ass itch with her sneaky and meddling ways. She always had something slick to say.
“So who was the lucky guy?” Dena asked.
“Nobody special, just a dude I been talking to.” Frankie downplayed it.
“He must’ve been special enough for you to squeeze into that jumpsuit. Damn, I didn’t know you had ass like that, Frankie,” Monique teased her, reaching out as if she was gonna pinch Frankie’s butt.
“You know I don’t even play those games, ma.” Frankie warned. “What’s up with the mural?” Frankie nodded at the candles and empty liquor bottles sitting at the foot of the tree near the card table.
“This dude from the neighborhood got killed,” Dena told her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Frankie said sincerely.
“That’s some sad shit; people always dying in the hood,” Vashaun shook her head. “They killed him right over there on Fulton in front of McDonald’s. I heard it was because he was wearing a blue coat in the wrong neighborhood. These li’l niggaz kill me with this gang shit.”
“Vashaun, you sound stupid right now. That kid didn’t get killed over no gang beef. He robbed a muthafucka last week, and the boy he robbed caught him slipping,” Bess corrected her.
“Well, it’s still somebody dying over something stupid!” Vashaun snapped.
“Listen to Mother Theresa,” Bess laughed, showing off thegold crowns on her two front teeth. “This is coming from the same chick that told a lie and almost got an innocent man killed because he fucked her and didn’t call back!”
“That was different,” Vashaun rolled her eyes.
“Different how? Somebody got shot in both scenarios,” Bess retorted.
“Why don’t both of y’all be easy? The front porch ain’t really the place to be airing your dirty laundry, especially when the streets are always watching,” Dena said, cutting her eyes at one of the dudes by the card table who had been eavesdropping on their conversation.
“You’re one hundred percent right, D,” Bess said, “but my thing is, keep it one hundred. This shit is fucked up, and we all contribute to it in one way or another, and I accept that, but I get tight when people do foul shit, then boo-hoo about shit like they don’t know what’s up out here.”
“Fuck you, Bess,” Vashaun spat.
“Maybe after I’ve had a few, but not right now,” Bess said with a sly grin.
“Y’all are a trip,” Frankie laughed, trying to ease the tension. She peered over at the coolers laid out next to the grills that were packed with meats and drinks. “Damn, look like y’all ready to kick off a block party with all that shit.”
Dena wiped her hands on her apron and retrieved two Coronas from the cooler. She cracked one for herself and handed the other to Frankie. “Vashaun got her stamps so we was just gonna throw a li’l something-something together, but you know how niggaz is when they smell barbecue,” she nodded to the dudes at the table. “Everybody kicked in a li’l something so we gonna do it how we do it until all the food is gone.”
“At this rate, we gonna be out here all night,” Monique said, placing some more chicken on the grill.
“Oh, while I’m thinking about it, did you ever look into that thing for me?” Dena asked Frankie.
“You know I did. I got it the other day but haven’t had a chance to holla at you. That shit is gonna look right on you, Dena,” Frankie assured her.
“See, that’s the bullshit in your life, Frankie. You never get nothing for us shapely chicks. Big girls like to get fly too!” Monique complained.
“All you gotta do is hit me with your measurements and it’s a done deal, ma,” Frankie winked and walked into the building.
“I might as well take care of that now.” Dena took off her apron and hung it on the rail of the stoop. “Mo, I’ll be back in a sec,” she told her friend and followed Frankie into the building.
ELEVEN
F RANKIE TURNED THE KEY AND STEPPED INTO the place she now called
“So who was the lucky guy?” Dena asked.
“Nobody special, just a dude I been talking to.” Frankie downplayed it.
“He must’ve been special enough for you to squeeze into that jumpsuit. Damn, I didn’t know you had ass like that, Frankie,” Monique teased her, reaching out as if she was gonna pinch Frankie’s butt.
“You know I don’t even play those games, ma.” Frankie warned. “What’s up with the mural?” Frankie nodded at the candles and empty liquor bottles sitting at the foot of the tree near the card table.
“This dude from the neighborhood got killed,” Dena told her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Frankie said sincerely.
“That’s some sad shit; people always dying in the hood,” Vashaun shook her head. “They killed him right over there on Fulton in front of McDonald’s. I heard it was because he was wearing a blue coat in the wrong neighborhood. These li’l niggaz kill me with this gang shit.”
“Vashaun, you sound stupid right now. That kid didn’t get killed over no gang beef. He robbed a muthafucka last week, and the boy he robbed caught him slipping,” Bess corrected her.
“Well, it’s still somebody dying over something stupid!” Vashaun snapped.
“Listen to Mother Theresa,” Bess laughed, showing off thegold crowns on her two front teeth. “This is coming from the same chick that told a lie and almost got an innocent man killed because he fucked her and didn’t call back!”
“That was different,” Vashaun rolled her eyes.
“Different how? Somebody got shot in both scenarios,” Bess retorted.
“Why don’t both of y’all be easy? The front porch ain’t really the place to be airing your dirty laundry, especially when the streets are always watching,” Dena said, cutting her eyes at one of the dudes by the card table who had been eavesdropping on their conversation.
“You’re one hundred percent right, D,” Bess said, “but my thing is, keep it one hundred. This shit is fucked up, and we all contribute to it in one way or another, and I accept that, but I get tight when people do foul shit, then boo-hoo about shit like they don’t know what’s up out here.”
“Fuck you, Bess,” Vashaun spat.
“Maybe after I’ve had a few, but not right now,” Bess said with a sly grin.
“Y’all are a trip,” Frankie laughed, trying to ease the tension. She peered over at the coolers laid out next to the grills that were packed with meats and drinks. “Damn, look like y’all ready to kick off a block party with all that shit.”
Dena wiped her hands on her apron and retrieved two Coronas from the cooler. She cracked one for herself and handed the other to Frankie. “Vashaun got her stamps so we was just gonna throw a li’l something-something together, but you know how niggaz is when they smell barbecue,” she nodded to the dudes at the table. “Everybody kicked in a li’l something so we gonna do it how we do it until all the food is gone.”
“At this rate, we gonna be out here all night,” Monique said, placing some more chicken on the grill.
“Oh, while I’m thinking about it, did you ever look into that thing for me?” Dena asked Frankie.
“You know I did. I got it the other day but haven’t had a chance to holla at you. That shit is gonna look right on you, Dena,” Frankie assured her.
“See, that’s the bullshit in your life, Frankie. You never get nothing for us shapely chicks. Big girls like to get fly too!” Monique complained.
“All you gotta do is hit me with your measurements and it’s a done deal, ma,” Frankie winked and walked into the building.
“I might as well take care of that now.” Dena took off her apron and hung it on the rail of the stoop. “Mo, I’ll be back in a sec,” she told her friend and followed Frankie into the building.
ELEVEN
F RANKIE TURNED THE KEY AND STEPPED INTO the place she now called
Similar Books
