Two Tears in a Bucket by Traci Bee Page B

his head on the arm of the couch and dozed off.
    A few hours later, Kevin awoke and headed into the kitchen to call a cab just as he’d planned. As he switched on the light, he saw what seemed like a million roaches scatter, trampling over the sink full of dirty dishes and baby bottles.
    Damn, these muthafuckas trifling , he thought as he reached for the rotary phone on the wall.
    “ Your cab should be there within twenty minutes,” the operator informed him.
    As he hung up the phone, the thought of the baby sipping on a nipple that had been trampled over by a squad of roaches made Kevin’s stomach weak. He rolled up his sleeves, placed the stopper in the sink, and turned the hot water on full blast. While the sink filled with water, he squeezed nearly half the bottle of dish detergent into the scalding-hot water and swished it around with his finger.
    Damn, let me look out for my cab, Kevin thought as he shook the excess bubbles from his hand and opened the kitchen blinds.
    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The apartment shook.
    Kevin jumped, caught off guard by the sudden outburst.
    “ Open this muthafuckin’ door!” Toby yelled, hammering the door with his shotgun.
    “ Shit,” Kevin said, heading out into the living room.
    “ See, that muthafucka back,” Tuffy said, sitting up on the floor. “Listen at his crazy ass. That’s how he was doing last night.”
    “ Damn. He making the whole building shake.”
    “ You’da thought one of the neighbors woulda called the police or something,” Tuffy said.
    “ Yeah, right. They just as scared as y’all are. Let me go talk to Toby’s crazy ass,” Kevin replied.
    “ No, Kevin.” Felicia ran out from her back bedroom, her baby on her hip. “Don’t open the door.”
    “ What, you think I’m stupid?” Kevin asked, heading to the sliding glass door. “I’ma climb down the balcony and run around to the front.”
    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
    Kevin eased the glass door open and stepped out onto the second-floor balcony.
    “ Hold up, Kevin,” Felicia yelled. “Tuffy, gimme your piece.”
    Tuffy jumped from the floor, pulling his gun from his waistband.
    “ I don’t need no gun.” Kevin threw his legs over the railing.
    “ No, Kevin. Take it, please,” Felicia pleaded, handing him the gun, a Luger 9mm.
    “ Yeah, man. Take somethin’ wit’ you,” Tuffy said, standing in the doorway next to Felicia.
    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
    “ Let me get down here ‘fore he breaks the door down.”
    Kevin shoved the gun in the waist of his pants and lowered himself onto the patio underneath Felicia’s balcony. As he ran around to the entrance of the building, Kevin spotted James ducking in between the cars in the parking lot.
    “ Man, where the fuck you been?” Kevin asked, full of rage. “Felicia was paging you all fucking night.”
    “ I was out wit’ this girl last night, man. I thought she was paging me to see where I was.”
    “ Go somewhere wit’ that bullshit, man. Toby been lookin’ for you all night. What the fuck you rob him for?”
    “ Kevin, man, I ain’t rob no muthafuckin’ body. I’m just getting home. I heard that nigga tryna bust my door in, so I went and got my shit.”
    “ He should be pounding on your door looking for your bitch ass!”
    “ Man, I’m telling you. I ain’t rob him.” James’s voice shot up two octaves, the way it always did when he was lying.
    This shit ain’t good , Kevin thought. If Toby sees me with James’s ass, he gon’ think we in cahoots.
    Toby’s lunges at the door echoed throughout the building.
    “ Look, just stay the fuck out here,” Kevin ordered as he entered the building alone. He crept up the steps until he stood on the landing that separated him from Toby. He called his name.
    “ Hey, Toby!”
    But Toby was in a daze, pounding the door over and over again as if he was possessed.
    James crept up the steps behind Kevin and yelled, “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY DOOR!”
    “ What the fuck you doing?” Rage turned Kevin’s