Free Gutter by K'wan

hungry,” he said, turning to leave the room.
    â€œEverything okay?”
    â€œYeah, everything is blue. How’s Satin?”
    â€œStill the same.” She shrugged. “The nurse said she’s up and down, but no major changes. She’s putting on some weight though. Probably all that medication they’re giving her. My heart really goes out to her. Lord knows I’d probably lose it if something were to ever happen to you.”
    â€œYou ain’t gotta worry about that. I ain’t going nowhere,” he assured her.
    â€œThat’s easy to say, Ken, but no one can foresee God’s plan.”
    â€œI don’t know about God’s plan, but I know about my plan. I’m gonna be here to be a father to my child and a husband to my lady.”
    â€œNot if you keep running like you do, Ken.”
    â€œDon’t start this shit again, Sharell.” He massaged his temples.
    â€œThe truth is the light,” she said, turning her chair around to face him. “You can say what you want, but ain’t no good gonna come from the way you’re living. The devil is always busy, Kenyatta. More often than not he uses troubled souls like you to do his will. The Lord says—”
    â€œMan, miss me with that ‘the Lord says’ shit,” Gutter snapped.
“The Lord ain’t said a muthafucking thing when my partner got blasted. His ass was silent as the grave.”
    â€œKenyatta Soladine, don’t you be in here blaspheming,” she warned. “It was a terrible thing that happened to Lou-Loc. I loved him like family and didn’t nobody cry harder than I did at the funeral. That still doesn’t change the fact that it was the Lord that brought you back to me. I prayed by your bedside everyday and he let you come out of your coma. You should be thankful for that.”
    â€œOh, I’m thankful, but not to the Lord. He ain’t have shit to do with me getting up out that bed,” Gutter said, in a matter-of-fact tone.
    â€œAnd what’s that supposed to mean?”
    â€œNothing.” He sighed. “Look, it’s been a long day. I’m going to bed,” Gutter turned and walked out of the room.
    Sharell felt like crying, but she promised herself she wouldn’t. She and Gutter had the same argument more times than she cared to recount. With each passing day, he seemed to become more and more obsessed with his mission. Sharell knew Gutter was a good man at heart, but she was hardly a fool. Every time she read about a gang-related shooting, she knew just who was behind it.
    Gutter had the homeys putting in overtime on the streets of New York. No matter how much blood was spilled, his thirst never seemed to be sated. It had gotten to the point where her friends from church refused to be seen publicly with her. They feared that her man’s reputation would land them in a cross fire. Regardless of his wrongs, she loved him and would stick by him no matter the outcome.
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    HAWK LEANED against his car, watching while Ruby punished a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Even before he had gotten her phone call, he knew about Supreme’s murder. In the streets, news traveled fast.
No one really understood why Ruby was taking his death so hard, but Hawk understood. He was one of the few people that knew about their secret love affair.
    â€œI want him dead!” Ruby said in between sobs. “Gutter has finally crossed the line!”
    â€œRuby, calm down,” Hawk said in an even tone. “We’re all upset about what happened to Supreme, but drinking yourself into a stupor isn’t going to bring him back. I need your head to be clear so you can command your troops. Get it together.”
    â€œFuck that,” she slurred. “This shit is war. Y’all can keep playing with these crab niggaz, but I’m taking it to ’em. He’s going down.”
    â€œWhat’re you gonna do, march into Harlem