Repeat Offenders Read online

  One afternoon, I came home and was surprised to find my mother. She was sitting at the kitchen table looking through bills, as usual.

  “Hey, Ma,” I greeted her with a kiss.

  “Hey, where’s your sister?” She said, leaning her cheek up so I wouldn’t have to stoop so low.

  “At the rec center, as usual, trying her best to convince them that she’s coordinated enough to make the cheerleading squad,” I laughed, reaching into the fridge and grabbing the jug of water I kept. I didn’t bother getting a glass, because it was a household fact that the old milk jug was my water bottle. I took a swig and sat across from my mother. I could see the worry lines in her face and I knew something was wrong.

  “What’s up, Ma?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle, son,” she smiled, folding the piece of paper and sticking it back on the pile with the others.

  “And what exactly are you handling now?” I continued, knowing that I was gonna have to keep pressing until she told me. My mother hated telling me of our financial woes, but she knew I was old enough to know.

  “The rent’s going up again, and they cut my hours at the bakery.”

  “They just went up on the rent a few months ago. They can’t do that.” I shook my head and looked around the small apartment we lived in. It was like being in a no-win situation. My mother worked so much that she made too much money to be in fixed income housing, but she didn’t make enough to move somewhere nicer.

  “Yeah, they can, and they did,” she sighed.

  “I’mma get a job, Ma,” I told her.

  “No, you’re not,” she ordered, her voice stern, letting me know she meant business.

  “We need the extra money,” I said. “I want to help.”

  “I’ll get the money. You just keep training and watching your sister, that’s what I need help with. You know she’s hot in the tail.”

  My mother was right about that. Shaunie was not only gorgeous, but she was also well-developed for her age, and she knew it. Everywhere she went, someone was always commenting on her looks. Sometimes, the comments were suitable for a thirteen year old girl; other times, they weren’t. The problem was that Shaunie didn’t know the difference.

  “I can watch out for her and get a job, Ma,” I tried to explain.

  “No, Omari. I will handle this!” My mother got up and went into her room, closing the door behind her. Here I was, the man of the house, yet I wasn’t helping take care of the household. I had to do something and do something fast. But whatever it was, I knew my mother couldn’t know anything about it. Against my better judgment, I picked up the phone and dialed my cousin Trina’s number. I explained my dilemma, and she agreed to help me out. A few hours later, she called back and told me to meet her boyfriend, Redbone, at this house.“You sure about this?” Redbone asked, “I’ve been asking you for years if you wanted to be down. You always said no.”

  “I’m sure,” I answered, “I really need to help my mom. And I’m only gonna do it tll school starts.”

  “I feel you,” Redbone nodded. “I like you, Omari. You’re good peoples, so I’mma go ahead and put you on. Here’s what I’mma do, I’mma front you an eight ball. You handle that and bring me three hundred back. You got a week.”

  I knew it wouldn’t take long to sell an eight ball, especially since it was the first of the month. Plus, it was obvious where the fiends hung out. I took the package from Redbone and headed home. I kept telling myself that I was doing the right thing. Selling drugs was only temporary. I tried shaking off the feeling of guilt but the weight was heavy. Two days later, I handed Redbone his three hundred dollars. Pleased with the way I handled business, Redbone fronted me another eight ball, and I was back to business. I had made one hundred and twenty dollars profit and gave my mother forty, Shaunie ten, and stuck sixty away as my re-up savings. I told my mother I was working at the rec center helping the janitor out and getting paid under the table. She looked at the wad of bills I gave her and then back up at me, suspiciously. I smiled and assured her it wasn’t interfering with my training, and it was only until school started. It wasn’t completely a lie, because technically, Redbone was a janitor at one of the schools; and I was helping him out and getting paid under the table.

  “Where do you keep going?” Shaunie asked when I told her I would be right back.

  “I got a run to make, just stay here and don’t open the door,” I told her.

  “I know what you’re doing, ‘Mari,” she teased. “You think I don’t, but I know.”

  My heart began pounding. I stared at my sister lying on the couch, flipping through a magazine, smacking a piece of bubble gum, and then replied, “You don’t know nothing because I ain’t doing nothing.”

  “Yes, you are. And you lied to Mama. You not working at the rec center.” She blew a bubble and popped it.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re too busy talking with your ghetto friends and giggling at boys to know what I’m doing while I’m there.”

  “You keep sneaking out at night while you think I’m sleep too,” she smacked.

  I thought I was being careful by leaving when Shaunie was in bed and returning home within two hours. I certainly made sure to be back before two in the morning. That’s when Mama came home from working at the diner. She was the late night cook three nights a week. But Shaunie wasn’t crazy; she had figured out what was going on. I had been working my business for weeks, and things were winding down. School was about to start in two weeks. I had made enough money so that Redbone no longer had to front me, and I made all the profit. I bought the majority of all of mine and Shaunie’s school clothes and supplies and even managed to tuck some money away for Christmas. I figured that I would do the same thing next summer and make enough money to buy everything I would need for college, including a new laptop. However, I knew if Shaunie found out what I was doing, none of that would be possible; because she would definitely tell Mama.

  “You’re imagining things, li’l girl.”

  “You got a girlfriend, don’t you? I know that’s why you keep sneaking around. And that’s where you’re getting money from. And I know who she is, too.”

  It took everything in me not to burst out laughing. A girlfriend. That was the explanation my sister had come up with.

  “I’ll be back later,” I kissed her on the forehead.

  “Make sure you wrap it up,” Shaunie called out behind me. “I’m too young to be an aunt!”

  As much as I wanted to turn around and address Shaunie’s comment, I kept going. What could she know about sex? She was only thirteen. The thought of her even thinking it was something she could joke about concerned me. I told myself to stop thinking about that situation and focus on what I was doing. I couldn’t take any chances. I was aware every time I went to “work” that hustling was a hazardous job that came with all sorts of dangers; from the possibility of getting robbed by another dealer, to the risk of selling to an undercover. I tried to make my scores quick and seamless. I kept business outside of my own neighborhood, where “jumpers” were prevalent. The few local cats, who knew that I was dealing, sometimes teased me about being so fast that I would never get caught. They all knew of one cop who would pull up and chase the dealers down the block to make an arrest.

  On my way to my client’s location, I relished the fact that this would probably be the last time I would have to do this—until next year. This time next year, I would be preparing to leave home and start my new life at one of the colleges or universities who offered me a full ride just to do what I did best: RUN! I couldn’t wait. Then, and only then would I be able to indulge in the possibility of having a girlfriend, a real girlfriend, not one of the local hoodrats or wannabe skeezers at school. A girl with goals and ambitions, and one I could trust.

  I was so caught up in the thoughts about me and my future boo that I hadn’t noticed the dark sedan pulling beside me until it was almost too late. I caught a glimpse of the door opening and th
e tall shadow jumping out, and I hauled ass, knowing that I was the target. Faster and faster I ran through the streets, weaving through the well known alleys that I had become familiar with day after day. My heart pounded as my feet hit the pavement; I was willing my body to continue to move more swiftly. When I was well ahead of my predator, I allowed myself to slow down long enough to think. My mind was going a mile a minute and I contemplated what would be the safest route for me to take. As I formulated which way to go, I picked up the pace and turned around to make sure I was still ahead. There was no sight of the jumper, and I almost started to relax, until I tripped over a discarded milk crate that I hadn’t seen.

  I screamed as my body hit the pavement. The pain in my ankle was unbearable, but the sight of the tall figure running toward me numbed the pain. He reached inside all of my pockets. I was hoping that he wouldn’t find my last sale, ¼ grams of crack. In that instance, I knew my dreams and future would be changed forever.

  The cop pulled me to my feet and quickly put my hands in cuffs. I limped in front of him as we made our way to the waiting dark sedan.

  “You have the right to remain silent,” he said as we got to the car.

  “You got him!” His partner stated in a surprise tone.

  “You damn right I did,” he smiled. He continued to read me my rights. I tried to tell myself that this was all a bad dream; all I had to do was wake up.

  The city bus passed by and I looked up to see my mother sitting in one of the seats. As our eyes met, I saw the look of horror on her face. She realized it was her son that they were putting in the back of the car. I knew that there was no waking up for me and this was just the beginning of my nightmare of a life.

  Second Offense

  Leah

  “Leah, come out.”

  “Leave me alone, Kellen,” I whispered and bundled myself tighter under the covers. I was in the guest bedroom, where I planned on staying until I figured out what to do next. I was tired of Kellen and his ‘oops, I did it again’ attitude.

  The first time it happened, the night that he had agreed to move home and open the business with Sienna, it had been so shocking that I thought I had imagined the entire thing. For days afterward, I kept asking myself if Kellen had really put his hands on me. The faint bruise on my left cheek let me know that it was a reality. Kellen begged and pleaded for me to forgive him, swearing that it would never happen again. He cried and cried, saying that he loved me from the moment he saw me and would never want to hurt me. He was so sincere that I believed him. For a while, things seemed to be back to normal. We moved back and settled into our home. Kellen opened the business with Sienna. I offered to help, especially with my art background, but Sienna refused. Kellen tried to soften his sister’s blows by turning one of the many bedrooms into my own personal art studio. It was my private haven, where I spent hours at a time doing what I do best. My art was what had caused our latest physical altercation.

  “Can you help me out or what?” Dallas pleaded through the phone. She was working with a non-profit group who needed a logo design.

  “I don’t know how to design a logo,” I said, rinsing a set of brushes.

  “Yes, you do. You drew the logo when I ran for Miss Freshman. And I won!”

  “That wasn’t a logo, Dallas. Those were posters and a slogan.”

  “Same thing,” she said. “You’re the most talented artist I know, Leah, and this would really help the organization out.”

  “I’m the only artist you know. I’ll see what I can do.” I agreed. It wasn’t like I had anything else to occupy my time, and it was for charity. A few days later, I had come up with a design concept and presented it to Dallas. She was ecstatic and so was the non-profit organization. They were so impressed that they hired me to paint a mural in the lobby of the family life center they were opening. I worked along with the director of the center, coming up with the perfect design, which took nearly two months for me to complete. I had never been so proud of anything in my life, until the day Kellen came home pissed about something Sienna had shown him right before he left work.

  “What the fuck are you trying to do to me, Leah?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Kellen handed me a flyer announcing the grand opening of a new Family Life and Fitness Center. I quickly noticed at the top of the card was the logo I designed. “You working for the competition now?” Kellen yelled.

  “It’s a charity, Kellen, and I’ve been volunteering with them for months now. You know that. And what makes you think it’s competition? It’s not a gym!” I shook my head and stared at my design, secretly pleased at how great it looked. “It’s a family life center.”

  “They have weights, aerobics, fitness classes, basketball, and everything else we offer at our facility. It’s a damn gym!” He growled.

  “You’re being ridiculous, Kellen,” I turned to walk away. Kellen grabbed my arm, twisting it so hard that I flinched, “Kellen, let me go, now.”

  “This is the place you’ve been painting at? Well, you’re not going back.”

  I snatched my arm away from him, “What is wrong with you?”

  “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you? Do you know how embarrassed I was when Sienna showed this to me? Someone told her that you did the design and even commented that it was better than the one we have for our facilities. My family is the damn laughingstock of the city.”

  “First of all, Kellen, I offered to help you and Sienna out with the business, but my shit wasn’t good enough, remember? So, now that I volunteered and helped a charity out, I’m embarrassing you and your family. That’s bullshit! Your mother volunteers for charities all over the damn country and so does your father. But when I do it, it’s a problem. No, the problem is your damn sister and her always trying to point out what I’m doing wrong. That bitch is the problem.” I snapped, unable to control my anger. I was sick and tired of always being ridiculed and dismissed, for lack of a better term, by Sienna. She was a thorn in my side that I was no longer going to tolerate.

  “You need to calm your ass down,” Kellen warned. “This has nothing to do with Sienna.”

  “You need to wake your ass up, this has everything to do with her. It always has. Everyone sees it except you. She uses you as a pawn in her own personal game, but you know what, I take that back, it’s not just you, it’s all men.”

  “Look, we don’t have time to argue about this dumb shit right now,” Kellen looked at his watch, “We have to be at the Plaza in an hour.”

  I remembered that tonight was his parents’ wedding anniversary dinner, and we were expected to be there. Being around his family was the last place I felt like going. “I’m not going.”

  “We have to go. You don’t have a choice.”

  “I don’t have to do anything. Tell them I’m sick. I’m sure with all the people that are gonna be there, including Sienna, I won’t be missed.”

  Kellen’s hands reached out and grabbed the back of my neck, and he shoved me, “Just get your ass in there and get dressed, Leah. Damn, why do you have to be so difficult?”

  “Let me go, Kellen!” I screamed in pain. His grip tightened. I managed to break free from his grasp, running up the flight of stairs, and inside the nearest bedroom. I could hear him running behind me.

  “Leah, baby, I’m so sorry,” Kellen pleaded through the door.

  He was always sorry. He had been sorry for the past two years, since we had been back home. He was sorry each and every time he hit me. He was sorry the time he bloodied my nose, because I told him their female employee uniforms resembled Hooter’s. And, of course, I believed him. He was sorry a few months later when he fractured my wrist by “accidentally” slamming the bedroom door on it. I had tried to flee from him during one of our arguments about my desire to go back to school and finish my degree. And, again, I believed him. Kellen hitting me wasn’t something that happened on the regular. His violent outbursts were random and intermittent. He would go mont
hs at a time without a single attack, and during those times, our lives were wonderful. It was as if the hands that assaulted me were those of a stranger, not the man who I’d married. The man who I’d married was the one who not only paid for the state-of-the-art assisted living facility, that my grandmother lived in; but also bought a home big enough for my mother, her sister, and my younger cousins to live in comfortably. The man who I’d married took me on romantic getaways once a month and still told me I was the most beautiful woman in the world. The man who I’d married bought me a brand new car every year for my birthday. The man I needed to be next to so I could sleep at night. As much as I wanted to leave the monster who was on the other side of the door, beating and shouting my name; I couldn’t leave the man who I’d married, the one who gave me everything I could ever want in life. They were one in the same.