Chapter 11 #3
Shio sighed while Ezio and I pressed our lips together. I was trying to match my brother’s serious stance, but Nel was stupid. How could we not laugh at his ass?
“You got a girl that you gotta let in your world?” he continued.
“Shit’s crazy.” Shio grunted and locked his hands behind his head.
“You got sum’n thick that can’t hop on yo’ pogo stick?”
I cocked my head at Nel. “Okay, now, Dr. Seuss.” Shio looked indifferent, and I knew the Cuppacios weren’t helping his brainstorming.
Ezio laughed. “Nel stupid as fuck.”
“Being in this studio listening to this nigga rhyme got me inspired and on that type of time.”
“Twin... you serious, ain’t cha?” Vello asked, and Ezio laughed harder.
“This nigga needs to shut up,” Ezio said, and I was happy he did because I didn’t know these niggas well enough to have said it myself.
Nel tossed his dreads back. “Shut don’t go up, shut go down. All you niggas some Cuppacio clowns.”
This mane don’t got no sense.
“Aye, G. You good, though?” I gave Shio my attention. Despite being quiet and refusing to give in to the banter, he didn't look stressed. I let it go because I would like to think that if he needed help with whatever the fuck was happening at his crib, he’d let me know.
Vello shrugged. “While you're trying to teach the next nigga’s hoe, you need to track the lo’ on one of the singles out here. On foe ’nem.”
“Aye, Tunan. You got a bitch? You know you gotta get hitched?” Nel asked.
“Getting married ain't gon’ be a problem,” was all I gave his Cat in the Hat ass.
I had essentially taken my brother’s bitch, and before I told these niggas, I had to tell him.
He couldn't have cared much about Glow because he sent me to entertain her for the evening. As much as I told myself I wasn’t looking for a girl, Glow came to mind every time I thought about one.
I kept telling myself our union would be one of convenience, so I would do best to keep the shit about my gwap.
I noticed how she looked when the wives were talking amongst themselves.
Outside of Don’s fine-ass wife, I didn’t know which woman belonged to whom.
Don made it a point to let the party know who the queen of their massive castle was, but the remaining men played it cool.
All of the women were fucking finer than a fresh stack of blue faces, and everyone had big-ass rocks on their left hand.
I didn't know if it was the marriage, the lifestyle, or just the sisterhood she wanted. Maybe it was all three, and I didn’t judge.
She’d given a nigga a whole list of shit that proved she wasn’t trying to be committed, so my guess was that she just wanted to belong.
My hope was that it was because, outside of paying her bills, this marriage was strictly business for me.
I fucked with Glow, but this wasn’t going to be anything but a role for her.
This was not about to be another Stella situation.
Tunan would be no one’s doctor or nurse ever again.
Glow had her own bag and was healthy to the naked eye.
I had half a mind to ask her for her MyChart.
I was deadass serious about not nursing anybody back to health.
“Aye, let me see that phone again. All I could see was the silhouette of a woman in bed sleeping. What she look like? Neltz mind still a lil’ foggy from the shooting. The other day, he claimed something fine, and she looked like she was straight out of the Bricks.”
“What’s wrong with something out of the Bricks?” Ezio spoke up.
“Nigga… just because Jisei’s poor ass lived in the hood for a bit and her crack-headed-ass step daddy still roaming the dirt, that don’t mean you got a ghetto princess.
You know what I meant. Not the fine ones from the Bricks, the busted buttaface ones,” Nel stated matter-of-factly.
The weed was gone with nothing but the smoke lingering in the air.
Jisei was Ezio’s wife.
She must have been the brown-skinned one that Don couldn't seem to stay away from. Judging by her clothing and jewelry, she was the mafia princess indeed. I’d seen her hold a baby briefly, and now that I think about it, the baby had the same eyes as Ezio.
“Nigga, you talkin’ shit when Pia lived just a block away from the Bricks. Plus, she ghetto as fuck. Newsflash, all ghetto girls aren’t busted.”
Pia. Pia. Which one was Pia?
I thought back to that night. There were two dark-skinned pregnant women standing next to each other most of the night.
One looked like she was about to pop, and I remember thinking she had to have been pregnant with more than one.
Discover was what I’d heard someone call her.
She was wearing a ring, except it wasn't on her ring finger. Yeah, that had to be Vello’s bitch.
He’d left early, and I didn’t see her anymore either.
They’d said she was married once before, and since Vello had yet to marry her, the ring finger being empty connected the two.
The other girl had a boulder on her finger.
I’d gotten a good look at her ring, and it was carved with the image of a rose.
Nel’s tattoo had roses surrounding the name. That had to be Pia.
These niggas had done damn good. Exceptional, actually.
All the women looked good, and in a way, matched these niggas to a T, even from the small glimpses I was able to catch.
I was certain that an unspoken requirement to join the mob was that your wife had to be a walking sin.
I hadn't seen an ugly woman the whole party, Glow included.
“Fuck all that! Y’all playing dumb, but y’all know not all the bitches from the Bricks ugly. Any-fucking-way, Shio let me see that phone again, my boy.”
“I’m not letting you see shit. Fuck is you so worried about what I got going on for anyway?” Shio spoke casually.
“Because I need to see if you really gonna be schoolin’ the bitch, or if you gonna be over there breakin’ the man’s wife in. The way she looks is going to tell me everything I need to know.”
Shio stood, pulling his jeans up on his waist which immediately fell right back to the prior position due to the weight of his phones and money. “She straight. But, again, I ain't on that.”
Nel twisted his mouth, and when his brother did the same, I nearly barked out a laugh.
“If she straight let us see…” Vello egged the exchange on.
“If my brodie said she straight, that mean she straight. If the broad was decent, he’d say she was. Get off his dick, Double Mint twins!” Ezio stood, slapping hands with Shio.
“I’m not you niggas. I can practice self-control. I don't know what the fuck Don got going on, but I’ma teach her how to protect herself, and that's all I can do. I’m sending her right back to Mexico the same way she came.”
“What do you mean, the same way she came? As a Mexican? That’s how you’re sending her back?”
Shio looked Nel square in the eyes, unblinking. “Unfucked by me. That’s what I mean.”
Nel squinted his eyes, and their stare off seemed to go on for minutes until Nel stood. “Aite. I know you not gone fuck her. You always liked Black girls. I’ve never known you to go to Taco Bell, ever.”
I’d fucked a few times outside of my race, and that shit was a zero out of ten. I did not fucking recommend it.
“Well, Tune, welcome to the fucking family. You straight?” Ezio asked as he slapped hands with me.
I knew he was asking if my pockets were good, and even though I wasn't in a position to turn down any help, I did just that. If I wasn’t taking any chunks of change from my cellie, I definitely wasn’t taking any from Ezio.
I had about a hundred and twelve thousand, mostly from Shio and the rest from my brothers.
I wasn't rich, but I wasn't as fucked up as I was when I found out Stella and her scammer had run off with my shit.
Still, I didn't like handouts. I worked for mine—always had.
I appreciated Ezio, but I was good. I was still driving the old Infinity and living with my sister.
I didn't have any bills, not even a phone bill, since Shio blessed me with two brand new iPhones.
I took that as a sign to use one for any business I handled, and the other for my personal usage.
I hadn't bought any clothes outside of the suit we wore to see Don when he canceled on our asses. My brothers had gifted me a new wardrobe, so I looked the part. I was blessed, and once I made this nuptial move, I’d be even more blessed.
I never saw myself in the mob, but if it meant fattening my pockets, then I was all in.
I stood with my hand still clasped in Ezio’s. He embraced me in a brotherly hug.
“We Cuppacios are all fucked up, but we go to war for our own. You're one of us, so that means the same way I feel about these niggas, I feel about you. Time don’t mean shit when we share the same blood.”
“I appreciate that, bruh.” I shook hands with the rest of the clan, including Shio. He was still spaced out, but if the nigga said he was good, I wasn’t going to pry.
“Now that we got the meet and greets out the way… Aye, Essex!” Nel swaggered to the door of the booth with Vello shaking his head, but hot on his tail. “Let me spit some shit on the track. I’ll waive my feature fee.”
Nel pulled the door open without permission, alarming Essex who probably didn’t hear his ass through the walls of the booth. Still, he pulled the earphones from his ear and handed them to Nel with a grin, knowing what type of time Nel was on.
“Twin, you can’t even rap—” was all we heard from Vello before the door closed, shutting them in the soundproof booth.
“Aye…” Ezio diverted his attention to Shio.
“Yeah?”
“You sure you got that under control?”
My eyes shifted to Shio. He licked his lips and rubbed his hand down his wavy head. “Yeah. You know me… I’m not gone fuck her, Ezee.”
“Yeah. I know you, not her. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it,” Ezio quoted.
Shio’s eyes lit up. “Corinthians 10:13. You been reading your bible.”
“Nigga, I been reading that book of daily devotions you gave me.”
Shio beamed in approval. “You may as well come to church.”
“I may as well not. I tithe to your crooked-ass stepdaddy every Sunday, read my devotions, and I pray. That's all I got for ya.”
Shio nodded.
“I’ll take that. But I’m good, Ezee. I promise. You know ion make those without the intention of keeping them.”
They both looked at each other, communicating with their eyes, and even though I didn't know what was being said, I knew. Shio was a man of his word. Ezio knew it too. There were a whole lot of gaps in the story of this woman, whom he was now housing, but if he didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t ask.
It wasn't my problem one way or another.
I couldn't afford those any fucking way. These niggas could.
“Good. You always been the better Cuppacio. If it was me or Dumb and Dumber over there before we met our women, we would have started a whole war.”
“How so?” I butted in.
Ezio swiped his nose with his thumb. “We would have fucked.”
“Even though y’all don’t know what she looks like?”
Ezio eyed Shio again. “With the way this nigga all tense, I know she decent. He just better hope his faith in his restraint is bigger than his desires. Ion feel like shooting shit out with Mexicans. I’ll call Trump on them muthafuckas.”
We all laughed. I was all for making my bread, but a war? Nah, I ain’t sign up for that shit. I’d hoped my daddy’s son kept his dick in his pants. Temptation was a motherfucker.