Apply the Pressure (Quando Rondo) COMPLETED

26

Ty'Lia|Ty

"Man, I used to come up here damn near every week for Ms. Gloria food." Baby told us as we opened the car doors. Ms. Gloria ran a soul food restaurant on the south side. I remember she used to be a candy lady on a popular backstreet. Her Icies were all that I ate when I first moved from Savannah.

"Yoooo!" Baby called out as the little bell on the door ring.

"Who that?" We heard her call from the back.

"Come out and see!" He joked, laughing.

"Oh, won't you look at here! Jalen, come from back here and say hey!" She smiled brightly as she took her apron off and came from behind the camera.

"Dominique, boy you done got so big!" She said as she hugged his neck. "Got a lil money and act like you don't wanna come around." She put her hand on her hip.

"It ain't been nothing like that, I been outta town so much." He shook his head.

"Well, you know I gotchu. Hey lil man." She smiled at his son. He smiled shyly and hid his face.

"Uh oh, the best friends in the house! You see one, and you bound to see the other!" She smiled and hugged us both.

"Hey Ms. Gloria. How you?"

"Better than ever, baby. Who is this? Ion see him 'round this side." She nodded her head towards Quando.

"My name Quan." He introduced himself.

"Hey baby, nice to meet you." Before anybody could say anything else, somebody came from the back.

"Yoooo, Waddup D!" He daps baby up first.

"Imma start calling you that." I tell Baby.

"Holdin' it down?"

"Hell yeah. Tyyyy! B!" He hugged Amber, then tried to hug me but I stepped back. I just wanted to know how he knew my name.

"Ty, that's Raymond." She whispered and my jaw dropped.

"Yooooo..." was all I could say as I look at him. Raymond got fine—lemme stop.

"Wassup, I can get my hug now?" I laughed and stepped up. "Ian seen you in forever, where you been."

"I moved—then started staying in the house." I shrugged. He laughed.

"Hope I'll be seeing you around more. Sup bro." He nods at Quan. I didn't hear Quan say anything.

"Y'all smell that?" Amber asked. Ray stepped back.

"Shit." He said, rushing to the back.

"THAT BETTER NOT BE MY MONKEY BREAD BURNING! Out here tryna flirt." She shook her head.

"What you got on the menu today?" Amber asked.

"Chilleee, I'm going in like a fish fry today." She smiled.

"Ooo, you got some chicken to go with it?"

"Always. What y'all think ya want?" We places our orders and sat down at one of the round tables. We were pretty much the only people in there, so we were making a lot of noise. D freestyled as me and Amber beat on the table.

"Go Quan!" Quan looked up from his phone, smiled, waved us off, then went back to scrolling.

"Who got yo attention like that?" I asked.

"Ah shit..." Baby mumbled.

"Nobody." He told me. "Shid im getting this money."

"Okay now, Terell, don't make me clean you up."