DJ waited in his car for a few minutes, maybe ten. It was that hour when the traffic died and the night took over. The strip club itself stood out as the only parking lot that was still full. No valet, it wasn’t that type of establishment, just a dude in a black polo taking twenties to not break your windows.
Inside was sensory overload by design. The bouncer didn’t even bother to check his ID, mainly focusing on patting him down. The air was a balls-out assault of weed, perfume, spilled liquor, and replica colognes.
He found the bar and ordered a Modelo, taking a spot near the end of the bar. DJ kept his eyes on the mirrored wall behind the bottles, watching the action in reverse.
Stacks was impossible to miss. He held down the largest section, a large couch roped off with red velvet. Six or seven guys with him, at least on the inside of the curved section. Benji and Peanut, both on the periphery, looked exactly like the photos Trey had shown DJ in the yard.
Stacks himself was not flashy, especially considering where they were at, but his presence was still felt, even across the room. He was always moving, pointing, talking to someone, grabbing one of the girls, chowing down some wings. Around him was motion as well. Girls coming in and out of his section, mostly to grab a drink before eventually making their way somewhere else. A couple of little niggas made their way over, dapping him up, shooting the shit for a little before disappearing.
He took another pull from his beer, finishing it and flagged the bartender. "Y’all got table service?"
She raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "You want a section?"
"Yeah," he answered flatly."
She grinned. "We got you, boo."
Within a few minutes, DJ had a small booth near the stage, a bottle of Hennessy, three glasses, and a stack of ones in a bucket. He poured a drink, sipped it, and did nothing else. He watched as girls started to notice the solo section. They stared at first before eventually drifting towards the section, begging for eye contact. Once it was made, he would simply nod his head and they would make their way over, seating themselves and engaging in the mandatory small talk and light flirting before you drunk someone else’s liquor.
Within twenty minutes, the shift was evident. He watched the ripple effect as Stacks's section started to thin out. The few girls who stayed were there waiting for the payout, nothing else, and it showed.
After about an hour, Stacks finally stood up. For a second, DJ thought he might have overplayed his hand, but instead Stacks just pulled out a wad of cash and started peeling off twenties, throwing them onto the floor. He said something to Benji who left the section first and then Stacks followed him shortly after, walking in front of DJ’s section but never making eye contact, exept for Peanut who gave him a courteous nod. DJ returned it.
As soon as they were gone, DJ flagged the bartender. "Close me out."
…
"Can we get a kids' menu?" Vic asked, already knowing the answer.
She smiled and handed him a regular menu and a set of crayons. "Would you like anything to drink while you wait for your guest?"
"Just water," Vic said, then added, "and a Shirley Temple for her."
The hostess' smile didn't drop. "Of course. We'll be right back."
Vic slid into the booth, his legs stretching under the table. He hadn’t realized how tired he was until he sat down.
"Uncle Ke!" Yesenia shouted.
Vic grinned. "Look who it is."
Keshawn took the seat next to Yesenia, giving her a hug. "What’s up, baby girl?"
Keshawn dapped Vic up. "You make it okay?"
"The drive wasn’t too bad," Vic said. "She slept through most of it. She gonna be a monster at the game, though."
Keshawn smiled. "We’re going to need that energy."
Vic nodded with a smile, "I know y
The server arrived, greeted them, and gave a whole pitch on their specials. Yesenia colored on her menu, tuning everything out, while the men pretended to read the options. They ordered, and Keshawn got a steak like he always did, Vic a seafood pasta, and chicken strips for Yesenia, even though Vic knew she'd probably just eat fries and spill the rest.
"So how's it feel?" Keshawn asked, taking a sip of his water. "This is like a big step, bro."
Vic watched Yesenia scribble. "Nervous at first but I don’t know, it’s good to like be somewhere with her that’s not just the house or some park. I don’t know, I feel like a place like this is better for kids, you know?"
Keshawn laughed. "You could actually breathe."
"For real. I don’t know, I think it would be dope to raise her somewhere like out here."
Keshawn raised a brow. "You serious?"
Vic nodded. "Not right now, obviously, but if I could? Hell yeah. It don’t matter how well you’re doing, LA is still LA. Shit, look at that nigga Trell. In the fucking hills, my nigga."
"Yeah," Keshawn cleared his throat, not trusting his voice to not betray him, "Shit’s crazy."
Vic shook his head. "You can’t escape this shit."
"Portland's boring, though," Keshawn changed the subject, "but that's good, right? For what you’re looking for?"
"That's exactly why I would want to do it," Vic nodded, "I’m sure growing up around all this green shit and parks and all these mountains is like good for you. It got to be."
Keshawn let that sit before nodding. "Yeah, probably. I mean you could do it."
"Yeah, right," Vic sucked his teeth, "We’ve just gotten shit to a good spot so that ain’t exactly a topic I’m trying to touch right now. How about you and Candace, y’all done for real?"
"Yeah," Keshawn shrugged. "Timing just ain’t right."
Vic nodded, then grinned. "It’s a great fucking time to be single if I was you."
Keshawn laughed, relaxing into his seat. "That's what MPJ says, too."
"He ain't wrong," Vic said. "I think that's where I fucked up. Me and Angela started too early. We were fucking kids playing house and shit. By the time I met Jessica, I didn't even know what I was missing. I just knew I wanted it."
The food arrived. Yesenia dove into her fries, ignoring the chicken. Vic cut his linguine with a spoon, a trick he picked up on after the hundreds of dinners at restaurants like these after living with Keshawn for that year, and Keshawn stared at his steak, barely touching it.
"Trey, he got shacked up with his girl pretty early, right? Like you and Angela?" Keshawn asked.
Vic looked up. "Sort of, I guess. They used to fuck with each other before he went away and when he came home, she got pregnant like right after."
"Probably where you learned it from," Keshawn teased, "Lock them down young."
"I don’t know about that," Vic shook his head.
"She’s doing alright?"
"Who? Charlene? She stays by the Village so alright enough, I guess."
Keshawn let the silence sit.
"I don’t know, you think she’d be open to one of them spots that Richard got? I know he always got places he’s looking to rent."
Vic nodded as he finished chewing his food, "Nigga, I just told you she stays in the Village. Even the worst property Richard and them got would be an upgrade."
"You mind setting that up for me with Richard and her? She’s family too, right?"
"Fuck yeah," Vic agreed, "She’s a real one, Keshawn. That’s some real nigga shit you’re doing."
G Damian Lillard: 19 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 6-22 FG, 3-16 3PT
F Asa Newell: 27 pts, 10 reb, 13-22 FG, 1-10 3PT
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(19-28)
(23-26)
