chapter
41
This was the life.
Now I could see why people got caught up in making money because if money could provide like this, I definitely wanted it. The problem was, I wanted mine legally.
Getting it Monster’s way meant you were always running in fear, and I was tired of running. I had visions of me and Jamal traveling the world, chillin’ in hotels like this. We’d never been anywhere really. We went to Galveston once when I was a little boy, but other than that, we’d never been outside of the Houston area.
I’d had the best night’s sleep in years. The mattress was everything, and I’d never slept under such a plush bedspread.
The shower was next. At Gram’s and Ms. Laura’s, the water was always trickling and was always either too hot or too cold. This shower had been perfect.
Being still had given me a moment to reflect on the last couple of days. I cried for my friends and finally had to push thoughts of them aside or I’d never be able to figure out my next move.
I flipped the channels, seeing what was on TV. I stopped at The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. That was one of my favorite shows. Maybe because I dreamed of being whisked away to a different world.
I’d just laughed at some antic from Will Smith when the show went to a commercial break. The pretty young girl that appeared caught my eye. She was sitting on a plush lawn reading a book as a narrator talked over her.
“When the world is your oyster, let Jarvis Christian College arm you with the tools to succeed,” the voice said.
It was a shot of a small campus, and my heart immediately ached as I thought of Wiz. I wondered if he’d even have a funeral since there was no one to plan one. Maybe if I hadn’t talked Wiz out of running, he would still be here and fulfilling his dream of going to college. The thought made the ache in my heart throb.
“Come to Jarvis Christian College, where a whole new world awaits you,” the narrator continued.
The commercial reminded me that I needed to call Mr. G. from the Boys & Girls Club. He was the only person that could get me details on Wiz. And maybe he could tell Mrs. Rodríguez about Paco so I wouldn’t have to. I picked up the phone and dialed the club. I only remembered the number because it had been the same for as long as I’d attended the Boys & Girls Club.
“Hi, Mr. G., it’s Trey,” I said after the receptionist patched me through.
“Hey, man.” He sounded genuinely happy to hear from me. “How are you holding up? I heard about Wiz.”
“I’m okay,” I said.
“Word on the street is Monster’s crew took him out?”
I was silent. The last thing I was about to do was snitch on Monster. I was in enough trouble as it was. I wanted to ask him if he knew about Paco, but since he hadn’t said anything about him, I could only assume he didn’t know.
Mr. G. took my silence as my answer and said, “I hate that you’re caught up in all of this, Trey.”
“Yeah, me too.” Silence filled the phone again. “Have you heard anything about Wiz’s funeral?”
“Naw. I checked. Heard they were going to be taking him to County. There probably won’t be a funeral.”
Another pain shot through my chest. My man couldn’t even be properly laid to rest.
“Wiz told me about you getting him into Jarvis,” I said, trying to change the subject and get my mind off Wiz.
“Yep, it makes me sad because they’d given us the scholarship to disburse and Wiz was so excited.” Mr. G. paused, then said, “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“I told Wiz I wanted to talk about getting you both in school there.”
“Me? Man, you know I ain’t no college material.”
“No. I know you are college material. You’re the one who doesn’t know you’re college material.”
For the first time since Wiz had brought up college, I wondered . . . could this be my out, too? Just as quickly as the thought came, it was gone.
“Nah, you know about my little brother,” I said. “He’s in the system and I gotta stay around so I can make sure they don’t abuse him or anything.”
“Well, until you get your life together, you can’t be any good to him. And the only way you can get it together is to get out of the game.”
He had that right. “You know this ain’t me. I don’t even like the game,” I said.
“That’s my point exactly. That’s why it may be time to try something different. That’s what I told Wiz.”
I finally stopped to think about it. I’d been saving money because my dream was to get out of this life, but I didn’t really have a plan. A college degree could be a plan. Jamal would be twelve or thirteen by the time I finished, but that would be enough time for me to make an impact in his life. If I had a college degree, a decent job, and some money, no way could a social worker deny me getting my brother. “You really think I could make it in college?”
“I know you could,” he replied. He sounded like he was getting excited that I would actually consider it. “And me and the other counselors would be there to help you.”
“What about Jamal?” I asked. “You know I can’t leave him.”
“I’ll check on Jamal, and every time you come home you can go see him.”
I knew Mr. G. was right. Not only was I in no position to take care of Jamal, once Monster found me I wouldn’t even be around to take care of him.
“You know, I just may take you up on that,” I finally said.
“Great! You should come by here tomorrow so we can talk this out.”
I had to let him know the situation. “I’m kinda on the run.”
“Where are you now?” he asked without hesitation. That’s why we all liked him—he never judged us.
“I’m at some hotel downtown.” I glanced at the name on the phone. “The Markham Hotel is the name. But I can only stay here through tomorrow.”
He went quiet like he was thinking. “I would let you stay here, but I can’t bring that Monster drama to my doorstep. We recently adopted a little boy and I can’t put him in any danger.”
“Nah, I’m good, Mr. G. I wouldn’t do that to you. And congrats on your son.”
“Thanks.” He paused like he was deep in thought. “You know what? Here’s what I can do,” he continued. “I’ll call the social worker, see if we can do a day pass visit, and I’ll bring Jamal to see you.”
That brought an instant smile to my face. “For real?”
“Yeah. I’ll also make some calls about the college. I have all your high school stuff on file. I’ve seen your grades, so I know you can do this. Switching the application from William—I mean Wiz—to you shouldn’t be a problem. Then we’ll put you on a bus.”
“I don’t have anything—clothes, shoes, nothing.”
“Do you need to go by your house?”
I thought about the two raggedy pairs of tennis shoes I had. The one decent pair of Jordans that I’d splurged on from Monster’s money were on my feet. And my closet was bare. No, I didn’t need to risk going back to Ms. Laura’s for those few things.
“Nah. You think you can get me some clothes?”
“Of course, you’re what, a thirty-two and a large?”
“Yes,” I said, surprised that he knew, since I hadn’t been to see him in months.
“Great, we’ll bring you some clothes and toiletries tomorrow,” he said.
“So I would leave now?” This was not what I’d envisioned when I’d called him.
“Didn’t you say you’re running from Monster?”
This was all moving so fast. “Yeah, but . . . just wow. I don’t even know where Jarvis is.”
“It’s right outside Dallas,” he said.
“What am I going to do once I get there?”
“Don’t worry, you can work through the end of the year. We’ll hook you up with my contact there, and you can start school in January. Trust me, we’ll work it all out.”
I couldn’t believe this. Going to college had been the last thing I’d expected when I picked up the phone to call.
“Just hang tight. Lay low tonight, and I’ll come by tomorrow at noon. Meet me in the lobby. Cool?”
I smiled. “Cool.” Then I added, “Mr. G., thank you so much.”
“It’s my pleasure. You know it’s my life’s work to help you guys out,” he said before hanging up.
I leaned back against the headboard.
I was going to college.
Maybe I’d do like Wiz said, join a fraternity, meet a nice college girl, and most of all, get an education that opened the door to a better life. I looked around the room. That opened the door to this life.
I glanced over at that book. I hadn’t cracked it open, but I was grateful that whatever was in there had led Mrs. Rodríguez to want to help me. Otherwise, I would’ve never seen the Jarvis commercial and I wouldn’t have called Mr. G.
My grandmother used to always say there are angels in our midst. My angels—Mrs. Rodríguez and Mr. G.—had just put my future on a whole new path.