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#Post#: 516--------------------------------------------------
Help Wanted
By: deHamm Date: April 22, 2019, 4:24 am
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Keva sat in the back of the family SUV while she spoke on the
phone with her father. She was in Carver City on business for
him since he had become sick. He had given her a specific list
of people to contact while she was in town to get the business
rolling, and she was making her way through the list. She looked
down at the paper for her next contact, and she double checked
the addressed then looked at the notes. "Stop by barbershop to
meet with Marcus" She looked across the street at the barbershop
then she and her body guard exited.
As they crossed the street Keva spoke to Calvin.
Keva. You know I can handle this myself right...
Calvin. You know your father wants me with you at all times...
Especially after that last mishap..
Keva shook her head as Calvin glanced at her.. Once they
approached the door, Calvin held it open, and before Keva could
walk though, two white girls were running out excitedly.. Keva
and Calvin made eye contact then she proceeded in to here a man
going off.
??. I swear I'm not answering any more questions for mufuckas
when they not gettin a hair cut... The fuck you want from me if
you dont want a hair cut?!
The crowd fell silent as all eyes were on Keva and Calvin as
they stood in the middle of the shop. The guy finally looked at
them and sighed.
??. Who are yall supposed to be?
Keva. I'm Keva Osei, and this is my bodyguard Calvin... I've
been sent here to speak with a Marcus..... Does Calvin have to
get a haircut in order for my questions to be answered? He
will...
Calvin and Keva glance at each other, but she'd already
volunteered him, so he would get a haircut if need be.
The shop fell silent as the guy continued to look at her.
??. Which Marcus you want? and why?
Keva glanced around the shop.
Keva. Are you Marcus?
??. Maybe..
Just as Keva was getting annoyed the man received a phone call,
and he answered it quickly.
??. Waddup pops... Yeah... Yeah... Okay..... -sigh- Really?...
Okay.. I will... Na. Ima handle it... alright..
Once the call wrapped up and he hung up, he looked at Keva and
Calvin.
??. Uhh. Keva was it?
Keva nodded at him.
??. Follow me alright?
Keva followed him to the back of the shop and into a shotty
office space then he shut the door. While Calvin took a seat in
the waiting room.
??. I'm Marcus Jr. Everybody calls me MJ for short.. And I hear
you're looking at commercial property?
Keva nodded.
Keva. My father is wanting to open a jewelry store here in
Carver City.. And I understand you are the best person to help
me...
MJ. You want to open a jewelry store?
Keva nodded.
Keva. We have diamonds and we need a storefront for them.. Are
you able to help me or not?
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#Post#: 517--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help Wanted
By: BigBossJay Date: April 22, 2019, 9:25 am
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MJ stared at Keva with squinted eyes.
MJ. You not from here.
Keva. How observant of you. Are you able to help me?
MJ. Yeah. I know of some storefront properties.
Keva. Perfect.
MJ. It'll cost you, though. Lunch.
Keva stared at MJ as he smirked and popped a peanut into his
mouth.
Keva. I'm not here for that.
MJ. Food? Everybody gotta eat. Besides, we can talk about what
exactly you're looking for.
Keva. I just told you, I'm looking for a--
MJ. You want more foot traffic than street traffic? You want a
larger shop or something more small? In a plaza? Who do you want
for clientele? What vibe do you want your store to have?
A silence fell between them as MJ smiled.
MJ. I got options, but I have to ask questions to know anyway.
Plus, I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat, discuss all
that, and I'll take you to see some places based on what you
tell me. Cool?[/center]
#Post#: 518--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help Wanted
By: deHamm Date: April 22, 2019, 10:30 pm
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Keva looked at him for a moment then she looked at her watch.
Lunch was going to throw her whole day off, but getting the
storefront took precedence over any of her other meetings. She
soon accepted that this wasn't going to be as quick as she
thought it would be, but she obliged. "There goes the rest of
the day."
Keva. We can get lunch but...
Before she could finish her sentence with a stipulation, her
phone rang. She looked at it and it was her father calling
again. She sighed and answered it.
Keva. Yes father...
She heard his pause on the other end, and she knew her tone was
off.
Zuberi. I'm not annoying you with my call am I?
Keva. No sir..
Zuberi. Good...... -clears throat- I spoke to my friend. He says
you've arrived to his son...
Keva. I have.. -glancing at Marcus- We'll be discussing the
storefront over lunch..
Zuberi. Oh. Wonderful... Let me know what you decide on.. I have
a good feeling about this.. Lunch is on me.. Okay?
Keva. Yeah.. I'll let you know how it goes... I'll call you
later..
Zuberi. Okay daughter..
The two hung up and Keva looked back at Marcus as he stood up
off of his desk.
Marcus. You ready?
Keva nodded and he smiled opening the door for her.. She walked
back into the barbershop, and Calvin stood up. The three of them
made their way outside and Keva paused looking to Calvin.
Keva. Father has relieved you for the rest of the day.. Since
we're having to go to lunch....
Calvin raised his eyebrow at her and she smiled sweetly.
Calvin. How are you going to get back?
Keva. I'll call a cab or something.. Don't worry about it
though.. I'll be fine..
Calvin looked at MJ then back at Keva.
Calvin. Call me if you get into any trouble Keva..
Keva nodded.
Keva. Will do.. Enjoy your day now...
She turned to Marcus.
Keva. Where are you parked?
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#Post#: 519--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help Wanted
By: BigBossJay Date: April 22, 2019, 10:45 pm
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Marcus nodded and walked to the parking lot where his car was.
He unlocked the door and looked at her as she stared at him.
MJ. What?
Keva. You're not going to open my door for me?
MJ. Girl, get in the car.
MJ slid into the driver's seat and turned the car on before Keva
actually got in. Keva looked at him with an irritated face as he
pulled from the parking lot.
MJ. Peep game, aite? I realize you not used to somebody like me.
You used to folks kissing the ring and giving you everything you
want. I can tell you now, you ain't getting that outta me, okay?
I ain't gon' kiss yo' ass and whatnot just because you royalty
or some shit.
Keva. So vulgar.
MJ. That's not changing either. If we gon' do business, you gon'
have to let your hair hang. I ain't formal.
Keva. I was supposed to be doing business with Marcus Greer.
MJ. I am Marcus Greer. Just the junior. Senior don't get his
hands wet no more.
Keva. My father told me this would be...professional.
MJ. I didn't say I wasn't professional. Just ain't formal.
MJ pulled into a nearby parking lot and texted a friend inside
the small restaurant.
MJ.:. Can you bring out two orders of my regular?
Justin.:. Why two?
MJ.:. You asking too many questions, nigga.
He smirked and turned the car off as Keva looked around.
Keva. Where are we?
MJ. Wing spot. I wanted wings.[/center]
#Post#: 520--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help Wanted
By: deHamm Date: April 22, 2019, 11:47 pm
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Keva looked over at Marcus for a moment. "Who does he think he
is?!" She didn't know if she should be offended that he would
pretend to know her life or if she should be relieved that he is
talking to her like an adult. She looked out of the window while
she put her thoughts back together. He was definitely different
than the other business associates she'd met with, but everyone
that she'd met with had their own importance.. "Even Marcus
Greer Jr."
Keva. Good thing I'm not a vegetarian...
MJ. Right. Cause you'd be outta luck.. I already ordered..
Keva looked over at him and shook her head.
Keva. Oh.. How did you know...?
MJ. I got you what I get...
Keva. How do you know if I'll even like it?
MJ. Trust me.. It's good..
Keva cut her eyes at him then she glanced out of the window
again as she silently accepted her L with the food. "This is
going to require a lot more of me than I thought it would.." The
car fell silent for a couple seconds as Keva took in her
surroundings.
MJ. So where you from?
Keva looked over at him then back out of the window.
Keva. I was born here in California.. But I've spent most of my
life between South Africa and London..
MJ looked at her.
MJ. What makes you want a jewelry store in Texas?
Keva looked over at him and shrugged slightly.
Keva. It's going to be my father's store, and I don't know why
he chose Texas.. I just take care of his business when he
can't..
MJ nodded.
MJ. So what? You like a daddys girl or something?
Keva. I've never had much of a mother so yeah.. You could say
that..
/
Keva paused realizing how personal his questions had gotten. She
didn't want to talk about herself anymore so she began to return
his questions.
Keva. What about you though Marcus Greer... Junior.?
MJ. What about me?
Keva. I dont know... Tell me something about you... How long
have you been at the barbershop?
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#Post#: 521--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help Wanted
By: BigBossJay Date: April 23, 2019, 8:44 am
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MJ. Couple years. Got my license when I was 19, worked out of
another shop for a couple years before I opened this one.
Keva. Why did you open it in your area? It's not very...
MJ smirked.
MJ. Fitting. Black ass barbershop in a white neighborhood that I
don't live in?
Keva. Exactly.
MJ. It's a pride thing. The Diamond District was once known as
Cyprus Park, Texas' own "Black Wallstreet."
Keva. What happened?
MJ. Story from my grandpa said was that, in 1970, a
misunderstanding outside of Cyprus Park caused a race riot.
Burned it down, killed most of the people here. The ones who
didn't get killed migrated to other cities, some to other
states. By the time I was born in '92, a bunch of wealthy white
folks came in and made it into "The Diamond District." So, I put
my shop there as my way of taking back a little piece of what
belongs to us.
MJ sighed as he thought about the story he'd been told by his
grandfather his whole life. It always infuriated him when he
thought about how his people were treated, and part of his
motivation for his illicit line of work was to make money to buy
back The Diamond District and return it to the Cyprus Park it
once was.
MJ. Anyway, there's a few spots right here in this neighborhood
I can show you. They get good foot traffic all year round, so
you shouldn't have a problem with customers during cold months.
Soon, a young man was making his way outside with a bag. He
leaned into the window, slapping hands with MJ.
MJ. Good lookin'.
The young man accepted MJ's card and ran it through his phone.
Justin. I thought you had Xavier with you.
MJ. You wanted me to have Xavier with me, ol' pretty nigga.
MJ laughed.
MJ. Nah, this is Keva. She's looking at bringing her business
into the area, I'm helping her with some locations.
Justin waved at Keva who politely nodded. He handed MJ his card
back.
MJ. You take your tip?
Justin. I can't do that, you know I can't.
MJ. Nigga...
MJ reached into his pocket and handed Justin a $50 bill.
MJ. Tell Tasha if she got a problem she can come to the shop and
see me.
Justin. Thank you, MJ!
MJ. How school going?
Justin. Graduating with honors, got a scholarship to Herston
University.
MJ. HBCU, that's what I like to hear. Proud of you, man. Come by
and let us know when your graduation is and we'll have something
for you.
Justin nodded and rushed back inside as MJ began pulling food
out. He paused when he noticed Keva looking at him.
MJ. What?
Keva. You gave him a lot of money.
MJ. He's 18, and he's a good kid. He wants to be a journalist.
MJ popped open the plate and smiled.
MJ. Lemon pepper, fried hard, extra wet, all flats and cheese
fries...oooowee!
MJ immediately began eating.[/center]
#Post#: 522--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help Wanted
By: deHamm Date: April 23, 2019, 9:50 pm
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Keva looked over at him as he began to eat his food. She took a
moment then pulled her food out too and opened the plate. "Extra
wet?.." She decided to swallow her displeasure and eat the food.
To her surprise, it was good.. She would have probably picked a
different flavor, but all in all she was pleased.
MJ. So what are you looking for in a store?
Keva paused for a moment and thought about the conditions her
father gave her. "I trust your judgement sunshine.. Make it
something I can take pride in..."
Keva. Well.. I want something in this area, of course.. The
history is very compelling..
MJ nodded.
Keva. Um.. I'll need a space big enough for the display case..
MJ. Yeahh..
Keva heard his sarcasm and in his tone and she cut her eyes at
him.
Keva. I have this idea of diamonds and pyramids.. So I want a
display case in the shape of a pyramid..
... Just as she finished the last lemon pepper wing and cheese
fry, she did a quick overview of her hands and she cleaned her
middle finger and her thumb with her mouth then she felt his
eyes. She slowly looked over at him and he held up a napkin for
her with a smirk.
MJ. It was good huh?
He looked down at her plate as did she and she couldn't help but
smile. She closed the lid and looked over at him as he took the
empty plate placing it back in the sack.
Keva. It was..
MJ. I told you..
Keva. But I would have chosen a different flavor...
MJ. I think you like that lemon pepper just fine..
Keva shook her head. "Good spirit.. But abrasive.."
Keva. I suppose.. Did I give you enough information?
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#Post#: 523--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help Wanted
By: BigBossJay Date: April 23, 2019, 10:07 pm
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MJ. Absolutely.
Without another word, MJ started the car and made his way from
the parking lot, driving a couple of blocks.
Keva. How do you know what's available?
MJ. They're my buildings.
Keva. Your buildings?
MJ. I got my real estate license.
MJ looked at her when the car fell silent and he laughed because
she was staring at him.
MJ. What?
Keva. You're just full of surprises, aren't you?
MJ. Why is that surprising?
Keva. You don't look like the "real estate" type.
MJ. That's where all the money is, darling. Real estate. If you
own the land, if you own the building the land is on, you're the
ultimate boss. Land is the only thing God ain't making any more
of.
MJ pulled in front of the building and turned the car off. Keva
looked around.
Keva. You're right, there's great foot traffic here.
MJ. And all of them ready to buy precious diamonds. Come on,
I'll show you the inside.
They got out of the car and MJ unlocked the large glass doors,
walking into the building. He turned a light on and smiled at
her impressed nod.
MJ. It's my second biggest building, more than enough room for
display cases and whatnot.
Keva. This is rather nice.
MJ. The back has two offices and a full break room, employee
parking in the alley out back. The last place stayed around for
a while.
Keva. Why'd they leave?
MJ. A brotha took over the lease.
Keva looked at him.
Keva. You're very focused on race, aren't you?
MJ. Somebody has to be. You'll learn from being in Texas for a
little while.
MJ hopped onto a crate and sat down.
MJ. It's yours if you want, Keva. I'm reasonable on rent, don't
bother the business as long as I get my money on time.[/center]
#Post#: 524--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help Wanted
By: deHamm Date: April 23, 2019, 11:02 pm
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Keva. I'm not worried about the rent...
Keva continued to look around and and she could see the store
coming together in this space. She noticed there were cameras
still up, and that was a bonus. She walked away from him and
went to the back of the store. They'd have storage and an office
space with a restroom and a breakroom that could have a dual
purpose.
She even checked the outside parking area and the alley had two
exits onto streets.. "This is perfect.."
She walked back to him with a smile.
Keva. This will certainly work for it's purpose..
MJ. As a jewelry store huh?
Keva nodded.
Keva. Yes..
She walked off toward the front of the store and looked out of
the windows.. "This is it.."
Keva. I want it... How much is it?
She looked at him and made her way back over to him as he stared
at her for a moment with his hand touching his chin.
MJ. Uhh. I can let you get it for 3 bands on the 1st of every
month no later than the 9th...And we'll waive the deposit fee...
Keva smirked at him.
MJ. If that's coo then we got a deal..
Keva. 3 thousand US dollars?
MJ nodded at her and she smirked.
Keva. It's a deal then...
Keva nodded. She had already done a bit of research online at
store spaces in the area, and she was expecting to spend at
least 5 to 6 thousand on a building with everything on her list,
and this price was a surprise. She stuck her hand out at him and
after taking a moment to look at it, he shook her hand.
They'd both looked at each other for a moment before she
realized it was a moment too long. She pulled her hand back and
went into her clutch, taking out her cellphone and her
checkbook. She wrote a check for 6thousand dollars and signed
the bottom.
Keva. Here you go Marcus... And thank you again.. For lunch..
and this amazing space.. What's the address?
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#Post#: 525--------------------------------------------------
Re: Help Wanted
By: BigBossJay Date: April 24, 2019, 10:41 am
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MJ. 827 Barker Boulevard.
MJ watched as Keva sent a text message before handing him the
check. He looked it over before folding it up and slipping it
into his pocket.
MJ. So, you had fun?
Keva. I did.
MJ. Enough fun to go to dinner with me some time?
Keva chuckled as MJ folded his arms across his chest.
Keva. I don't mix business and pleasure.
MJ. Good thing the business is handled then. And I didn't use
the word pleasure, you did. So, obviously, I bought you pleasure
today.
Keva. Do you let up?
MJ. Nah, I just get more obnoxious as time goes on. Wear you
down until you give in to this irresistible charm and gorgeous
smile.
Keva laughed again as MJ smiled.
Keva. I will consider it, okay?
MJ. Consideration is the first step to acceptance. You're gonna
go home and think about it. "We did have fun. And his smile is
lovely. And I wonder what he looks like naked."
Keva. Really?
MJ. I been wondering what you look like naked since you sashayed
your little ass into my shop a few hours ago.
Keva turned her head to hide her blush.
MJ. It's okay though, Miss Keva. We'll keep it
professional...until we just can't hold it in anymore. You let
me know when you're ready for that wave, okay?
They walked out of the building and MJ handed the key over to
her before they got back in his car. As he started the car, his
phone rang with his mother's number flashing across the screen.
He smiled and answered.
MJ. Hey, Ma. Wassup?
Monica. Get to the hospital.
MJ. The hospital? Why? Something wrong with Aaliyah?
Monica. Your daddy got shot...and he might not make it...
END SCENE[/center]
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