Previously: Miss Linda from HUD recommend me to psychiatry. She ask me what I was incarcerated for, and I open up because she trying to help. I told her I dropped out of school in seventh grade and that I was a burglar. When I was in prison in my teens, some older guys offer me a cigarette, if I learn to read. They say, “You smart.” You can be a gangster, a killer, a cool cat but you need a education. When I was 18 or 19, I was sent to Orleans Parish Prison. Two days after getting out I stole a car and got caught.
After Katrina and being evacuated to DC, everyone got a check from FEMA. But I didn’t. Instead of stealing, I was going out cutting grass. If people needed they house painted, I learned how to paint. I put my phone number on telephone poles: HANDYMAN WORK 24 HOURS.
Then I met this guy who do electricity work. I saw him moving some furniture out from his car and I asked him did he need some help.
He say not really. That’s when I explained to him I don’t have a job. I came here from Katrina and just tryin’ to make a few dollars.
So he told me, “Come then.”
We start talkin’. I introduced him to some of my homeboys. He asked if I willing to go on a 24-foot ladder. He had us work on takin’ light bulbs from a ceiling to recycle them. We got paid three dollars a light. At first I made a hundred dollars a day. Eventually I got good at it, and I made three hundred a day.
The recycle guy, who run the business say, “On Friday when y’all get off, I got a theater where y’all can come to watch movies.” We went there on Fridays and some Saturdays.
By washin’ cars, I got to know the neighborhood. I meet people and find out where the drugs at, who the man in charge, who run the hood with the drugs. I reach out, talkin’ with people.
After that I tell ’em I use drugs. I say to myself, Man, this car look like a doughboy (rich drug dealer) car. I get acquainted with him.
I ask him, “Who be selling crack?”
He say, “That what you wash cars for?”
I say, “Nah, I like cash.” But really I did wanna buy crack and I tell him, “I don’t know what your product be on a scale of 1-10.”
He say, “It’s a nine or ten.” But I look at it and it look like baking soda, more powder than crack.
After tryin’ out a sample of the guy’s product, I tell him, “I give it a 7. Then we exchange some words.
He’s like, “Aw, man, I give you some for free. Most dealers won’t give you a tester.”
I tell him, “Most dealers’ product don’t like yours do. With yours, when I drop it on a plate, dust come from it, like powder.”
That’s when he looked like he wanted to say something outta the way, but I told him, “I’m gonna leave it alone, gonna go out and wash some more cars. Get my hustle on and try to make some more money.”
So that’s when I went up the street to go back to one of my home girl’s house. I wanted to share the tester with her.
I get there and me and her talk. She say, “Damn, you’re here early today.”
I say, “Yeah, I just met one of the DC supposed to be kingpin. And he give me some of his product. It ain’t really all that but I’m willin to share with you.”
After that we sit down and got high and I told her Well I’m not gonna stay too long, I wanna go out and make some money. She told me whenever I wanna stop buy I’m welcome with drug or without drug.
She told me be careful, don’t go out there and get in trouble.
To be continued. . .
