Chapter 2


    Even before she could enter Jimmy''s that evening, Lyte could already hear The Brothers Johnson,


    ''Strawberry Letter 23'', sting loudly inside the building.


    With two jittery legs the young woman steadily ventured towards the establishment like she was


    heading for a prison term. She was wearing only a short-sleeved shirt that read Topaz High Drill Team


    on the front in bright glitter, and a pair of bell-bottomed blue jeans. Her fists were balled up so tight that


    sweat was glistening on both the insides and out.


    The youngdy stepped up on a ledge before approaching the front door where arge ck man was


    standing. Without saying a word to each other, Lyte pulled out two dors and handed it to the man


    before the man opened the door to allow her inside.


    Once she was in, the woman was bombarded by not only the loud music but also by legions of young


    ck men and women roller skating, dancing and ying video games. But rather than be


    engulfed in all the chaos, Lyte simply glided past one merrymaker after another on her way


    towards the rear of the building.


    On her way back, she just happened to take a very quick nce at a certain familiar booth. The booth


    was empty, and that was the only nce she required. She could hear her own heart beat in her ears.


    Before Lyte could even reach the rear, she immediately saw anotherrge ck man standing at a


    door speaking to a young woman. Lyte barged her way past scores of skaters just to get to the


    man.


    "I''m here to see vell!" Lyte raised her voice to the man.


    For a second or two both the man and the woman he was speaking with appeared offended by her


    presence.


    "Is he expecting you?" He spoke out loud.


    "He told me to meet him here around eight! I''m Lynnie!"


    The man stood and stared at the youngdy, contemting his next move. He then sighed and opened


    the door behind him.


    "Follow me!"


    Lyte did as she was told and followed the man down a long, dark corridor. Down the hallway was


    just one light bulb that was burning faintly in a corner all to itself.


    The man then stopped at a door that was at the very end of the hallway. He knocked four times before


    the door swung open to reveal a young, angry looking, slender ck man named Wendell behind it.


    "I got a Lynnie here to see vell."


    Lyte held her breath for what seemed like countless moments while waiting for the man behind the


    door to reply.


    "Oh yeah, we''ve been waitin'' for her." Wendell said as he opened the door all the way.


    Sidestepping therger man, Lyte entered into the smoke-filled room that reeked of marijuana from


    one corner to the next. Seated in a corner was an older ck woman with grey dreadlocks who was


    sifting through bags of white powder, while clear on the other end of the room was another ck man


    named Marvin who was counting money and cutting his own stash of white powder on a table.


    Lyte''s emaciated frame stood at total attention. The woman honestly could not make a single


    move. It was as if she no longer possessed the will to operate her own body. She hadn''t stopped


    shaking since before she entered the parking lot.


    There was another door just two feet away from her. Behind that door emerged an older, caramel


    skinned man with a perfectly manicured mustache and finger waves in his hair. He was wiping his


    hands clean and smiling as he came out.


    The woman and the two other men all stopped what they were doing at that moment to take notice of


    the man.


    "Well, if it ain''t little Lynnie." The man smiled gregariously.


    She probably should have be rxed at that stage, but all Lyte could do was continue to


    stand in the middle of the floor while the music up above her head vibrated down into her feet.


    Sitting himself down in a chair, the man said, "Come closer so I can see you better."


    Unclenching her body, Lyte dragged herself from the middle of the floor to the man. Once she was


    standing directly in front of him, the man sat perfectly still and eyed the woman from her sneakers all


    the way to her face. Once he got to her face, Lyte immediately began to shiver all over again.


    "How long is your eye gonna be like that?" He pointed.


    He was referring to Lyte''s right eye that had a deep, red scar in the middle. Lyte cut her face


    away momentarily before replying, "The doctor said that it was permanent."


    The man only rubbed his chin and said, "I''m sorry to hear that. Don''t take it personally, but I heard that


    you looked a whole lot worse months ago. I''m d to see you doing better."


    "Thank you, vell." Lyte meekly muttered.


    "Have a seat, Lynnie." vell motioned to a chair that was already seated beside her. "You don''t have


    to stand before me; I ain''t no drill sergeant." He smirked.


    Wendell pulled the chair up to where Lyte could sit down right in front of vell. She sat only


    twelve inches apart from the man.


    "I''m sorry for not being here a few weeks back when you first arrived." vell said as he began


    shuffling hundred dor bills on the table he was seated at. "I was busy taking care of business up in


    N.Y."


    "It''s okay." Lyte blushed with knocking knees.


    Right in the middle of his stacking duty, vell all of the sudden paused to turn and look at Lyte.


    "Tell me, how have you been doing all these months?"


    It was as if the question had sawed right through her body like a chainsaw. In her mind, time was


    something that didn''t exist.


    Biting down on her bottom lip, Lyte answered, "I''ve been fine."


    Shaking his head, vell said, "You gotta forgive me for being so nosey, but when they told me what


    Isaac did to you, I almost couldn''t believe it. I mean, I didn''t know the cat all that well, but I never


    imagined he would end up losing his mind like he did."


    Bashfully turning her head, Lyte said, "Yeah... me neither."


    "I heard he was dealing with some Jamaican cats." Wendell cut in.


    "Yeah, we also heard that those same Jamaicans knocked off both Larry and Marvell." vell said.


    "But then again, Larry was such a simple nigga, he would''ve slipped on a banana peel and killed


    himself. That''s the number one rule in this business, never get high on your own supply."


    With the exception of Lyte, everyone gathered inside the room began snickering. Lyte only


    pressed her lips together while holding on to a courteous smile as though her life depended upon it.


    "Well, at least he''s gone now. He can''t hurt anyone anymore." vell patted Lyte on the knee.


    "How''s that boy of yours doing?"


    "He''s fine." Lyte rushed to say. "I, uh, I really have a long night to get back to, with work and school


    and all."


    "Okay, okay, just calm down, you can''t rush perfection." vell smirked as he bundled his wad of bills


    inside a rubber band. "So tell me, how did your meeting with my contact gost night?"


    Lyte hurriedly tried to collect her thoughts on the question that she knew full well was going to


    arrive sooner orter in their meeting.


    "Uh...I didn''t get a chance to get what I needed." She stammered.


    vell''s smirk immediately shrank into a frown at that stage as he stared Lyte in the eye.


    "Nita,e over here and do your thang."


    At once, the olderdy in the corner dropped what she was doing and proceeded to step up behind


    Lyte. From there, she stuffed her hands down Lyte''s blouse and into her pants and panties.


    Lyte could have melted away in sheer fear at that moment. She couldn''t even shut her eyes.


    Once Nita was through with her invasive inspection she raised her hands to vell and went back to


    her table in the corner.


    Nodding his head in approval, vell said, "Just checking, that''s all. Now, tell me why you didn''t get


    what you neededst night."


    Wiping sweat from her forehead, Lyte replied, "I just didn''t feel rightst night. I felt like someone


    was watching us. The meeting ce we were in felt hot."


    vell sat and eyeballed Lyte ever so carefully before steadily saying, "I see. But I was under the


    assumption that you really needed my stuff. I mean, my contact was a sure thing."


    "I know, and please don''t think that I don''t need your stuff, vell, I just get real nervous every now and


    then." Lyte quickly blurted out.


    "I guess I could understand that, with all that happened months ago. But you have to understand, I


    can''t have my people meeting you all over town just for you to up and ghost them. They get real


    nervous, too."


    "I understand, and I''m sorry."


    vell turned his attention back to counting his money on the table and asked, "So now be honest with


    me, Lynnie, it''s been on my mind for a while now. Was your man dealing with those Jamaican cats?


    You see, I need to know if someone is moving in on my turf."


    Rubbing her hands together, Lyte kept her eyes focused solely upon vell. "I swear, Isaac was


    never into drugs." She shook her head from side to side.


    "He sure could''ve fooled everyone back in February." Wendell said.


    "Yeah, the nigga cut off your damn finger, girl." vell turned to Lyte. "I''ve seen those Jamaicans


    do that and a whole lot worse."


    Lyte ced her hands on vell''s table. "That man is gone. Do you understand? He''s gone." She


    firmly stated. "You''re people have been dealing with me now for the past four months, and not one time


    have I double-crossed you, vell. I''ve paid you every time, on time. You''ve no reason to doubt me


    now."


    vell sat and studied the young woman with such a thoughtful contemtion that it seemed he was


    feeling sympathy for her.


    "Tell me, do you still write poetry?" He asked.


    Subtly stunned by the question, Lyte humbly responded, "A little bit, here and there."


    "You oughtae to New York, they got some ces there for up anding artists."


    "Yeah, go to CBGB''S." Wendellughed.


    "Nigga, that''s for white folks!" vell chuckled out loud. "You should go to The Fever, that''s where the


    real ck folks hang out."


    Smirking, Lyte said, "With that Son of Sam guy and that ckout, I think Cypress will do me just


    fine."


    "Man, that Son of Sam cat ain''t stupid enough to step into the ghetto." Wendell added.


    Right then, the front door opened revealing a small, ck boy with an afro and a medium sized crate in


    his skinny arms.


    "Little nigga, what did we tell you abouting in here without knocking first?" One of the other men in


    the room angrily shouted.


    Shaking, the boy said, "I''m sorry, sir, but Jimmy wanted me to bring these down to you guys."


    "Put it over there, Youngblood." vell kindly said as he got up from the table and went over to the boy.


    "What''s your name, my man?"


    "Uh, Sammy, sir," the boy shuddered.


    "Tell you what, Sammy, you take this and be on your way." vell said as he handed the child a


    hundred dor bill.


    "I thought I told you—


    Jimmy, the overweight proprietor of the establishment barged inside the room like a steaming


    lotive. "Oh, I didn''t think he got down here so soon." Jimmy huffed and puffed while his dark face


    blushed out of control.


    "Calm down, big chops," vell motioned with his hand. "Why don''t you go back upstairs and enjoy


    yourself, Sammy?"


    Without any hesitation, Sammy took the bill and darted back the way he came, out the door. Lyte


    watched in silent regret as the boy took off. He couldn''t have been no more than ten or eleven years


    old at best.


    Coming down from his panting tirade, Jimmy said, "My fault, vell, that''s my nephew Sammy. I told


    him to wait till I knew that the coast was clear."


    Approaching Jimmy, vell said, "So let me get this straight, you got your little nephew working in your


    club?"


    "His mom wants me to keep an eye on him this summer. I just thought that having a job here would—


    "I see, I see." vell patted Jimmy on the shoulder. "Let me reassure you of something, Jim, I don''t like


    having my operation left naked like that. You understand?"


    "I sure do, vell." Jimmy stuttered. "Kids tend to have big mouths when ites to seeing stuff like


    this down here." vell then pulled out a handgun from his back pocket before waving it in Jimmy''s


    portly face. "Believe me, I used to be one of those big-mouthed kids. We need this clean and tight. You


    got me?"


    "Yes, sir, I sure do. It won''t happen again." Jimmy stumbled and fumbled before turning and heading


    out the room, shutting the door behind him.


    Still, Lyte would not budge from her seat. All she wanted at that point in the evening was for


    someone to knock her unconscious.


    Slipping his gun back into his pants, vell turned to Lyte. "Well, Lynnie, I''m a very busy man." He


    sighed. "I''ve got a couple of friends stopping byter on, so let''s get this over with."


    Standing up from her chair, Lyte pulled out her own wad of bills and fervently said, "I got it right


    here."


    Rubbing the stubble on his chin, vell said, "Oh, you didn''t hear? The price has gone up."


    Lyte''s stomach dropped at that instant to the point where she wanted to break down and cry.


    "But this is all I have."


    vell just stood and stared at the woman before turning his head to the door behind him. "We can


    always work something out...you and I."


    Everyone of vell''s crew all paused what they were doing at that moment before going back to their


    business as if it were expected of them.


    Lyte saw the door and only the door. Without hesitation, she stuffed her money back into her


    pockets before walking past vell on her way into the bathroom.


    With only her reflection facing her in the cracked mirror inside the tiny bathroom, Lyte saw vell


    slowly making his way towards her. She wanted to close her eyes, but the abrasion in her right eye


    quickly reminded her why she was there to begin with.


    She kept her eyes wide open...and watched as vell shut the door behind him.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.