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  Standing outside of one store, Brianna starred at the mannequin that was modeling a cute pink Rocawear tennis skirt with a matching shirt. Unbeknownst to her, a pair of guys had slid up behind and began admiring her body. Even though she was shabbily dressed there was no denying her body or her beauty.

  The moment Tre laid eyes on her, it was clear that he was attracted to her. He was smart enough to look pass her less than up to par apparel. He saw what her step father would never see; potential. He was awestruck by her beauty. Tre knew that he had to have her.

  “You’d look good in that.” He said with a playful smirk. “Girl I can see you now.”

  Brianna simply smiled; she didn’t know what else to do. Even at seventeen she wasn’t used to boys approaching her.

  “You want that?” He asked. “Say the word and it’s yours.”

  Brianna shot the handsome stranger a perplexed look that seemed to say, ‘You can’t be serious.’ Still she felt she had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

  “Well, if you wanna buy it for me, I’ll take it.” She said meekly.

  He replied, “C’mon beautiful let’s go get it.”

  This chance meeting turned into a makeshift shopping spree. Brianna entered the store with intentions on only getting one outfit. Instead she came out with an entire wardrobe.

  After they finish shopping Tre took her out to eat. It was there that they learned more about each other. Instantly Tre knew that this was one of the chicks that he needed in his life. He felt that Brianna was wifey material, just like that his mentor Petey had described. She was green to the streets so he knew that he could easily manipulate and mold her. Her good looks were just icing on the cake.

  On that day fate had finally smiled on Brianna. It had brought someone in her life that could not only care for her but support her emotionally. She didn’t have that type of support at home. Tre would become her mother and her father. Someone she could turn to in times of need.

  *******

  After a year of courtship, when Brianna graduated from high school, she moved in with Tre. When she left home, her mother didn’t so much as protest her move. Things had gone from bad to worse. Her husband and her daughter couldn’t stand the sight of each other. Besides she had two other children to worry about.

  Silently she wished her daughter well.

  Chapter 3

  Where’s the Love?

  Death never comes at a good time. For Brianna its timing couldn’t have been worse. Most people don’t plan for their death, especially not drug dealers. Her boyfriend had left so many loose ends behind it was ridiculous. When one lives on the outside of the law, they tend to live in the moment, so there are no wills. There is no paper trail to trace money owed out to them or their hidden assets.

  Since Tre was in the upper echelon of drug dealing, this only compounded the problem. After his passing, everyone immediately assumed that Brianna was sitting on some dough, especially Tre’s relatives. Their inquires about his finances and assets lead her to believe that they were more interested in that than finding the people who were responsible for his death.

  Fortunately, Brianna was able to collect enough money off the streets to give Tre a proper burial. She managed to have a little left over for the bare necessities. After that she was hard pressed to crap up another dime.

  Some dealers who had owed Tre large amounts of money for drug packages given to them on consignment balked at paying, giving Brianna the runaround, claiming they had already paid or they just didn’t answer their phones. However bad they felt about his death, they weren’t about to take a step backwards. This was the ultimate come up, one that had put many of them on their feet. They were not about to blow that once in a lifetime opportunity by showing some sense of moral responsibility. Any thoughts that they had of doing a good deed, like handing over the money, were an afterthought.

  Brianna was left to bear the brunt of this burden. Right after the funeral everyone started showing their true colors. It was clear to her that all the love she had enjoyed while Tre was alive was long gone. Everybody was in flip mode.

  For days after the funeral Brianna did a combination of two things. She moped and mourned around the house that she had once shared with her boyfriend, unsure of exactly what was in store for her in the future.

  One thing about being alone in the house that Brianna enjoyed was that it was alive with memories of Tre. All around the house there were various photos of him, riding in his big boy truck, the Infiniti QX56 SUV with ’24 inch chrome rims. Some photos showed the couple spending nights out on the town. Others showed him posing for pictures at the club with his boys.

  Tons of images seemed to flash through her head, as she relived the lasting memories that they shared. One image that would be forever be etched in her memory banks was Tre lying on the floor next to her, dead.

  According to the Coroner’s report the official cause of Tre’s death was a gunshot wound to the back of the head. But Brianna knew the real cause of death. His tragic death had been caused by his life in the streets.

  She stared at the pictures for hours on end. They became therapeutic to her, a way for Brianna to cope with Tre’s death. They reminded her of a time in the not so distant past, when it was all good. It made her realize how quickly sugar can turn to shit. One could work a lifetime to acquire material things, or a good relationship for that matter, and lose it in the blink of an eye.

  Still it was her present situation that disturbed her, life without her man. She wondered what she was going to do without him.

  There was no doubt that Tre was her nigga; to know him was to love him.

  ******

  “Ding, Dong! Ding Dong!” The bell sounded.

  Even in her sleep, Brianna had heard the bell. She thought she was dreaming though. So she continued in her slumber.

  “Ding Dong! Ding Dong!”

  The sound of the doorbell shattered the silence of the house. Brianna knew that it wasn’t a dream. Someone was at her front door. She wondered who it was. She hoped it wasn’t the police coming to interrogate her again.

  Slowly Brianna rose from her bed, gathering her bearings. She slipped on a large fluffy white bathrobe and a pair of Nike slippers, which had formally belonged to Tre, and headed downstairs to answer the door.

  Ding Dong! Ding Dong! Ding Dong! The doorbell began to go berserk.

  Just a few feet away from the door, Brianna’s curiosity was suddenly over taken by anger. She wanted to know who the hell was ringing her doorbell like that.

  “Who is it?” She barked.

  There was no answer.

  “Who is it?” She screamed again.

  Brianna was on fire, somebody was at her front door playing games and she was not in the mood for it. All things considered.

  Without thinking Brianna unbolted a series of locks and snatched the door open. To her surprise, Tre’s aunt Angie and his cousin, her daughter Yvette stood in front of her. She was frozen at the sight of them.

  Suddenly, Brianna’s mood went from bad to worse. She knew that their appearance at her front door wasn’t a goodwill mission. And they weren’t there to offer their condolences.

  “Good morning?” Angie greeted her. “You mind if we come in?”

  Not waiting for a reply the two women barged right passed Brianna.

  “Come on in!” Brianna said sarcastically.

  As soon as they entered the house, the two women began scanning the premises for valuables. As if it was an auction. No matter how hard they tried their eyes couldn’t hide their intentions. They were like vultures on a dead carcass; they were there to pick the body clean.

  To her credit Brianna already knew what it was. She had felt their vibe a few days ago at the funeral and everyday thereafter. She had expected them to show up. The only question was what had taken them so long?

  “Damn! Ya’ll was ballin’ fa real.” Yvette exclaimed, as she looked around the state of the art living room.

  Bri
anna just stared at her blankly. She wasn’t even going to dignify her with a response.

  Brianna hadn’t liked Yvette from day one. She had it out for her; Yvette tried and kept trying to put her girlfriends onto Tre. Over the years they had had dozens of verbal altercations over the matter. Each side issued threats but never once did they come to fisticuffs, because Tre wouldn’t allow it. Now that the peacemaker was gone, it was open season on Brianna.

  Angie suddenly announced, “Look, Bri I’m goin’ to cut right to the chase. The reason we’re here is to pick up some things that my nephew Tre had promised me. He always told me, if anything ever happened to him that I could come over and take anything I wanted…”

  Yvette replied, “Funny, he told me the same thing.”

  Brianna shot her a look that seemed to say, ‘You-can’t-be serious.’

  She knew that Angie was lying through her teeth. Because Tre wasn’t real close to anyone in his family accept his grandmother. He’d felt like his family was nothing but a bunch of leeches. No matter how much he gave them, they were never satisfied. They always had their hands out. In spite of that, he took care of them out of a sense of loyalty.

  “Yeah, anyway!” Angie countered. “Since I was his favorite Auntie and everything, he said he would feel better if I had it.”

  “Oh yeah?” Brianna shot back with her arms folded across her breasts.

  “Yeah!” Angie said with emphasis.

  In the background Brianna could see Yvette posturing with her hands on her hips. This provided Brianna only a hint of their collective foul mood. The sinister smirk that had spread across her lips seemed to tell it all.

  The tension in the house was thick. At any minute violence could explode. Both parties took defiant stances, glaring at one another. Quickly Brianna weighted her odds, she ruled out striking Tre’s aunt. She knew that if she fought one, then she would have to fight them both. And that they would most defiantly jump her. With these two ghetto dwellers there was no telling just how far they would go.

  “Look, this shit doesn’t mean nuttin to me. Take whatever you want.” She told them. “I’m in love with Tre! Not his possessions.”

  “Whatever Bitch!” Yvette snapped, trying to instigate a fight.

  Brianna shook her head in disgust; she took pity on these two savages. One of Tre’s famous sayings suddenly came to mind. ‘Don’t become too attached to this shit. The drug game and life is so funny. What takes you years to get, can take you less than twenty minutes to lose.’

  Brianna was in an awkward situation, on one hand she felt that she was entitled to everything. On the other she felt indebted to Tre’s family, but not these two, after all blood was thicker than water. She had only known him a few short years and they a lifetime.

  A concession had to be made. Out of respect for Tre, Brianna decided not to make a big deal of it. The material items in the house could be replaced, more expensive items at that. Still that notion didn’t stop her ill feelings toward them. In her book they were just grimy. There was no other way to explain their actions.

  Tre must be rolling over in his grave, she mused. Spurred by disappointment, Brianna went upstairs to her bedroom and locked the door. In silence she listened as the duo pillaged the house.

  “Ohh, Mommy lemme have the microwave, you already got the blender.” Yvette said.

  Brianna listened intently as the two scavengers fought over who would get what. It was sad to see just how petty, two human beings could be. It was also disheartening to see how death bought out the worst in people.

  Upstairs in her bedroom Brianna paced the spacious room, back and forth like caged animal. She had to do something to rid herself of this nervous energy. She had to do something to keep herself from going back downstairs and jumping on somebody.

  Impatiently she bided her time, in her bedroom, for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly just as quickly as the commotion started, it came to an end. The quietness that engulfed the house was a sign to Brianna that the intruders were gone.

  Quickly she went into her closet and opened a storage bin that was hidden way in the back. She pulled out a pair of old blue jeans and a bleached stained red t-shirt. In a hurried fashion she put the clothes on. Then Brianna raced down stairs, through the house, into the backyard, it was time to dig up Tre’s drug stash.

  Tre wasn’t too big on telling Brianna everything. Or any woman for that matter, he thought women were weak. If enough pressure was applied by law enforcement authorities, they would break. Tre didn’t want to tempt fate. He always said ‘what you don’t know you can’t tell.’

  Fortunately over the years, he had grown comfortable with Brianna. He began to let her in on some of his secrets. Just in case anything ever happened to him. As it turned out this would be the most crucial one of all.

  As soon as Brianna entered the backyard, she stood still. A puzzled look masked her face, as if she was trying to recall something. Scanning the yard she looked for a tool to assist her task. She spotted a garden hoe leaning against the house. After taking the tool into her hands, she went about her business.

  Brianna began her expedition at the back door retracing her steps. Slowly she took eight paces straight ahead, then made a sharp right and took four more paces. Where she stood, supposedly, x marked the spot. The dope was literally beneath her feet, buried in a shallow hole in the soft earth.

  Burying this stash of dope was totally Tre’s idea. He used to do this as a youth when he sold drugs out of a dope house. To avoid being robbed or caught by the police with large packages of drugs, he buried them in a nearby wooded area, taking only what he thought he could sell. This was a brilliant stroke of genius, not once did Tre lose a single gram, adhering to this system.

  Brianna was sure that it was the right spot. With all her might, she brought the hoe down tearing away at the patches of grass. Powerful strokes from the hoe began to tear huge chunks of earth and grass. Soon Brianna began to break a sweat. She kicked away all the debris and fell to her knees. With her bare hands she began digging away like a dog. She attacked the earth as if it were a bitter enemy at a feverish pace.

  Brianna was glad it was still early; her neighbors were most likely at work so no prying eyes would witness the extraction of drugs from the earth.

  “God Damn!” She cursed. “Where the fuck is it?”

  Just as Brianna was about to lose hope, her hands unearth some plastic. She breathed easy. She knew that was it. She watched Tre when he prepared the dope for burial. The sight of the package of dope spurred her on. She began to dig with a renewed vigor.

  Finally Brianna excavated the package of dope. It was taped and double tapped, then wrapped in plastic, to protect it from the elements. She didn’t even bother to brush off the leftover particles of dirt. She merely clutched the package to her chest and rushed inside her house.

  As she began tearing open the package. She couldn’t believe how many lives had been destroyed for this white powder. She also didn’t realize the worth of what she had in her possession. There was so much tape to tear through she began to get tired all over again. She decided to put the packages in her closet until she could figure out what she would do next. Brianna knew she had to figure out how and who to move them too.

  Buzz, buzz, buzz. ‘Where is that sound coming from?’ Brianna thought to herself. She looked over on Tre’s nightstand to see his cell phone vibrating off the stand onto the floor. She hurried and picked the phone up. Looking at the outer display it read Jason. Brianna knew that Jason was one of Tre’s out of town clientele. He was a southern hustler out of the ATL. She didn’t know if the news had reached that far of Tre’s death. So she decided to answer the phone.

  “Hello.”

  “What up Bri? where Tre at?”

  Hearing someone ask for Tre threw Brianna off.

  “He’s not here right now, I’ll tell him you called Jason.”

  “Aight Bri, let him know I need to holla at him, a nigga dry down here.”
/>   “Ok I will let him know,” with that Brianna hung up the phone, knowing that she had solved the problem of who, now it was just a matter of how.

  Chapter 4

  “You can find me in the A”

  Interstate 85 seemed to be infested with marked and unmarked patrol cars for a Sunday afternoon. Brianna set the cruise control on the rental car at 65 mph, nevertheless she still kept her mind and senses alert. After continuously receiving calls from Jason about needing work down in the ATL, Brianna finally devised a plan to move some of the work that was left in Tre's stash ... Completely green to the financial side of the dope game she set out on the first of what would be one of many journeys to Atlanta, Georgia ...

  The "A" Town.

  *******

  Thank you Tre ... thank you ... thank you ... thank you, Brianna said out loud to the many photos still hanging throughout the home they had once shared. Four weeks ago she didn't know how she was going to make it. Tre's family had damn near stripped her home of everything but their bedroom set. She didn't even have a television to watch. Once again she took a deep breath, sighed and gave thanks to her long lost love, as she stared at over eighty thousand dollars spread out all over her bed. After Tre's death Brianna was left only a few options. She could've laid in that townhouse and starved to death or went back home to her mother and continued to take the abuse of an unforgiving step- father. She chose neither. After all the pain and suffering she went through during her loss, Brianna felt as if everybody had turned their backs on her and Tre and gave them their asses to kiss; especially his materialistic family. Not to mention his so call boys.