Episode 11: Phoenix Type Shit

Turk

There’s a college town on the California/Nevada border, about an hour away from Northupton, called Sierra Grande, built around Sierra Grande University. The college itself is small as fuck, but voted number six on the list of top party schools in the country.

The country.

Which is why when the landowner of one of the hottest clubs in Sierra Grande croaked, I snatched up that fine piece of real estate before it even went on the market. I’d never really owned the land beneath a business before, but that first check I received from the club that leased the land almost made a nigga faint.

Two weeks ago, during Memorial Day weekend, the club burned down.

I finally have some time to come out and survey the damage, and since I’ma be close to the city that houses my ace’s one true love, I decided to hit her up and lay eyes on her.

It’s gotta be over a hundred degrees out in the desert as I pull up next to a white Mercedes truck. My lips spread more, chuckling at the license plate I peeped when I pulled in.

Brina doesn’t get out until I do, and my chuckle turns into a full on belly laugh.

“Where the fuck you coming from?”

Sis has on a long sleeve white collared shirt and a tight ass black pencil skirt with bright ass yellow crocs.

She slams her car door and rolls her eyes. “Stop laughing at me,” she whines, before walking into my arms.

It’s been over a year since she left us and went back to her hometown. So much shit has happened, keeping us all busy. But it’s good to see her in person. 

She lets go and beams up at me. She’s kept the short cut she debuted in November, but it’s darker now, more burgundy than fire engine red.

“Why you got me out here in the desert? I wanted to go here, but Daddy said only if he killed every nigga in the city.”

I roll my eyes; that’s definitely something crazy ass Tre Young said.

Turning her around to the charred up building, I grin. “What you think?”

“Uh… it’s burnt up?”

“Duh, girl. But look around. This in the middle of downtown Sierra Grande. Five minutes from campus. I’m thinking… Oasis as a name. Born from the ashes, on some phoenix-type shit. Two levels; dance club on the bottom, lounge, then maybe a rooftop restaurant. Or a rooftop restaurant and lounge.”

We both look up toward the sky, covering our eyes with our hands.

“I mean–”

“Come on. Maybe you need to be inside.” I grab her elbow and start pulling her, excitement building by the second.

This the shit me, Fredo, and Nutty talked about after acing our business classes. Building our portfolio. Having an office of muthafuckas working under us–no, a whole building. Owning the west coast nightlife.

We incorporated BirchTree Nightlife before Nutty’s baby shower last year. Something to have Palace, Paradise, and Fredo’s sex club Dionysus under one umbrella. The only reason shit wasn’t tied up in litigation and probate was because he added me to his business when he thought he’d be stepping back from it. Otherwise, we’d be assed out.

Expanding our shit helps me cope with my loved ones being gone. Sean was a tough loss, but it was war time, and it wasn’t no room to mourn. Fredo… that shit cuts deep.

The bonds we forged when I was sixteen are forever, and if I sit too long, no bullshit, an ache in my chest starts to form.

And what’s worse, I don’t really have no one to talk about it with. Not for real. Not no one who isn’t hurting just as badly.

Except this burgundy-haired girl who is walking like she can avoid stepping on charred floor.

“I, uh, think I can see your vision, Turk,” she says, stopping beside me. We don’t go too far inside, but we don’t need to. We can see the entire ground floor from only a few feet in.

“Can I ask you a question and it stays between us?” I ask.

“Only if I can do the same,” she replies, meeting my gaze.

I nod. “You spent two months with Fredo. How was he?”

Brina lights up, before her eyes get misty and shit. “He was really cool. We had a lot of fun exploring Henderson, trying new restaurants. He even helped me with my assignments. I think we would have been really close, ya know.”

I nod again. “And mentally?”

“Mentally, he was good. I mean, he’d gotten a phone call from an ex, and then we started having all these deep talks about what we wanted out of life, families and stuff. I think he was gonna get back with them, whoever they were.”

She’s a little off base, since I’m more privy to Fredo’s personal life than she is, but I keep that to myself.

Brina leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder. “I miss him, too,” she whispers.

I wrap my arm around her and rest my head against hers. “What you wanna ask me?”

“How is he? Really? He tells me he’s okay. My brother tells me he’s okay. But I know you won’t lie to me.”

I tighten my arm around her and smirk. “You this worried, why not come back?”

Brina rolls her eyes. “This is my internship uniform, Turk. I got my heels in the car. I declared a major late as hell, and if I’ma graduate with job prospects, I gotta get in the field. And plus… nothing’s changed,” she trails off.

“All I hear is excuses… he straight. Busy as fuck, but when we do link, he in good spirits. As good as he can be.”

Her phone begins to vibrate in her hand, and I grin when I see the picture on her screen. “Spoke that nigga up. Go ‘head and answer.”

She’s swiping her thumb before I can get the words out, and there goes my bro, scowling at her.

“The fuck you doing with Turk, B? Yo lunch only an hour.”

I lean over and wink at him. “You in our business, Dub.”

Brina pushes me away from her. “He called me out here to visualize a club he wants to do. Don’t have me revoke your location privileges, tracking me. We are not together, Case.”

“B, I already had a day. Please keep yo bullshit to the minimum.”

Brina grins and begins to walk away, fussing at Set with the biggest smile on her face. She posted she got a rose tattoo and his name tatted late last year, and then he liked it, and the rest been history. She’s still playing like they got hella reasons for not being together, but I’m hoping they figure it out.

Shit, out of me and Set, one of us should get to be with the one we love.

I take out my phone and text back my cinnamon apple. It’s some bullshit text about me getting Deuce tomorrow, but now that she and her girlfriend Patience are serious, that’s all we really talk about.

Patience don’t strike me as the type to regulate Auty; I’m sure she’s putting up these thick ass boundaries because she thinks that will please Patience. But since she can never just not talk to me, now, she just texts me dumb trivial shit about Deuce as an excuse to talk to me.

And I play along, because it keeps us talking every day.

Exiting my texts, I start taking videos of the place, followed by pictures, and send them to Nut. Slowly but surely, he’s getting the hang of being a single dad, but just because it’s just me doesn’t mean I make any moves without him. 

He likes the pictures and videos, then sends me a listing for a club in foreclosure up in the Bay Area. He sends another screenshot of the meeting he booked with the bank for the following week, and I like the message before walking out the stank ass burnt building.

Brina looks up from her phone, her smile damn near permanent. “Casey told me not to ask, but I wanted to know if you wanted to grab some lunch? My godfather is my boss, so I won’t exactly get in trouble if I take the rest of the day.”

I snatch Brina’s phone from her and grin at my bro. “You a hating ass nigga, boy. Ain’t you got shit to handle?”

“Yeah, I’m finna make my way to y’all asses right now for playing with me.” Set tries to keep a straight face, before them dimples pop out and we both laugh at each other.

“Nah foreal, go and get as much info as you can. I need to know if my baby showing other niggas where my name tatted.”

Brina takes her phone back and scowls into the camera. “You are not funny. Bye, nigga.”

“Ay. Call me when you get on the road. I’m serious, Sabrina Anaïs.”

My sis melts right there, and nods before hanging up.

“You a simp,” I joke, dodging her heavy hand. “Come on. It’s an Italian spot on campus. You can follow me in your car.”

Brina grins as I open her driver door for her. “My favorite. Oh, and Turk?”

I close her in. “Wassup?”

“Oasis is gonna be fire.”

I wink at her and smirk. “Glad to see yo ass got some vision.”