"So?" Lil pushes. Scratching my head, I try to find a nice way to put it, but shit isn't coming to me so here's to being an asshole.
"Can't do shit about the car, so I scrapped it." Lala's face falls and instantly I feel like shit. Dammit! I'm such a dick.
"Are you saying that nothing could be fixed? Nothing at all? Not one fixable thing that could at least get me to school and work?" Lil gives me the death glare. If looks could kill, I'd be dead. She shakes her head and mouths ‘fucking asshole' at me.
I'm at a loss. I don't know what the fuck they wanted me to do with that piece of shit. I sure as fuck wasn't gonna let her drive out of here in that death trap. Lala looks really upset over that stupid fucking car. It was a busted up 90's Honda. That thing is not worth stressing over.
Standing up, she gives me this pained smile and I feel it. I feel that shit in my heart. "I'm sorry for my reaction. God, thank you so much for even trying to fix it for me, Rampage. I know you didn't have to, but you did, so thanks. I knew it wouldn't be long before it fell to pieces on me, I was just hoping I would have a little more time to work and get some money together for a new one." And she means every word. There is so much sincerity in her eyes when she looks at me.
Oh, fuck it. I don't use it and she needs it, so why the fuck not.
"Got an old Chevy SUV you can have. Been meanin' to get rid of it ‘cause I don't use it, and it's just takin' up space. It's safe and now it's yours."
Now I'm giving cars away. She smiles at me again and I find myself trying to think of other shit I can give her just to have her always look at me that way.
"That's so sweet of you, but you can't just give me a car. I don't even have the money to fix my junker, let alone a new one. It means so much to me that you would even offer such a thing, but I'll have to say no thank you. I'll get it worked out, and everything will be just fine."
Damn this girl really doesn't get it.
"Not askin' for money. You want it, I'll send a prospect to get it for you." Her eyebrows shoot up and those pretty blue eyes widen in shock, but she doesn't say anything. I'm really trying to be nice here, but fuck, she's not making it easy. "Want it or not?"
Lala
He has got to be shitting me. He's giving me a car? Just offering me, practically a stranger, a car. I know he's not taking my no for an answer, so I don't know what to do, let alone what to say. He's standing here waiting with his arms crossed, looking annoyed and a little bored. I'm sure my mouth is hanging open at this point.
I look over at Lil and she looks just as shocked as I do.
"Are you fucking with me? Are you serious right now?" I ask him. I'm really trying to process this offer. This can't be real. Shit like this never happens to me and I don't know how the hell to act. He's either the nicest man on the face of this earth, or he's the craziest.
"It's a yes or no, Lala. Not gonna stand here all day while you think about it. Got other shit to do today."
"Anything you want me to do for it?" My question makes him smile ever so slightly, regretting my question from the look he's giving me.
Chuckling, he says, "Can't offer a man shit like that darlin'. A man gets an offer like that ‘n he'll just run with it, ‘n God only knows what he'll do with it." My heart hits my stomach. What the hell is he going to want from me?
"Listen. I'm just tryin' to do somethin' nice. No strings. I scrapped your piece of shit, might as well replace it."
I feel like crying. No one has ever offered me anything, and now someone is offering to give me a car with no strings attached. This is nuts. I want to hug him, but he doesn't look like the hugging type.
"Okay," I whisper. If I talk any louder, it might turn into a sob. "Thank you, Rampage. Like, really, thank you! I will work out some type of payment plan with you. I swear to you that I will pay you back for it."
He gives me a gruff nod. "Yeah, whatever." With that he turns and stomps out of the kitchen, hollering in his deep gruff voice, "Prospect! Get the black Chevy at my place. Clean it ‘n bring it here. Be fuckin' quick about it, too."
///
Turning to Lil, she grins at me like a nut. "As long as I've known him, I have never seen him do any type of shit like this," she tells me.
"Well come on. Let's make him some lunch."
****
"Here Lala," Rampage tosses a set of keys to me an hour later. It's two keys and a keyless remote, attached to a keychain shaped as a motorcycle. How fitting. "It's out front for ya."
All of a sudden I'm nervous. I don't give a shit if it's multi-colored and rusty, I'm just happy as fuck to have a running car so I can get to school and work. Lil grabs my hand up in hers and starts tugging me to the door before I can think about it too much.
"Come on."
Once we are outside, I'm a little lost. He said a black SUV, but this sure as hell can't be it, but it's the only vehicle sitting at the door. The car I'm looking at has to be new, or at least new-ish. It's beautiful.
"This can't be the car," I mutter completely stunned. My mind spins.
Lil busts out laughing, "Girl, I saw him drive it before. This is it."
No way. I can't accept this. I was expecting something old and rusty. Something barely hanging on, paint peeling, mismatched rims, not something shiny, beautiful, and fully functional.
"It gonna work for ya?" Rampage's deep, gruff voice sounds from behind me.
Spinning around, I just stare at him in complete disbelief. "That," I say pointing to the car, "can't be the car you were talking about."
Grabbing the keys from me he frowns, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion, "Babe, not a car. Truck? Maybe. SUV? Yes."
I watch him walk around to the driver's side door. Throwing it open, he waves me over. In a daze I walk over to him, trying to wrap my mind around what this man is doing for me.
"Up."
His rough hands haul me up by my waist as he lifts me up and places me in the driver's seat carefully. Handing me the keys he orders, "Fire ‘er up."
I can't believe this. This is insanity at its finest. "You're really giving me this car?"
"Not a car, Lala. Ask me again, imma change my mind," he says with a smile tugging at his lips.
"I'll pay you every week until it's paid for."
"The fuck you will," he grumbles.
"I can't just accept a car from you, Rampage. I have to pay for it." Shaking his head he looks a little annoyed.
"Let's just call it an early or late birthday present."
"I'm payin' you." I state firmly.
"Sure. Whatever ya want, as long as you'll shut the fuck up about it," With that I can only grin ear to ear.
Lil runs around to the passenger door and hops in. Looking over at her she squeals, "She's a beauty!"
Her excitement prompts my own. Giving my own squeal of pure female happiness, I lose it. I throw my head back and giggle like a complete idiot, but also have tears running down my cheeks from such happiness. Rampage is leaning into the open door, his elbow resting on the open window with a smile in his eyes as he watches me lose my shit.
"Holy fuckin' shit!" I can't stop myself. "This is so fucking crazy!" Throwing my arms around Rampage I pull him into me and I slap a big, hard kiss on those mean, manly lips. I can't help it. He may not be the hugging type, but he's getting one anyway. "Thank you so fucking much! You've no idea what you've done for me today."
He pulls away and looks surprised as hell and a little fucking confused. "Uh-Yeah. Whatever."
Coming to the club a few weeks ago wasn't such a bad idea.
****
Sitting in my driveway in my new car, I feel like I'm on cloud nine. I am so damn happy I could do a little twirl, like an honest to God girly twirl. No one has ever done something like this for me without asking or expecting something in return, yet no one has ever given me anything even close to this. Rampage gave me a shiny black, 2010 Chevy Tahoe. I could kiss him again for it. I'm not at all comfortable with just accepting the car, and I will figure out a way to pay him back for it.
I start to play around with everything, giving the car a good once over. It's beautiful. It's all black, all leather, and everything works. It amazes me how someone who can look so damn mean, be so damn sweet.
My life hasn't been easy. It hasn't been horrible, but it sure as shit could have been better. My mother raised me. She was a stripper who partied for a living, not able to do one without the other. Mom could never sit still, so we were always moving around whenever she got a wild hair up her ass, but it was usually due to some shit she may have caused. She would latch on to a guy, usually married with kids, rip their world apart and move on to the next sucker. She always made sure to put lots of distance between each place, dragging me along on her wild journey of a fast life and fast men. I've never had roots, never settled anywhere. We were the only thing the other had.