Poetic Justice

You got to move on

Justice begins reading out loud to Iesha her "In a time" poem while Iesha pulls hair out of her braids.
Justice: In a time secret of wooing, today prepares tomorrow's ruin. Left knows not what right is doing. My heart is torn in asunder, in a time of furtive sighs, sweet hellos and sad goodbyes. Half truths told and entire lies, my conscience echoes thunder. In a time when kingdoms come, joy is brief as summer's fun. Happiness it's race has run, then pain strikes into plunder.
Closes her notebook.
Justice: So what you think?
Iesha: Its pretty.
Justice: "In a time"
Then Iesha's pager goes off.
Iesha: Uh oh, Chicago paging me, imma see what he want.
Iesha gets out of the chair, and goes to the receptionist phone. Heywood, with a serious look on his face, is on the phone.
Iesha: I can't use your phone?
Jessie: You know better.
She points to the payphone, Iesha walks towards the payphone.
Jessie: You need some change?
Iesha: I'm straight.
Justice begins cleaning up her area.
By the looks on Heywood's face, he gets off the phone with terrible news.
Jessie: What'd they say?
He crosses over to the couch, Jessie walks over to console him. On the wall, Iesha is on the payphone talking to Chicago.
Iesha: So what's up?
Chicago: U ready?
Iesha: Yeah I'm ready. We got a hair show to go to up there, anyway.
Chicago: Bring one of yo friends wit'chu, a fine one.
Iesha: What'chu mean "a fine one", you tryna say I got ugly friends. I ain't got no ugly friends.
Justice and Iesha make eye contact and both smile tryna hold in their laughs.
On the couch, Jessie is still consoling with Heywood.
Jessie: You wanna talk about it? I think you feel better if you talk about it?
Behind the window are the police harassing young black males.
Jessie: What the hell are they doing out there? I'll be glad when we getting out of here.
Justice: What's wrong?
Heywood gets up and walks away.
Jessie: You got your styles for the Oakland show?
Justice: Yeah. I'mma play with Dina and Gina's head a bit. If they like it, they like it, if they don't, they don't.
Jessie: So you gon ride with us? You know we got a little caravan going, we gonna party.
Justice nods. Jessie sees the stress on her face.
Jessie: Oh justice look at your face. Listen I know I ain't nobody's mother, and I ain't tryna be. But I'm tellin you, you got to move on. A man is a tool. You got to know when to take him out the box and when to put him back in. If you lose one, go get yourself another one. Take a chance baby, go do something different for a change. There's another man out there somewhere.
Justice: I hope so.
The way she looked, it was hard for her to move on to trust and love again, cause the one she had was all she gotten when she lost her mother. Pain that she's going through is controversial. By the look in her eyes, she's scared.

Jessie: And out here, sometimes you gonna lose one. Like a blow dryer or a good hairbrush, what do I gotta do, play everybody's mama, I got my own problems.
Jessie walks away, Dexter is looking for his brush.
Dexter: Ok, Where's my brush? I'm tired of my shit disappearing around here.
Heywood shows his brush in his hand, Dexter snatches it from him.
Dexter: Why you always borrowing my shit without asking?
Heywood: I asked you this morning if I could borrow your brush for a wrap I had to do, you said yes, and I have returned it to you. Why you gonna cry about it dexter? You sound like my little niece.
Then justice goes to her station to sweep.
Justice: Here we go again. What's your new man talking about?
Iesha: Girl he want to go on a run with him, this is good. I don't have to be messing with it all the time.
Justice: just get up and go.
Iesha: You know girl.
Then they turn to dexter and Heywood fighting on their station.
Heywood: You're catching me on the wrong goddamn day.
Dexter: So what you got balls?
Heywood: I was All-city strong safety at Dorsey high school, and I'll get in your ass! And not the way you want me to sexy dex.
Jessie: Please stop this right now.
Justice: What's a run?
Iesha: You know what a run is.
Justice: I don't bow what it is, stop messing with your hair. Now what's a run?
Iesha: A run, well it's like.....you really wanna know girl?
Justice: If you don't stop playing with me?!
Iesha: Chicago, my boyfriend, works at a post office, the one on century and van ness.
Chicago is now leaving work putting on his jacket and bout to brush his hair. Every so often, he and his friend drive this mail truck up to Oakland.
Iesha: J, you listening?
Justice: Yeah I'm listening.
Iesha: Like I said they drive this mail truck up to Oakland, sometimes I go with them, and I was thinking......you not having it huh?
Justice: Uh uh.
Back to dex and wood.
Heywood: I got your bitch. Ok I got your bitch!
Jessie steps in to break it up.
Dexter: What'chu wanna do?!
Jessie: Calm down, not here.
Dexter: Bring it out!
Justice: Iesha what'chu doing seeing some mailman, you know they don't make money! What he gon do for you, mail your bills for free?
Iesha: Ugh! Why you don't wanna have no fun no more? Girl don't you know this worlds just a big place for us to go out and fuck up in it. You gonna end being an old maid.

Now justice is in the bathroom by her lonesome, she's playing with the ends of her hair. Now she's in her room looking at old CD's. She goes through her 45 record collections, pulls one out, puts it on the record player, it begins to spin, first bars from Stevie wonder is I never dreamed you leave in summer.

She goes in the kitchen, microwaves some popcorn, plays with her cat named white boy.
Justice: White boy, c'mere.
The cat purrs on justice while she's petting him. The microwave beeps, she gets the popcorn, puts it in a bowl, spread hot sauce on the popcorn, lays on living room bored with her cat as the police helicopters fly pass her house. She grabs the remote, turns on the television, she's watching BET Midnight love. She looks at herself in the mirror playing with her hair, doing cute poses like she's taking a picture or she's modeling. She does one poses where it looks like she hung herself,  which was a reflection of how her mama died. Justice begins crying in tears and turns around noticing that her record player stopped playing. Next is Chicago in bed checking out Iesha while she's dancing and seducing him. Now over to lucky's mamas house, lucky's mama comes in with the groceries.
Lucky: You need some help
Annie: Like you all for the help and all I got is one bag.
Lucky: Here you go,
Then he pulls a cigarette out about to smoke it.
Annie: Lucky put that cigarette out you know I don't allow no smoking in here.
Lucky: C'mon ma, I work, I pay the bills around here, I can't have a cigarette?
Annie: Oh shut tha fuck up and put the cigarette out!
He puts it out.
Annie: You going up north to see kalil this weekend?
Lucky: Yeah. We finally gon start work on this music thang, bout to make this tape so everybody can listen to it, ain't gotta be doin this post office shit forever.
Annie: Don't be cussin around me boy! Who you think I am, one of your friends? Be glad you got an honest job. And don't be wearing you welcome out to Oakland every other weekend, you know how aunt Audrey can get!
Lucky with a stress look on his face.
Lucky: Ma, it ain't even like that........Keisha here.
Annie reacts with a glowing smile on her face.
Annie: Oh really? Now how's my grandbaby doing?
Lucky: Fine, bad as ever. I wanted her to stay here for good. Angel been fuckin up ma. Basing, I can't have my baby around that sh- stuff.
Annie: Are you gon take care of her?
Lucky looks at Keisha in the bed sleeping, turns his eyes back to Annie.
Lucky: Yeah.
He walks away.
Annie: Well you just remember that's yo baby! I'm done raising kids! And you need to quit playing video games and figure out what'chu gon do with yo life boy, time ain't forvever!
He grabs on the controller, turns on the PlayStation to play football, he looks outside the window as the police helicopter flies pass the window, then he starts playing the game.

That's a wrap on this chapter, I'll come back for more, I've been on hiatus a little ok that baby boy story, but I'll get back on as soon as I can, til then, I got another one called 'Lessons' which is actually a show, it's coming very very soon, stay tuned tho, peace ✌🏾😉