Page 7 of The Mob: Shio Cuppacio
It was always a bitch.
“Aye, what’s on them index cards?” I jutted my chin.
He studied them bitches religiously. You would think he was preparing for an exam with the way he flipped through them motherfuckers day in and day out.
Slapping the stack against his palm, he placed them back in his pocket before standing. “You ever met the perfect girl?”
We’d talked about surface shit in the last few months, mostly regarding niggas we knew in the streets and family and shit. I knew about his son, his mama, and his siblings. I knew his daddy was dead. He knew I didn’t hold my fuck-ass pops in thesame regard as he did his, and he knew about my siblings and nephews. I knew his baby mama was the reason he was in this bitch, and just like him, he knew I was in this motherfucker because of a bitch too.
“Hell nawl. I ain’t never met the perfect girl.”
Even my sister had her faults, and she was my world. I’d never met nothing close to perfect, and if she was out there, I damn sure didn’t want her. I was good on these hoes.
“I did.”
Just like I suspected. That nigga spent most of his time staring at those cards and working out. He was going to be swole as fuck when he got up out of this bitch if he kept it up.
“She forbidden fruit, though.” His eyes lowered, and his shoulders slumped.
“Aye…” I tapped his chest with the back of my hand. “Chin up, nigga. You waiting on yo’ sentencing, but however this shit go, you ain’t gone get life. Do your fucking time like a G and get home to her.”
Leader squared his shoulders and lifted his head. “She got a future and shit. I should have never fucking touched her. She was pure. Still pure. Fuck a doctor going to do with a dope boy?”
I didn’t know much about his baby mama, but I’d heard him fussing on the phone we had illegally stashed in the wall behind the toilet with her a time or two. From those conversations, I knew she was just the type street niggas went after. Sack chasers with nothing to offer but pussy and problems. Had it been me getting caught with bricks in the car, her ass would have had to take that charge on the chin. How the fuck the provider going to do the time? Hearing that he’d cuffed something with a future made me smile inwardly.
“Nigga, she knew you was in the streets when she got with you, just like you knew she was in school to be a doctor. It takes like, what? Fifteen years to be a physician, right?”
He nodded.
“Aite then. Whenever you get out, because youwillbe walking out of this bitch one day, it’s going to line up with her being done with school. Divine timing. You got this nigga.”
Leader slapped hands with me and slapped my back in a brotherly hug, holding me in place. “I’ma get my brother to hand you a lil’ something. Stay up, nigga. I want to see you shining when I touchdown—legally.” He lowered his voice so that his words would only be heard by me and not the prying-ass COs.
I slapped Leader’s back and nodded. “Say less, nigga. I’ma hit the phone when I get one so we can stay in contact.”
“Love, bruh.”
When the guard showed up at the cell, he glanced past Leader and me to my pile of belongings with a questioning look. Instead of elaborating on our moment or telling him that I wasn’t taking any of that shit with me, I held my arms out so he could put the cuffs on. He didn’t need to know I was leaving all that shit for my cellie, even though Leader didn’t need it.
“Leader, you ain’t got life, nigga. Remember that shit!” I reiterated as I stepped out into the prison corridor. This would be my very last time walking through these stale-ass halls, and he couldn’t direct a nigga fast enough.
My young cellie nodded, and I felt a sense of sadness wash over me even though it was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life. I’d done this time alone. I told myself I wouldn’t form any bonds because I was never looking back. Plus, these niggas in here were either gay as fuck, grimy as fuck, or weak as fuck. But Leader was as solid as they came, and the talks we had distracted a nigga from being so upset that I’d been placed in this bitch to begin with. I hoped he didn’t lose his mind behind these walls. I was going to hit him up as soon as I got situated to check in. I appreciated his offer to let his brother break me off, but I was good on receiving anything that wasn’t from my brothers. Iwasn’t opposed to help, but whatever they didn’t have for me, I would figure out the shit myself.
I was led past the empty-ass pods, and with each step I took, my spirits lifted higher. It was yard time, so there was no one in the cells we passed. Everyone had probably run outside, wanting to feel some fresh air and soak in some sunlight. I was one of them niggas just yesterday, but today, my time was up in this motherfucker.
Three hundred and forty days. This jail had been my home for the last three hundred and forty fucking days. Seeing the same niggas every single fucking day that didn’t share blood with you made you never want to do illegal shit ever again. Dealing with these lowdown, dirty-ass CO’s made you want to get out, find their asses, and beat the fuck out of them to see if they could really back up all that tough shit they spat inside these walls. Three hundred and forty days of my freedom were taken from me, and another felony was added to my record. Three hundred and forty days of sharing dirty showers, surviving on oodles and noodles, missing holidays, and missing time with my family. All because of one bad decision. Not only did I miss my family, but I’d gone a year without pussy. I had the opportunity to knock some of these BBL bandit-ass COs off, but with how I was feeling, I was staying far away from these bitches in and outside of prison.If I hadn’t learned shit else in this motherfucker, I’d learned discipline.
The guard removed the cuffs from my wrist, and I refrained from rubbing them. He’d had them way too tight, but that wasn’t nothing new. Lowdown COs made my fucking ass itch. They’d better hope I didn’t catch their asses on the streets. I was walking a straight and narrow, but I could maybe risk freedom one more time to beat their asses.
The lady behind the discharge glass gave me “fuck me” eyes, even though she was old enough to be my mama. Ignoringher advances, I waited for her to hand me my check. I wasn’t expecting it to be the eight bands I’d had in my pocket when I arrived, but if it was anything less than six, I was acting a damn fool. I didn’t give a fuck if it was my first day out; stealing from me was some shit that I didn’t tolerate.
Snatching the check from the small gap in the glass that separated us, I was shocked to see that it was for the entire eight grand. She’d said something to me, but I walked off, waiting to be buzzed out as I placed the check in my pocket. My brother, Turo, had dropped off a Nike set with socks, underwear, a white beater, and Jordan 1s days ago. It felt good to be out of those dingy-ass prison clothing and would feel even better when they opened this door so I could all but run to my brother, Tulscan.
Baaaaaannnng
The door swung open, and instead of sunlight, I was greeted by gray skies. I knew them niggas outside were mad as fuck that the clouds were blocking the sun during their free time. Looking from the sky to the guards to the rusty gates that surrounded the building, I inhaled the damp air. I had replayed this day in my head over a million times in the past year, but not once did I imagine it being all dark and gloomy. In my dreams, the sun was shining as I skipped to my brother’s ride. I didn’t give a damn if there had been a tornado outside—as long as I was out of this place, I was cool.
The fresh air did something to my soul, producing a broad smile on my face. I didn't care what anybody said, even in the yard, the air was tainted. It didn’t breathe the same. As I walked through the gates and made a right, the view of the parking lot had me quickening my steps. When I didn’t spot Tulscan’s G-Wagon, my smile dropped. I’d talked to that nigga every day this week, multiple times a day, about the time I was being released. I scanned the parking lot one more time just to make sure I hadn’t missed his car. I didn’t have a phone because it hadn’t been onme when I got locked up. There was no way in hell I was turning my ass back around and asking to use their phone. I would walk if I had to. I was two hours outside of Atlanta, but I’d take the bus if need be. But shit, I didn’t have no bus funding since I declined the jail’s offer for the MetroCard when they presented it in anticipation of today. I also didn’t have an ID on me to be able to cash the damn check.
