T.R.A.I.N

chapter one

Remorse was not a word Train was familiar with. All his life, all his actions were a means for something, mostly survival, but they all meant something. He did what he had to do to stay ahead and alive. However, there were two things that he regretted in his life. One was not telling his brother Tamel the truth about his mother and the role she played in Tamel's mother's death. The second regret was the reason he was standing in front of this apartment door about to knock.

Train didn't really care too much about what that FBI agent Pratt had in store for him or why that man even really let him go in the first place. He just knew that if he ever was able to walk among God's living creatures again, he would try to make to right some wrongs he committed even if they were minor.

Train took a deep breath and sighed. He knocked on the door. Train had made a lot of deals with that agent and this was one Train insisted the agent took care of personally. He just had to make sure it was done.

Train heard muffled noises coming from behind the door then voices. Train waited patiently. He sighed again forgetting where he was.

"I'm not the Poo-lease," Train identified.

Voices rose again from behind the door and then he heard what sounded like several chains being released. Train backed away from the door as it opened. Train was looking in front of him but didn't see anyone. He had to look down to see who had opened the door. It was a boy around seven years old give or take with a snotty nose and knotty braids. He was wearing faded Spiderman pajamas using his free hand rubbing the back of his leg. His face was ashy making it look he had clown makeup over his very dark skin. He sniffled as he looked at Train.

"I think one of our daddies is here!" the little kid yelled and turned around to face the room.

Train saw a big black as tar bulky man half swayed his way towards the boy and the door. He had an Olde English 40 ounce beer bottle in his hand taking a swig as he approached.

"I ain't even seen this nigga before," the burly man grunted.

"Yeah, you haven't. That's the reason why that you still above ground and got half of your teeth left," Train stated. "But I can change that situation real quick."

The man grunted something else under his breath but went back in the direction he came from. Train looked back at the boy.

The burly man shouted as he walked away. "Come to the door, Lushus. One of your other niggas is here!"

"Is that your daddy?" Train asked.

"No, my daddy stopped coming," the kid answered. "He got a new hoe somewhere in Lawn Island."

Train nodded and the boy stepped back as Lushus came to the door in true form. Her huge melon cannons bouncing in her short laced nightie like she had no cares in the world.

"Look who decides to show up," Lushus snapped her lips. "Mister Train. It was must have been really funny seeing the Puh-leese come in here bussin' down my doe fah ya punk ass."

Train shook his head. "Nope, that's not true at all. I just came to make sure you were alright."

Lushus looked past him and then ducked her head out the door to look down the hallway.

"What you want, nigga?" She snickered placing her head back in and crossing her arms across her chest. "Thanks to you, I nearly lost my money I was getting from these kids. Damn daddies went to put them in the system but forget that I got to eat too."