Crazy Summer (23 page)

“Jus’ chill, dawg,” Kiki said. His eyes fell to the machine where he was carefully counting the money.

“Nigga, you know dat’ bitch suspect to be on camcorder. I know she’ll suck every dick at this table.”

Kiki didn’t respond. The only sound in the room was the flickering of the machine. He pulled on the cigarette again and then thumped the burning butt directly at the guy.

The guy’s eyes widened, and he quickly stood up. “Nigga, what da…”

Before he finished his statement, Kiki pulled his Glock from his waist and aimed it at the guy’s stomach. He shot him twice and watched him bleed a slow, awaiting death.

The remainder of the eyes in the room didn’t show any signs of emotions. Nothing. Everybody just went back to counting money. Even Kiki.

Summer drummed her nails on the wooden kitchen table. Apparently, she was lost in thought. Her eyes gazed downward, nearly penetrating the table. Frankie Beverly and Maze was playing over and over in her head, a tune she’d heard while in prison. When the phone rang, it scared her for a minute.

“I’m comin’ over da’ Fifteenth Street Bridge now,” Kiki said from the other end when she answered.

Summer’s eyes widened a little as she quickly stood to her feet and cleared her throat.

“Okay,” she finally said. “When you come through the first light, make a left at the next light, and the second right, I’ll be waiting outside. What’chu in?”

“A green Range Rover,” he replied. “You might as well stay on the phone.” 

She smiled and walked outside still holding her cordless phone to her ear. “Where are you now?”  Her eyes scanned the street, and she grew excited at the sound of the thunderous bass that vibrated the windows of every apartment.

Seconds later, she saw him coming from around the corner. His rims reflected any light that hit them. As he slowly pulled up to her, he rolled his window down.

“Whazzup, lil’ lady?” 

Her smile spread across her face. “I’m alright. How you doin’?”

Kiki put the Range in park and politely stepped down out of it. As they stood face-to-face, she could smell menthol smoke in his clothes and on his breath. Her smile slowly disappeared.

Kiki studied her eyes. They were attractive as hell. Straight beauty.

“What’s on yo’ mind?” he asked, more serious this time as if he knew something was wrong.

Her eyes drifted toward the ground, and then they swept across the evenly lined red brick projects. Kids were laughing somewhere in the background. An old man was underneath the hood of an old Dodge right across the street.

She looked into Kiki’s eyes again and said, “I have a very serious problem.” 

“Get in.”

Over the next twenty minutes, Summer told Kiki everything she knew concerning her boys, while he studied every one that rolled off of her tongue. Lil’ Danté appeared on the small slab of concrete that was called the back porch. As he watched his mother and the stranger from a distance, an evil stare lurked in his eyes. Kiki continued talking to Summer, but he kept his eyes on everything, even Lil’ Danté.

The following day, a few calls were made to the district attorney’s office from a lawyer who Kiki had hired for the purpose of the twins. Today he stood out front of the Richmond County Jail with Summer. Kiki checked his watch and realized his personal attorney was late. Staring toward the blue sky from behind an expensive pair of shades, he took a deep breath and retrieved a cigarette. Summer studied his reactions. She admired his coolness, and he was more than fond of her.

“Is he comin’?” she asked.

Kiki just continued to stare toward the sky. Smoking slowly on his cigarette, he ignored her. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw a wine-colored Lexus coming through the parking lot. Kiki never would’ve thought his own attorney would let him down. The Lexus pulled up and stopped directly in front of him and Summer. She stared at the slick, blonde-headed guy, but Kiki continued gazing toward the sky and smoking his cigarette.

“Do I not pay you good?” Kiki said, never looking his attorney’s way.

“Of course you do, Kiki.”

“Well, nigga, why da fuck you late?”

“Uhhh…I…” he stuttered nervously.

“Jus’ go in and handle business.” He finally looked toward the white attorney and lifted his glasses from his eyes.

“I’ll handle it,” the attorney said in a whispered tone, then carefully pulled off and found a parking space.

Summer stared at Kiki in disbelief. “Why you talk to him like that?” She didn’t want anything to prevent her sons from getting  out.

Kiki thumped his unfinished cigarette across the parking lot and placed his shades on Summer’s face. “You look good in these,” he said.

“That didn’t answer my question, though.”

“I stopped answering questions two years ago.”

She shrugged. “Well…”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him. Her arms slipped around his waist. She felt a lump underneath his shirt and knew he had to be crazy for having a gun on him while standing in the county jail parking lot.

“You ain’t got shit to worry ‘bout, okay?”

She looked into his eyes briefly and slowly laid her head on his shoulder.

*****

Big Will stood in his parents’ living room that was neatly decorated with tropical flowers. The ceiling was nearly fourteen feet high, and the room was crowded with expensive furniture. He turned around as his mother came down the stairs, and they made eye contact. She was in her early sixties, maybe late fifties by the way she carried herself, and was dressed in denim jeans, a cream-colored silk blouse, and a matching scarf around her neck. Her name was Julia, and her walk was more than elegant. She greeted her son with a hug and kiss. Then they sat down next to one another.

“What’s going on, Will?” she asked soothingly.

Without hesitating, he replied, “I got twin sons that nobody knows about. I didn’t really know myself. Something happened when I was young and… Well, that doesn’t matter right now. My sons are currently locked up, and I wanna be there for them.”

Julia sat in shock for a moment, turning her gaze toward a huge family portrait hanging over the mantelpiece. Her son’s smile had been so gorgeous back then, his eyes bright and gleaming. Julia allowed her eyes to find their way back to Will’s; she stared into them and took a deep breath.

Finally, she whispered, “You’re my only son, Will.” She paused and took another deep breath. “Twin gran’boys you say?”

He nodded. “They’re mine; I had the blood test.”

There was a short period of silence.

“And you haven’t spoken with your father?”

“Ma, listen please. I know I haven’t been the best son, but please let me try to be a father to my boys.” 

His words cut through her like a razor. She pressed her lips together and felt a tear forming in the corner of her eyes. The silence in the room seemed to go on forever.

Then she said, “Alright.” 

The aroma wafted through the restaurant. The groomed waiter brought out a steaming, neatly-decorated platter of lobster tails, three kinds of shrimp, and two side orders, sitting everything down carefully before them.

Kiki sat patiently, but his stomach was in knots. Summer was across the table from him. He looked like money, and from the way he carried himself so far, she felt she could grow with him… in her own way, though.

Their eyes met briefly. Summer broke off the stare first and reached for a shrimp. She nibbled it with her glossy lips and wet tongue. Kiki never looked away from her; he could feel himself growing hard in his jeans. In the background, they could hear glasses clinking together as if a couple were toasting near them. They had a window seat in Red Lobster, but their view of the county jail wasn’t stunning at all.

Kiki’s phone vibrated against his hip. He removed it from his pocket and pressed the button to answer it.

“Yeah.”

Summer eyes were dead on him; she stared so hard that he broke off their eye contact. It was the attorney on the other end.

“Everything seems to be working out on the other end. I got a few more strings to pull and…”

Kiki cut him off. “Well, what’s the hold up?”

The attorney informed him that the kids’ grandparents on their father’s side had hired another attorney.

Kiki felt a surge of energy flow through his body. His eyebrows rose sharply, and his stare focused suddenly on Summer. He then reached inside his pocket and removed a pack of cigarettes.

“Another lawyer?” he asked in his low, southern drawl.

Summer was fast on the conversation.
Another lawyer?
She thought. Her look was one of bewilderment.

Kiki lit a cigarette and exchanged a few more words with the attorney before ending the call. He pulled the cigarette and French rolled a majority of the smoke as he exhaled, then looked at Summer. “My people said everything’s good, but the boys’ grandparents hired another attorney to help out, I guess.”

Her eyebrows bunched together, and her mouth suddenly went dry. Still, she found her words. “It must be their grandparents on their father’s side. And that’s something they should’ve talked to me about first.”

Kiki blew out a thin line of smoke. His dreads were not partially covering his face. “Who’s their daddy?” His words were thicker than lava.

She paused briefly and cleared her throat. Her eyes locked into his. “Far as I know, his name is Big Will. Nobody really. He’s supposed to have played ball in the NBA.”

“I never heard of him.”  Kiki didn’t look surprised at all and damn sure wasn’t intimidated by any man on the face of this earth. He took another drag from his menthol Newport, then sat it in the glass ashtray and asked, “So is y’all together or what?”

Without any hesitation, she shook her head. “No,” she responded, then added, “We were never together. He fucked me without my consent when I was in high school.”

The waiter appeared at their table. “Is everything fine? Do you guys need anything?”

Kiki told him no and dismissed him with a hundred dollar tip. After he walked away, Kiki focused his attention back on Summer.

“Just to let you know, I don’t see this Big Will gentleman as a threat,” he told her.

“I don’t see him as a gentleman, either.”

Kiki grinned, his platinum diamond grill sparkling.

“You have no other choice to see him as a gentleman.”