Chapter 4
When my Mama got done frying the fish, I ate three fish sandwiches back-to-back and chased them down with two bottles of water and a cup of my Mama's sugar-free ginger ale. That meal hit so good I could barely move afterward, so I made my way straight to Mama’s bed, which sat up high like a throne, at least four feet off the ground.
I took off my shoes because she didn’t play that shit and flopped on top of the cover, ready to sink into that nap that always hits different after a home cooked meal.
Once I drifted off to sleep, I was woke up by this loud roaring laugh coming from a nigga through these thin ass walls. I hated to be woken up out of my sleep, and I'm guaranteed to wake up on the wrong side of the bed ready to slap anyone who did it except my Mama.
I climbed out of her bed, walking fast as hell to the living room, where the laughing sounded the loudest. When I made it out there, standing near the front door with a few quick mart bags in his hand was someone I hadn’t seen in years, so I was really fuckin confused as to why this nigga was here. He got ran out of New York years ago.
“Crewshon, is that you baby?”
My Mama probably recognized it was me from the sound of my heavy footsteps.
“Yeah, it’s me, ma.” I turned back to him.
“Gio, what the fuck are you doing here?”
I reached back for my pistol, and he put his hands up in the air.
I hadn’t seen Hov’s uncle in years, shit, since the funeral when we had to get at his ass when he shot at my nigga.
I had no direct beef with the nigga, but Hov beef was always my beef and vice versa.
Well, I don’t know about now on his end, but that won’t change the nigga I am.
“Chill, youngster, I come in peace. Just here helping your Mama out. Oh yeah, here goes that milk you asked for. You may want to put it in the fridge so it won’t get too warm.” He handed her the bag.
“Look, my Mama doesn’t need help from any fuckin body. Especially a nigga like you.”
“Crewshon, what is the problem?” My Mama asked with a shaky voice, and I knew then I was making her upset. I hated that shit. I could piss off anyone else and not give a fuck, but not my Mama. I always hated when she was upset with me. Though it never lasted long.
“Nothing, Mama.” I stared at the nigga so cold I’m sure he wanted to shiver.
“Debbie, I think your son may be worried about old issues I had with people close to him in the past, but I am over that. As I’ve told you on our many talks, I’ve tried to change over the years.”
“Fuck niggas don’t change; they just get older and grow fuck nigga gray hairs in their fuck nigga beards.”
He chuckled and shook his head.
“Crew, my bedroom now.”
“We not leaving this nigga out here. He looks like he is still a thief.”
“My bedroom now, Crewshon!”
I smacked my lips and grabbed my Mama’s hand that she extended out for me to guide her back to her room faster.
The door shut behind us, and I sat down on the bed in front of her.
“Mama, that nigga is not any good. He shot up his brother’s funeral because he got kicked out. You think that type of shit just leaves a nigga’s mentality?”
My Mama placed her finger over her lips.
“We didn’t come back here for you to talk.
We came back here for you to listen. Gio has told me about his past, and where he didn’t go into detail, he did say he’s done some things he’s not so proud of.
Now I know you don’t believe people can change, but they can, and that’s why in some cases you have to get to know people over and over again through the course of time. ”
My Mama cupped her hand over my face stroking her thumb back and forth. I was heated at first, but this motion of her hands quickly brought me back down.
“I know I haven’t had the best choice of role models around here for you, baby, but now you are grown, and you are your own man.
When I choose who I have around me now, I don’t have to think of you kids because you are all grown.
All I have to think about is who makes me happy and is there for me through my blindness.
Have you ever lost your sight before, Crew? ”
“No ma, of course not.”
“Well then, I can tell you that it heightens your other senses.” She grabbed both of my hands in a tight ass grip. It always tripped me out how hers were so small in mine, but I would always let her feel strong.
“Crew, because I can’t see, all I can do is listen and feel, and Gio makes me feel good, and he makes me feel safe.
The day I ran into him on the train, I was lost, scared, I didn’t want to bother anyone, it was my first trip to the market with my walking stick, and though me and Sarah had done it a thousand times, I still couldn’t find my way home.
” A tear slowly streamed down her face, and I looked away. I hated that shit.
“But Gio helped me and brought me home and gave me the reassurance I needed to ever want to step out those doors again. And he’s checked on me every day ever since so all I ask is that you give him a chance.
Love your mother enough to listen and put your pride to the side, son.
I’ve made mistakes with men in the past, but I learned from them.
I’m not na?ve or dumb. I’m a middle-aged woman who knows what she needs in her life. ”
I shook my head slowly.
“Alright, ma, but don’t be upset with me if he gets handled by other issues he has in the city. He left New York for a reason. Did he even say why he’s back in town?”
“He said that he misses his mother and wishes to connect with her along with his nephew. I do hope they can make things work. That’s all he vents about when we are not talking about my problems.”
My Mama smiled. I still wasn’t convinced, and I would never trust that nigga.
But for her, I won’t kill him now and make the shit so obvious.
But I can’t tell her what Hov is going to do.
He always said if he saw his uncle again, he would blow his head off.
I believed the nigga too. Hov didn’t threaten any nigga he didn’t eventually touch, but we will see.
My Mama went back into the living room to laugh and talk with that nigga, and I waited around until he left around 5:30 before I drove the charger back to my spot.
When I parked in the designated parking spot everyone knew not to touch, I noticed there was a tan and black Maybach parked across the street.
That car was the kind that Hov always said he wanted, and the longer I stared, the better I noticed that it was that nigga’s big ass shadow peaking through the tint. What kind of time was he on?
I grabbed my gun and sat it in my lap, watching his car like a stakeout until the driver's door opened and the line shined down on him. I could see that Ciara was sitting in the passenger seat, and because she was with him, I knew now that this nigga wasn’t about to be on any murder shit.
“What’s up?” I got out of the car, greeting him in the middle of the dimly lit street, with little traffic.
Hov looked at me with them cold, dark eyes before turning his focus back to the street where his car was parked.
I could tell he was on alert because of her.
This nigga usually never chilled out because he was always watching his surroundings, now I see he has to watch his and hers.
That’s how I know it has to be stressful to love a bitch that much.
"I'm going to be real with you, bruh. It's hard to be here right now, because I made up my mind a long time ago that I didn't fuck with you like that."
"I knew that before you came. So why are you here?"
"I'm here because my wife told me I should come and give you a proper thanks for what you did back at the courthouse earlier today."
"How did she know that was me?" I know there was tension in my voice because I didn't like to hear that shit.
Me and Hov always said we would never pillow talk with females.
Pillow talking is what gets a lot of niggas locked up or killed these days.
Bitches gossip too much and tell things gangsters know not to mention.
"Nigga relax. I tell my wife everything, and she repeats nothing.
You don't have to worry about that shit moving past her lips.
But she told me I should thank you and be more reasonable about our falling out since you just made my battle in the courtroom a little easier. " He gave a slight shrug and I did too.
"But I also think that Ciara doesn't want us beefing over some old pussy that she feels shouldn't matter anymore."
"She's right. I hate that bitch Cashmier, and I'm sure you feel the same way."
He gave a quiet laugh through his nose.
"What I have for Cashmier is past hate. I wouldn't piss on that bitch if she was on fire. So nah, I'm not beefing with you because of her. There is no beef between us, period. If there was, you would be dead already."
"Same on my end, and what I did to that Kairo nigga earlier was to give you a body to show my sorrow.
If you were some other nigga, I wouldn't give a fuck if you were so mad at me that you were foaming at the fuckin mouth, but you are different. You been my boy and that shit won’t change no matter how you feel about me. "
I hated to sound like a soft, sensitive ass nigga, but not being tight with my day one nigga was riding heavily on me.
Especially since the shit wasn't worth it in the end.
We been friends for almost twenty years and I'm never too gangsta to admit I love this nigga to death. He is my best friend and my brother.
"What I wanted to address with you is that nothing can ever go back to how it was with me and you because I'm a different man now, and you're the same Crew you've always been."
“What the fuck does that mean? I squinted my eyes because I was confused. Hov dropped his head.