Cleanin' Up The Hood

Reunion

The stench of piss and crack nearly knocks Vee off of her feet.

"God damn, is this the crack factory?" Vee complains and gags as they get out of the car. She covers her nose in distaste.

It wasn't just the smell. It was the state of the house too. The two-story Victorian house is entirely different from the one in her memories.

The shutters hang crookedly from the windows, and the paint is peeling.

The grass is as dead within the front yard as ever, with not even a single patch of green showing from the front yard.

Old cars were both across the yard and within the driveway. One of the cars rocked side to side while someone was getting fucked in the backseat.

In another lifetime, Vee remembers eagerly hopping off the bus each day after school while her mom worked. Rita became a second mother to her after her dad went to prison for a few years. Memories of lemonade, cookies, and singing TLC songs with Rita are distant.

Vee shook her head in disgust and said, "What the fuck was Rita thinking about letting this house get turned out like this? Mr.Lou is probably somewhere rolling over in his grave."Vee was right in her suspicions. The young boy from earlier was Rita's son, Kevin. Rita had been one of her mom's closest friends even before her mom got hooked on crack. Zay and Vee's feet clack against several beer bottles of King Cobra scattered across the sidewalk.

Zay doesn't say anything. He only nodded. Zay wasn't sure how in the hell Vee knew someone like Rita Washington. He heard from the streets that Rita was one of the biggest flippers in the Grove. She would do anything for even just the hit of a blunt.

"Look, when we get in here. Don't say anything. I'll do all the talking."

"Don't say anything? Why in the hell should you be able to do all the talking? I know Rita probably better than you. She knows me. She'll listen to me better ."

Zay sighs. Could she not argue with him for one second?

"I know you know her. But, you don't know shit about these new niggas. These are wild cards. They, not ballas or Vagos."

He pauses his speech to eye a guy high off his ass stumbling out of the house with torn clothing and a doped-up smile on his face. He relaxes, seeing that the guy struggles away without giving them an issue. He must have been just a customer.

"But, we don't have a problem with them, nor do they have a problem with us-"

"BITCH!"

The residence's front door flew open, and a woman came flying back out on the porch. She was very chaotic in appearance. The greying white cami she wore was covered in blood, and the wig on her head appeared matted and sideways. A light skin male with a bald head stood over her, holding a pair of pants. He was shirtless in a pair of shorts and black airforces. A lit cigarette dangled out of his mouth.

"You fucking stealing from me now bitch!?"

"You fucking stealing from me, you crackhead ass BITCH?!"

"Huh?! HUH?!"

With each question, he kicked the woman.

"ANSWER ME, BITCH!"

"I-I -I -I"

The woman sputters and tries breathing. She could barely catch her breath before her lack of response was met with swift, hard kicks. The woman tries moving away to avoid him kicking her in the face, and that's when Vee saw who she was and instantly stiffened in her tracks.

Ma?

A crowd of mostly men gathered from inside of the house. People began spilling out on the front porch to watch, along with a couple of the neighbors. None dared to take out their phones to record this event.