He hoped that she would find the closure that she needed to be able to really move on with her life, and he was about to move on with his. Amar wasn’t in a super rush to have kids, but he wanted at least one. Once he was out of the game. He was twenty-six, and wanted to be out of the game by thirty. Just anyone couldn’t have his child. That was some shit that he planned to be very selective with. He had four more years roughly to find the one and start planning the next phase of his life. It had been a personal goal of his for the past three years to save at least two million a year for his retirement fund. Amar had $6,000,000 in his retirement stash, and he had $1,000,000 set aside to buy his first home when he did get ready to settle down and have kids.
For his age, he knew he was doing damn good for himself, and he could retire tomorrow if he wanted to. It wasn’t just about the money. It was the adrenaline rush and the lifestyle for Amar. He wasn’t good at a lot of shit, but he was good at selling dope. He was good at being calculated and cold when he needed to be, and he was good at being a boss. That was the reason why Canyon treated him and Diric as equals. Life was damn good, so picture Amar being down ‘bout a broad. Never that shit.
Jade’s brother’s face lit up like lights on a Christmas tree when Yohana walked in the room. “That shit you got is damn nearbetter than what Morris had. It’s moving like hotcakes! My ass is back in business!”
“Glad to see that it’s moving well. How much do you need this time?” Yohana had already had the talk with her people that she wasn’t fronting shit. It was nothing personal. Just business. No matter what, she was going to replace her son’s college fund. Then, she was going to make sure her house was paid off, and all of her bills were covered for a few months, so she could go to real estate school. She didn’t need to hear the next nigga’s sob stories about why they didn’t have her money.
“Let me get one this time. With the way this shit moves, I’ll be off that in a week or less.”
Yohana nodded and waited for Calvin to hand her the money. Once she verified that it was all there, she instructed him to follow her out to her car where they made the exchange. “Aye, you said you’re not doing this long-term, right? So, when you’re done will you turn me on to your connect?”
“If by the time we’re done, you’re in the position to cop at least five pounds or better because he doesn’t move for less than that.”
“Gotcha.”
Yohana didn’t elaborate. When the time came, if he requested to meet Canyon, it would be at Canyon’s own discretion. She wasn’t vouching for a soul. Zone had ruined that for everybody.
Yohana headed home, so she could cook an early dinner for Kari. He was always starving when he came home from school. She was going to make one of his favorite dishes. Baked ziti. Yohana spent a lot of time trying to think of nice things to do for her son. He missed his father terribly, and she hated it for him. Every time she thought about her son missing his father, she thought about the heroin that she had hidden among some furniture that she placed in storage. There was no way she waskeeping the drugs in her home where her son lived. Yohana was in the middle of cooking when her phone rang. Her eyes rolled upward when she saw that it was once again Zone calling.
She snatched the phone up with an attitude and went through the prompts so they could be connected. “Hello?” Zone’s tone held a hint of surprise.
“What the fuck do you want? Damn. I said everything I had to say to you already, and I already talked to a lawyer. Our marriage is done. So unless you’re going to tell me where the title for the Escalade is, we don’t have anything to discuss.”
“Yohana, you’re really going to throw away fifteen years?” Zone was appalled. He was her husband. She chose her uncle over him like she didn’t have to think twice about it.
“Nigga, you threw away fifteen years! If I hold you down, do you have any idea how my family will look at me? When my father chose to pay for the dress of his stepdaughter rather than to buy me a dress for prom, my uncle Morris beat his ass! Not only did he beat the man’s ass, but he cashed out on me for prom. He bought my dress, paid for my shoes, hair, make-up, and the limo! That man was front and center at my graduation, and he had $10,000 and a shiny new Benz waiting on me when I walked across that stage. You took him from me, his wife and his kids. And you want me to hold you down? You’re dumb as fuck. I love you. I loved you with everything in me, but my family will always come first.”
“I’m your family!”
“No, what you are is dead to me!” she yelled just as Kari walked in the kitchen, and she closed her eyes briefly with regret. Fuck. With trembling hands, she ended the call while her son looked at her with a confused expression on his face.
“Who were you talking to?”
Yohana sprinkled cheese on top of the ziti that had been placed in a dish. “Grown people stuff.” She looked up and gavehim a small smile. He wasn’t a baby anymore, but some things he just wasn’t ready for.
“Is dad a snitch?’
Yohana’s eyebrows dipped. “Where did you get that from?”
“Jamie. Jamie said that my dad is the reason that his dad is in jail. He stopped talking to me, and he acts like he doesn’t know me at school. People are saying that dad is a rat and since he’s a rat, I’m a mouse.”
Yohana let out a small sigh. Zone kicked out a lot of money so that their son could attend an affluent private school. It was embarrassing enough that Zone and Morris had been involved in such a scandal, but she still walked with her head held high. A lot of the Caucasian’s that sent their kids to that school weren’t exactly clean either. She was glad however that there were only two more months left in the school year. She didn’t want Kari going through this though. Just more people having to atone for Zone’s bullshit.
“Baby, your Uncle Morris was involved in some things he shouldn’t have been just like your dad was. It wasn’t right, and they both have to pay for what they did. Your father didn’t lie on Morris, but he did tell on him. He talked to the police and got Morris arrested with him. I don’t exactly agree with that, but he’s your father. He’s not mine. I don’t have to agree with him or like what he does, but he loves you. This shouldn’t affect your relationship with him. Jamie is just upset. He’ll get over it. You don’t have anything to do with what your father did. Do I need to call and speak with Jade?”
Kari’s eyes widened. “No! Don’t do that. I don’t care what he says about me. But is that why you won’t talk to dad? Because he’s a snitch?”
Yohana exhaled another sigh. She felt foolish for thinking she could hide such things from her son. When people did certain things and they choose to have kids, they had to be preparedfor certain shit. Zone always stated that he would be out of the streets before Kari was in elementary school, and he lied. He got way too comfortable, and he never left the game alone. Kari always thought that his father worked in a warehouse that made car parts. Kari never questioned why his father didn’t wear uniforms. He never questioned anything. He just simply believed what his father told him. Kari was always under the impression that his father worked Monday through Friday and got off work each day at 4.
Zone told him that he was the manager, and he could do what he wanted. Most days, he left the house around 10. Kari never once questioned the fact that his father only worked six hours a day. All he knew was that he had a good life, and that his father was always there for him. “There are a lot of reasons why I’m not talking to dad. None of them have anything to do with you. It’s going to be hard enough for him to not physically be here for the next fourteen years. You have to worry about how to cope with that. Just know that your father loves you a lot.”
“Doesn’t seem like it. Why was he even doing things he wasn’t supposed to be doing anyway? The both of you are always telling me not to get into trouble, but dad was a drug dealer. Now, he’s going to be away from us for fourteen years so not only is he a snitch, but he’s selfish too.”
Kari headed to his room as Yohana’s heart broke. His words were like a punch to her gut. She knew he was bound to find out sooner or later, but she wanted to ring Jamie’s neck. She placed the ziti in the oven and went to the living room to get her laptop. Yohana knew that no matter what, there was no way she could re-up a second time. When the pounds were gone, they would be gone, and she wasn’t going to get anymore. She just couldn’t hurt her son more than he was already hurting. The twenty pounds she had would just have to do. That and selling Zone’s car. Yohana didn’t care what she had to do to get the cartitle. She would be damned if she left Kari out on the street to be raised by other people while she was in prison too.
Canyon trekked into the huge walk-in closet that Cheyenne had all to herself when she was free. He hadn’t been in the closet in almost a year. It was time to get rid of some of the things in the closet. A lot of her high-end designer pieces were timeless. It didn’t matter if the items were purchased six years ago or sixteen years ago. The classics would never go out of style, but the clothes had to go. Whether they remained together or not, he knew that Cheyenne would go on one lavish ass shopping spree once she was freed from prison, and he didn’t blame her. He was going to donate most of her clothes to a women’s shelter and free up some space in the closet. If he went through with getting a divorce, he would box all the things he kept up upon her release and make sure she got them. If she wanted them. Just the thought of divorcing her made Canyon sigh. There was a thin line between giving up too soon and just giving her a little more time. But how much time would be enough? If she was still super emotional six years later, shit didn’t look too promising. Canyon found himself standing there daydreaming about the day that he met Cheyenne.
He was in a part of Raleigh, NC called North Hills. Canyon lived in one of the over-priced high-rise luxury condos and had stepped out to get something to eat. Since he was alone, he ordered take-out from a nice steakhouse. When he did eat out, he rarely did burger joints and greasy fast-food places. Canyon would order take-out from five-star restaurants and eat that shit at home, in his car, or right at the trap. There were timeshe’d be sitting up in his trap eating $200 worth of food from Ruth’s Chris.
