HAM (Hard As a Muthaf**ka)

Spaghetti Junction

                    “I’m good,” murmured. “You just don’t know how much this is off my shoulders, man. I’m fuckin sick and tired of the streets…it’s just a matter of time before I’m out the drug game altogether. This shit is for the fuckin birds- you have to not wanna have a future to keep wantin to do this shit…even with the pills, one day someone is gonna step in wit a new drug, Reagan, and were gonna be forced out or die by the new order. The same damn way we did Mos,”

                    “Yeah,” sighed Reagan. “Until then, I’m gonna make my money…for however long as I can,”

                    “Nigga, you been hangin around me too long,” I said, as Reagan laughed.

           *                 *                 *                  * 

                    My strength and health eventually returned…Reagan gave me my chunk of the money we took from Quint nem, and I put it with my other stash. I was sittin on about three quarts of a mil($750,000)! The first thing I did, I was brought Moms and Max back home…of course, Moms saw the wound, and fussed me out.

                    “Who took care of that for you!?” she bickered, while applying peroxide to it…it burned a lil, but there was no way I could say “no”- Moms wouldda beat my ass.

                    “A friend of mine…a med student,” I said.

                    She studied it over, then let out a sigh. “Not too shabby…but homegirl betta not touch my baby boy next time, or Imma act a fool!”

                    “Maaaaa,” I groaned.

                    She reapplied some fresh new gauze and patches. “Jacoby, you are my only son. Even though you are now a man, I’m still gonna worry about you,”

                    “I worry about you too, Mom,” I said. “You and Max are all I have, so it’s my job to protect y’all,”

                    She let out a small sigh. “Come by the hospital later this week so I can give you a tetanus shot. We don’t want that wound to become infected from within,”

                    She got up, placing the cap on the peroxide. “So…you handle yo business? Is everything good now?”

                    I nodded, then stood from the sofa…I don’t know- I kinda felt like things were gonna go back to status quo between me and Mom…I enjoyed bein able to come back over, and not argue and I especially enjoyed when she hugged me at the hospital. She hadn’t hugged me in years…I wanted to do right by her. She was all I had left…when Dad died, I kinda blamed some stuff on her, and she blamed some things on me. It was like she was my Mom, but at the same time she wasn’t…but now, I was ready for her to be my mother again.

                    Coz I definitely wanted to be her son.

                    “You comin over for Sunday dinner?” she asked.

                    I smiled. “Whatchu cookin?”

                    “Catfish, Potatoes Au Gratin, and some green beans,” she answered. “Bring that Hamilton girl over…I know she had to lose weight, worryin about yo butt,”

                    I laughed a little, as Mom smiled. “Aight,”

                    I wanted to give Mom some money, but she refused it…however, she allowed me to buy Max a car for her graduation gift. Max was screamin Dodge Challenger, but I bought her a Dodge Neon instead…she pouted at first, but then the little storm blue efficiency car grew on her. It was good, because she could get good gas mileage out of it, and it didn’t bring attention to us. Peeps figured that my mom had enough money put back, and that I pitched in, and bought my baby sis a car for her graduation.