Read Online Tyrell by Coe Booth - Free Book Online

been through a lot, me and him, so we can’t never be no less than friends, but Cal into some serious shit and I don’t wanna go there with him, not if I got any other way to handle my business. To be honest, I don’t even like chillin’ with him no more ‘cause, my luck, I’ma be ‘round him when some shit break out and my ass gonna get locked up too. ‘Cause Cal the first person to tell you, he gonna end up in jail. Soon. That’s just how he livin’.
    I don’t answer my moms question. I just grab my jacket, shake it out, and leave. I don’t want her thinking I’m only going to see Cal ‘cause of what she had to say to me the other night.
    â€˜Cause the truth is, she was right. I don’t wanna be the kinda man my pops turned out to be, the kinda man that don’t step up and do what he gotta do. Nah. I’ma hafta do better than him.
    On my way out, I see Jasmine in the lobby on the pay phone. I don’t want her to see me ‘cause I know she gonna wanna talk, so I just walk past her. I try to hear a little of what she sayin‘, but she speaking that Spanish, all fast and shit, and after that long-ass church service this morning, I had enough Spanish for one day.

TEN
    The snow is really coming down hard now. I spend ‘bout an hour at the train station swiping people in with my MetroCards, charging them half what the city want. By the time I’m done, I got twelve dollars, which ain’t shit, but it beats a blank. I get uptown at just ‘bout 3:00 and it’s like a fuckin’ blizzard out there or something.
    Cal live in Bronxwood, but on the other side of the shopping center from where Novisha live at. He standing out in front, probably freezing his ass off. I swear, no matter how cold it is, Cal be standing out there. He all ‘bout making cash, and folks want what he selling, winter, spring, summer, and fall. Least he got on a heavy down jacket with a hood and Tims to keep his feet warm. He must be making some good money.
    When he see me, he shake his head. “Yo, son, you lookin’ busted, man.”
    â€œYou ain’t no Denzel yourself,” I tell him. “So stop doggin’ a brotha.”
    â€œShut the fuck up,” he say, laughing. “Denzel ain’t evenDenzel no more.” He open the lobby door with his key and we go inside. He know how I feel ‘bout standing out there in the cold. Ain’t gonna happen. “So, what up with you and Novisha?” He got a smile on his face ‘cause he know Novisha, and he know she don’t give it up. “You hittin’ that yet?”
    I don’t say nothing ‘cause ain’t none of it his business. I just laugh a little.
    â€œDamn, man. How you put up with that?”
    I decide to change the subject ‘cause I don’t wanna hear nobody saying shit ‘bout my girl, even Cal. “So what up with you and Tina? When she gonna have that baby already? Saw her last week and she look like she ‘bout to bust.”
    Now Cal look mad. “Me and her broke up, a’ight? She—”
    â€œAgain?” They be breaking up and getting back together every couple months. They got a real crazy relationship, you ask me. They fight and curse each other out, then they all in love. Next thing, she getting a order of protection against him, then they back together. The only reason she started going out with him in the first place was ‘cause he making money. Everybody know she wouldn’t look at him before he started selling.
    And now that she pregnant by him, he got real problems. Her moms keep calling him and demanding money, talkin’ ‘bout he need to start taking care of his kid even before it’s born. And even if they don’t get back together, he gonna hafta put up with her ‘til that kid is eighteen. Man, sometimes I’m glad Novisha don’t give me no play ‘cause I couldn’t deal