A Woman Like Me by Bettye Lavette

Author:Bettye Lavette
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2012-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Sex Circus

Jack owned a dozen chicken restaurants in Harlem and dealt heroin on the side. He also had a nephew who was working out of Detroit—David—who was trying to move into the territory of the drug dealer I was seeing. I wasn’t aware of the impending danger. All I knew was that Jack and David liked me when they saw me singing at a local club. After my set, they came up to me at the bar.

Jack started bragging on his nephew, talking about how, no matter how many times his enemies tried, no one could take him out.

David started bragging on his uncle, talking about how many chicken restaurants and apartment buildings he owned in Harlem and how he managed Big Maybelle and other artists like Kim Tolliver, a soul singer living in Cleveland.

I happened to mention my boyfriend at the time, the city’s most prominent drug dealer.

“Was the city’s most prominent dealer,” said David.

“You need to think in terms of the future, LaVette,” said Jack. “Not the past.”

“Far as the future goes,” David said, “that’s happening in New York City. Why don’t you come back with us? We’re flying first class into LaGuardia tomorrow night. Got a ticket with your name on it.”

I knew Jack was for real. He had a reputation. But his nephew was sketchy and flat-out crazy. He had that far-off gaze that made me wonder. The fact that he’d survived twenty attempts on his life certainly impressed me. The fact that he liked me pleased me. And besides, I wasn’t making any real money in Detroit. A trip to New York might do me good. Besides, Jack had music-biz connections.

We flew off to New York. When we landed, two limos were waiting. Jack went off in one direction, and David and I went in another.

In our limo, we started doing lines. David checked us into a fancy Midtown hotel, where the party continued for several weeks. He went out during the day and at night came back with fabulous jewelry for me. He took me to the best restaurants. He took me to the Village to hear jazz. The high life kept getting higher until the night he didn’t return. I didn’t think much of it. It’s no big deal for a man to stay out all night. After all, David wasn’t exactly my husband. But one night turned into two, and two into three, and on the fourth day I discovered that my key didn’t work in the door. The hotel manager was saying we had a two-thousand-dollar unpaid bill. We?

“Yes, you and your man.”

“It’s his room, not mine.”

“Don’t matter to me whose room it is. No one’s getting in there without paying me two thousand dollars.”

“All my stuff is in there.”

“All your stuff is now my stuff until I get two thousand dollars.”

“I don’t have two thousand dollars.”

“That ring and necklace you’re wearing look like they can bring two thousand dollars.”

“I gotta give you my jewelry to get in my room?”

“You do if you want your stuff back.

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