CHAPTER FOUR
1999 – Making Moves
As soon as I’d settled in to my new place, it was time for me to jump start my long-delayed personal trajectory. My first call was to June’s fine-ass friend, Mundo, who conveniently was staying only a few blocks south.[1] I hit his pager with my code. It took him a while to call, but that was okay. I counted to three before picking up on the second ring. I didn’t want to appear too eager, if at all possible.
“Mundo!” I was so excited to let him know where I was and what I was up to, I just knew I sounded like a seven-year-old on Christmas morning.
“Sporty Spice!” he replied, teasing me with the nickname he knew I hated. I chose to ignore it.
“Mundo, guess where I am,” I said.
“In Hartford, in that dirty Hare Krishna squat? Did they give you a tambourine and shave your head yet?”
“NOPE!” I squealed. “I’m right by you! I got a place on Halsey and Throop! I’m all moved in and all set up. You should stop over for a drink.”
“A’ight, bet,” he said. “I’ll be there in under an hour.”
“Okay, Mundo,” I replied. “Don’t make me wait too long!”
It was on. Just like I’d planned.
Two-and-a-half hours later, I heard Mundo outside my window, calling my name.
“Eula!”
I looked down and saw Mundo standing on the sidewalk with three other guys.
He smiled up at me and said, “Hey, I brought my boys.”
I threw down the keys. It would’ve been nice to live in a building with an actual, working buzzer system but you know how it goes- sometimes you gotta work with what you got.
As soon as I heard footsteps lumbering up to my top floor apartment, I threw the door open and gave Mundo a huge hug. The second our bodies connected I felt this insane surge of energy pass between us. I pulled back for a beat and looked into his eyes. Doe was so fine I wasn’t even sure I’d have a chance with him. But by the way he was smiling down at me, I think he felt the connection as well.
The moment passed and I broke off the hug. I filed the feeling away in my memory to examine later on.
Then, with an airline hostess smile, I ushered everyone into my crib.
After we were settled, I dapped up his boys, who Mundo introduced as Biz, Cabrón and Luciano. Biz was short, chunky and goofy looking like the rapper Biz Markie, hence the nickname. Cabrón was a tall, slick talking Dominican from the border of Williamsburg and the Stuy. Luciano was Biz’s baby mother’s sister’s son, and obviously a lady-killer-in-training.
As far as roles and responsibilities went, from what I could tell, Biz was giving off the vibe that he was Mundo’s second in command. Brón seemed to be Doe’s driver as well as the crew’s main advance man- their ear to the street. Luciano was the young’n of the squad- about nineteen years old and obviously eager to get a leg up in the game.
It meant a lot that Mundo brought his crew with him this first time to my little crib.
As soon as all of these fine-ass men crossed my threshold, I was immediately included in the business at hand. I lit a jumbo stick of Kush incense and put some mood music on. Luciano dug deep into the bottom of his teal blue North Face backpack and pulled out a pound of Saran Wrapped hydro and a smaller amount of heroin. Time to get to bagging. We stood around my breakfast bar, cramming buds into twenty-bags and funneling the dope into baggies. Low-End Theory[2] was playing softly in the background.
I thought it was adorable that they’d want to start me out on an easy task. It seemed as if they’d mistaken me for a clueless, Westchester white girl, but they really had no idea how far deep I was in the game.
And at the same time, it was quite clear that I didn’t really know the scope of Mundo’s operations. That first day, I got a feeling it was far more far-reaching than what I’d assumed back when I was in Connecticut- but I was never one to ask questions.
We spent well into the early evening hanging out at my breakfast bar, breaking down product and listening to music. I tried to control my obvious attraction to Mundo, but it wasn’t easy. He was standing so close to me. I wondered how it would all shake out.
“Ah shit,” Doe said eventually, glancing at his big-ass Rolex. “It’s late. We gotta bounce.”
He jerked his head at Cabrón, who nodded briefly.
Luciano started loading up his North Face with the work.
Biz asked me if he could use the bathroom. Once he returned, I stood up to walk everyone to the door.
As he headed out, Luciano pressed a couple of baggies into my hand, and gave me a Kool-Aid smile.
It was a lock.
I was in.
[1] This is false. Mundo never took Eula to his apartment or told her his correct address.
[2] A Tribe Called Quest, Low End Theory, 1991
