Dear Summer (4 page)

Tommy and Ditty met the white boys at a coffee house in South Charlotte; the four of them sat in the back corner of the cafe. The white boys were two computer geeks who had learned to break into cars by using laptops to breakdown the security systems; that was all Tommy knew. He’d met Matt in federal prison. Matt had done six months for a computer related crime. On the inside, since they were both from Charlotte and liked the Tar Heels, they’d become cool. Matt, who was a redhead and the older of the two white guys, spoke first. “We got you another 645. It’s blue. You’re gonna love it.”

“I told you I need a 745.”
“Yeah we know, but you’re gonna love this one, I promise,” Jay, the other white boy, said. He was a lanky kid, about twentythree; he wore a Duke Blue Devils ball cap.
“What color is it?”
“Blue. I already told you that,” Matt said.
Tommy became angry. “I know, motherfucker. Do you know how many variations of blue there are?”
“Can’t really describe it,” Matt said.
“It’s kind of like that ultra blue. Trust me. You’re gonna like it. If not, paint it another color.”
Ditty grinned and nudged Tommy. “That ultra blue is fire.”
“What else do you have?”
“A Grand Cherokee,” Jay said.
Ditty looked disgusted. “Nobody we know is gonna want no shit like that.”
“Well that’s all for now. I’ll have two more Porsches in two days; just getting the paperwork right, you know.”
“Cool. I think I’ll take the 645. What you want for it?”
“Twentyfive,” Matt said. Then he turned to Jay, who pulled his ball cap farther down on his head and took a deep breath.
“Last time you gave me a 645 for twenty.”
“Yeah. The last time it was an ‘06, this one is an ‘07 with 13,000 miles on it.”
“I’ll give you twenty now and five later.”
Jay looked at Matt then back at Tommy. “I don’t know if we can do that.”
“Why not? I mean, I’ve spent over two hundred grand with y’all in the last two months. How in the hell are you gonna let $5,000 come between us?”
“Can’t do it, Tommy. I got somebody willing to give me thirty for it, but I wanted you to see it first because I’d promised you a 745.”
“Ain’t this a bitch,” Tommy said. He pulled his cell phone from his waist. Q answered on the second ring. “Yo.”
“Q, got a 645, ultra blue, do you want it?”
“How much?”
“Forty stacks.”
“I don’t want it, but my brother might. But you know he really wanted the 745.”
“Can’t get it, but this one is hot—‘07, brand new; only 13,000 miles on it.”
“Meet me at the barbershop at 7:00 tonight with it. I’m sure he’ll take it.”
“Okay.” Tommy terminated the call. He smiled and then looked at the white boys. “Meet me here in two hours. I’ll have the money for you.” They all shook hands. Done deal.

Q and Squirt were parked in front of the barbershop in Q’s Lexus truck when Tommy and Ditty pulled up in the new car. Q and Squirt hopped out of the truck and approached Tommy, grinning. “I’ll take it.”

“I’ll give it to you,” Squirt said. “I ain’t gonna do shit with this one, no rims or nothing.”
Q opened the door of the car, examined the interior and then turned to Tommy. “I need one of these too.”
Tommy looked at Q like he was stupid. “Nigga, you already got enough cars. Don’t make yourself more of a target than you already are.”
Q stared at Tommy, looking serious. “I thought about what you said the other day and I’m looking for a way out of the game.”
“Just stop, nigga.”
“And do what? Steal cars?”
Tommy looked around, making sure nobody had heard Q. “Okay, motherfucker, let the whole world know what I do.”
Q turned the ignition then looked at Tommy. “I’m sorry. Hey, me and Squirt are gonna go around the block. Okay?”
“Cool. Go ahead. I’ll be waiting on you.”
When they were out of sight, Ditty said, “I don’t like that motherfucker Q.”
“Q’s okay. He’s just a young nigga with a little bit of money that don’t know how to act.”
“Tommy, be careful with that nigga. I don’t trust him,” Ditty said.
“It’s gonna be okay. I don’t think he’ll do anything to hurt me.”
“The nigga is stupid and he probably has the feds already on his trail.”
Tommy patted Ditty on his shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay. Trust me.”
Q and Squirt pulled up. Q opened the door of his truck and Squirt climbed out and produced a Nordstrom’s shopping bag full of money.
Tommy looked at it and said, “How much is that?”
“Forty stacks.”
“I need fortyfive.”
Squirt glanced at Q and then looked back at the sparkling BMW. “I thought you said forty.”
“Yeah I did, but I got somebody wanting to pay fortyfive.”
“Come on, Tommy, man, you know. Is this how you gone treat family, man? You know that I give you all kinds of business.”
Tommy laughed. He pointed to the car and placed his arms around Squirt’s neck. “Nigga, just imagine the bitches you’re gonna get with this machine.”
Squirt smiled and turned to Q. “Loan me the five G’s ‘till I get home, man.”
Q walked to his car, opened his glove compartment and reappeared with a bank envelope. He counted out fifty onehundred dollar bills and passed them to Squirt, who gave Tommy the money.
Tommy counted the money then handed Squirt the keys. “The paperwork is in the glove compartment. You can go get it registered.”
Squirt smiled, looked at Q, then Tommy and walked toward the car. He then looked back once more and said, “The bitches gonna love me, man.”

nside Summer’s bedroom, Tommy stood over her face, holding his dick. He dropped his balls in her mouth. In and out. This was called tea-bagging and Summer loved when Tommy did this. She would make humming sounds that drove Tommy wild. He could tell she enjoyed it, too, because sometimes she’d cum. She hummed on his balls for five minutes before she stood up from the bed and walked to the opposite bedroom wall. She pressed her hands against the wall, turned to Tommy and said, “You know I like it from the back.”

Tommy put his hands around Summer’s waist and she lowered her ass. She always had to lower herself because she was an inch taller than him.

“I don’t have a condom.”
“I don’t give a damn, Tommy. Just put it in.”
He entered her. She moaned softly. “Oh baby, my pussy is

so wet.”
“Hell, yeah,” Tommy said.
Tommy moved in and out and smacked her ass hard. He

was enjoying watching the contrast of their skin. Tommy was chocolate, he was much darker than Summer. He looked at her hair, which was stringy but beautiful. It was still hard to believe he had someone like Summer in his life.

He continued to hump. He removed his right hand from her waist and slapped her ass hard.
“Yeah, baby. Yeah.”
“You like that?”
“You know I like that shit.”
Tommy smacked her ass again.
“Pull my hair, nigga. Pull my hair.”
He grabbed a few strands of her hair and pulled. “No, nigga. Pull my hair.”
With his right hand again, he grabbed a handful of Summer’s tresses and pulled hard.
“Yeah, like that.”
“Damn, baby. I like that freaky shit.”
“This ass is all yours, Daddy.”
Tommy’s erection stiffened and his dick grew a little inside her.
Summer threw her ass back toward him and smiled.
He released her hair and smacked her ass.
“That’s my spot!”
“Whose pussy is this?”
“Baby don’t move, please don’t move.”
Tommy yanked her hair and Summer began to go into convulsions, and when she came, he came seconds later.
Summer walked to the bathroom and cleaned herself up while Tommy lay on the bed. She threw him a towel and he cleaned off his testicle area and his penis.
“I’m a happy woman right now.”
Tommy was happy he could now satisfy women. There was a time when he couldn’t get an erection, but now, thanks to herbal medication, not only could he get hard, he could last for hours if he needed to.
Summer slid into a pair of blue running shorts that were lying beside the bed. She left her breasts exposed. She hopped into the bed with Tommy. He grinned at her.
“I love you, Tommy.”
He stared into her eyes. He saw his reflection. He was still grinning. He didn’t say anything though.
“Tommy did you hear me?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t love me?”
“Yeah. Of course I love you.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I need you to say that you love me too, Tommy.” “You know I love you.”
She shifted her body into his then put his arm around her. Tommy placed his hand on her ass. He liked the shape of it and the way it felt. He knew this turned her on and he wanted more sex. He could never get enough of her.
“Tommy can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah of course.”
“When are you going to leave her?”
He released her and moved his other hand away from her ass and stared at the ceiling. He was still sweating. He stood on the bed, pulled the chain on the ceiling fan and watched the fan swirl around.
“Tommy, when are you going to leave her?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tommy, look at me,” she demanded.
He met her eyes. He could tell she was now in love with him by the way she looked at him.
“Tommy, I want to be with you. I want to have your baby.”
“Are you ready for kids?”
“Tommy, I’m ready. I’m twenty-eight, and I know you’re a good man. I know you will be a great father.”
He turned away from her; his back was now facing her. She put her arms around him and held him. “Tommy, I want you all to myself.”
“I know. But what are we going to do? I mean, I am a car thief and you’re…I don’t know what you are.”
“Tommy I will be okay. Soon as I write my book, I’ma be paid. I know this girl, Danielle Santiago. She goes to my salon. She got a sixfigure book deal and she’s livin’ lovely.”
Tommy turned and faced her. He pulled her close. His hands were now on her ass. The soft feeling of her ass made his dick stiffen.
“What’s your book about?”
“A female madam.”
“A madam?”
“Yeah. She runs a call girl service.”
“This shit is inspired by who?”
Summer sucked her teeth, she knew that once people knew what her book was about they’d assume that the book was based on her life. “I don’t know. It’s kind of like Heidi Fleiss, but hood.”
Tommy laughed. “But I know you must have some experience in this shit.”
She looked annoyed but didn’t say anything. She couldn’t believe he was saying she must have been a whore. “Tommy I’m not going to say nothing to you.”
“Why not?”
“What if I told you I’d been a whore? Would it matter?”
“No. Hell no, baby. I didn’t mean it like that.” He pulled her close.
“Good, because I’m not.”
He was silent. He knew that he’d offended her. They held each other until he dozed off.

Dream Nelson introduced Tommy to the fourteen boys who’d been labeled at-risk by the school district. Standing in front of the small class, Tommy looked out at the boys. They all looked hopeless and like unwanted misfits. They looked familiar not because he knew them, but because they represented him. He was happy to speak to the boys, not because he was a role model; he was nobody’s role model. Hell, he was a part of a large automobile theft ring. He was glad he could talk to them because nobody else would. It was sad that there were hundreds of African American doctors, dentists, attorneys, and other professionals, but most were unwilling to give their time. Though Tommy felt like a hypocrite for speaking to them, he hoped that at least one would hear his message. He secretly hoped he would listen to himself. His girlfriend Angie sat beside Dream as Tommy spoke about his time in prison. The boys all looked scared when Tommy told them how he was strip searched and shackled whenever he was taken outside of the prison.

A boy on the back row with a large egg-shaped head and chapped lips asked, “Were you ever raped?” Several people giggled.

Tommy even laughed before saying, “No. But I’ve heard of it happening.” He was used to that question. He knew it would come up. It always did whenever he talked about his prison stay. Women would especially want to know if he’d been raped, and had he raped someone. They wanted all the details of his prison stay. Was he on the down low? He glanced at Angie.

She was dressed impeccably in a blue blazer and heels. Her hair was pulled back. She made eye contact and smiled. He could tell by her facial expression she was proud of him.

Tommy paced. He was a little nervous at his speaking engagements. When he had first started speaking he would often forget what he wanted to say. Now he had become better and he would bring a yellow legal pad with brief directions on where he wanted to go with his speech. A tall lanky kid with braids who was wearing a “Stop Snitching” T-shirt, stood up. “Hey, what did you go in for?”

“I was an ecstasy dealer.”
“Did somebody snitch on you?”
Tommy giggled. “I guess you could say that.”
“Don’t you want to kill them?”
Tommy laughed out loud this time. Angie’s lips tightened.

Tommy could tell she was interested in his response. The truth of the matter was that he did want to kill the white bitch that set him up. But he couldn’t say that. He stopped laughing and said, “Initially I did, but I realized that I was the problem, and I got what was coming to me.”

“How much money did you make?”
“Enough,” Tommy said. Though millions had gone through his hand, he couldn’t make it seem as though he was advocating drug dealing.
Another kid asked, “Don’t you miss the money?”
“No. I’m glad I got my freedom.” He paced, and then referred back to his legal pad. “When you’re on the inside, nobody cares about you. Nobody cares about how much money you made. Those people just want their time. If your mom dies, you may or may not be allowed to attend the funeral.”
Dream stood and looked at her watch. “We have another speaker, Attorney William Farrow,” she announced.
A couple of kids on the front row booed, and someone yelled, “I don’t wanna see no damn attorney.”
Dream gave Tommy a hug and he walked over and took a seat beside Angie.

wedding picture sat on Dream’s desk. It was hard for Tommy to believe that she was HIV positive by looking at her. She was stunning. Her skin was dark and flawless. Her teeth were the color of milk.

Dream’s dress was fire-truck red and it gripped her ass wonderfully. Tommy looked at her in a way Angie wouldn’t notice. He knew if she did notice him staring he’d simply play it off by saying she has HIV. Of course he didn’t have interest in her because of that, and she was married. Dream took a position behind her desk and asked Tommy and Angie to take a seat.