Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine January 2018 New Year, New You | Page 45

ask what the hell she had done. I did some research
and found out Elexa once worked there. And then
a call to my former friend showed that she was
very much aware that Elexa was “that kind” of tax
person. I was livid. When I finally reached Elexa,
the conversation did not go well and I recorded it
to be sure I was able to make a complete transcript
of what was said. The conversation led me to the
understanding that Elexa had always been a “Raine”
kind tax preparer and wasn’t ashamed of it, either.
My former friend who referred me to Elexa,
evidently wasn’t aware that I wasn’t into that kind
of “hook up”. I stated that the fee for getting my
taxes prepared by my normal guy was becoming too
costly, NOT that I was looking to get out of paying
the IRS what they were owed; or getting more back
than I was entitled to. The one thing I never played
with was God and the IRS. They both come for
what’s theirs and they ain’t no punks about it either.
I sent in a letter to the IRS explaining that I had
not attended Kaplan University and that particular
aspect was an error. I would owe them, but that was
fine. I’d rather be honest and be on this side of the
bars, than send in the form that Elexa emailed to me
to send to the IRS and walk away with money that
could be considered ill-gotten gains. Anyone who
knows me, knows Homie don’t play that. And that’s
why my friend is now a former friend. If that’s how
you want to roll, then hey, that’s your Karma. But
don’t get me wrapped up into that kind of mess. She
was perfectly fine with it and then wondered why
her life was always on the verge of falling apart.
Eventually, with another call to the IRS to make
sure things were square, they asked for further
documentation (emails, transcripts, and paperwork)
regarding Elexa and my tax preparation experience.
What happened to me needed to be on record to
make sure I wasn’t joining Raine and Wendy at any
point in time. I’m not going to jail for nobody. They
say snitches get stitches, but not if I cut you first.
Why am I sharing this story? Because it’s tax time
and this is a lesson that someone might need to
learn. We all know someone who gives “the hook
up” whether it’s bootleg movies, someone wanting
to trade cash for the use of their “card”, the person
who can produce paycheck stubs, the knock-off
purse guy and all the others. In this day an age,
when police are pulling Black folks over for any and
everything, I want you to be aware that they can haul
you in for having that knock-off or those bootleg
CDs and movies in your possession. Don’t give
them any ammunition. If the art is something you
appreciate, show the artist some love and actually
see the movie when it first comes out. Buy the
products from a place that will give you a receipt.
And when it comes to your taxes, do NOT play with
the IRS. Having those extra dollars aren’t going to
be any comfort when your ass lands in the pokey.
And another thing, ladies. I just became aware of a
practice called “flipping taxes” where dudes hang
around or cozy up to a woman who’s about to get
a tax refund. Then he asks (or demands) that she
turn it over to him so he can “flip” it (put it into
drugs) and net three times the amount. Well, what
happens is sometimes the guys walk off with the
money. But here’s the worse case scenario, he gets
busted for drugs and the money trail leads back to
you (You know, with refund hitting your account
for x-y-z amount and the drugs on said lover is
around x-y-z amount. Guess who’s going to pokey
right along with old boy? Riiiiiight.
Play it smart. What’s yours is yours. Don’t make the
kind of decisions that could land you in a place you
would never want to be.
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