Bros Over Hoes: The Prequel

We were walking through the hallway after fifth period on our way to the lunchroom. Kai is a freshman and I had entered into my sophomore year of High School. His older brother Fritz and I are best friends, and have been for some time. I remember when they moved on the block from Jamaica. I was on my way home from playing arcade games atan the bodega on Troy Avenue between Carol Street and Crown Street after a brief stop at the comic book store also located on Troy Avenue but it was two block down between Montgomery Street and Empire Boulevard downstairs of apartment building on the corner. When I reached the block I saw this family moving in and approach their mother asking if I could help them bring their luggage upstairs after introducing myself. A short while after their father came downstairs and Ma dukes told him I live down the block and offered to help. He handed me a small piece of luggage to take upstairs.  I met Fritz and Kai that day. However it was a few years later Fritz and I started hanging out together and became really great friends. When Kai was in seventh grade at Maggie L. Walker MS 390 he had some issues with some bullies. Fritz called me one night and asked to accompany him to the school to see what was up with the dudes harassing his younger brother. Fritz and Kai were born one year apart but Kai looks about two to three years younger than his actual age. Of course I had my people's back and without hesitation I said no doubt let go out there to let them sucker ass niggas what time it is. Six of us headed out there the next day to send a strong message about fucking with my homies younger brother.                  
From that day on, Fritz and I had always had each other's back. When he needed to stash some shit safe I was his dude. When he was going on girl missions he would make sure shorty had a friend for me. When we went shopping for ballys, Clarks or whatever else if one of us were short we showed love and made sure we copped what we wanted. I even remember a day I was coming home from school and just decided to take a walk down the block. Fritz was standing in front of the building he lives in by himself. On most days children would be outside playing in the front yard, the homies on the block would be playing skelly, ceelo or handball on the sidewalk and the block would be bussling with people passing by. There was no one else outside except for him and I. As I approached him I noticed he was wiping his eyes which looked bloodshot red. What wrong Fritz? "Yo Chaz, dis likkle pussyhole bwoy and im bumboclaat friends dem back mi in a alleyway and pull dem guns pon mi star." Tears was streaming down his red cheeks and I could see that he was quite visibly shaken up by the ordeal as he spoke. "They made me undress until I was naked and fired shots pon the ground next to mi feet. Then di bwoy dem put di hot gun nozzles inna mi mouth star". The tears came pouring down. So I asked, Ddd u do anything to them? "Twin yuh kno mi already, mi nuh chuck badness pon no one unprovoked." So what was their problem. "Mi nuh Kno, but yo mi hot right now star." You know them? "Never seen dem before but one of dem. The one who was doing the most talking named Huey. Yo I still caaan't believe di man dem put dem guns inna mi mouth and threaten to fly mi marrow if dem see mi anywhere don, then let off three shots pon di ground in front of mi." He was hot and so was I. Ah weh di pussyclaat ah gwan Fritz, yuh mean fi tell mi seh dem just see yuh and draw dem guns, back yuh in a alley and bad yuh up so. And you didn't even know dem. "That's the truth brethren, a no lie mi ah tell, swear to Jah Jah."                  
"Selasie I kno Chaz mi waan find dem and dust dem pussyclaat." Okay let go find them and see what the fuck their problem is. I definitely want to know who these guys are and to find out the reason why they did what they did to you. I went to my hiding spot in my building thinking about Fritz's ordeal. I could only imagine how scared, helpless and hopeless he felt not knowing if he was a goner having just turned sixteen. Would he end up another sad statistic like other black teenagers senselessly gunned down in the streets of urban America. I wanted to give him a sense of power, protection and untouchability. I grabbed my Sig Sauer three eighty, Fritz grabbed his mini Uzi and we took a walk to where the incident happened and canvased the surrounding blocks. We searched for about three hours, finally we decided to head back home. That was the end of that, we never went looking again and we never mentioned what happened to anyone. At least I never did.              
             
Two days later we were chilling with some shorty infront of Fritz's building when Nance noticed a Caucasian man behind a white van packed across the street snapping photos of us. I looked toward the van but did not see anyone, then I took a second look underneath the van and saw a pair of sneakers. The dude stepped from behind the van stared right at us and started snapping away. He was not being very inconspicuous nor discreet about taking photos of teenagers just hanging out on their home turf. "Yo twin do you think he's Vice, DEA, FBI or CIA?" Kai, I have no idea, but why the Fuck is a grown ass man standing behind a white van taking our photograph for. Someone yelled out "Aye battyman, stop spying on us." Everyone was getting nervous and began leaving but I was like, nah y'all stay right here, I am going over there to talk to him and see what's up. There were some concern that if I went some shit might go down. Fritz wanted to buss a shot in the air to scare him. I said what if swat was in the van, we would be seriously screwed. Jennifer lifted one of her legs in the air and said "yuh waan tek picture, come tek picture of mi fat tight juicy punany." I was Shiiid hold up lemme go get my Polaroid like I'm Hugh Hefner in this bitch. "Pram pram said Scullman with his gun finger in the air, everyone else started laughing hard.              
Fuck it, I said then made my way across the street. The dude had a 70 to 200 milimeter lens mounted on a Canon SLR camera. I started cussing, called him a pervert, and a homo. I asked him if he was a pedophile then demanded he stopped taking photos of us. He didn't say anything and I turned and walked back towards the building. A few minutes later we all left and went to Tonys Pizzeria on Utica Avenue to buy a few pies leaving the Caucasian man to take photos of the front of the building with no one standing outside in front of it.            
The walk to the lunchroom was kinda weird though. Kai and I had never been the type to confide in each other about women because he was younger and him and I were never close like his older brother. But on this day I guess he felt comfortable to talk about this girl in one of his classes who also happened to be a freshman and from Jamaica as well.                    
”Yo twin you ever see this yardie chick about five foot five light brown skin with coolie hair walking in the hallways?" No breddren but from the sound of it she might be beautiful and fly as heck. ”Twin you have no idea how beautiful she is. She's the baddest thing in the entire school, every dude be asking for a bly but she nah talk to no niggas in the school. You must have seen her, she is hard to miss. Trust mi man, you have seen her." Oh okay I think I know who you're talking about, I forgot her name though. "Desiree man, her name is Desiree." Yeah that's right, knowing damn well I've never even seen the joint but continued our conversation with, she's a bad little joint. Well holla at her I said. "Nah man, she too beautiful and I would not know what to say to her." Sounds like you really like her. "Like, huh! She makes my heart skip a beat whenever I'm next to her and I can't even speak." Sounds like you got it in for her bad.                    
                   
When we arrived at the lunchroom I told him to write her a letter and express his feeling for her to which he replied he didn't think he could do it, he was just too shy and afraid of being rejected.                    
Months went by and he kept talking about this girl. Finally I told him if he was not going to step to shorty then he must stop talking about her. This was before winter break of the nineteenth ninety seven school year. When the Spring of nineteen eighty eight came he had not mention her at all and she had exited whatever curious thoughts I had about her. Nearing summer vacation and the end of the school year she would revisit my thoughts but in a surprising and unexpected way. My brother and I had arrived from school and were having a snack to eat while sitting at the kitchen table preparing to do our homework. A few minutes later the doorbell rang. Nance got up to answer it. "Yo Chaz come to the door." Who is it I asked. "Just come to the door and you'll see." I got up and headed to the door wondering who the heck it might be. Nance standing at the door said. "This bad lil chick has a crush on you and wants you to be her man." Who the fuck is she yo? "Trust me she is bad as fuck, you'll like her." Okay, tell her to come inside then.                    
I most definitely had to admit she was gorgeous. Pretty light brown melanin girl with long curly Indian hair, a gorgeous dougla for sure.                    
She grabbed my hand and said "Chaz I really really like you. I have been feeling this way since last year when I saw you taking up for that boy that was being bullied. I've never met anyone like you, everything about you make me want you and no one else. Allot of guys want me, they chase after me. The entire year I've been trying to get the courage to talk to you but I was frightened, afraid because I heard about you being a real bad boy and what would a bad boy want with a girl who is a freshman. I hear the other girls talking about you and I feel afraid I might lose you to one of them, but I never see you talking to anyone in school. I figured you must not have any interest in the girls in this school or you have a girl at another school." She looks beautiful, I feel an immediate strong attraction as I look in her very light colored brown eyes with a strong hint of green. I was about to kiss her when I remembered Kai. My hands were cupping her butt and we were pressed up tightly against each other. Wait a minute I said, do you know Kai? "Oh you mean Fritz little brother." Yeah that's the one. "I mean I know he likes me but I like you." What's your name again? My name is (can't remember her actual name) but everybody calls me Desiree." Here the thing, you're gorgeous, and I am definitely attracted to you but my homey been talking about you to me since last year. I told him if he was not going to step to you then he should stop talking about you and he has stop. As much as I am attracted to you I can't do my man like that. " He has never said anything about the way he feels towards me, and I've never had any kind of other conversation with him. It's you that I've always been interested in, it's you that I like, you're the only one I want. Please let me be your girl, I want you to be my man, I'm a good girl you'll see.                    
                   
Thinking long and hard I said. I value my friends and our friendships and if I were to get involved with you knowing how he feels, it would cause bad vibes. He would feel betrayed after all he confided in me about his feelings towards you. As much I want to, I just can't hurt my man's heart Iike that. I'm sorry Desiree, really I am. Had he not talked about you to me I would have said fuck yes I want you for my girlfriend. I let go of her and stepped away. She was hurt and surprised but she knew deep down inside I was right. You should talk to Kai, he is heads over heels for you and he is a good dude, give him a chance and I promise you I'll make sure he doesn't fuck this up. If he does though I'll make you mine to show him what should have been. "Okay" she said as she flash me a big smile. I kissed her on her cheek and said goodbye. She walked away with a grin to and down the stairs.                
I explained to Nance why I could not date her. I sense a level of disappointment and perhaps a little anger but I was not going to be the one to create any unnecessary resentment and animosity between good friends, in fact I considered Fritz and Kai brothers in my extended family. And on any given day I will always chose Bros over Hoes.    
 
I instilled a level of confidence in all my friends and always supported them, always been loyal to them and held their trust in high regards that they felt comfortable telling me just about anything. I was coming home from my summer job one afternoon when I saw Fritz chilling alone in front his building. He approached me with a swagger that was good to see. I asked him if he was doing okay and he started talking to me. "Yo Twin I just came from the police precinct." Precinct! what where you doing there, is everything alright, I asked. "The bwoy Haven, his brother Jest and cousin Kleen ran up on me and started popping mad shit to me." Who are they and what deh run on you for? "Mi don't kno but the bwoy Haven draw fi im matic to shoot me wid it but mi dash behind a jeep and draw fi my matic too and fill im up wid lead." Damn bro, did you call the police? "yeah I did and I had witnesses that told the police it was self defense. So them let you go? "Yeah dem leh me go." He showed me the police report he was holding in his hands curled up like the cardboard cylinder in the middle of paper towels. I dapped him up, gave him a hug and told him I was very happy he was not hurt or dead because we/I have lost too many breddrens in the four years we attended high school. I never even asked if the guy who attempted to murder him survived the shooting. I was happy he was unhurt and his freedom was not taken away.
   
PS. The summer after I graduated High School I was practing my Djing skills in my friend Guliani basement when a strange conversation took place. "Yo don this foolish soundbwoy wants a soundclash with me." Which soundbwoy? "This sound name Mortuary Sound that play music in this basement Lounge." You mean "Tiny's Lounge" on Utica Avenue. "Nah not Tiny's, but yo you wanna go and see if he's over there." Okay sure why not. We trekked over to the spot which was located on a very busy Brooklyn Avenue not too far from my man's crib. When we arrived and went down into the basement the cat was not there. We waited for about an hour then splurtted (left). What the name of the selector G? Oh Huey, his name is Huey. Ever heard of him or his sound?" No dreddy neva heard ah them.    
   
It would take over twenty something years in a different state and city to finally meet this Huey. Even then I had no idea who he was until I spoke to the chick I use to Fuck with in High School mentioned to me that he was the one that Guliani was talking about. Go figure!