Prologue

 

Montgomery Alabama.

 

Valentino Hart was an adorable little ten year old boy. He had rich, smooth, dark skin, a good grade of hair, and big brown puppy dog eyes. His eyelashes were long and silky. The kid was about a puff of air away from being considered gorgeous. He, along with his older brother Marco, lived in the Gibbs Village Housing Projects with their grandparents. Valentino's loves in life were his family, Jesus, going to school, farm animals, chocolate covered peanuts, and Tonya Miles. Tonya was a cute little dark skin girl that attended school with Valentino at George Washington Carver Elementary. Valentino had the biggest crush, that a little boy ever suffered from, on Miss Miles. However, he hadn't reached the age yet where young boys had the confidence to simply walk up to a girl and express to them their feelings. Instead, he suffered silently from a distance while keeping his puppy love feelings bottled up.

One sunny afternoon his grandfather asked him how things were going at school. Valentino broke down and told the old man about his secret crush. His grandfather listened to all of the youngster's insecurities and fears about approaching the young girl. He had to force himself not to laugh, because he remembered vividly what it was like to be that age and how terrifying it was when dealing with the opposite sex. So, he gave little Valentino some grandfatherly advice. Valentine's Day was approaching fast and he thought it would be the perfect opportunity for Valentino to make his move on the unsuspecting young Tonya Miles. He pressed the issue to Valentino that presentation was everything. He needed to present, to this young girl, the very best version of himself. He needed to look good, smell good,  and move with confidence. He also taught him that females of all ages loved to receive gifts. "There's no such thing as too much flattery when it comes to women." His grandfather had told him.

Valentino ate up his grandfather's advice like a starving dog in the slums of Gaza. When Valentine's Day arrived Valentino was ready for action. He greased and brushed his hair to perfection, took a long hot bath, lathering himself up with Irish Spring soap, and put on his best Sunday morning Church clothes. He then splashed his face with an excessive amount of his grandfather's Old Spice aftershave. To top it off, he purchased the girl of his dreams a seven dollar box of chocolates and wrote her a poem that came straight from his innocent heart. The poem read:

The sun is bright, the sky is blue.

The grass is green, the trees are too.

Everything pretty reminds me of you.

The world is yours and I am too.

Happy Valentine's Day Tonya...

 

Valentino was ready to make his move. He left home early that morning to try and catch her before she walked into the schoolyard. He was successful. So far so good. As he waited nervously on the steps that led to the elementary school's entrance, he saw her walking with a group of her friends from the Mobile Heights neighborhood. She was wearing a pretty pink dress with a pair of pink and white Nike sneakers. Valentino's heart was thumping like a bass drum inside of his chest. Spooked wasn't the word to describe how he was feeling, the kid was terrified. He took a deep calming breath, then made his move.

"Hey, Tonya. Can I talk to you for a minute?" His voice trembled.

"Who that?" One of the kids in her group asked. "And why he smell like that?"

"I dunno," Tonya replied with an attitude. "What you want?"

"Uhh... I just wanted to tell you that I think you're really pretty, and I wanna give you this for Valentine's Day," he said, handing her the box of chocolates and the poem he'd written.

All of the kids in her group started laughing.

"Tonya's gotta boyfriend," they sang.

"I ain't got no boyfriend!" She snapped. "I don't even know him!"

"I just want you to be my...uhh...my Valentine." He said with quivering lips.

The kids in her group laughed even harder.

"Boy, you sound dumb as hell! Talking bout be your Valentine! You sound like them white folks on TV! You so ugly and stupid!"

 

At this point even more kids had gathered around to see what all of the commotion was about.

"You making my head hurt with yo musty funky butt!" She continued. "I ain't yo damn Valentine! Here go yo Valentine, stupid nigga!"

She took the top off the box of chocolates and slung it through the air like a Frisbee. Then she dropped the open box of candy on the ground, hiked up her pretty pink dress, and pissed inside of the box. After she finished relieving her bladder she wiped herself with his poem, balled it up, and threw the wet, pissy paper in his face. Valentino was stunned. He couldn't take his eyes off the chocolates floating around the box in her hot, steamy urine. What the hell had just happened? Everyone was laughing and pointing at him as if he were a clown. He stared at her in open mouth shock. For the first time, he noticed that she was cockeyed. And when she laughed, like she was doing at that exact moment, she sounded like a mentally disturbed hyena. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Who was this crazy bitch that he'd fallen in love with?

 

"So, do we go together or not?" She laughed, putting on a show for everyone watching this spectacle take place.

Valentino turned around and ran all the way back to Gibbs Village.

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After arriving home Valentino crawled into his bed and cried himself to sleep. He didn't wake up to later on that evening when his older brother walked into the bedroom.

"What up, fool? What's wrong with you?" Marco asked.

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"Whatever nigga. I already know. The whole west side know." Marco laughed. "Damn fool, I know you shame."

Valentino's eyes began to fill with tears.

"Alright nigga. Don't start that crying shit. Get ya ass up.I know what'll make you feel better."

 Marco was sixteen years old, and always looked out for his baby brother. He hated to see him depressed and crying like a little punk. So, he had a bright idea to lift his baby brother's spirit. They slid inside of Marco's burnt orange box Chevy and sped out of the housing projects. A few minutes later they pulled up in front of a little house on Early Street.

"Who stay here?" Valentino asked from the passenger seat.

"Just be cool lil nigga."

Marco tapped the Chevy's horn three times. A super thick brown skin woman in her late twenties came strutting out of the house. She was wearing a pair of red booty shorts with a matching red halter top that looked as if it were specifically designed for her delicious curves. She had a nasty walk, I'm talking Erica Banks nasty, and the sway of her hips were pure sexual seduction. She sashayed up to the box Chevy, chewing on a piece of bubble gum, with a flirtatious grin on her face.

"Hey Marco," she purred. "What you got going on?"

 

"Just coolin’ with my lil bruh, trying to see what's up with you."

                            ]

"Well, I'm straight right now." Marco told her. "But my lil brother could use some of your special attention. He's had a rough day today."

 

"Damn nigga" She frowned. "He kind of young ain't it?"

 

Marco reached in his pocket and pulled out a fifty dollar bill.

 

"How young he look now?" He said, holding the money in her face.

 

"I don't judge books by the cover," she smiled, taking the money from his hand. "Come on lil bruh. I'm gon make sure you don't never forget this Valentine's Day."

 

Valentino looked at his big brother with fear swimming in his eyes.

 

"Go on lil nigga." He said. "Everythang good. I'll be out here waiting on ya."

 

"But Marco..." Valentino whined.

 

"Go on lil bruh and have some fun. I promise you'll thank me later."

 

Valentino sighed and exited the car. The woman took his hand and led him into the house. He had a look on his face that resembled an inmate being led to the gas chamber. Marco chuckled.

About thirty minutes later Valentino came walking out of the house with the biggest, cheesiest smile on his face that Marco had ever seen. Before he got back in the car he turned around and waved at the woman who taught him what pleasure was all about. She blew him a kiss from the porch.

 

"That was awesome!" He said, sliding in the car. "Thanks Marco!"

 

"It's all good, lil man," Marco replied, as he cranked up the Chevy and peeled off down the street. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

 

"Yup! I think she wants to be my girlfriend!"

 

"That bitch was just doing what she was paid to do."

 

"Huh?" Valentino said, with a confused look on his face.

"She's a whore, lil bruh. All bitches are. And when I say all bitches, I mean all bitches. Especially them project bitches. They damn sure ain't nothing. None of em. They was born to be used, all of em. Tell em what they wanna hear, have fun with em, and then throw em away. They ain't nothing. Don't never let a bitch trick you like she worth something. The only thing they good for is bussin a nut. Don't never forget that. And if you ever feel yourself falling for one of them nothing ass bitches, always remember Tonya Miles and them pissy ass chocolates. Ya feel me?"

 

Marco's words stuck in Valentino's mind, dripped onto his heart, and spread into his tainted soul. He wouldn't forget. He wouldn't ever forget.