Hold you down a novel, p.3
Hold You Down: a Novel, page 3
“What was the next step?” Lenox asked eagerly. “Building a team?”
G chewed his food and thought about why he was speaking so freely. He had a sense that he could trust Lenox. She seemed genuinely interested in his story. And the truth was it felt good to have someone to talk to about it.
“Nah. I roll solo. Can’t trust nobody. Especially in Staten Island. I learned that when I was hustling weed and stickup kids out there tried to rob me for the little money I was making. I don’t want to build a team with guys like that. I take all the risk, keep all the reward.”
He belched and excused himself before continuing.
“Mark’s girlfriend has a little coke habit,” G explained. “At least it started out little. Now the shit is a full-blown crisis. At the time, though, she had it under control. She told Mark we could make a bigger profit if we got a brick of cocaine from Benny on consignment and cooked it up ourselves. She knew how to do it, so she became our little scientist in the lab turning the powder into rocks.”
“That’s smart,” Lenox said. “Now your profit is bigger. How much do you pay her to cook it?”
G scoffed.
“She’s so fucked up at this point that all we do is pay her rent and keep food in the fridge so her kids don’t go hungry. She was stupid enough to start using the shit. Selling crack is one thing. But the worst thing you could ever do is smoke that shit. Makes people turn into zombies. I never seen nothing like it.”
Lenox tried to recall the last time she’d seen the prostitute Keisha he had mentioned. Now that she thought about it, Keisha was looking worse than ever lately.
“So, how long before all the hustlers in Staten Island catch on and give you some competition?” she asked.
G smiled, impressed that she was already thinking ahead. It was clear that Lenox was smart. He nodded.
“You’re right. It’s already happening. But thankfully Staten Island is slow to catch on. I already got a head start. Muthafackas is just figuring out how to go uptown and buy prepackaged shit. What me and Mark got going with Benny is already ten steps ahead of them. We got a whole network set up. Mark got his crew clicking uptown and I got my little slice of the pie on the island.”
He sat back and wiped his mouth with his napkin.
“But I guess good things don’t last too long. Shit was going smooth for a while. Then Mark got locked up on a gun charge.”
“Damn,” Lenox said sadly. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. He’s gonna be gone for a minute. In the meantime, I’ve been keeping shit going with Benny. And Mark’s girl is still cooking the rock up for me. But she’s an addict now. So, I can’t trust her. She’s stealing, got all types of people hanging out over there. I already had to move my stash and shit. But soon I’m gonna have to cut her off completely and figure this all out on my own.”
He stared at his plate, concern etched on his face.
Lenox sat forward with her elbows resting firmly on the table and flashed her most brilliant smile.
“Nah. You don’t have to do it on your own. I think you just found yourself a new partner.”
WILDFLOWER
“You’re late.”
Mercy stood in her doorway and said the words flatly before turning and storming back inside her apartment.
Guiltily, Lenox followed suit, peeling slowly out of her coat.
“I’m sorry, Mercy. I overslept. We partied late and by the time I got home this morning, the sun was up. I told myself I would just close my eyes real quick and then come and pick up Deon. But I slept longer than I meant to. Don’t be mad at me.”
Mercy sucked her teeth. It was nearly two o’clock in the afternoon and she was sick of Lenox’s excuses.
“I told you I needed you to be here early. I needed to meet the man this morning about the restaurant space like I told you. Instead, you stroll in here in the middle of the afternoon. The next time Mr. Wonderful takes you out, pay a babysitter.”
“I’d rather pay you,” Lenox said, softly.
Mercy scoffed.
Lenox pulled a stack of cash out of her purse and set it on the coffee table. Mercy scanned the bills out of the corner of her eye, reluctant to seem so easily appeased. But her eyes widened when she counted five $100 bills spread out on her coffee table like a fan.
Lenox smiled brightly, turning on the charm.
“This should be enough to cover last night. Maybe tonight, too, if I’m lucky.”
Mercy took a good look at the money on the table and then at her sister.
“Where did you get all this money, Len? Mama’s insurance check didn’t even clear yet.”
“I found it at the party last night.” Lenox sat down on the couch.
Mercy looked at her skeptically. Lenox sucked her teeth.
“G gave it to me,” she admitted.
“For what?”
“I think he likes me.” Lenox batted her eyelashes coyly.
“So, he’s moving his mother out the projects, driving around in a fancy car, and giving you money all of a sudden?” Mercy was frowning. “How?”
Lenox shrugged.
“I didn’t ask all that.” She was lying, but hoped her facial expression and tone were convincing.
“You’re full of shit,” Mercy said. “You always ask questions. So, spill it.”
Before Lenox could answer, the kids came bouncing into the room. Deon made a beeline for his mother, throwing his arms around her in a bear hug.
Lenox hugged him back, but protested at the intensity.
“Boy, you’re hugging me like you haven’t seen me in days!”
Mercy resisted the urge to point out that she was spending more time apart from him lately.
Deon finally let his mother go.
“I beat Judah at Hangman so many times that he quit!”
Judah sucked his teeth and plopped down on the couch next to his mother.
“Shut up, Deon!”
Lenox laughed.
“Y’all been in the house too long. Come on. I’m gonna take you to McDonald’s.”
Both boys erupted in cheers and ran to get their sneakers.
Mercy glared at her sister the second they were out of earshot.
“Where did you get all this money from? And don’t lie to me.”
Lenox shrugged.
“I told you already. It’s no big deal. G just gave me some money to go shopping, that’s all.”
She picked up her purse, pulled a pack of cigarettes out of it, and lit one.
“I’m sorry I came to pick up Deon so late. I didn’t mean it, I swear. And I know I’ve been asking for a lot of favors lately. But could you babysit again for me tonight, please? This will be the last time for a while. I promise.”
Mercy let out a deep sigh.
“Where are you running off to this time, Len?”
Lenox grabbed an empty bottle cap nearby to use as an ashtray and grinned.
“We’re gonna cook together. At his place.”
“Cook? You? Please! Since when?”
Judah and Deon came running back into the room, and Lenox was relieved for the interruption. She knew Mercy was too smart to fall for her act. Sooner or later, she would have to tell her exactly what she had gotten herself into.
“I’m gonna take the boys to McDonald’s. Then I’ll take them home with me for a while. Give you a little break. I’ll drop them off back here later on. You need me to bring you anything?”
Mercy stared at Lenox silently, suspicion written all over her face. Then she shook her head.
“No. Just be careful out there.”
Thirty minutes later, Lenox strolled down her block with the boys trotting behind her. She was oblivious to the men stopping to stare at her hips swaying to a rhythm all their own. Even with a long coat draped around her frame, it was clear that she had body!
Judah and Deon were clueless as well. As they walked along, they played with the action figures they had gotten inside their Happy Meals.
Lenox ignored the catcalls and stares and didn’t break stride as she sauntered up to her door with her keys in hand. Judah and Deon followed her inside and scampered into the living room. They peeled out of their coats and tossed them on the couch. They sprawled out on the floor with their toys and busied themselves noisily.
Lenox chuckled at the sight of them, then she retrieved their coats and hung them on the hook near the door. She did the same with her own and then turned back to her son and nephew.
“Y’all watch TV and play while I go get ready for tonight.”
Deon sat up.
“Where are you going, Ma?”
“My friend G is gonna help me start a business. If I do it right, I can make a lot of money. And, if you two are good, I’m gonna spend a lot of it on you.”
Judah and Deon exchanged delighted glances and cheered.
Lenox stepped out of her shoes and strolled down the hall toward her bedroom. She walked over to the radio and turned on KISS FM. She snapped her fingers and danced along to “Forget Me Nots” by Patrice Rushen. Smiling widely, she twirled around her room with a million happy thoughts running through her mind.
For a moment it occurred to her that she should feel sad at this point in her life. Her mother had just passed away after all. But Lenox felt no sadness whatsoever. There was no time for that. Her mother had been a ghost in her life, making cameo appearances from time to time. The loss of her felt like a blip on the radar, another speed bump. Lenox had mourned her mother long before she died. When she was a little girl longing for her, crying herself to sleep when she didn’t show up for birthdays and holidays, Lenox had decided that she had to mother herself. Sharon wasn’t coming back to save her daughters, so it was up to them to save themselves. Lenox pushed thoughts of the woman to the back of her mind.
She had bigger things to worry about. As Mercy had pointed out earlier, Lenox had always been the bolder one. If the adults told her to avoid something or someone, she rushed toward the forbidden fruit as eagerly as Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Part of what drove her was curiosity about what type of excitement might await her. The other driving force was pure rebellion and blind ambition. She knew that if their family was ever going to elevate out of poverty, it would be up to her to lead the way.
She took a long, hot shower and changed into a pair of jeans and a caramel-colored turtleneck that matched her skin tone. She sprayed on some of the perfume Mercy gave her for Christmas and put her hair in a neat French braid. She admired herself in the mirror. Her smooth brown skin and pretty face. She stared into her own doe-shaped eyes and saw the hint of mischief reflected in them. She knew it was her body that got all the men’s attention. G included. But what none of them had discovered yet was how intelligent she was, how shrewd. She smirked and applied a little lip gloss.
She thought about everything she and G had spoken about last night. She hadn’t told Mercy about it because she knew her sister would never approve. Mercy wasn’t a risk-taker. Her plan for taking her share of their mother’s money and opening a restaurant was a noble one. But Lenox had bigger dreams. She wanted to be a boss wearing fur coats, diamonds, and designer clothes. She wanted to drive an expensive car and live in a lavish home. She wanted Deon to have everything he wanted, everything she didn’t have when she was growing up. The arrangement she and G had worked out at the diner had given her hope. All the things she ever wanted felt within her reach for the first time in years.
Her phone rang and she only let it ring twice before she picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful.”
She could hear the smile on G’s face.
“Hey,” she said. “I just finished getting dressed. I just need to pack Deon’s bag for the night and I’ll be ready.”
“Good,” he said. “I’m on my way. I’ll honk the horn when I’m outside.”
Lenox hung up, turned the radio off, and headed back to the living room where the boys were watching TV. She overheard their conversation as she drew closer.
“I’m gonna ask Mommy for a new bike,” Deon said proudly. “We can share it.”
“Aunt Len said she ain’t buying you nothing else until you stop wetting the bed,” Judah reminded him.
“Shut up!” Deon shot back.
Lenox chuckled as she stepped into the room.
“Y’all stop fussing. Deon, come help me get your stuff together so I can bring you back to Aunt Mercy’s.”
She led the way to Deon’s room and the boys followed her closely.
“Ma, when you start making money, I want a lot of stuff,” Deon said.
“Well, for now just focus on the stuff you have already. Get a pair of pajamas and some play clothes out of your drawer.”
Deon did as he was told while Lenox looked around for his backpack. She found it in the corner of the room and began packing his things.
Judah plopped down on his bed and felt the springs in the mattress poking him a little. He shifted over an inch or two to a spot on the bed where it was more comfortable and sat cross-legged.
Lenox stole a glance at her nephew.
“Judah, your mother was talking to me about starting a new business, too. She wants to open a restaurant. What you think about that?”
Judah smiled. “She should do it. She cooks really good. Sometimes she tries to make extra so we can have leftovers the next day. But everything tastes so good that I eat it all up.”
Deon agreed.
“Aunt Mercy cooks better than anybody!”
“Aye!” Lenox pretended to be offended.
Deon shrugged and Lenox laughed.
“It’s true,” she admitted. “Mercy’s a great cook. She used to watch our grandmother like a hawk whenever she was in the kitchen. Always had a passion for it.”
She looked at Judah.
“You should watch her. Learn all her recipes. Girls like boys that know how to cook.”
Judah grimaced.
“Who cares about girls?”
Lenox laughed. “You say that now, but come back and talk to me in a few years.”
A car horn honked outside and Lenox grabbed Deon’s backpack and nudged both boys toward the door. She got them into their coats and made sure they had all their things.
“Take your time. Don’t forget anything.”
Lenox realized that she was talking more to herself than to the boys.
She shuffled them out the front door and smiled at G sitting proudly in the driver’s seat of his car. She sauntered over to the car and ushered the boys into the backseat. She climbed into the passenger seat and turned around to face them.
“Say hi to G.”
“Hi,” both boys said.
“How y’all doing?” G glanced at the two of them quickly. He looked at Lenox and licked his lips. “Looking good as always.”
“Thanks. I can’t wait to get started.” She rubbed her hands together in excitement.
G laughed. “I’ll show you everything you need to know.” He pulled up to a red light, looked over at her, and smiled.
Deon watched closely from the backseat. He leaned forward slightly to get a closer look at the guy. G was a big guy with broad shoulders and a thick neck. Deon frowned as he sized him up.
“How come your name only has one letter in it?”
Lenox sucked her teeth, turned around, and faced Deon.
“Sit back in the seat, smarty.”
G glanced at Deon’s reflection in the rearview mirror and laughed.
“My name is Gerard. Everybody calls me ‘G’ for short.”
Deon locked eyes with Gerard in the mirror but didn’t return his smile.
“How old are you?”
“Seven,” Deon answered flatly.
“Okay. Seven is a good number. This is your lucky year.”
Deon eyed him, warily. He thought about all the things he wanted and wondered if this guy was gonna help his mother get it.
They pulled up in front of Mercy’s building at the tip of Richmond Terrace. Lenox and the boys climbed out and were surprised to see Mercy approaching them as she returned home from a quick run to the corner store.
Mercy held up her shopping bag and smiled.
“Got y’all some candy!”
The boys cheered.
Mercy looked at Gerard’s Benz gleaming in the sunshine. Her sister stood next to it smiling just as brightly.
G craned his neck out the window and waved at Mercy.
“How you doing?”
“Nice ride,” Mercy offered weakly.
Lenox kissed the boys goodbye.
“I’ll see y’all tomorrow. Be good!”
Mercy waved to her as Lenox climbed back inside the car and sped off with her new friend.
G pulled up in front of the stash spot at the corner of a dead-end block in the Tremont section of the Bronx and turned the car off. He looked over at Lenox and saw her glancing cautiously out of the passenger window. The house was run-down and gloomy looking. He could sense her apprehension though she said nothing.
“You sure you want to do this?” He asked the question seriously. “This ain’t the glitz-and-glamour side I’ve been showing you. This shit is raw. It’s ugly.”
Lenox tore her eyes away from the ominous-looking house and met G’s gaze.
“I told you. I want in.”
He nodded.
She looked at the house again. “Your cousin’s girl lives here? With her kids?”
G shook his head.
“Nah. She has an apartment in the projects. Leaves the kids there with neighbors and family while she stays here most of the time. Her job is to cook up the work and I bag it up. I used to drop the shit off to her and she would work through the night cooking and I came to pick it up in the morning. But now she’s using the shit. So, when I bring it here like I’m doing tonight I have to stay with her and watch her every move. Then I gotta take the shit home and bag it up on my own. I hit her off with some for herself and she’s happy with that.”
He looked at Lenox.
“You need to watch her tonight. Learn the process. Then we’ll see if your little plan works out like you think it will.”
