I'll Ride For You, Homie

e i g h t

August 23, 1999

Arique

Ain't nothing like having your own shit man, I swear.  I'm on my way to work right now in my new car. I ended up giving Delontae four thousand dollars for it. Some of it is to cover as rent 'til next month, even though I gave him three hundred on the first of August.

I don't know if it was Delontae, or the previous owner that had a deck put in here, but I need to get me some CD's. I'm listening to the radio on my way to work. It's not bad but, I'd like to have a choice of what I want to listen to.

I get to the shop at nine forty five a.m. to a car parked outside already. I don't know who it is, as I've never seen it before. When I park and get out of the car I'm cautious, but I sort of relax whenever I see it's just Psych.

"What it do baby?" He says to me hopping out of his car as I hop out of mine.

"Nothin'. What go dahn?" I shoot back.

"Ready to get to work."

"Delontae hired you to work with us?" Obviously, Arique. I mentally scold myself. I guess I'm just attempting to make conversation since we kind of got off on the wrong foot. I unlock the door and we enter the building.

"Nah, I only came to watch y'all work and get paid for it." He says back slickly.

"Aight now Psych. It's only room for one smart ass." I tell him laughing.

"Naw bruh, it hurt too much fa' me to bite my tongue."

"I know right!" I agree with him, "I had to explain that shit to Delontae."

"My brothers are a little slow so forgive him." He chuckles lightly, "what'chu need me to do 'til J slow ass get here?" He asks me.

"Shidd, I guess you can unlock the back gates and stuff while I get the lights, and stuff started in here." I shrug my shoulders.

"Bet, let me get the keys, lil Arique." Do all niggas have a problem with asking for stuff properly?

"Do you know how to ask?"

"Yeah." ......Okay?

"So...." I drag out. "You not gon' ask me nicely?" I look at him expectantly.

He shakes his head laughing. "I can get the keys off you, lil Arique?"

Why do I feel like this is as good as it gets with him. "I guess, but I know you know how to ask better than that." I give him the keys.

"Naw, I'm ignant as fuck." He walks out of the back door to unlock the gates and stuff, leaving me shaking my head.

So the lights are on in here, everything customer accessible is unlocked and Psych and I are just shooting the shit. "How long you sit fa'?" I ask him.

"Three and a half. Second offense. The first time I went to camp for a hot lil minute 'cause I was a first time felon. This time I went to jail though."

"Obviously. Drugs?"

"He'yeah. I had a jus' the right amount on me to get a distribution charge. A lil less and it would've been jus' a possession and I could've went to a lil drug class."

"Soft or hard?"

"Hard, which is why I sat for three and a half and I'm on parole for another three." He shakes his head, "some bullshit if you ask me. Should't matter if it's soft or hard, it's all cocaine and the time should be the same."

"He'yeah. Jus' another way for them to make money offa' us." I shake my head. "So this is how you are all the time?" I ask curiously. He might be one of them white boys that act like whoever he is around at the moment.