Shelton Family Saga

Chapter 10

Big Star
The Flats - 1966, Helmsville, WY

There wasn't a soul around that had it going on like Big Star. He may have only had local notoriety, but he was still A BIG STAR. His momma had given him that nickname when he was just two years old. Well, the only momma he'd ever known. Madam Lottie wasn't his real mother. She'd just kept the boy and raised him as her own when his real mother had gotten her throat slit by a john late one night for not wanting to service him orally. The irate man had took his pocket knife to her throat and then to her very pregnant belly, cutting Big Star from her wound and leaving them both for dead as he slipped out through a window in the back of the place, never to be seen again. By the time Madam Lottie discovered them, the girl had bled to death and baby Big Star laid unconscious on the floor, at the foot of the bed. Madam Lottie, being the savvy business woman she was and knowing she couldn't bring attention to her establishment by alerting the authorities, immediately performed C.P.R. bringing baby Big Star back to life. He was the only baby ever born in one of her establishments and without his mother, she chose to keep him as her own. And, because he was her only child she always had high hopes that he would become a famed celebrity; therefore, she did whatever she could to keep him dressed in the best rags with some loose change on him. She always felt a man should have some money in his pocket, so she made sure that Anthony, which was the proper name she'd given him, always did. Growing up a spoiled momma's boy carried over into Big Star's adult life. He was an extra dark chocolate, short and chubby man of 5'4" height with shoulder length jeri curl type black hair that he kept permed in a straight style. He made sure he stayed at the top of the street game at all times. Something like an A-list celebrity; and, at only twenty years old there wasn't any other young buck around that could brag about his kind of swag. Well, except maybe one, a kid named Hoochie. Hoochie's real name was Myles, but everyone had called him Hoochie since anyone could remember. He may have been a year younger than Big Star, but he was wild as a country buffalo, both in spirit and physicality. Nevertheless, he was an undeniable street legend in his own right. The last time Big Star seen Hoochie was when the brother was only fourteen years old and his momma had died giving birth to her youngest child. Although, Hoochie had a lot of siblings, he was one of the older kids in his family. He ran tight with Harvey, a real cool strait-laced kid that minded his own business, and went by Hollywood. Big Star had felt bad for the young brother losing his momma, so he'd taken some of his side hustle loot, and bought matching outfits for Hoochie and Hollywood that year for Christmas. It appeared to him that when Hoochie lost his momma, it affected him deeply, seeing how the young fella had turned to the streets, running wild, knocking folks in the head and shit. Just out of control and buck wild. And from what he'd heard, Hollywood had been on lockdown for about two years now. He had gotten sent off for aggravated robbery, or some shit. Word on the street was them crooked ass motherfuckers uptown had given him ten years. Undoubtedly, Big Star thought that was some cold hearted shit. Everybody knew Hollywood was a good kid that came from a strict two parent home and had never been in trouble; but, how Hoochie managed to stay out of trouble was the real question. He was the damn ringleader. A big time street boss, according to the rumors floating around. Of course, this was all stuff Big Star had heard, as he didn't really know for sure, cause he had left town not long after Hoochie's momma passed away. He went out to Albuquerque, New Mexico to see his own momma and the rest of his kinfolks. His family had moved around the same time Hoochie's momma passed away in April of 1961, but it took Big Star eight months to reunite with them, cause he wanted to finish up the school year and spend the Summer with his friends there in Helmsville. He got to having such a good time he didn't end up leaving until that Christmas. Ever since Big Star left Helmsville, the word floating around was that he'd become a major player in the streets, and was big time running shit out in Albuquerque, practically running the whole damn state. Funny thing is that it wasn't all that unbelievable, cause Big Star was always running things back in the day. A lot of the dudes just ran their mouths, but not Big Star. He made shit happen! He always had loot when nobody else did. Always had some change in his pocket, too. Even as a young boy coming up, he had a posse; which was a little ole group of fellas that stuck close to his side and did whatever he told them. He was untouchable, cause there was always somebody in his posse  acting as his bodyguard.