Hood Ornaments

Dell sauntered down the block and decided to go text Tori before heading to Tony’s house:

Sorry 4 leaving last nite; U were sleep n I didn’t want Trudy 2 have a fit 1nce she got home.

As Dell reached Tony’s block, he thought about stopping at the corner store to get some water because the unseasonably hot sun was beating down on him like he was a thief. He decided against it when he saw Malik approaching the store from the other direction

It’s not that he was scared of Malik but he was in no mood to be antagonized. He turned down a side street which would bring him right in front of Tony’s house. Sure enough, there he was sitting on his stoop wearing the same uniform as Dell:

Long white tee

Long, light blue, denim shorts

House sandals

Ankle socks.

The only difference between them was Tony had a North Carolina Tarheels headband on his head. Dell wiped his hands with his towel and the pair exchanged dap.

“You ready?” Dell asked.

“Yeah it’s hot as balls out here. Where we goin?”

“To the Verizon store, I’ma put you and Malik on my plan.”

Tony frowned in confusion as the pair walked down the block, “Da fuck for? Last night you said we wasn’t gonna be workin for your uncle no more.”

“Cuz if today is any indication on what summer is gonna be like, I’ll be damned if I’ma keep walkin to y’all houses in this heat. Secondly, if you and Tori are gettin serious, she needs a way to get in touch with you at all times. And, I got extra lines on my plan so we good.”

“But Dell, I ain’t…”

Dell cut him off, “I’m not askin you for nothing Tone. We boys.” They reached the store and Dell held the door open for Tony. As they entered, his text alarm went off:

S’ok. Where u @ now?

W/ Ur man. We B bak round ur way soon.

K. Trudy’s home. She asked bout U.

K. Bet.

They entered the store and Tony had an obvious scowl on his face confusing Dell slightly, “Look man. Tori and I are like brother and sister aiight. You don’t have nothing to worry about.”

“Whatever, I ain’t worried.”

“Then take that look of your face you ungrateful bassid and pick out a phone.” Dell chided.

Tony looked overwhelmed as he looked around the store. Dell began showing him the different models and how they worked, but it seemed to confuse Tony more, “Yo can’t you just get me what you and Tori got. I know how to work that shit.”

“Yeah, I’ll get the same for Leek too. What color?”

“Color?”

“Yeah color, mine is white.” Dell showed Tony his phone.

At that point, the salesman interrupted. “Actually, that model only comes in black. You have a white case for it.”

“For real? I ain’t even know that. What other color cases you got?”

So Dell walked out of the store with two new phones one 76ers case for Malik, a Tarheel case for Tony, and a lavender case with sparkling stars on it for Tori He and Tony even filled out job applications before they left.

He felt pretty damn good about himself.

At least for the moment.

Malik had mixed emotions about accepting the cell phone from Dell. Dell had to explain at least a trillion times that there was no obligation attached to the phone. It was more like an apology for assuming that Malik wanted in on the action Sticks was once giving Dell. Malik was also trippin cuz he was gonna have a hell of a time hiding the phone from his mother and whatever boyfriend was staying with them that month.

It wasn’t even that he was gonna have to explain where he got the phone. His mother wouldn’t care about that, but he would have to worry about her selling the phone to support her habit.

The habit he didn’t tell anyone she had.

That was the main reason he didn’t want to work for Sticks. Well that and that he really wanted to be a cop. But he couldn’t tell no one that. Cops weren’t respected around there. And it wasn’t like he really wanted to be a cop.

More like a detective or a criminal psychologist.

Maybe.

Maybe he just watched too much damn T.V. making him paranoid about people being nice to him.

But this wasn’t just people; this was Dell. Malik couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was always something about Dell he didn’t trust.

But what did that really mean, he didn’t trust his own mother.

At least it looked like Dell was trying to change.

The only thing his mother changed were her men and her clothes.

And lately, she didn’t seem to change her clothes much

After some gentle prodding from Dell combined with explanations from Tony, Malik finally decided to take the phone. If for nothing else more than to avoid having to walk all the way to Dell’s house or to a pay phone to call his mother a cab.

He would wind up thanking Dell for his thoughtfulness later but for now he had to ride him for his insensitivity as the trio trudged over to Tori’s house in the heat.

“So you didn’t think about getting me an application? I can paint basements and be look out and shit, but I ain’t good enough to work with y’all at a respectable business.” Malik’s smile was barely detectable through his beard.

Tony laughed and playfully knocked elbows with Malik, “Don’t get all up in your feelins, man. I did most of the work. We only got the trim to do, and we ain’t doin that today.”

Dell looked confused, “We ain’t?”

“Didn’t chu say you wanted to go to the college today?” Tony asked

“Shit, how we getting there? Like you said it’s hot as balls out here.”

“Bamma the train?” Malik chimed in.

“How we getting to the train? We just left downtown,” Dell asked as he was comin up Tori’s walk. Just then the front door opened and there stood Trudy with a mock scowl on her face and her hand on her hip.

“If you hoodlums come in here and finish this basement, “I’ll give y’all cab fare to get to the school.”

Malik was about to say, “Yo she got mad…” but was cut off by an elbow to the gut from Dell. Trudy held open the front door and the trio went inside and made a beeline towards the kitchen with Trudy in tow.

“I made fresh lemonade y’all want some?” She asked but was taking large glasses out of the cupboard as if the answers were already given.”

“Tori here, Ms. Trudy?” Tony asked.

“Mhmmm,” Trudy’s voice sort of sang her reply, “She already down there with a ladder. You and Malik go head down and help her. “I’ll send Dell down with the lemonade in a minute.”

Tony opened the basement door, and the pair bounded down the steps. Trudy brought the glasses over to the small table and grabbed the large pitcher of lemonade out of the refrigerator. As she began to pour, Dell began his apology, “Ms. Trudy…”

Trudy cut him off, her eyes became dark slits within her face and her voice became the harshest whisper as she glared at Dell while pouring, “Rondell, I like you, so I am going to cut right to the point. I know everything and so there is no confusion, I mean everything; so from this moment on for the sake of my granddaughter down there, you no longer know anything!!!” With that she handed Dell the glass of lemonade, “Do you understand me, boy?”

Dell playfully smiled and gulped down his lemonade,

“I dunno what chu talkin bout Ms. Trudy.”

She sighed heavily and reached into her blouse, pulled out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to Dell, “Get on your phone and call yourself a cab so you can find out how to register for those classes,” she then handed him a slip of paper, “on your way back I need you to pick up those groceries on that list there.”

Dell tried to hand Trudy back the money, “Ms. Trudy, I don’t need…”

She cut him off again, “Yes you do boy, and there are a lot of groceries on that list. I didn’t give you enough money. Now go on, git. Before those other two wanna go wit chu and my basement never gets finished.”

Dell left Tori’s house without saying goodbye. Not that he would be missed. Tori had Tony there, Malik would be going back and forth between complaining about painting the trim in the basement and sippin on Trudy’s lemonade.

Trudy knows everything?

Everything?