is confirmation . . . confirmation that I’ve been playing you too loose.”
“What are you talking about? I’m less than two blocks from the house!” Keys pointed out.
“Evil lurks everywhere!” Ms. Bernadette insisted. “The only safe place is a sanctified place. That’s our home and the church, which are the only two places you’ll be going for a while. I need you to come home this instant, Michael.”
“Mom, just give me a minute. I’ll be right there. I promise,” he said, trying to get her to leave.
“Now! Or so as God is my witness, I’ll have your stepfather come down here to fetch you. His brother’s a police officer, you know?” Ms. Bernadette glared at the people standing around snickering. She paid special attention to Abdul as if she was trying to commit his face to memory.
“A’ight, this show is over.” Abdul stepped up, sensing that Ms. Bernadette was going to be a problem. “Listen to your moms, shorty. The Ave ain’t no place for you,” he told Keys, further salting an already deep wound.
“It’s no place for any of you. You young brothers and sisters out here just tossing stones at the penitentiary. That’s because you don’t have God in your hearts!” Ms. Bernadette accused. “I won’t let the devil have my son. No way, no how.”
“Old head, you need to get up outta here talking that bullshit!” One of the corner boys capped. A stern look from Abdul kept him from saying anything else.
“Ma’am, you ain’t gotta worry about it. I can guarantee you this is the last time you’ll see your boy on the block,” Abdul promised her. He gave Keys a hard look, letting him know that he had just been cast out before he was even let in.
“Let’s go, Michael,” Ms. Bernadette said as she pointed in the direction of their house. Keys was hesitant. “I’m not going to ask you again.”
“Take a walk, youngin’. Y’all making the spot hot,” Abdul added.
With his head low, Keys began his walk of shame. It was the most embarrassed he had ever been in his life.
