Chapter 14
She’s Trying Me
Since I heard Islah’s voice, I ain’t slept right.
I laid on that thin ass mattress most of the night, staring up at the ceiling, my arms folded behind my head while her voice replayed in my mind like a song stuck on repeat. Every word, every pause, every second of silence between us.
She really thought she could leave me without a fight.
I knew I fucked up, I knew I shouldn’t have fucked that bitch. I had the bread for the coke, but I took the easy route, thinking Islah would never find out.
I closed my eyes and could see Islah’s face. The way she used to look at me when she thought I wasn’t paying attention. The way she would smile when I walked into the house. The way she would say my name when I was deep in her.
That woman was my future.
We had real-life plans.
The house waiting, she out making money for us.
I was ready to put a baby in her.
I wasn’t some nigga she could just walk away from like it was nothing.
My jaw tightened just thinking about not coming home to her.
When morning count came around, I was already sitting up on the bunk. I couldn’t get any sleep, my eyes was burning, but my mind was sharp.
I needed to start moving pieces.
After lunch and count cleared, I made my way to the rec room to use the phone. A few niggas was already in line waiting their turn. The room smelled like sweat, bleach, and cheap ass soap.
I grabbed a phone as soon as one opened and dialed my lawyer. The phone rang and rang. I thought the nigga wasn’t gonna pick up; then the ringing stopped, and I heard, “Yeah?”
I looked at the phone.
“Nigga, who the fuck are you talking to?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, who is this?”
I sucked my teeth. “It’s Gio, nigga. I need you to get over here ASAP. I need to talk to you in person.”
He started talking about his schedule and how he was working on paperwork for me. For real, it didn’t sound like he was doing shit.
I cut him off.
“Nigga, I don’t care about none of that shit. I’m telling you, pull the fuck up.”
There was a pause before he agreed, and I hung up the phone and went back to my cell, letting the rest of the morning crawl by while my mind stayed stuck on Islah and fixing shit.
Later on, once I saw who the guard was, I pulled out my phone and called Bully.
“Yo, who the fuck is this?” he said as soon as he picked up.
I laughed. “Nigga, it’s Gio.”
“Oh shit, nigga! Why the fuck are you just now calling me?!”
I shook my head. “I know, nigga, I know. What the fuck is going on?”
I heard Bully shuffling, probably walking away from his girl, when I heard a door shut.
“Nigga, Trina on some other shit. She showed up to the door, but I got her to go away once. I told her you were gonna fuck her up, then the bitch came to court.”
“I saw that shit. I was hoping she ain’t fuck with Islah, but she did.”
“She sure the fuck did. Islah came and asked me. Nigga, I’m sorry, sis has been out here holding it down for you. I didn’t want to lie to her.”
I nodded. “I understand, it ain’t your mess anyway, it’s mine. Has Islah been around?”
“Nah, nigga, the movers packed up that shit the same day she showed me the picture Trina sent to your phone.”
I took a second to think out my next move.
“So you haven’t seen her at all?”
“No, Gio, Islah has not been over here, and the apartment is cleared out.”
I exhaled hard.
“Okay, listen, I’ma text you an address. I want you to see if she’s there. If she’s not, I need you to find her, feel her out for me. She came to tell me we are done. I want her to know I’ma fix this, take her some flowers or something for me.”
Bully sucked his teeth. “Just cause you my nigga, and I fuck with sis, I got you. I’ll call you and let you know what I find out.”
We were about to hang up, and I yelled into the phone.
“Pay attention to her, nigga! Her face, her mood, if she looks sad, if she talkin’ to another nigga already. I need to know.”
“Say less, nigga, I got you.”
We hung up, I sent him the address of the house, and sat back on my bunk just as Monte was walking in.
“Nigga, you look tired as hell.”
I signed. “I am, but I will sleep when I get this shit handled with my girl.”
Monte grabbed his shit for the showers, then paused.
“You must really love her.”
I chuckled. “Man, you just don’t know… I never caught a body, but I will if she gets another nigga.”
“I wish I had something like that,” he said as he walked off.
I went out to the rec room to pass some time.
There wasn’t shit to do in the box but walk around, sleep, or play cards.
I talked to a few niggas in passing, rapped to some guard I was cool with.
When Monte was out of the shower, I went in to see how many niggas were left in there and told them all to hurry the fuck up and get the fuck out.
Once the showers were cleared, I went in, steamed that bitch out, and took my time. The shower was where I thought, where I tried to calm my mind, but I was too worked up. I wasn’t close to being done when Monte came in and said that my lawyer was here.
I nodded and continued to take my time; the nigga was getting paid for the shit, anyway.
Once I was finished and dressed, a guard cuffed me and led me down to the room where Groom was waiting for me.
“It’s about time,” he said while I was walking in. “How are you gonna rush me then take forever to come out?”
I didn’t respond to him right away. I waited for the guard to finish uncuffing me, then walked around the table and took a seat.
“You are not going to answer me?” he asked. “What do you want, Sir?” he asked.
I looked toward the door and saw the guard smirk and turn his head away. I reached across the table quick, grabbing his tie, yanking it, making him slam his face on the table, then I took my hand and slammed it again.
“Nigga, who the fuck you think you’re talking to?” I asked him. “You must have forgotten I’m not like your other fuckin’ clients.”
Groom adjusted his tie and cleared his throat while putting his hands up in the air.
“Sorry, sorry, Mr. Cannon.” His voice was a lil’ shaky.
I leaned back in my chair slow, letting the room breathe for a second while he gathered himself. His glasses had slid on his face from the slam, and he pushed them back on his face with a nervous hand.
That lil’ bit of fear in his eyes, that was exactly what I needed to see.
“You got comfortable,” I said calmly. “You’re not dealing with my girl, you are dealing with me now, and only me.”
“I didn’t get comfortable, sir—”
“No, you did,” I said, cutting him off. I leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. “Talkin’ slick, you don’t know me. I pay you, this ain’t some free shit, and you need to move like that.”
Mr. Groom looked at me like he wanted to say something, but decided to hold back.
“What is going on with my case?” I asked.
He opened his briefcase and pulled out a file.
“We are making progress—”
“How, when I’m still sitting in here?”
He nodded. “I will file another motion for Monday, and hopefully they give you a bond. They don’t have anything to really hold you on from what I can see.”
I nodded. “You better get me out. I got shit to handle, and being in here has fucked up a lot of shit in my life.”
“I get you, Mr. Cannon. Like I said, I’m doing everything I can to get you out.”
I paused and stared in his eyes, not believing a word he said.
Mr. Groom shifted in his seat a lil’ under my stare, his fingers tapping lightly on the file in front of him like he was trying not to feel my stare.
“You better,” I finally said, leaning back in my chair.
“Mr. Cannon, I work very hard for all my clients; you are no different.”
I nodded slowly, but didn’t say anything else. The silence sat between us for a second before he cleared his throat and started packing his papers back into his briefcase.
“If everything goes how I expect, you should have a bond on Monday afternoon,” he added.
“Make sure that happens,” I replied flatly.
A few minutes later, the guard came back in with cuffs in his hand. Mr. Groom and I stood up at the same time, and he nodded.
“You will see me on Monday.”
I nodded at the guard, and he came in and cuffed me.
“Oh, I’d better, Mr. Groom… you better.”
The guard led me back to my cell, uncuffed me, and walked off. As soon as he was off my cell block, I pulled out my phone to see if Bully had hit me back yet, and he hadn’t.
That pissed me off even more.
I was about to go to the rec room and play some cards to keep my mind off shit, when I Trina crossed my mind.
I stepped back in my cell and called that bitch real quick. The first call went straight to voicemail, and I called back.
“What?!” she picked up with an attitude.
“Wussup with you?” I asked low.
“Gio?” she asked softly.
“Yeah, boo, wussup?”
She laughed. “I’ve been waiting on your call…”
I smirked. “Oh yeah? You’ve been waiting for me to call and cuss your bird-brain ass out? I told your dumb ass it would never be a place for you in my life, and you gonna pop up at my crib tryna expose who you are to my girl?”
“Gio, FUCK YOU! YOU SUPPOSED TO BE WITH ME ANYWAY! HOW COULD YOU STEAL FROM ME!”
I laughed. “Bitch, fuck you, you tried to fuck up my home, but it’s okay. I’ma get my girl back, and I’ma fuck you up when I get out. You have me all the way fucked up if you think I’ma let you slide with that shit.”
She hung up, and I laughed as I hid my phone and walked out to the rec room. I stayed out there for a while, played a few hands of spades and dominoes with a few niggas, and had dinner.
By the time it was time for dinner, I was tired as fuck from staying up the whole night before. I didn’t want none of that shit they fixed for dinner; it was some fuckin’ tuna and some damn peas and a roll.
I fixed myself a cup of noodles and took it back to my cell, choppin’ it up with Monte as we ate. When he asked me if I fixed things with my girl, I decided to check my phone. I saw that Bully had hit me back.
I placed my cup down and called that nigga back.
“What did you find out?” I asked as soon as he picked up the phone.
He sighed loud. “A bunch of shit that you are not going to like.”
I placed my elbows on my knees and rubbed my forehead, preparing myself for whatever he was about to say.
“She’s not at the house; shit was moved in, but she’s not there.”
I shook my head. “What the fuck did you find?”
“I called her, and she agreed to meet me outside the park. She came, I took her some flowers like you asked, and I just had a conversation with her, making sure she was iight.”
I sighed, listening to him tell me how she felt betrayed by me, how she looks good, but you can tell that something is bothering her. He said she was at her parents’ house.
I exhaled. So far, I wasn’t hearing shit that sounded good. Fixing us isn’t gonna be as easy as I thought.
Bully went on to tell me that she found a job, then stopped talking, and it threw me off.
“What the fuck, finish nigga, don’t stop now!”
“Gio… she said that she wants to start fresh on y’all being done.”
He paused.
“So what, nigga? Spit it out!”
“She’s trying to find her own shit.”
I was sitting down and could still feel how weak my knees were.
“Where the fuck is she going?”
“That’s the thing, nigga, I couldn’t get that outta her. She said she knew I was gonna tell you.”
I shook my head and stood up.
“I need to get out now!”
“Islah is on a mission. I didn’t know she could move like this.”
I agreed; I didn’t know she could move like that either.
I finished my conversation with Bully and hung up, pacing the floor in disbelief. Monte watched me but didn’t say shit.
“This girl is trying me,” I said, looking to the ceiling. “She ‘bout to make me add some more angels to this city.”
I was about to call her and give her my thoughts when I decided not to; I had the weekend to get through. Groom was gonna have me out by Monday afternoon, and by Monday night, I was gonna be at Mrs. Walker’s doorstep getting my girl back.
And I put that on Crip.