Black & Ugly (32 page)

Miss Wayne stands in the kitchen for a minute, looking at the phone and fanning himself with his hand. I can tell that whatever just happened isn't good.

He walks over to the couch, sits down and tries to regain his composure. Parade follows him.

"What happened?" Parade asks. "Is everything okay with Miss Rick?"

"Hell no!" he yells. "Girl, I told his ass not to use the card again after he got the last things. He goes and uses it behind my back, and of course it was reported stolen. I shoulda took it away from his simple ass!"

"Damn. I thought you told me he brought the stuff he wanted the last time he had the card," Parade quesT. Styles

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tions.

"He did, girl. But
she's
a greedy bitch. So, now they have his ass up in jail lookin' like a fuckin' idiot. I'm so mad, y'all, I don't know what to do." He pauses as he puts his face in his hands. "Then on top of everything, he has the nerve to ask me to bail his dumb ass out. Do I look like a fuckin' fool?" he continues while switch-ing his hands from the air to his hips.

"Damn. You think he gonna say something?" I ask.

"I don't know, chile. Hopefully he'll chill out and not open his mouth. Who knows?" he responds. He puts his hand on my leg, acknowledging that he hasn't forgotten about me.

"Well, we'll have to keep our fingers crossed because you know Miss Rick runs his mouth like a bitch," Parade adds.

"That ain't the only thing he running," Miss Wayne retorts as his voice gets lower. "I almost forgot until he called, but he's been sleeping with Cliff for the longest and the worst part is this - he's HIV positive." I'm in the room, but it's spinning around. I feel like a superhero is rotating the couch on his fingertip and won't stop. I can't believe that the man terrorizing me got HIV from someone else - another man at that.

"Are you kidding me?" Parade yells as she jumps up. "That mothafucka probably got AIDS and was gettin' ready to give it to me!" she continues as she paces the room.

"I know, girl, but Miss Rick definitely has HIV," Miss Wayne says. "I told him the moment he found out
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to start using protection with that man. I wouldn't be surprised if he does have it." At this point, they must realize if Miss Rick has it and possibly gave it to Cliff, that I may have it, too, since I admitted to sleeping with him. But I ain't ready to talk about it. I feel violated in the worst way possible. I always thought, before he beat me up, that Cliff was a good man who just needed something from me that he couldn't get from his wife. In a way, I thought I was doing their marriage a favor by being with him because of the things we talked about. But now, I'm finding out that nothing he has ever said to me was true. How could it be? If he cheated on his wife, why wouldn't he lie to me? My head is thumping so hard that I can barely move it.

The phone rings and Miss Wayne runs to answer it again. I'm relieved because I no longer want to discuss what's up with me. I'm still taking in that I may have found out who gave this shit to me.

"She did what? What in the world is going on around here?" he yells, apparently receiving more bad news. "I'll tell her, Ma. She's here anyway. Talk to you later," he continues as he ends the call and sits back down on the couch.

"Daffany, that was my mother," he says, looking at me real concerned. "She said that Aunt Diana tried to sell a few of your things to people around the way, including your TV. I'm so sorry, baby." He places one hand on my leg.

Parade covers her mouth as if she can't believe it. I
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sit here for a few seconds then decide I have to get out.

I have to take a walk, otherwise I'm gonna jump out that window. It's like my world is not only crumbling down around me but also trying to crush me within it.

I realize my mother is on drugs, but I can't believe she stole everything I owned. All my possessions. I was so sure that Cliff stole my things that I didn't stop to consider anyone else. But out of all the things she took from me, I don't understand why she would take the papers confirming my HIV status.

"I gotta go, y'all," I say as I stand. "I have to go."

"Daffany, wait!" Parade yells.

I don't stop. I'm out the door.

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29

Smokes

"I'M HEARING THINGS, MAN," SMOKES says to Eclipse
on the phone while getting a back massage in his
seven-hundred-thousand dollar home in Virginia. "I'm
hearing things I don't like."

"Like what?" Eclipse asks, seemingly frustrated at
the interference in how he handles business.

"Folks telling me you joy ridin' in the fuckin' neighborhood instead of doing what needs to be done. I ain't
got shit to do wit' you fuckin' shawty since I'm hearing
she done came up and shit, but how long you intend to
stretch shit out?"

"What folks? Silver? He can't possibly tell you what
I been doing because I don't discuss my business with
nobody. Just because I don't choose to catch 'em on the
corner and blaze 'em all doesn't mean I'm not
workin'."

"I'm starting to think the blazin' idea ain't too
bad," Smokes says.

"Well, give me half my money upfront and do it
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yourself," Eclipse shoots back.

Smokes throws his hand up, signaling the massage
therapist to leave the room. She's gone and he continues, "Let me tell you somethin', dawg. I don't know
who the fuck you think you talkin' to, but you ain't
runnin' shit up here. That shit may fly in Texas, but
around here, it'll get you killed. Now, I entrusted you
to take care of the mothafucka who killed my wife. And
as a result, I got a right to ask fuckin' questions."

"And I'm not saying you don't have a right. What
I'm telling you is that I've learned from being in this
business for years that a trigger-happy nigga leaves
trails. By the time I finish with Parade and her friends,
I will be certain that I got the right person with no
exceptions and nothing leading to you. Let's not forget
the only person who claimed she and her friends had
something to do with it was Silver. We need to be sure."

"I understand this. But your tab is at fifteen mothafuckin' thousand, including bullshit-ass expenses. At
this point I want somebody dead, even if they didn't do
it. Do you know that whoever this mothafucka is took
her jewelry? So, I have concerns about them trying to
play me. I want shit done."

"I got that."

"Well, hurry the fuck up," Smokes commands.

Smokes is upset by the news that Eclipse is cruising
around with Parade at his expense, which he heard
from Silver. Even though Eclipse told him he works
slowly, he's embarrassed by the thought of him spending his money and everybody knowing it.

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"Like I said," Eclipse continues calmly, understanding Smokes' frustrations, "I handle my business differently than Silver and the rest of them dudes you've
dealt with. Let's not forget, you called me from Texas.

I thought you hired me because you wanted shit done
right."

"I do, but -"

"Well, let me handle my job," he interrupts.