Free Wifey 4 Life by Kiki Swinson

machine was finally working, so she processed
    my transaction and gave me a copy of the receipt. I moved to the side and allowed
    her to take care of the other customers.
    When my order came up, she signaled for me to come back up to
    the counter area. She handed me a small white bag with my sandwich inside, and then
    she handed me my sweet iced tea. Before I turned to leave, she leaned over the counter
    and said, “Take care of yourself.”
    I gave her a half-smile. “And you do the same,” I told her, and
    then I left.
    When I got back across the street, I headed back to Tony’s car.
    He was sitting in the driver’s seat. I got inside the car and let out a loud sigh.
    He looked at me. “Are you all right?”
    “Yes, I’m fine.”
    Tony turned the key to start the car and drove out of the lot.
    I turned my head to look out the passenger side window and
    instantly thought back on everything Fionna had said about Sunshine. It was funny
    how life threw curve balls at you when you least expected it. Fionna had admired
    Sunshine all her life, but the day Sunshine no longer reigned supreme and was caught
    with her pants down, Fionna saw her for what she truly was.
    Tony merged back on the road and headed down Tidewater Drive
    toward Princess Anne Road. The whole drive to his next destination was done in complete
    silence. The traffic was somewhat congested, but Tony maneuvered his way through
    it, and before I even realized it, we were sitting at a red light at the corner
    of Tidewater Drive and St. Julian, right near the Huntersville subdivision.
    While Tony proceeded to his destination, all sorts of thoughts
    ran through my mind. I was starting to get anxious, and was ready to get out of
    Virginia. Listening to the CD by The Game that he was playing only made me even
    more uptight. Every lyric talked about murdering somebody, chopping up their bodies,
    and sending their remains to their families. And Tony was bopping his head to the
    beat.
    I tried desperately to block it out and slip into another zone,
    but it didn’t work. Thankfully, his cell started ringing, so he had to turn down
    the volume to hear the caller.
    “I’m right around the corner,” he said. “I’ll be there in a minute
    . . . Ai’ght, I can do that.”
    After ending the call, Tony pressed down on the accelerator.
    I didn’t know where he was going, but wherever it was, I knew he was trying to beat
    the time he had given that person. I sat there quietly thinking about how badly
    I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel, but to make that happen, I had to get
    back to Tony’s apartment to pick up my rental.
    After several turns Tony finally pulled over to the side of B
    Avenue in front of this old, run-down house. It was the fifth house from the corner,
    and it stood out among the rest of homes. As I looked at the house, it reminded
    me of a stash house Ricky used to have. Old houses like this never attracted the
    police because they looked abandoned. The only way a cop would run up in a spot
    like this particular one was if someone ratted it out. Other than that, anyone who
    managed to set up shop would make tons of dough without any interruptions.
    I watched Tony park his car and turn off the ignition. He looked
    over at me and said, “Come on. Let’s go.”
    Caught off guard, I looked back at him. “Where are we going?”
    “Inside my homeboy’s house.”
    I turned my head to look at the house, and then I turned back
    around to look at Tony. “You have got to be kidding!” I said. “I am not stepping
    foot inside that house. It looks just like a crackhouse.”
    “Kira, it ain’t no crackhouse.”
    “Well, if it isn’t a crackhouse, then it’s got to be a stash
    house, because I can’t see somebody living there.” I took another look at the house,
    and then I looked back at Tony.
    “Look, I don’t know what else to tell you, but I do know that
    I’m gon’ be in there for a spell, so if you want to sit in the car and take