MEGAN FOX, OMEGA SUPREME

Taliek part 5: The End of Collar Popping

   
    After speaking to Third, I was promptly escorted back to the holding cell where Melissa was waiting.

     "Bad news?" she whispered, as I stepped back into the cell.

     "According to my friend," I replied, "after he told my father I was locked up, my father said whatever it is, he did it. Then simply hung up."

    "What?" she said, frowning at me. She was apparently so shocked she'd forgotten she was whispering. "That's all he said? But why..."

     She stopped speaking and consulted my file again, which she'd apparently removed from her leather bag while I was on the phone with Third. Opening the file, she angrily looked it up and down. Her green eyes were flashing like a cat's. "You've never been in any serious trouble," she said. "Why would your parents treat you this way?"

    Her indignation impressed (as well as amused), me. She was new to my parents, after all. When I'd been dealing with them for eighteen fucking years. She was even prettier when she got upset, and I wondered had anyone ever told her that before.

     "That's how they are," I answered her. "Fucking insane; nobody believes me when I describe the things they've done and said. They say I'm exaggerating. Then, I invite them over to see for themselves. Or if it's a female, I simply tell her to call my house and ask for me. That usually does the trick."

     Melissa slowly closed the folder, and glanced at me. "What does he do when they call?" she said, frowning and whispering, again.

    God, she was pretty!

    I shrugged. "All depends," I said. "Once, he told this Dominican girl--her name was Soraya--if you get pregnant, my son's not the baby's father. Then, hung up on her rather than giving me the phone. I never knew she even called; I thought she just didn't wanna mess with me. Crazy, huh?"

    It took all of my will power not to start laughing at Melissa's horrified expression. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a beautiful, highly educated, highly intelligent, white woman. Things we took for granted in the hood, might jar her sensibilities. Even Soraya (the girl my wonderful father said that to), hadn't been that shocked over the comment. She was actually laughing as she told me.
    
    Melissa, however, wasn't laughing. Perhaps, I hadn't concealed my mirth as well as I'd thought. Or Melissa Crawford was much more perceptive than I'd given her credit for, because she said: "This isn't funny Lucien; jail is a serious situation--even if you're only in it a few days. What kind of parent would leave their child in such a dangerous place?"

     I could only shrug, knowing her question was mostly rhetorical. No kind of parent who loved and cared about their child, was the correct answer. It was written all over her beautiful face.

     As I gazed at her, I was beginning to feel a wide range of brand new emotions regarding her. One of them was anger--pure anger that this woman should feel more compassion for me than my own so called family did. The next emotion was wonder...how had she become so caring, and sympathetic for black people?

    I would ask her that question eventually, but before that happened, I would go through shit I'd only wish on my worse enemies. It was that bad, and I made a pact with myself as I lay on the lumpy bed in my cell listening to the other inmates tell me and Taliek how they were gonna kill us in the morning--we'd better stay in our fucking cells. Listening to all this in total darkness, locked in a cage within a cage, within a cage. Completely alone. Hearing my father's response over and over again:

   Whatever it is, he did it! Whatever it is, he did it! Whatever it is, he did it! Hearing Melissa say: But you've never been in serious trouble before! Over and over...and the expression on her face--that sad/puzzled look probably hurt me the most; that embarrassing indictment of black people...which wasn't completely fair considering the rest of my niggas were bailed out by their families...in fact, most of my niggas from the hood were in and out of jail on a weekly basis, and never had shit like that happen.

    But I'm listening to about forty niggas explain in graphic detail all the bloody violence we were in for. Listening to them argue over which of them would be taking our food for the duration of our stay in hell. About forty ignorant motherfuckers, yelling and screaming all night long; making jokes at our expense, making fun of us like we were pussy. Talk about a humbling experience!

   Right now, I got a few homeboys who seriously need to experience that shit. They take the streets, cops, and ghetto conflict, entirely too much for granted.

    But I made a pact with myself that first night; actually three pacts. The first, was that as soon as my cell gate unlocked (and they would unlock one at a time, in succession, so you could anticipate yours opening), I would go through it, and into the gloomy corridor to face whatever pain was coming. My second pact, was that I would be doing extensive bodily harm to Taliek once we were both free. And my last, was that I was done with my parents...done with them for good.

     I kept two of the three.

     And I guess they all shut up eventually, the clowns threatening us, but I don't know when exactly. See, I decided I might as well get some sleep since I'd apparently be fighting in the morning. I actually slept peacefully, considering where I was and what was coming.

    What woke me up the next day was the sound of the opening cell gates, and the sound was headed my way. Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! One by one, I heard them opening, until the sound occurred at the cell directly next to mine on the right side, and stopped.

     My gate didn't open for a full five minutes, and despite the anxious feeling cascading through my body, I did have to grin. Real funny, I thought, jackasses. I knew the COs heard all that shit they were saying to us last night, probably authorized it. And then, my smile evaporated, because the idea pissed me off.

     I exhaled, and balled up my fists. Then my cell gate clanked open, as well.