Money Over Everything

Big Chips

Moette

"Moe, you're being a drama queen," Roni said with her arms crossed. "I don't see what the big deal is. I helped make money and didn't make any mistakes. Why you always gotta see the bad in everything?"

I plopped down on my bed and kicked off my heels, my toes wiggling in relief at finally being set free. "It's not about seeing the bad, Roni. I'm seeing what's real. What if shit would've went left tonight? What if that nigga would've pulled out a gun, or worse? The cops picked that block to roll by tonight? You could've ended up in prison, getting out when you're damn near forty."

"That wasn't gonna happen."

"What makes you think that?" I asked, crossing my arms and waiting to hear this valid explanation.

"Because," Roni said matter-of-factly, "you're a genius when it comes to stuff like this, Moe. You think of everything there is to think of like you can see it in your mind or something. The only other person who might be better than you at this is Poochie, and that's only because she's been doing it longer."

"You damn right she has, which is why she should've known better than to bring you out there tonight. Wait until I talk to her about this..."

Roni stomped her feet like the little girl she's always been. "Moe, you gotta stop babying me. I'm eighteen-how long do you really think Poochie's gonna let me stay here without contributing?"

"For as long as she wants me here." I shrugged out of my dress and examined it, my brows furrowing at the rip going down the side. "Now go and get ready for bed. Don't you have class tomorrow? I'm not dropping all this tuition money for you to be missing out on anything."

"I don't have class until noon. Gosh, mom," Roni said, dramatically rolling her eyes as she trudged out of my room, slamming the door shut.

I shook my head. "Someone's got to be."

I'm not sure if she's too young to remember what happened to our mother, but Roni is all I have and I'll do anything-maim, murder, or steal-to make sure that she doesn't go through what I did. Deborah was a piece of work, selling anything that wasn't nailed down (myself included) to get a hit. Everything I went through made me tough to the point where I was damn near numb, but what kept me alive was Roni, who needed to keep her innocence intact. All it took was one night for one of Deborah's visitors to sneak into our room and try to touch Roni for the wall I built up to come crashing down. It took a dead man laying in our bed for the system to finally give a fuck about us. I wasn't about to let Roni down the way circumstance did me. Fuck that.

"What you come in here looking like you got an attitude for?" Poochie asked, taking a pull of her cigarette and flicking the ashes into the abyss. "If this is about Roni..."

"Of course it's about Roni," I hissed, pointing at the wall to the room next door where Roni should be slumbering. "I told you that I was down for whatever so long as it meant she stayed out of this. Poochie, I thought your word was better than that."

Poochie rolled those blue eyes of hers and said, "Don't you ever question my word, Moe. I took you and your sister in when nobody wanted you. Everything I've done is to make sure not only you two, but every kid I've had come through this house, is well taken care of. If Roni is grateful enough to remember everything I've done for the both of you and wants to carry her own weight, why should I stop her?"

"Because I asked you to," I said. "And I don't ask for much. Not nice clothes, like Damaris, not money for weed, like Darion, or anything else. All I ask for is a future for my baby sister."