"We reap what we sow." "That's what the Bible says." "Payback's a motherfucker." "I think James Brown said that." "Same shit." "We all know the story." "Or at least we pretend we do." "The Hindus have a word for it, karma." "They believe in reincarnation, that a man pays in the next life for all the shit he's done in the previous one." "He keeps on paying, too." "Till he gets it right." "Now, if I had to do it all over again, well..." "Responsibility." "Redemption." "In order to be truly redeemed, a man has to own up to his responsibilities." "Hey, sweet thing." "What's your name?" "Bitch." "Making amends." "Cats out in Cali like to use that one a lot." "Especially when they get back from a stint in rehab." "Those be the same motherfuckers sky-paging my ass late at night a week after they got out." "Ain't that a bitch?" "Still, they had a point." "I been away too long." "Running." "Hiding." "Today's the day I stop running from my past." "Today's the day to set shit straight." "End of chapter 12." "Quit it." "Damn pervert." "Quit what?" "Oh, shit, check it out." "The wolf is the motherfucking mack." "Uh-oh." "Enter the motherfucking dragon." " Why you still here?" " We were just kicking it." "Just kicking it?" "I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't get yourself to school." " Damn, dog, chill..." " Stay the fuck out of this, Blue." "It just don't concern you." "Come on." "I ain't gonna ask you again." "Hey." " I'll pick you up after school, all right?" " Whatever." "Damn, dog, I thought my moms was tough." "I wouldn't know." " Moon give you that address?" " Yeah." "That's the fucker I'm talking about." "You told Moon you was gonna have his two grand." "Where the fuck is the money at?" "I'm sorry?" "I really can't hear you, man." "Why don't you repeat that for me?" "This ain't the time for that Bruce Willis bullshit." "Put your motherfucking hands where I can see 'em at." "Fucking deadbeat." "See, this is what I'm talking about right here." "Don't worry, man." "I'll leave you enough to buy you a pack of Newports." "And a new shirt, too, nigga." "Fucked up my boots." "You make your point?" "Man, for sure." "Got you a little bonus." "That belongs to Moon, man." "Nah, fuck Moon, man." "He's getting his." "This interest." "Then give it to him." "Shit, you know I don't play him like that." "Oh, you about to give me this speech about what a great future we got if we trust in Moon." "That nigga don't give a fuck about you, man." "After ten long years, the King has returned to reclaim his rightful home, sweet home." "And goddamn, if it don't feel good." "What else can I say?" "Enter the motherfucking dragon." " Looky here, looky here." " Well, I'll be goddamned." "Still uglier than a motherfucker." " You miss me?" " Nigga, are you insane?" "Ain't nobody never missed a rattlesnake." "How could somebody possibly miss you?" "Oh, baby, you ain't gots to be that cold." "Why don't you fix me a drink?" " Gin and Squirt?" "Still drinking that shit?" " You don't forget shit, do you?" "Keep the change." "You gonna have to do a lot better than this if you wanna keep my ass from calling Moon and telling him what kind of suicidal fool just walked into his bar." "Is that so?" "Dang, you just saved me some money." "I was just about to give you $100 to get him on the horn for me, but you fucked that up." "So go on and get him on the horn." "Go on, now." "Sorry to disturb you, boss." "There's somebody here I think you might wanna talk to." "Listen, hon." "I need somewhere private I can talk." "See a champagne room in this motherfucker?" "Go to the toilet if you want some privacy." "Bitch." "Well, if it ain't Hemingway." "Little early for you, isn't it, honey?" "One of those days, you know what I'm saying?" " Try this on." " Thank you." "King." "Nigga, I thought you were dead." "You gonna be dead if you ain't got my goddamn money." "Well, today's your lucky day." "I'm here to make good." "You know?" "Put things right between us." "Nigga, things ain't never gonna be right between us." "But I'm out a whole lot of paper if you kick it." "So let me calculate how much you into me for." "Bring me my book, goddamn it." "This man is a fucking snake." "Says here 15,000." "That's not taking into account interest and all that other shit." "That sounds fair. 30." "Call it 30." "But, you call off the wolves." "Hey, look, nigga, my word is bond." "It always has been." "Unlike some other shiftless motherfuckers I know." "Yeah, nigga, I'm talking about you." "If anything happens to you, it ain't gonna be because of me." "I can promise you that." "I know I can count on you." "I'll see your boys, right?" "Maybe later on, we'll grab a drink, catch up on old times." " Don't push your luck, nigga." " Yeah." "Catch up on old times?" "Ain't that some shit?" "Jasper." "Get everybody in this motherfucker a drink on me." "Today, I'm a free man." "I ain't never known you to be so generous before, King." "Yeah." "Keep the change and buy yourself a dick." "Yadda yadda ying, yadda yadda yang." "So I'm like, cool." "Back to the room, right?" " What's up, dude?" " All right?" " I'm ready to do the thing." " What's the password?" "Hey, fuck your mama, bitch." "Stop playing." "Open the door, nigga." "Anyway..." "Hey, Blue." "Why you wanna talk to poor Rockie like that?" "You need to learn some manners, like Mike." "Right, Mike?" " Yes, sir." " Hey, Rock, we cool, right?" " To hell with you, then." " You got my money?" " Damn, is that all you care about?" " What else is there?" "Money, pussy, and money." " It's all there." "Plus the interest." " Cool." " Always know I can count on you, Mike." " Damn, what about me?" "What about you, motherfucker?" "I got another job for y'all." "You gonna like this one, Mike." "You'll never believe in a million years who suddenly came back from the dead." "Tupac?" "You're a funny motherfucker, boy." "Who?" "Somebody you been waiting for for a long time." "David." "You know, you never cease to amaze me." "Aren't I always telling you how smart this boy is?" "All the time." " Where is he?" " Hold on, Mike." "You want me to keep thinking you're smart, act smart." "King David already arranged to pay back the money he owes me." "In return, I promised he'd be in the clear." "And you know I always keep my promise." "You know that about me, Mike." "Now, I want you and Blue to make the pickup and bring me back my 30Gs." "End of story." "That's fucked up." "Why not send Rockie to collect it, or somebody else?" "Cos I don't wanna send no-fucking-body else." "You keep fucking with me, Blue." "Now, I want you to view this as a test." "See how you handle yourself under pressure." "Now, don't fuck this up." "I don't want it traced back to me." "You understand?" " Where?" " Blue Room." "Six o'clock." "You'll recognize the car when you see it." "Mike." "Don't make me regret this." "It's bullshit." "Ella, let's go." "Ow!" "I gotta do something before we go home." "Get in the car." "Damn." "What the hell crawled up his ass?" "Yo." "Just be quiet and do as you're told, all right?" " You want a refill, college boy?" " I do have a name, you know." " It's Paul." " Whatever." "You want another drink, or what?" "It's paid for." " What's that guy's story, anyway?" " Who?" "King David?" "Shit." "Just look up "back-stabbing cocksucker" in the dictionary." "Tell you everything you need to know." " Cheers." " Cheers." "Let me handle this, dog." "You ain't in the right state of mind right now." "No, we gonna handle this." "We gonna do this just like Moon said we gonna." "We gonna do this like I say." "Stay in the car, let me take care of this." "All right?" "Mike, what's going on?" " Ella, this ain't the time." " I wasn't asking you, Blue." "Don't get fucking smart!" "Man, what the hell is wrong with you?" "That's it, man." "You staying." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." " You King?" " Do I look like Prince, motherfucker?" "Let's get this shit over with, huh?" "There it is. 15,000." " Moon said you owed 30, man." " He did?" "Ha, I'm just fucking with you." "Never can be too sure." " You ain't gotta count it, man." " Don't tell me what to do." "You're the one who stiffed Moon, not me." "Lucky he even taking your money." " Most who cross him don't get that chance." " Well, at least count it in the car, man." " You going camping or something?" " Excuse me?" "In that getup, you look like you going camping." "See, you young motherfuckers, you don't know how to dress." "What you need to do is take some of that money, go to Canal Street, get you a Chink tailor, make you a nice suit." "Cos the women, they appreciate a man who knows how to dress." "Thanks for the tip, man." "I'm gonna give you one." "I advise you get the fuck out and stay that way." "Unless you want some more trouble." "Understand?" "I'm not in the habit of taking advice from Grizzly Adams." "Take your ass back to the motherfucking woods and start a campfire, all right?" "Go on, now." "Excuse my back." "You still wanna wax this motherfucker, man?" "Cos I got a plan." "Hey, girlfriend." "Where you headed?" "What's up?" "Where are you headed?" " How old are you, anyway?" " Old enough." " So, where you headed?" " Heaven, baby." "Do you wanna go?" "Maybe." "Get out of the motherfucking car." " Shit, Grizzly." "What you do that for?" " Man, get out of the motherfucking car." "All right." "Hold your horses, man." "Look at this shit." "You know what this is gonna cost to fix?" "Hey, man, shut the fuck up." "Hey, Scarface." "Tell your boy to chill." "We can work this out." " Whoa." "What you call me?" " Just admiring your beauty mark, boy." "You're a regular Tony Montana, ain't you?" "Do you know who I am?" "If that was your bitch, she came on to me." "I'm asking you a question." "Do you know who the fuck I am?" "Nigga, do you?" " Got you, motherfucker." " Let's go, Mike." "We got company, man." "What the..." "Get in." "Come on." " Open the door, open the door." " Hey!" " Somebody call 911!" " Don't let me die alone, mister." "I got money." "I could pay you." "Just don't let me die in the gutter." "Mmm-hmm." "Shit." "They what?" "Motherfucker!" "Goddamn it!" "Jasper, no, no, no, no, no." "I appreciate it." "I'm gonna apologize to you right now for any heat that might come down on you." "Now tell me, what about David?" "Where the fuck is he?" "Who's seen him?" "What the fuck did they do when they went there?" " Huh?" " Mike's on the line." " Who's this?" " Mike's on the line." "Jasper, let me hit you right back." " Mike." " It's Blue." "He's hurt real bad." "Real bad." "I fucked up, I know." "But we gotta get him to a doctor." "Stupid motherfucker." " Moon, you still there?" "Moon?" " Yeah, yeah, yeah." "Listen to me, Mike." "We can't take any more chances." "Where are you now?" "118 and... 118 and Third." "There's a parking garage on 127th." "Tell the owner that I sent you." "Drive in the back." "Park your car in the back." " You got that?" " Yeah." "I'll have some of my boys bring over a clean car and we gonna take Blue to the hospital." " Are you clear on that?" " Yes." "Yes." "Now, is there anybody else in the car with you besides Blue?" " No." " Mike, listen to me." "You did good, baby." "Shit like this happens." "You know how I take care of our family, take care of my own." "I'm just glad you came to me first." " Calm down and get to the garage." " All right." "Thanks." " Mike, are you sure you can trust him?" " He's all we got right now." "Just drive." "Jesus Christ." "Shit." "Goddamn it, Mike." "Now I gotta worry about the fucking cops again." "Hit the fucking button." "Hit the button." " Red." "Alvin." " Yo, boss." "What's up?" "I got a job for you." "It's not fair." "After all I've been through." "Everything I've done." " It can't end like this." " Save your strength." "Talking, it helps ease the pain." "It's all I have left." "I'm not gonna make it." "Just leave me here." "You'll be OK." "I'll take you to the hospital." "I'm gonna stay there as long as I need to until I'm sure you're OK." "Brothers see each other buying it every day in the street." "No one lifts a finger." "A white boy like you comes along, saves my life." "It's crazy." "Help!" "Help!" "I got a man hurt real bad here." " What?" "What?" " Come on, help." "I got a son, you know, I never knew." "Maybe you could find him." " Tell him his old man was a warrior." " Sir, you can't go any further." "Oh, my God." " You should take off." " I'm not leaving you." "Hold on, dog." "All right?" "Here they come." "Stay with him." "No!" "Get out now!" "Baby girl." "Oh, God." "Jesus." "I got you." "I got you, I got you." "I got you." "Oh, Jesus." "I got you." "I got you." "You're gonna be all right." "All right?" "I got you." "I got..." "I ain't going nowhere, all right?" "Don't leave me." "No, no, don't." "Don't leave." "Don't leave..." "No." "Ella..." "Ella..." "Don't leave me." "Don't leave me." "Mr. Paskoff?" "Yeah." "He didn't make it." "I'm sorry." "Oh." "Well..." "I guess we tried." "That should be worth something." "Yes." "If you'll come with me, sir, there are some formalities..." " we have to go over." " Formalities?" "Yeah." "Just a couple of questions we have..." "Like I told you before, I didn't know the man." "I just gave him a ride." "Really?" "Come with me." "Do you know if he had any immediate family?" "He did mention that he had a son." "Well, he decided to make you his beneficiary." "What's up?" "I admit, it seems strange to me too, but he was insistent." " I didn't know this man." " Don't get too upset." "It would appear to me that you've made out very well in this transaction." "Pink slip to his car." "He signed it over to you." " He left me his car?" " And that's not all." "He asked only one thing." "That you take care of the expenses of his burial." "Of course." "You'll be notified when we release the body." "Ordinarily in a homicide, we're supposed to fill out a police report, turn over personal effects to the authorities." "But, you know, that can get complicated." "Of course." "Very well." "Glad we got this straightened out." "What do we say when someone gives us a present?" " Thank you, Daddy." " That's right, baby." "All right, sugar." "Now it's your turn." "You like that, huh?" "Don't give you no cavities, either." "Saves some money on those dentist bills." "You know what I'm saying?" "Daddy got something hard for both y'all, but it ain't candy." "You wanna see it?" " Who the fuck is that?" " It's important." "Shit, better be important." "Be right back, baby." " Rockie, what's up, man?" " I just got word from the hospital." " David passed, ten past seven." " That's good." "Somebody took him there." "Left him in the car." " Now, what if David talked?" " Who?" " A white kid." " White kid." "Make some calls and handle it for me." "It's Mom." "How'd your big job interview go?" "Did you get it?" "Hey, it's Nancy." "We're still on for tonight, right?" "Give me a call, OK?" "Bye." "Mr. Paskoff, this is Phillip Waters, Sun-Telegram." "I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression in our meeting today." "Your writing samples are topnotch and I'm genuinely interested in seeing what kind of story you can come up with for us." "I'll see you on Friday." "The Autobiography of a King." "Chapter one, "Getaway."" "Today is the first day of the rest of my life." "Copped my stash from Moon." "Now it's time to wave goodbye to that motherfucker." "I was gonna stick around till Mother's Day." "Figured some of my bitches would have some extra cash for a nigga." "You know, along with those government cheques." "That stupid bitch Edna fucked that up." "Had to make the phone call, screaming her fucking head off." "Well, you know." "Shit happens." "Anyway, plan's still on track." "Three long months of footwork for Moon, slowly gaining his trust, finally paid off." "Got him to front me a half a brick on consignment." "Dummy." "What the fuck was that nigga thinking?" "Definitely not what I was thinking." "You know?" "Whoa, hold it." "Moon will be looking for a nigga." "No doubt about that." "And I'm sure the pigs are gonna be on my ass too, thanks to my little misunderstanding with Edna." "But fuck you, and good luck trying to find me." "Everything's been building up to this point." "Getting out of this hellhole, reinventing myself." "LA, here I come." "Whoever said there was no such thing as a second chance in life was a stupid motherfucker." "This is America." "All you need is a dream and the will to make it happen." "It feels good, having a clean slate." "Got the world on the half shell with lemon and hot sauce." "Folks out here better get ready." "They ain't gonna know what..." "Hello?" " You're still there?" " Hey, Nancy." "I know it's our anniversary." "You won't believe what I experienced." " You're still at work." "I'm not complaining." " I'm waiting for you to pick me up!" "You know what?" "I don't wanna hear it." "I'm sorry." "I'll explain it all when I get there." "How stupid that I even listened to you." "Rockie." " You heard anything?" " Not a word." "Jesus Christ." "Ain't this a bitch?" "Goddamn!" "This shit is fucked up." "I got plans, me and the twins, to go hear this singer I'm thinking about signing." " Then all this shit with Mike." " So how you wanna play it, boss?" "If that bastard Mike is breathing out there, anywhere, I want him taken care of." "And the white boy witness motherfucker, I want him taken care of too." "I cannot have this shit come back and bite me in my goddamn ass." "Everything I worked for, everything can come tumbling down on our fucking heads." "Shit." "You're running shit, handle it." "This is Mike." "Leave a message." "I'll get back to you." " You didn't go to the police?" " Please, Nancy, keep it down." "No, I will not keep it down." "A pimp bled to death in that thing and you're acting like everything's just fine and dandy." "I can't explain it." "If you just could have been there." "He had this nobility." "Nobility?" "I need to find out why this man died." " For my story." " For your story?" "Do you even hear what you're saying?" "This is not a rap video or a Quentin Tarantino movie, Paul." "This is real life." "Your life." "Your whole slumming thing, you staying uptown in that hellhole, when you could be living down here with me, I've put up with it, I have." " That's a cheap shot, Nancy." " What?" "Slumming?" "I'm sorry, I forgot." "You're a serious artist, injecting yourself into an exotic milieu for research purposes, right?" "Isn't that how you once put it?" "So, what?" "Is dating me a part of your research?" "Call me when you get a life." "Snatched up a little crib near the beach." "Figured I'd check shit out for a few days before setting up shop." "See if I could make some connections." "I made a connection, all right." "Mmm-mmm." "So, you ready to go again?" " Are you?" " Mmm-hmm." "Yeah." "Her name was Janet." "I ain't been in Cali but 24 hours and already copped me a white broad that looked like a motherfucking movie star." "Or TV, anyway." "The show is called SurfBeat." "My character's Pepper." "She's the scatterbrained but lovable associate at the Zuma Beach Detective Agency." " Gotta be serious money in that." " It's not as good as it sounds, sweetie." "It's just cable and it's only recurring." "Oh!" "Watch out, watch out, watch out." " Those new shoes you got." " I know." "Can we go back to the hotel and do some more blow?" "Damn, David." "This is strong." "Maybe you ought to cut it." "That stupid bitch didn't even know the difference between coke and heroin." "Fuck, it's all I had." "And I didn't have the heart to tell her." "Oh, well." "She'd find out eventually." "They always do." "Within a few weeks, business was booming." "Everybody wanted what I had to offer." "I didn't even have to act like it was coke no more." "As for Janet..." "Cut!" "Cut, cut, cut!" "Let's do another one, please." "She wasn't doing too hot." "What's the matter, honey?" "You can't seem to get any energy going." "Hey!" "We need you for this shot." " She still had her job, though." " Asshole." "Yo." "Janet had it bad." "But I took care of her." "After all, she was really good about hooking me up with her co-workers." "Sometimes I'd get a kick out of just watching the show and wondering if the rest of the world could tell which members of the cast were strung out." "Just looking at them motherfuckers made me laugh." "Cos I knew I could bring their whole world crumbling down whenever I felt like pulling the string." " You're a fucking asshole." " Yeah, but you can't live without me." "Oh, really?" "I used to think your living in LA for too long would give you a big head, David." " Thank God I was wrong." " But what would you do without me?" "Whatever." "You'll see." "Oh, yeah." "She'd definitely see." " We're closed, man." " My window's busted." " You're the only garage around." " Sorry." "I'll make it worth your while." "OK." "I'll get you a ticket." "What's the password?" " Put that thing down, man." " Mike, Moon's not here." " Where is he?" " Don't go out like that, my brother." "Mike, me and you, we'll work something out." "What are we gonna work out, Rock?" "Ella's gone." "She's gone?" "Where is he?" "By now," "I'd pretty much burned through the stash I copped from Moon." "Those entertainment types in LA are fiends." "Who knew?" "It was a good ride." "I cleared 25Gs easy." "But if I was to keep this shit going, I'd need to do some re-ing up." "Make myself a West Coast connection." "Easier said than done." "Who could guess a two-bit chump like Moon would have better dope than anybody in LA?" "I guess the real junkies, the ones who know their shit, are all back East." "They're scared of the sunshine." "Way I see it, though, that means a golden opportunity for anybody out here who could provide some quality shit." "Yep, ain't no doubt about it." "Heroin is definitely an industry with some serious growth potential." "And I planned to invest heavily." "Eventually, I hooked up with some Vietnamese cats out in Alhambra." "I hear brothers screaming about dirty gook motherfuckers." "Say what you want, them motherfuckers know how to conduct business." "Janet could've learned a thing or two about a thing or two from them." "For real." " Just a minute." " No." "Now!" "This is David." "Leave it." "Hi, David." "It's me." "I don't give a fuck where you are." "Please, it's a fucking emergency." "I ran out, OK?" "So, please..." "I really need you, OK?" "So call me back." " You know the bitch lost her job." " Sorry." "Right before the third season." "Had the nerve to blame me." "Like I had something to do with that shit." "And me?" "I wound up losing interest." "She found herself a new job." "It paid the bills." "Left me with time to focus on other things." "I'd buy you a drink but you probably get 'em on the house." "Gee, I never heard that one before." "What's your name, girl?" "Busy." " I'm so sorry." " Don't worry about it." "It's only vodka." "Won't stain." " So, what's your name?" " Look, I'm sorry but I'm really busy." "I mean, come on." "Looking as good as you do?" "I just wanna know your name." " Juanita." " Pretty name." "I'm David." "My friends call me King." "Oh, let me guess." "You're looking for a queen?" "You don't cut a brother no slack, do you?" "Well, you know, we meet a lot of creeps in here." "Look, sorry again about your drink." "How about you let me take you out to dinner this weekend?" "Oh, I can't." "I'm studying." "Oh, college girl." "I should've guessed." "You don't really fit in with this crowd." " How about next weekend?" " Midterms." " Can I call?" " I'll tell you what." "I'm working next Thursday." "Come back and ask me then and we'll see." "OK?" " I'll do that." " Now, if you'll excuse me." "She was everything a man could want." "Beautiful, intelligent, uncorrupted." "I promised myself right then and there she'd be mine." "I'll be right back." "I gotta hit the head." "Shit." "Who the fuck is this?" "Oh." "It's OK, Jasper." "You didn't know." "What's going on?" "Now, slow down, slow down." "Give it to me again." "I'm on it." "It's all good." "OK." "Give me a second." "This is business, OK?" " Yeah?" "Uh-huh." " Yo, Larry." " You at Mike's?" " Uh-huh." " Did he show?" " No." "No sign of him." "I need you to go down to the Blue Room." "That white boy's there." "Make him disappear." "All right." "It's on the house, honey." "Don't go nowhere." "I'll be right back." "Wait." "Wait!" "Hey, J!" "You already missed him." "Nice going." " Where the fuck did he go?" " How should I know?" "He's the only white boy around here and he's driving around in a pimped-out Stutz." "He shouldn't be that hard to find." "Thursday came, and not a moment too soon." "Operation Juanita was in full effect." "Again, girl?" "Who they from?" "Shh." "What does it say?" "After I finish this semester," "I plan to stay on and get my graduate's degree in social work." "You know, help out disadvantaged children." "It's important to give back, you know?" "I think we should check the car." "You might have left your halo on the back seat." "Are you making fun of me now?" "You're not like any other girl I've ever dated before." "You're a strong sister." "Ambitious." " But I know what your weakness is." " Really?" "OK, well, I'm all ears." "Same thing make you laugh, make you cry." "Your strength is your weakness." "Turns out that wasn't her only one." "Shit." "David!" " Can I try some?" " Sure." "Guess there ain't a bitch alive who don't like a little coke every now and then." "Makes them kinda freaky too." "Truth be told, they were freaks to begin with." "What's this?" "I think it's about time you got your own place." "You're breaking up with me?" " David." " You gonna help?" "Or stand there talking about "David, David?"" " What's her name?" " Does it matter?" "She moving in here with you?" "You know, I haven't asked her yet." "But I'm hoping she will." "You must really like her." "Guess I can't say I didn't see this coming." "Look, it's not like I'm firing you." "You're a smart girl and a damn good worker." "You got a job as long as you want." "Great." "You're a real motherfucking saint." " Oh, Mom doesn't drink." " I'm sorry about that." "To the most beautiful member of the graduating class." "So, what line of work did you say you were in again, Mr..." "David." "My friends call me David." "Various investments around town." "I'd have to say my primary source of income would be exporting." "Oh." "I have to go to the little girls' room." "Excuse me." "I think we should move in together." " You're kidding, right?" " Do I sound like I'm kidding?" " I can't move in with you, David." " Why not?" "I don't approve of your lifestyle." "I don't recall you complaining when you were snorting up everything I put in front of you." " You're missing the point." " Check it." "I got like 150 grand saved up." "Pump it up to like 250, get a house in the country, just get away from all this shit." "Baby, you're small-time." "And you always will be." "You think a quarter of a mil is enough to retire on?" "A quarter of a mil ain't shit." "Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" "Look, I'm just trying to be honest with you." "Baby, look at me." "Look at me." "Now, I like partying with you." "And I love fucking you." "But that's where it ends." "Now, why turn it into something that it's not?" "Let's just have fun while it lasts." "OK?" "Yeah, we'll do that." "While it lasts." "She had me wrapped around her little finger and she knew it." "I used to laugh when I heard niggas talk about being in love." "Even writing the word makes me feel helpless." "But it's true." "I'd never felt this way about another person in my life, except my mother." "And I didn't like it." "I mean this from the bottom of my heart." "I hated this feeling that I had for Juanita." "It made me feel like I was..." "Like I was weak." "And we couldn't have that." "They say revenge is a dish best served cold." "I was about to take my shit right out the motherfucking freezer." "Bitch thought she was gonna get by without me, she'd be thinking again real soon." "Might as well call me a broken-down trick." "Using me for my money and telling me a quarter mil ain't good enough?" "A quarter mil's always good." "It was good then and it sure in hell's still good now." "Still good now..." "Still good now..." " Don't shoot." "I'll give you..." " Shut up." "All I need is a ride." "Get in." "Just keep driving." "Whoa, stop the car, stop the car." "Back up." "Slowly." "Right here, right here, right here." "Why was the tiger scared?" " Why?" " It was rated Rrrr." " That's some funny shit." " Oh, yeah." "Come here." "Uh-uh." " Yeah." "What do you say?" " Thank you, Daddy." "That's right, baby." "Now give your sister some." "Come on, baby." "But don't drop it." "What the fuck..." "What the fuck did you do?" "Goddamn it!" "Oh, shit." "Get my phone." "Shit." "Hello?" "Motherfucker's hung up." "All right, bitch, tell me another joke." "Mike." "Son." " Yeah?" " Hey, Moon." "They spotted the white boy at the garage." "We followed him north on Fifth Street." "Responsibility." "Redemption." "In order to be truly redeemed, a man has to own up to his responsibilities." "Tuesday, moving day." "It didn't have to come to this but the bitch left me no choice." "Three months of planning had finally paid off." "Unfortunately, a little too well." "You bastard." "Why haven't you been returning my calls?" " I went out of town, man." "I didn't tell you?" " No, you didn't tell me." " Aren't you gonna open the door?" " Not if you continue in that tone of voice." " Open the fucking door!" " Try asking nicely." "Please!" "So, what seems to be the problem?" "You know damn well what the problem is." "You did this to me." "I did this to you?" "I didn't put a gun to your head and make you sniff no coke." "You didn't give me coke, you fucker." "You gave me heroin." "That's right." "I did." "So, what do you want me to do?" "Baby, I just need a fix." "Look, just for today, OK?" "You know?" "Just to get me through it." "Please?" " Right." " Just one, OK?" "Yeah." "But you know us small-timers." "You know, we gots to watch every penny, and..." "Don't look like you have a penny." "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" "She was right." "I did do this to her." "And I was enjoying it." "Funny shit was," "I still loved her." "Maybe more now than ever." "Because I finally felt needed, appreciated." "Come on back, any time." "Thing is, Juanita got more strung out than I ever could have imagined." "Bitch started shooting right away." "Most girls are scared of needles." "Keeps it from getting out of control." "Not Juanita." "Turns out she was diabetic." "For her, sticking herself was like brushing her teeth or going to the bathroom." "It don't take a rocket scientist to figure out that eventually something had to give." " Yeah?" " I need help." "Look, there's a clinic up north." "It's the best in the state and I wanna check myself in." "But it's expensive. 10,000 a month." "And I know it's a lot of money, but I need this." "You have to help me." "If you don't, I'll go to the police." "Bitches don't realize they should never joke about the police." "Breaking a man's heart is one thing." "Fucking with his livelihood is something else." "I knew you'd see things my way." "I'll meet you at eight." "I wonder how she felt inside after hanging up that phone, what was on her mind." "Like the sunset that day." "Do you think it occurred to her for a split second that it was the last one she was ever gonna see?" "You know that thing Yogi Berra used to say, "Déjà vu all over again?"" "Might as well been talking about me." "Here I am trying to resolve things with Juanita, and it's just like the mess I'd gotten myself into the day I left the East Coast, with Edna." "I mean it, King." "I need money." "For what?" "So you can shoot it in your fucking veins?" "I told you, I'm clean now." "Six weeks." "I've heard that one before." "Now, you think I like asking you for money?" "There's no food in the house." "The kids need clothes for school." "You know, you owe this to me." "I'll go to the police." "Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute." "Don't do that." "I'll be right over." "Edna." "Yeah, I used to run around with her back in the day." "Bad-ass bitch before that junk got hold of her." "Somehow she got it in her head that I was the father of her boy and conveniently waited till now, ten years after the fact, to break the news to me." "Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't." "But she wasn't gonna do her kids any good if she was still using." "And I sure as hell wasn't gonna do them any good rotting in a jail cell." "So I decided to give her a test, to see if she was on the level." "Well, aren't you gonna let me in?" " I'm glad you came." " So am I." "I'm sure we can work this thing out." " Got something to drink?" " Yeah, go ahead." "Help yourself." "You ain't got nothing to eat in this motherfucker." "You mind?" "I don't want to eat you out of house and home." "Damn." "It is hotter than a motherfucker out there." "David, I need help." "Baby." "You ain't gots to be like that with me." "Come here." "What the fuck is wrong with you, threatening to call the police on me, bitch?" " You out of your motherfucking mind." " Leave her alone!" " Get out of here, little nigga." " Leave him alone." "Look at you." "This what you want the money for?" "You better enjoy it." "It's the last thing you're getting from me, boo." "Get the fuck out of my way." "Didn't stick around long enough to see if she ever did pass that test." "What I did was hit the airport." "Got me a one-way to LA." "Mom!" "Mommy." "Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Aren't you gonna let me in?" "Déjà vu." "All over again." "I drifted around for a while, ducking the law." "Worked my way East from small town to small town." "But something was calling me back." "I missed my home." "Plus it's hard living on the run, especially when it's your fault." "Getting yourself stuck in the same fucked-up situation you ran away from ten years ago." "The Lord takes care of fools and babies." "I've never been either one." "So I'm back, and it's time for King to put things right, face up to my responsibilities, to Moon, to Edna's boy, to myself." "Responsibility." "Redemption." "In order to be truly be redeemed, a man has to..." "Get out the car!" "Get out the motherfucking car, white boy." "Get out the motherfucking car." " Get out the car now!" " OK." " Do it now!" " All right." " Get out the car!" " Please don't kill me!" "Motherfucker, I'm gonna count to three." "One." "Two." "Three." "Don't come near me!" "I'll kill you!" "I mean it!" "You." "If you're worried about me going to the police, I didn't, I swear." "I don't care about that." "Now, put the gun down." "I ain't gonna hurt you." " What's your name?" " Paul." "What the fuck is a white boy like you doing uptown in a dead man's car, Paul?" "He gave it to me before he died." "He give you that ring too?" "Take your ass home, man." "You don't belong here." "I need to know why." " Why what?" " Why did you kill him?" " He deserved it." " Believe me, I know." "But why'd you kill him?" "He killed my mother." "Edna?" "The man that you killed was your father." "You see, he has these tapes of..." "I've been listening to 'em." "See, when he was dying, he asked me to bury him." "He begged for a decent burial." "Hallowed ground." "Oh!" "Man." "Hurry." "Come on." "You gotta get out of here." "Take the car." "There's a quarter-million dollars in the trunk." "It's yours." "You're free." "Go!" "Get out of here!" "Go!" "Go." "An amazing story." "Truly amazing." " But I can't print it." " Why not?" "This is a newspaper, not a fiction magazine." "But it's true, all of it." "The stabbing, the hospital." "I had a gun pointed at my head." "You're a great writer." "If it's a job you want, you're hired." "But that?" "Unfortunately, I don't believe a word of it." "Tell you the truth, I probably wouldn't have believed it, either." "After all, I did live a pretty extraordinary life." "It's too bad it had to catch up with me when it did." "Before I had a chance to turn the corner." "And write the final chapter." "Fate's a funny thing, when you think about it." "How everything is interconnected, like a game of dominoes." "How one man's life can have such a powerful effect, however inadvertent, on the lives of so many others." "How it can transform itself into a gift that keeps on giving." "Like I said," "I guess my life was pretty extraordinary." "In the end, I suppose it all comes back to the whole karma thing." "Who knows?" "If it's half as real as the Hindus say," "I may just get a second chance after all." "I wonder." "What lies ahead for me on the other side?"