Yellow Brick Road (an Eazy-E Story)

EIGHT

January 25th, 1991 | 7:43pm

"You're LJ's sister, right? Freddie mentioned your name before." Tonya's brother, Terry, asked me. He was sitting with his legs spread apart on Tonya's leather couch. He was a tall, dark-skinned man.

He was roughly around our group's age but a bit older. He has a low cut Caesar with waves and wore a tank top and black sweats. A gold rope chain around his neck and a bracelet with his nickname "T-Mack" melted in gold.

"Yeah. I guess Freddie knows everybody, huh?" I asked playfully. "That's my nigga. Whenever I need him, he's right there. A real Loc." He said in a heavy accent.

"Anyone cool with Freddie is cool with me. You don't have shit to worry about out here in Compton. Besides, you're my sister's home girl." Terry smiled at me. I noticed a gunshot wound on his right shoulder.

A tattoo underneath the wound read 'Bulletproof' in Old English lettering. "Sorry for your loss, by the way. LJ was a solid nigga. Met him twice when I was making money in Brooklyn." Terry leaned over the coffee table and reached for a half-smoked roach.

He took the lighter out of his pocket and lit it once he put the blunt to his lips. "He had the best weed on the East Coast. Made me want to step my shit up." He laughed, exhaling the weed smoke.

"He mentioned you once. He said he'd kill a nigga about you. He really loved you. I got the same love for Tonya." Terry extended the blunt towards me. I obliged his offer.

I took a long drag before exhaling the smoke freely. I took another hit before passing it back. "You hit that shit like an OG." Terry smiled.

"I was taught by the best." I was referring to Eric during my last night back home. "So, you and Tonya got a double date with Ren and Eazy, huh?" Terry sat at the edge of the couch, hunched over the coffee table.

"Yeah. I'm just waiting on your sister to be ready so we can meet them at the restaurant." I looked down at my wrist watch and noticed that it was close to eight. Our reservations were at eight-thirty.

"Tonya, hurry your ass up!" Terry yelled behind the couch. "Terry, shut your punk ass up!" Tonya yelled back from the bathroom.

"It's T-Mack when company is around, nigga!" Terry spat back before turning back to me. "Sorry about that." He said with a smirk. "It's all good." I said. I stood by the door waiting for Tonya.

Then, my cellphone rang inside of my tote. I extended the antenna and answered it. "Talk to me."

"I'll talk back." Eric responded to my greeting. I grinned like a child would. "Where y'all at? We're here." Eric yelled over the music playing in the background.

"Tell my fine ass woman to get down here!" Ren yelled behind Eric. "Nigga, get out my ear with that yelling! Your breath is humming like a canary." Eric and Ren began to quarrel verbally over the phone.

"Tonya, your man said to get your fine ass in the car and let's go!" I yelled out to Tonya. "Ren on the phone? Tell him I'm coming!" Tonya ran out of the bathroom with her heels in her hand and her purse on her shoulder. Her halter top was tied behind her neck and lifted her girls high up to her collarbone.

She wore a silk skirt to match and strappy heels no taller than four inches. Her micro braids were curled into a top bun and two braids were only strands in front of her eyes. "Come on, hot mama. We gotta go!" I snapped my fingers. I nodded at Terry and bid him a goodbye, promising him that Tonya would come back in one piece. He locked up behind us. 

Hollywood, California | 8:40pm