Damn this one takes me back. Way back actually. Back when I was about 13 years old. We were just kids. Time is flying.
My man toothpick..... He grew up not knowing who his father was and his mother was always strung out and turning tricks for a few dollars for some crack and liquor. He didn't have any other family and he would always complain about not having anything to eat at home because his mom was always selling the food stamps for crack rock. He was the only kid that actually looked forward going to school just so he could get a free lunch. He didn't give a damn about learning, he just wanted the food.
Kids used to tease him all of the time because his clothes were always dirty and smelly and his only pair of shoes were worn out with holes in them. But just because he got teased doesn't mean that he just sat there and took it. He got the name toothpick because even though he was one of the skinniest dudes around, he packed a
MEEEEAAAANNN punch. I mean for his size and frame, his punch was absolutely devastating, and when that punch hit you, it was like you being stabbed with a toothpick. You would never had guesses someone so skinny could pack such a powerful punch because he looked like he couldn't hurt a fly, but looks were obviously deceiving in this case. He had a frame like Tommy Hearns, but skinnier and shorter
I asked him how he was able to generate so much power and he said he just let all of his anger build up inside him over the years and transfer it all into a punch that he threw with all of his might.
I told him "with that kind of power for your weight, you should give boxing a try". We went to the local YMCA and he started hitting the punching bag. I vividly remember him hitting that thing with bad intentions. Those punches sounded like gunshots hitting the bag. "YEAH!!! hit that damn bag!", I said. His display got the attention of a few adults in the area and one of them wanted him to go to a boxing gym not far from where he lived. He put on the same display for the boxing trainers just like he did at the YMCA. They liked what they saw. "Do you wanna give boxing a try, son?" one of the trainers asked. He nodded his head and said "I like it." The only thing he needed was permission from his mother. "You asking me to do what? what makes you think you ever gonna be anything in life??? You aint joining shyt and you aint never gonna be shyt!!!!!"
I was there when she said that to him and wondered why she was saying what she said and I didn't realize why she was saying it until years later. The reason she was projecting all of her anger onto him is because he must have reminded him of his father who ran out of her life and to get back at the father, lashed out at her son. But then again, she was cracked out and drunk most of the time, so who knows.....
Angered by his mother forbidding him to get into boxing, he stormed out of the apartment and began crying his eyes out and letting all of his anger out swinging in the air. "I can't do shyt. I'm never going to be shyt. I hate my life" he said. I couldn't say anything at the time so I just kept quiet....
Toothpick stopped going to school and hadn't seen him in a few weeks until one day, I saw him hanging outside on someones stairs. "What's up man! It's been a long time since I've seen you", he stated. He had completely changed. He was no longer wearing dirty clothes, had a fresh haircut, clean name brand clothes, a fresh new pair of Air Jordans and even a gold chain. "Where the fukk did you get all of this stuff", I asked and he said "I got tired of being nothing, so I turned myself into something." I asked what that mean't and he said "hold on a second".
He was looking at a middle aged lady walking down the street and that's when he got off the stairs, slowly crept up behind her and BAM!!!!!! He threw one of the most devastating punches to that ladies head and she hit the ground unconscious. He grabbed her purse and everything else that was of value and took off running down the street "RUN MOTHER FUKKER, GET OUT OF HERE!!!", he told me. I was just in a shock at that moment, but I took off running.
Toothpick invented the knockout game YEARS before it ever became mainstream. He was the founder of it as far as I'm concerned.
I ran into him a few hours later and asked "is this how you are able to buy all of this stuff?" and he said "how else am I gonna get it? No one has ever given me shyt. If I want it, I gotta take ". he told me he has been doing this for awhile now. I asked him who were the people he was targeting and he said he' only been doing it to old people, women and sometimes kids.
Well one day we were hanging out at the mall and just chilling and spitting game to some chicks. Toothpick was being a great friend that day. I was buying all types of shyt and he was pulling out tons of cash from his pockets and buying it for me. As we were leaving and getting ready to head out, he spotted a older dude (around 70) getting out of an old flashy cadillac with some nice chrome rims and he was decked out in gold, had on some purple gators and was even wearing what appeared to be a rolex.
Toothpick got a good look and said "Look at that old mother fukker with all of that gold on. What is that? That shyt look like a goddamn rolex!
HELL YEAH N1GGA!!!!!!! I'm bout to straighten this old mother fukker out right now. Hold my bags and get going down the road!" I told him I didn't think it was a good idea trying this on him and he said "look at all that gold and that rolex, I'm about to drop this old mother fukker right here, now hurry up and get on down the road".
As I was walking away, the old man was walking towards the mall, and that's when toothpick started creeping up behind him with his fist balled. Toothpick started creeping faster and faster building speed and momentum and at the very same time that toothpick threw his punch, the old man dropped something at the same. Toothpicks thunderous right hand that would have caused massive destruction ended up hitting nothing but air as the old man was reaching down to pick up what he dropped. Toothpick had so much force into that punch that he lost his balance and fell on the man and that's when a huge struggle ensued. "GIVE ME THE ROLEX YOU OLD FUKK!!!!!". The old man fought right with him. Toothpick threw another punch that ended up hitting the man and staggering him but didn't knock him out because he partially blocked it. While the old man was dazed, tooth pick tried ripping the rolex off him and that's when it happened.....
The old man reached in his waist and pulled out a highly polished stainless steel pistol. I vividly remember Toothpick saying
"OH SHYT!!!!" and as he was running towards me, I will always remember the look on his face. It was a look of "time is up" and it was just the most frightening look I have ever seen him give.
BOOM!!! The shot sounded like a fukking cannon. And that's when I took off running as fast as I could dropping the bags. Boom!!! Boom! And at the third shot that's when I heard. AAAAAAHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHH DAMN MAN!!!!!!!!!! My man toothpick got hit. A few seconds later, I still hear his screams of pain and I hear another shot. BOOOOOOM!!!! After that, I didn't hear anything.
I was thinking to myself that toothpick might have got away even if he did get shot, but he never showed up at the spot. An hour later, I walked back and there were police and ambulances everywhere and there was a sheet on the ground with someone underneath it.
Damn....
Rest in peace, Toothpick.