Queen of the City 3: The Life of a Female Rapper, page 8
Later that day, I took Prince to the HIV clinic. The women there gave me advice on protected sex and every other precaution I needed to take now that I was an HIV patient, but everything they told me went in one ear and out the other. Personally, I just wanted this shit to be over as quick as possible but in the meantime, I didn’t care about anything else. They pricked my son and drew his blood, but oddly enough, he didn’t even cry. I laughed when I thought about everything it took for Dr. Carter to draw my blood. With that, they told me they would have his results in a few weeks, but they wanted to meet with me again next week. I smiled and told them okay, knowing good and well that I wasn’t coming back unless Prince’s results were positive. I heard Big Mama as I drove home. She was scolding me for being hard-headed, but I turned the volume on the radio up. I wasn’t in the mood to hear her right now. My mind was set directly on what I needed to do, and right now, Nas was the only person my mind could focus on. Slow death? I said to myself as Prince smacked one of his toys on the window. I glanced at him through the rearview, and he looked right back at me with a straight face. His innocence enraged me even more.
Chapter 11
“Lyric, you aight?”
“I’m good.”
I rode quietly in the car all the way to our spot. I mean, I didn’t usually say much anyway, but this time I was more focused than before. I just wanted to get in and get all the money we could without wasting any time. I wasn’t in the mood for the dancing and shit, especially if one of the girls wanted to fuck. It was only four of us this time, including Malley and I, so we all rode in the same car. We went to a small city just outside of Rockwall. One of the girls met two guys at a strip club and got them to come chill with us for a while.
“Lucy, how you know these niggas again?” Malley asked.
“Strip club. They were throwin’ twenties and shit at some of them hoes on the stage, so I went over to them to see what was up. They walked me outside, and they both had a fucking Benz with some smooth ass chrome wheels and shit. From what I could tell, they had bread.”
“Squares?”
“Nah, I mean, not like the last niggas. They seem like some regular ass muthafuckas. Nothing special.”
We arrived at a small motel that looked like shit on the outside. “What the fuck?” I asked as we pulled in. Two of the letters were out of light bulbs as we drove into the parking lot. “Malley, for real?” I asked. She looked at Lucy as Lucy responded, “I didn’t know they were bringing us here.” Malley stopped the car just beyond the entrance, “This shit looks like the place they take muthafuckas before they get killed.” Grass grew in random spots of the parking lot and the red paint on the doors was chipped off, exposing the large wood that was just beneath it. “Hell no,” Quandra said, “I’m not going in there. Fuck around and catch AIDS and shit just by breathing the air.”
She didn’t know my situation so I couldn’t get mad at her, but I was ready to turn around and put the gun to her face. “Bitch, stop being funny,” Lucy said as she laughed, “come on. These niggas got money and we trying to get paid, so let’s just go in there and see what they are on.” Malley parked the car, and we all got out and headed to the number. He opened the door; his locks flowed from his head in every direction with gold tips at the end of them. He smiled, “Whassup, ladies? Come on in.” I walked in first as the rest of them came in after me. The other man inside looked just like the first one, except he was darker and his locks weren’t golden at the tip. He had tattoos on his forearms as he sat in the chair right next to the bed. Lucy came in and spoke right with him,
“Why the fuck you got us in this bummy ass roach motel??”
“I’m married, and my wife got all those hotels in the city on lock. This was the only spot we could go to get this party goin’, you know what I’m sayin?”
“Bummy. Ass. Motel.”
He laughed, “Aye, you acting like we about to spend the fuckin’ night here or something. We came here for a good time and shit, so chill with all that and show us why y’all came here.”
Lucy stepped back next to Quandra, and they stripped down to their underwear. “Yeah,” he said, “that’s all I’m sayin. Bring yo’ lil thick ass over here.” Lucy walked over to him, and when Quandra sat on the other man’s lap, I pulled my pistol out. “Look, I really don’t have time for this shit today, aight? Y’all thought we were about to strip for y’all and shit but fuck that, y’all niggas strip.” The two men looked at each other and then burst out laughing, “Bitch, are you crazy? You must be crazy. Now, put that fuckin’ gun up before you scare these bitches in here.” Malley looked at me out of the corner of her eye as Lucy and Quandra were confused momentarily. Suddenly, they stood up off the men’s lap and backed towards us as Malley pulled her pistol out, “You heard her. This shit is not a game, STRIP!”
They didn’t move until we both chambered a bullet in our guns and after that, they slowly began removing their shirts. They were both riddled with tattoos all over their chests and abs, and moments later, they dropped their pants. Their dicks hung low, and Lucy shook her head,
“Fuck, Lyric! Shit!”
“Bitch shut the fuck up. We came here to get money, not dick. You get that shit on yo’ time or prostitute yo’ ass out to Deeko’s men.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Ladies!” Malley yelled out, “this is not the time for that shit! Lucy, grab what’s in their pants. Quandra, go check their car.”
The two of them did as they were told as we stood there with our guns aimed directly at them. “Do y’all think y’all are going to get away with this? Really? Y’all must not know who y’all fuckin’ with.” I stepped closer to them, slowly, relishing the opportunity to fire my pistol and end his life, “I don’t give a fuck who you are. What you should be worried about is who I am.” The man was on his knees in front of me with his hands behind his head. He smiled and blew a kiss at me as I stepped closer to him.
“Lyric,” Malley yelled out, “relax, baby. Relax.”
“Yeah, baby, you heard what that bitch said. Relax.”
Before I could react, Quandra walked back in with two bags in her hand, “Credit cards and cash, y’all. We good.” Lucy took the money they had inside their pockets and stuffed it in her bra, “We good here, too.” Malley tossed the two girls some rope to tie them up to the bed. “Rope?” one of the men said as he started laughing, “Damn, y’all bitches are serious, huh? A got-damned rope, bruh. These bitches got a rope!” Lucy tied one of the men up, and as Quandra worked on the other one, I noticed something. The non-verbal communication they had going on between each other became completely evident. “What the fuck was that?” I asked, stepping closer to them.
“What was what?”
“Don’t play stupid! I saw the motion you made to him with your eyes.”
“What?”
“Oh, you think I’m stupid, right?”
“Lyric?” Malley asked curiously, “What’s up, girl? You aight?”
I took my eyes off the man that Quandra was tying up, and suddenly, she was flung to the side of the room. When I glanced back at him, he dove under the bed and without thinking twice, I fired my pistol. The bullet seemed to leave the barrel in slow motion and pierced his chest. Lucy jumped as Quandra and Malley looked in horror as the man slouched over onto the ground and blood poured from his body. “Fuck!” Malley said out loud, “Grab the shit! Grab the shit and let’s go!”
We rushed out of the motel room and got into the car; seconds later, we sped off. “Lyric! Lyric, what the hell!?” Lucy yelled from the back seat.
“He was making a move!”
“If you let us check the room in the beginning then we woulda caught that shit! Fuck! You have been on some shit all fuckin day!”
I spun around and pointed the pistol at her, “Yeah, I been on some shit and what the fuck are you gonna do it about it, huh?”
“Oh my God, Malley, you need to calm yo’ bitch down. She got the wrong one.”
“Oh, I do? I’ll put one right through you just like I did that nigga back in the room, keep fuckin’ with me.”
“Lyric, yo, just chill,” Quandra said, trying to diffuse the situation.
Malley chimed in, “Lyric, just relax, aight? All y’all, just chill the fuck out!”
I turned around in my seat as Malley sped down the highway. My hands were shaking as I began to realize what I’d just done. I had put everybody with me in danger and possibly ended somebody else’s life. Silence flooded the car as Malley drove back to her apartment. Lucy tossed her the money she took from the guys and got out of the car without speaking to anyone. Moments later, she got in her car and left. Quandra followed right behind her and left me in the car with Malley. “Lyric, you wanna tell me what the fuck all that was about?” I shook my head as the street illuminated both of us inside the car. Suddenly, it was just time.
“His name is Nas, right?”
“What?”
“Nas. The nigga you used to fuck with back in Ohio.”
Her mouth hung open. “Wait, I’m trying to understand what is going on right now.”
“The nigga you used to fuck with in Ohio, the one that moved to Milwaukee. His name is Nas. Nasir Jones.”
“You know him?”
“Know him? I was with him for about a year.”
I thought she would be a little upset when she found out my past with him, but she didn’t even seem fazed by it. I let her know that the little boy she saw at my house was actually his son.
“What? That’s his son!? You know what, I knew he favored Nas, and I said it to myself, I just didn’t think it was his. It was too big of a coincidence for me.”
We ended up chilling in the car for at least an hour, talking and understanding each other. We eventually got to the point that I had to tell her about the infection. I wanted to let her know why I was so erratic and out of character, and she understood.
“I did the same thing. I’ve had it for about five years now, and it’s in the dormant stage, so who the fuck knows what’s going to happen next.”
She helped me understand what she went through when she found out, and in turn, she knew where I was coming from. It felt good to have somebody who knew exactly what I was going through, but in the process I found out that we actually had the same intentions. She had ill will towards Nas just as much as I did, and we were both plotting ways to make him pay for poisoning us, but when I told her my plans, she was all for it. She wanted to kill him for revenge; I just wanted Prince to remain safe, especially if his test came back negative.
“Shit, I’m down for whatever, Lyric. Just let me know and I’m there.”
Chapter 12
She straightened shit out with Quandra and Lucy, but we all had to lay low for a while because of how I fucked up. It had been about a week since our last heist and for the time being, there wasn’t any extra attention coming our way from the police or anyone else. I got a phone call from the clinic later that day,
“Hello Miss Sutton, this is Amy Price. Your son’s results came back, and he tested negative for the virus. Now, I’m not sure how to explain that because it almost never happens, but your son is completely healthy. Now, as far as you go, if you would like to come back in this Saturday, we can get you set up with an official counselor.”
“Ok, I’ll come this Saturday.”
“How is 2 pm?”
“2 pm is fine.”
“Ok, we got you down for 2 pm. See you then.”
I had no intention at all of going to the clinic. My son had a clean bill of health and to me, that is all that mattered. My next thing to do was to work on taking care of Nas. I called Vinny, but his phone went straight to voicemail. This was the third time I had called him in the past few days, but I hadn’t heard back from him, and it was definitely out of his character. I was uneasy when I called him later that night and got the same result. The only way to put my mind at ease was to head to Milwaukee myself just to check things out.
Early the next morning, I headed back to the city. It had been almost six months since I’d been back and I was anxious to see it again with my own eyes. Things looked just the way they did when I left. Big Mama’s house was still kept up. The grass was cut and the bushes were trimmed, it even looked as if the outside had a fresh paint job on it. That nigga Vinny has been earning his keep, I said to myself as I pulled into the driveway. His car wasn’t around, so I figured he had to be at work. I walked in, and the living room was spotless. I smiled, imagining that Big Mama herself had come to clean it up. That is just how good it looked. I walked into the kitchen as nostalgic feelings flooded through my mind. Flashbacks of Big Mama in the kitchen, cooking over the stove brought a smile to my face.
“Lyric, take your elbows off that table! You know I raised you better than that!”
I laughed when I remembered how she used to swing the belt at me just to scare me. I made my way into her room, and it still looked the same. The peace that always rested in the atmosphere whenever I walked in was still there as if it waited for me to come back. I walked over to the picture of Mama that was pinned between the dresser mirror and the frame. I picked it up and placed it in my pocket, “You won’t mind if I take this, will you, Big Mama?” The peace agreed with my choice as I reached for my phone to dial Vinny’s number again. It still went straight to voicemail, so I decided to leave and check out a few more places.
When I got outside, Shaunie was just headed up the cement steps on her way to the house. “Oh my God, Lyric?” She walked up to me and hugged me around the neck,
“It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
I smiled, “Yeah, it’s been a minute. You been aight?”
“Yeah, I been straight, I was just coming over to holler at Vinny because he wasn’t answering his phone.”
“I thought he was at work?”
“He must be, but I thought he had the day off.”
“He ain’t in there. You know he usually in the front playing his game and shit.”
“Yeah, I know. But how is Rockwall?”
“Boring as hell.”
We sat down on the porch,
“You had to know it was going to be like that, though.”
“Yeah, but damn, you know? I’m about to fuckin’ go crazy.”
“Shit, at least it’s safer than here. You know yo’ boy Nas got out and that nigga been on a fuckin’ rampage and shit.”
“Yeah, I heard he got out. What he been doin?”
“He shut down the whole east side with this shit. Don’t nobody go over there no more unless people is buyin’.”
“Nobody new poppin’ up?”
“Not really. It was a young cat that came out here trying to do something but after a while nobody saw him anymore. He either left or Nas took care of him.”
“Damn. You know where he is at?”
“Who, Nas?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit, same spot down off Buffum. Motherfuckas know where he at and shit but still don’t test him.”
“Aight. Well, I’m about to roll down to Vinny’s job and holla at him.”
“Ok, Lyric. It was good seeing you and when you see Vinny, tell that nigga I need my money!”
I laughed, “Aight.”
We hugged each other, and I watched her walk down the block until she disappeared around the corner. Right after that, I called Vinny’s phone again, but it went straight to voicemail for the third time. “Fuck, Vinny,” I said out loud as I got in the car and drove off. When I got to his job, they told me that Vinny hadn’t shown up today. “Uh, Vinny was scheduled to come in, but we haven’t heard from him. If you do happen to see him, though, please tell him to call in. We don’t want to have to let him go, but we will.”
I left his job, and the nervousness crept into my heart as I headed back to Big Mama’s house. I hoped that his car was parked outside in the driveway when I got there, but to my dismay, his spot was still empty. I glanced around the neighborhood before I got out and headed back to the front door. The house was just the way I left it, and suddenly, a sickening feeling pumped through my stomach. His room, I thought to myself, I didn’t even go in there when I got here the first time. I crept down the hallway to his door and put my ear to it, listening for any movement inside. When I didn’t hear any, I twisted the knob on the door. The covers were thrown off his bed, and his dresser was turned over to its side. When I walked in, I saw him with his back against the wall and his head slouched down to his chest.
“Vinny!”
I yelled his name out and rushed to him as blood just began to dry on the side of his mouth, “Vinny! Oh my God, Vinny!” He slowly lifted his head up and his eyes opened just a little bit. I searched his body for the wound; a knife was stuck in his side just below his armpit. Blood soaked his shirt, and as his eyes opened wider, he struggled to breathe even more.
“Hold on, Vinny! Just hold on, aight!”
I fumbled my phone as I pulled it out of my pocket to call the police. “Vinny, hang on, aight! They are coming!” His breathing became harder and harder as I saw the panic in his eyes while he coughed out more blood. “They are coming! It’s going to be alright, Vinny! It’s going to be alright!” Moments later, I heard sirens coming closer to the house and before I knew it, the paramedics were inside, pulling me away from him. I leaned against the wall as they worked to keep him alive and his blood spilled out onto the floor. Just then, they lifted him onto the stretcher and rushed him out of the house. I trailed them all the way to the hospital as tears blurred my vision and almost caused me to crash multiple times.
We all arrived, and they rushed him to emergency as I stood in the waiting room, pacing back and forth nervously. This can’t be happening, I said to myself, this can’t be happening! I waited there for a few hours until the doctor came out of the room solemnly. I shook my head in disbelief before he could even get the words out, “No, no, noooo!” I yelled out as the doctor tried to calm me down. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he said, attempting to settle me but it wasn’t enough. Vinny’s dried blood was on my hands and that, in itself, said everything that needed to be said about the way he died.
