Truths Revealed

by Meesha

  She walked to the passenger side and got in, buckling her seatbelt. “My car is here so you will have to bring me back.” She said quietly.

  “No problem, I can do that. I don’t know anything about this town, where can we go to eat? A nigga starving.” I said turning the key in the ignition.

  “There’s not much out this way, but there is a small bed and breakfast place that allows visitors to go eat. It’s about a quarter mile down the road.”

  Backing out of the spot, I followed the road and the small establishment was sitting alone in the middle of nowhere. They made sure there was nothing remotely close to the prison. If someone escaped, they had nowhere to hide because only open fields could be seen for miles, except Mama’s Den. That was the name that displayed on the building. I parked in the front of the entrance and opened my door to get out, Latorra followed suit and led the way inside.

  I held the door open for her and she smiled up at me walking inside. As we approached the counter, an older woman came to assist us. “Hello Officer Smith. How are you today? I see you won’t be dining alone. Would you like your usual table?”

  “I’m doing fine, Mary Jane, thanks for asking. Maybe a table on the patio would be a better choice for us today. Where’s Bill?”

  “He’s in the kitchen cooking today. Jacob’s out sick so he had to take his place. You know he’s not pleased about it but he didn’t have a choice.” She laughed grabbing a couple menus and escorted us to the patio. “I’ll be back to take your orders, we have your favorite tomato minestrone soup today.”

  “That’s good to know! I will definitely order some.” Latorra said excitedly.

  “Alright, take your time, I’ll be back shortly.

  Mary Jane walked away and I was still staring at Latorra. Taking in her features, she was beautiful. The dimple in her cheek appeared the minute she smiled, I fell in love with it all over again. Every time she swiped her hair out of her face and placed the loose strands behind her ear, I couldn’t help licking my lips.

  “Ummm, are you ready to talk about what happened back at the prison?” she asked cutting into my thoughts.

  “Nah, there’s nothing to talk about. We can talk about you though, tell me about Latorra Smith.” I said looking down at the menu.

  “Well, I’m twenty-three years old, I’m from the Southside of Chicago, I’ve been working at the prison for four months, and I don’t have any kids.”

  “You drive two hours every day to work? Is it worth the drive?”

  “It’s a job and yes it pays pretty well. I hate the mileage I’m putting on my car, but it pays the bills.”

  “That’s what’s important. So, you’re from my stomping grounds, huh? You gon’ come see a nigga sometime, Miss Smith?” I asked slyly.

  “You don’t even know if I have a man—”

  “I don’t give a fuck about yo’ man, Latorra. Obviously, he’s not on his shit if you’re sitting here with me. If your relationship was solid, a nigga wouldn’t be able to get a second of your time. Now would you answer the question, ma?”

  “How do I know you don’t have a woman?” she shot back.

  “Now you want to answer a question with a question.” I said shaking my head. “You don’t know because you didn’t ask. I’m a nigga that has nothing to lie about. I have bitches that I fuck with, that’s as far as it goes. There’s not one female that can call Mauricio Vasquez her man, I’m single.”

  She looked at me like I had two heads. “That’s game if I say so myself Mauricio. Admit it, you are a playa.”

  “I don’t play anyone, shawty. Females play themselves when they think they can force a relationship on me when I’ve made it clear what it is from the start. I don’t make false promises to anyone. The day I stop fuckin’ around with multiple women, would be the day someone steals my heart. Right now, I haven’t run into that woman. Let me correct that statement, there is one that has the potential to be the one, but I won’t subject her to my bullshit.”

  “So, you are trying to add me to your herd of hoes?”

  “I don’t have hoes, I have friends with benefits. Latorra, we don’t ever have to have sex. If you just want to go out and have a good time, I’m all for that. I just want to get to know you. I’ll tell you this though, if you open up and give me the pussy, you would definitely become a friend with benefits. My list of benefits is just that, sexual benefits for me. I don’t choose who’s in that category, the women do that on their own.”

  “You are so blunt with it though.”

  “There’s no other way to be. Why put on a façade when you can tell the truth? It’s not about how much pussy I can get, it’s about who’s willing to dish that shit out. I’m real about my mine, ma. Again, will I see you after today?”

  Before she could answer, my apple watch started vibrating. I hit the button to connect the call to my Bluetooth. “What up?”

  “Happy birthday, Ricio! What are you doing?” Chante asked.

  “I’m having lunch with a friend. Thank you for the birthday shout out, but I’ll holla at you later.”

  “Who is the bitch? When are you going to stop fucking around on me, Ricio?”

  “For starters, you don’t know this woman to call her out of her name. You got the game fucked up, ma. We are not nor have we ever been in a relationship so it’s impossible for me to fuck around on you. You already know what we have and it’s not what you’re making it out to be. It’s not hard to stop calling. I’m being rude right now, I’ll get at you some other time.” Not waiting for her to respond, I ended the call.

  Mary Jane came back at that moment and took our orders. I decided on the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and sweet corn. Latorra ordered a steak medium rare, with a baked potato, asparagus, and a bowl of tomato minestrone soup. We both order pink lemonade for our drinks. She was quietly tapping away on her phone with a scowl on her face.

  “You good over there?”

  Glancing up from her phone, Latorra nodded her head and went back to her phone. I wasn’t about to pry into whatever was on her mind, if she wanted to tell me what was going on, she would. While waiting for our food and Latorra to finish whatever she was doing, I decided to text Sosa.

  Me: Aye bro, I need to meet up with you as soon as I get back to the city. All I can say is I had a conversation with Beast, and I went to see Big Jim. I’ll hit you up to see where you at. Have your brother there too, both of you need to hear what I have to say.”

  Sosa: Bet

  Latorra finally placed her phone on the table, folding her hands. “Mauricio, I’m a one-man woman. I don’t think trying to be more than friends would work for me. Developing a friendship is fine with me. The way you had to explain yourself to whomever called you, only tells me that your flock is vicious. I don’t do well with disrespect.”

  “I understand, ma. Just know, all their asses get checked if they get out of pocket. There’s no reason for anyone to get mad about anything I do because I don’t belong to nobody.” I said reaching across the table for her phone.

  I pushed the button to add my number to her contacts and I had access. She didn’t try to stop me so I knew then that she wanted my number. After I inserted my number, I slid the phone back to her. Mary Jane came out with our food and I was ready to smash, I was hungry as hell. She placed my plate of meatloaf in front of me and the aroma hit my nose. The growling of my stomach was loud.

  “Somebody is hungry.” Mary Jane said with a chuckle.

  “I am. This food smells delicious, thank you.”

  “Well let me know if you all need anything else. We have homemade strawberry cheesecake for dessert, just to let you know. Enjoy your meal.” She said walking away.

  Mary Jane was so nice and I was going to leave her a nice tip for her great customer service. I said a silent prayer and raised my head. My eyes connected with Latorra’s and she had a huge smile on display.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I don’t see many men who pray anymore. I was shock
ed, that’s all.”

  “Real niggas pray too, ma. When you’re raised right, some things carry on over into your daily routine no matter what type of life you live. If nobody else has got my back, I know I can count on the Man Upstairs.”

  I cut into the meatloaf and put a piece into my mouth, it was delectable. I hadn’t had a meatloaf this good since my mama passed away. Even though she was Dominican, she loved cooking soul food and I missed everything about her. Cutting another piece, I added some mashed potatoes to the fork and damn near cried. It was as if she came down and cooked this meal specially for me. It was a taste I could never forget. It was a must for me to take more with me for later.

  “You alright over there?” Latorra asked quietly.

  “Yeah, this meatloaf tastes just like my mama’s. It brought back memories.”

  “Tell me about her?”

  “That’s a story for another day. I’m already appearing soft around you as it is.” I chuckled.

  “There’s nothing soft about you, Mauricio. I can tell you are a piece of work.” She laughed while cutting into her steak.

  “You got jokes, huh?”

  “Tell me about Mauricio Vasquez. What do you do for a living? I know you have a woman for every day of the week, do you have siblings?”

  “I do not have a woman for every day of the week, maybe two.” I laughed. “Nah, for real though, it’s not as it seems. I’m a business man and work a lot so, I don’t have that much time on my hands. My brothers and I was born and raised on the south side. My parents raised us well until they passed away four years ago. Stepping up to make sure we were good in their absence was something I had to do.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I have to be honest with you, I thought you were a street guy.”

  “What, you got something against street niggas or something?” I asked putting another piece of meatloaf in my mouth.

  “I’ve had my share of street guys and that world could lead to two places, jail or the grave. Plus, the streets are more important to them than anything. That’s just my opinion.”

  “Sounds to me like you’re used to fuckin’ with fuck boys. You have to broaden your horizons. All street niggas are not the same. We all in the same game, just on different levels. Dealing with the same hell, with different devils. But you wouldn’t understand any of that Miss CO. A real man would know how to make time for his woman, regardless of what he has going on.”

  “You are living the street life, huh? I see my assumption was spot on and you’re right, I would never understand. Let me guess, you are a worker.”

  “I don’t know you like that to let you know my level of operation. Are you ready to get out of here?” I asked.

  “Change the subject why don’t you” she chuckled. “Yes, I’m ready. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Vasquez. Thank you for lunch and the great conversation.”

  “My pleasure, beautiful.” I said as I waved Mary Jane over for the check.

  She walked over with the biggest smile on her face. “Did you guys enjoy your meal?”

  “Yes, we did. The meatloaf was delicious, it tasted just like my mother’s. I would like to have two of the meatloaf meals to go please.” I said reaching into my pocket pulling out two one hundred-dollar bills.

  “This is too much! I’ll bring your change and meals to go shortly.” She held one of the bills out to me and I shook my head no repeatedly.

  “Take it, Mary Jane. That is for your great customer service, thank you. Keep the change.”

  “Thank you, sir. Come inside and I’ll go ahead and get your order together.”

  Standing from the chair that I was sitting in, I watched Latorra gather her belongings and I knew I had to have her. She was going to call a nigga soon because I could see the curiosity in her eyes. I pushed the chair in and held out my hand for her to grasp. She looked at me and wrapped her hand around my arm instead and I led her into the building.

  “Did you want anything to take home with you?” I asked looking down at her.

  “The cheesecake sounds delicious. I’ll have a piece of that to go.”

  We went to the counter and Mary Jane was bagging up someone’s food. There were so many bags. Whoever that order was for had a huge family and they didn’t want to cook. Even the cheesecake was boxed up ready to go. Looking over at Latorra, she had a frown on her face, I guess because we missed out on her getting a piece. I’ll just have to take her to the Cheesecake Factory someday and let her eat her heart out.

  “I’m almost finished packing your order, give me a sec.” Mary Jane said glancing up from what she was doing.

  When she walked over with the bags of food, I was shocked. She had packed all the food for me. I guess taking the money as a tip was something her pride wouldn’t allow her to do. I wanted to protest but I knew she wasn’t going to let me decline.

  “You didn’t have to do this, Mary Jane.”

  “I know I didn’t. I haven’t seen anyone as genuine about my cooking as you. I couldn’t let you give me that large of a tip without showing my appreciation.” She smiled.

  “Would you do me a favor and put two slices of the cheesecake in a separate container for the lady?” I nodded my head toward Latorra.

  “I don’t need to do that, she has her own right over there.” Mary Jane motioned behind her as she placed the bags on the counter and turned to retrieve the others.

  “Thank you so much, Mary Jane.” Latorra said excitedly.

  The amount of food Mary Jane packed was more than the two hundred dollars I had given her. I spotted a tip jar on the counter. Digging in my pocket, I peeled off several bills and dropped them inside.

  “Damn balla.” Latorra said looking at me.

  “Nah, she’s giving me food that she could’ve made money from. I’m not trying to let her do that. I love her hospitality, but she has a business to run.”

  “That was nice of you. You not really from the Southside, are you? Those niggas would’ve taken the food without looking back.”

  “I was born and raised on the Southside, there’s only one Mauricio Vasquez, I can’t be duplicated, ma. You’ll see if you hang with the kid long enough.”

  Once we had all the bags, I thanked Mary Jane again and made our way to the car. When I pulled back into the prison parking lot, the anger reemerged. If I go inside and see Big Jim again, I’d kill his ass, but his day was coming.

  “What are you in deep thought about?” Latorra asked cutting into my thoughts.

  “Nothing for you to worry about. Let me help you with these bags.” I said getting out of the car.

  I got the bags out of the backseat and waited for her to unlock her doors. She opened the backdoor of her Toyota Malibu and I placed them on the floor of her car. When I turned around, she wrapped her arms around my waist. The scent of her perfume filled my nostrils.

  “Thanks again for lunch. I’ll give you a call soon. Happy birthday again.”

  “Thank you, don’t have me waiting too long for you to reach out to me.” I said letting her go.

  I held the door open so she could get in and closed it once she was settled. She started the car and let the window down. “Drive carefully, sexy. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” I smiled, tweaking her cheek.

  Walking around to my car, I was ready to get back to the city to spring this news on Sosa. I hoped Max didn’t come through on bullshit because he was not exempt from getting his ass kicked. Latorra backed out of the parking spot and I followed her to the highway. I thought about her the entire time I was driving. She was definitely someone I wanted to spend some time with.

  ***

  I arrived home two hours later and immediately took a shower. As I pulled on a fresh pair of boxers, my phone chimed with a text. Grabbing it from the dresser I opened it and there was an unknown number displayed. With a frown on my face, I opened the text and smiled.

  (773) 555-0711: I’m home safely. I figured I’d text since you didn’t ask for my number. Enjoy the rest of you
r birthday, Mr. Vasquez.

  Me: Thank you, ma. I’m glad you made it home. I’m taking care of some business, I’ll holla at you later.

  I locked Latorra’s number into my phone after returning the text. She’d reached out faster than expected, but I had plans for her cute ass. Walking to the closet to find an outfit to wear, I skimmed through my gear and decided on a pair of black True Religion jeans, the matching black button down, and my black Timbs. I took my black fitted cap from the hat box and laid everything on the bed.

  Once I was dressed, I grabbed my chain and put it around my neck. I picked up my phone and hit Sosa’s name and waited for him to pick up. His phone went to voicemail and I was about to try again when my phone started ringing. It was him calling back.

  “What up, bro? I’m on my way to yo’ crib. Did you get in touch with Max’s punk ass?”

  “Yeah, he is on his way over now. I didn’t tell him you were coming, I just told him that I needed to talk to him about something. Ricio, I understand what he did was wrong, but that’s still our bro. Can you just squash this shit?” he asked.

  “I didn’t ask for him to be there so there’d be beef. The shit I have to say is important and shit is about to change for all of us. I want him to know the people that he’s riding for is not what they seem. But I will get into that when I get there. I’m leaving out of my crib now. I should be there in a half hour.”

  “Aight, see you when you get here. Love.”

  I grabbed my keys and left out the door. As I was waiting on the elevator to come, the thought of how quiet my place was without Nija there had me bugging. It felt cozy when Nija spent time over because she cooked and we chilled. But when it was just me alone, I felt like I was being smothered by the silence that floated around. That was part of the reason I didn’t spend a lot of time in my own place, it wasn’t quite a home. One day that would change and I would have plenty of baby Mauricio’s running around. Until then, I had to live with the way things were for now.

  I got to the garage and jumped in my whip. Driving to Sosa’s crib on the far south side, I was banging Kendrick Lamar’s Damn album. The track “Humble” was one that I could listen to all day. As I pulled up into Sosa’s driveway, the first thing I saw was Max’s Charger parked next to Sosa’s BMW. I parked behind Sosa’s whip because I knew if my little brother got out of pocket, I was going to have to lay hands on him. His punk ass wouldn’t think twice about backing his shit into mine to get out.