Looking At Lyphe Differently

By Richard Billberry Jr.

Looking at Lyphe Differently is about a kid named Philthe growing up in the scandalous streets of Kansas City. Philthe would have to deal with the struggles of life. Growing up not knowing who his father was. Living in low-income housing projects with no stability. Having to always move from place to place so much that he couldn't get comfortable with the thought of keeping friends. Finding out at a young age that people will come in and out of your life for a season or for a reason. Dealing with mental health issues that doctors or people really didn't put on a person as much as going around today. If an issue arose in that era, you kept it to yourself and tried to put it behind you or figured it out without popping a pill. Some would say that a pill will solve all your problems. The result of that is that one pill was to solve your dilemma but brought about several issues along with the original.

Then there was the gang and crack era. This divided what was left of the community and broke down homes more than government assistance. Ninety percent of the town were on drugs and having drug babies. Kids grew up with dependence, not knowing why they acted the way that they did. Color rags wrapped around human bodies, claiming areas that they will never own. Life, in general, was misconstrued. Everyone was dealt a ghetto dream. It was handing out false love, no unity, heartache, and death by the number of stars in the sky that one could count on a clear night. What it loved the most was giving away fool's gold. A fake reality within a single grasp, but just a mirage once you think you obtained it. The ones that you would chase to the end of the rainbow for the pot of gold and the leprechaun, just to get reeled into a stool full of crap that never flushes. It turns boys into delinquents and bastards. Girls into sack chasers and gold diggers. The blueprint of life was changing.

Bullying was always a part of life for most kids, but with Philthe, he had his hands full of it. Most people will experience death once in a lifetime for their selves and will encounter many others throughout their time on earth. You are born to live and live to die. You will either complete your mission on earth or will be someone else's wake-up call. There are one of three places that you will go after your soul leaves your body: up to the sky, down underground, or you were destined to walk the earth until you completed the task you agreed upon before touching the soil of the earth. Some would say that a child has been here before by certain actions which they would present that only an experienced person would know about. Some would search for their purpose in life. Some would stumble upon it, and others will never know. Some are visionaries that can see their or others' paths. There are also some that turn their heads to the thoughts of knowing what's to come. We all have choices in life. Some are temporary. Some are permanent. Some are good. Some are bad. You just have to live with the direction you choose!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890611550

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Title

Copyright

About the Author

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Looking At Lyphe Differently

Richard Billberry Jr.

Copyright © 2023 Richard Billberry Jr.

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2023

ISBN 979-8-89061-154-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89061-155-0 (Digital)

MOIRA L.L.C. Richard Billberry Jr.

Printed in the United States of America

It's different rules in da streets. The code was at one time, You heard nothing, you saw nothing, you speak nothing! That way, you lived to see another day. Well, times have changed, along with the players and the codes.

The structure was If I made it, you made it too! It was a team effort. Well, here in the Midwest, it ain't like dat. Females done jumped into a man's game. The strange thing about that was, some of them were better at it than most men.

The same cliques were killing each other. Mostly everyone wants to be the Chief. Just to bypass not putting in the work as an Indian to earn respect and power. It was the land of the scandalous and heartless. Most thought that they can jump into the game and become rich without any struggles, but got a rude awakening.

The game was to be a stepping stone to get you out of the rut that you were in and a kick start on a different direction in life. All of that changed when the have-nots became the haves after seeing money on a different level. It changed their egos, minds, goals, and destinations in their race for the cash.

Some made a lot of money but didn't earn any respect or power. Then forgot it was a step up and changed the game to a main thang. It inflated their egos so much that they forgot who they were before they became who they are. Money was to be made and not let it make you. The only thing was, you are who you were before the money that you accumulated. Your status just changed in the material world but not your foundation.

It gave some motivation to get it and never look back.

It also didn't have any instruction or plans with a positive outcome. All that you see is the glitter and gold. You really have to look close to notice that it's a Fugazi that will have you moving like a thief in the night. Not getting anywhere but to a ghetto flight.

Philthe grew up on government assistance. His parents separated while he was at a young age. The memories that he had of his father was none. He was the first of three and the only one his father had produced. With Philthe being the oldest, he was forced to be independent and outgoing in his thinking and way of life. Most would say that the firstborn are the parents' experiment child. They would learn and grow together. After that, it would get easier the more kids that they would produce.

Without having his father in his life, he looked to his uncles for his role models. One was off the chain. He was wild, uncontrollable, reckless, and untamable. Like an eighteen-foot-long python camouflaged in the jungle, just waiting for any and every opportunity to cross his path. Then when you least expect it, he strikes, bites, and wraps you up in a bone-breaking situation. Just to swallow you whole. Never taking the time to enjoy the meal.

Philthe grew up in an era where you were either rich or poor. There was a middle class, but in his environment, you couldn't tell the difference. Then the crack hit and changed a lot of things and lives. Gangs split up homes and friendships. The money that you would accumulate could help you or hurt you. It just depends on which branch that you wanted to lean on. One branch you would do anything for the dollar or the other where the dollar would work for you.

Philthe's mom wasn't the type of woman growing up that wanted to have kids. She was a free-spirited person, but the kids she had changed her life. She wanted life on her standards, but the god had something different for her. The curveball she had pitched to her slowed her life down and made her reevaluate her direction. She took it to the chin and accepted her fate.

Now she found another man after Philthe's dad and had two more kids. It must have been some kind of dark cloud over Philthe or just evil spirits surrounding this man his mom was with. He had so much hatred for Philthe because he wasn't his child. He would beat on him and hang him on the door hook just for his own laughter. The torture didn't stop there; he would also smack him with hangers. The last straw was when Philthe would be thrown into the stove, and it would be turned on 400 degrees.

Philthe wasn't the only one feeling the wrath from this monster. His mom was catching full wind of it too. She would walk around with black eyes and swollen lips so much, it started to look normal for her. She would have to cake up with so much makeup just to cover up what was going on behind closed doors. Everyone knew what was going on, but the saying goes, It's not my house, so it's not my problem. True enough, people would talk about it among each other, but never to the bearer of the situation.

Her brother found out what had happened to her and Philthe while she was visiting her mom. He was so pissed off at her for not telling him what was going on with his sister. The family was a tight net, except for one. He moved away from the family because of personal reasons. Her brother told her to come with him. She asked why. He replied that they were getting their things.

When she opened the door, her kid's dad was on the couch drinking. Her brother rushed through the door and hit him with a six piece and a biscuit, before he could get any words out. Her brother opened up a can of whoop-ass, which left the man flat on his back in a pool of blood. That's when Philthe's mom started to stomp his nuts into his stomach. The apartment was left in a mess when they grabbed most of their belongings. That made her feel better from all the pain she had been going through.

That was just the start of the things that Philthe would go through. After that ordeal, they would move in with his grandma. His grandma had so much love for him you would think that he was her son. She would take him with her everywhere she would go. Mostly every weekend, they would go to garage sales and out to all-you-can-eat places. This would be their routine until his mom got her life back in order.

Now Philthe's uncle was a user. Since they moved into his grandma's house, his uncle would watch him from time to time. When Philthe was with his uncle, he didn't have a set bedtime. Most of the time, his uncle would take him on his little escapades. Now Philthe liked these trips they would go on. They would travel to different places, and he would see strange things. His uncle would call it his candy runs.

His uncle would take Philthe on his little escapades with him when his body needed that satisfaction. They would go here and there, but mostly to Missouri. One reason they would go was his craving to get high. The other was a woman. That was a plus, because he would still be on his candy mission. Now this woman had his nose wide open. Word around the town was she was the one who turned him out on drugs.

Now these memories stood out to Philthe because it was like a mixture of movies for him. One was scary because of the long dark streets, in which he would think a monster would jump out of nowhere and kill them both. He knew his uncle was tough, but he didn't know if he could defeat a monster. The next one was suspense with all of the action that would be on the streets. You never know when something would jump off.

This particular time was a Missouri run. The streets were crowded as usual when they showed up. The people over here knew his uncle because mostly everyone that they had seen greeted him. When they got to the door, it was the usual answer after a knock.

Who the fuck is it?

Same time as the greeting, you would hear a cock of a gun. Guns were the norm in the town. So that was nothing new to Philthe.

This made Philthe's adrenaline rush. He always hoped that Big Heater would let him hold it like he'd be doing. His uncle said who they were, then the turn of locks, chains, and reinforced boards would come off the door.

Man, what I tell you 'bout bring that lil' boy to the hood! This ain't no place fo' no kids! Anything can happen! I got too much going on to have that on my conscience! Now if you keep on bring 'em, I'mma at least put his lil' ass to work chopp'n' up, looking out, or running the door! as he gave a lil'