The Dirty Red Series

by Vickie M. Stringer

  Kera raised Mekel’s head to hers and they embraced. They held each other without speaking.

  Soon after, the nurse came into the room, reminding Mekel that visiting hours were over. When Mekel left, Kera lay back on her upright hospital bed. In spite of the sedative, she couldn’t sleep. Her thoughts wandered and took her to a point she didn’t want to face. Why should she be worthy of God’s forgiveness?

  Kera had a lot of guilt from her past and couldn’t believe that God would come through for her. The truth was she had little faith in a forgiving God. She believed more in a God of retribution and that she was being punished through her baby for her past sins.

  She felt a mixture of anger and guilt for Terry. In the first place, Kera knew that Mekel was Terry’s man. But looking back, she’d been on that cash chase and nothing mattered but her own desires. A string of all the men she’d lied to and tricked as well as all the conniving she had done through the years paraded across her conscience.

  However, Kera thought of all the blessings and grace she had received with her baby—in spite of the way he was conceived. Kera felt tears splash down her face. Inwardly, she asked the Lord to forgive her for her sins.

  She hoped that God gave her some credit for having her child instead of aborting it. A sense of peace washed over her. Perhaps there was redemption after all.

  Feeling encouraged, Kera picked up the phone beside her bed and dialed Red’s number. Something was on her mind and she had to get it off her chest. She hoped that if she told the truth, then God would honor her prayers and save her son.

  “Hello?” Red’s voice sounded as if she’d been in a deep sleep.

  “Red, it’s me, Kera,” she whispered into the phone.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I-I just wanted to thank you for all that you did for me and my son. And well, Red, you’ve been so good to me that I felt, that . . . umm . . . I owed you an explanation.”

  “Explanation? For what? Kera, what are you talking about?” Red’s antennae went up.

  “When I first moved into your place, I didn’t really think that you were my friend. And well, I didn’t like you, Red. In fact, I hated you. I hated everything you had and I was jealous. One day I found a letter you had written to Bacon in your closet,” Kera explained, getting teary.

  “And, go ahead . . .” Red prodded. Red had more on her plate right now than she could say grace over. And every time she wanted to be on the up-and-up, the reality of shiesty muthafuckas in her face was the truth she lived with daily. It didn’t pay to play fair, when no one else was.

  “Well, I mailed the letter to Bacon with hopes of getting you in trouble. I’m just glad that nothing really bad happened. The reason why I’m telling you this is that I don’t want to live like that anymore and I consider you one of my closest and dearest friends. So I just wanted to let you know that I did you wrong and I’m asking for your forgiveness. Red, will you, can you please forgive me?”

  Kera began wiping the tears from her eyes. She’d never been more sincere in her life. She was prepared to move out or whatever. All she wanted was for her baby to live and be normal again.

  Red, on the other hand, was heated. Sure, she was sorry about the baby. And she’d had her suspicions of Kera, but for girlfriend to confirm that her betrayal was a reality was just too much.

  When she thought of the different paths Terry and Kera took, she realized that she might have sided with the wrong person. For all she knew Terry was the true friend and, through a twist of fate, she had gotten the hand that Kera deserved. At this point in her life when nothing was going right, Red didn’t have room in her heart for understanding. Hell no, I can’t forgive you, Red thought. Why should she get forgiveness when no one was giving her any understanding?

  “Sure Kera, I forgive you. Now get some sleep.” Red hung up the phone and stared at the ceiling.

  Red rolled over to drift back to sleep, thinking of a way to repay Kera for her treacherous deed.

  Meantime, Kera rolled over thanking God for His mercy and feeling so happy that Red had forgiven her. Perhaps God would answer her prayers after all.

  • • •

  After the initial high that torching Triple Crown brought, Bacon came down to reality and realized that he still didn’t have the money from his book. Rumor had it that the owner had filed for more insurance money than the damages actually were worth. Instead of taking money from the company, Bacon had put money into its pocket.

  There had to be a better way. Bacon was getting cabin fever. Foxy was doing all she could to make him feel at home, but it just wasn’t happening. Bacon knew that sooner, rather than later, he had to leave the comforts of Foxy to get back out on the streets.

  Absently, he shook his head. It’s something when a man escapes the jaws of a bid. It made him think twice and then three times. Bacon was not nearly the hothead that he used to be. He was trying to be way smarter than who he was when he got caught up in the bullshit. Bacon knew damn well that Catfish was behind his demise, and that Catfish, who came in the place later, was the one kicked the gun near his feet after the murder. Bacon knew it wasn’t much he could do to make Catfish’s life worse. Even so, Bacon wanted that nigga to rot.

  He kept thinking about Red and how she thought that she would get away with her shit. He just couldn’t let that happen. Sure, he wanted to stay free, but he wanted revenge against Red equally, if not more. Could he rest free without revenge? He had tried and the answer was no. Bacon was willing to risk it all. Red’s ass was grass and he was the lawn mower.

  • • •

  Later that afternoon, while Foxy relaxed to the soothing rhythm of a massage chair in the pedi spa, her cell phone vibrated in her lap. Careful not to smudge her freshly applied French manicure, Foxy answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Foxy. What’s good?” Q asked.

  “Q, it’s good to hear your voice.”

  “Yeah, just checking on you,” he said, knowing she would fill him on all the latest gossip before long. Q didn’t need eyes in the back of his head, when he had Foxy’s nose to the street.

  “I’m good. How are you?” Foxy asked.

  “I was gon’ stop by to check you out.”

  “Umm . . . Q, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  “Oh, it’s like that. You got a man, now.” Q’s voice took on a playful note.

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  “No problem. I don’t want to fuck up your happy home. I’ll get up with you later.” Q cleared his throat and continued, “Hey, have you heard anything about Red? She still in the same place? I wonder what trick she got up her sleeve for the next nigga.”

  “I’d stay clear of her, Q. Between you and me, her man is home.”

  “Who, Bacon? That nigga got twenty years.”

  “No, he’s home and he’s looking for Red. I hate to know what he gon’ do when he finds her.”

  Before Foxy could complete her sentence, Q hung up the phone in shock, anger and disbelief. One thing he knew about Foxy, she didn’t lie. True enough, she couldn’t hold water, but she’d add to a story before she took away from it. If Foxy said that Bacon was home, by some miracle, he was indeed home.

  • • •

  Kera rang the doorbell before inserting her key at Red’s house, but before anyone could answer, she walked in, followed by Mekel, holding their bundle of joy, who had pulled through his medical crisis.

  As they stepped into the room, they noticed movers packing boxes and dismantling the once plushed-out crib. Kera intently eyed the situation and thought, I guess she couldn’t forgive me. Kera caught herself and turned her thoughts to the positive. God would handle the situation just as He had with her son. She put a smile on her face despite what she thought was going on.

  “What’s the deal?” Kera whispered to Mekel, looking around the room in dismay.

  “Knowing Red, who knows?” Mekel stepped over a box.

  Red came d
own the stairs to meet the couple and their baby. As soon as she laid eyes on Kera, suddenly the hostility she felt inside for the new mother’s betrayal melted away. Kera walked up to Red first and embraced her friend.

  For a moment Red hesitated, then hugged Kera back equally. Inside though, Red’s emotions were mixed. For one, she felt so lonely without Q in her life. Lately, she’d wondered what all that scheming and conniving was for. Was it for the money that she had stashed? Because when it was all said and done, in the end, Red realized that success was nothing without someone to share it with. She wanted so badly to share it with Q. And, although she was happy for the new couple and their baby, she felt a little bit jealous. Who did she have in her corner? Plus, she’d lost her baby and now—in a way—she wished she hadn’t.

  Mekel followed Kera to her room and laid the baby in the bassinet to continue his restful sleep. Sitting on the edge of her bed, he patted the mattress, motioning for Kera to come beside him.

  “Kera, it looks like Red is moving. What you gon’ do?”

  “I dunno,” Kera replied, gazing around her room. Kera didn’t have anywhere to go, and yet she didn’t really care.

  “Mekel, God miraculously saved our son. And, well . . . I’m just so happy that he’s alive nothing really matters. I just want a place for me and my son.”

  “Our son,” Mekel corrected her, taking her hand into his.

  “Even if I have to go to the welfare department to find something, I will.”

  “No, I don’t want you to do that.”

  “I gotta do something. Who knows what’s on Red’s mind? I can’t depend on her anymore. Maybe it’s time to move on.” Kera looked around the room she had fixed up to be her baby’s nursery.

  “You can depend on me,” Mekel said with all seriousness as he knelt before Kera.

  Kera was speechless. For the first time in her life, she had more than she’d ever wanted. Mekel’s eyes looked so sincere.

  “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Kera.” Mekel took both her hands into his and she noticed that his were trembling.

  Kera’s eyes filled with tears.

  “How . . . what? Why? Why are you saying this? Is it because of the baby? What about Terry?”

  “No. First, understand it is because I find peace with you. When I prayed for our child, I prayed for you also. Next, Terry is history and if the police meant what they said, she will be gone for years.”

  “M, I know your history with Terry, but she still has to pay for what she did to my son.”

  “That is our son, and I agree; she has to pay for that shit.”

  “Really, I mean, I don’t wish jail on nobody, but my . . . our son had nothing to do with that. He almost died.”

  “Enough said. I want you to be as happy as you have made me. Kera, you know we vibe. That’s how we got here. And I was afraid of your peace. I love you and everything about you. It’s time for me to be a man. I want my family.”

  Mekel took Kera in his arms and they embraced for what seemed like hours. Afterward, Mekel helped Kera pack her belongings and took his family home.

  • • •

  Q tossed Bitch Nigga, Snitch Nigga to the side of the bed. He folded his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. His thoughts roamed over and over to the final chapter of the book. He wanted to know who had murdered his uncle. He grabbed the book again, flipped to page 306 and read the passage aloud.

  In the hood he was known as a stand-up nigga, but, in fact, he was a snitch bitch nigga. He had beady eyes that were unforgettable and resembled one of God’s creatures. In the Bible, it said Jesus used this creature to feed a multitude of men. But in reality, there was no way God would use this creature, for it was the foulest in the land. It was a known scavenger. It would eat anything and live in the dirtiest conditions. It was even sacrilegious to Muslims to touch or eat. This Bitch Nigga, Snitch Nigga was named appropriately on the streets.

  Q sat still for a moment as this information filtered into his psyche. “What Muslims won’t touch or eat?” he mused. “This book was written about Catfish.

  “Oh, my God. Catfish’s girl, Sasha, is staying at Red’s house—the house that Bacon bought her. Red’s been living with the enemy. She’s in danger!”

  • • •

  Sasha couldn’t explain how or why she’d been thrown out of Red’s crib. Sure, Red had asked her to move. She credited it to their heated argument and the obvious interest she’d shown in Blue. With the drag on the loan processing, Sasha just counted it as a loss. When the movers showed up, Sasha packed up, no questions asked.

  Although Sasha would do anything for Catfish, he’d gone too far when he wanted her to kill Red. She just couldn’t do it. Sasha knew that no one else knew about the hit but her and Catfish so she couldn’t figure out why Red was putting her shit out. Moving in with Red to spy on her was Catfish’s plan, but Sasha, as scandalous as she was, didn’t have the heart to commit murder.

  Sasha noticed that Red was packing her shit up also. Shit, Red must be leaving this shit behind, Sasha thought. Her mind began to race as she wondered again if Red had figured the shit out.

  As Sasha packed her last suitcase, she peeked out of the curtain, waiting for her ride to pull up. Sasha didn’t care about Catfish and his agenda with Bacon. The beef was all over the streets where Bacon was telling niggas from his bid that Catfish put the murder on him.

  Sasha paced back and forth, and on the last spin, she peeked out and saw Blue’s car outside. For a split second Sasha felt a hint of guilt. She had refused Catfish’s latest collect calls, and had spent the remaining money. She plotted on moving on to the next opportunity; after all, it only knocks once.

  Yeah, it was wrong to man share, but with the shortage of men, who gave a fuck? She picked up her bags and headed for the door. Sasha knew that if Red had found out her ass would be dead, so she looked forward to moving on and moving out. Blue had promised her a life in New York. She was gonna take it. Besides, Blue and Red were history.

  When Sasha climbed into the car, Blue leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

  Finally someone to take care of me, Sasha thought as they drove off.

  Blue had a different take: If this bitch act a fool, she gon’ get dropped off at the Brooklyn Bridge.

  CHAPTER 26

  The Contract

  Gloria Schottenstein hissed a sigh of impatience as she waited for Red to arrive at the closing for the home at 3124 Colonnade Drive in West Bloomfield. Red was due at nine o’clock, and here it was nine thirty. Annoyed, Gloria spun her pencil around and tapped it on the desk. Just when she was about to get up and pace the floor, the office door flung open and Red rushed in, out of breath.

  “I’m sooooooo sorry that I’m late. The packing company ran late,” Red apologized.

  “No problem, Raven. Let’s get started,” Gloria said tightly.

  Gloria and Red left the small, quaint Bloomfield office and headed toward the conference room. The buyer, NBA star Maurice Clarence, his lawyer, and the title agency representative, Kevin Perch, each greeted Red and Gloria with a smile as they entered the conference room. Everyone was prepared and finally present for the successful sale of Red’s house. The documents were laid neatly in a pile, awaiting the buyer’s signature. Red knew that she had to sell the house at that very moment. She couldn’t afford for the process not to be completed. As many times as she had sold other people’s homes, she knew she could sell the one she lived in with no problem.

  “The property clearance is complete and all we need are a couple more signatures. Oh, you will love this home,” Gloria assured the buyer, as she fumbled through the paperwork.

  “Why are you selling it?” Maurice Clarence asked Red.

  “Because I’m moving to a smaller place. But I’ll need one week before you take possession. I still have last-minute items to remove from the house.” Red shrugged as if it was no big deal.

  As Perch looked over the papers, he noticed that a
necessary signature in proxy to make the transaction complete was missing.

  “There’s a signature needed for one Isadore Jefferies,” he advised.

  Red and Gloria’s eyes met. Red knew Bacon’s signature was needed because he was the only one who signed for the house when he bought it. But she planned the closing specifically to occur at her office, by the title company of one of Gloria’s oldest business partners. Certainly, if something were amiss—and it was—then Gloria would handle it.

  Gloria gathered the papers in front of her and looked at Red again. She cleared her throat. “This is no problem. No problem at all. I have the permission of Mr. Isadore Jefferies—it’s perfectly fine if Raven signs for him. They’re considered common-law married, so it’s no problem.”

  Perch sucked in his breath as though he were hesitating, and Red got a little nervous. Her palms began to sweat and her heart pounded so loudly she was afraid everyone in the room could hear it. She slowed the rhythm of her breathing in order to keep from showing her apprehension. If this didn’t work, she would have to walk away empty-handed. All of her plans would go up in smoke.

  “I’m not sure, Gloria,” Perch said. “This is an expensive property and I would hate for there to be any problems.”

  Red watched Gloria raise an eyebrow, but her boss didn’t say anything. Red turned her lips down and heaved a deep sigh, but threw her shoulders back as if she was sad at selling her home, yet resigned to doing so.

  At that moment Gloria said just what Red knew she would.

  “There is no problem. Raven works here and if there are any issues, I’ll vouch for this process. Besides, I know them both.”

  After much confirmation the papers were signed and all the documents stamped. When the title agency issued her a check for $1.6 million, Red’s head began to spin. She was so relieved. She shook hands with all parties and waited for them to leave.

  After the closing, they both received their commission checks.

  Red nodded. “Thanks for everything. I’ll miss you.”

  Red drove out of the parking lot and headed nowhere. As the wind blew lightly across her face, she thought of Q and how he’d once told her of a place he went to find refuge. Red went seeking that same solace.