The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

Robert, Julius, Tavarus, Drew, and Curtis sit together, planning their next move. Curtis has just made a big proposal: that they sell fifty pounds of marijuana, making a profit of $400,000. Julius is nervous about this idea, but Robert is more enthusiastic than he’s been about anything in a while. In the end, the group unanimously agrees to buy the weed through Curtis’s connection and sell it for a big profit.

Robert calls Oswaldo to ask for some money. Oswaldo agrees to give him the money, but adds, “After you pay me back, you and I will never speak again.” Robert agrees. Shortly afterwards, Curtis obtains the fifty pounds of weed. As Robert looks at the product, he wonders if it was worth losing Oswaldo’s friendship.

According to the plan, Robert is going to convert the marijuana into top-quality “Sour Diesel” by treating it with butane. This will take lots of work—probably a month of fifteen-hour workdays—but he works hard to enrich the product.

In April, Robert and Ina talk on the phone. Ina is stationed on a naval base in California, and she tells Robert she’s worried about him—she hopes he’s staying safe.

As Robert treats the marijuana, he comes to realize how much work is still ahead of him. He has to package the weed and sell it in small bags. His friends are unwilling to transport the product, since they’re afraid of being arrested. They decide to hire drug mules to reduce their risk. Robert does all the work of recruiting mules.

Robert visits Rene in Brooklyn. Rene is a talented artist, and she’s been supporting herself for many years. She wants Robert to move in with her—something that Robert isn’t yet ready to do. Recently, Robert tells Rene, someone was murdered near his home in a drug deal gone wrong.

Robert recruits four drug mules to sell his product. The weed sells quickly, almost a pound a day. Robert and the others make lots of money, though less than they’d anticipated (since they have to pay employees). However, Robert begins having a problem with one of his mules, a young man named Kamar. Kamar talks about Robert behind his back, making fun of him for his Yale degree. Julius hears Robert yelling at Kamar, but Robert just tells Julius, “Nothing’s going on.” In reality, Robert fires Kamar.

As time goes on, Robert begins carrying a handgun. Amin and the Double II Set gang learn from Kamar that Robert has been selling weed, even though he’s technically still working for Amin. Kamar lies and says that Robert has been encroaching on the gang’s turf. Robert finds out that the gang is angry with him. He suspends dealing for a few days, and tries to get in touch with the gang personally.

While Robert tries to straighten things out, he spends time with Jackie. Jackie is contemplating retiring soon. She’s lived through a lot, but she’s not angry. Instead, she just wishes things had worked out differently. She wishes Robert, now aged thirty, had made more of his education. And she wishes Skeet hadn’t been arrested.

By the middle of May, Robert thinks that the danger from the Double II Set gang has subsided. Nevertheless, he continues to carry a gun in his car—something that Raquel Diaz finds outrageous. One weekend, Robert and his old friends have a barbeque, and invite the whole neighborhood. Guests remember Robert seeming unusually quiet.

Later in May, Robert drives to visit his old Yale friend Sherman Feerick. Sherman has become a successful consultant, and he also runs a camp for at-risk children. Robert explains that he needs work, and suggests that he work as a counselor at Sherman’s camp—Sherman promises to find work for him. Sherman is stunned by how defeated Robert seems: “Too much time has passed,” he thinks, “too many opportunities had come and gone, for Rob Peace to still not have his life figured out.” Had Robert asked him for work just a month earlier, Sherman could have found him a good job.

Two days after visiting Sherman, Robert is back in Newark. He spends the evening watching TV with Curtis. Instead of going to bed, he tells Curtis he has some work to do. Suddenly, “they heard a car pull up in the driveway.”