1-Gifted
Jamaal's fingers creased the rolling paper, he folded it over, then
deftly created the corner folds along the crease. He held it back at
arm's length surveying his work for just a second before bringing
down one hand to grab a pinch of bud he had meticulously trimed with
his tiny scissors. He performed the task on tray upon the coffee
table, and within the tray now was a very large pile of trimmed up
weed. Jamaal's other hand was holding the rolling
paper wide open to receive the weed. He was veteran roller for sure.
Jamaal was seventeen year's old, and a pretty big kid, scary even. He
was just at six feet, but Jamaal probably went about 200lbs. He had a
lean, chiseled physique, which he normally exhibited by wearing NBA
jerseys, today he sported a Kyrie Irving Cavs jersey which displayed
his arms, both covered in tattoos of varying quality, but showing off
his massive, perfectly formed biceps. Baggy jeans, and LeBron James
"Olympics" in red, white and blue completed his ensemble.
His hair was unbraided today, and picked out into a gigantic afro.
Jamaal's skin was dark too. So dark in comparison to even his other
black friends that he had endured a lifetime of nicknames, and
insults about it. Jamaal had noticed however that as he became
bigger, and tougher, and ultimately had come to be known as "somebody
you don't fuck with", what he noticed was the nicknames
themselves had become more, and more benign. Kids may have hassled
Jamaal about how dark he was, and in truth he did look as if he were
from Africa , or something. He was the darkest skinned person people
had even seen. By the time Jamaal was twelve, or thirteen nobody
really teased him. Kids are dumb, but they aren't that dumb. He was a
monster in those formative years when compared to the other children.
A short series of battles with older, larger kids at his school
resulted in two instances where an ambulance had to be called, and
in one fight a kid lost a few teeth. When at age twelve a kid
retaliates to a bully by knocking a few of the bully's teeth out,
well that isn't something soon forgotten. Jamaal solidified his
"somebody you don't fuck with" reputation at a very young
age. Lately people had started calling him "Midnite", he
figured it should be "Midnight" but since none of his
friends could spell it was forever "Midnite" in texts, and
when someone would write it. He kind of liked it either way, it
sounded tough.
Jamaal was sitting on the couch in the apartment where he had lived
with his mother, and younger siblings for several months. It was off
Spring Ave, and in a bad neighborhood of Canton, but they had lived
in worse. He had a ten year old half-brother named Tyrus, a nine year
old half-sister Mary, and a six year old sister named Belle. Only
Belle, and Mary were full sisters to one another. All of the children
were considerably lighter skinned than Jamaal, as was his mother for
that matter. He would say " Damn! My daddy must have been one
black-ass motherfucker", and his mom's most common reply was
"That nigga was black as hell". He didn't have a picture,
or even a name for his dad. His mom, Marsha gave birth to Jamaal when
she was only fourteen years old, and all he knew of his dad was that
he was much older than her, and dipped off when the underage girl he
was fucking got knocked up. He figured good riddance, and he didn't
hold a single grudge against his mother, Marsha for anything they had
been through together.
Jamaal finished piling up his little line of pot across the bottom of
the opened paper. Now he took both hands, and with a fluid motion,
twisted the joint up evenly, perfectly. With just a few millimeters
left to roll, he brought it up to his mouth. "KNOCK, KNOCK"
Two big bangs on the door brought him to full attention. Cops don't
knock like that was his first thought, cops never use just two
knocks. He brought the doobie down, but kept both hands on either
side of his still unfinished work. "Who is it?" he said
loudly
"It's Darnell, nigga. Open your shit" came a loud response.
Jamaal relaxed, "Cool, hold up" was Jamaal's answer. He
quickly brought the joint to his lips, and with a quick lick, and
twist it was done. He stood up, the whole apartment had a general
shabby appearance, but it was clean, and comfortable, if completely
mismatched, and well worn.
"Nigga you got some good timing" said Jamaal, as he opened
the door.
Darnell beamed "oh shit, Midnite I was hoping you'd have some
weed yo"
"Come the fuck on nigga, you know damn well I always got my
smoke" Jamaal said this as he held out the joint for a second
for Darnell to see, and then went back towards the couch. "shut
that door nigga" said Jamaal, fishing deep into his jeans pocket
with his free hand, before producing a Bic lighter.
Darnell came in, shut the door, and turned the deadbolt. "Where
is everybody?" he said. Jamaal plopped down on the couch,
lighter in one hand, the doobie in the other.
"The kid's are at school, and Mom's at Burger King" replied
Jamaal.
"Oh shit I forgot she got a job, well look's like it's time to
burn my nigga" said Darnell
Jamaal looked up at his fat friend "Well sit the fuck down
Darnell, and let's blaze this"
Jamaal fired up the joint, then he reached over to the table grabbing
the remote for the stereo, and turning up the volume. Rap music got
louder, but not so loud anyone in the apartment complex could start
bitching. Darnell plopped down on the couch, and that's a lot of
plopping. The floor reverberated a little Jamaal, who was now drawing
a succession of big hits from the doobie, stopped for a second and
said. "Damn motherfucker, don't be tearing shit up. Don't be
throwing your fat ass down on my shit, for real nigga." He
looked at Darnell, Jamaal's brow furrowed, and the crease made him
look intimidating.
"Aight, nigga. I'm sorry man, let me hit that shit" replied
Darnell, and Jamaal handed him the joint. Jamaal looked at Darnell
while the latter now took his chance to hit the joint.
Darnell was also seventeen, and he was tall, and fat. He was over six
two, and weighed at least 270lbs.. Jamaal had known Darnell for more
than ten years, and he had always been a fat kid. Even as elementary
school children Jamaal had fucked with him about his weight. "if
people think kids on welfare are starving they ain’t never seen
your fat, black ass" he'd say. Darnell's clothing was baggy
jeans, a long-sleeved Dallas Cowboys t-shirt, and some old school,
white Airforce IIIs. He also wore a gigantic fake Rolex. He'd stolen
the watch off another kid who had taken it off to shoot hoops. His
hair was trimmed tight against his head, and he sported what might
have been a beard, but it was spotty, and only filled in on the very
tip of his chin, like he couldn't grow a real one. He took one long
drag off the joint, and then a rapid series of small hits, bobbing
his head to the rap. Occasionally he'd mouth some of the lyrics
"Bitches, and money"...."yeah nigga". Jamaal
wasn't paying attention to him now, he was nearly stoned again for
the third time today. He looked at the clock on the stereo, 2:36 pm.
Jamaal always felt at his best when stoned. In fact he had decided
years ago hat any activity worth doing was better when stoned. When
Marsha his mom had been about twenty-five, and Jamaal eleven, they
started smoking together. At first Marsha started smoking with him
because she hated smoking alone. As the children started adding up
she found herself alone, more, and more. Jamaal wasn't just Marsha's
son, he was her only real friend all these years, a fact not lost on
either.
Darnell passed the joint back, "So what's up Midnight, we gonna
do this shit?" Jamaal took a drag, let a little smoke out, and
then quickly inhaled it through his nose. He was looking Darnell
right in the eyes. Darnell continued without a response from Jamaal.
"Nigga this shit is perfect. We know they got a lot of nice
shit, they ain’t got no alarm, and they ain’t gonna even be in
town." What's the problem man, you pussying out on me, you on
that faggy time, nigga. Getting soft?"
Jamaal said "Yo nigga, didn't your sister get fired anyway? How
do you even know they are still going on vacation?"
Darnell took a hit, and trying to hold it in while talking said.
"Look nigga you know how white folks are, they plan this shit
like a year in advance. They're going on that cruise, yo. This is
gonna be easy fucking pickings, Midnight."
Jamaal was a little annoyed that Darnell called him soft. "Darnell
calling me soft?" he thought. "ain't that some shit"
When he responded to Darnell there was just a bit of warning in his
tone. "Look bitch don't ever call me soft, unless you can take
me. I just know it's been a minute since Darlene lost that
babysitting gig, and this nigga ain't trying to get hemmed up."
Darnell hit the joint, now just a tiny little roach, one last time,
and butted it out on the tray in front of him. Darnell said "
Damn that’s some chronic yo! I'm high as a motherfucker. Look,
check this shit out. My sister didn't get fired, she just stopped
showing up, and they got a new babysitter. Anyway that shit don't
even matter. Darlene was there the fucking day he got his tickets.
Mr. H told her all about the cruise, he already spent the money,
they're going on the damn cruise. I know where all his shit is, and
he ain't got no alarm, no safe, nothing. This shit is easy as hell.
Look man, I think you like Mr. H, and that’s cool man, he's a good
white dude mos' def, but that motherfucker has insurance yo. He ain't
gonna lose nothing, but the time it takes to fill out the damn
papers. That's prolly why that motherfucker ain't got no safe, cuz he
knows he'll get his shit back anyway"
Jamaal thought about this, and Darnell was probably right. Jamaal
could beat the shit out of Darnell, easily in fact. Darnell had seen
Jamaal fight many times, he wondered if Darnell would even fight
back? He would probably just run, Jamaal was some kind of monster in
a fight, and they both knew it. When it came to plans, and ideas
though, Darnell was the brain's guy, and Jamaal just accepted the
fact that Darnell was the smarter of the two. They both quit school
sometime during their sophomore years, but when Jamaal quit he could
barely do the work. He had never been a good reader, and would
normally either have to find a girl to cheat off of, or he would have
to intimidate someone into doing his work for him. Darnell on the
other hand had no problem doing the work, and had even been an "A"
student all the way up to the Ninth grade. He simply stopped going to
school because he wanted to devote more time to smoking weed, and
playing X-Box. He was lazy, but had always been clever.
The plan Darnell was talking about had been hatched almost a month
ago. Sean, and Mindy Hartzel were teachers for Canton City schools.
Sean, Mr. Hartzel was the choir, and band teacher at Timken High, and
he was a study hall monitor. Mindy Hartzel was the music teacher at
the middle school, and the assistant marching band director at the
high school. They were generally known as being cool teachers, and
Mr. Hartzel had spent a lot of one on one time with kids during their
study halls, including Darnell, and Darnell's sister Darlene. Jamaal
had Mrs. Hartzel for music class in middle school, and then through
Darnell he some contact with Mr. Hartzel when they got to the high
school. Up until the end of Darnell's freshman year he had been
considered "gifted", and there were always a few teachers
interested in him. He had been the only friend Jamaal had ever known
who actually read a book, on his own just because he wanted to.
Jamaal figured he read books because he was such a fat fuck, so what
else was he going to do? Whether he read books for enjoyment, or
because he sucked at hoops, and had no chance of getting laid, there
was still no doubting he was a bright guy, and certainly the smartest
friend Jamaal had ever had. Mr., and Mrs. Hartzel had both spent a
lot of time with Darnell, and when he gave up on school they took an
interest in his little sister, even giving her a job babysitting
their young daughter, Beth. Jamaal always liked them, well all the
kids liked them really. Jamaal had even heard they smoked out, but he
didn't know if that was true or not.
Darnell continued " Let me go over the facts again, my nigga. I
know right where he's got his horns, like four keyboards, a couple
guitars, a laptop and some jewelry. That's money right there, nigga.
Some of that shit is locked up, but it's just in some bullshit cases,
and we can just bust that shit. We can prolly get in, and out within
five fucking minutes. They ain't got no alarm, and I know how to get
in the back door. They got that big ass privacy fence in the back
too, so ain’t nobody gonna see us. This shit is too easy man.
What's the problem?"
Jamaal listened, and he couldn't help but think "Yeah Darnell is
right, there ain't nothing to this shit" still he was scared of
jail time. He said to Darnell " OK so are you sure you got that
van lined up?"
"Listen man" replied Darnell, and he sounded confident.
Darnell knew from ten years of freindship that Jamaal was going to do
this with him, he just needed to explain it in a way that made sense
to Jamaal. It had never been hard for Darnell to talk Jamaal into
anything, and this instance was no different. Darnell went on. "
I'm getting my auntie's van at six on Thursday, that's the day after
the Hartzel's leave. I told my auntie we're going to Kahlifa show,
and since she'll be sleeping when we get back, I'll bring the van by
in the morning."
"Damn nigga, you lucky she don't want to see our tickets"
interrupted Jamaal.
Darnell didn't miss a beat. "Nigga my auntie always trusts my
ass, I ain’t got to show her shit. Fuck the damn show, Khalifa is
played out anyway. We get the van, and chill for a few hours. Around
midnight we pull up on the street behind Hartsel's. We both jump the
fence, and I'll jimmy that back door. I got a way a doing it I read
about where I'll use a towel on one of the little windows on the back
door to break it. Then we just open the door. I'll tell you where all
their shit is, and you start collecting the shit, and piling it up at
the front door. While you doing that, I'll get the van, and bring it
around to the front of the house, and just park it. By that time we
only need like three more minutes. You open the front door for me,
and we get all that shit in like two trips to the van. Just throw the
shit on a sheet, or whatever. We make two trips out to the van, and
we jet, no fucking around. We drive that shit back to my dad's crib,
pull all the way back in his drive where nobody can see shit, and we
unload it into his basement. Job done, nigga."
To Jamaal it didn't sound like a bad plan at all, he had one protest
though " Wait nigga, why I gotta be in there alone, and your fat
ass is pulling the van around all safe, and shit?"
Darnell was quick to respond to this, he knew that question was
coming. In fact he knew his friend Jamaal pretty damn well. "Look;
First of all nigga, I am fat as fuck, that ain't no lie. Your ass can
get the shit together a lot faster than me. Second of all I'm gonna
be scoping the scene while I get the truck. Listening, watching for
neighbors lights, and besides if a cop were to come around when I get
the van, I got the DLs. I can tell the cops to fuck off, and then
text you to get the fuck out. We don't to want to pull the van up
before we got the shit together. In, and out nigga, like fucking
ninjas. Aight?"
Jamaal nodded, and added " Yeah man I guess you got a good plan"
To which Darnell responded "Look man, on Wednesday I'll go by
their crib, and make sure they ain’t there. Hell yeah I gotta good
plan, so chill out nigga. That chronic is making you 'noid yo, I
thought of everything." While Jamaal couldn't be sure of the
entirety of Darnell's plan, he knew this; Darnell was smarter than he
was , so he probably was just being paranoid.
"Aight, so we set?" asked Darnell. "We got this shit
covered, right?"
"Yeah nigga, sound's straight" replied Darnell
"Hell yeah , now let me beat your ass in some 2K" said
Darnell, and he pulled got off the couch, and reached underneath it,
pulling out an Xbox. He reached in again, and fished out first one
controller, which he handed to Jamaal, and then another.
"Hell yeah man, but I get Lebron, and the Heat" Jamaal said
to him as he looked very closely at the controllers, apparently
preferring one over the other. He sized up both, and then decided on
one. "You set that shit up. I'm Heat, and I'll roll one."
Darnell said "Fuck Lebron James nigga, sell out mother fucker.
I'm a take Lakers, and Kobe's SIX motherfucking rings, bitch. Roll
that shit."
Jamaal was laughing now, and he answered "We gotta get out of
here in like an hour, then I'm a roll over to Janice's house and hit
that shit, and you gotta peace out."
"Word." You about to get skunked, motherfucker"
Darnell said.
The idea of having a little money in his pocket sounded good to
Jamaal. Maybe he could get a car, or maybe he could get a bunch of
weed, and split it up into smaller portions to make even more money.
As long as Darnell checked on Wednesday night to see if te Hartsels
left on their cruise, he figured they could be in, and out in the
five minutes Darnell predicted. Today was Monday, so in five days,
he figured they would have sold some of that shit, and he'd have some
cash in his pocket. Jamaal pushed the Hartsel plan from his mind,
and concentrated on the joint, and the Xbox game now. His little
brother, and sisters would be home in an hour, and he wanted to be
out of here, and at Janice's house by then.
Darnell with his Lakes thoroughly demolished Jamaal and his Miami
Heat, as usual. Darnell almost always won in video games, cards,
checkers, TV trivia, really anything that had to do with thought, or
hand to eye coordination. Jamaal on the other hand was quite
athletic, and coaches had tried to get him to play everything from
basketball, to football, to track, and even wrestling. He didn't like
being on the teams though, so had always refused. After their Xbox
match up, Darnell stood up, and flung his controller down into the
couch, bellowing "Damn! Kobe shit on your nigga Lebron James
again, yo!"
"Man fuck Kobe Bryant, cmon let's get the fuck out of here
before the kids come home." said Jamaal
"Yo man, not until you admit Kobe left a little
something-something up in Lebron's ass right there" replied
Darnell, he was smiling ear to ear.
"Man, shut the fuck up, and get off my damn couch" Jamaal
almost grunted at Darnell, and his brow had that deep crease in it
again. He was intimidating for sure.
Darnell saw he had pissed Jamaal off a little. Normally he relished
in this sort of thing, but since the kids were coming home soon, he
only said "Aight nigga, it's cool. I'm a peel then. I'll catch
you tomorrow."
"Word" said Darnell
"Peace" Jamaal added, as he went to the door.
"Peace" replied Darnell. When Darnell left Jamaal went to
brush his teeth. He definitely needed to get out of here before his
little brother, and sister got home. He was heading over to Janice's
house. Janice was twenty one, and had a kid. She lived just a few
blocks away in a Section Eight house. He wouldn't call Janice his
girlfriend though, and it was just somebody to have sex with in his
eyes, and probably her's too.
The next two days for Jamaal, and Darnell were as most. They would
get up late, smoke tons of grass, and play X-Box at Jamaal's until
right before the kids got home. In fact Jamaal probably had not said
more than ten words to any of his siblings in months. He really
didn't know ow to relate to little kids. He didn't dislike them, they
just made him uncomfortable. With even the closest, his little
brother Tyrus, being six years his junior he just didn't connect with
them. Jamaal had a hard time interacting with people his own age as
well, but it was magnified with kids. Sometimes he would play X-Box
with them, but since he didn't like smoking weed in front of his
siblings, and he liked to smoke so often he found himself almost
never around the house while they were awake, and home themselves.
On Wednesday afternoon when the time came to evacuate the apartment
before the kids got home, Jamaal said to Darnell "OK nigga, you
gotta check and make sure the Hartsels are left, right?"
"Yeah Midnight, of course man, you think I'm stupid? Shit nigga
it's MY PLAN, what you think I'd forget my own plan?" replied
Darnell
Jamaal responded "Nigga cut the master plan bullshit, and just
make sure them motherfuckers left, aight?"
Darnell pulled his cell out of his pocket to look at the time, and
said "Yeah man, I'm a text you after I walk by their house."
He held his cell phone up as if to emphasize the statement, and
continued "Don't sweat that shit, Midnight. I'm a going to have
it all worked out."
"Sweet man, text me that shit" was Jamaal's response. He
stood up, and walked towards the door. Darnell stood as well. Jamaal
said "Aight nigga, I gotta roll before these kids get home"
"Aight" said Darnell, and he rose as well, and was just
about to leave when the door opened, and Marsha, Jamaal's mom, walked
in.
"Hey guys, what's up? Whose got the weed?" Marsha said
before she even got her purse on the table.
Jamaal looked a little confused "What are you doing home, Mom?"
he said "ain't you early?. I ain’t trying to get high wit the
kids coming home, but I'll give you some chronic. Darnell is
leaving."
Darnell added a quick " Hi Mrs. Jenkins"
"Hey Darnell, peace out" she said, and she opened the door
again.
As Darnell walked out, Jamaal called out to him "Yo nigga, text
me"
Darnell's response came out from down the hall "Aight"
Marsha took off her coat, and sat down on the couch. She looked up at
Jamaal who was still standing, and he had a bag of pot in his hand.
He was examining the buds. She said " What you got for Momma,
baby boy?"
"Here Mom" and Jamaal handed her a nice bud. She laid it on
the table, and taking out her cigarette pack, she took the cellophane
off the pack. Then she put them back in her pocket, and carefully
placed the bud in the cellophane.
"Thanks Jamaal, I'm a need that. I got fired today" Marsha
said.
"Damn, what? What did you do?" Jamaal responded.
Marsha replied " Well I was supposed to take this grease trap
thing outside, and shit Jamaal, this thing was nasty. Anyway I was
still gonna do it, but it was making me want to barf and shit, so I
sat down. Well this manager dude comes outside, and sees me sitting
there smoking a cigarette, and just goes off on me...so you know, I
just got caught up in it, and next thing I know that motherfucker is
asking me to leave."
Jamaal has heard this story more than once. He said to her "So
now what then?"
Marsha replied " Well if I don't get something fast, I'll just
go back down to Human Services. They'll at least pay the rent, and
feed us. Shit, as long as we got a roof over our head, and food,
we're good. I'll figure something out"
Jamaal put his jacket. It was a wine red Cavs coat, it matched his
jersey today, which was a Anderson Varajao game jersey. His mom spoke
up "Where you going baby?" she said.
"I got some shit I gotta do" Jamaal replied.
She looked at him suspiciously, but smiling, and said." You
trying to get out of here before your little brother, and sisters get
home, huh?
"Whatever, Mom." said Jamaal
Marsha continued " I ain’t stupid, but you know what? Someday
you're gonna miss those little fuckers, bet that. And Jamaal you
better wear a heavier coat than that. I seen on the news that there
is a tropical storm right now in Florida, and we're gonna get a mess
tonight, and tomorrow.
Jamaal looked at her, and smiled as he went for the door. He said "
I'll be fine Mom, enjoy that chronic."
"Alright baby, you be safe" Said Marsha, and she blew him a
little kiss.
As Jamaal walked down the hallway, he thought about his Mom getting
fired. He didn't know what it would mean to the family. Somehow they
always figured it out. He was going to get some money from this
Hartsel job, and now he figured they were going to need it. As much
as he avoided his little brother and sisters, he never forgot about
them completely. It was hard seeing them go without things like
Christmas presents, and toys other kids all had. He knew how they
felt, he knew the way the shame felt. He even knew what it was like
to be bullied, it had just been a long time since he had let anyone
get away with it.
He walked down to Cleveland Ave. to catch the bus out to Janice's
house. Looking up at the perfect blue sky overhead, and feeling the
heat of the sun warming up his jacket, he laughed inwardly as he
thought "Yeah OK Mom, a storm in Florida, right? Well this is
Ohio" After a few minutes he got on a bus, and swiped his pass.
Just as he was about to sit down he heard the familiar. "BEEP
BEEP BEEP" he had a text. It was probably Janice wondering if he
was going to make his now nightly bootie call. He thought "I
hope this bitch doesn't start getting all emotional, and start
texting me all the time" He pulled out his phone, and looked at
the display. TEXT FROM DARNELL was displayed. He hit the button to
read it.
The message read "we good nobdy here $$$$$'
