Truth Is

South Richmond Chronicles

Upon arriving at the end of the driveway you could hear laughing in the back of the house. I saw a white Ford Taurus pull in behind us, it looked like a police car, but Tyron gave no signal so we just continued on walkin up the driveway. Uncle Simmons got out and yelled "MY BOYS," with a smile on his face in our direction. We stopped and turned to him as he proceeded to walk up to us. He walked up and first looked at me. He paused and grinned. He then said "Are you ready?" Patrick asked him what were we doing. He looked at Pat then looked back at me. "Are you ready for this correction? I know it's your first one." I must've made that awkward face where my lip curls up or something because Patrick patted my arm with a smirk on his face and Simmons laughing maniacally. I started feeling a horrible stomach pain. I wanted to ask to sit in the car, but I already knew it was a no because he had already shared the job with me.

Uncle Simmons said correction. He was always calling a torture or an execution a correction. He always makes the youngest nephew do the Honor's of swinging a bat at the knee or slitting the mans throat. He says it's because this is the light work and to see his lil nephews do it makes him proud. So I knew I was about to be in the spotlight for something I don't want to be in the spot light for.

Another thing that had me confused was why a drug runner had to be at the correction. I didn't know what was goin on or what to do about it, but I knew I was in it and not even my momma could get me out of it.

When I was finally out of my fear trance, I turned around hunched my shoulders and continued to walk up the front porch stairs of the old little house. I wanted to seem heartless and maybe not even think about the guilt I feel so I can possibly impress my family and I can get it over with. I did this on the outside but I could not get rid of the thought of Uncle Simmons expecting me to know exactly when to swing, where to swing without killing him, or what I should do with my clothes when the blood gets on them. I reached for the knob and began to pray for myself and for whoever was here. Just as I walked in I heard a thump in the rear of the house. I had grabbed a gun that was sitting on the table next to the door and ran to the back just to find four men and one had fallen over. With a second look I could see that he had been pushed over and was tied to the chair, and one of the other men was actually a girl my age with her hair shaved, and left around her chair.

I guess I was getting too caught into the role because Derrick, another shooter of the cartels stood up and snatched the gun out of my hand and he raised his hand as if to hit me for doing something stupid, but he then laughed and opened his arms for a dap. He laughed and the other man not tied to a chair stood up as well and said "Well I'll be damned." I felt like I was at a family reunion honestly. When your parents make you meet people you have never seen before and call them your family. I stood there grinning awkwardly while staring at the young man and teenage girl in the chairs with tap over their mouths. His chair was still on the floor. While the second man started to tell me about how big I had gotten, Patrick and Simmons had come out of the doorway behind me talking about my fast and unnecessary tactics to checking out thumps. At this point I was confused enough, without the back door opening and Chancee, Franky, Michael, and Tommy walked in one after another. I had seen all of these men at least once before each.

Derrick lived in my neighborhood and I went to school with his daughter before they moved. so I knew his name, but I was not aware of him knowing me or the Cartel. Tommy was an older runner that I occasionally catch flirting with the old woman in my neighborhood when he drops off packages. Michael is this annoying white guy who always makes this joke about if he was my brother, his name would be Michael Michaels. He was an 20 year old gunman who stayed watch over the South Richmond Safe House, which he pretty much lives in to keep better watch. Chancee is at Patrick's house almost all day every day. Franky is also someone I see very often being that Bernard was recently busted and before he was, he stayed with my mom and I in Mosby Court, Franky was always at our door asking for Bernard. I did not know the other guys name. I have always found it ironic that all of these men work for a Mexican Cartel and not one was born or is ethnically Mexican. Simmons is the only one with the south of the border tan and that's because he had been there for a while recently.