Setting things Straight

Mr. Skeptical expression on his face was priceless. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. Before he found the courage hiding inside of him to give him his voice back. He looked around at the faces in the room.

“Why don’t you come up front.”

“I’m good” he responded and shoved his hand into his pocket as he leaned back in his chair. Boy Bye I said to myself. I knew when I chose him that he was all talk. My tactic, should work, Now, he would sit there and keep his skeptical mouth shut. I walked around looking at the faces in the room.

“Anyone want to share? Your account doesn’t have to be a duplicate of mine. Just a time in your life, where you didn’t know what the pitfalls of your actions would be.”

Ok I was talking to a closed mouth group of individuals. Then it dawned on me, so I asked a question

“How many people think my story is dry snitching?”

you know I was shocked to see that almost every hand in the room went up. I laughed out loud and shook my head

“people” I said “telling Pass events is not dry snitching. remember no names or people were implicated in my story. since I seem to have no volunteers, I will tell you about another time when a sister did not know. Remember this is a forum group session and I want at least one of you to come up and speak about an event.

this is another summer night, same year. me and Shavonne decided that we would go for a walk after chugging a few 40s of course we blew some reefer and was feeling mellow and fine. I can say we were both tipsy or as you guys say buzzed. Not drunk off over behinds but we were nice. we headed out going east towards Fulton Street. not that we have never walk this route before. We have so we just decided that we would walk this route. anyway, our area you can say have some bad individuals lurking about. So here we are walking down Fulton at a time of the night when the streets were deserted of normal people with normal lives.

We came around the corner of Sumner Avenue not the best lit corner or the best lit streets. To be walking down. most of the lights were dimly lit, so we are walking running our mouths and talking. Making plans. After we walked around we would go back, continue with our past time of feeling nice before we both broke out to go home. not paying attention to the Nigga scoping us out. We got about three blocks from Fulton Street, when I heard the strangest sound coming from Shavonne she started shouting “oh… oh… oh,” I turned to see some guy had jumped on her back. The laugher in the group was mixed with a few gasps.

“now, people in the area are prone to stealing and he wanted her gold bangle earrings. At first I looked and had to take a second look, comprehending what I saw. Was a dude really on her back? And where in the hell had he come from? Shavonne was 6 ft. tall. jumping into action. I jumped on him. now the both of us are on shavonne’s back. he's struggling to get her earrings off and struggling to get me off his ass. Shavonne is struggling to keep up right as our weight and movement was pulling her down. She staggered a few feet and then toppled over into the trash.

I'm no slouch when it comes to throwing hands. So, I popped him a few times, Shavonne is still flailing about going” oh… oh… oh,” This night as a little cool so we both had on Jeantot-shirt and a light weight jacket. The fool didn’t let o until I hit him a fourth time. Now we're up and I square up on him. saying “what Nigga what!” he just looked down at his hand turn and runs away. I help Shavonne up. Like I said Shavonne is 6 ft. tall. she's a gentle giant. and my best friend.

“he got my earrings” she said one. Her hand going to the empty ear. He couldn't get the other one. because I was on his back. I was more pissed that we fell in the garbage opposed to him jumping on her back and snatching an earring. we continue our walk shocked all the way home now our high is blown and no one in the area saw what had took place For the remainder of the night we hung out at my house I told my sister the story and she just laughed Noemi I was going to walk down that street again and when I caught up to him I was going to whip his ass luckily, he didn't have a weapon. he will know the next time he jumps on a bitch back there's a bitch with her that’s going to whip his ass.

the group before me all busted out laughing.” you can't be serious” said Mr. skeptical “I don't think you are that good and that you have fast hands”

always… always, I got to make a Nigga a believer. I said “Step Up and I will show you just how fast these hands are. when I grew up we did slap boxing. you do know how to slap box right?” Mr. Skeptical was like “yeah but your old right” we stood in front of the group and took our stance. Mr. Skeptical was trying to showboat and look all cute. I two piece him right quick to shut his mouth for once and all. he tried to fake a left jab and come at me. I tagged him that quick. he took two steps back and look me up. I shrugged my shoulders keeping my hands up. as he turned to the group and said “I was just playing with her.” “Okay” I said “I’m going to let you sit down before I really embarrass your ass.” Mr. Skeptical pulled his droopy pants up a little and came at me again. this time I tagged him 4 times and I had him staggering back to the window when he yelled “a ‘right a ‘right a ‘right a ‘right”

“Miss Sherry” was called out “did you ever run into that guy again?”

“funny you should ask I said I ran into him years later he was one of my work crew members. he too was mouthing off, he did not remember that he had jumped us that night. but I did, I did not hold back as I wore his ass out with my hands. The group all laughed. This tale lightened the mood and even Mr. Skeptical was starting to change his tune. Soon several hands went up. This was a good start I thought. Getting people to open up was easy when you kept thinks real and as far as I know I am real as they get.

She stood about 5’1 and seemed to be quiet when you take a look at her, that was until she opened her mouth. This woman smacked her gum as she said.

“Hi yall, I’m Tee, my real name is Tabitha. I want to tell you about a time when I didn’t know something. It was Friday night and Mikka and I were on our way to the club. Mikka is my home girl. We do everything together. We party hard and I do mean hard yall. Henny and stuff hey. My drink is grey goose. “ She rolled her eyes as she continued her tale. “So we on Macdonough street walking towards the little club on the corner. When we ran into her baby daddy. like I said Mikka is my home girl, we met in high school.

I was shocked at first because her baby daddy was my baby daddy. They hooked up before she transfer from her old high school. we stared at him because, he acted like he didn’t know us. Mika called him out and he ignored us. He had another girl on his arm. Words led to more words and more words led to feelings. And feeling led punches, slaps and kicks. So yep we started fighting in the street all four of us . I didn’t know why the other girl got into it as she thought he was her man. She got whooped, for talking all that smack. Yeah yall me and Mikka whipped on him. then a few guys joined in that was standing around igging us on. we stomped him out. He was out cold right there on Macdonough Street. I stomped him in the groin. But not only did I did not know he was Mikka baby daddy. I didn’t know he had given me an std.

Woa sounded throughout the room followed by whispers. She took a bow and sat back down. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear anymore tales when Mr. Skeptical stood up. I respect your swag Ms.Denise