Category: Blog

JANUARY 26, 2020

PAPPAS BBQ – 8:20 p.m.

I’d taken Sway out for Sunday dinner at Pappas BBQ for ribs. We’d just wrapped up the meals and were sipping our drinks. “Do you write, Sway? Have you written any songs?”

“I have some new ones that I’ve been working on… They’re pretty good.” She lowered her head. “I haven’t put them on paper yet…”

“Why not?”    

“I don’t know… Just never had a chance, I guess.”

“What about your old ones. Are you going to sing those?”

“I was, but I kind of gave them to Rosebud. I mean, I didn’t really give them to him. They were going to be for me to sing, but I’d signed away my rights.”

“He’s probably going to try and sell them himself… Or use them to play some other girl.”

“It’s alright. I don’t want those anymore anyway.” She looked up, smiling. “I don’t care. He can do whatever. I’m taking it in a new direction.”

“Like what?”

“I want to write all about love…”

I grinned. “Will that sell? Everybody’s talking about all the shit they own and how big a bitch’s ass is.”

“Right? I want to make beautiful songs, Andre. I’m going to be like Diane Warren and Celine Dione all wrapped into one.”

“Who is Diane Warren? I know Celine Dione. She’s fucking paid.”

“Diane Warren is big time. She’s got all kinds of awards.”

“You’ll win way more than she has.”

“I will… Then I’ll take care of you. You won’t want for anything. Any kind of car, you got that. I’m gonna get you your apartment…or maybe even a condo, paid for, on the top floor of the tallest building in Dallas.

“Then I’m going to build a big recording studio for myself, and I’m going to put up the money so you can start your business.

“Or you could just do nothing and be there when I come home to you. We could chill, go to the movies, eat, and I could fuck you silly whenever you want some of this pussy.

“You should see it too. It’s nice, Andre. I can show you now if you want. Look under the table. I’ll pull my fucking pants down right here.”

“I already saw it. I peeped at it.”

“When? When I was asleep?”

“No, the first night when you were getting dressed. Fat and thick…”

“It’s all yours, too.”

“Whatever… When you start making that kind of money, you’re going to be a major star, you’ll get with someone in the business. I won’t be mad at you, though. I’ll still support you…”

Sway’s face blanked. Anger filled its space. “Andre, don’t ever say that to me again! I mean it!”

“Whoa, whoa… I’m just playing, baby.”

“No!” Sway’s shouting caught the attention of the diners. “Don’t ever insult me like that!”

“Baby, calm down, okay? It was just a joke.” I could feel every eye in the room.

Sway turned red. She began to cry. There was a chorus of mutters in the background. I panned, seeing nothing but scowls and angry faces. “It’s not like y’all think.”

The waiter approached. “Is there trouble…?”

I struggled. “It’s just a misunderstanding, that’s all.”

He looked to Sway. “Are you okay, ma’am?”

Sway stood, eyeing the tall, thin dude. “A week ago, I was being trafficked by a pimp. This man saved me, took me in, and is housing and feeding me. I’m sorry for getting emotional, and I apologize for disturbing your guests. It’s just that I… I’m just finding it somewhat difficult to get him to understand how grateful I am and that I will never do anything to hurt him. I just need him to realize that.”

I was in shock. I looked to the waiter. He leaned in, tapping me on the shoulder. “Great job, sir. Great job. Your meal is on the house.”

The crowd was now smiling and cheering. I felt hot, cold, and clammy all at the same time. I looked back to Sway. She tugged my arm as we left to a round of applause.  I couldn’t make it to the exit quickly enough.

---

We’d pulled out and were on Northwest Highway. Sway was singing to Justin Bieber’s “Yummy”. She turned down the volume. “Where are we going now?”

“Home, I guess…”

“You haven’t made any money today.”

“Sundays are always dead. I keep some shit with me just in case, but I usually take the day off.”

“Andre, there’s money to be made.”

“Where?”

“Do you go to Ecstasy?”

“That place is full of pimps and dealers already. Shit is on lock.”

“I used to go there with Mandy to pick up tricks. Rosebud would send us with his assistant…”

“Assistant?”

“Jermaine. He used to play it like we were with him, so we could get in. Then we would go from there.”

“Okay?”

“Customers and strippers would ask for coke all the time. The shit you got would go so fucking quick, especially if it were twenty bags. You don’t do twenties, do you?”

“Not really.”

“What do you have right now? You got anything?”

“I have ten forties.”

“Bring me and I’ll get rid of it for you. It won’t take me long.”

“Right now? You’re serious?”

“Let me do my thing.”

---

I was at the bar for all of fifteen minutes before she approached. “Are you sure you don’t have any more with you? Nothing in the car?”

“That’s all I had. Why? Is it gone already?”

“One girl got three for her and her friends, and she turned me on to a customer that got the rest for two eighty. I have four hundred for you.”

She placed the bills into my hand. “Fuck, Sway!”

“You have to let me do me, Andre. I got you.”

Creole Gaudet

If you enjoyed this content and would like access to all my books, stories, and series episodes, please visit my Patreon page.

Copyright ©2020 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved.

No part of this chronicle may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system – except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper – without permission in writing from the publisher, Creole Gaudet.

It was 4:30 a.m. when we decided to call it. We’d showered, tidied up a bit, put away the coke, and had gotten under the covers.

After watching several episodes of ‘Storage Wars Northern Treasures’, we turned off the TV to get some rest.

We were lying quietly in the dark with only the streetlights illuminating through the open curtains. “What was it like being you growing up, Andre? Tell me about it.”

“I never knew my father… I’d lost my mother when I was very young, which left me with my grandmother. She was my mother’s mother.”

“How was that?”

“She smoked crack… I guess you could say that…she was there but not really there. I was a burden, and she’d sometimes take it out on me. She didn’t hit me or anything like that, but she was verbally abusive. I guess she didn’t ask to have to raise me.”

“Do you think that had an influence on you…as far as you getting into the game?”

“Oh, no doubt. I used to see the dealers when they would deliver. Iced out, driving nice cars, and were always fresh.

“I never wanted to be like them. I’ve always wanted to be my own legit boss, and I will, but it’s what I ended up doing anyway. It’s just to get my bank up… What about you? How was your life?”

“The total opposite. I had both my parents and a younger sister. Typical racist, religious hypocrites. They’d never admit it, though.”

“What about your singing? Was that your dream?”

“No, not at first. I hadn’t discovered that yet. I wanted to be a gymnast. I was about six or seven, I think. They were going to the schools looking for students. I begged my mother to let me study.

“She even took me to the first class. Andre, I had so much fun. I loved it.

“But when we got home, I could hear her telling my dad about it, and they came into my room and told me that we didn’t have the money right now.

“I was crushed, and for three nights I cried myself to sleep.

“One day, the school called, wondering what happened and why I wasn’t there. They even offered to teach me for free because I showed so much potential, but my dad’s excuse was that the family didn’t take charity.

“But the real reason was that the owner of the school was black.”

“Are you serious?”

“I didn’t get to be a student of an Olympic Medal winner because she was black.”

“When was the last time you talked to your family?”

“After what Rosebud and Mandy did, I tried calling them to… I guess to explain. I was probably trying to ask for help, but I didn’t know how. My sister answered, and we were talking. They took the phone away from her and hung up on me.

“I didn’t have a way for her to reach me. All I had was Mandy’s phone, and I wasn’t going to have her call me on it. I wanted her to know what happened so that I could warn her of how… I don’t want her to get caught up like I did, you know?”

“I know. It’s going to be okay, though. You have to believe that.”

“I don’t want to think about that right now. I care about you. You took a chance on me when my own mother and father turned their backs.”

“And it’s the best move I’ve ever made in my life. This is the happiest I’ve ever been.”

Sway crawled onto my chest, looking me in my eyes. “I want to do something, Andre. I don’t want to live off you. You’re never going to keep me around.”

“I want to take care of you, Sway, and I want you to be around forever.”

“But… I’m not… I haven’t even given myself to you…physically. I don’t even know how to. You’re not a pimp… If we fuck, it’s like… I don’t want you to think I’m playing you for a trick.

“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do. You can do whatever you want with me.”

“I want to see you find you. Whatever it is you want out of life, I want you to have that.”

“I don’t even know how all this works. How can this be? I’ve only dreamed of a man like you. You’re going somewhere. Somebody’s going to wake me up, and I’m going to be very pissed off. You can’t be real, Andre. There is no way.

“You won’t let me whore for you. You’re taking care of me better than I even deserve. I’m not used to any of this.”

“You’re going to have to get that pimp mentality out of your head. I get that they’ve convinced you that everybody is in it to use everyone else; that used or be used bullshit. It’s not true, Sway.”

“I believe that in my heart, but I thought it was just me.”

“I want one woman and one woman only. I want it all. I want love. The highest level of love there is. Whatever that may be. I want to go for that. One hundred percent dedication. I want someone that I’d be willing to put my life on the line for… Aw, Sway, there you are with the crying again.”

“It’s because what you’re saying is beautiful. I’m fucking happy, alright?!”

I laughed. “Well, let’s keep doing that. Let’s be happy.”

“I love you, Andre.”

“I love you, too.”

She wiped her eyes. “Where do we go from here?”

“I say we make it official. Sway, would you do me the honor of being my lady?”

“Yes! If you will have me, Andre, I will be your everything forever and ever.”

“I’m yours, Sway. Forever and ever.” Our lips met. We began kissing passionately. I could hear our heartbeats sync in rhythm. We released. “What’s wrong?”

“I was about to ask you.”

“It’s just not right, is it?”

She smiled. “No.”

“I want more from this than… I don’t know how to explain it…”

“Like it should be a special moment.”

“Yes…”

“That’s exactly what I feel, too! I want you fully. I want all of you. I want it to be natural. I’ve never been with a man without a condom. I want to feel you.”

“Let’s wait… Let’s take our time.”

“We can go and get tested. And then it can be real, special. Like married people.”

“Funny, you said that. I was just thinking about something.”

“What?”

“Your name.”

“Are you teasing me again?”

“No, I’m thinking about what your name would be.”

“Sway Swain?”

“Yes! That shit is lit; on gang!”

Creole Gaudet

If you enjoyed this content and would like access to all my books, stories, and series episodes, please visit my Patreon page.

Copyright ©2020 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved.

No part of this chronicle may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system – except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper – without permission in writing from the publisher, Creole Gaudet.

We’d left the movies and were on our way home. “Sway, I need to drop you off, baby. I’m gonna go and meet up with my guy. You don’t mind waiting for me, do you?”

“Are you going to be safe?”

“Yeah, these are my peeps. I’ve been fucking with them for a good while.”

“I’m scared, Andre.”

“No, nothing to be scared about. Just chill and I’ll be back in no time, okay?” She stared out her window. “Come on, don’t do that. I promise you have nothing to worry about.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m positive.”

I’d left Sway at the room and headed East to a Chevron near Shiloh Road.

I went in and paid for some gas. As I pumped, my connect pulled alongside, we did our thing, and he was gone. I placed the cap back on, got in, and drove away.

I took a quick sniff of the coke through the packaging, checking for potency before shoving it down into my underwear, nesting it high between my inner thigh and my nut-sack.

It’s not the best place to keep coke. Your body temperature, if warm enough, will make it soft and humid, but I was heading straight home with no stops.

It racks your nerves when you’re hot. You begin to imagine scenarios where, if being pulled over, how you’d run at least far enough to toss the shit out. Knowing you would probably be arrested anyway for evading the police or whatever list of charges they have on the books, it would still be better than being caught dirty.

I always make sure that I obey and observe every street sign and maintain the speed limits.

I pay attention to my surroundings, watching everything, but at the same time, trying to not let paranoia build.

A dealer with any sense or at least half a brain is always paranoid. But there is a fine line. You can’t be so nervous and on the edge that you freak the fuck out. It’s an art.

I’d pulled up to my place, looking around before exiting my car. As usual, I’d made a beeline to the entrance, only using my periphery to keep a lookout for anything unusual. The object is to make it inside. There, you are in full control again.

Sway and I were sitting at the kitchenette table when I placed the bag of coke onto it.

“That’s it?”

“This is a half ounce or half an onion.” I loosened the knot and opened it. I grabbed one of the lumps. “When I crack this open, I want you to see something.”

I held the broken piece close to her eyes. “You see that shine? If you ever hear them say fish scale, this is what they’re talking about. See how it looks like the scales of a fish?”

“It’s shiny.”

Using my finger, I removed a speck of cocaine the size of a skin pore. “Stick out your tongue.” I placed it on the very tip and waited for her reaction.

Sway tasted and swallowed. She looked to me. “I can’t feel my mouth… I can’t even feel my throat.”

I grinned. “That’s that good shit. It’s straight off the brick. Anything better than that, you don’t want to serve it.

“And you’re only going to get that from an ese, never the brothers.

“A brother will start out good, but sooner or later, he’s going to fuck you. The prices are going to start creeping up, your bag will be light, and then he’s going to drop some low-quality shit on you.

“With the Mexicans, I don’t even weigh it. I already know it’s on point.”

Sway was full of excitement. “I want to do something. How can I help?”

“Do you know how to break it down?”

“To make rocks?”

“No, for the nose.”

“Can you teach me?”

I retrieved a tablespoon, a bowl, my tea strainer, digital scale, and my baggies. I placed it all in front of her.

She quickly picked up the strainer. “You use this to make it into powder, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I try?”

“Okay. Let’s start with some of the shake from the bottom of the bag. Take your spoon and scoop some out.” Her hand shook nervously. “Hold on… What happens if some of it falls out?” She shoved it back in. “It’s alright, we’re just going to take a little bit at a time.” Sway moved carefully. “Good. Now, with your other hand, hold your strainer over your bowl.”

“And pour it in?”

“Yes, nice and easy.”

“I did it!”

“Now we’re going to take the back of the spoon and mash it through. Go back and forward, twisting or whatever is good for you. Just be careful because if we knock it over, we’re out of a lot of money.”

Sway peeked into the bowl. “I see it! It’s piling up!”

“Don’t get too close. You’re going to inhale it.”

Sway was fixated and meticulous. I watched as she completed the entire half ounce.  “Now what?”

“Now we bag up. Half grams for forties and one hundred bags. I make my hundreds at one point three grams on the scale. That way, I don’t have to make balls. I can just combine three one hundreds.”

“Hold on…” Sway made a quick run to the bathroom and back. She was blowing into a wrap of toilet tissue.

“You know why your nose is runny, don’t you?”

“No… Really?”

“You have the drips.”

“I didn’t even do any.”

“You don’t have to.”

Sway watched closely as I bagged and weighed the first forty. “Aren’t you supposed to cut it with baking soda or something?”

“I could. There’s plenty of shit to cut it with. But I don’t.”

“Can’t you make more money though?”

“I charge more for quality.”

“Ah… That way, you only see people with a lot of money who are not going to argue over price. You’re very smart, Andre.”

Creole Gaudet

If you enjoyed this content and would like access to all my books, stories, and series episodes, please visit my Patreon page.

Copyright ©2020 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved.

No part of this chronicle may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system – except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper – without permission in writing from the publisher, Creole Gaudet.

It was 5:08 p.m. when we pulled away from Knockout Sports Bar. “Sway, I still haven’t seen the new ‘Bad Boys’ movie. You down?”

“I would love that!” She beamed. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to the movies.”

“Here.” I handed her my phone. “Check and see what time it’s showing. I usually go to the Cinepolis.”

“That’s expensive.”

“Will you stop counting my money, woman?”

Sway laughed. “Hold on…”

“That reminds me, I have to score some more shit real soon. I’m getting low.”

“Ooh, are you getting a lot?”

“Just a half.”

“Half a kilo?”

I chuckled. “Fuck no!”

Sway stared blankly. “I thought you would like…buy a whole thing.”

“I never keep more than I can flush down a toilet.”

“I guess that makes sense… I thought dealers bought big amounts.”

“And they get caught up, too. I’m not trying to be that guy. I’m taking my time.”

“But don’t you save money when you buy in bulk?”

“Yeah, I may pay more now, but imagine trying to get rid of half a bird when your door is being kicked in. How much of a loss would that be?”

“I see what you’re saying. That’s way smarter.” She looked to the screen. “Okay… We have plenty of time. The next one starts at 6:15.”

“Perfect, we don’t have to rush.”

Sway jogged through the radio stations. “I like this, Andre.” It was Selena Gomez’s ‘Lose You To Love Me’. Sway joined in, muttering the lyrics.

“Let me hear what you got.”

“Right now?”

“Sure.”

“Okay…” She cleared her throat, focused, and came in on the next verse. Sway was pitch-perfect. I listened until the end. She turned to me. “What do you think?”

“What do I think?! You’re incredible, Sway! You actually can sing! Wow!”

“Really, Andre?”

“I got fucking chills. Baby, you can make it for sure! Believe that!”

“I need some work, though.”

“Sway. That’s okay. All singers need work.”

We’d parked on the second floor in the garage from the Victory Park street entrance, finding an empty spot in a corner.

We’d exited the elevator on the seventh floor.

After purchasing our tickets, we still had about thirty minutes to kill. We took a couple of seats at the bar and ordered drinks.

Sway looked at me, smiling. “Just because I ordered a root beer didn’t mean you had to. You can get whatever you want.”

“Nah, I’m good.” She leaned over, placing a kiss on my lips.

Our seats were in the first row. When fully reclined, it was as if we were next to each other in bed.

Sway looked over to me. “So… What did you want to do when you were young?” She whispered. “I’m sure it wasn’t to be a dope boy.”

“I had the idea of being a football player, a running back. I went out for the team and quit the first day of practice.”

“Why? What happened?”

“I got hit so fucking hard, I woke up on the bench looking up at the coaches and the trainers. Motherfuckers kept asking me if I was okay and telling me to shake it off.” Sway was beet red in tears, laughing. “When I finally got to my feet, I removed the pants, cleats, shoulder pads, and all the rest of that shit and left it right there. I never looked back.

“My English teacher thought that I could be a writer or a journalist. I’m pretty good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I won awards. I would have had to have gone to college, but I’d made up my mind that I was never going to put myself in that kind of debt. That’s a ripoff. All that for a job starting at fourteen or fifteen dollars an hour. It would take me nearly seven years to pay that shit off, all while living in poverty. Fuck that.

“I’m going to be my own boss and start my own business one day.”

“Like what?”

“I’m not sure yet. I was thinking about a restaurant, but it’s hard to make it in that.

“I’m leaning more towards auto detailing. Maybe start with a van and do mobile at first. Then I can get a shop. From there, I can get some contracts for industrial vehicles like trucks and tractor-trailers.”

Sway moved closer. “I really like that idea.”

“That’s my top choice… I don’t want to be in this dope game forever.” I looked to Sway. “The way you can sing, though, maybe we should build a recording studio.”

“We, Andre?”

Creole Gaudet

If you enjoyed this content and would like access to all my books, stories, and series episodes, please visit my Patreon page.

Copyright ©2020 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved.

No part of this chronicle may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system – except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper – without permission in writing from the publisher, Creole Gaudet.