The Game Chose Me: A Ghetto Story by the O. G. Bobby Mcelrath

By Bobby Mcelrath

Ever felt that the way you are living is not the life you wanted? JJ had been feeling this way his whole life. After his drunk and abusive father left him, with his mother and his big brother, he felt it was up to him to take care of his family. As JJ went through life, he encountered many situations that he did not want. But just like life, you rolled on or got rolled over. JJ chose to roll on, and as society failed him, he realized that he didnt choose the game but that the game chose him.

Join JJ on his struggle through life and whats right and wrong. Follow him as he transitions from a scared little boy to a self-made man. How will it all play out? You got to read to find out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524525576

Bobby Mcelrath

Bobby Mcelrath was once considered as an original OG. The streets and prison became his life until he met a man who came from the coast of Africa to America and helped him change his way of thinking. Bishop Wesley Arijie helped Bobby to go from incarceration to inspiration. From the early days to The Game Chose Me, some people will understand that sometimes the life they live isn’t the life they chose. Special thanks to Brandon Wallace; Charles “Ice-Berg” Taylor; my one and only beautiful queen, Ms. Mamie McKinney; and my Dyersburg Christian Center family.

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© 2016 by Bobby Mcelrath.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5245-2558-3

               eBook           978-1-5245-2557-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 07/15/2016

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

1) The Early Days

2) Caught Up!

3) Trapped In The Game

4) The Image Of A Man

5) The Big Pay Back

6) A Made Man

7) The Death Of A Rider

8) Back On The Block

9) Seek And Destroy

10) He Had To Pay

11) No Rest For The Weary

12) The Night I Fell

13) A Ghetto Tale

14) J Meets B

15) The Game Chose Me

16) City Under Siege

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the real ones who understand the everyday struggles in life. And to those who are quick to criticize without knowing. My prayers go out to you.

Acknowledgements

I send major shout outs to my creator in whom all Glory, Honor and Praise is due. Without the Almighty there would be no me or book. God is God all by himself!! I love you, Love. I love you Greg forever!! I am eternally thankful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for blessing me with a beautiful mother, Naomi Love McElrath. In dealing with me and Greg, this woman has been richly blessed by God to stand the test of time. A mother’s love goes deeper than the ocean. Greg, I thank you for being my big brother. Staying hard on me when I needed it. I couldn’t have made it without you and Love. To my Bishop, Bishop Wesley Arijie, I thank you from the depths of my heart for never giving up on me and believing in me. Without you, I wouldn’t have been motivated in writing this book. And it was you who helped save my life. And to those who have been ten toes down with me from the start. My Love, Greg, Marcus, Karen, Ruthie, Katherine, W.G., My grandbabies, Pierre, P.J>, Omar, Jay Jay, Rex, Ced, Dolo, B.J., Shonta, Candance, J’Maya, Mert, Ronnie, Linda, Barbara, Mario, Lucky, Johnny Cool. To special friends: Kenneth Taylor, James Adams, Lacy Mims, and Andre V. Chism, Jr.

I also dedicate this book to the memory of some fallen soldiers. Some true brick layers who was taken too soon. But through it all God knew best: Al, Jimmy, Kenny, Cedric, Glenn, Rocky, Michael, Ivory, Brandon, Derrick, Sleepy, Marr Marr, Joe, Lynn, Mane Mane, Snapp, Twin, Bill Baby.

Prologue

My Mother and My Brother

We Were All Alone,

Looking for our daddy

But daddy was gone,

I’m Trapped inside a maze

Labeled as a Thug,

Showing No Mercy

I forgot how to Love,

Now Society blames Me

For all these wrongs I’ve Done,

But also blame My Daddy

For leaving his sons,

When you look at My Picture

I want you to see,

I didn’t Choose the game

THE GAME CHOSE ME!!!!

Chapter 1

The Early Days

From being an adolescent

I was taught a Lesson

To Never leave home

Without A Smith and Wesson

The Games of Chance

I wasn’t playin

No food on the table

I wasn’t stayin

When my pockets got length

I had to shake it

And when there was No funds

I had to Make it

Momma struggling hard

To pave the way

From cookin in the kitchen

From day to day

Some parts of this game

Was Just a fade

While growin up hard

IN THE EARLY DAYS!!!!

While growing up without a daddy, that had a very profound effect upon J.J. But as for Pierre, well, he just rolled with the punches. And someday that would become his logo. There were many nights J.J. and Pierre would lie awake in bed, remembering those frightening times when their daddy would come home drunk and beat on their mother for no reason. And after all the madness, that he did to their mother, the coward had the nerve to leave them fatherless. You know J.J., Pierre said, since pops left us bro, what we gonna do? You know mom is struggling everyday bro, just to make ends meet and to make sho me and you is straight. Pierre looked at his younger brother and could see the hurt and frustration written all over his face. In the back of J.J.’s mind, he was aware of the painful reality that he and Pierre were faced with. As young as they were, they were now for themselves. Even though J.J. was the youngest, he believed that he was destined to carry the load for the sake of his family. With total confidence, J.J. said to his brother, no matter which way the wind may blow, we are in it to win. And soon he would live up to those exact words. J.J. placed his hands upon Pierre shoulders, and with a brother’s love, he smiled and said, get yourself on point big bro, because tomorrow it’s going to be a day for looting. The only thing Pierre could do for the moment was smile.

The following day before J.J. got up with his crew members: Pierre, Omar, P.J, and Ice-Berg, he went to see his girlfriend Antoinette. And when he knocked on the door, it surprised him to see how quickly Antoinette opened the door. She looked at him with the glow of an angel. Come on baby, Antoinette said, my mother is gone with some of her church friends. She grabbed a hold of his hand, and led him to her bedroom, while her little brother Rex was napping on the couch. Inside her room as always, she kept it neat and in order. Antoinette and J.J. grew up together, and without a doubt she was in love with her young soldier. And before they got ready to take care of the business, he grabbed her and pulled her close to him and held her in his arms. He whispered the words I love you, and together they shared a gentle kiss, that seemed to last for a time. If there was ever a real childhood love, this one took precedence.

Gina, a short woman about 5ft. 6inches. A very attractive woman, well-mannered and very hard working. She had so much to deal with now, since her husband left her all alone with her two sons. Sometimes the problems in her life weighed on her to the extent that she found temporary relief in a bottle. Gina worked at the Holiday Inn as a cook in a small town 78 miles outside of Memphis. Every morning when Gina came home from work, she would bring her mother and two sons a plate from the Inn. Gina and her mother lived on the same street. As a matter of fact, they lived across the street from each other. Now when Gina made it home, she realized her sons weren’t there, which wasn’t like them not being there when she came home. So she decided to walk over to her mother’s house and spend some time with her. When Gina knocked on the door, she held her plate in her hands. When Mary heard Gina’s voice she said, come in baby. Now Mary was a heavy set woman who appeared to possess the strength of a lion, and when it came to Gina she was very compassionate towards her. When you look at Mary, you could see wisdom so old inside her eyes that when she spoke you had to take notice. This woman loved her daughter and her grandsons, and even though she was a strong woman born and raised in Mississippi, she always had a soft spot for Gina. You know mom, Gina said, it gets hard sometimes when you got to work and struggle to take care of two sons all alone; especially when your finances not up to par. Before Mary spoke, she was studying her precious Gina, trying to find the right words to console her. Finally, after a few minutes had passed, Mary said, baby when your daddy died, it was all on me. I had to take care of you and your sister Jennifer, and that was not a very easy task. I felt the same way you are feeling now, but what makes our situation a little different, I had girls to look after and you have boys. All of a sudden a sadness came over Gina, as tears fell from her eyes. Mom you know I can give them all the motherly love in this world, and you can do the same. But I can’t teach them how to be a man. Mary grabbed her daughter and held her close to her chest, stroking the back of her neck. Something only a mother would do. When Gina made it home, she flopped in her love seat, and began to drink her blues away. And just for a little while, all she wanted was to escape from reality.

When Rex heard his sister door open, he was awakened from his nap, and saw J.J. exiting out of Antoinette’s room. Hey J.J., Rex said, what’s poppin? Mom must not be here because I see you creepin. J.J. smiled and said, I guess she ain’t lil’ man. By that time after getting herself together, Antoinette came out her room and walked J.J. to the front door. She whispered to him with a note of concern, J.J. will I be able to see you later on? J.J. didn’t hesitate with his answer. I don’t think so, he implied, Me and a few of my guys are headed downtown to take care of some business. That definitely was the answer Antoinette was grasping for. There was no doubt that the both of them was in love with one another.

J.J. moved out quickly, as he headed to the east side of town. And all he could think about was making life a bit easier for him and his family. His every thought concerning the livelihood of Gina, Pierre, and Mary only strengthened his will to survive. Once he made it across the tracks, he met up with his crew. Pierre, did you put our brothers up on the business, J.J. stated? As J.J. was awaiting his brother to answer, he couldn’t help but to admire Pierre. Pierre looked up at his younger brother filled with confidence. Yeah bro, Pierre said, I gave them the business and they’re down with it, you feel me? Righteous then, J.J. said, let’s do it. So all of them got on their bikes, as they were headed downtown. Now on this particular day, the sun was shining very bright, as cars were moving at a normal speed. And most of the stores were busy with all types of customers. As the crew got off their bikes, heading towards the stores, Ice-berg saw a girl he recognized from school. And when J.J. saw this it angered him, because he knew this was a distraction. He screamed at Ice-berg to come on. We don’t have time for this crap! J.J. said. And without another word, Ice-berg came along smoothly. Just like a brother J.J. had mad love for Ice-berg, because he knew without a doubt that Ice-berg had his back. Even though he was a little head strong, Ice-berg was a real soldier. As they entered the stores, they immediately started looting things off the shelves, as if there was no one in sight. Unfortunately, there was someone lurking in the dark watching their every move. Sometimes in this world, even eyes have eyes.

It was becoming very late in the evening, when Gina was awakened from her sleep. She heard the phone ring, and before she answered she looked around and called out to see if J.J. and Pierre had made it home. And to her dismay, they hadn’t made it. When Gina answered the phone, a soft voice with a young girl tone spoke very softly, Ms. Gina this is Antoinette. I was calling to see if J.J. made it home yet. No, Gina replied, I haven’t seen him or Pierre all day. Antoinette demeanor began to change when she remembered something J.J. had told her. Ms. Gina earlier today, J.J. was over my house. And since I haven’t heard from him in a while, I felt a need to call. But I didn’t know he never came home. Antoinette never told Gina what J.J. had said to her. Gina was fully alert and very concerned about her sons. Antoinette, Gina said, if you hear from J.J. before I do please call me. Yes Ms. Gina I will do just that. When Antoinette hung up the phone, she felt herself becoming sick again. But that didn’t stop her form thinking about the boy of her dreams. But still Antoinette didn’t quite understand why she kept on throwing up all day. Gina was becoming very nervous at this moment. She refused to sit at home, and now she felt the urge to move around. So she decided to walk back over to her mom’s house. The first thing she did was cry out to her mom. Ok baby, Mary said, I’m coming. Mary hurried up and opened the door for Gina. And when she looked at her daughter, she saw the tears in her eyes. Baby, Mary said, What’s wrong? Gina was in such a hurry, now she had to catch her breath. Mom, Gina said tearfully, Since I been home from work, my boys haven’t showed up yet. And you know that’s not like them Mom. I was asleep when the phone woke me up. It was J.J.’s girlfriend Antoinette. She was calling to see if he had made it home, because earlier he was over her house and she thought he was going to call her once he made it home. It had been a while since she seen him, and she felt she needed to call and check on him. Mom, Gina said with a great concern coming from her voice, I have this gut feeling that something is wrong. Mary looked at her daughter with a mother’s compassion, leaned over and wiped her tears away. Gina, she said, the day is still young, give it a little more time."

While Antoinette sat in her room, thinking and so confused, it became clear to her that she didn’t know what was going on with J.J., but there was one thing perfectly clear in her mind. She was in love with him. By this time, Lil’ Rex was headed towards Antoinette’s room. He stopped and began to listen as he heard strange noises coming from inside her room. When he opened the door to check on Antoinette, he saw her bent over throwing up all over the floor. Rex looked at his sister with a note of pity in his voice, and he said, what is wrong with you? She looked up at her little brother and said, I don’t know Rex, but I’ve been doing this all day. Well, Rex said, we are going to wait until mom gets here because she will know what to do. For the moment Antoinette had stopped throwing up and found time to relax on her queen size bed. As she laid there all she could think about was J.J., the love of her life. And inside her wildest dreams, she could never fathom being without him. Those summer nights when they held hands, walking side by side, Antoinette could never forget how J.J. would hold her in his arms and how deep he would look into her eyes. She knew without a doubt J.J. loved her.

J.J. and his crew made it out the store when they heard the police sirens going off. J.J. screamed at his crew to move out. His members were on their bikes moving out in opposite directions, but J.J. stayed behind to make sure his team got away. One of the officers came toward him and instructed J.J. not to move. J.J. stood there with his hands by his side showing no guilt, no emotions, just remembering the days when his daddy broke bad. Pierre was already at home when the phone started ringing. Pierre had already told Gina what had happened. Gina picked up the phone and said hello. Yes this is D.P.D. we are calling to inform you that we have your son at the station and we would like for you to come pick him up. Yes, of course, Gina said, I will be there A.S.A.P. When Gina hung up the phone, she told Pierre to stay at home until she got back. Pierre smiled at Gina and said, you know I will. Now Gina was on her way to find her friend Linda, because she needed to use her car to go and pick up J.J. The thing about Gina, it was plain to see, when it came down to her sons she was going to stand beside them. On their way to the house, J.J. was very quiet. And as they were leaving the D.P.D., Gina stopped at the hamburger stand that stood at the corner. While she ordered hamburgers and fries for her family, J.J. was preoccupied with two things on his mind: Antoinette and his next move.

The first thing Gina did before they made it to the house was to drop Linda’s car back off to her. She stood with Linda for a minute engaged in small talk and then she and J.J. walked around the corner headed to Mary’s house before going home. When Pierre saw them turn the corner, he followed behind them, rubbing the side of J.J.’s head laughing. And there wasn’t a day that passed by that J.J. didn’t want to be around his brother. One thing that J.J. understood without saying, he looked up to his big brother, Pierre, with great admiration. When they made it inside Mary’s house, Mary took the food that Gina offered her. And when she sat down to eat, Mary looked at her grandson and said, When we are finished, I would like to share a word with you guys. And out of respect for Mary, at the same time, they both said, Yes, Ma’am.

Mary spoke to her grandsons with a very strong conviction. The love she had in her heart for these two boys out-shined the brightest of stars. In a strong and compelling voice, she said, My sons there is going to come a time in your life when you are not going to be able to understand every situation in that life brings you into. But I want you guys to know that there is a God who understands your situations and your every need. While J.J. was listening to his grandmother speak about God, he kept wondering why God would allow so many to live the good life and him and his family had to suffer. Inside his mind he tried to do the math, but it still didn’t add up. When they made it home, J.J. looked at Gina and gave her a hug and said, Momma, we is going be just fine. I know, baby, Gina replied, I know.

Pierre was on the phone talking to a few of their crew members, Omar and P.J. Pierre handed the phone to J.J. What’s up bro? J.J. said. Just chillin’ with Omar, P.J. said. Just being concerned about you, playa. For sho, J.J. said, Listen bro, I’m gonna get at you cats tomorrow man right after school and go over some things we need to get down on. You feel me. For sho, P.J. said. So call Ice-berg and pull his coat, said J.J. I got cha playa, P.J. said, and suddenly the phone clicked off.

Gina was in the front room relaxing on the love seat watching T.V. when Pierre entered the room and said, Momma, me and J.J. is going to be in our room chillin’ if you need us. Okay? Gina smiled and said, Okay baby boy. I got cha. Pierre left the room smiling at Gins’s sarcasm. When Pierre walked back into their room, J.J. was dialing a number. The voice that answered the phone, he recognized immediately. Hello, the voice said. Hey Lil Rex. This is J.J., lil man, let me speak to Antoinette. Rex hesitated for a minute and then said, Antoinette been sick all day, J.J. Momma is in the room right now with her. By that time Ann shouted who was on the phone. It’s J.J., Momma, Rex said, he want to talk to Antoinette. Before Ann was given a chance to respond, Antoinette said, Please Momma let me talk to J.J. I promise I won’t be long. At first Ann hesitated and then she instructed Rex to bring her the phone. "Yes J.J., this is