Above All Things

By H Mack

Twelve and a half year old Miles Sharp aka Stoney, leaving school on a Friday walks home. Upon arriving at his apartment the woman who’s supposed to be the one person in this world who should to have his health, safety, and wellbeing as her first priority, his mother -Karen Sharp isn’t home. An occurrence that young Miles has become accustomed to. Usually he’s fine fending for himself on days, and nights like this, but In a few hours the forthcoming events will have a profound impact on Miles, Karen, his Beloved Grandmother Ruby, and his two uncles Keith and Bruce.

The proceeding Journey that takes place over the next eleven years are the unpredictable, dangerous, loving, and thrilling experiences that help shape Miles into a decent hearted young man, and will further develop him into a strong capable Warrior that his late Grandfather -Charles would be proud of.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796048827

Book preview

Chapter One

3:20 p.m., on a spring Friday in 1988, a twelve-and-a-half-year-old black kid named Miles Sharp is walking home from school wearing a Walkman, and he’s listening to I’m Bad by LL Cool J. He arrives at his apartment complex that’s a half of a mile away from his school. A middle-aged black lady named Ms. Woods. Standing with a broom in hand, she sweeps the front steps of her apartment. She sees Miles and greets him, Hey, Stoney! It is Miles’s nickname.

Miles waves at her as he heads toward his apartment. He arrives at his apartment, removes his headphones, leans in, and places his right ear up against the front door, and listens for a few seconds. He then removes the key that’s attached to the black shoestring that’s tied to his neck, opens the door, and enters the apartment.

Miles yells out, Mama! You here? then walks into the kitchen. He sees a ten-dollar bill and a five-dollar bill lying on the counter next to a note that’s written in black magic marker on a piece of torn brown paper from Safeway’s grocery sack. The note reads, I’ll be home tomorrow morning. Use this $15 to get something to eat at Kim’s. Love you—Mom. Miles smirks and grabs a juice box out of the spartan refrigerator. He then grabs the telephone receiver from the wall and calls his friend Quincy Bradford aka Quin/ QB.

The phone rings a couple of times, then a woman answers the call. It’s Quincy’s mother, Brandy Bradford. Hey, Ms. Brandy, can I talk to Quincy?

Ms. Brandy: Quincy! Phone, it’s Stoney!

Quincy’s bedroom door opens and the sound of My Posse’s on Broadway by Sir Mix-a-Lot is playing. Quincy runs downstairs and grabs the phone. A yo!

Miles: A yo, Quin!

Quincy: Sup, what you doin’, Stone?

Miles: Man, I’m ’bout to work out for around an hour, shower, jump on the bike, then go to Kim’s to get something to eat. You down to roll?

Quincy: No doubt. Meet me on my corner when you come.

Miles: Bet.

They both hang up their phones.

Miles turns on the large brown floor-model television in the front room and flips through the channels and stops on channel 43 as the theme song to a cartoon called ThunderCats is playing. He then pushes the coffee table to the other side of the room, gets down, and does twenty five pushups. He goes to the edge of the couch, does twenty-five dips, twenty-five sit-ups, then fifty jumping jacks and repeats these exercises ten to fifteen more times while watching cartoons for around forty-five minutes.

After his workout, he turns the TV’s volume down and goes to his bedroom. Entering his room that’s decorated with posters of New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, a black 1971 Hemi ’Cuda, Sheila E., the Incredible Hulk Lou Ferrigno, and rapper Big Daddy Kane. His silver-colored BMX bike is propped by its kickstand on the floor in the corner of the room. Miles grabs a change of clothes from his dresser drawer and places the black T-shirt, blue shorts, and his NY Giants ball cap on his bed, then he takes a shower. He gets dressed, removes the LL Cool J tape from his Walkman, then places a different cassette tape into it, presses Play, and listens to I Ain’t No Joke by Rakim. He walks his bike out of his room, exits the apartment, jumps on the bike, and pops a wheelie as he rides through the complex. As he’s riding, he sees a twelve-year-old classmate of his named Sharoya White watching him. She nods her head at him and yells, Boy! You’re gonna fall!

Miles smiles and says, Nahh! I’ll be all right. He departs the complex, turns left, and rides off toward Quincy’s street, which is only a block away.

Quincy, chewing gum and blowing bubbles, arrives at the corner of the street he lives on, looks to his right, and sees Miles approaching him.

Miles: Sup, QB, hop on the bag pegs and let’s dip.

Quincy stands on the rear pegs on the bike’s frame, places his hands onto Miles’s shoulders, and they ride off.

A few minutes later, they arrive at Kim’s Convenience Store. Upon arrival, they see a couple of older kids who are in their late teens, standing around and talking. One of the guys named Jimmy (aka Baby J) sees Miles and says, Wus good, Stoney? What’s crackin?

Miles: Same ol’, same ol’.

Baby J: Hey, I saw your uncle Bruce the otha day. He was rollin’ in a black Camaro IROC-Z. That thang was hog tight!

Miles: Yeah, you know how he do. He keeps a muscle car in his garage! Always!

Baby J: Yup yup! Hey, tell him to let me get a ride in that mufuka.

Miles: Right on. I’ll see you later, Baby J.

Quincy and Miles enter the store. They look at each other and nod their heads.

Quincy: I’mma go get the soda and chips.

Miles: Bet! I’mma go get the pizza and burritos.

They get the food and meet at the cash register where a middle-aged Asian man named Kim, the store owner, rings their items up and asks Miles, How’s KeKe doing? referring to Miles’s mother, Karen Sharp aka KeKe.

Miles, with his customary emotionless expression on his face, doesn’t answer Kim’s question. He just looks at the register, looks back at Kim, and stretches his arm out to receive his $4 in change back from the $11 charge. Kim, not wanting to press the issue, hands Miles his money, then the boys exit the store with their bags of food in tow. They get back on the bike and ride away in the direction of Miles’s apartment.

The sun begins to set as the boys arrive at the apartment complex. The boys don’t notice the smoke being blown out of a slightly rolled-down darkly tinted window of the dark blue ’88 Oldsmobile Delta that’s parked in between a couple of other vehicles in the parking lot. Miles and Quincy enter the apartment. Miles turns up the volume on the TV and says, "Dawg! The A-Team’s bout to come on. I’mma go put the pizza in the oven."

Quincy: Aight cool. Hey, I’mma call my ol’ girl right quick.

Miles: Yup yup.

Quincy grabs the telephone and makes a call. The phone rings and is answered by his mother.

Ms. Brandy: Hello.

Quincy: Hey, Mama, I’m gonna eat some pizza and watch TV over here for ’bout an hour.

Ms. Brandy: Boy! Are you telling me, or are you asking me?

Quincy: Dang, mama, I’m asking.