trifling ways and a patch of ice had ruined all that. Bernie worked odd jobs and sold weed to get by, but he wasn’t very good at either so it was always left to Boots to fill in the gaps. By hook or by crook, Boots would go out and get it when her number was called, but how she was getting it was the best-kept secret. Bernie’s love for Boots made him deaf to the mocking laughter all around him about Boots and her fucked-up ways.
“What’s good, y’all?” Boots greeted everyone and went to lean against the fence.
“I can’t call it.” Levi shrugged.
“What’s popping, Frankie, you on?” Boots asked, trying to peer inside the bags.
“I’m always on . What you need?” Frankie opened the bag and slid it toward Boots to examine the merchandise.
“This is nice,” Boots said, holding up a stylish leather dress she’d fished out.
“Yeah, that’s tight. I wanted to keep it for myself, but I ain’t got enough ass to fill it out properly,” Frankie joked. “If you want it, I’ll shoot it to you for something light. Give me fifty bucks and you can have it.”
Boots thought on it for a minute. She had seen the same dress in the window of Level X, so she knew that getting it for fifty dollars was a steal. “Bernie, you got money on you?”
Bernie turned his pockets out. “I’m popped, ma.”
“Figures,” Boots mumbled. “Frankie, I really want this dress but I’m fucked up right now. If you let me get it, that’s my word I’ll hit you off when I get my check Tuesday.”
“I wish I could, Boots, but I got some people coming through to check me later and I know one of them will give me at least a hundred for it, so I can’t miss out on no bread.” Frankie plucked the dress out of Boots’s hands. “I’ll tell you what I can do: I’ll hold the dress for you until later on tonight so you can have some time to come up with it.”
“That ain’t about nothing, ma, we’ll come up on fifty dollars by the end of the night,” Bernie said as if he were the one who had to hustle it up.
“Yeah, I’m sure ol’ Boots will figure out a way to come up with it by then,” Happy said slyly.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Levi asked, noticing Sahara’s appearance for the first time.
“I don’t even want to talk about it.” Sahara rolled her eyes. “Can we go now, Porsha?”
“Yeah, I gotta put this food up anyway.” Porsha adjusted her bags.
“Hold on, I’m coming up too. I gotta take inventory of all this stuff.” Frankie gathered her bags and fell in step with them to the building.
“I’m about to go up the block to the Chinese restaurant.” Happy hoisted himself off the bench. “Levi, what you about to do?”
“I’ll be right here when you come back,” Levi said, thumbing away on his BlackBerry.
“I’ll go with you. I gotta get something from the corner store anyhow,” Boots said.
“A’ight, we can all walk together,” Bernie offered.
“Nah, you ain’t gotta have Hassan out in all this heat.” Boots adjusted the hood of the stroller.
“Don’t worry about it, boo, it ain’t even that hot.” Bernie pushed the stroller ahead of them.
“This muthafucka,” Boots said under her breath and fell in step with Bernie. Happy brought up the rear, laughing at a joke that only he seemed to know the punch line to.
* * *
The three girls got off the elevator, with Frankie doubled over in laughter about what had happened to Sahara.
“I can’t believe y’all were out there scrapping over King’s tired ass.” Frankie slapped her thigh while trying to catch her breath.
“It ain’t funny, Frankie,” Sahara snapped, “and we weren’t fighting over King, we were fighting because she keeps trying to play me.”
“Personally I think it’s stupid. Come on now, y’all are making spectacles of yourselves in the middle of the street, fighting like hood rats,” Porsha said.
Sahara turned her anger on Porsha. “Excuse the fuck out of me, little
“What’s good, y’all?” Boots greeted everyone and went to lean against the fence.
“I can’t call it.” Levi shrugged.
“What’s popping, Frankie, you on?” Boots asked, trying to peer inside the bags.
“I’m always on . What you need?” Frankie opened the bag and slid it toward Boots to examine the merchandise.
“This is nice,” Boots said, holding up a stylish leather dress she’d fished out.
“Yeah, that’s tight. I wanted to keep it for myself, but I ain’t got enough ass to fill it out properly,” Frankie joked. “If you want it, I’ll shoot it to you for something light. Give me fifty bucks and you can have it.”
Boots thought on it for a minute. She had seen the same dress in the window of Level X, so she knew that getting it for fifty dollars was a steal. “Bernie, you got money on you?”
Bernie turned his pockets out. “I’m popped, ma.”
“Figures,” Boots mumbled. “Frankie, I really want this dress but I’m fucked up right now. If you let me get it, that’s my word I’ll hit you off when I get my check Tuesday.”
“I wish I could, Boots, but I got some people coming through to check me later and I know one of them will give me at least a hundred for it, so I can’t miss out on no bread.” Frankie plucked the dress out of Boots’s hands. “I’ll tell you what I can do: I’ll hold the dress for you until later on tonight so you can have some time to come up with it.”
“That ain’t about nothing, ma, we’ll come up on fifty dollars by the end of the night,” Bernie said as if he were the one who had to hustle it up.
“Yeah, I’m sure ol’ Boots will figure out a way to come up with it by then,” Happy said slyly.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Levi asked, noticing Sahara’s appearance for the first time.
“I don’t even want to talk about it.” Sahara rolled her eyes. “Can we go now, Porsha?”
“Yeah, I gotta put this food up anyway.” Porsha adjusted her bags.
“Hold on, I’m coming up too. I gotta take inventory of all this stuff.” Frankie gathered her bags and fell in step with them to the building.
“I’m about to go up the block to the Chinese restaurant.” Happy hoisted himself off the bench. “Levi, what you about to do?”
“I’ll be right here when you come back,” Levi said, thumbing away on his BlackBerry.
“I’ll go with you. I gotta get something from the corner store anyhow,” Boots said.
“A’ight, we can all walk together,” Bernie offered.
“Nah, you ain’t gotta have Hassan out in all this heat.” Boots adjusted the hood of the stroller.
“Don’t worry about it, boo, it ain’t even that hot.” Bernie pushed the stroller ahead of them.
“This muthafucka,” Boots said under her breath and fell in step with Bernie. Happy brought up the rear, laughing at a joke that only he seemed to know the punch line to.
* * *
The three girls got off the elevator, with Frankie doubled over in laughter about what had happened to Sahara.
“I can’t believe y’all were out there scrapping over King’s tired ass.” Frankie slapped her thigh while trying to catch her breath.
“It ain’t funny, Frankie,” Sahara snapped, “and we weren’t fighting over King, we were fighting because she keeps trying to play me.”
“Personally I think it’s stupid. Come on now, y’all are making spectacles of yourselves in the middle of the street, fighting like hood rats,” Porsha said.
Sahara turned her anger on Porsha. “Excuse the fuck out of me, little
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