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“I see.”
“Life can be good for you too, Malik,” Trey said, seeing the sad look on his friend’s face.
“Man, I can’t live like this on the loot I’m making at the store.”
“I ain’t talking about that kinda loot, Malik. I’m talking ’bout making some real paper. I can put you on.”
Al-Malik looked around the apartment and saw all the updated stuff Trey had, not to mention his wardrobe.
“It’s real simple, Malik, and you can have your own crib in like two months.”
“Word?”
“Word up, man. I’m telling you.”
“They don’t ask you for ID or nothing?”
“Naw, ’cuz all you gotta do is put it in somebody else’s name. They don’t ask no questions ’cuz as long as you got the loot, you got a crib.”
“Word?”
“Money talks.”
They both sat there in silence.
“Well, just think about it,” Trey finally said. “You can crash on the couch right there. It’s a pullout bed. I’m ’bout to get back out on the block.” Trey turned and prepared to leave.
“Yo, Trey, how am I gonna do everything, man?”
“Yo, quit that lame-ass job you got and you do you. It’s that’s simple. How you think I’m doing it?”
“Yeah, but you said you ain’t got time for school no more, and I ain’t with quitting school.”
“Well, that’s on you, homeboy, but once I get my paper up, I ain’t gonna need school no more. I’m out, man. I’ll kick it with you later,” Trey said, leaving Al-Malik sitting on the sofa, thinking.
SEVEN
The Plan
It was eleven at night, and Diamond had been talking with her friend Tammy for a few hours. She was venting to her girlfriend, “Girl, I gotta get me a man with some real money. I can’t keep messing around with these bums that keep giving me chump change.”
“Diamond, puh-lezze . . . I know what you doing.” Tammy looked at Diamond like she was a fool. She handed Diamond a glass of cheap wine. “Don’t you got them two little boys running after you, giving you money or something?”
Diamond scrunched up her face. “Why you gotta say it like that? ‘Them little boys.’ ”
“Because they is. They still wet behind the ears, and you on your way to senior citizen age.” Tammy burst into laughter. “You ain’t nothing but a ho to them kids.”
“Yeah, OK, you got jokes today. It is what it is, and yes, I got them young hotties giving me money, but it ain’t popping off like I thought it would. It ain’t coming fast enough.”
“Yeah, but you popping something—popping that coochie for those children.” Tammy laughed again. “You gonna mess around and get pregnant by one of them little sperm donors, girl. You know they got some strong sperm that will bust one of them old-ass eggs wide open.” Tammy laughed so hard, she began to cough and choke.
“To hell with you, Tammy.” Diamond smiled, but didn’t think Tammy’s jokes were as funny as Tammy did.
Tammy lived on the first floor of the building, and she and Diamond often had drinks together and talked. Tammy was handicapped and had to use a wheelchair because her legs were underdeveloped since birth. Her upper body looked huge because of her undeveloped lower half. She had short
, lifeless legs, but she got around in her wheelchair better than most people who could stand on their own two feet. Although she grew up confined to a wheelchair, it never stopped her from claiming her own identity. Her beautiful personality made her special, and she could melt any heart with her charisma.
“So what’s on your agenda next? Kindergartners?” Tammy chuckled.
