Originally published in Verbicide issue #12

The first night I was in Brooklyn I got punched in the face. I was on my way across the street to the deli to get a 40, and a youth out of a large group of youth approached me. I could see there was malice in his eye, but I did not expect that violence would come so soon. Without a word, he socked me in the eye.

I had never been punched in the face before and my nose bled for a few days and I was dodgy about youths in the hood for quite a while. Especially the ones congregating in front of Da Jump Off.

Not too long after my nose had healed, there was a murder there. I came home from the library to find the block cordoned off by police tape. Da Jump Off was closed down. A small room with nothing but a pool table, a couple video games and a bulletproof window to buy gum and candy, the establishment could serve no good purpose.

Da Jump Off was closed for a good three weeks. Cops were placed on every corner in the vicinity. Divine’s barbershop next door threatened to go under as the clientele dried up in the police presence.

But despite Johnny Law, two days after its opening, Da Jump Off was again racked by violence. Another shooting. No one was sure what had happened, but this time Da Jump Off was closed for good.

I heard that the first shooting wasn’t a murder a couple weeks after the end of the whole escapade, but it wasn’t for a few weeks after that that I found out the real truth.

Apparently this gangster named Stephan had a contract with Da Jump Off, who would call him whenever they saw individuals flashing a lot of loot. Stephan would then proceed to Da Jump Off and rob them.

Unfortunately, the loot flashed back and Stephan was forced to shoot them. But the shot did not kill, and so shortly after the reopening of Da Jump Off, a posse was sent to Franklin Ave. to find Stephan and to extract lethal vengeance. But the avenue was quick and by cell phone Stephan was forewarned of the impending force.

Stephan was quick and shot first, then fled into Da Jump Off, where he was apprehended.

He’s looking at 25 years minimum, which fair or not is a good portion of a person’s life. I had been supposed to play chess with him. Apparently he had gotten pretty good during a previous sentence.