Stories from the streets

A deeper taste for blood

"The f***!" Cam said when he looked up from the table where he and three other inmates were engaged in a game of spades. " They let yo lil wild ass come in this pod?" Cam asked looking at his cards before playing one.

"Nigga I got a dope case. I wasn't even pose to have a red band anyway." The short Brown skin guy said coming inside the pod tossing his mate on the ground. A red band and white band categorize violent inmates (red band) from non violent inmates (white band). He spent nine months fighting his case on the tenth floor with people facing no less than 20 years up to multiple life sentences. That was until his homie from his block Ross randomly one day asks him "nigga I thought you had a dope case? Why you up here?" Then told him how to make it right.

The brown skin guy walked over to Cam who was already standing with his 6'2" 220lbs frame erect. They both through out a hand and embraced each other like they'd been separated for ten years. Cam was a fly light skin nigga with short hair and a big nose. He use to eat hard off the mid for years low key, then out of nowhere he had zips of hard for the low.

"Is that who I think it is?" A big 6'4" black bear said coming from out of one of the rooms that was built attached to the catwalk on the back wall. The smaller brown skin guy looked over towards the voice with a stone face not recognizing it. The guy was to big and to black to forget and his short dreads and gold teeth made him stick out even more. "Lil Pharo?"

"What?" Pharo said with an off putting voice and his face screwed to let the big guy know his size didn't intimidate him, wondering how he even know his name.

"Get on outta here lil nigga. Its me Lac!" The big guy said still smiling.

"And? What's up?" Pharo said with the same facial expressions but moving to where there was more room to move if the had to tango. Lac was smiling but Pharo had seen enough people get put to sleep in more ways than one from a fake smile. An Pharo had done so many f***ed up things out there in the streets it was hard to keep track of every face he ever crossed, or helped. He rarely wore mask on any kind of mission. He just didn't care. He didn't recognize the big guy but that didn't mean he hadn't done something to one of his people's.

"Awh! Lil bruh crazy." Lac said walking closer but keeping his distance.

"I told you." Cam said not even bothering to look their way. Pharo noticed that Cam was nonchalant about the whole situation so he started racking his brain.

"Lac. Lac. Lac." He thought hard with his scrunched.

"Nigga you know who I am lil nigga. Lac. Ug brother." He said walking all the way up on Pharo tore up he didn't remember him.

"Oh yeah! I met you at that Halloween party in Fairmont at Tino momma house. Daammnn!" Pharo said putting a balled up fist over his mouth amazed to see him. Lac swallowed him up in a bear hug picking him up off of his feet like he was seeing his little brother all grown up after doing a long bid (Prison sentence).

"Bruh. How you remember me bruh? I was like 10. Nigga I'm 20 years old now." Pharo said after they embraced.

"Nigga yo big head ass still look the same."

"O.G. ! What's good O.G.? Hold on Lac my fault we gon catch up let me see what O.G talkin bout, they talkin crazy out there throwing dirt on my nigga name." Pharo slide pass Lac bee lining to another bear like man. O.G. Tom was damn near 70 years old and been getting high since before he was even born. People had been saying Tom was snitching and Pharo had already fought a couple people behind the accusations. His oldest son was his big homie so he wanted to get to the bottom of it. He couldn't be going around fighting for someone's honor who no longer possessed it.

Hours had passed and Pharo got the information he was looking for and decided to settle in. There was a few rooms along the side and back wall of the pod and more double (stacked) bunks in the day room amongst the long feeding tables. The pod was suited for 20 men but it usually held 30 or more. The officers had pushed a plastic "boat" in the pod for Pharo to put his mate on and sleep but he wasn't going for that. He and all 5'9" 155lbs of himself forced one of the guys out of one of the rooms making him sleep on the boat. The choice was easy, either switch sleeping arrangements or fight him over and over, for possibility go to isolation. Pharo didn't care.

Once he felt like things were safe he relaxed and kicked it with his homies from the hood telling war stories and name dropping on all the females they f***ed. There was no lights out (bed time) in the county so it was after breakfast before anyone of them decided to go to sleep.

"Cloc,Pop!"

It had only been a few hours and the door had popped open. It was to early for count so that could only have meant one thing, new people were coming in. Pharo got up quick feeling like someone was already standing over top of him. There wasn't, he was just paranoid, but living the way he did paranoia kept him alive. He stepped out into the open day room and watched as three new people walked in with their bed rolls (blanket, two sheets, a towel, cup, a bar of soap) and a mate. He only recognized one of them. The other two were white guys he didn't know.

"Gucci. What's up lil bruh?" Pharo said rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"What's good bruh." Gucci said meeting him halfway to embrace a tight face morning breath Pharo. They didn't know each other well but he f***ed with a few guys that was getting some money that Pharo knew. He was from downtown on Linn and they called him Gucci because he looked exactly like Gucci Mane. Only thing was he was only about 5'8" and built like a boxer. Gucci didn't know it but Pharo had been watching him out there. Really his team wanted to rob Gucci because he was out there eating but that was the thing about him that Pharo liked. Even though Covington was a free for all. It took nuts to go into uncharted territory among beast of different kind and plant your flag. Pharo knew because he had done it more than once in his life. Pharo yawned and shuffled his feet back into his room and got back in bed.

Lunch was always trash so Pharo never got up to get it. He already had his guys not to wake him up the they could have all the lunch trays, so by the time he did get up it was around three thirty and everyone was moving about. Either they were playing cards, watching t.v, playing chess or just just s***. Pharo got himself together and went on as usual clowning trying to get under peoples skin to start a fight. That's what he did when he was board, there was nothing else to do was the excuse he always used but clearly it was much deeper.

"Here! Sit cho lil down." Cam said tired of Pharo picking with people. He was a few years older and really wanted to take this opportunity while they were together to try and polish Pharo up. He couldn't under why he never took advantage of the opportunities he was born into,but he would. "You know how to play chess?"

"Nigga do you know how to play chess?" Pharo fired back as hovered over the board putting one foot on the bench where your suppose to sit leaning in and began moving piece's. Cam had beaten him five games in a row. In prison they called that being in a barn. Its an embarrassment to be in anyone's barn in anything and Pharo couldn't handle it. So being the sore loser he was feeling like he should win at everything all the time he would express how insignificant it was in comparison to what he has already done or doing in his life "I don't give a f*** about no chess. I don't need chess to teach me how to take some s*** over I been off that!" Then smacked all the little pieces onto the floor. Cam shot his eyes up towards Pharo like he was crazy.

"You better calm yo lil a** down for a nigga ball yo a** up, ain't no guns in here."

"I do need no maf***in gun! An ain't no nigga gon ball me up you got me f***ed up!" He expressed with a heart that was truly bigger than his mouth.

"" Aaaaight!" Cam said containing himself with his head nodding up and down and his lips slightly parted to were you could see his top teeth grazing his bottom lip.

"Yeah aight." Pharo said walking away from the table towards the phone. He needed to talk to his love. She always seemed to say the right things, even when she was checking him on his bulls***. Pharo hated women that were push over's and this one was the total opposite. A fire reflection of himself. Just knowing he had her changed him mood smiling as he pressed button's.

"You may start the conversation now." The automated voice recording said.

"Hello?" Pharo said making sure it was her and not her little sister Lonnie. He loved her like she was his own and so did she so if she seen it was him calling she would take her sister phone and answer it before she chased her down and took it.

"Hey baby." Lita said sounding down.

"What's wrong ma? You aight??" Pharo asked.

"No not for real. I told you my mom just got out right?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me why they just came and locked up my dad."

"What!" Pharo yelled into the phone. He was sitting down on the ground. His face was stuck staring into the ground trying to picture her every move as if she was face to face. Her facial features and all, but when he heard that his head shot up in disbelief.

"Yeah!" She said in her pouty voice.

"What happened?" He asked staring forward zoning out again, but this time he couldn't faze out completely because something had caught his eye. Gucci had his boat flipped upside down and his mate inside and he was laying down sideways with the cover over him but he was reaching behind him like he was digging in his a**. Now being in tune with the streets this could only mean one of two things. Either Gucci is a little freaky and like playing with his own backside or he was shoving something in between his cheeks. An since he didn't strike Pharo as homosexual he figured it had to be drugs.

"They just came an-"

"Hold on baby I just seen something let me call you right back." Pharo said cutting her off.

"What the f***? What in the actual f*** in there is more important than talking to me?" She said with an attitude.

"Damn ma I just seen some s***. I think I might have something for us let me just call you right back real quick." He said whispering into the phone with his own little attitude.

Knowing what that meant and how her man was about opportunities she decided to give in.

"You better f***in call me back. Right back." She said not leaving any room to contest the automated voice chimed in.

"The person you have called has hung up."

Pharo's eyes were glued on Gucci so hard he must have felt it because he looked right up and they made eye contact. Pharo still had the phone in his hand so he looked away like he wasn't paying him any attention.

"Aight baby I love you too." He said playing it off then hung up the phone using the receiver to pull himself up.

Pharo walked into his room to grab a couple jolly ranchers. He was working on his strategic approach when Gucci came into view other open door frame.

"Big bruh let me holla at you." He said looking to Pharo's celly like this was a conversation for them and them only.

"A let me holla at him real quick." Pharo told the man.

Once Pharo's bunky jumped down and stepped out , Gucci looked around and leaned in close to Pharo's ear.

"You know who want some base?"

"Hell yeah! How much you got?" Pharo asked with the absolutely I got you were its at face on. Pharo didn't have a clue who wanted any drugs he had just got in the pod the other day. Gucci spent around the room having Pharo block the entrance while he had his back against the wall grabbing the crack from his crack. When he pulled it out it looked like it was almost a gram and he held it out like Ace did when he sold his first bag in the hallway in that movie paid in full. Pharo laughed leaning his head back away from it with his

eye brows narrowed in.

"Put it right there lil bruh." Pharo said gesturing towards the desk that sat in the room

"It might be a lil s***ty too bruh I had to put it in my a**. The boys hit they lights on me when I was hittin my lick." He said sitting it on the table.

"I don't give a f*** I ain't smoking it." Pharo said grabbing a piece of toilet paper off the roll he had stuffed under his mate. He opened it carefully and dumped the contents on the table. "How much you tryin make off of it?"

"Shid just give me fifty."

Pharo looked up at him like he was crazy.

"Lil bruh we locked up ain't no 25 a gg in here."

"I'm sayin I ain't trippin. Make it make sense for us big bruh."

"Say less."

Gucci leaned in throwing his hand out to embrace Pharo. He was happy just to get it off of him gaining was a plus. Already doing numbers in his head overly focused, Pharo smiled in the upper 200's and counting he just threw his hand out, out of instinct and they grabbed hands before coming in for a body embrace. They pat each others back then Pharo turned and lifted his mate again to grab a playing card. He spent back around to the table and hunched over braking it all down into tenths. After it was all said and done it broke down into seven little piles. Pharo looked up at him like he was crazy. He couldn't help but to smile and let out a light chuckle.

"what's up big bruh?"

" I at least give em point eight, point nine sometimes. Point seven lil bruh? Pharo said stretching his eye lids open in disbelief.

Gucci just stood there an shrugged his shoulders and lightly connected his right fist into his left palm turning slightly side to side with that same smile.

Pharo then out of nowhere narrowed his eye brows looking down into space, lip hanging realizing something.

" Nigga did you just shake my hand and pat me on my back after you dug in yo a**?" Pharo asked moving his eyes up into Gucci's direction.

"Damn big bruh my fault I'm foolin." Gucci said walking out to go wash his hands. Pharo peeled the smock off like it was a sweater made of gems. He threw it on the floor and walked out behind Gucci. Gucci stopped and turned around whispering to him.

"You gon just leave that s*** in there like that big bruh?"

Pharo kept walking, so Gucci did to looking back at the desk.

"I ain't worried bout no nigga stealing from me."

After he washed his hands Pharo walked up on a few white boys he knew got high just by looking at them. Coincidentally it happen to be the third of the month and people had access to getting there checks. They tried to talk him down but some how he ended up getting more than fifty a piece out of the first three he sold. An since they were still in the county jail and everyone was five minutes or least away driving Lita was able to stop by where ever he needed her to, to pick up the cash. After Pharo got off the phone he went and watched Cam and Lac play chess. while he did a small young white kid got his attention.

"You got something?" The kid asked. He couldn't be no more than 5'6" 120lbs.

"Yeah what's good come holla at me." Pharo told the boy leading him into his room. He showed him what he had and told him what he wanted for them.

"Damn man can I get a better deal if I buy them all?"

"Yeah I give em to you for 200."

"What? That's the same thing." The kid said confused.

"Damn!" Pharo said all dramatic and amazed. " You got to like. The smartest nigga in the world or something. " Now looking at him like he was getting on his nerves. "You want em or not?"

"You know what f*** it. You think you I could get a phone call?"

"Nigga how the f*** you pose to be coming up wit some money and you can't even get on the phone?" Pharo asked annoyed.

"Bro trust me my grandmother's loaded. She'll do it."

"Well its gon cost you. I need $250. come on." Pharo said walking him to the phone. "What's the number?"

"313-"

"Nigga what? My b**** ain't driving to no f***in Detroit for $250."

" No my grandmother lives here in Kentucky. She just kept her number."

Pharo looked at him questioning the kid before putting him through against his better judgement. The kid told his grandmother someone was going to call and they were going to come pick up some money he owed a friend. Pharo hated people who lied to their family for selfish reasons but he chalked it up for the love of money. He got back on the phone and and they expressed there love for one another and Pharo hung up the phone and let Lita handle it from there.

"What's up we good?" The kid asked anxious to get the drugs. Pharo looked his small frame over before saying f*** it and gave him the remainder of the drugs then walked back over to the chest game. Gucci was behind Cam listening to him talk about a time he had to slap some random white dude.

"That's crazy I ain't never slapped a maf***a." Pharo said out loud thinking to himself. He hadn't noticed that Lac and Cam had stopped playing chess and was looking at him.

"Ain't no way big bruh as much as you be foolin out here." Gucci said feeling like some kind of joke was coming.

"Is you for real?" Cam said super surprised.

"What? Nephew you ain't never slapped nobody?" Pharo heard the voice before seeing the mouth it came out of. Even big Tom had gotten out of his bed and came out of his room upon hearing the news. Pharo looked around feeling like he had broken some unwritten law. He looked from person to person and the looks everyone made wondering what was the big deal. They knew his name rang bells in the streets, they knew what he was capable of, but they still looked at him like he was the butt of the joke, like he was the last one in the crew of teenage boys who hadn't had sex yet. The astounded smiles were pissing him off. Nobody was saying a word just looking at him so he broke the silence.

"So all y'all done slapped a nigga?" Pharo asked now putting on his he don't believe it face cocking his lips to the side with them poked out.

"Yeah!"
"Yeah."
"Hell Yeah."

People who weren't even apart of the conversation put there two cents in.

"So y'all just go around slapping grown a** men and s***!" Pharo said getting mad. "I ain't talking bout slapping no h**s, that's lame s***. I'm talking bout slapping a grown a** man wit dick and balls?"

"Yeah!" Everyone said in unison and some just nodding there heads. Lac seeing Pharo getting angry put a lil spice on it.

"I'm sayin lil bruh you young, you still got time, you just a late Bloomer."

Pharo pulled his left cheek muscle back and snapped his neck back. If its one thing Pharo hated it was feeling like someone was trying to pull his strings to make him dance to their amusement, and he caught it in Lac's statement.

"F*** I look like like yo puppet nigga?" Pharo said with venom

"Here we go!" Cam said shaking his head and pressing his lips together making them stick out. Him and Tom probably knew Pharo the best and they knew what was coming.

"Don't be tryin swing that s*** my way lil homie I'm just sayin. You gon eventual slap a nigga an when you do." Lac pressed his lips together hard rising his big bear like palm in the air. "Its a power you get."

"O.G. you done slapped a nigga?" Pharo asked looking to Tom seriously. He knew he would give him the real with no ulterior motive. Tom walked up on Pharo and held both palms out.

"You see how big these mathaf***as is? When I slap. mathaf***a I put em to sleep." He said with his wild wiry mustache plastered on his serious face, chewing on his lip with his gums. "When you slap em its like you taking all they heart and courage. They soul. An now you own them." He finish saying while looking at his hand like he could see the souls of men floating about like ghost trying to escape his palm.

Tom's speech was so dramatic and moving Pharo could almost feel the power he was talking about. He instantly looked around for a victim. He didn't want to just slap someone just cause. He felt like if he did it and it had meaning behind it he would feel the power the way they had. It was getting late so Pharo decided to go to his room. He couldn't wait to slap his first man. He tossed and turned all night. Slapping someone was all he could think of. He knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight so he got out of his bunk and walked into the day room. It was dead silent, everyone was sleep. So he thought.

"Hey! You want to play a game of chess?" A voice said out of nowhere. It was the young white dude from Detroit. He as laying in his rack not able to sleep either.

"Yeah f*** it come on. Let's play in my room where its brighter." Pharo suggested. He had a light in his room and the day area was almost completely dark.

"Let's just play out here." He countered

"Its dark on there bruh. You know what f*** it I'm straight." Pharo said walking back to his room.

"Fuck you!" The little white guy said like he was a ten foot giant.

"What?" Pharo said spinning back around. He walked up on him feeling like he was going to get his first victim, but hen he got up on him he paused looking around. Where was the glory in that? No one would see and be able to relieve this moment with him.

"You know what. You banned from playin chess. If I ever see you even touch a chess piece I'm gon slap the f*** out of you." Then Pharo gathered up all the chess pieces and the board and took it to hi room.

Breakfast came fast. It always seemed like Pharo had just dozed off when the lights came on but to his surprise the lights had been on and the c.o.'s had already dropped all the trays off in the dorm and left. It was the commotion that woke him.

"What the f*** made you think that belonged to you doe?" Pharo heard Cam say. "Aight when he come out here and beat yo a** don't say nothing."

Pharo walked out to everyone staring at him while they ate. No one said a word just moved here eyes with every step. Pharo stopped at the table where the trays usually sat and seen there was noting but empty trays. He had to shuffle through them just to make sure he wasn't tripping.

"What the f***?" Pharo said now completely woke. "Where my s*** at?" He said looking around stopping at Cam.

"I told the lil greedy ass nigga." Cam said looking at one of the young white guys who everyone had severed some type of drug before.

"Ain't no way." Pharo said walking I've towards the other table that was closest tone wall. The white guy just stood there frozen in fear. When he got there he noticed the pancakes were gone and there was nothing left but,

"Bruh you ate my s***?" Pharo asked confused.

"I through you were sleeping in again." The guy came out with.

"The f*** nigga, you think I'm a b**** or something?" Pharo said before sucking both his lips in.

"pop, pop!"

Was the sound made when he fired a left then a right straight down the pipe sending the guy flying into the bottom rack that was bolted against the wall right on top of an old man that was covered up watching. Pharo ran up on him an fired three more punches picking his spots as the guy tried miserably to cover up.

"What the f*** man!" The older man said in the bed popping up like he had an attitude. "Take that s*** on some where else."

Pharo spent on him.

"What?"

"Pop!"

Was the sound made from a heavy overhand right that crashed into the old mans face sitting him flying falling hard on his back pockets. He was no longer focused on the other guy who seen an opportunity to slither away.

"F*** you think you talking to? Matter fact." He said turning his head towards the phone where Gucci kept his boat. "Lil bruh! You want a bottom bunk?"

"Hell yeah!" Gucci said popping up.

Pharo looked back to make sure the old head was still on the ground then started snatching his belongings out of the rack throwing throwing them into the floor. Gucci was grabbing his things already headed to the bunk. Everything was gone in a matter of seconds and Gucci was dropping his mate in its place.

"Lil bruh this yo shit. B**** you take yo old a** over there. You sleep in the boat."

The older man was skittish but he got up and slide pass Pharo who's chest was still heaving up and down. He quickly picked up his things and move into the boat.

"Maf***a should be whoppin yo a** for real." Cam said looking to the guy who started it with the tray. He was tucked into his bunk not moving. Pharo didn't pay it any mind. It was to early for this s*** he thought before going back into his room to calm down.

It came to him as he laid there.

"F***!" He thought out loud. He could have slapped either one of them."f*** it" he said and just laid there.

Hours had came and gone before Pharo got up, and he noticed that it was about fifteen people missing. One was the breakfast tray guy. They had moved all of them down stairs to class D. The guy he put in the boat didn't even try and get one of the empty racks.

"Watch out." He told the old man. He got out of the boat and moved it away from he phone. Pharo didn't want him all in his business. He still felt f***ed up so he needed to talk to his better half.

"Hey baby." Lita said once the call went through.

"Pissed." Pharo said.

"Well your not the only one. First off, you never called me back last night. Then I went all the way out Fort Mitchell and that old bitch only had 150. I kept telling her it was suppose to be 250 and she had the nerve to say that was all she had, so I told her that wasn't my problem."

"So she end up giving you the money?"

"No! The bitch shut the door on me and treated to call the police."

"Don't trip ma I'm a handle it."

"An tell him he owe me gas money to for taking my a** all the way out there for nothing."

"I'm a get him"

"clank-clonk."

Was the sound the door made and Pharo watched about ten people come in. There was a tall skinny black guy who came in with thin braids who seemed to already be in bit mode cause the first thing he asked was.

"Dose anybody in here know how to play chess?" Seeing the board.

"Yeah I know how to play." The kid from Detroit said already sitting at the table where the board sat. This made Pharo stop his conversation an tune in.

"Hold up ma, hold real quick." Pharo said to Lita. "Aye! Nigga you bet not touch that chess board!" Pharo yelled from the floor eyes focused on him. He got back to his conversation trying to figure out what happen to big Lonnie but really his pride had him more focused on the young white guy. He was now now sitting in front of the chess board. The black guy was on the other side other table setting up all the piece's, black for him and white for young Detroit. All the pieces where almost all set up and he was getting offended that the young guy was ignoring him.

"Ah baby let me call you back right quick." He didn't have a clue what Lita said but he was sure it wasn't nice. He hung up the phone and went and stood right over top of the young guy.

"You bet not touch them piece's." Pharo warned him one last time as the black guy set up the lat piece confused. It was whites move. The young guy from Detroit totally ignored Pharo and the fact that he was standing over him. He reach his hand out and his fingers grazed the pawn that sat in front of the King.

"Whammm!"

Pharo twisted back so far you could feel the wind as he followed through connecting with the guys face. His hand stretched across his cheek, eye, and forehead making spit fly out of his mouth. The momentum sent him crashing into the wall so hard he bounced off of it making him look like he was coming forward so Pharo squared off.

"What up?" Pharo said feeling the power they all talked about.

"Ouch my eye." The guy said covering his face.

"Fuck yo eye nigga, get up we bout to hit." Pharo said backing up so he could get up.

"Come on Pharo man spare him man." An older Hispanic guy from the hood name papi said.

"Naw we gotta hit. I told that nigga don't touch them pieces."

"You already slapped his eye out his head, got eye juice all on me." Papi said trying to dead it.

"Boyz, boyz, boyz," A few people in the dorm shouted out when the seen the c.o. Landrum. Pharo walked away as officer Landrum came in the pod and yelled.

"Chow!"

The Young guy got up like he was going to get his tray still holding his eye.

"I gotta get out of here." He said

"Tuff s***." The officer told him. "Get a tray and move on."

"I just got slapped, I can't see out of my eye." He went on to say. Landrum sighed heavily. "Come on."

Not even five minutes later Landrum came back and opened the door. "Wilson come on." He

said already knowing who he was.

"What you want me to help you serve tray's?" Pharo asked trying to play it off like nothing happened. When they got into the hallway there were two sheriff's standing there. The court house was connected to the jail on the ground floor so all they had to do was get on the elevator and go up.

"Pharo Wilson. You have the right to remain silent-"

"F*** I'm gettin charged for? I wanna talk to my lawyer." Pharo said cutting them off.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Damn!" They charged him with assault 2nd for slappin a maf***a?" Ashely, Cam's sister asked after Can finished telling her the story.

"Hell yeah! They said he f***ed up his cornea or some s***. Stupid a** nigga f***ed up his parole wit dat dumb s***. They bout to send his lil wild a** to the joint now. The flopped em 12 months." Cam said sitting on the floor talking on the phone.

"Tell his a** I said he better chill the f*** out. How much time did he get for it?"

They ended up dropping it or some s***, I think lil dude ended up going back to the D and not show up for court and s***, but they had already flopped em. They gave em parole. But when he did that they took it. His a** could have been home.

"Damn!" Is all Ashely could say before the automated voice come on.

"You have one minute remaining."