Page 190 of The Ninth

“Although I was in the streets at eleven years old, I didn’t meet Mr. Cash until I was fourteen. He didn’t have me call him Cash, just Dolla Bill. By the time I met him, he and his family were out the hood and in the burbs. He never let me meet Mrs. Tami or Cassandra face to face. I didn’t know their names. What they looked like. He kept that shit far away from his girls. Something I learned from him.

“Cash was handling the white junkies in the burbs. He left the hood and had no one he trusted. I found him and swore if he put me on, I would take us both somewhere we’ve never been, on my mama. He trusted me to handle the hood. I was the only nigga and still the only nigga to this day flooding pills as much as I do. We made dumb money together. I became his right hand. The only person with his number. The nigga to go handle shit for him, no matter what it was. The only one to meet his supplier. Cash cared for me. Before I came up, he gave me groceries to take home to my family. He taught me street shit on top of what my Pops did. He changed my life.

“After two years of being partner and crime, he felt comfortable around me. He answered a phone call from Cassie on speaker. He didn’t say her name or anything about her...but her voice. She sounded so...sweet. Beautiful. Soft. Girly. Taken care of. I begged Cash for months to let me take her out, but he said hell no. I couldn’t blame him. I was barely in school, selling drugs, and he seen me do some crazy ass shit. But he knew my body. He knew my heart. He knew besides the street shit, I was a good man. So he told me if I made my own million. Not a million for him, but a million in my own pocket, he would tell Cassie about me and let her make her own decision. He said he worked hard to give her a certain lifestyle and although emotionally I was a good man, he wanted to make sure she was straight in all aspects of life.

“I busted my ass for that million, foe. It was hard to stack it because I still had people I was taking care of. But I kept going regardless. A year later, he died in the wreck with his wife. The connect reached out to me directly, and I became the new Cash. I got the million quickly but saved it for when I found her.

“Well. One day Miss Piper called her daddy and I crying because her make-up artist cancelled. Lowkey, I was glad. She was only fourteen and a freshman going to prom with a junior. She just had my mother. Her mother wasn’t dependable. I told her to call the best of the best and tell them I’ll pay them whatever. She called Cassandra. At first she told us that Cassie was shooting her down, sticking to her customers and schedule. Her being my lil baby, I felt bad. I got on the phone and told her I’d pay her enough to cover clients for a whole month. She said she would have to do Piper’s make-up at Kelisha’s while she ate lunch. I flirted a little...she laughed. She sounded familiar, so I decided to ride with Piper and Tevin.

“Piper ran in excited. I waited outside with Tevin. Partly because I wanted to see whoever the artist was. Mostly because Kelisha lived in the fucking hood.”

I chuckled as he shook his head.

“Piper finished and Cassie walked her out. I just fell in love right there. I felt guilty because I had already promised my life to Cash’s daughter five years ago. I was sixteen. She was fifteen at the time I made that promise but I didn’t find her until she was twenty. When she got up on me...her voice was just too familiar. I took a chance on asking who her daddy was. When she told me her parents were dead and I don’t know him, I knew it was her. I reached into the backseat and got a million dollars out a backpack and gave it to her. Once I explained, she burst into laughter and tears. She cried while telling me her daddy told her about some Million Dollar Maniac that would come get her one day. Turns out, it was me. And I gave her that million. I wasn’t caught up on the coincidence at that time. I just couldn’t stop thinking how much I never wanted to see her cry again.”

I sat there, stunned. Cassie and K3’s love always seemed too good to be true and now I realized it quite literally was. Everything made sense. How much they love each other. How they react to each other. Why everything was so deep and personal with them. The fact that she was a virgin. K3 having this close relationship with her father, someone that meant so much to her. Their souls are tied. They were destined to be together.

“I know it meant a lot to her that you got to meet her father.”

“It did. It sounds incredulous and maybe it is. Duke should feel lucky too. My wife and I meeting led to you and him meeting. We’ll all be together as a family.”

We pulled up outside of their beautiful home. K3 sat quietly as I stared out at it, stunned. It was even more beautiful in the daylight.

Eventually he hopped out, coming and opening my door for me. He gave me his forearm to go up the steps. I could hear the bustle and noise of a bunch of people inside. Before his hand touched the handle, I looked up at him.

“K3...what happened that got you sent to jail?”

He looked down at me before turning and facing the street. We stood for a moment while he relived it. I could tell talking about Uncle Cash and him going away were sore subjects.

His rusty brown beard, eyebrows, and long locs were almost red since we entered fall. Standing next to him reminded me he was even taller than Duke. Skin still light as hell. Muscles huge in his slacks and polo. I know Cassie picked the outfit out.

“Unfortunately it was another situation like when I ran into Juan. This time, I ran into the nigga that killed my brother in his own front yard. We wasn’t close with his BM. She was over there and her new nigga popped up tripping. Killed both of them. Piper was sixteen and her father only made it to thirty-two. Dude fled the state. I could’ve went and got him, but I was heartbroken. The only time I felt any peace was with Cassie. I spent an entire weekend with her and it was a good ass weekend. We drove to Michigan, came back and went to a Bears game. I got her everything done. We were on our way back to my spot when I saw him casually in the streets. Apparently he was only supposed to be back briefly.

“I was with Cassie, so I didn’t want to just shoot out the window. My anger caused me to pop out, squaring up with shorty and beating him to death right there in the open. He pulled his shit out. I wasn’t afraid of dying. I was afraid of him killing Cassie after me. She hopped out the car even though I told her not to. Also...I knew what it would do to her to lose her parents and then me. So I pulled my shit out and shot him first. He was down but not dead. Flashes of my brother caused me to go and stand over him, emptying into him.

“A nigga like me would’ve just got in his shit and left, on foe. But the area was too public. Too many people, too many cameras. And I had Cassandra. She cried, begging me to run and to hide. That she would come with me and be my Bonnie. But I loved her too much to make her an accessory to my crime. To ruin her life. To let Cash down. So I just held and kissed her as she screamed into my chest until they came and got me. I made bail but after a few months, it was my time. Self-defense since he drew on me first. But I had to do seven for standing over him. Made parole in five.”

“It wasn’t for...you know, your job? Some street beef? You went for avenging your brother and then loving Cassie enough to stay and face the consequences?”

“Yup. I should have peeped him, got Cassie somewhere safe and then handled it on the backend. I regret flashing out and missing years every single day. Cassie and I are so far behind because of me.”

“I don’t think so. I think that was supposed to be a part of y’all’s story.”

“C’mon.”

Finally, we turned and entered the house. I let out a small laugh just stunned at how gorgeous it was. I realized looking at the picture of Uncle Cash and Aunt Tami was the first I’ve seen them since the funeral. Emotions pulled deep inside of me, especially seeing Tevin for the first time.

“Duke grieves differently. He’ll walk in and walk clean past that picture. Just gotta be patient with him,” K3 said before walking away.

“Of course.”

He gave me his arm again as we approached the stairs to the roof. People were speeding around with white decorations, uncooked fish, and candles. I slowly started to realize K3 didn’t need me at all. He knows Cassie better than anyone. He has everything covered. I think he came and got me...just to be one-on-one with me. And that meant a lot.

“K3, are you mixed?”

He threw his head back, dying laughing. “G, you be asking mad questions like a bad ass little kid. I’m a nigga. My dad’s side was mixed with Black American and Afro-Dominican. My grandmother on his side was Black, tracing back to Alabama. Grandfather Afro-Dominican. They had my dad and then he had me with a beautiful Black woman, her side from Mississippi. I will have my children with a beautiful Black woman. Chicago bred. So if I gotta threaten niggas lives looking mixed then so be it. They know I mean it. Ain’t my fault my Pops is a light bright.”

“Yeah, cause honestly? You’re a sweetheart. If it wasn’t for you being big as hell, I wouldn’t be scared.”