North America / Illinois / South Side Chicago (Robert's Apartment): January 10th, 1984.
(Robert's POV)
"Your walking better." Said ashley calmly from the kitchen.
The apartment was silent.
I slowly turned my head and looked at her with dead eyes.
Ashley was standing by the stove with a spoon in her hand and a smug look on her face.
The smell of eggs, butter and something burnt filled the apartment.
"I am healing." I said calmly while sitting at the small table with a newspaper on it.
Ashley looked down at the pan.
Then back at me.
"You still sore." Asked ashley with a smile that improved since yesterday's mood swing.
"No." I said calmly.
The chair creaked underneath me as I tried to adjust my legs.
Pain shot up my thighs.
My eye twitched.
Ashley stared at me.
The room was silent.
"Liar." Said ashley while rolling her eyes.
"I don't know what your talking about." I said calmly with gritted teeth.
Ashley laughed once and went back to the stove.
I looked at her for a moment. Everything for a moment.
I meant everything.
She was not as cold as yesterday.
Still annoyed.
Still watching me.
But not as cold.
Good.
I did not like sleeping next to a women that is mad or has something against me.
It made the room feel like court.
I looked down at the table where a few bills were spread out next to the newspaper.
Rent.
Car.
Food.
Ashley's college savings envelope.
Gym membership money.
And my little government oxygen check that was supposed to come soon.
"Life is one big scam with taxes" I thought with a sigh.
Ashley put a plate in front of me.
Eggs.
Toast.
Sausage.
A little burnt but edible.
I looked at it.
Then up at her.
"You trying to poison me." I asked calmly with a smile.
Ashley lifted the spoon.
The apartment went silent.
I looked back down at the plate.
"Looks delicious." I said calmly.
Ashley smiled.
I picked up the fork.
Before I could eat, there was a knock on the door.
*Knock* *knock* *knock*
The apartment went silent.
Ashley looked at the door.
I looked at the door.
The knocking came again.
*Knock* *knock* *knock*
Slow.
Heavy.
Not police.
Not neighbor.
Not friendly.
"You expecting somebody babe." Asked ashley with a shakey tone while gripping the spoon in her hands.
"No." I said calmly while standing up slowly.
My legs screamed.
I ignored them.
Ashley put the spoon down and reached for the little kitchen knife by the sink.
I saw it. I didn't not say anything.
Good. Desperate times calls not for for what you call desperate measures but instead it is situations.
I walked to the door and looked through the peephole.
Three men.
One was the skinny boy from mcdonald's.
Red hoodie.
The second one was older, dark brown skin, bald head, thick mustache, long brown coat, gold ring on one finger.
The third was large.
Very large.
Big shoulders.
Black jacket.
Face like he had never smiled without charging somebody.
The hallway was silent.
"Rob." Said the skinny boy from outside.
I squinted.
The apartment was quiet.
Ashley was holding the knife behind her back now.
I unlocked the door and opened it just enough.
The cold hallway air came in.
I stared at them.
"Can I help you." I asked calmly with a deep tone that dropped a massive octave.
The older man looked me up and down.
His eyes were calm.
Too calm.
That meant he had hurt people before and no longer needed to prove it loudly.
"You robert." Asked the older man.
"Depends." I said calmly with my right hand reaching for some in the dresser right next to the right side of the door.
The big man shifted.
The hallway became smaller.
The older man smiled lightly and said "I'm darnell. Folks call me duke."
The apartment was silent behind me.
I looked at him.
"Duke." I said calmly repeating.
"Yeah." Said duke with a smile.
I glanced at the skinny boy.
He looked smug.
I looked back at duke.
"You here about marcus." I asked calmly.
Duke's smile widened slightly.
"Smart boy." Said duke with a chuckle .
"Not really. He sent a messenger yesterday." I said calmly while looking back at the skinny boy.
The skinny boy's smile dropped.
Duke chuckled.
The hallway was silent.
"Marcus is my nephew." Said duke with his eyes squinting.
"Condolences." I said calmly. A little to calm.
The big man frowned.
Duke tilted his head.
The hallway went absolutely silent.
Ashley came up behind me and whispered "Robert."
I did not look back.
Duke stared at me for a moment and laughed while saying "You got a mouth on you."
"I been told." I said calmly.
Duke's laugh faded.
"Marcus said you jumped him in big fist gym." Said duke with his eyes suddenly narrowing drastically.
"He tripped. I've said this like 55 times yet no one seems to register the proven facts." I said calmly.
The big man stepped forward.
Duke lifted one hand.
The big man stopped.
Duke looked at me with a serious face now and said calmly "Boy, I ain't come here to play with you."
The hallway became cold.
"I can tell gramps." I said with my eyebrows creasing as my right hand pulled out a mid sized riot shot gun from the drawer.
"You embarrassed my nephew in front of a whole gym. Broke his nose and messed up his manhood." Said duke with a dangerous look in his eyes.
"His manhood approached my woman." I said calmly with my eyes slanting dramatically with a squint.
Duke stared at me.
The skinny boy snorted.
The big man did not move.
Ashley behind me went very still while shifting nervously with her chest moving up and down from anxiety.
Duke slowly looked past me into the apartment.
His eyes landed on ashley.
Then the knife behind her back.
He smiled.
"She got sense." Said duke with a chuckle.
"Sometimes." I said calmly while gripping the shit gun tighter.
Ashley kicked the back of my leg.
Pain shot through my body.
My face stayed blank.
The hallway was silent.
Duke looked back at me and said "Marcus want payback."
"Marcus should come here himself instead of being a bitch." I said calmly with a vein on my forehead.
Duke's eyes narrowed.
The air changed.
I stopped smiling.
"You owe him." Said duke with with a serious tone.
"No I don't. The fucker tripped and fell." I said calmly.
Duke stepped closer.
The hallway was silent.
"You sure." Asked duke calmly.
I stared at him.
My heart was calm.
Too calm.
That was the problem.
The old me would have been scared.
Edward john king would have tried to talk nice.
Robert sylvester kelly.
This body had something wrong with it.
Something in the bones did not like bowing.
But I was not stupid.
Not stupid enough to fight three men in a hallway with ashley behind me and bills on the table.
"How much." I asked calmly.
Ashley looked at me.
Duke smiled.
"Five hundred." Said duke calmly.
The hallway was silent.
I stared at him. Then I laughed.
Not loud.
Just once.
Duke's smile faded.
"Five hundred for a nose and some bruised balls is robbery." I said calmly.
"You got money, look at this clean ass hallway" Said the skinny boy with a click of his teeth.
I looked at him.
"You got breath. Doesn't mean you using it right." I said calmly with my eyes narrowed.
The skinny boy's face twisted.
Duke lifted his hand again.
The big man stayed still.
"Three hundred then." Said duke with a low serious tone.
I looked at him.
"One fifty." I said calmly with my voice even lower.
Ashley eyes widened behind me.
The hallway was silent.
Duke stared at me like I had just tried to sell him air.
"You negotiating with me." Asked duke with a scary look in his eyes.
"Yes." I said calmly
The big man looked around at the empty hallway and said muttering underneath his breath "I know this nigga didn't just…this niggaf is really crazy."
"No. I am employed, take it or leave it." I said calmly while looking at him.
The hallway went silent.
Duke stared.
Then laughed again.
This time louder.
He rubbed his bearded face and said "Man, who the fuck is this boy."
"Robert." I said calmly.
Duke looked back at me.
The laughter left him slowly.
"Two fifty." Said duke with a smile.
"Two hundred and he stays away from ashley, mcdonald's, big fist gym and my car." I said calmly as ashley counted a stack of dollars behind me.
Duke raised a brow.
"You giving terms now." Asked duke with his eyes narrowed.
"Yes." I said calmly.
The hallway was silent.
"If I pay, this ends. If it don't end, then I paid for nothing. If I paid for nothing, then I am going to be very upset." I said calmly.
Duke looked at me carefully now.
Not amused.
Studying.
I reached behind me and held my hand out.
Ashley stared at me.
I did not look back.
"Envelope on the table." I said calmly.
"Robert." Said ashley sharply with wide eyes.
"Envelope." I said again.
The apartment was silent.
After a moment, I felt the envelope hit my hand.
I opened it.
College savings.
I pulled out two hundred dollars.
Ashley made a small sound behind me.
My jaw tightened.
"Temporary" I thought with a sigh.
I handed the money to duke.
Duke looked at it.
Then at me.
He took it.
"That easy." Asked duke with surprise.
"No." I said calmly.
Duke smiled.
"You got pride. But you know when to pay." Said duke with a nod.
"I know when math is cheaper than violence." I said calmly.
The hallway went silent.
Duke folded the money and put it in his coat pocket.
"Marcus won't bother you." Said duke with a serious tone.
"Good." I said calmly.
Duke turned to leave.
Then stopped.
He looked back at me.
"But boy." Said duke calmly.
I looked at him.
"That mouth of yours gonna get you killed one day, know restraint when needed. I was like you once but with little patience and look at me now, a dirtbag with nothing to live for…remember this saying, man cannot be man with nothing but man, it is simple but simple can't be simple without simplicity." Said duke with a wave of his hand as he left with the big man and skinny boy.
I smiled lightly.
"It already did once." I said calmly as the smile faded.
Ashley froze.
The hallway was silent.
I closed the door.
*Click*
The apartment was silent.
Very silent.
I turned around.
Ashley was staring at me with a look I did not like.
The kitchen knife was on the counter now.
Her arms were folded.
"You gave him my college money." Said ashley lowly.
"I borrowed it. I will recover it. I promise." I said calmly with a sigh as I sat the gun back into the drawer and closed it.
"You borrowed it without asking." Said ashley with her eyes becoming angry.
"I had three men at the door, you want me to sit and lick their feet and apologize, next you would likely want me to just let them raid the whole apartment." I said calmly with a sigh.
"And whose fault is that." Asked ashley.
The apartment was silent.
I said nothing.
Ashley stared at me.
I looked away and sighed.
That made her angrier.
"No. Look at me." Said ashley calmly.
I looked at her.
She pointed at the door and said "That right there is what I was talking about. You did something stupid and now we are paying for it."
The apartment was silent.
I put the envelope back on the table.
"It's two hundred. I'll replace it tonight." I said calmly.
Ashley laughed once.
Not happy.
"You always got a answer." Said ashley with a angry laugh.
"I need answers. Problems don't stop coming because I get quiet, it's always been like this for me." I said calmly with my eyes closed tiredly.
Ashley stared at me with her face softening slightly and said lowly "Rob."
I opened my eyes and looked at her.
"You are not perfect, you cannot fight everything." Said ashley softly with a sigh.
I stared at her.
The apartment was quiet.
I wanted to say yes I can.
I wanted to say watch me.
I wanted to say the world only respects power.
But the door had just closed.
And for the first time in a long time, my hands were not enough.
I looked at the bills on the table.
Then the envelope.
Then the door.
"One city could not be kneed in the face" I thought with a sigh.
I clicked my teeth.
"I know." I said calmly with my left hand rubbing my bearded chin.
Ashley watched me.
"You know, or you saying that because you don't want me mad." Asked ashley with her eyes squinting.
"Both." I said sharp and calmly.
Ashley rubbed her face.
The apartment was silent.
Then she walked over, grabbed her coat and purse.
"Where you going." I asked with narrowed eyes.
"Work." Said ashley without looking back.
"We got hours before work." I said calmly while going over to her..
"I am going early." Said ashley calmly.
I stared at her for a moment and suddenly pulled her into my arms.
"Replace my money." Said ashley as she gripped my shirt tightly in my arms.
"I will." I said calmly as my lips landed on hers.
Ashley melted into the kiss for a moment and suddenly broke away and went to the door an opened it.
Then paused.
"And don't do nothing stupid to get it." Said ashley with a serious tone.
The apartment was silent.
I stared at her.
Ashley narrowed her eyes and said warningly "Robert."
"Fine." I said calmly with a sigh.
Ashley looked at me for a moment.
Then left.
*Click*
The apartment became silent again.
I stood there.
The eggs were cold.
The toast was cold.
My mood was worse.
I sat down slowly at the table.
Pain still ran through my legs.
I picked up the fork and looked at the burnt eggs.
"Two hundred dollars." I muttered underneath my breath.
The room was silent.
I ate one bite and it was terrible. Cold if I must add.
I kept eating anyway.
Because being broke made everything taste edible.
I looked at the envelope again.
Ashley's college money.
My fault.
My debt.
I chewed slowly.
"I need money tonight" I thought calmly.
Not mcdonald's money.
Not government oxygen.
Not side hustle money.
Fast money.
Clean enough.
Loud enough.
I looked across the room at the little radio sitting by the window.
It was off.
But I could still hear music in my head.
Notes.
Runs.
A voice sitting in my throat like a locked safe.
I swallowed.
The apartment was silent.
"This body got one thing worth more than a mustang, a job and a scam check" I thought with a sudden smile.
I leaned back in the chair.
My body hurt.
My pride hurt worse.
I smiled wider.
Slowly.
"Alright then." I said calmly underneath my breath.
The room was silent.
"If this world wants to charge me for being stupid, then I will make it pay me for being talented." I said calmly with a smile on my face.
It's a new dawn but definitely a new day and I am feeling good.
…
THE END…