Stay Down

Chapter|3

Amir

"Damn about time you decided to show back up." I said to Marri.

"Oh shut up and get the ice out the trunk."

"How many bags you get?"

"Y'all said to get two bags so I got two bags."

"Aight just making sure, pop the trunk." She hit the trunk button on her keys and it automatically went up.

"I'll be inside."

"Gon then, I'll be in there in a minute." I told her. We had been at my mama house for a minute now. The drive to Jackson went smooth. We was able to drop the product off and receive cash in our hand for it. When we got back we took it and put it in our storage that only we knew about.

"Uncleee." I heard a small voice behind me scream. Without having to turn around I knew it belong to Jadah, my niece.

"If it ain't my most favorite girl in the world. Come give me a hug."

I bent down and opened my arms wide and she ran at full speed and hugged me nearly knocking me over.

"Heyy big girl. What you been up to?"

"Nothing my mama said I can spend all night with you."

"She did huh?"

"Hmm mmm. So I want to come OK?"

"That's what's up baby girl. Ima get wit ya big head mama and we'll talk about it OK?"

"Ok uncle, I gotta go see grandma now." She said kissing my cheek and running off towards the house. I couldn't do nothing but smile. She was only five years old but she was so smart and I loved her so much. I would do anything for that lil girl. In due time Ima have me a lil shorty running around here. My heart skipped a beat at the thought. What the hell would I do wit a daughter?

"What you thinking about?" I heard my big sis, Mona, ask.

"She getting big man. The time getting away from me."

"Who you telling? Come on, I'll give you a hand." She said reaching for one of the ice bags.

"Gon now I got it. Jus close the trunk."

"When we made it inside mostly everybody was in the kitchen and dining room.

"Amir baby, take that ice and put in those coolers in the backyard," Sonya, Amir's mama said, "hey Mona baby. I'm sure glad y'all made it. How was the drive?"

"Hey mama! The drive was ok but you know I had to come. Nothing like family getting together."

"You ain't lying. Now days family jus ain't family no more. It's like see ya when I see ya." Aunt Eva chimed in.

"Mama, you seen Marri?" I asked, coming back inside.

"She was in the dining room on the phone."

"Here I am, what's up?"

"Oh nothing. Just making sure you was straight."

"Where ya phone at?"

"Right here in my pocket why what's up?"

"Well you got a couple missed calls. The party been moved up to tomorrow."

I went into my jeans pocket and checked my phone. I had two missed calls. Two very important missed calls from Dinko at that. "What he want?"

"You have been uninvited to the party."

After she said that I looked at her funny, "what you mean uninvited? I'm the life of the party."

"I don't know but it's a conversation for another time." She said walking over to Mona and giving her a hug.

"I don't know why y'all just don't get together. Y'all make such a cute couple and I need some more grand babies." My mama said looking back and forth between me and Marri.

"Now Mrs. Thomas, what would I do with your hardheaded, egotistical, and demanding son?"

"And mama what would I do with a stubborn, smart mouth, and possessive kinda chic like Marri?"

"Y'all are something else. It will happen one day. I'm sure of it." She said surely.

The truth of the matter is, I was actually digging Marri but I never acted upon it. For one, we was business partners. I don't mix business with pleasure because that's how you lose sight of the big picture and I was focused. Hell we both were so if we got intimately involved with each other, we would both lose sight. Don't get me wrong, Marri is what you would call a bad bitch. She looked good from head to toe and she had street smarts. Her street smarts is what turned me on to her in the first place. She knew just as much, if not more, about the game and how it was to be played. When we first met, she was out here in the streets tryna make a name for herself. She was on the corners by herself. It just so happened that one day I was near when she got robbed. From that day forward I never left her side.

****

"Come on nigga, you supposed to have ya money and shit ready. What you tryna do? Get a nigga caught up?" I asked the guy who was currently fumbling around in his pocket for money to pay me for the dime bag of weed I had.

"My bad bro, I thought I had it all together. All I got is $5 right now. Let me get it and I'll pay you back later on."

"Fuck I look like? A bill collector? Hell naw nigga. You can't make payment arrangements. I'm tryna eat too. Get at me later on when you got the whole $10." I said and walked off. I stuffed the weed back into my pocket and decided to bend the corner and walk to the store. On my way there I saw a chic standing in front of an abandoned building. I already knew what she had going because she kept checking her surroundings. I wasn't mad at her, she had to get hers too. I walked into the store and grabbed a blue powerade and some hot n spicy skins, paid for my shit and walked out. I had been gone all day and I knew my mama would be looking for me soon since I hadn't came home from school yet. Truth be told, I never went to school. It was money to be made out here and I was gon get it.

As I popped the top on my Powerade, I heard a loud, screeching scream that pierced my ear. My first thought was to just mind my own business and not get involved but the man in me over powered my judgement because that was a woman's scream. That could easily be Mona. That thought ran through my head as I crossed the street. I didn't know what I was getting myself into but I couldn't jus leave whoever it was hanging. As I got closer, I heard tussling coming from the abandoned building. I climbed through the window and saw Lonnie, the same dude that just tried to buy from me, on top of the chic I saw minutes before going into the store.

"Say man get the fuck off of her." I demanded. When he heard my voice he quickly got up.

"Amir this ain't got nothing to do with you."

"Man chill wit all that. This a female nigga. You doing some crumb ass shit nigga. Get out here and get it on yo own. You good Ma"?

"Yea I'm good." She said standing up. And that's when I saw the blade in her hand. I tried to stop her but it was too late. She sliced the back of his neck and blood went everywhere. He then screamed while holding his gash and fell to the ground.

"Don't ever try that shit again nigga." She spat and walked off. I followed her back out the window and caught up to her.

"These streets ain't a place for girl to be by herself...Amir by the way." I said introducing myself.

She stopped, turned around, and looked me up and down..."Amarri."

****

"What y'all doing cooped up in the house? The party outside and we getting the soul train line going. Come on baby, me and you going down first." My daddy said grabbing mama hand. I smiled at the two. They came a long way. But with that being said, we all got up to go outside. On the outside I was cool but on the inside I was fuming from what Marri told me. I wasn't gon bring it up anymore right now. I just wanted to enjoy my family.