Caught Up. Shannon Holmes

loud sounds coming from the home security system jolted Dixyn from her slumber. Still groggy, it took a few seconds for the noise to fully register. Then Dixyn heard loud footsteps ascending the stairs. Frightened, she did the only thing she could do: she desperately shook Bryce until he awoke.

      “What?” he said, irritated. Bryce hated when his serene sleep was interrupted.

      “Bryce, wake up! The alarm is going off and someone’s coming up the stairs.”

      Before Bryce could respond, the cause of the security alert was at the closed bedroom door. Dixyn cringed and hid behind Bryce. In a split second, the door burst open. “DEA!” a deep voice shouted. “Put your hands where we can see ’em.” Flashlight beams suddenly illuminated the room and two husky Caucasian men rushed in, followed by half a dozen other officers dressed in black army fatigues and bulletproof vests. Dixyn was yanked out of bed naked, flung to the floor, and handcuffed. Bryce received harsher treatment, as he was body-slammed down hard and handcuffed tightly.

      “Bryce Winters?” the federal agent barked as he rolled Bryce over onto his back. Another agent came over with an eight-by-ten photograph and handed it to his superior. The first agent stared at the picture and then shone his flashlight down on his captive. “Yeah, it’s him. Looks like we came at a bad time, huh, Bryce? Looks like you and the old lady was rolling around in the sack. Hope it was good, because that is the last piece of ass you’re gonna get for the next twenty years. Unless you start liking boys.” The room burst into laughter. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak with an attorney and have one present during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you.”

      Dixyn lay handcuffed on the floor, confused, but Bryce knew exactly what this was about. He had committed a cardinal sin: selling large quantities of drugs to a customer who turned out to be a federal agent. Initially he’d had a funny feeling about the guy, but another well-trusted client had reassured him that the guy was “good money.” This momentary lapse in judgment had now come back to haunt him.

      Chapter Two

       Three months later

      “Eight hundred bucks, take it or leave it, miss, but that’s my final offer,” the pawn shop owner said.

      “But you told me on the phone you would give me fifteen hundred!” Dixyn fired back.

      “Listen, I know what I said. But—and this is a big but—that was before I saw the merchandise. I thought it was one thing; it turned out to be another. You can never be too sure about these things, especially jewelry, until you see it,” he calmly replied. “Now, as I said before, it’s eight hundred. Take it or leave it.”

      A lot had changed in Dixyn’s life since Bryce was arrested, though she felt lucky not to have been locked up along with him. Financially, things were going from bad to worse. Bryce’s impending federal trial had already exhausted any money he had stashed on the streets. Dixyn’s car had been repossessed by the dealer; the Range Rover would be taken too as soon as the repo caught up with her. The town house was in foreclosure. It seemed like every day the bills continued to mount. Her money woes were so troubling that Dixyn felt like she was losing her sanity.

      She nervously fiddled with the engagement ring that her fiancé had given her. It was more than just a ring to her. There was no dollar amount that she could place on it. Yet on the other hand, it was one of the few remaining items of value that she had left. Dixyn was torn by her need to sell the ring in order to stay above water, and the romantic notion of keeping it and suffering in silence.

      “I don’t have all day, miss. What are we going to do here?” the pawn shop owner asked, interrupting her thoughts.

      “Okay, I’ll take it,” Dixyn said regretfully, handing over her engagement ring.

      Secretly, the man smiled. He knew he had gotten over big time on Dixyn. The resale value on that ring was a whole lot more than the measly sum he was paying out to her, but he didn’t feel one ounce of remorse. He wasn’t in the caring business, he was in the business of making money: buy low and sell high. It was business, never personal.

      “Gimme a minute. I have to write up a ticket and give you a receipt. The terms and conditions, as far as payments go, will be on the back. I suggest you read them carefully. I’ll be right back with your cash.”

      Given the depth of Dixyn’s financial woes, this money wouldn’t go far in helping her get back on her feet. As far as she was concerned, the money was already spent. Dixyn planned on using the cash to take care of some of her basic necessities, like turning her electricity back on, and whatever remained she would use to buy gas and go grocery shopping.

      Cash in hand, Dixyn exited the pawn shop, even more stressed out than when she had entered. She agonized for days over this. The engagement ring was the last piece of Bryce she had. Now it was gone. Dixyn knew she wouldn’t dare bring herself to tell him what she had done. She was too ashamed. As she drove away, her mind ran wild with all kinds of thoughts about Bryce and her financial future.

      But Dixyn was in self-preservation mode right now. While Bryce had his legal matters to deal with, she had her own day-to-day, real-life issues to address, like taking care of her daughter and keeping a roof over their heads. With her breadwinner gone, suddenly she had a different set of priorities, like surviving. Dixyn stared into the abyss of an uncertain future. With no education other than a high school diploma, her sources of income were limited at best. Dixyn knew some tough times lay ahead if she didn’t do something, and fast.

      Immediately after Bryce’s arrest, his brother B-Dub called Dixyn up and said he was going to hold her down financially. But as of yet, that hadn’t materialized. Dixyn had never even him before and hadn’t heard a word from him since. Even Kendra had warned her about this mythical dark knight who was supposed to ride into town and save the day.

      “Bitch, you better stop waiting on some nigga you don’t know to help you. You better get up, get out, and get something on your own. A nigga got you into this predicament in the first place. D, save ya’self. You are the solution to all your problems. You wait on that nigga if you want. Just don’t hold your breath. I been tryin’ to tell you how to get this money, but your uppity ass won’t listen to me.”

      Dixyn had to admit that Kendra had some valid points. Kendra was a hustler; she and Dixyn weren’t of the same ilk. Kendra was a go-getter while Dixyn was used to having everything handed to her. As long as she’d known Kendra, she always had her own shit. Fuck niggas, get money was Kendra’s mantra. Unfortunately for her, it was an attitude that got her in trouble from time to time. And now, with Bryce gone, Kendra was beginning to heavily influence Dixyn.

      After running some errands and paying the electric company, Dixyn returned home to find the lights back on. As she put away her groceries, Dixyn briefly contemplated bringing her daughter back home. She felt like she couldn’t take another day alone in the quiet house. Dixyn’s mother had been watching the child on the night of her birthday—the morning after her home had been raided, she had asked her mother to keep the child while she dealt with the mess. But the months were passing.

      Dixyn pushed the thought of reuniting with her child out of her mind. In this state, she would be unable to properly care for her daughter. Besides that, with no cable TV, no access to the Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon, Dixyn would be hard-pressed to entertain her. Cable TV and the Internet used to be necessities, but they had suddenly turned into luxuries that she couldn’t afford. Now Kendra crossed her mind again, so she picked up her cell phone.

      “Well, it’s about fuckin’ time! You were supposed to have been called me back, bitch!” Kendra snapped on the other end of the line. “What’s poppin’? Where you been?”

      “Pawn shop,” Dixyn mumbled.

      “Bitch, speak up! I ain’t understand a word you said.”

      “I said I was at the pawn shop,” Dixyn repeated as her eyes began to water.

      “Doin’