Meet Mina...

*So this was supposed to be a quick short story but once I started flowing it evolved into something more. So I will post this in parts. Here is part 1*



I met this young woman while I was taking a break from filming. I was patronizing a local liquor store when I saw her make a drug deal. She couldn’t have been older than 16. I saw her pull a vial of crack, a red top, out of her poorly counterfeited Gucci purse. The addict tried to short the girl 2 dollars and she punched him right in the face and he pulled the crumpled up bills and gave them to her. “Don’t try that shit again, Lou!” she yelled. I wasn’t the only one in that store. I was, however, the only one disturbed. How is it that a young girl could openly sell hard narcotics to an elder at 11:15 on a Tuesday morning and no one thinks anything of it? She saw somebody she knew and hustled out of the store to catch up. Absent mindedly I ran after her, ignoring the store owner who wanted the money for the orange soda I had in my hand. It’s laughable now that I think of it. He let the little girl slang crack but was going to hound me for 80 fuckin cents.

I got up to her while she was with a group of older dudes. “Hey…. Hey…. Why aren’t you in school?” A big dude, who later I got to know as Ace, stepped up to me. “Yo, Mina who the fuck is this bitch?...” I felt disrespected but I was out of bounds. I would take being called a bitch and keeping my life over a brutal beating that was sure to be handed to me if I fought for my honor. You have to pick your battles, and I knew Ace would win every battle and eventually any war that we had. Mina looked at me and was like, “Some broad who been snooping around the hood lately. She always got some damn camera in her hand and these niggas is just crawling over themselves to be in front of it with they dumb ass. Up here acting like she in some 3rd world country doin films for national geographic or some shit.” I had been to 3rd world countries and little did she know, they had more in common than she could ever imagine. I dare not say that though. Mina was interesting to me. I wanted to get to know more about her. For some reason I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task. She has a story and I wanted to hear it. “Can I interview you?” She laughed hard as hell. “Yo, Ace this bitch wants to interview me.” She turned her attention back to me, “Look. The last time I was interviewed was by a D.A. Needless to say I’m not fond of interviews. So you can take your camera and whatever story you’re trynna expose and go back to whatever ritzy neighborhood you hail from. Unless you giving my people money or jobs then please be on your way.” I knew this girl was bright. I just didn’t know how she ended up here. She was walking away but my curiosity wouldn’t allow me to just let her slip. As a documentarian by nature I am nosey. I also have a 6th sense about people who are put in my life to open my eyes. Mina was one of those people. “Look, no camera. Just me, you, and lunch.” She laughed. She seemed to think I was a comedian. “Bitch I’m not gay.” Now I was starting to become frustrated. “You ignorant cunt…” As soon as the words escaped my mouth I wished I could catch up to them and swallow them, but they were already in the atmosphere. The next thing I know Mina’s fist, adorned with two gold rings was buried in my cheek. She stared at me as I stumbled to catch my footing. When I got enough balance I lunged at her throat. One of her friends was going to attack me but Ace held her back. I got a few licks in before Mina shut my whole situation down. She grabbed me by the throat and pushed me up against the wall just like a man would. She drew back to hit me but something stopped her. She knew I wasn’t from here. She knew that I had no idea of how the streets worked and she pitied me for my ignorance. She let me go. She picked up her bag and I could hear her friends giving her a hard time for not finishing me off. I heard her say, “That’s the difference between you and me. I’m not breaking a sweat over no bitch.” I knew she was just putting up a front for her friends. Her eyes exposed her to me. I had to know the person behind her legend. I had to know Mina.