Brothers and Keepers by John Edgar Wideman

Author:John Edgar Wideman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canongate Books

II

Dark when we got to Detroit. Sammy is Marcus’s nephew and he sorta knowed the way. He’s giving directions till we get to this phone booth across from the projects where we supposed to call Marcus. Marcus is the Twinkies’ brother. A half brother or something, cause he don’t look nothing like the Twinkies. That’s what everybody call William and his brother Charles. The Twinkies. They bring in most the dope in Homewood. Stone Little Caesar gangsters with cigars. Call them Twinkies. You know. Cause they black and look alike. That’s their street name. Marcus is the Twinkies’ brother in Detroit and we supposed to call him to get the dope.

It’s me, Cecil, Michael, Sowell, and Sammy in Mike’s deuce and a quarter. This is our big chance. Making our play for the big time like Garth said we should. Everything seems right. Back in Pittsburgh ain’t nobody on top. No big-time dealers on the scene. I got me a good rep. Everybody knows me. I been selling for the few main cats that’s out there. But ain’t none of them worth shit when you got down to it. This one guy, Billy Sims. He used to be bad but all his brothers got killed so he ain’t got no backup, and people taking off his dealers. Sims ain’t respected no more. He gorillas people. You know. Coming down hard on dudes and shooting people and that’s bad business. Everybody knows it’s just a matter of time cause you got to have that respect. So I’m out there on the set, you dig. I’m a young guy coming up and the Twinkies like me. I’m almost family cause I’m going out with Tanya and she’s the Twinkies’ niece. They know me as a together dude. They know I can take care of business and stay cool, so one day I hit on William Twinky, “Hey, man, can you hook me up?”

Like I say, he’s digging me. He been watching me more than I know. I guess he talked to Tanya about me. Whatever he been hearing or seeing he likes it cause he says yeah. Says his nephews been begging him to hook them up but them niggers ain’t worth nothing. Dopeheads, he calls them. Says he could have made them rich but they too foolish. He tells me he likes my style. Right away he calls up Marcus in Detroit and Marcus says yeah. Come on up and get it tomorrow. That quick. Tomorrow.

I talk to Mike and Cecil. That’s our little crew. Them two and Sowell and Chunky who’s gon deal for us when we get the dope. We all been working and saving up our cash. We put our money together and it’s enough to make the buy. Talk about some happy dudes. We know our time is come. We just know we gon get our foot in the door and won’t be no stopping us. We’re on our way to the top just like Garth said.

Couldn’t help but think of Gar while we riding up to Detroit.

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