The Weight Watchers

chapter 4: may 2014

                                                                                                                    Ro

       In the process of stashing the $37,000, I stumbled upon some coke I had took a few months back. We came up 10 bricks. I kept 2. Calling one of my coke dealing associates we agreed to meet at the King of Prussia mall. It was a convenient move for me being as though I needed to get my mom and baby mom something for mothers day. We met up on the 2nd level of the parking lot. Plenty of cover and cars to blend in with. Parked in a space reserved for employees only, killing the engine, I watched my associate who arrived before me head over to my Audi Q7. We talked for a minute once he got in, discussing a possible hit he had for me if things went right on his side. The exchange was made and he made his exit.
      Scrolling through my timeline on instagram trying to decide if I really felt like going in the mall, no. I looked to my left through the tint spotting 2 females carrying a bunch of bags. All the good stores too. Neimans, Saks, Nordstrom, Gucci, Louis... Sizing them up they looked to be about the right sizes. Grabbing the ski mask out the glove box I thought to myself my laziness would send me to jail today. I got bail and my lawyer paid. Fuck it. I crept out of the truck easing the door closed. Crouched down, I made my way around the parked cars until I was a car away from them. Cutting them off as I popped out from in between two SUV's.
     "Don't you dare scream." I said to the lighter middle eastern looking one. "I ain't gonna hurt y'all, if y'all don't do nothing stupid."
     The darker one who I assumed was black, was bad! Curvy, long hair. I almost didn't want to rob her. She stared at me like she was fearless.
     "Hand over the bags and phones. Fuck it, give me everything."
     "Stop crying Julia. He's not gonna shoot us in a parking lot." The darker one said.
     "Listen to your friend Julia. But, I will shoot you."
     "You won't. Here you go. Come get it. I need my phone."
     "Lady hand over the fucking phone." I snapped.
     "Tara, give hime the damn phone. He's got the gun not you!" Middle east hissed
     "She's right. Tara."
     "If you wanted to shoot me you would have."
     "Time out! shut the fuck up and hand me the bags. This ain't no conference."
     This psycho drops the bags by her side. Picking up the bags I instructed them to turn around.
     "Oh God no!" Julia cried.
     My eyes were on Tara' ass picking up the bags. Looking up she was staring back at me.
     "Having fun?" Tara asked. "Shoot me."
     Placing the gun under her chin I got a whiff of her scent she smelled really good. Look at those lips.
     "If you weren't so gorgeous I would slap the shit out of you. You run your mouth too much." I stated.
     "Fuck you! You're sick!"
     "Turn around. Look the other way."
     "Why, so you can look at my ass again?"
     "No. So I can leave."
     "Tara!" Julia yelled sinking to the ground sobbing.
     Tara went to console her friend. Dipping between two cars I was gone before she could look back.
     "Get up, he's gone." I heard Tara tell Julia.
     Back inside the truck, firing up the engine, I backed out hoping they didn't see my plate. Tara was staring at me through the windshield. Outside the lot I ripped off my mask and dumped their purses out the window tossing their phones too. I should of kept their ID's but if i get pulled over because they reported my car having their ID's equals guilty. All my paper work is straight even my license to carry is valid. The further away I made it, the less I worried.
     As I merged onto the expressway, I heard a vibrating rattle. Pulling over to the shoulder to locate the sound which I found in one of the shopping bags was an Iphone. On the screen was 2 missed call notifications and a text notification reading; "I need my phone back. Work phone. Don't lose it. Please."
     Work phone, had me thinking about Pork going ballistic over his "work phone". Could she be hustlin?
     "You're crazy." I sent back. "I'll get it later on. Don't toss it," was her response. Now I was worried. What she mean I'll get it later on.
     "How you plan on doing that." I sent back. "You should of took all my phones Robin Hood. I'll come get it around 9. Just keep it close by. I'm not calling the police. I don't care about the bags. You obviously need them more. The phone is important. I need it for work. Haven't backed up anything to my icloud yet."
     For work! not a work phone! But, not calling the police? All of this was strange from the very jump and like I decided to roll with it earlier, I'll continue to do so. My mind was made up as to give her the phone back or not. Sometimes you gotta take a loss to come out a winner. Even though giving up the phone isn't a loss on my part I may be taking a loss by giving back the phone depending on the outcome of it all. Besides this girl could be anyone.
     "Ok got you. Nice ass by the way." She didn't respond. Placing the phone in the cupholder I pulled off. A few minutes later another message popped up. It was a picture and a short message. One word. "Thanks." The picture was a side view of her, naked. trying to get someone to believe all of this would be hard. N.R. would believe it coming from me. I always come across wild chicks. I can't find the textbook definition of a normal female. Even Katrina burnt out like a lit match in the wind.
     Later that night I was in the van with Mar, Pork, and N.R. who had just went to the corner store. He was craving a snickers ice cream bar for some reason. The phone in my pocket vibrated. Not mine, Tara's. It was another picture. I opened it expecting more nude photos. It was a picture of the back of the van. The message attached read, "I see you. Can I have my phone now." I told Mar and Pork I would be right back hopping out. Running into N.R. as I closed the door I quickly explained where I was going. He shook his head after looking around.
     "You want me to watch out for you?" He asked.
     "Naw, I'm cool."
     "Remember the Juice and Pork situation."
     "I know. Salaam walaikum."
     "Walaikum salaam kafir man." N.R. Shot back laughing.
     He got in the van as I looked around for unfamiliar cars. A dark blue BMW under the street light was the only unusual car. A flash of the lights confirmed my thoughts. The BMW was an M6 coupe.
     "What the fuck is wrong with you? How did you find me?" I asked getting in the car.
     "Not you. I found my phone. There's an app for that you know. Thanks for holding it." Tara said staring me in the eyes.
     "Are you missing a part of your brain?"
     "No, why?" She asked confused. "Are you hungry?"
     "What?"
     "Hungry? Like food. Have you eaten yet?"
     She put the car in gear and pulled off before I could respond. I didn't even know the car was on. I had to get one, it pulled off like a rocket.
     "Do you have a gun on you?" She asked. "If so put it in the trunk."
     "No, I don't. Where are you taking me?"
     "To eat. I'm starved. What do you have a taste for? Besides me of course." She was smiling staring at the road waiting for me to answer her.
     "You're a lunatic. I could be a murderer."
     "I could be a murderer! You got in the car with me. Besides I can tell you're not. You're much better looking without the mask by the way."
     "I could of shot you."
     "I could of called the cops, and. You weren't gonna shoot me because you kept the gun pointed at Julia until, you put it under my chin. Is it weird that turned me on?"
      "Yeah. Why are you smiling?" I asked her.
      "This is the first time in my life I ever went with my gut without thinking it over and now my heart is racing. Feel it." It was beating a mile a minute. "I told you."
      "Your gut will get you killed. Stop listening to it. Your gut is crazy."
      "And flat. You know how hard that is to maintain."
      She even had me smiling now. We ended up at a diner downtown.
      "They have amazing pancakes." She said parking. "Milkshakes and cheescake too."
      When she got out I stayed in the car. Walking over to my side she opened the door and pulled me out.
      "Now you have to hold my hand. I don't trust you." She said squinting her eyes at me. I assume it was her version of a grimace. It was cute.
      "You shouldn't trust me. I robbed you."
      "No. I donated some free things to a needy person."
      "That's how you see it?"
      "Yes. Now you get to repay me with food."
      After ordering the waiter left, I sat staring at Tara.
      "What's wrong?" She asked.
      "Nothing. I just don't understand you."
      "That's an easy problem to solve. What's your name?"
      "Ro."
      "Is that short for Robin Hood since I called you that?" I broke out laughing. She had an honest innocence to her. Suburban girl for sure. Either that, she was a hell of an actor, or really insane. "Why are you laughing, Ro?"
      "You. The stuff you say. No it's not short for no damn Robin Hood. Ro is my name."
      "What is it short for, Roland?"
      "You're not gonna guess it."
      "Robert... Roger... Rocky?"
      "No, just give up."
      "No. next question. Age?"
      "Why?"
      "Why are you so difficult. My name is Fairuz. Like Fay-rooz. I say Tara, it's my middle name and people are stupid. No one says it right reading it or my name tag. I'm 31. An optomotrist. I run a small eye care center on City ave. I'm not black. My mother and father are Moors. I'm a moor.
      "A what?"
      "Black is a color not ethnicity, Moorish is. My mother is a Panamanian Moor. Father a Guyanese Moor. Their parents migrants to America where they met in Philadelphia. A Moor is the original name for black people. It gets deeper though. I can explain more on our next date." I didn't know this was a date. "I've been engaged, not married. I have 2 cars. The BMW and I have an Audi A7. Reside in Manayunk. Alone. My father is a surgeon. Mother is a bitch and a lawyer on the side. Not a real lawyer, the slip and fall kind. Im evidentally single. No kids and actually a boring person which makes this all even crazier."
      "I got my diploma." I stated.
      "Keep going." She was smiling that smile again.
      "I'm 28. One son. Two cars. Lexus LS460 and a Q7. I'm half black, half nigga. I think it's a bit of indian in me somewhere. I ain't sure."
      "Probably all indian."
      "I live in East Oak Lane, alone. You wanna know anything else Fairuz?"
      "You said my name right."
      "I'm not slow."
      "Do you steal for a living?"
      "I own real estate. A storage facility. Small apartment building. Two houses. A few small investments also, like vending machines. I'm looking to get into more lucrative things soon."
      "I see..."
      We sat in the diner talking for a few hours. It was 12:41am when I checked my watch. The bill was paid and we left. Honestly, I liked her already. Not a hard thing to do looking at her. Even easier after talking to her.