Faces of the Game (16 page)

              “Baby what happened?  Where have you been?  Why do you have a D.C. number?  Are you in trouble?  What’s going on?”  Chelle said as she continued to let tears stream down her warm brown cheeks.  “Look, they picked B up he called me and told me to dip-set.  I have been hearing Jock, Ant, and a whole lot of other niggas been dry snitching.  I know you asked me over and over to leave this shit alone, but I didn’t realize how many people it would hurt besides myself until things started getting hectic.  I have to lay low no matter what.  All of my things in Winston have been moved, I had to leave and never go back so whatever you had over there is lost but don’t sweat it.  Here is real low-key nobody knows about this spot but you, let’s keep it that way.  No company, none of your little home girls that live in Charlotte, Gastonia, Rock Hill, or Albemarle are invited.  I know all of this is a lot to process but keep up.  The spot in Georgia is still straight too, we might be chilling there more than before.  As far as me, don’t worry about me, you just focus on graduating and keeping your head up baby I will be just fine trust me.”  Chelle just looked at Chip into his eyes; she couldn’t do anything but let tears stream down her face.  She tried to grasp the idea that she might have to deal with whatever happens in this situation.  “Baby, are you going to jail or prison?”  She asked him crying a little harder and blowing her nose.  “They will have to catch me.”  Chip said in a semi-sarcastic tone, trying to add a little humor to the conversation to prevent her from crying.  He looked down at the plush off-white carpet and stared at it thinking this may be one of the last days that he gets to look at all of the nice things around him that he once took for granted, including Chelle.  “I love you.”  Chip said as he leaned over to give Chelle a passionate kiss.  “I love you more.”  Chelle said as she returned the kiss.

              Three hours later they woke up in each other’s arms.  “Baby, wake up we got some stuff to do.”  Chip said as he shook Chelle a little.  “What do we have to do besides chill?”  “Get dressed, it’s a surprise.”  Chelle went into the garage and popped the trunk; she was so excited she loved surprises even though she didn’t have anything really cute to put on.  She knew that if she stayed she would get to go shopping which made her even happier.  Chelle went into the bathroom and took her clothes off; she ran her bath water and pulled the curtain back to step in. 
Well, I’m glad I was going to just pay for my plane ticket.  I guess I will have to start being very careful with the way I spend my money, I know he isn’t going to be here forever.  How do I start coping with this?  Well like he said I need to focus on graduating, which I have been doing.  I guess I need to call sis and tell her I made it down here.  Well I’m going to take it one day at a time and enjoy each day I spend with him.

Sunday Dinner

              “Hey Granny”, Chelle said squeezing her Grandmother tight.  “Hey baby girl.” She said embracing Chelle just as tight.  “Chelle!”  Her older cousin came out of the living room to welcome her in the house.  The two of them walked into the living room with their Grandmother, “what’s going on with you girl?”  Chelle’s Cousin asked her as they both sat on the couch.  “Nothing much, just taking it one day at a time, what about you?”  Chelle asked.  “Girl nothing, just relaxing and enjoying life, traveling and hanging out.”  “Supper is ready, come in the kitchen you two” their Grandmother said as she leaned forward to get out of the rocking chair.  The rest of the family was in the kitchen already fixing their Sunday dinner.  Chelle spoke to everyone, washed her hands. 
I wonder what in the world he is doing right now, Lord please keep that man safe.
  “Chelle… Chelle…”   Her Mother was calling her name; she had drifted off into a worrisome thought for a moment.  “Yes” she responded snapping out of it.  “Fix your plate, you almost washed the skin off of your hands.”  They looked at each other and giggled.  Everyone stood around the table and bowed their heads.  Once the food was blessed, everyone began to eat; the grandchildren ate in the dining room and the adults ate in the kitchen.  Chelle sat at the head of the table and looked at all of her little cousins, she felt blessed to have such a family.  The beautiful faces of the happy children made her heart flutter, she remembered being so young without a care in the world.  From time to time she would give almost anything to relive the younger years that she would never get back.  She always made sure to be cool and easy to talk to; her younger cousins always knew they could go to her whenever they needed someone not too old, yet not too young to confide in.  “Chelle are you ready to graduate?”  Lil Lew asked her, he was one of her favorite cousins; he was so smart and cool.  “Yes, I can’t wait.  Are you ready to go to high-school?”  She asked.  “Yeah, I’m sort of scared to go.”  He responded slightly laughing.  “Yeah right, you can’t wait I can see it in your eyes.”  She said sarcastically.  Her phone rang; she reached in her back pocket and cleared the call.  It was her best friend Ash; she would call her back after dinner. 

              “So, what’s up?”  Chelle’s Momma asked as they walked up the street to the big house her Great Grandmother used to live in.  It was vacant, but her cousin was moving from up North to occupy the house.  “Nothing much, Chip has been acting really strange.  I think he’s in trouble or is about to be anyway.”  Chelle looked down at the ground in shame, she told her Mother practically everything but she didn’t feel comfortable always telling her the truth when it came to certain things.  “Well, don’t talk to anyone about the trouble he might be in you just focus on your studies and keep praying for him.  What has he done to be in trouble?”  “Well, he’s associated with a lot of criminals and they are getting locked up and talking.  I don’t really know what to say, but I know it’s not good.”  They stepped on the porch, Chelle’s Mother hugged her tight and kissed her forehead, she knew the pain her Daughter was experiencing and she could feel her cry for help.  All she could do is tell her to stay strong.  “Come on, let’s go inside the house.”  They walked in and looked around, there were picture frames from as early as 1903 hanging on the walls.  The house smelled abandoned and dust layered the coffee table that sat in the den.  “Where do we start?”  Chelle asked as they walked into the kitchen.  Everything was in place, there was no trash, no dishes, and the refrigerator had a pitcher of water and a carton of eggs.  They decided to throw them out.  Chelle just remembered to call Ash back.  “Hey girl, what’s up?”  She said as Ash answered the phone.  “Hey girlie, what you doing?”  Chelle walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.  “Helping get the Big House together, what about you?”  “Nothing, dreading this homework.”  Chelle instantly remembered that she had a paper due on Tuesday, and she hadn’t started working on it.  “Oh Lord, I almost forgot I have a paper due in my History class.”  Ash started laughing, “the class you can’t understand what your teacher is saying?”  “Heck yeah, my East Asia and American Studies class.  I hate that class.”  Chelle said laughing too.  “Girl you better get to it, you only have a day and you know how slow you are.”  Ash said laughing harder.  “Whatever, what are you doing homework for?”  “Girl nothing major, I have to do a spread sheet for my Business Analysis class.”  Ash said rolling her eyes and cracking open her book.  “Girl you know I’m slow, I can’t even figure out how to successfully complete a spread sheet.  To hell with excel!”  Chelle said giggling.  “What did you just say?”  Chelle’s Mother walked in the living room with her hand on her hip.  “Nothing little lady.”  Chelle said laughing even more.  “Well, I’ll call you later let me get back to what I was doing.”  “Okay, tell your Mom I said hey girl.”  Chelle told her Mom that Ash said hey, and they hung up the phone.  “Tell her I said hey, you about ready to go back to Granny’s house?”  “Yeah I’m ready, are you?”  “Yeah, let’s go.”  Chelle and her Mother locked the front door, and headed back down the street.  Talking to her Mother always helped Chelle stay strong, she appreciated her more than her Mother would ever know. 
At the end of the day, I come from a family of strong people… I have a lot to be thankful for. 

Back to School

“Good morning everyone, I have a special guest that I want you all to welcome to our classroom” Ms. Brozwich said as she welcomed the CEO of a large PR firm based in Manhattan, New York.  As bad as Chelle wanted to stay focused, she kept drifting off into deep thought she was so concerned about Chip’s situation she couldn’t think straight.  “Chelle, what is wrong with you?”  Her friend Christi asked; Chelle shook her head straightened up and redirected her focus.  “Creating a campaign to enhance visibility in the Media when the client has nothing going on is rather pointless, but it is doable.  This is why you keep the client busy.” Chelle heard the guest speaker saying.  Chelle began jotting notes to keep her focused.  As the class came to a close, and the students began asking questions Chelle listened very carefully, her classmates always had the best questions when she didn’t have anything to say. 

Walking into her next class, Chelle dreaded having to listen to her Professor for 50 minutes.  She placed her paper on his desk as she walked in to the classroom; “Is everyone ready for the quiz we are taking today?”  He asked in such a deep Asian accent that no one understood what he said.  Everyone sat and looked confused as usual.  The Professor took a stack of quizzes and passed them to each person at the end of the rows.  Chelle rolled her eyes and slouched down in her chair, she hadn’t studied since the week before, and she was hoping to remember once she looked at the quiz. 

                                                                                         ***

             
“Only make moves if your hearts in it, and live the phrase sky’s the limit”
Chelle listened to Big on the way home, she was doing everything in her power to stay motivated and keep her head up.  She made mental notes of what she needed to do once she got home; she was definitely planning on making a study guide and sipping on a bottle of wine.  Chelle walked into her apartment in total amazement, “where are you?” She said aloud, she could feel someone’s presence.  She walked into her bedroom to see her cousin lounging in her chair that was placed in the corner diagonal from her bed.  “Hey to you too bitch, what are you doing here?” Chelle said with a sigh of relief and a slight bit of confusion.  Tera pulled the blunt really hard, “I had a really bad day man.”  Chelle hated smoke in her room. 

Weekend Get-A-Way

Ironically, Chelle loved traveling but being consumed with school work and relationship hassles she couldn’t figure out if she was coming or going most of the time. 
Charlotte it is for the weekend.
  Chelle sighed as she threw a few pairs of shoes and a couple of outfits in the green and white Lacoste duffle bag that was sloppily thrown on her bed.   If Christi and Nefi knew she spent this much time in their city they would let her have it, a cursing out that is.  She knew she had to keep a low profile, not because she didn’t trust them but because she didn’t say much on the phones and she didn’t make time to visit them as much as she once had.  Things were spiraling out of control slowly but surely and as far as Chelle was concerned, she had two main things on her mind; graduating and keeping her boyfriend as low-key as possible. 

“What’s going on bae?”  Chip said into the receiver of the trac-phone.  “Nothing, throwing these garments in this sack what’s going on with you?”  Chelle replied.  “Nothing much, aye I want to go to Rome you know what I mean?”  By this time Chelle’s mental code detector was scrambled, she thought about it for a quick second and then replied “What sugar?” Referring to Sugarloaf Parkway in Georgia.  “Nah bread, I’ll see you in a little while” he said sarcastically with a smile in his voice.  Chelle was always on point, it wasn’t hard for either of them to keep up with one another, and their code talk was like second nature to both of them.  Chelle rolled her eyes and plopped down on the big circular chair sitting adjacent to her dresser and diagonal from her bed. 
I hate that I love him
she thought to herself as she pulled both of her legs towards her and propped her chin on her knees while hugging her legs. 

Ring, Ring, Ring
Chelle jumped up, it was the house phone.  “Hello there little lady” she said into the phone, it was just Ash.  “Hey girlie, what you up to?”  Ash asked.  “Oh nothing, I think I might ride up to Virginia this weekend what about you?”  “Girl nothing, me and your crazy cousin will probably head in the opposite direction.  I think we might go to Florida.”  Chelle and Ash knew they needed to meet before Chelle left town for the weekend.  “Something told me to call you, where are you eating lunch today?”  Ash asked Chelle, she knew food was the common denominator in both of their lives, lol.  “Girl I got a taste for some of that banging chicken salad!”  Chelle said excited about her lunch outing with her one of her best friends in the world.  “Meet me Downtown in about an hour, and please get there honey ain’t nobody got all day to be waiting on you.”  Ash said with a bit of sarcastic authority in her voice.  “Beat you there, meet upstairs at our normal table child,” Chelle was already dressed for the most part. She walked back into her room, zipped her duffle bag, grabbed her soft yellow cardigan, threw her hair into a wild but cute bun, grabbed her little trac-phone and slipped on her ugg boots.  As she walked out of her apartment, she grabbed her brick brown leather handbag that was lying on her computer desk, threw both cellphones in it, made sure all of the televisions and lights were off and walked out of the door. 
I think that’s everything, lip gloss, cellphones, shea butter, I have toothbrushes down there, ummmm, books… Damn my books. 
Chelle opened the door back, grabbed her laptop bag and slid her computer in there along with three text books, a spiral notebook and her favorite pink ink pen.  She threw that bag on the shoulder with her handbag and locked the door on her way out.