The Dirty Red Series

by Vickie M. Stringer

  “That shit ain’t all. Red poured gasoline in that nigga Stiny’s brand-new Lexus 450 ’cause he was kissing on another girl in the club when he was supposed to be with her. She watched that shit burn completely up as she smoked a cigarette, laughing.

  “She got pissed at one of her girls, Candy, so she decided to use her real estate skills to sell that bitch’s home while posing as her. That bitch came back from vacation to another family living in her home. Red kicked her ass and dared her to go to the authorities. Candy was homeless on the streets with only her luggage from her trip.”

  “Damn, that is dirty,” Q said as he put his hand on his forehead. He dry-washed his face as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “You hear about that shooting at her house?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It was her friend Terry, coming after her man. Red blackmailed Terry, making her give her money in exchange for her not telling anyone that she was the one shooting. She even tried to get Terry’s Escalade, but she wasn’t giving that up.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, but that still ain’t all. You better sit down for this one. You know that book, Bitch Nigga, Snitch Nigga?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, that book was actually written by that nigga Bacon in the pen.”

  “Hell, no!” Q remembered reading the acknowledgments and thinking that they sounded like something a guy would write despite the name Lisa Lennox on the cover.

  “Hell, yes. And yo’ girl Red right in the middle of that shit, giving the book to the publisher and taking all the money.”

  “Why in the hell is she wrapped up with that nigga?”

  “’Cause the baby that she’s carrying is his. They had sex when she came to visit him at jail. Right in the bathroom . . .”

  As Foxy continued giving details, Q sat with his mouth wide open, not hearing anything else that she was saying. His face began to turn red. He got up and motioned good-bye, then turned to the door.

  “Q, hon, what you doing? Sit down, calm down.”

  Q slammed the door as he walked out, breaking the glass. Foxy ran outside after him.

  Q yelled out at the top of his lungs, “Another stanky bitch. She told me that the baby was mine!”

  Foxy covered her mouth with her hands and looked on in dismay. Q ran off, kicking the grass as he stumbled across the yard.

  CHAPTER 21

  The Reason Why

  Red’s hemorrhaging had stopped. She was given a D & C and was out of danger, but for two days, she lay balled up in a catatonic knot. Red just couldn’t get over how much Jerome still hated her and how her mother allowed him to beat her down.

  As Red began to feel more and more pain associated with Jerome and her past, tears formed in her eyes. Depression made her experience something she had never felt before—vulnerability. For that moment in time, Red was not thinking about anything except her hurt. Her nurse, Karen, stepped back into the room just enough to see that Red was drowning in her tears.

  “Sweetheart, is there anything I can do for you?” she asked softly.

  Red looked up in surprise, not realizing that the nurse was in the room. Without words, Red looked down at the sheets.

  “I’m here to listen, if you need to talk,” Karen said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  Without hesitation Red looked up. “My reality stinks and every time I smell it I cringe.”

  The nurse gasped as she ran her hands through Red’s hair.

  “No, baby, no, you shouldn’t feel that way about your life. It’s never over until God says it’s over. It’ll get better.”

  “How? How in the hell can it get better when I was born to a father who never wanted me and a mother who stood by as her boyfriend raped me? I have a fucked-up, poor-ass life and a bunch of scandalous schemes that are unraveling right before my eyes!”

  Tears began gushing out of her eyes like a faucet was turned on. Balls of hot air burned down her throat into her stomach area. Karen listened to her sobs. Finally, Red came back to herself, and revenge settled in her heart. She had to rebound from the pain and began to look at paying back all the muthafuckas that crossed her.

  To her surprise, Red realized her feelings for Q were genuine. The truth was, Q had made a difference in her life. She had to scheme less and less; if she needed something, anything, Q knew it before she had to ask, even if it was something as simple as groceries.

  Q understood that a bitch had to piss, shit and eat, whereas average niggas would eat your food and drive past grocery stores, not even offering you a can of juice. Most dudes thought Red already knew how to fend for herself, which made them do nothing for her.

  Q had grown to know her and that was different altogether. He had the ability to see deep inside of Red. Q saw in the hard Red a young girl looking for love. There were times when Red was with him, trying to play hard to get, and she would succumb to the soft gentle kisses that he placed on her neck and her cheek. He knew that she just wanted to be loved.

  Red finally pulled herself up out of her depression. She knew what she had to do and that was to go see Bacon as soon as she was discharged from the hospital. She would have Bacon carry out her plan of revenge on her stepfather. With some fresh bruises and a doctor’s report, she was sure Bacon would plan to avenge his baby’s premature death. Red even planned to wear her hospital bracelet for further emphasis.

  When it was almost time for her to leave, Nurse Karen popped back into the room and gave Red a reassuring smile.

  “Listen, sweetheart, here are three prescriptions. One is for an iron pill because you lost a lot of blood, one is for an antibiotic, to help prevent infection. If you take these properly you should be okay within the next couple of days,” she said.

  “Thank you,” Red said.

  “After speaking with you earlier I also suggested to the doctor that you take some Paxil for your depression.”

  Red sat straight up on her bed and said, “Hell, naw.”

  “I figured you would say that, but here is the prescription anyway, and I’ve also written down a list of therapists in your area. But if you ever need to talk, you know where I am.”

  Red unexpectedly smiled at the nurse’s nice gesture. She knew that she may have needed someone to talk to, but she also knew that if she focused on the pain she wouldn’t be able to carry out her plan.

  Bacon was sure to deliver the blow of revenge. She was sure the ass-kicking she was seeking for Jerome would be forthcoming—hopefully, this would all transpire while her mother looked on. Red would never forget how her mother hadn’t come to her aid when Jerome jumped on her.

  In fact, Red wanted her mother to pay for all the years she allowed Jerome to do what he did. In her mind, Julia and Jerome were really one entity, joined at the hip, and both would pay in equal measures.

  • • •

  Red tapped her fingers nervously on the table, waiting for Bacon to arrive. It had been three days since her release from the hospital, yet she still wore the hospital band. She hadn’t seen or heard from Q, which was fine since she didn’t want any complications at this point.

  Generally, on any day Red could go without makeup and still look good, yet today, she didn’t look herself. When Bacon finally entered the room, he immediately noticed the bruises on her left cheek. Like a radar, his eyes zoomed onto her hospital band. Bacon took her to the side and began to ask questions.

  “Ma, what’s up?” Bacon asked, sounding concerned.

  “Them muthafuckas jumped me,” Red explained, wiping a tear from her eye.

  “Who? What’s the deal, yo?” Bacon asked.

  “I was out, trying to hustle a bit on the east side near Gratiot Avenue, right?”

  Bacon nodded, as if he were there.

  “And this nigga named Jerome got jiggy wit’ me ’cause I didn’t want to holler back. Right?”

  Bacon nodded again. “Right.”

  “So, I tried to walk away and he started getting fly.”
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  “And?” Bacon quizzed.

  “So when I walked to my car, his girl saw me and she started accusing me of trying to talk to her man, and it really was the other way around. Right?”

  Bacon again nodded, and replied, “Right.”

  “So, the girl jumped me, but I got the best of her. So this nigga, Jerome, grabbed me. Right?”

  Bacon again nodded. “Right.”

  “And he grabbed me from behind. His girl was sneaking me, slapping me in my face and shit. I mean this dude was big, I couldn’t break free from him. And the next thing I knew”—Red placed her head on Bacon’s shoulder—“the next thing I knew she kicked me in the stomach.”

  “What?” Bacon exclaimed.

  “That’s how I lost our baby.”

  Bacon looked at Red and shook his head back and forth in disbelief. He had thought things were looking up. Yet there was a part of Bacon that didn’t believe her, and then there was the part of him that wanted to believe her.

  Bacon had softened during his bid. He hadn’t turned bitter; in fact, he wanted more out of life and he wanted out of jail. Bacon had hoped that his appeal would go through and he lived for the thought of coming home to his wifey, Red, raising his seed and starting all over again. This had given him something to look forward to. Unfortunately, knowing that Red was a free agent, he began to doubt his options, yet he had to concentrate on gaining his freedom.

  Bacon was no slouch by far. So the muthafuckas who killed his child had to be handled. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. He had to let Jerome know that he was still serious about his, even if he was behind bars.

  “So whatchu gon’ do to dat muthafucka?” Red asked, calling him on his rep.

  “Don’t worry. I got it. What’s the address?”

  “It’s 5432 Sheridan.” Red dropped her eyes, trying to look pitiful. “Ain’t you gon’ write it down?”

  “Like I said, I got this.”

  Red looked up and she understood. Bacon needed neither pen nor pad. He had etched the address in his mind like the answer to one plus one. It was easy to recall.

  Red felt relieved, as she knew vengeance was Bacon’s and her score would soon be settled.

  “Do you need a photo or anything?” Red asked, wanting to be certain her momma got hers as well.

  “Nah, I’m good. You just take care of you.”

  Red rose to say her good-byes. She had turned his stash into hers, gotten the money for his book deal and had the house illegally titled into her name. She no longer needed Bacon for anything.

  • • •

  As she went out the front gate, Bacon watched her walk away. She looked as good going as she did coming. God had blessed the earth with her. Indeed she was fine. He had wanted to hit that juicy ass one more time in the bathroom, but how hard could he push a woman who had just lost a baby? He decided to pass and hoped the next time he hit Red, it would be in the privacy of his home.

  CHAPTER 22

  Don’t Go

  Terry was hitting a string of clubs to try and come up on the next man. Getting over Mekel was simply not easy and definitely not working. Terry went to every party, concert, cookout, church play and pool hall in town. You name it, she was there checking for the nigga who was poppin’ bottles or pulling out a fat knot. She figured there was more than one way to catch a baller, and she was pulling out all the stops.

  In the clubs, she made sure she wore the sleaziest and most revealing of clothes to bring attention her way. She would get pissy drunk and dance on the tabletops, hoping that the men would flock to her. Terry just wanted a man, and she reduced herself to shit to get one.

  To most on the outside looking in, it appeared that Terry had much love for Red, but that simply wasn’t the case. She was jealous of her friend. For one, Red always caught the big fish and Terry didn’t understand why. Terry’s hook was no longer sharp. What had happened to her appeal? She used to be second only to Red when it came to getting a man’s attention, but nothing she did worked anymore.

  In her journal, Terry chronicled her growing envy of Red. Before, she felt like she was her competition, but now Terry’s low self-esteem made her feel like she was living in Red’s shadow. Her liking for Red had long turned into hate. In fact, the only person she loved was Mekel. She wanted him. She needed him. He was the only thing that made her feel like she was worthy. In her mind he was the only one who loved her.

  When he met her three years ago she was working part-time as a receptionist at a doctor’s office, had just broken up with her last baby daddy and was struggling. With open arms, Mekel welcomed her into his life and promised to right all her wrongs. From the beginning he saw something special in her. Even Terry wasn’t sure what he saw but she didn’t argue.

  What she loved the most about him was the way he adored her body. Sure, Terry looked stellar in her clothes, but underneath it all was a stomach marred with stretch marks, deflated breasts and dimpled thighs. Naked, she couldn’t stand up to the light. These days niggas were big freaks—she had to undress in front of them. They wanted to see what they were running up in.

  She couldn’t forget how her body had been perfect to the love of her life, which endeared Mekel more and more to her. He was the one man that took her as she came. Mekel realized the true beauty of a woman was her inner beauty, and that was what had made their union special.

  After finding someone in the club to go home with, Terry would get dressed right after the sex and leave with a couple hundred bucks. Hell, on the real, she had turned into a low-priced whore. The bubbly numbed the pain long enough to get through the deed, but once she came to, Terry realized that more than likely they would not call, and if they did, it would be for more sex, not a relationship.

  Terry was in a deep depression. She had spent days holed up in the house, leaving her kids with her mother. Her mind and her house were a mess. Finally she decided to go for a spin in her car. As she drove down the windy road in the middle of the night, Terry cried profusely, blinded by her tears to the point where she could barely see the road. Without thinking, she began driving in the direction of Mekel’s house.

  Terry parked outside of Mekel’s apartment. The familiar flicker of the television subtly shining through the blinds made her think of the times they lay together in each other’s arms. Terry began to think about how she fucked up. Glancing out of the car window, she thought, If only I hadn’t blown the fuck up about Kera’s child.

  She understood, too late, the worst thing that could have come of Mekel accepting his child was that he would have to support it and have occasional visits. At least they could have still been together. Now, looking back, Terry realized it really wasn’t worth her losing Mekel over her insecurities. She had no idea how she could explain that to him now.

  On one hand, Terry’s sensible mind told her this was true. Yes, she’d played a part in their breakup, but boy, what control ego had over her emotions. Her ego would not allow her to admit any wrong on her part—Mekel was wrong to fuck Kera in the first damn place. Anger replaced her sensibleness, and she began to think of how she could manipulate him back into her graces.

  Before she knew it, Terry was knocking on the apartment door. She was hoping and praying he was alone. After several minutes, Terry was going to knock again, then decided to turn and leave. As she was walking away, she heard a voice call to the back of her head.

  “Terry?” Mekel wiped sleep from his eyes with his balled-up fist.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” she said, turning to face him. This was the first time they were not screaming at each other, and his gentleness allowed her not to be on the defensive.

  “What time is it?” Mekel yawned, looking back into his apartment as if he was searching for a clock of some sort for the time.

  Terry glanced down at her Cartier watch; it read one o’clock. Fear struck her—she didn’t have an explanation for being there so late. “It’s . . . um, one o’clock, M,” Terry said, dropping her eyes to the floor. She bra
ced herself for the tongue-lashing, but instead, Mekel opened the door and let her in. Apparently, he had enough of dogging her.

  “Terry, come in. It’s late and it’s cold.” His tone was indifferent and offhand, but not brusque.

  Terry couldn’t believe her ears. Her M had come back to her, and it wasn’t just a dream.

  Once inside, Mekel went to his kitchen and offered her a drink. “Can I get you something? You okay?”

  “Yeah, I was just . . . out driving. Clearing my head. Thinking of you.” Terry edged in closer to Mekel.

  “Well, you shouldn’t be doing that. Think about you and them kids and get yourself together. Terry, I hate seeing you like this. You a shell of the woman I was once in love with.”

  What most men didn’t understand about women was that the mere mention of the “L” word gave them hope. And in Terry’s case the word did just that and healed her broken heart. And when a woman still believes her man loves her, then nothing but death could keep her from fighting for it.

  Terry sat on the couch and realized for the first time that she was somewhere even Mekel swore she would never be—back in his fucking face, if you cared to quote him. As Mekel sipped on a freshly opened Heineken, Terry sat silently, listening to the TV in the background.

  “Where your kids at?” Mekel asked.

  “With my mom,” Terry replied.

  “Well, I got a long day ahead of me and I’m not gonna send you out in the street.” Mekel walked into the bedroom, grabbed the extra pillow from his bed and tossed it to Terry.

  “Hit the sack, buddy,” Mekel replied as he locked the front door and headed back into his room. Terry was so happy to be back in Mekel’s apartment that she kicked off her shoes and fell into the first restful sleep she’d had in a long, long time. The familiar scent of her former second home rested in her nostrils. Mekel’s cologne lingered on the pillow and before she knew it, she was off into la-la-land, fast asleep.

  • • •

  When it rains, it pours, Red thought. She had decided to try to lay low after her visit to Bacon. Even the thought of saving the money on the now-unnecessary abortion couldn’t be celebrated. The way her mother treated her continued to replay in her mind. There was something to be said about the bond between mother and child. Red’s mother was one of the worst on the planet, yet Red still wanted to be loved by her. If Red couldn’t get her love, then revenge was going to be her salvation.