Free Street Soldiers by L. Divine Page A

pays and tips me well above average. “Does it look like she’s joking?”
    “Damn, that’s some cold shit right there, no doubt.” Chase glances over Nigel’s shoulder, reading the document word for word.
    I still can’t believe Nigel moved out of Rah’s house and opted to stay all the way in Palos Verdes. I know my boys are cool, but I’d never thought I’d see the day that Nigel would up and leave his hood to move to the “Beverly Hills by the beach”, as the members of this elite community call it.
    “Jayd, I don’t know what to say. I knew she was pissed about the ball and the dress and all that, but not this angry.” Nigel refolds the papers and regretfully passes them back to me. “It’s not like she can’t afford the loss.”
    “Exactly. But suing my grandmother over a gown is beyond frivolous, and we can’t afford it.” I don’t want to remind Nigel that Mama has a way of fixing things beyond the law’s reach, but that’s exactly where this situation’s headed if Mrs. Esop doesn’t back down.
    “You know, you should talk to my mom about this,” Chase says, returning to his game. “It’s right up her alley.” Chase is back to calling his mother mom and it sounds good. At least my spiritual work for he and his family wasn’t in vain.
    “What do you mean?” I ask, glancing at the court documents. I still can’t believe this shit.
    “You know my mom helped David start his practice,” Chase says, referring to his estranged father. “In all reality, it’s their practice. Dude just likes to act like everything’s his, but without my mom’s contacts and savvy he wouldn’t be anywhere. That’s why I hope she takes David for everything he’s worth and more.”
    Damn, Mrs. Carmichael’s running it like that? I had no idea.
    “I can’t ask her to help me with all she’s dealing with,” I say returning the documents to my bag.
    “Jayd, I don’t know everything that’s been going on between you and my mom but I’m sure she’d be more than happy to return the favor,” Chase says, smiling in between video game fatalities.
    “Chase is right,” Nigel says, wincing as I comb his hair out. “Knowing my mom, you’re going to need your own attorney and a good one. She loves drama and more than that, she loves to win.”
    I know Nigel’s right. I need an attorney who can fight like his mom’s team, not Daddy’s lawyer friends who deal with mostly criminal trials.
    “I’ll think about it,” I say, attempting to check my emotions and focus on the task at-hand. Between Esmeralda and Mrs. Esop, my mind’s too crowded with bull.
    “You have to learn to ask for help when you need it. The people who love you would be more than happy to help a sistah out when in need, ya feel me?” Nigel says, bending his head back with a huge smile across his face displaying his perfectly straight teeth.
    “For real, shawdy,” Chase says, in his best southern accent. “Let’s holla at mom’s and see what she has to say about the whole thing. She’s really been on her A game since she filed for divorce, reading legal journals and studying and shit. I’m proud of her,” Chase says, overly excited about his mother’s healing. He pauses the game and stands up, towering over my five-foot frame. “I’m sure she’d love to take your case on just for the hell of it. David will have to find another job after my mom’s done with his ass.”
    “If you insist,” I say, reclaiming the papers and following my boys out of the room.
    We head downstairs where Mrs. Carmichael’s on the computer with piles of paper around her. It’s a welcome change from her usual stance by the bar with a glass of liquor in one hand and a cigarette in the other. There’s nothing like a cheating husband with a pregnant mistress to sober a chick up real quick. I’m glad she’s back on her grind. We need more sharp women attorneys in the world.
    “Hey, sweetie. Hungry?” Mrs. Carmichael asks her son without