Free Numbers by Dana Dane Page A

his mother.

Hallway Games
    Broz, Numbers, Jayquan, Tee, Jarvis, and Waketta were huddled on the rooftop staircase landing in building 79 playing Pitty Pat. Broz sat on the top step closest to the handrail; Waketta sat on the other side closest to the wall. Tee stood on the stairs in between them. Jayquan and Numbers kneeled and squatted on the landing. Jarvis leaned on the wall behind Numbers, eating junk food, as usual waiting for his opportunity to get into the game.
    Tee was up about fifteen to twenty dollars, but to hear him tell it he was on the verge of pawning his baby brother just to stay in the game for the next hand. That’s how Tee was—he’d lie about his winnings and exaggerate his losses because he didn’t want anyone trying to bum off him. Thefunny thing was, every time he went broke, he’d be the first one with his hand out asking for a loan. He was always begging, but when he had it, you couldn’t get a red nickel out of him.
    Fat Boy Broz, on the other hand, loved to brag and boast if he was winning. He didn’t care if he broke one of them or not, he wouldn’t take the chance of lending anyone money to stay in the game and possibly turn the tables and leave him broke.
    Waketta was one of the few girls who hung around the boys and gambled. She was fifteen years old, like the rest of them. Well developed up top, with a nice round booty, Waketta was loud and ghetto, just like her momma. She lived on the ninth floor with her mother and little sister. Her mother, Dixie, was always getting into it with some man’s girlfriend or wife. Dixie was promiscuous. She drank too much and talked even more. Waketta had two things in common with her mother: a killer body and a loud mouth.
    Jayquan was, for the most part, the quiet type. The one to avoid confrontation, he was more of a diplomat.
    “Whose deal is it?” Waketta snapped. She was pissed that Tee had won his fourth consecutive hand and high spades.
    “Don’t you see me shuffling?” Broz snapped back.
    “I know you not mad because Tee is winning.” Numbers laughed. “This the first time he won in how long?”
    “I don’t care! I hate when his broke, yellow-teeth ass win,” Waketta bellowed.
    “You’ll be asking me to borrow two bucks in a minute. Now watch,” Tee said. Tee had a way of getting on everyone’s nerves.
    “What? You owe me four dollars, and if you don’t give me my money, I’ma kick your ass,” Waketta threatened.
    “Later for you,” Tee said, trying to make light of it, knowing Waketta meant what she said.
    “Deal, Broz! How many times you got to shuffle the freaking cards?” Numbers was growing impatient with the banter. He waslosing money today. For some reason, he was off his game. Every time he discarded, it seemed to be the one Tee needed to win the hand. Broz dealt out five cards to each player and turned up an ace of spades.
    “Nobody’s got the ace-of-spades high card, so who’s got the king?” Broz inquired to no one in particular while picking up his hand.
    “Tee, it’s on you, you need the ace?” Waketta asked.
    Tee did not respond.
    “My pluck,” Waketta said, reaching for the deck.
    “Hold up, I need that,” Numbers said, throwing out a matching ace of hearts.
    “Nah, I need that.” Tee threw out an ace of diamonds before Numbers could complete his turn.
    “Why you playing like that, stupid?” Numbers was upset that Tee had gotten him to reveal his card.
    “Your mother’s stupid,” Tee lashed out.
    “What? Ya mother’s a whore. Too bad. I feel sorry for you!” Numbers reversed Tee’s snap.
    Everyone except Tee laughed.
    “Fuck you, bitch! That’s why you don’t know your daddy.” Tee’s attempts to belittle Numbers worked. His comment struck a nerve. Numbers was boiling.
    Seeing that Numbers was mad, Jayquan tried to intervene: “Come on, y’all, let’s just play cards.”
    “Numbers, you gonna let him talk about you and your daddy like that?” Waketta said. The instigation