Free Wifey 4 Life by Kiki Swinson Page A

the
    chance of getting struck by one of these niggas’ stray bullets, then that’s on you.”
    He then got out of the car and slammed the driver’s door.
    I thought about what he said for a brief second and realized
    that he might be right for a change. I was in the heart of Huntersville where niggas
    would put a pistol up to their own brother’s head if they had to, so how would I
    be able to escape that? The fear of losing my life came crashing down on me really
    heavy. Not to mention, I couldn’t risk someone else recognizing me. That would definitely
    be suicidal. So, without saying another word, I opened the passenger side door,
    hopped out of the car, and closed the door behind me.
    After we climbed all nine steps that connected to the front porch,
    Tony rushed toward the front door.
    A tall, slim, brown-skinned chick opened the door and stood in
    the doorway waiting for Tony and me to enter the house. Once we were inside, she
    closed the door behind us.
    I stood there beside Tony and waited to see what he would do
    next. She looked at him and greeted him. “What’s up?”
    I thought she would’ve acknowledged me by saying hello or giving
    me a nod, but she didn’t look my way. I purposely cleared my throat and said hello,
    but she acted as if I didn’t exist.
    After she locked the front door she told Tony to follow her.
    Like the caboose on a train, I trotted behind them. The hallway wasn’t too long,
    but it looked really creepy. We walked on old hardwood floors that felt worn-out
    and very loose. I thought a couple of the boards were going to give out on us, so
    I tried to tread lightly.
    Finally we entered a back room, where two big black guys sat
    at a round table counting a massive amount of money. They had to be high school
    football players in their earlier years, because both of those guys reminded me
    of the late, great Bernie Mac, except one had a bald head, and the other one had
    long dreadlocks. From what I could see, they both wore dark-colored jeans, black
    hoodies, and black Nike boots.
    “Today looks like payday to me.” Tony commented.
    Both men smiled at Tony but didn’t say a word. I thought it was
    really weird that no one wanted to talk. I felt uncomfortable as I stood beside
    Tony. I wanted him to take care of what he had to do, so we could leave.
    “Kira, you can have a seat if you want to,” he told me.
    I took a quick glimpse at the raggedy, old sofa he told me to
    sit on and told him that I was fine standing up.
    “You sure? Because I’m gon’ be here at least twenty minutes.”
    “Yeah, I’m sure,” I assured him, my feet glued to where I was
    standing.
    The chick who had opened the front door left the room. I heard
    her walk back down the hallway and then head upstairs. Then Tony walked over to
    the table and stood beside one of the guys.
    I watched and waited for Tony to hand them something, but he
    didn’t. Instead he held out his hand, and the baldheaded guy handed him a large
    sum of cash. From what I could see, Tony must’ve been given at least five grand.
    Every bill he had in his hand was either a fifty- or hundred-dollar bill. I couldn’t
    see Tony’s expression because his back was to me, but I knew he must have been extremely
    happy. During all the years I had known him, I knew he had never held that much
    money in his hands at one time. I was sure he felt like he’d won the lottery.
    As he stood at the table counting his money, I heard footsteps
    coming down the stairs. I knew it was the chick coming back downstairs, so I didn’t
    bother to turn around. I wanted to keep my eyes on Tony and these two overgrown
    rejects posted up before me.
    The footsteps grew louder, so I knew it would be only a matter
    of seconds before she graced the room once again with her presence. I heard her
    steps draw closer as she put one foot in front of the other, but then all of a sudden
    she stopped.
    I felt her presence behind me, but I didn’t know how close she
    was. My