Give it to me or Give it to God, J. Hall [jenna bush book club .txt] 📗

Harlem New York is a place well known for its night life and big time star attractions however like every hood in America there‟s an undercurrent where drug-lords and crime reign havoc on the city. In a city like New York, with all its glamour and glitz, problems run rampant. One of those problems is named Antoine "Trouble" Mitchell. He was dubbed Trouble by friends and foes alike because wherever trouble could be found he was sure to have a front row seat. Trouble was introduced to the streets at an early age. Raised in a house full of dope pushers and prostitutes, he was forced to go it alone. His mother was one of the many in the household addicted to heroin. Even though the apartment belonged to Trouble and his mother, it was the dope pushers who set policy. All the fiends were designated to one room while Trouble was left to roam free. The dope pushers found it amusing to blow weed smoke in his face and they even got him drunk from time to time. They all would roll with laughter as Trouble staggered around the house.

This form of abuse happened daily with no interference from any of the adults in the house. This wasn‟t the only abuse on display within the home. Trouble‟s mother would trick several times a day to support her escalating habit. One night an argument broke out between two of the dope pushers about whose turn it was to make a sell. Trouble‟s mother was forced to take sides. After siding with one of the pushers, the other pusher pulled out a gun and shot her in the chest, killing her instantly. Trouble was only seven years old. This dramatic life changing event would set the tone for his adult life. In the days that followed, Trouble was rescued by a lady affectionately known as Mama Rose. ............


A couple of weeks passed and Crime felt it was time to put the plan into motion. While Crime was scoping out Sal‟s, he learned the money man Joey made two drops a day, but on Friday he made three to four drops. Crime figured the biggest drop was the last, because Joey always had three or four bags, rather than the normal two, therefore Crime chose the last drop on Friday to rob, plus by the time of the last drop most of the traffic died down from people trying to play their lucky numbers. With me, Crime, and the girls going over the details a couple of hundred times, the time finally had arrived. Meleeka was at the corner, Dawn was parked in the back, and Crime and I were also in the back holding our positions. Crime knew Sal boys always came out every hour to canvas the area, so it was a waiting game. About forty 5ive minutes elapsed before one of Sal‟s boys came out.

To us, forty 5ive minutes seemed like an eternity, but it was our time to shine. Me and Crime pulled our ski masks down over our faces. With his adrenalin pumping and his palms sweaty Crime nodded to me. We had been through this drill a hundred times, but the unsettling feeling of not knowing our fate was always the same. We emerged from the shadows with guns drawn. I grabbed Sal‟s boy from behind and put my gun to his head, "If you even breathe wrong I‟ll blow ya fucking head off. Now with ya right hand I want you to show me how many of Sal‟s boys are inside," I instructed. Sal‟s boy put up four fingers. With that information Crime took the lead as we entered the building. Joey was sitting off to the side counting money and putting rubber bands around each stack. Sal and two of his body guards were playing cards, totally unaware that certain death awaited them all. "Everybody down on the fucking floor!!!" ...............

Text: J. Hall
Publication Date: 02-01-2012

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