The Black Corleones (The Beginning) (6 page)

Chapter Six

The next morning Samir got up bright and early so he could make visiting hours. He heard his mother already preparing for her day, so he decided to go spend a few minutes with her before she headed to the office. Once he made it downstairs, he found her in the kitchen, making breakfast.

“Morning
, mother, who are you cooking for, your new man?” he joked

“Boy
, please… I wish. I decided to get up early and cook for you since you have a long day ahead of you. I couldn’t send you to see the boys on an empty stomach.”

“Well now
… thanks lady. It smells good and I hope you made everything I like.”

“Boy
, did you forget I’m your mother. I’ve been feeding you since you came out the womb. I made your favorite, blueberry pancakes, sausage, grits and cheese eggs.”

“Thanks mother, but who gone eat all this food
? You made way too much food lady.”

“I know Samir
. For some reason I woke up this morning and starting cooking and all I could hear is you in your room and your brothers walking through the door just to come eat their momma’s breakfast, like they did every morning. I started cooking until I realized that you were the only one of my sons I still got left,” she sobbed, with tears in her eyes.

Samir never wanted to see his mother hurt and it broke his heart seeing the tears fill in her eyes.

“Ma, don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay. They will be home sooner than you know it. Don’t stress yourself, and stop crying. We gotta be strong to help them stay strong through this bid,” he said, as he hugged her.

“Whoa, isn’t this a turn of events. My
baby boy is consoling me.”

“I’m not a baby anymore
, ma.”

“I know you aren’t
, but I kinda wish you were. Sit down and eat.”

As he sat down to have breakfast with his mother
, he noticed her staring at him. He couldn’t imagine what was on her mind so he decided to break the silence. “Ma, why don’t you come with me? I know they would want to see you.”

“No, I can’t dear. I have to prepare for this case and I have to be in court later this afternoon.”

“Well, do you want me to tell them something for you? I know you miss them.”

“Just tell them that I love them and miss them and
I’m praying for the day they can come home. Let them know I’m here for them and I pray for them every single day.”

After his sit down with his mother, Samir
got dressed for his visitation with his brothers. He normally dressed quickly, but today was different. Although his brothers where in jail and in county blue, he felt the need to impress them as he did when they were in the world, so he decided to pull out a white, Giorgio Armani polo style, collar shirt, a grey Roberto Cavalli cardigan and a pair of Purple Label Polo jeans. He completed his look with a pair of grey Salvatore Ferragamo sneakers that Ace bought him for his birthday a few months before. He topped his ensemble off with a gold Hublot Geneve time piece. He knew his choice in designer labels would impress his older brothers who often teased him about his urban style of dress and he felt it was a good match for not bringing negative attention on him when he arrived to the jail.

His nerves began to set in as he stood in his mirror. He didn’t want his brothers to flip on him but he also didn’t want them to be upset with him. Just like he felt with his father, their blessing was all he needed because their approval wasn’t in the fore front of his mind. He was adamant about his decision
, despite how his family felt. He made his choice and he was set on proving that he could handle the game. He took a deep breath, grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

Music playing:

We used to fight every night but I never would suffer/ just smile my big brother's
tryna’ make me tougher/ as we grew fussing and fighting continued as I plundered through ya’ stuff and snuck ya’ clothes to school/ got intense, real intense as we got older.

With
You Must Love
Me
playing through his speakers yet again; Samir thought about his brother’s predicament and was brought to tears as the verse lead into the chorus and the soft voice of
Kelly Price
singing,
You Must Love Me
. He thought about how his big brothers protected him throughout his young life. He knew on some level they would object to his induction into the game for the simple fact that they were not in a position to protect him if he got in any sticky situations.

Sin and Ace were his role models and
everything they are, was everything he wanted to be.

He took the
thirty five minute drive to Cook County jail with butterflies in his stomach. His brothers invoked more fear in him than his father did, mainly because he grew up in the same house with them. They were his father figure, 24 hours a day.

He rehearsed what he would say to his brothers in his mind
the entire ride to the jail.  He contemplated turning his car around and not going through with the conversation, but he knew if his brothers found out he was in the game from anybody other than him, they would be furious. So turning back was not in the plans. This was his only option if he wanted to be in the game, because Friday was less than a day away and he knew that word traveled faster in jail than it did in the streets, so Sin and Ace would know that he was in the game when the sun came up the next morning.

Samir had to shake his nerves because this was a point of no return. He had to talk to
his brothers out of the respect that he held for them.

After zoning out in his thoughts
, Samir snapped out of his fear when he pulled in the parking lot of the Cook County Jail. He looked at the building that held so many young black men that were forced to make the wrong decisions in life due to their lack of guidance and their destitute lives in the hood. He never thought his brothers would end up here or that he would have to break his news to them in this way. Just when he began to allow his pain of not having his brothers around to weigh on him, he heard Sins voice in his head,
“Lil’ nigga, grow some balls.”
Right then and there he snapped back to reality and headed for the entrance to the facility.

Chapter Seven

When Samir walked inside the building h
e followed the signs marked visitation. There was a line that extended down the hall. Samir didn’t know what to expect when he arrived, but he didn’t expect for it to be this long of a wait. Visitation hours were only so long and to have people waiting for an extended amount of time to visit their loved ones was heartless.

He
waited patiently for his turn to walk through the metal detectors in order to enter the visitation wing of the building. Once it was his turn, the officer informed him that he must have his ID out prior to approaching the window and to remove his belt and shoes as well as removing anything from his pockets. The officer gave Samir a foul look as he removed his $50,000 watch and emptied his pockets of his Gucci wallet and $1500 dollars cash into a bucket.

“How old are you son?” the officer asked
, disgusted and curious.

“I’m
fifteen. I’ll be sixteen in a few weeks,” Samir replied.

“I never met a
fifteen year old with this much expensive shit on at one time. I could probably guess how you got it.”

“Yea
h, I bet you could. My mother is one of Chicago’s top defense attorneys and my father owns a million dollar Construction Company, so you can guess that I’m spoiled being the youngest child,
sir
,” Samir immediately responded, in a very sarcastic voice. The officer had a dumbfounded look on his face. Samir knew exactly what the officer was insinuating, and although a week from now he would be guessing right, today was just not the day to make such a remark.

He
grabbed his belongings, laced up his sneakers and headed over to the counter to put his name on the log sheet to visit his brothers.

“Who are you here to see?”
the female officer behind the counter asked.

“Yes
, ma’am… I’m here to see Sincere and Ace Kendall. They’re my brothers.” Samir responded.

“Ok
ay, do you have your ID with you?”

“Yes ma'am, I do
,” Samir said, as he handed his ID to the officer.”

“O
kay, Samir Kendall, please read over this statement and sign at the bottom stating that you understand and will abide by the rules of the Jail while you are inside the visitation room. I’ll put you in the system. Once you read and sign it, I need you to take your right thumb and place it on the pad and then in the box where it says thumb print.”

Once Samir was done with the paper work, the officer handed him a sticker to wear on his shirt during the remainder of his visit. She directed him to his next destination
, where he was led into a large visiting room. He was told to have a seat.

Samir began to feel
the nervousness growing as he sat at the table watching the other inmates visit with their loved ones. Just as he was getting lost in his thoughts and anxious, he saw his brothers walking toward his table. He wasn’t used to seeing his brothers dressed the way they were. The county jumpsuits they sported made Samir realize the reality of the situation. As they walked closer to him, his immediate reaction was to jump up and hug each one of them, but he remembered
‘the no touching’
rule posted all over the entry to the visitation room. So, when his bothers approached him, he greeted each one of them with a hand shake.

“Damn little bro, why you all dressed up nigga, you got a funeral to go to later or some shit
?” Sin teased

“Leave the nigga alone Sin
. He got all dressed up to come show us he finally learned how to dress,” Ace returned the jokes.

“Yea
h, yeah, yeah; you niggas been locked up for a few days and all of a sudden y’all turned into comedians; besides, this ashy blue aint neither one of y’alls color.”

“Samir
, seriously bro, I’m really happy to see you,” Sin said.

“I’m happy to see y
’all too bro. Momma told me to tell y’all that she loves y’all and to keep y’all head up,” he tried to remember. “Oh, and that she praying for y’all.”

“Lil
’ bro, tell that lady not to stress so much, because I know she is. Let her know that we’re okay.” Ace commanded.

“So
, what’s up Samir, what’s been up with you lately, how’s school?” Sin asked.

“Man
, school is boring as fuck and I can’t wait for that shit to be over. I’m good, but I came down here because I needed to talk to y’all about something.”

“Oh yea, what’s that
, Sam?” Ace questioned.

“I needed to let y
’all know what’s been going on since pops found out about y’alls indictment. First, he put Keith in charge of your company, Ace, and he had to contemplate who would take over for Sin. So, basically I propositioned pops for the position,” Samir explained. His palms were sweaty and his heart was in the pit of his stomach. He was nervous of his brother’s reaction. He knew from their facial expressions that they were not happy about his decision. Samir continued to tell his brothers what he had been up to for the last few days since he learned of their situation. He explained to them that he had already passed their father’s test and was set to take over his brother’s sets the following day. When he finished speaking, his brothers sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. “So, neither one of y’all got shit to say?” Samir broke the silence that settled.

“I don’t know what the fuck you want us to say, you already in the game at this point. So how did you pas
s pops test, he usually gives two weeks to come back with the paper work?” Ace asked Samir

“Well, I already gave pops his paperwork
, bro. It took us three days.”

“You got to be shitting
;
three days little bro?
It took me a week and you mean to tell me you got it back to him in three days. I’m fucking impressed.” Sin added. He was excited.

“Yea
h, that shits impressive, but Sincere, let’s be realistic here, this is our little fucking brother. He’s only fifteen and he aint ready for this fucking game, bro.  He just aint ready.” Ace snapped.

“He may be only
fifteen, bro, but the boy already in the game. I don’t like this shit either, but what we gone do about? Nothing, because it aint shit we
can
do about it. We were the same age when we started,” Sin scolded his younger brother.

“Wait
, why y’all talking like I aint sitting here. Listen, Ace, I can handle this, bro. My crew is equipped and I got the heart to do it because I was taught by the best. You were my life teacher; you equipped me with the tools I need to do this, bro. When I was watching you and Sin, it motivated me to build a name out here and to come out the shadows of my big brother’s, Sin and Ace. I got this my nigga. Just trust me and give me y’all blessing. I can’t do this shit until I know y’all okay with me doing it.” Samir pleaded.

“Listen
, Samir. I don’t want you to do this shit but you already in it now, so it ain’t no turning back. So, what I’m about to tell you, you take with you and keep at the forefront of your fucking mind. Rule one; these streets don’t love you, so you don’t love that shit back. You don’t front nobody unless they already got a reputation in the hood and when and if you do front anybody, give them thirty days and stay firm. If they don’t give you your bread, you make an example out of them. Rule two; never lay where you play, my nigga. Don’t even hang out in the same neighborhood,
never
Samir. Don’t ever let niggas get too comfortable with your routine. Because the moment they know your routine; they’ll know exactly how to set you up. ” Ace warned.

“Yea
h my nigga, and rule three; watch those close to you, closer than you do your enemies because they swill fuck you much quicker than your enemies. Rule four; show love to everybody that can pay for what you’re offering. Don’t let that gang shit interfere with your business, and rule five... the most important rule; run your shit like a CEO. Know where everything is, everything is going, and know what’s coming in. Samir, make sure this shit has structure,
real structure
. My set aint no joke and them Roseland niggas will try to test you every chance they get. As far as fronting go, you make sure a nigga buy at least four before you front them anything. Remember this shit lil’ nigga; we will have our ears to them streets.” Sin added.

“So
, does this mean y’all cool with me doing this, because I’m taking over tomorrow?

Sin and Ace looked at each other and although Sin could see in Ace’s eyes that he didn’t want to give the ok
ay, he gave his younger brother the head nod. With this confirmation Sin and Ace gave their baby brother their blessing to his induction into the game. They knew eventually they would be having this conversation with Samir, but they both wished they were able to do it on the streets. They wanted to groom him in the game by showing him the way, themselves. Now, with them being in jail, their baby brother had to hit the game blind. They conversed a few more minutes and before they knew it their visitation was up.

“
Yo, Samir, keep your head up, bro, and remember what we told you. And, although we didn’t say it… I’m proud of you, bro… really. You did a lot in such a short time. I know you gone kill the game,” Sin said, shaking his brother’s hand and giving him the confidence he needed.

“Yea
h, Sam… I’m proud of you, baby bro. It took me a week and a half. You got this bro, just remember what we told you.” Ace confirmed.

Samir watched his brothers disappear behind the thick metal door that led them back
to their cells. He was immediately relieved and ready to take over the streets. His main goal had switched from making his boy’s rich, to making his brothers proud. He left the jail with clarity, knowing that his brothers had his back and blessed his decision. It made Samir all the more motivated to make a name for himself. He knew he didn’t want to be known as Sin, Ace, and Keith’s little brother. He wanted to be known for what he planned to do in the game.

He sat in his car for a few minutes
, thinking about the next day. He was no longer a boy, he had become a man. Standing up to his father and his brothers was Samir’s rite of passage in the game and he was ready for it at full force.

Yo
, Meko, tomorrow we are on. Meet me in the Gardens at the spot at 4 on the dot. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives my nigga and I hope you niggas is ready cuz we got some shit to prove.

He pressed send on his two
-way pager and exhaled a sigh of relief. He was ready for everything game had to offer. He felt he was born to do this, and with his brothers on board, he was going to take the game by storm.

________

Music playing

‘U
gh, I got this shorty on my block always clocking my rocks/ he likes the style and profile I think he wanna mock/ he likes the way I walk, he see my money talking the honeys hawking I'm the hottest nigga in New York and/ I see his hunger pains/ I know his blood boils/ he wanna/ run wit’ me/ I know this kid’ll be loyal/ I watched him make a few ends, to cop his little sneakers and gear/ then it's just enough for re-up again/ I see myself in his eyes/ I moved from Levi's To Guess to Versace/ now it's diamonds like Liberace/ that's just the natural cycle/ nobody wanna be like Michael where I'm from/ just them niggas who bounced from a gun/we out here trying to make hard white into cold green/I can help shorty blow out like Afro-Sheen/plus I can relive my days of youth which is gone/that little nigga's peeps/ it's time to put him on.

Samir bobbed his head to
Jay Z’s
lyrics. He was ready for what the next day held for him. He no longer had to look to his fathers and his brothers to provide a life for him; come Friday, he would be providing a life for himself, a life that only involved hustling, fast money and drugs; he developed a ‘
Hustler’s Ambition’
and nothing and no one was going to stand in his way.

As the lyrics blared through his speakers
, Samir realized that he had finally reached
his
‘
Coming of Age’
in the game.