Hood Don't Love You (HDLY#1)

Chapter two

 

“Listen, just hear me out,” Davids was talking to his daughter as she stormed around the living room in a huff.

“You mean hear how you sold me out like a damn whore,” Charmaine said still not believing what her father was telling her.

Here she was, an eighteen year old girl, with no children, not a high school dropout and not one of those hoochie mommies in the street and now she was being told that she got sold like a slave on auction. Charmaine knew what her father did. She didn’t turn a blind eye to it but she never thought it would affect her. She was busy getting herself together so she could get out of the tenement building she known and hated all her life. She felt like the projects she lived in were her prison and she wanted nothing more than to get early parole. The high school diploma she hung proudly in her room was supposed to be the start to her appeal and college was going to be her pardon. Now her father was stomping on her dream like a roach you see looking for a late night snack.

“I can’t believe you!” Charmaine expressed her frustration by throwing a couch pillow at her father.

“Listen, young lady, I’m still your father!” Davids said as the pillow hit him upside the head.

“No, you my pimp!” Charmaine corrected.

Davids lowered his head because she was only expressing how she felt and she was right.

“I’m so sorry, babygirl,” Davids started crying like he did in front of Tamel.

“You don’t get the right to call me that! Ever!” Charmaine yelled as she grabbed her Gucci pocket bag and proceeded to leave out the front door.

As she opened the door and was heading out, she bumped into the man her father owed money to standing right outside the door.

He was dressed in his urban attire, jeans and a white tee with a thick gold chain to match the gold teeth fronts that were shining brightly as he smiled.

“Oh, you was on your way to me,” Tamel said looking at the chocolate beauty in front of him.

Charmaine looked at this clown that was supposed to be the most feared gangster in the neighborhood. He looked like every lame dude that tried to holler at her and got shot down viciously. Charmaine looked back at her father who had the dumb look on his face with dried up tears streaked across his cheeks.

“Don’t worry, I’m saving you the trouble,” Tamel said bringing Charmaine’s attention back to him.

Charmaine looked at him up and down and laughed.

“Listen, I don’t know what you and my so called father got going but that ain’t got shit to do with me,” Charmaine informed the hoodlum in front of her.

“That’s where you wrong, my dear,” Tamel corrected. “It has everything to do with you. He said he stole because of you so that means it is about you.”

Charmaine wasn’t afraid even though she heard notorious stories about Melo Drama and what he’s capable of doing. She knew she should be a little nervous but she was standing her ground. Fuck her father! He got himself caught up with a gangster not her. Why should she be held off like cattle because of some stupid shit her father was into?

“Listen, she's right,” Charmaine’s father finally said. “Whatever I owe is on me. I can’t have my daughter pay that debt.”

Tamel shook his head.

“I don’t think both of you are getting it,” Tamel said still smiling. “I already owned the bitch. I was just being hospitable about the shit. Now you acting all high siddity. I have no choice but to respond the way this needs to be handled. You got five minutes to grab whatever belongings you going to get and come on or you can leave with that. It makes no never mind to me but get this straight, you are coming.”

Charmaine couldn’t believe the gall of this riff raff and how her father was just standing there letting this man who was no older than she was just come and claim her as property.

“I’m not going nowhere with you!” Charmaine spit in Tamel’s face and slammed the door in Tamel’s face.

Charmaine ran to her room crying. Davids could hear grumbling behind the front door like there were more people besides Tamel out there. Davids walked a little closer to the door then Tamel spoke loudly.

“That bitch got five minutes to come out or I’m coming in to get what’s mine!” Tamel shouted. “If you think this is a game. Watch me! I’ll have that bitch hoeing for cat food. Do you know who you fucking with? This is not a drill, nigga. Open this shit up and get my bitch or I’m coming in and it won’t be pretty.”

“Please, Charmaine,” Davids pleaded by Charmaine’s room. “Drama is crazy.”

“I’m not going!” Charmaine stated her objection again.

“Ok, this motherfuckers in here think it’s a game,” Davids heard Tamel say from the other side of the front door. “Okay, cool.”

Charmaine was on her bed burying her head in a pillow so she didn’t hear the door bust open and three hooligans busted in and beat her father to near death. She did hear them when they came in her room and snatched her up kicking and screaming for the neighborhood. And for the whole neighborhood to do nothing.