From Ratchet to Riches

by Patrice Balark

  “Now, like I was saying. Word around the hood, your little friend Chavon likes boys and girls. I’m not sure if you a dike like her, but Dame wants a threesome, so you need to make it happen or find somewhere else to live.”

  Just as quick as those words left her mouth, Melissa left the room. Danielle stood there frozen, trying to figure how her life ended up the way it was. Madea always told her and Mecca to never question God’s work, but right now, her faith wasn’t even the size of a mustard seed.

  5

  “Mecca pleaaassseee go to this party with me. You know how much I like Jay.” Kay whined, poking out her bottom lip for special effects.

  Mecca sat Indian style in the middle of Kay’s bedroom floor unphased by her best friend and her attempts to make her feel bad.

  “Look, I promise we gon’ stop by, stay maybe an hour, and then dip out.” She continued, now taking a seat on the floor next to her.

  “You know I hate parties; I always feel out of place.” Mecca replied truthfully.

  “Out of place, Mecca? The whole hood loves you. You gon’ know everybody there.”

  Kay was right, everyone loved Mecca, but that’s not what she meant by feeling out of place. Parties meant lots of bad bitches and fly niggas and Mecca was neither. Sure, she had a pretty face and a head full of long curly hair but she still didn’t fit in. She didn’t dress like everybody else and she damn sure ain’t have the money like them to get fly, even if she wanted to.

  “Aight listen, we gon’ find you something of mine to put on….”

  “Bitch I ain’t no charity case.” Mecca snapped, cutting her off in mid-sentence.

  “I didn’t say you was, but I know how you get so like I was saying…. I have a few outfits that I’ve never worn before. I’m gon’ flat iron yo hair….”

  “Flat iron? I ain’t never put no heat on my hair before.”

  “And that’s the problem. Bitch, people pay top dollar for this hair.” Kay boosted as she stood up and started taking the rubber bands out of Mecca’s head.

  Mecca sat there thinking; she needed to get out more and start living, but she was always too worried about her siblings to even enjoy herself. Jay threw the best parties and she always wanted to go to one but never went.

  “Ok, fuck it. Let’s go!” she sighed, playfully rolling her eyes at her best friend.

  “YASSSSS BITCH! Come on, let’s get ready.” Kay beamed, running over to her closet.

  Mecca stood to her feet and laughed at her. Kay was popular but she wasn’t pretty. No shade to her best friend but it was the truth. She had a heart of gold and would give a homeless person her last, but her good deeds didn’t make her cute.

  The two friends spent the next thirty minutes trying to find something that Mecca could fit. Although the ladies were about the same size, Mecca had hips and ass and Kay was shaped like an ironing board. After settling on a pair of ripped up jeans that hugged every curve and a white crop top from Forever 21 that displayed her small waist, they were halfway done. As promised, Kay washed, blow dried, and flat ironed Mecca’s hair. Struggling with that for almost two hours, Kay finally had the keys to her dad’s Dodge Charger, and they were on their way. They hit a few blocks with the music blasting, just to stunt before they hopped on the expressway headed out south.

  “You know everybody finna be in this bitch. Motherfuckers we ain’t seen since graduation.” Kay stated before swerving, avoiding side swiping a car.

  Instead of replying, Mecca looked at her out of the corner of her eye and then placed her seatbelt on.

  “Girl you so damn extra. I seen him.” Kay replied, noticing the look on her friend’s face.

  The duo talked the rest of the ride, mostly about what they expected from the party and who they wished showed up and the people they didn’t care to see. Finally pulling up forty-five minutes later, they circled the block twice before they actually found a park. Mecca pulled down the sun visor, grabbed Kay’s lip gloss out of the cup holder, and applied a coat. She couldn’t front; she did look good as fuck and it wasn’t often that she felt that way. Kay had did an amazing job on Mecca’s already full eyebrows and the long lashes she wore brought out her big brown eyes.

  “Let’s fuck shit up and leave bestie.” Kay said before unbuckling her seatbelt and exiting the car.

  Kay grabbed Mecca’s hand as they crossed the busy street, heading towards Jay’s house. The block was lit, and the front porch was filled with people. They spoke when spoken to but for the most part, they kept it moving until they were inside. Loud music and smoke filled the air as they traveled through the crowded house.

  Jay’s home was small but packed with people like he lived in a mansion. Mecca had read on Facebook that his parents were out of town and she knew that was the reason behind the party.

  “You came here for me baby?”

  Turning around, Mecca locked eyes with Jay right before Kay literally jumped into his arms. Jay was the star basketball player at their school. He got a full scholarship to play ball for Duke University. He would be leaving in a few months for North Carolina and all Kay talked about was how she would miss him.

  “Damn Mecca, that’s you?” he smirked as he looked her up and down, licking his lips.

  Kay released the grip from around Jay’s neck and smiled.

  “My bitch bad ain’t she?” Kay replied; she too looked Mecca up and down.

  An uncomfortable smile crept across Mecca’s face; it was obvious that she was not use to compliments and it showed.

  “I’m glad y’all slid through though. We got some liquor in the kitchen, weed in rotation, y’all good?” Jay asked, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.

  “I don’t drink or smoke.” Mecca declined.

  “I’m good on the liquor cuz I gotta drive, but I’ll take some dick since you in a giving mood.” Kay replied, cuffing a handful of Jay’s dick through his jeans.

  “I got you right now. Let’s dip.” Jay replied, grabbing her by the hand and leading her off towards the back of the house.

  Mecca instantly got an attitude. It was so like Kay to dip off and leave her alone, especially when a nigga was involved. Something told her not the come to the party; she just wished she had gone with her first mind. Standing off to the side, Mecca held up the wall and watched the party from that spot the entire night. She held a few conversations here and there with a few people she knew from school, but for the most part, she was lonely and bored as fuck.

  “The least the bitch could have done was give me her phone while she went and got fucked.” Mecca thought to herself as she grew impatient.

  As the crowd grew, so did her boredom. She knew none of the music they were playing. Her stomach was growling, which only made her wonder if her sisters and brother had eaten. Just as she was about to go knocking on doors looking for Kay, she appeared from the back rooms with a huge smile on her face.

  “Hey bitch. You ready to go?” she quizzed cheerfully.

  “Wait. I came here just so you could get some dick?” Mecca twisted her head to the side and asked.

  “What? If you weren’t so stingy with yours, you’ll probably get some dick too.” She laughed but Mecca found nothing funny about their conversation.

  “Awwww Pooh, you mad for real? I’m sorry, come here.” Kay replied, pulling Mecca into a forced hug.

  Mecca loved her best friend with all her heart; it was some of her ways that she just couldn’t get jiggy with. She simply didn’t understand how she turned out the way she was. Kay had everything that Mecca could only dream of having. A loving mother and father. A nice roof over her head. Kay and her brother Darrius didn’t want for anything; they had the perfect life.

  “So, you ready?” Kay asked, looking around as if she was trying to find someone.

  “Yeah I guess.” Mecca smacked her lips and headed to the door when she heard a loud bang that made her pause.

  “Damn, what the fuck was that?” Kay questioned, bumping into the back of Mecc
a just as everyone else ran towards the front door.

  The noise was loud but not loud enough to be gun shots. Mecca automatically assumed that someone was fighting and when she made it onto the porch, her suspicions were confirmed. There was a group of girls brawling in the middle of the street. The loud noise was a brick being thrown through one of the girls’ car. As the crowd gravitated towards them, Mecca and Kay walked the opposite way. Bitches fighting was nothing new, and they’ve had enough fights of their own, so they stayed clear.

  “Thanks for coming out. You had fun?” Kay asked while she cranked up the car.

  “Fun? Kay, we ain’t do shit. Well, I ain’t do shit.” Mecca replied, cutting her eyes at her.

  “My bad. I promise I owe you big time. I’m trying to spend as much time with Jay before he leaves for school. I’m going to miss him so much….”

  Mecca tuned Kay out as she talked about her and Jay the entire ride home. Kay and Jay weren’t even a couple, but you couldn’t tell Kayla that. In her small twisted brain, they were shopping for wedding venues, but Jay never claimed her. Everyone but Kay knew she was nothing more than a fuck, which was exactly why Mecca was still a virgin. She watched how niggas played Kay and refused to be done that way.

  “This traffic is crazy.” Kay said once they turned onto the block.

  “Yeah, it’s police and ambulance down there. I bet them fools was shooting again.” Mecca replied as she gazed out the window at the commotion going on.

  Kay had to eventually bring the car to a complete stop. The streets were blocked off as the entire neighborhood looked on. Mecca stuck her head out the window to get a better look when she noticed the ambulance in front of her building.

  “Aye, there go Mecca right there.” She heard someone say from across the street.

  Mecca watched as one of the neighborhood crackheads, Moon, walked across the street to the car.

  “What up Moon, what happened?” she questioned.

  “I’m not sure but they just put Danielle in the back of that ambulance. I think your sister is dead!”

  6

  “Her stats are good. She’s coming around.”

  “We removed the tubes this morning. I’m just happy she’s pulling through.”

  Danielle listened as the doctor and nurses moved about the room talking about her as if she wasn’t there. Technically, her body was the only thing present because she had been in a coma for three days. As stated, they had removed the breathing tubes and she was breathing on her own, which was a huge improvement. This was the first time in days she had heard someone else’s voice other than her own; she was starting to feel relieved.

  Trying to speak, Danielle felt a burning sensation in her throat, causing her to halt.

  “Damn, I need to get their attention.” She thought to herself as the wheels in her head began to turn.

  “Try moving Dani.” She coached herself, trying her hardest to move a limb, but it was useless.

  “Wanna know what’s sad. Since this baby been here, that one girl, I think that’s her sister, has been the only one up here to see her.” She heard one of the nurses say.

  “Chillllllldddddddd, I noticed that too. Where’s her parents?” The other one added in.

  Hearing that Mecca had been the only one by her side didn’t surprise her at all, but Danielle still held on to a little hope… a little hope that her mother cared even a little bit.

  “I just hope whatever this baby is going through, she makes it through it.”

  Danielle gave herself one more prep-talk before attempting to move again and to her surprise, it worked.

  “Well nice of you to join us sleepy head. You probably wonder what’s going on, but you gave us a scare. Don’t try to talk, I’ll go get you some water. I’ll be back.”

  Danielle felt a soft hand on her forehead before hearing a door open and close. She had yet to try and open her eyes but feeling a little more confident, she gave it a try. The lights from the room forced them back shut. She laid there momentarily until she heard the door open again.

  “Ms. Young, I know you are anxious and probably confused honey, but we are here for you.” The same gentle voice from earlier rang in her ear.

  The lady sounded to be in her late fifties. Danielle could tell from the heavy breathing that she must be overweight. For some strange reason, the lady reminded her of Madea and she hadn’t even seen her face.

  “Now, I know you are eager to get up and move around, but you did some damage to yourself by taking all those pills. We gotta take things slow.” She continued. This time, Danielle could hear her moving about the room as if she was cleaning up.

  Dani wanted to speak and move so bad, but she couldn’t find the strength, so she laid there hopeless. She couldn’t help but think about how she ended up in a hospital bed when her intentions were to end up in a casket.

  “Yo, no cap but the both of y’all got me fucked up! I ain’t having no threesome with his fat dirty ass. As a matter of fact, y’all can either put me out or kill me right now because I’M NOT FUCKING HIM NO MO EITHER!”

  Danielle felt the vibration in her throat as she screamed at the top of her lungs. She had found the voice that she never knew she had. Sure, she was feisty and a fighter, but she was dead ass afraid of Dame. From the way he walked down to the way he tied his shoes scared the shit out of Danielle. She allowed him to molest her out of fear but now shit had gone too far. She refused to be a sex slave for her sad ass excuse of a mother and her perverted ass boyfriend.

  “Listen bitch, you gon’ do what the fuck I say or…”

  “Or what ma? I just gave you your options.” Danielle replied, brushing past her, tapping her with her shoulder before entering the bathroom.

  Once inside, she slammed the already broken door and screamed. Stepping over the trash in the middle of the floor. Danielle stopped at the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Her dark chocolate skin glistened, but, on the inside, shit was dark as a tunnel.

  No longer able to stare at the stranger in the mirror, Danielle snatched back the medicine cabinet door and grabbed the only bottle that was on the shelf. She grabbed a bottle of 800-gram Ibuprofen, twisted the top off, poured all the pills in her hand, and tossed them in her mouth. She then turned the water on, grabbed a cup Yana left behind, and filled it up with water before downing the pills.

  Danielle then took a seat on the edge of the tub, trying to figure out what she had just done. Yeah, she hated her life and harming herself has crossed her mind on more than one occasion but never did she actually think she’ll go through with it.

  “I know Mecca got Yana and Coby’s back…..”

  “At least I’ll be with Madea again……”

  “This world ain’t got shit to offer me no way….”

  The more Danielle talked to herself, the more and more her words began to slur. She felt herself getting sleepy, so she slid down to the floor and rested her head on the back of the tub. Scenes from her life flashed through her head as if she was watching an old family video. The videos began to fade and so did she………

  “Ms. Young? Ms. Young? Can you try to wake up for me baby?”

  Danielle felt the hairs on her arm stand as a pair of soft hands rubbed them. She didn’t remember falling asleep; but for some reason, she felt so much more rejuvenated than she did the first time she woke up. She didn’t feel as weak and her eyes opened this time around without a problem.

  “See, I knew there was a set of big pretty eyes to match.” The nurse said with a huge smile.

  Danielle stared at the lady in the pink and blue smocks, unsure of what to say or even if she could speak at all.

  “Ho---How---How lo—long have I been-been- here?” she managed to say after several seconds.

  “Too damn long.” The nurse laughed before turning around and returning with a plastic cup filled with water.

  The older lady helped Danielle sit up the best she could before helping her take small sips of water.

>   “That’s my girl. Take ya time.” She coached before taking the cup and returning it back to the desk.

  “Well, my name is Ms. Woodland, but everyone calls me Nurse Peaches. I been looking after you little girl for the past couple of days and we need to have a talk.” Nurse Peaches said, smiling the entire time.

  A slight grin snuck across Danielle’s face as she listened to Nurse Peaches fuss.

  “Now, I’m ya nurse, not ya pastor, but ain’t nothing in life worth taking ya own… Do you hear me little girl?” she continued.

  “I’m here to nurse you back to good health and when you get better, we gon’ fight. I called your sister and told her you woke up. She was headed up here, but I told her to turn around. You don’t need no visitors right now. You need to rest, but I told her to be here first thing in the morning. We gon’ get that breathing better, you gon’ be eating on ya own and back walking in no time.” Nurse Peaches promised.

  7

  The thought of losing her sister killed Mecca inside. Her and Danielle was all each other had and living on this Earth without her wasn’t even an option. She was relieved when Nurse Peaches called Kay’s phone and told her that Dani had finally woke up. She couldn’t wait to see her, but most importantly, she couldn’t wait to hear why she would do such a selfish thing.

  Mecca took the hospital elevator up to the fourth floor. She stopped at the desk, giving her name a second time before they told her which room her little sister was in. Powerwalking down the long hall, Mecca stopped and took a deep breath before pushing the door open and entering without warning. The first thing she noticed was that the television was on, which was new because each time she visited before, the room was dark and quiet. When the commercial went off, she noticed that Maury was playing, which was Danielle’s favorite show. Knowing that she was up and watching TV warmed Mecca’s heart.

  “Hey big head hoe.” Mecca heard Danielle’s weak voice say as she walked slowly out of the bathroom.