Charlotte had an influx of transplants after 9/11. All these New York folk had enough, and they eyeballed are markets down here.
“I can live like a king”
In comparison to $ ?
Yes, your dollar stretches out here because ,,because because because,,,
Because it’s the South,,duh…
So I started working with this guy, Nick.
We were working for old man Tom, doing vinyl window replacement jobs,,
-Go to a house
-take a hammer and a chisel
-rip the old windows out
-put the new windows in
-clean up while Tom did the aluminum trim
-drive off with the trash.
Think I was making,,uhmm,, maybe $300 a week.
Could barely support rent and a drug/nicotine habit.
Something I learned from Nick and his people..
In the 90’s and 00’s,,.
Everybody loves a blunt.
And the first time you hang with someone, they inspect..
They scope out your blunt rolling skills,, almost like a method to test you.
“Is this guy a poser?”
A tight chocolate Philly later…
“Nah”
NIck’s joke speed was quick.
Italian smart ass,, the speed of the ball breaking. Always looking to verbally stab someone, but,,,and I mean this,, he did it with love.
There was love at the core.
We had a large job and talked me into staying with him and his girl for a few days, we rolled blunts, we got champagne and strawberries, then we chilled in his apartment complex’s hottub. Listening to Busta Ryhmes and all that New York shit.. drinking Champagne with strawberries in the glass.
I thought Nick was a tough guy.
We’re listening to tough guy rap…
But strawberries and champagne…
Gangster rap has its soft side.
Nick is cool as fuck, wonder what happened to him?
I heard he and his girl had a kid.
Nick told me one time,,
He said he hit someone in the face with a brick. He said he left immediately and had no idea if they lived or died..
I think he was fuckin with me.
But we were drinking,,, seems like the time you would “unhide” some personal heavy stuff..
I always wondered if Nick killed someone. Said it was a long Time ago,, somewhere in the Bronx…
He coulda been fuckin with me.
Like, I could see him as a guy with a temper,, but I dunno,, something about the way he was saying it..
I think he wanted me to believe that he was a bad ass. And had a maybe murder in his past…
I dunno,
He was cool with me.
We had fun chilling, chopping it up.
New York and North Carolina dialects , going back and forth..
I got no beef with the North.
I like em.
dawn 