Chiraq XIII

Chapter 13

The smell of fried chicken came from Jello's townhouse as Jello sniffed the air. "I came to get that tatted on my back", Big Shorty said as he pointed at Dinky-G's back. "Where did you find Big Shorty?", asked Jello. He looked over to Big Shorty and continued, "I thought you was an old fashioned house arrest." They all stepped inside Jello's house and heard Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin" blaring out over the sound system. Nina, Jello's in-house coochie, was frying chicken and puffing a blunt. She was wearing nothing but panties and a t-shirt. Jello walked up to Nina, who was standing over the stove, and sucked on her finger like it was a rib tip.

Big Shorty got up off the sofa and asked, "You about ready to begin my tattoo?" Jello nodded. Shortly after Jello stared on Big Shorty's tattoo, Big Shorty started to moan, making everyone present, laugh. "Don't forget the "Pitch-Forks", said Day-Day. Big Shorty was laying on his chest as Nina walked up to him and handed him the blunt. "Right on time, mom", said Big Shorty as he looked up her long legs. He took several puffs off of the blunt when they all chimed in saying, "Puff, puff, pass, nucca."

Big Shorty squirmed from the physical discomfort of laying on Jello's grimy mattress. "It won't be too much longer", Jello announced. They were high as a kite. It was as if they were sitting in clouds from all of the "Dro they were smoking. Big Shorty walked through the front door of his mother's house and entered the kitchen. Victoria stood in front of him and held out her hand as if she were a crossing guard. She then squatted down to look at the redness in his eyes. "Your eyes are blood-shot red! Have you been smoking pot?", Victoria inquired.

Big Shorty shot up stairs to his bedroom. He could feel the piercing pain of his tattoo as he laid on his chest. He put his arms around his pillow, squeezing it as he tried to will the pain away. "I can't lay on my back", he thought to himself. Though he was still high from the 'Dro, he managed to sit himself up and turn on the television. He watched, "In Living Color" and began to laugh almost immediately at the skits. The pain started to kick in even worse as he laughed at "Homie The Clown". He didn't notice his mother as she stood at his doorway holding a dinner plate.

"So whose ingenious idea was it for you to get blunted out? That's not for you", she stated, not trying to mask the fact that she didn't like the idea. She passed him the plate, which was full of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. Then she closed the door behind herself and walked down the stairs. She wiped off the table and cleared away the dishes. Victoria then went upstairs to Helena's room and looked in on her daughter as she slept.

The crisp wind cracked through the bars that were on the exterior of the house and across the window panes. Victoria rubber her stomach, realizing that she had to be about three months pregnant. She didn't know why, but in her bones she knew it would be a girl and she would name her "Luevinia". Falling deep into thought, she remembered back to when she was seventeen and sitting on the bed in her room back at her parents house. She'd been up all night trying to find the words to tell her parents that she was pregnant. She had never been more scared in her life, as she struggled to find a way to explain to her parents that she was pregnant. While engaged in her thoughts, she affectionately caressed her belly while thinking to herself, "It's another girl!"

Tyrone's father had long ago proved how naïve she had been. It seemed so long ago, her standing in her momma's kitchen to convince them of his love for her. Her parents sat silently, her father's head was down on his chest and her mother's silent rage scaring Victoria into forgetting the words she had practiced in her room the night before. Her tears threatened to come and reduce her to simply babbling about some "love" that the baby's father had for her. The words became more and more incoherent, until the only thing that she could concentrate on was the redness of her father's eyes that betrayed just how tired he was. She had to turn away from him when she thought that she saw moisture welling up in his left eye. Victoria opened her eyes and stared into the darkness, slowly falling asleep.