“You ready to catch these plays, nigga?”
I nodded. “Let’s get this money!”
I threw him my keys, and he tossed me his duffel bag. I hopped in the back and started breaking my brick down before he could even back out.
He hit the streets, and it was like the open sign just came on. Both of our phones started chirpin’.
Our delivery calls were moving faster than standing and waitin’ for niggas to come to us. I was breakin’ down work from each duffel bag, weighing it out right and slangin’ it to Bully to hand it off. No hesitation, no drama.
Every now and then, depending on the hood we went to, I still felt eyes on me and summed it up to niggas hatin’ from a distance.
By late afternoon, we were running low and were just riding around smoking. Bully stopped at a red light. I looked to my right and saw a jewelry store.
“Pull over there, nigga.”
Bully nodded and pulled outta traffic. Without sayin’ a word, I grabbed my duffel bag, and we hopped out of the car.
I walked around the lil’ store, looking at all the diamonds, seeing some things I might have to come back and cop for myself. After a few minutes, a lady came around.
“Hello, what can I help you with?”
I exhaled. I can’t lie, my palms were a lil’ sweaty as I said, “I need to see your engagement rings.”
She smiled. “Right this way.”
I followed her while Bully followed me.
“My nigga taking a big step, ‘bout fuckin’ time!”
The lady and I laughed.
She walked us over to the display case full of engagement rings.
“What do you think?” I asked Bully.
“Nigga, that’s your girl. What does she like?”
I started trying to find something that I thought would suit Islah, but I wasn’t sure.
“How about this?” the salesclerk started. “How about, what do you want to see on her finger?”
I nodded and looked over the case again, thinking about what I wanted to see on my girl’s hand, how I wanted her to show off that she was taken by a real one, and then I found it. I pointed to the big diamond with a gold band that was sitting right in the middle of all the rings.
“Let me see that one.”
The lady smiled, unlocked the case, pulled the ring out, and handed it to me.
“This oval-shaped diamond is beautiful,” she stated. “You have the big oval diamond in the center, and then around the band is adorned with small diamonds going around the finger.”
I held the ring in my hand for a minute, rotating it back and forth. Picturing it on Islah’s finger, and then I could picture her in the dress.
I shook my head, jumping outta my thoughts.
“I’ll take it.”
“That is great! Walk over here with me, and I can get you all rung up.”
“Nigga, I see you smiling,” Bully said.
