She was desperate for money again. She was just about down to her last dollar. She called Kat again but all she had to say was, “Why don’t you call my peoples? They’ll help you out now.”

“Where’s Tender? She ain’t around? She can’t send it?” Goldie asked.

“I don’t know how many times I gotta tell you. Tender don’t fuck wit us like dat. Dat nigga, Q, got her nose wide open …. She’s too busy livin’ it up. I ain’t seen her in weeks. Please.”

Goldie thought, First Tender reneged on their agreement to leave. Now she ain’t nowhere to be found, especially now that she needed her help so desperately. Some friend she was. In her eyes Tender was worse than Kat.

“Okay, I’ma call ’em taday …” Goldie assured her.

“Why don’t you do that? They right there, they can help quicker than I could,” Kat said.

“You sure you gonna be able to do dat tomorrow?” Goldie asked, referring to the money she had asked Kat to send.

“Yeah!” Kat exploded. “I’ma do my part. You just need ta get off da phone wit me and handle dat. Da gurl’s name iz Nikko. I already told her you family … so you in … aiight? Bye!”

“Hold up a minute,” Goldie tried to say, but the line went dead.

Goldie reluctantly dialed the phone number from a pay phone. On the first ring someone answered.

“Helllloooo, Nikko? Dis Kat’s friend, Goldie. She told me ta call you. She said you’d be expecting my call.”

“Okay, yeah, she did mention you. What took ya so long ta call? You wuz suppose ta holla at me.”

“Ummm …” she began. “I got caught up.”

“Yeah, I feel you,” Nikko replied. “But what’z poppin’? What’z really good wit you?”

“Right now, I a li’l fucked up. Had ta leave da club I wuz dancin’ at … too much drama …. My money a li’l funny right now. I need ta start back dancin’ but I don’t know where no otha clubs at,” Goldie told her.

“Where ya rest at?” Nikko asked.

“I’m all da way up in Mount V,” she replied quickly.

“Yeah, you up there near west bubba fuck …. Dat’s da boonies ta me. I stay in Harlem World. So whut you tryin’ ta do? You wanna make some money or whut?”

“Yeah, I wanna make some money,” Goldie repeated. “Whatcha got in mind? You got somethin’ fa me?”

“Umm, I don’t know if you ever heard of dis? But tonight they havin’ dis shit called Da Brainfest. It’s in da Bronx ….” Nikko said.

“Na, I neva heard a dat. Whut iz it?” she asked.