Chapter 6
Tavion ‘Tank’ Briggs
Spinning Backwards
I was here this evening, just seeing the way things were running.
I was in the back stock room, with my head manager in charge, and we were going over things that were out of stock, and whatever we were low on, I was jotting it down, so that we could order more.
I didn’t have plans of being here much longer.
Renee had already hit me, asking me if I could pull up on her, and truth be told, the way I had been moving around, running my businesses, getting things right at my house, mainly my farm, since I finally brought my horse home, I haven’t had the time to get any pussy.
I was severely backed up, and I could bust a nut or two.
Renee had been texting me here and there, trying to apologize for the shit that happened between us a few weeks ago. I wasn’t hitting her back, but with the way I needed to bust a nut, I finally responded to her text today, letting her know that I would pull up later.
“Boss man. Somebody out here to see you. He said his name is Favor” one of the associates came in the back to say to me.
Hearing that name, it had me pausing a little bit because I haven’t heard from that nigga Favor in years.
His real name was Favorite, but Favor is what everyone called him.
I used to run the streets with Favor back in the days.
By the time we were twenty, that nigga caught an armed robbery charge.
Still to this day, I had no idea why that nigga thought that it would be a bright fuckin idea to hit up a high- end jewelry store right in the middle of the damn mall, as if he would get away with it.
I remember when he brought that shit to the table to me, telling me that he believed that it would be an easy lick, but I made it clear to him that I didn’t want shit to do with it.
I told him all the cons about hitting up that jewelry store, and how I felt like he shouldn’t do it, but that nigga did what he wanted to do, and a week later, me, and every other nigga in Miami saw him, and the two other niggas that he did that shit with being advertised on the news for their foolishness.
While he was locked up, he would hit me up here and there. I did put money on his books from time to time, but over the years, I just stopped dealing with the nigga, and that’s why I was shocked that he was here, pulling up on me.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Chris, who was the manger that I had been in the back room with. He nodded, letting me know that that was cool, and then I walked out of the back room.
I went out front, and there were a few customers inside.
I looked around, thinking that Favor was going to be inside the shop, but I didn’t see him.
That’s when I went over to the glass doors, and I saw a figure that was standing outside the door.
The figure was scrawny, and back then, Favor used to have a medium shape built.
Favor was tall though, and the figure standing outside the door was tall, and even though I could visibly see the weight difference, I could feel it in my soul that that was him.
I went over to the door, pulled it open, and the second I stepped out, the figure lifted their head, turned to look up at me, and he smiled.
Seeing that nigga smile, it made me smile.
I hadn’t seen him in years. Favor really used to be like a brother to me.
I couldn’t help the feeling that overcame me, as I walked over to him, and we engaged in a brotherly hug.
It was one of those hugs where you rock side to side with each other.
It had to have gone on for over three minutes, and then I was the one to pull away from him.
“Look at you, nigga! Man, you busy tonight? Come with me to the gym! Let me get your skinny ass in the gym, man! Where the fuck your muscle at, nigga?” I asked jokingly, putting my hand on his hoodie, shaking it, showing just how slim he was now.
He laughed at the things that I was saying, but it wasn’t a genuine laugh. I read the room quick, feeling like all the weight that he had lost might have been an insecure thing for him, so I wasn’t going to make that joke anymore.
Standing in front of him, I couldn’t help but notice that his weight wasn’t the only thing that was different about him.
Everything about him was different. Whatever life used to live inside of him, it looked as if it had been sucked away.
He looked like he was going through something.
There was a hood over his head, so I didn’t know what his hair looked like.
Now that I paid deeper attention to him, his clothes were dingy, and way too big for him, and the forces that he wore looked as if they hadn’t been brand new in a couple of decades.
“Alright now nigga with the jokes,” he said it in a joking kind of way, but I knew that he was probably hurt by the comment that I made.
“How long you been home?” I asked him, my voice now holding some seriousness to it.
“About three months. I been trying to get my shit together. I didn’t want to pull up on anyone from back in the day until I felt like I had some shit to show for, you feel me?” he asked, and I nodded my head, understanding.
The nigga looked bad, so I couldn’t help but wonder if he had anything to show for. I wanted to know what the reason was behind his visit this evening.
“You good though, man? How you eating? How you getting money?” I questioned, really wanting to know.
When I asked that question, I watched the way his eyes cut from me, and he looked over at the parking lot.
There was a reserved spot for me, since I was the owner of the shop, and you could see my beautiful Aston Martin that was pulled in.
It was freshly washed. I woke up bright and early this morning, and I washed it myself.
Because the sun was shining still, not going to go down until another hour or so, the truck looked as if it was glistening.
Favor stared at the truck for a few seconds, and then he turned his head to look back at me.
“I had me a little something at a warehouse. I was stocking and shit. I enjoyed the job because I could put my headphones in, enjoy my music, and get all my work down. The thing with that job is that it was me, and a hundred other niggas working for the company, so we really weren’t getting money like that.
I got a call from them a few days ago, and they hit me saying that they had to let me, and a lot of other niggas go.
I had a feeling that it was going to come to that, especially since my hours were getting cut by the day.
I gotta work though. Even though I finished my prison sentence, it’s still consequences out here for me.
I gotta pay restitution for that jewelry store that I robbed”.
“They take that shit out of my check, and if I miss a payment, then I gotta deal with my probation officer. You know the kind of nigga that I am, Tank. My pride higher than a motha fucka, and it’s hard for me to come to somebody for help.
I came home, and I been hearing niggas saying that you doing your thing, owning your smoke shops, and shit.
This ain’t me coming to you for a handout.
I ain’t asking you for no money. I just want to know if you have a spot for me at one of your shops.
I can stock, sweep floors, clean bathrooms, whatever you need me to do,” I could see it in his eyes that he was desperate.
I felt so bad for this nigga because the Favor that I knew back in the day was the complete opposite of the Favor that was standing in front of me.
I sighed after he finished because there was a part of me that was hoping that this wasn’t where the conversation was going to lead.
I planted my eyes on him, and all I saw was a man that looked tired, and as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
You could see the way the streets chewed his ass up, and then with all the time that he served, prison had spit him out.
In this moment, all I could think about was past conversations that I’ve had with my pop- pop.
My pop- pop used to always tell me that friends and business didn’t mix.
He used to always say that when you go into business with your friends, they will feel as if the rules didn’t apply to them.
Not only was I thinking about that, but there were thoughts flooding my mind about the kind of person that Favor could be these days.
I haven’t been around him in fifteen years.
He was freshly home from prison, still adjusting, and more than likely, he still had that prison mindset.
It’s almost like a gamble for me to help him out, and put him on, but the kind of heart that I had, I couldn’t stand here and let this nigga struggle. I had to help him out in some way.
“I respect you for coming down here and having this tough conversation with me. I know you, so I know that nothing about what you just asked me was easy for you. I even respect that you didn’t come down here with demands, feeling like I owed you because of our brotherhood.
Your willing to put the work in, and that’s something that I can work with.
This is my latest spot, so I can find a spot here for you.
I can hook you up with a stocking position.
I just want to put a little bug in your ear, so that there isn’t any confusion.
I don’t have kids, man. My businesses are my kids, and I’m overprotective as a motha fucka with them.
Playing with my business is the equivalent of playing with me.
I’m a businessman Favor, but I’m still that same lil nigga from back in the days, that’ll beat a nigga ass or even kill when it comes to my respect.
This shit was built from the ground up. Don’t make me regret putting you on, man,” I was a little firm, but I had to be because I needed him to know how serious I was.