Trent was still overwhelmed by Wiz’s return to town and his beef with Kendra. He swore to himself that she just liked bitching for the hell of it. Trent just gave her some space because he really didn’t want to go down that road again. They had just gotten back together, so he did what he had to in order to appease her. Since he and Kendra had had an argument, he chose to stay out of her way. Trent had been so busy that he hadn’t noticed that Kendra had stayed out. He was in and out himself. The majority of the time he was over at Nicole’s or in his trap house, contemplating his next move.
It was a little past two o’clock when Kendra strolled through the door. Trent was in the kitchen, making a sandwich. Kendra rolled her eyes as she walked to her room.
“Are you just going to ignore me? Do you not see me standing here?” Trent managed to say.
Kendra stopped in her tracks and said, “Hello, Trent. How are you?”
After saying that, she continued to her room. She hung her things up, glanced in the mirror, and thought, Damn! I need to make a hair appointment! Trent stood in the doorway and just watched her. Finally, he said, “Where did we go wrong? We used to be so much in love. Now, we barely speak.”
Kendra sat on the bed. As she kicked off her shoes, she answered, “Trent, I really don’t want to hear this right now. We talked about this the other day, so I thought we had resolved it.”
“Fuck it! I see I can’t have a decent conversation with yo ass. A nigga tryna show some remorse about things that’s going on, but you wanna have a funky-ass attitude.” Trent was frustrated with the whole situation. It had become very old to him.
“Are you done?” Kendra asked. She wasn’t in the mood and didn’t feel like talking.
“You know, Kendra. I’m tired of kissing your ass. In a minute, you’re going to find yourself by yourself, and that’s a fucking promise,” Trent said with bloodshot eyes. “Aight. I’m out.”
When everything failed and no matter how many times he dissed her, Nicole seemed to embrace him with open arms. Trent went back to his trap house to make sure his money was intact. Since he was not sure who was after him, Trent decided to take the money and drugs and relocate them. At that moment, he didn’t have the slightest idea where he would hide everything. He just knew he had to keep his guard up. Trent knew he couldn’t put nothing past anyone.
After he had packed his truck up, he decided it was time to visit his granny in Rialto, which was located in the Inland Empire about forty-five miles east of Los Angeles. When Trent made it to his parent’s home, he used his key to let himself in. He walked in and was greeted by his sister and her friends. Nicole was among them as well.
“Treniyah, where’s Mommy?” Trent asked.
“Last time I saw her, she was in the backyard watering the grass,” Treniyah answered.
Nicole chimed in, “Yeah, I seen her go towards the back of the house.”
“Thanks, ladies,” Trent said.
He walked to his parents’ room and found his mom, sitting on her bed and watching a Lifetime movie. “Hey, sweetie. You didn’t call me today. Is everything good?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I wanna go visit G’Mama today,” Trent said in an almost boyish tone. G’Mama was what they called his grandmom.
“Why don’t you give her a call?” his mom asked.
Trent laid across his mother’s bed. “C’mon, Mom. I haven’t talked to G’Mama in a few months. She’s gonna think something is wrong. Could you just call her for me please?” Trent pleaded. He just hoped she would give in.
“See there. If y’all kids spent more time with your G’Mama, you wouldn’t have to go through this. You should never distance yourself from her. She’s getting old, and she is not able to move around like she used to. Go and offer to take her shopping or bring her flowers. Just don’t show up when you’re needing something!” Mrs. Moore said, breaking it down.
Trent kissed his mom on the check and laughed out loud. This was the second time that she had read him, and it was becoming scary. He didn’t want to waste anymore of her time. He grabbed the cordless phone and called his granny. His cousin Brandy answered on the first ring.
“Hello,” she answered, sounding real snotty.
“Get off the phone, gurl, and give G’Mama the phone,” Trent demanded.
“Who dis?” Brandy asked in her broken English.
“Don’t worry who I am. Just put G’Mama on the phone.” Trent was becoming irritated.
“She ‘sleep right now. Who is dis?” she continued to ask.
“Damn, girl. Your ass is nosey. Just tell G’Mama, when she wakes up, that I’m coming to see her in a few.”
“That’s all fine and dandy, but who am I gonna say is comin’ to see her?” Brandy asked with an attitude.
“Damn. If you must know, it’s Trent,’’ he responded as sweat formed above his eyebrows.
“I knew that,” Brandy said, clicking back to the other line.
Trent envisioned choking his little cousin when he saw her.
“Why didn’t she say anything?” Trent wondered aloud.
Trent put the phone back on its base. He, then, grabbed his cell phone and texted Nicole: AYE! MEET ME AROUND THE CORNER IN TEN MINUTES. LEAVE AFTER I LEAVE. I NEED YOU TO ROLL WITH ME.
After Trent pressed the SEND button, he kissed his mom once more.
“Tell Pops that I said he owes me money from that bet we made,” he laughed.
“You be careful, you hear? By the way, how’s Kendra doing? Tell her I’m here for her if she needs anything. Poor baby, losing her mom at such an early age,” Mrs. Moore said, showing sympathy and concern.
“She’s coping, and I’ll make sure to tell her to give you a call,” Trent answered.
Thirty minutes later, Trent and Nicole were headed up the highway to Rialto. It had been awhile since Trent had visited his grandmother. If it wasn’t for the position he was in, Trent probably would have let another month or two pass before he made his visit. When they arrived, Trent rang the door-bell and waited patiently for someone to come to the door. After a couple minutes had past, there was still no answer. Trent became worried. He knocked again and shook the handle. Trent found that the door was unlocked. He entered with Nicole behind him. He walked through the foyer and found Brandy chatting away on the phone.
“Did you hear the fucking door?” Trent spat.
Brandy rolled her eyes and kept on chatting away. Trent snatched the phone from Brandy’s ear and hung up on whoever she was talking to.
“Trent, have you lost your damn mind?” Brandy exclaimed, reaching for the phone.
Trent, however, kept it behind his back and asked, “Where is G’Mama at?” He held the phone high above his head.
“Trent, you play too damn much. Now, give me back the phone ‘fo I tell G’Mama you swearing in her house,” Brandy threatened.
Nicole laughed as the two cousins bickered. Trent was ready to choke Brandy out, but Nicole caught his hands.
“Baby, calm down. She’s just playing with you. Just have a seat!” Nicole suggested.
Brandy rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. Trent took Nicole’s advice and calmed down. Brandy was the daughter of Trent’s uncle. Brandy had lived with G’Mama since birth because her mother and father were strung out on heroin. G’Mama called Brandy her miracle child because, at birth, she had weighed only two pounds. Trent used this opportunity to get his bag out the trunk.
“Keep an eye out for me and let me know if my granny comes in,” Trent instructed Nicole.
He turned on the TV for Nicole and handed her the remote. Then, he headed for the shed in the backyard. The shed was dark and had a lot of debris in it. He moved some stuff around and found an old trunk. Trent, then, set the bag inside it. Before closing it up, he took out a whole bird and stuffed it in his Gucci backpack with all the money he could fit in it. After everything was secure, Trent locked down the trunk. He found a padlock sitting next to him and on the wall hung various keys. He didn’t want to really search for the key, so he picked out the funniest looking one and prayed that it worked. Trent stepped back into the house at the same time his granny walked in.
“Hey, G’Mama. How are you, baby?” Trent asked, giving his granny a kiss on the cheek.
“Boy, what you doing all the way out here? Are you in some kind of trouble?” she asked.
“C’mon, G’Mama. What kind of grandson do you think I am?” Trent answered in his boyish tone.
“‘G’Mama- my ass! I wasn’t born yesterday. You’re just trying to get your nut on, and this is not the Holiday Inn,” she uttered.
Trent fell out, laughing. “Nah, G’Mama. I really came to see you and kick it with you for a couple of hours,” Trent lied.
“I’m hungry, Trent,” Nicole announced, hoping that they could get out of the house soon and get back to LA, but Trent purposely ignored her.
“Nicole, you remember my G’Mama Gloria, right? G’Mama, this is my friend Nicole.”
“Hello,” Nicole said as she attempted to shake G’Mama’s hand.
“You better get on up and give G’Mama a hug. We don’t shake hands in this house,” she advised.
Brandy came back in the room. She rolled her eyes at everyone.
“Girl, don’t make me knock your eyes out their sockets,” G’Mama warned her. “Now, where are your manners? I know I taught you right. Well? Now, get over here and give me some suga.”
Brandy gave her grandmother a hug and a kiss. Trent caught up on some memories with G’Mama and, before he knew it, it was time to hit the highway.
“I’mma make sure I come see you more often,” Trent informed his granny while giving her a hug and a kiss.
“Oh, no! We don’t wanna see you like that,” Brandy hissed, walking towards the door. Trent stuck his foot out, making Brandy hit the floor hard. She was just about to say something slick when she realized G’Mama was still in the room.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, G’Mama,” Nicole said, giving her a hug.
Nicole was happy to leave. She liked Trent’s grandmother, but she couldn’t stand Brandy, and, if she had stayed in that house another minute, she would have hurt that girl.
“Do you have anywhere to be right now?” Trent asked Nicole.
She shook her head. “Why? What’s up?”
“Shit! I figured, on our way back home, we could hit up DT,” he responded. “You down to roll?”
Trent knew he was taking chances being downtown. It was only a short time before someone linked him to JD’s disappearance or that he ran into Wiz, but money needed to be made, and it damn sure wasn’t going to make it itself.
Kendra was exhausted from the two days she had spent with Wiz, and all she wanted was to go home and relax. She wanted to take a long, hot bath, but that was short lived when she saw Trent’s face, but she decided to ignore him. Kendra finally had peace of mind. She warmed some soup up for herself and decided to watch a movie in the den. Kendra was battling her love and affection for Trent. She had begun to think the love she really missed was the love from her father. She pondered that question all the time. She figured that it was time to visit her father. He could give her the answers her soul desired.
A side of Kendra felt that sneaking and creeping with Wiz was payback for all the hurt and agony Trent had caused her. Besides, it felt good. On the other hand, she knew two wrongs didn’t make a right, and, if her mom had still been alive, she would have torn her a new one. Kendra marked the calendar for when she would go visit her father.
Trent and Nicole made it to downtown L.A just in time for the police’s shift changes. They rode around for fifteen minutes before parking. Trent tried to make sure the coast was clear. He took the pack from his bag and started breaking down rocks. He made sure to have quarter pieces, eight balls, dubs, dimes, and nickels. He cut them up to perfection, like it was what he went to school for. After an hour of cutting, he was ready to get it over with. His first stop would be to the park. That was where all the fiends congregated, so he was sure he would dump the majority of his product off there.
“What’s going on, young blood?” one of the smokers asked as he approached Trent and Nicole.
“You know. Same ol’ same. Just trying to make a dollar or two,” Trent replied.
The guy shook his head. “Come here and let an old head learn you something real quick,” the smoker suggested. Trent stepped to the side where only he was in earshot.
“What’s going on?” Trent asked, not sure of what the smoker wanted or if he was trying to buy dope on credit.
“Yeah, they found that young boy shot up in the dumpster, and people are tagging your name to it, so I’m just letting you know to watch yourself out here because Brody and his team been hot out here for a minute. Thing is there were no witnesses, but I’m just giving you a heads up,” the smoker stated.
“Nah, I don’t know nothing about that,” Trent responded, “but good looking out, though.”
Trent handed the guy a dub sack.
“Well, just keep your eyes and ears glued. You know the streets are talking,” the man said before he walked away. That little bit of information was all that Trent needed to hear. Now, he really had to watch his back. Trent wasn’t paranoid, but he liked to stay two steps ahead of everyone. He gave half the sack to Nicole and stated, “You know what to do, baby girl.”
He didn’t wait for a response. He just walked off, and she went the other way. That night in the park was moving too slow for Trent. He didn’t plan to stay any longer than two hours at the most. Trent, at times, kept watching over his shoulders for a just in case moment. He didn’t want to be caught slipping, and he wasn’t trying to go out like a sucker.
On the other hand, the fiends were loving Nicole. Each one she stepped to made sure they copped a nickel or a dime from her. One thought he was slick when he asked her for a dub and handed her a lot of ones, so she would be thrown off, but Nicole was much smarter than that.
“Aye! Hold up, my nigga. Make sure you count that before you put it my hand,” Nicole said harshly. The smoker looked a little nervous, but then he began to count.
“I only have seventeen,” the smoker said, but Nicole wasn’t buying into it.
“Come back when you have the full dub. I’m not taking no shorts or losses,” Nicole said, leaving the man to stand there to marinate on what she had just said.
Trent thought his eyes were deceiving him when he looked up and saw Wiz talking to a lady across the street. It had been five years since Trent had killed his cousin. He made sure to stand out of Wiz’s view, but he made sure he could see him. He had thought Marcos was lying earlier, but seeing him in the flesh put him on high alert. Trent checked his waistband, but his glock wasn’t on him.
“Shit,” Trent cursed to himself. Now, he had to make an exit out the park without being noticed.
Nicole walked up behind him and said, “Are you ready? I’m hungry, and I have a class in the morning.”
“Yeah. Yeah. We can roll out,” Trent replied, making eye contact with Wiz.
Nicole sensed that Trent was shaken up about something, but, when she asked, he cut her off, saying, “I ain’t never spooked.”
Trent wasn’t sure if Wiz noticed him because, after making eye contact, he turned his back and kept right on talking.
A smile spread across Wiz’s face when he saw Trent. He acted as if he was talking to a lady just to make sure it was really him. His plan was to look like he was conversing with this white lady, but the only thing she was talking about was herself. He turned to meet Trent’s stare for a moment. Then, he turned back to throw him off, to make it look like he really hadn’t seen him. Wiz thought, Pay back is a mutha, bitch! Then, he, too, headed to his car to go back home. He knew what his next move would be. Wiz figured, since he couldn’t get the one he wanted, that he might as well take the one Trent loved.
Wiz wanted to make sure that Trent suffered the same pain he had suffered when he took out his younger cousin. Wiz wasn’t able to attend the funeral because he and his family had to flee the U.S., but, now, he was back. Wiz had his mind on his target, and he was ready for it to play out. His trigger finger was itching, and he knew he had to act fast.
When Trent arrived back at Nicole’s apartment, Ms. Johnson was on Nicole as soon as they entered. She was on her hard. With her hands on her hips and her mouth twitching, she demanded, “Bitch, where the fuck you been?”
“Mom, calm down. You don’t need to know where I’ve been,” Nicole answered, embarrassed by her mother’s actions.
“What the fuck you mean ‘you don’t need to know where I’ve been’? You don’t pay a dime in this house, so I have every right to know your every move. I’m not going to ask you again. Where the fuck were you?” Ms. Johnson was growing impatient by the second.
“You must be high cuz you’re showing out in front of your friends. Please leave me alone?” Nicole asked, walking towards her room with Trent in tow.
Ms. Johnson lashed out at her daughter and pushed her down the hall. “You’re a big, bad-ass shit talker, huh? Don’t make me beat your ass,” she yelled.
Nicole laughed at her mother’s failed attempt to get her mad. She continued to her room, slamming the door in her mom’s face. Nicole wasn’t trying to let her mother get under her skin, but, sometimes, she knew which buttons to push. Her mother stood outside of her door, cursing. Nicole turned on her stereo and turned the volume high to drown her mother out. While all of this was happening, Trent took off his shirt, jeans, and shoes, and got under the covers.
“Aye! Turn that shit down, man,” Trent said.
Nicole did as she was told. “I’m sorry about that. My momma can be so damn annoying. I swear she does this stupid shit all the time,” Nicole said, sounding sorry for herself.
“No need to apologize. Your mom is gonna be who she is. Don’t beat yourself up over it. There’s nothing you can do about it,” Trent sympathized as Nicole stared at the ground with tears in her eyes.
As he massaged her shoulder, he said, “It will be okay. You don’t have to cry.”
Truth of the matter was she was crying because she didn’t know how to tell Trent that she was carrying his child. Although she should have been happy, she wasn’t because she wasn’t his woman, and it hurt like hell. Nicole became lost in a trance as she contemplated whether she should keep it a secret or not. When she came out of her deep thought, Nicole saw that Trent was sound asleep. She didn’t even bother to wake him. She quietly exited her room and went to the bathroom, so she could take a shower. As she showered, she thought about how displeased she was with herself and the outcome of her life. She didn’t know why she had chosen a life of destruction. After her shower, Nicole wrapped up in a towel. When she entered her room, she didn’t see Trent lying down in the bed. She called out for him, but he didn’t respond. She noticed that his belongings were still where he had left them. Nicole walked around the apartment. She walked into the kitchen, but he wasn’t there. She looked outside, but she still didn’t see Trent anywhere, but his truck was there. While she was walking back towards her room, she noticed the door to her mother’s room was cracked. he could hear low moans. Nicole’s heart skipped a beat, and her head started spinning.
“I know this is not happening to me?” Nicole told herself as she opened the door to her mother’s room and confirmed that it was Trent’s voice she had heard.
“Mmm. Yeah. Slurp on this dick, ma,” Trent said as his moans grew louder.
An uncontrollable rage grew in Nicole. How could she be betrayed like this? She burst into the room and charged at her mother. “You nasty ass bitch!” Nicole grabbed the back of her mother’s head and slammed her head against the wall.
“You’re nothing but a crack whore!” Nicole screamed.
Trent grabbed Nicole by the waist. “You lost your damn mind, Nicole,” Trent said, trying to gain control of the situation.
“Nigga, you lost your mind! Your dick was just in my momma’s mouth! Let me go, you nasty bastard,” Nicole demanded. “And to think that I was going to get an abortion, but I’m gonna fuck up your life like you just fucked up mines.”
“Bitch, is that a threat?” Trent asked as Nicole tried to wiggle her way away from Trent’s grasp.
“Fuck a threat. It’s a fucking promise.”
Nicole ran to her room and locked the door behind her. She knew it was only a matter of time before he kicked in her door. Nicole hurriedly threw on her sweats and a hoodie. As Trent was kicking in the door, Nicole grabbed some money from Trent’s bag and hopped out the window just before Trent kicked the door down.
The alarm blaring from the phone indicated that it was time for Kendra to get up and get ready for work. Still drained, Kendra looked at her phone. She had thirty minutes to get ready and leave for work. Kendra cursed because she had overslept. She wiped out her eye boogers and rushed to the bathroom. Kendra did something that she dared not do normally, but time wasn’t on her side, and she no other choice, so she took a hoe bath. After brushing her teeth, Kendra brushed her hair back the best she could into a ponytail. She put on her Ralph Lauren pantsuit, grabbed her keys and briefcase, and was out the door. Kendra finished dressing along the way as she drove downtown to family court. She made it to court fifteen minutes late and spent another ten minutes waiting in line to be scanned by security. After she checked in, she ran to the elevator, praying all the way that this day would just hurry up and be over with.
“Ms. LaSalle, do you have the Atkinson case with you?” her boss asked once she stepped off the elevator.
“Yes, ma’am. I surely do,” Kendra said, opening her briefcase and handing her case over.
Court lasted far beyond what Kendra had anticipated. During the trial, the judge called for a recess, so Kendra made a beeline out the door. She spotted a food truck across the street, and smiled because she couldn’t take her hungry pangs. Kendra sat at a bench next to the court, eating her food and texting Wiz. It had been two days since she had been in his presence, and it was hurting her.
“There you are. I was looking all over for you,” the receptionist from her job said. “The judge has extended the recess. We’re not expected back here until next month.”
“Yes!” Kendra said excitedly when she realized that there was no need to go to the office because she only had an hour more on the clock, so, according to her, her day was finished.
“See you Tuesday,” Kendra said with a smile.
After a long day of court, all Kendra wanted to do was kick off her shoes and relax her feet. She was hoping to meet up with Wiz, but she hadn’t heard from him since she’d left the hotel. When she had texted him earlier, he didn’t respond. Maybe he’s busy, she thought.
Pulling back up to the house, Kendra sucked her teeth when she saw Trent’s truck parked out front. She was hoping like hell that he would be in and out because she wasn’t ready to face him.