Amber, Dave and Rico

Part 6

As I sat in the hospital parking lot car, this all just seemed so crazy to me. I never thought I'd see the day Dave and Rico would head to head, Rico and me possibly, but not Dave. Dave was a kind spirit, usually the peacekeeper. While Rico was the angriest of us all, he still had a line of respect I thought he would never cross with us.But I was wrong about that. Dave, Rico, and I got connected to the streets when I met my older brother Chase. A few months after my mom passed, Chase came looking for me. He explained my dad had always told him about me, but because of my mom, his mom, and our dad's relationship, they kept apart from us. But seeing that no one but Chase's mom was alive, he figured nothing could stop our relationship.He took me under his wing. He showed me what he did, and before I knew it, I was wrapped up in the game just like him. Dave saw the money I was getting and wanted in. Ms. Dorothea gave him and me a good life, but she was so wrapped up in looking for Rico that she was ignoring us. Little did she know Dave, and I saw Rico every day.Ms. Clara was so drunk that she paid Rico no attention, and he always came to their grandma's house to meet Dave and I. Before we knew it, all three of us were in the game, and we swore to be brothers. I thought this was going to be us forever.I had known these dudes all my life. They were my childhood friends and my brothers. No one knew me the way they did. But Chase was my blood and all that I had and when Rico told on Chase for a murder he did, the lines were crossed. He crossed me too. And that was when this war began.But I wanted no one hurt besides Rico. Dave stayed loyal. Dave's life was still up for question, and deep down inside, I was questioning everything. Including if the brother I picked was the right one.And I wasn't sure how to feel about this. I went from a boy to a man with these men. So this was hurting me; to see their moms hurting, I took that personally. The family was what we were, and it was all we had. Now the family was broken. Who was I. What had I done? As a family, we didn't always see eye to eye, but that was a part of being brothers. I still wish that when we all went our separate ways, it went better. Rico was still living wildlife, Dave was on his way to be a lawyer, and I was in the streets but not like I used to be. We fought to make sure that these streets didn't take us out and now look where we are." I said to myself.I still remember when I saw Rico's real colors.Dave, Rico, and I were kicking it like we usually did. We were counting our money and having a few drinks. We were young niggas in the game, but for years now, we had been doing this shit with ease. No police, no fuck ups, no nothing. Even the dogs in the hood had respect for us. They called us the three pretty niggas, and I couldn't understand how we were making this shit seem so easy with no issues. It was pretty simple. We stayed humble and in our lane. We were trying to take no one's territory or step on anyone's toes that made a lot of niggas have respect for us. Not to mention I had used some of his money to open a barbershop, a laundry mat, and a soul food restaurant. While Dave was taking his money and helping his mom put him through law school.But as well as things were, I couldn't deny that I felt like Rico was changing on us. "yo I need to talk to yall about some real shit." Dave said as we sat at the table, and he took a sip of his drink. "what's on your mind, broty?" Rico asked him. "I think I might get out of the game soon," Dave said. "Nigga, you sound crazy," Rico said to him. "No lie, I have been thinking the same thing." I said, "what the fuck is wrong with yall we living the best life right now. We getting money, bitches... man life is good, why would Yall want to change that shit." Rico said."Rico man, this shit was never the ultimate plan for my life. I'm trying to be a lawyer, selling drugs just made that shit a possibility because coming from where we come from it was either no school or go into debt trying to make a better future for myself. Shit, you know that money my dad left me and my mom dried up. Now I have more than enough money to finish school, so I'm good. I want out before people figure out what we really got going on." Dave said to me. "Nigga, why not be a lawyer and still get this bread?" Rico said to him. Dave started laughing "nigga when have you ever heard of a drug-dealing lawyer." Dave said.To Rico, there was nothing wrong with how we were living and for Dave to be a lawyer and keep up what we had going on. At least then, if we didn't get caught up in some shit, we had someone to contact us out of it. "bruh that's the whole point no one would ever think a damn lawyer was a drug dealer it would be the perfect cover." Rico said. "Ric, I'm not looking for a cover." Dave said. "yo you're really crazy, but I'm with Dave it's time to get out while we are ahead. No feds are on us nothing, let's take our luck and move on before it runs out on our asses." I said. "You niggas not thinking what about the family?" Rico said, "Nigga that's exactly what I'm thinking about I got a damn baby on the way that I need to be around to raise. My businesses are doing good and bringing in money. I can give my dope boy lifestyle up to be a businessman and a father." I said. "you niggas is tripping I'm not getting out the game and neither are yall because Yall made a pack that as long as one of us was in this lifestyle we all were." Rico said."Ric, you can't hold us to something we said when we were young and dumb. We agreed to that shit when we thought we didn't have shit to live for but the money." Dave said. "so we get out the game and then what about me what the fuck am I supposed to do? This shit... drugs... this is all I know. This shit keeps a roof over me, momma and my kids' heads; so how am I supposed to survive and provide if I don't sell drugs no more?" Rico said to us. "Bro comes work at the barbershop with me." I offered.Rico looked at me like I had just lost my damn mind offering him that. "so I'm supposed to go from being a boss to being your employee. What the fuck do I look like." Rico said to me. "Then what are you interested in? We got to think differently; fast money can't be how we live forever." Dave said, "are you not hearing me, my nigga? This is all I know; this is all I am interested in, and I'm not about to go back to being a little nigga now because you niggas are deciding to switch on me. yall my brothers, right?" Rico said, getting loud and angry. "You know we are. Your brother's blood couldn't make us any closer." I reminded him. "then ride with me." Rico said, "Bro, I can't agree to do this with you for the rest of my life. My dream is to be a lawyer, and this shit could wipe that shit out for me," Dave said. "yeah, bro, same here. I can't promise you that either.' I said."so yall telling me that this is it Y'all are going to throw away our friendship and brotherhood." Rico said. "no one said that dumb shit but you. us wanting out has nothing to do with the brotherhood. We are brothers no matter what road we all decide to go down." I said, "it does because Yall knows Chase knows all three of us, not just me. so yall leaving me is fucking me over." I said. "man I ain't know your ass was going to take it like this." Dave said. "well I am yall taking money out my pocket this is how I handle my responsibility as a man." I said.Dave took a deep breath and said, "Listen I'm out of the game period I'm not changing my mind about that but because we family I will still show up to the meeting and stuff with Chase. But this shit is all you. You control it all," Dave said. "Cool, no problem I respect that that's some real brother shit. I can handle this shit on my own. Jayden, can you agree to do the same thing, bro? Just show up to the meeting, you don't have to do anything else." Rico said.I sat at that table quietly. "so you take that long to decide if you going to take food out of my kid's mouth or not?" Rico asked me. Honestly, Dave and Rico did not know that Chase was my brother. All they knew is he was the connection. If Rico fucked up, Chase would be on my ass because I was his little brother. "Bro I can't do it. I will not agree to it. Dave and I showing up to those meeting mean we still attached to this lifestyle and if you fuck up, that's on all of our asses." I said. "that fucking crazy so you have no faith in me I can do this shit on my own?" Rico asked. "That's not what I am saying because I know your a get money niggas so you going to make sure shit stay a float to the best of your ability but I also know that when its just one person controlling everything in a business like this its easy to fuck up. We have been good for so long because there were three of us and we checked each other. With Dave and me out the way, there's no one here to do that." I said.Rico's anger got the best of him, and he did something I would have never expected: he grabbed his gun off the table and pointed it at me. "nigga either youCan be a silent partner in this shit and just be a body in the meeting or you can be a dead body no one needs." Rico said, and Dave butted in, "Rico chill man put that gun down we're brothers you know we don't pull out our damn guns on each other." I sat at the table looking at him with a death stare. "that's how we giving it up my nigga? I'm your brother and you pull a gun on me because I was trying to help you? Fuck you, Ric," I said to him. "Both yall chill the fuck out," Dave said.The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, and I had never thought in my life that we would be here. "Rico, listen, you got to respect how Joc feels." Dave said. "why should I when he don't give a fuck about me?" Rico said, "man I want more from you, that's what a brother is supposed to do." I said, "Fuck you, Joc." Rico yelled."Ric, listen if Chase doesn't want to fuck with you and just you. So be it, we can find another connection for you. But don't ruin the brotherhood over this shit." Dave said. "you'll always be my brother' cause you always looked out butFuck Joc we ain't shit no more ain't no brothers when it comes to me and him." Rico said. "shit says no more than nigga get the fuck out my shit then this mutha fucking trap house in my name nigga." Jayden said, "no problem let's divide this money that's in the safes and on the table and I'm all the way good." Rico said. That night our brotherhood ended.I punched on my steering wheeling, "if I had only went with this nigga Dave. I could have stopped all this, I could have explained to them that Rico was getting the money for me. That Chase was my brother and Rico's little stunt to get out of jail has Chase on my ass to get revenge If I could have only got Dave on the phone that last time when I called and Amber answered," I said to myself as a tear rolled down my face. Then something clicked. "... Amber..." I said to myself.