Chapter 26 Whodie
Silence had filled the condo as Adore laid next to me asleep.
Our legs were intertwined, and I hated to move in fear that I would wake her.
It had already taken hours for her to relax and fall asleep.
It was just a few months ago that we could both sleep without a worry.
I mean, we had the usual worries of being in the streets, but not to the extent we were now.
I slowly removed my legs from her and eased out of the bed.
I grabbed my ashtray and bag of weed and headed towards my balcony.
As soon as the fresh air hit me, I took a seat and rolled the biggest blunt that I could.
As I stared off into space, I had made up my mind that this was the end of the road for me.
I was more than ready to move the fuck on and start something fresh.
Maybe have some kids once I figured this life shit out.
Losing people important to me had fucked up my mental health, and I wanted to keep the little bit that I had left.
I took a big pull from my blunt until I started coughing uncontrollably.
That was my sign to put the shit down. I set it in my ashtray and just looked off again, wondering what was out there.
As a little jit, I had never explored outside of my state. It was time for me to live.
“Whodie! Whodie!” Adore slapped my face.
“Damn, what!”
“Nigga, you fell asleep out here. Now you’ve got fucking bird shit on you.
I told you you needed to put a damn covering on this balcony, but you thought cleaning bird shit was cool.
Get your ass up and get in the shower. Hollow will be here in a minute, and I’m about to fix us some breakfast when they drop the groceries off. ”
“Has he called yet?”
“Who?”
I gave her a knowing look.
“Oh, no. Not yet. Now go.” She pushed me off towards the bathroom.
As soon as that hot water hit me, instead of feeling lighter, I felt heavy. It was a feeling of death all over me. The OG’s always said you would know what it feels like when death was coming. It tended to always come when a nigga was trying to get his life together.
“I gotta get this shit right,” I mumbled, as I grabbed my washcloth and soap.
I could hear the doorbell and smell the bacon when I got out of the shower. Wrapping my bottom half with a towel, I grabbed my toothbrush and brushed my teeth. I was starting to miss Adore giving me my weekly facials. Life had been fucking us up that we couldn’t enjoy any of the shit we used to do.
“Here go this bullet in the legs ass nigga,” Hollow said, taking a seat at the table.
I don’t know if I wasn’t in the mood or if I was still dealing with the thought of death. Adore placed plates in front of both of us before she set her plate down. She had my apple juice with a little slush in it and all. That small gesture did bring a smile to my face.
“So, you plan on being a man or being ignorant when you meet this nigga? Let me kno’ now so I can be there. I would hate for my sister to damn near lose her life again at the hands of you,” Hollow said, filling his mouth with hot grits.
I guess this was his way of trying to get under my skin. Not going to lie, he almost got me.
“I just kno’ when that nigga see you, he gon’ lil’ boy the shit outta you. Got yo’ girl ‘round this bitch takin’ care of you and shit,” Hollow continued.
It was that right there that always tended to take me over the edge.
That’s what everyone thought when they saw me.
A little nigga that lets his bitch control him with money.
Adore never gave that. She was able to triple because of me.
Truthfully, I was in the streets more than her. A real boss was never seen.
“Yeah, I see his ass over there seething,” Hollow said with a smile. “Do boy ass nigga.”
That was it, I grabbed the table and threw that bitch into the wall. There was food and juice everywhere. All the while, Hollow sat his ass in the chair with a strip of bacon hanging from his mouth.
“There it is…you don’t like to be called a do boy. That’s the first thing that nigga gon’ say to you. Is this the emotion you’re gonna give?” He asked.
I stood there with my nostrils flared and fist balled up. Thankfully, I didn’t have a gun on me because I’m sure that bitch would’ve been aimed at Hollow right now. My eyes went to Adore. This was the first time I saw a little fear in her, and it made me soften up.
“You emotional. I kno’ it’s that lil’ boy inside of you. If you can tame him, you can conquer anything, my nigga,” Hollow told me.
“I just watched two of my homeboys die. My girl almost died, and now we got a nigga playin’ chess wit’ our lives. So yeah, I might be a little too emotional,” I said.
“Good,” Hollow replied.
That one word threw me off.
“It just means you human, nigga. The problem is you let that shit control how you move.”
“You think I don’t kno’ that?”
Adore got up to start cleaning my mess.
“Adore, stop. I’ll clean it. Just go,” I waved her off. “I think me and yo’ brother can have this conversation without you. We won’t kill each other.”
“I think you don’t kno’ how to fix it,” Hollow told me.
Hollow had a way of talking like he was talking down on you.
“Aye, watch how you talk to me, nigga. Why you always talkin’ down?”
“See,” he pointed. “You didn’t hear shit I said.
You heard how I said it. You react to tone instead of the fuckin’ content.
That typa’ shit makes you predictable to nigga like Rico.
I kno’ you’ve been in the streets since a jit.
I respect it. But as a street nigga with education, we kno’ how to move a lil’ different, and I think Rico is an educated street nigga. ”
“Man,” I said.
“I’m not sayin’ shit to talk down on you. I’m sayin’ it ‘cause that nigga we dealin’ wit’ is gonna use it. I’m here to teach you how to fuckin’ listen.” He pointed at his ears.
“Man, what?” I scoffed.
“You don’t have a violence problem. You got a communication problem that stems from yo’ ass not bein’ heard as a child, nigga.”
“Break it down then since you kno’ so fuckin’ much. Wit’ yo’ degree havin’ ass,” I joked.
“Always ask yourself one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Is this ‘bout me or is this ‘bout control? If it’s ‘bout you, then you respond. If it’s ‘bout control, you don’t react at all.”
I nodded slowly, letting him know I was taking it all in.
“So basically, don’t let a nigga control the conversation?”
“Exactly,” Hollow said. “And right now, Rico controllin’ every conversation y’all have. And I see yo’ brain churnin’. You wanna kno’ how to flip it?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Stop playin’ his game and start playin’ yours.
” Hollow raised from the chair and approached, causing me to stand up too.
“Nigga, this is our fuckin’ city. Ion give one fuck what city he came out of his mammy’s pussy in.
This shit here is ours. He can’t come in yo’ shit and control a fuck ass thang.
Play. Yo’. Game.” He poked me in my chest.
We stood there for a minute in silence. It was like we had an understanding.
As much as I used to call him an old nigga, I really needed that bit of guidance.
I believe Hollow saw his younger self in me.
That is why he was able to get under my skin so easily.
If I could be half as calm as him while pulling a trigger, I would feel better.
“Look, I don’t hate you. I just never trusted yo’ reactions.”
“That’s fair,” I admitted. “And I don’t trust yo’ control.”
“Also fair.” He chuckled.
“So, we good?” I asked.
Hollow held his hand out. I stared at it for a minute before I dapped him up.
“Now let’s talk about this fuckin’ meet up. I’m not lettin’ y’all go in that shit blind. Adore,” Hollow called out. “Get yo’ ass out here. This nigga still alive.”
Adore walked in smiling. We walked to the living room, and I sat her on my lap as Hollow pulled out a map.
“Now, it’s only a few spots the nigga gon’ wanna meet at that’s private and away from the public eye. Whenever he sends the location, we’ll scout the area. I’ll be in position before his bitch ass even arrives, since I’m the trained killer here.” Hollow winked.
“He’s more than likely not gonna show himself immediately,” I said.
“I’ll talk him out to make him think I’ll fold and give him the business back,” Adore stated.
We both looked at her.
“What? I’m a woman. Y’all both know this shit is about ego more than it is about Sosa stealing from him. If I wasn’t a woman, he wouldn’t be doing all this. So let me use my own shit.”
“Aight, so when he steps out, I can take the shot,” Hollow said.
Before I could disagree, Adore’s phone buzzed.
“It’s the location,” she said.