Hood Rich: The rise and fall of one of Brooklyn's Finest (9 page)

I decided to go to the Hot Bar until Akira called back.
I was puzzled when I’d heard she was at her mothers
house. As far as I knew, Akira’s family had abandoned her when she was a toddler. I shrugged my
shoulders and sipped on my smooth bitch. My phone
started to vibrate, it was my baby.
“Hello.”
“Hey baby where you at?” Akira asked me.
“I’m at the Hot Bar.” I responded.
“Stay right there, we coming around.”
I sat there at the bar wondering who we consisted of.
I was trying to imagine what Akira’s mom would
look like. I wasn’t pressed for her to approve of or like
me because Akira was already mine. I just hoped for
the best for Akira’s sake. I just wanted her to be happy. Sometimes I think about what it would be like to
have a real family for a change. Akira was my family.
Just as I thought about Akira and I having a family,
she walked in the bar. Akira was followed by Jocelyn.
Shakita was walking in the bar after them. She was
looking good as usual. It seemed like a good opportunity to introduce her to Akira.
Akira came and sat next to me and gave me a kiss. I
beckoned for Shakita to come over to me. Before I
could open my mouth, Akira took hold of Shakita’s
hand and said:
“Mom, I want you to meet Rich, Rich meet my mom.”
My heart dropped down to my knees. I could tell by
Shakita’s facial expression that she was just as
shocked as I was. I didn’t know what to say. There
was a moment of silence before Shakita broke it.
“What’s up Rich?… baby I been knowing Rich since
he was a baby. His mom still live across the street. So
this is the man you love so much?”
My nerves were on edge. This was too much. I
couldn’t believe that Shakita was Akira’s mother. I
had sex with Akira’s mom. This was bad. I was waiting for Shakita to say something that would break the
ice. She didn’t disappoint me.
“Akira, you two make a nice couple. Rich is perfect
for you baby.”
I was frozen in disbelief. Shakita held back what happened between us. I didn’t know how things were going to end up, but this was a relief because I didn’t
want to lose Akira. Besides, Shakita was just a fuck. A
good one though. I was feeling tipsy off the smooth
bitch that I just drank. I ordered another one because
this shit was crazy.
We made small talk for a few minutes before Shakita
hit me wit the news about Manny. I must admit, I was
not saddened. I felt bad for Shakita’s lost though. We
left the bar and went to Shakita’s house. By then the
police had half the precinct on Moffat Street.
I didn’t give Manny much thought. I was just happy
for Akira. This was an important time in her life. I
watched Akira and Shakita bond as mother and
daughter.
Quran and Teran emerged from their rooms and kept
us all occupied. Shakita beckoned for me to follow
her. We went in the twins room and she shut the door
behind us. Her expression turned serious.
“Rich, this is crazy, that’s my daughter in that room, I
can’t believe it.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I can’t believe this shit either. I never would have
thought some shit like this. She do look like you
though.”
Shakita grabbed my hand.
“Rich, she was talking about you like you was the
Pope or the King of England. She loves you. I know I
told you that bitches can complicate your life. Aint
this ironic? Manny is gone, now she’s all I have, and
the twins. You said you wanted to be a boss. Like I
said you have to maneuver. What happened between
me and you stays right here right now. Nothing happened! I need to be a mother now. Be good to my baby Rich. Just don’t hurt my baby.”
Shakita held me in her arms.
“You know when I was younger, I was wild as shit. I
fucked up my kids lives. Now I have a chance to
make things right with Akira. I definitely don’t want
her traveling down the same road that I traveled.”
Shakita let go of me and we had an understanding.
On Wilson Avenue everything was quiet. I paid for
Manny’s funeral. Homer’s cop ass was there taking
pictures. Manny and Wiz were gone. I had to step up
to the plate. Dave and Xavier were hungry and eager
to step up with me. I had alot of good new soldiers to
complement them. Shakita was cooking and everything was broken down into nickel bags again. Money
flowed through Wilson Avenue like never before. I
bought the house on the corner of Knickerbocker and
Cooper from off the sheriffs sale for only $9000. Nobody wanted it. Mr Nick, the smoker/handyman,
painted, laid carpet, and installed new windows for
me. Everything was coming together.

I had finally stopped turning tricks. Not because I
was tired of it. Believe me I wasn’t. Sometimes I think
I was born to be a ho. It was in my bloodlines. My
momma was a ho, and my momma’s momma was a
ho. Who the fuck was I to think I was going to be different? Who the fuck was I to change the family tradition?
My mom turned me out when I was 13. I’ll never forget that day. She got a call from one of her regulars.
His fetish was eating pussy. What kind of man eats
out strange bitches? Anyhow her period was on. She
didn’t think about that until he’d gotten to our little
one bedroom apartment. I would usually stay in the
bedroom or go outside when my mom turned tricks.
She would keep them in the living room. This time I
came out the room to get something to drink. I went
back into the bedroom. A few minutes later, my mom
came into the room and sat down on the bed next to
me.
“Jocelyn, you know I love you right.”
“I love you too mommy.” I answered.
She continued:
“I need you to do something, it’s not hard. It’s gonna
help momma pay the bills and keep food in your little
stomach all the time.”
“Okay.” I naively answered.
That day I became a pro… a pro-fessional, a prostitute. My mom let that man eat me out. After that,
he took my virginity. That was the beginning.
I took to the game like fish take to water. From that
point on, my mom would constantly remind me.
“Bitch, you gone earn your keep around here.”
And that I did. It was easy. I had been secretly spying
on my mom since I was old enough to know what she
was doing. I would watch everything she did. I knew
what to say, and I knew what to do.
When I was fourteen my mom took me to Wildwood
on vacation. Wildwood, New Jersey was a beautiful
shore town. It was the first and only resort I had been
to. It quickly turned into a nightmare. What started
out a day on the beach ended up in my mothers
death. She was carried away by a riptide. Instead of
relaxing and floating, my mom tried to fight the tide.
She ended up drowning.
The Department of Youth and Family Services or
DYFS placed me in a youth emergency shelter. The
food was bad, the beds were hard, and the other residents made me sick. I didn’t last twenty-four hours. I
walked out the front door and hitched a ride. Some
fat Spanish guy. He was headed to Atlantic City. I
sucked him off on the way, to pay for my ride.
In Atlantic City I did what a pro does. I hit the track,
the blade, the stroll… Pacific Avenue. I was there for
two days before pimps started coming at my neck. I
was a renegade. A ho without a pimp. On most
tracks, renegades are considered in the way. I got
jumped a few times and robbed before I gave in.
I met Black in front of Caesars Casino. He just said the
right things at the right time.
“You know I can make your bad luck go away. You
choose a nigga like me, motherfuckers a slap they
momma before they even think about fucking wit
you.”
With those words I chose up.
I stayed with Black for two years. I was in line to be
his bottom bitch, ‘Queen Bee’… first lady. He passed
me up for some new bitch just because of my age. I
left that night. I hitched a ride with some niggas from
Brooklyn. They was from Brownsville. They partied
me and took me to Club Wet. That’s where I ended
up meeting Erik from Marcy Projects. I stayed with
him until the day I met Akira.
I hadn’t told Akira or Rich about my past, not completely. They knew bits and pieces. Especially after I
shot Black.
Pro’s recognize pro’s. Shakita recognized me, and I
her. Not only that but she’d been with Black too. She
didn’t press me for too much details about my life,
she probably could sense that it was too painful. To
be honest the pain was now gone. What’s done is
done, I have to live for the right now. I stopped tricking because my period stopped. I’m a pro, and far
from stupid. I only had unprotected sex with Rich. I
didn’t know what to say or do. I didn’t want to lose
the one good friend I had. I never fucked Rich behind
Akira’s back. We did that threesome when he came
home and that was it. I had just taken a pregnancy
test last night and it was positive. I just wish we had
used protection because I just know Akira will be so
hurt when I tell her.
Well, if I get an abortion then that would make everything okay. I didn’t want to kill my baby. Maybe I
could blame it on Wiz since he’s dead anyway right?
Problem solved…

I decided it was time to go see my brother PJ. He was
still up north at Elmira. The ride was long as shit going upstate. I hadn’t been up there in two years, the
last time my mother went. I was waiting about twenty
minutes before PJ came out in his prison issued uniform. It was good to see him again.
Although we weren’t bound by blood, I had been a
part of the family for as long as I could remember.
When my foster mom took me in, PJ treated me as if I
was his flesh and blood.
PJ extended his hand to me.
“What up little bro? I heard you been doing big
things.”
I was surprised to hear those words come out of PJ’s
mouth.
“I’m aight my nigga, I just been doing my thing, nothing major.”
PJ smiled and nudged me on the shoulder
“Rich, you know the streets aint only watching but
they talking now. The streets don’t keep secrets. You
the only man standing on Wilson Avenue, and you
holding it down. Manny, Wiz, and Zeke all dead. The
block chirping. Y'all even took the customers from
Central Avenue. Fats dead. It’s funny man… When
you start hustling?
Never mind, I saw you on the news last year, you
know that situation was crazy. I’m glad you cool
though. Damn my little brother turned into a full
grown hustler overnight. Hows mom doing?”
“She cool.” I responded.
“So I heard you got them youngins putting in some
work? Remember Rich, them youngins… riders or
not. It’s only a matter of time before some real niggas
start coming at you. You gotta start surrounding
yourself around a few real get money O.G. Niggas
that’s gone ride wit you, smell me?”
Seeing my brother was uplifting. It felt good just to
hear him talk. I told him everything from the time
Manny handed me the gun until today.
PJ gave me plenty of good advice and put me on to a
few niggas in the street. One of them niggas was Gusto, who ran Tompkins projects. PJ set it up for us to
meet the next day. Gusto was cool as shit. He was PJ’s
old connect. He was a big time angel dust, weed, and
hash dealer. Since we didn’t have any of that on the
ave, PJ thought it would be perfect for me to hook up
with Gusto.
First Gusto had plenty guns, and plenty experience.
Second because he didn’t deal coke, our interest
would not conflict. Third, I would have a O.G. That’s
well respected as a partner. Me and Gusto got along
well. It was on and popping. His girlfriend hooked
me up with some fake pay stubs so I could cop a
brand new Range Rover. I put twenty-six inch floaters
on it. Shakita took me shopping for clothes as promised. I laced Akira and Jocelyn too.
I fell back from the neighborhood joints like the Hot
Bar as per PJ’s advice. I partied with Gusto at a few
Spanish spots uptown. I had to break my routine now
that I was getting attention in the hood. Mostly because of my new Range Rover. I only had it for a
week and it seemed like everywhere I went, so much
pussy was being thrown at me. I had to pick and
choose who I would or would not dick down.
Wilson Avenue was the talk of the city. I had the
rawest coke. Throw in the meanest goons, a thorough
O.G., wet, weed, and hash. It was a rap. Those same
goons were molding all my youngins from the Ave.
Niggas and bitches knew who I was and knew I was
getting at a dollar. Because Gusto was my partner, I
received a lot of respect from other O.G.s in the game.
They also had love for Manny, the person whose void
I was filling. It was all love.
I was still watching my body and those around me.
We quickly checked anyone who attempted to bring
heat to the area. We kept our strip nonviolent to keep
the cops away.
Dave and Xavier kept the block pumping twenty-four
seven. Jocelyn was another story. Lately she started
falling back. Usually she was busy up in every other
niggas face that was willing to give her some change
to do something strange. She also stopped smoking
weed and drinking. It happened all of a sudden one
day, with no warning. I guess she was just tired of
that life. Who knows.

My life was finally on track. Everything I needed,
wanted, and ever dreamed of was in place. I finally
had a family and I was complete. Rich was doing
what he does best: getting money, and keeping me
happy. I was confident that Rich loved me and that
no bitch could ever take my place. I was still worried
though. Gusto, Rich’s new partner had been around
for only a week. The very first day he came around,
Rich bought a brand new Range Rover. Since then all
these bitches been coming at Rich like never before.
Gusto was in the way I thought, taking Rich to those
Spanish clubs. I was ready to snap on him last night.
My mom just sat me down and explained to me how I
would just be playing myself. She told me that if I
played my part, Rich might fuck another bitch, but his
heart would be with me. I wasn’t trying to hear that
shit. She told me that every man needs four basic
things: good food, good sex, good companionship,
and a little bit of space to do him. She told me I would
never be able to have one hundred percent of a man.
Akira
Hood Rich

Just a piece, a nice big piece. She said to make sure
that my piece of him is the part that really counts…
his heart. I had that, and I was happy.