A Gangster's Dream 2

by Charmanie Saquea

  Knock, knock

  “Who is it?”

  Melo automatically recognized the voice as Shondrell’s. Knowing that the time for him to pay the nigga back had him smiling on the inside.

  “Yo, who is it?” Shondrell asked again.

  Carmelo didn’t say anything. Seconds later, the sound of locks clicking could be heard. The door slowly inched open and Melo and Trip rushed into the house, knocking Shondrell down in the process. Trip locked the door behind them then made his way around the house, making sure they were alone. Neither he nor Carmelo wanted any surprises.

  “Shocked to see me, bitch?” Carmelo barked as he sent his foot slamming into the side of Shondrell’s head.

  He laughed as he watched Shondrell’s body convulse from the blow. He must have hit a nerve. That didn’t stop him though. He continued to batter Shondrell’s body with kicks and punches.

  “You thought you could steal from me and damn near kill me and live to keep telling the story?” Carmelo screamed.

  At that point, Shondrell was unable to respond. Not that anything he could have said would have changed what was going to happen.

  Trip walked up on Melo and grabbed his arm just as he was about to deliver another punch to Shondrell’s face.

  “Melo, we said in and out. I know you want to go ham on this nigga. Trust me, I want you to. But we ain’t in our neck of the woods and time is sensitive. We don’t need his sister walking in on this shit.”

  Carmelo thought about what Trip was saying and knew that what he was saying was nothing but the truth. He stepped away from Shondrell to retrieve the pistol Monica provided him with. Trip stood over Shondrell and watched him squirm.

  “Maa- aan, Sha Sha Shaq is…”

  POP!

  Carmelo sent a slug straight through the center of his forehead, ending his life along with the beef that had been brewing amongst them.

  “You know he was trying to tell us something about Shaq?” Trip said while still looking down at Shondrell’s lifeless body.

  “He wasn’t going to say anything I wasn’t already aware of. Let’s go,” Melo said.

  He grabbed his duffel bag and he and Trip made their exit the same way they got in. They walked for a while until they got to the beach where they found a secluded area where they could change clothes and dump the ones they had on along with the pistol. Once that was done and over with, their next stop was LAX for the first thing smoking back to NYC.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dream walked into the kitchen and slammed her car keys down on the counter, gripping both Carmelo’s and Summer’s attention.

  “Hey, Dream,” Summer said as she stood from her seat ready to make her exit from the kitchen. She saw the mood Dream was in and knew it was about to be on and popping.

  “Hey, Summer Love,” Dream said, smiling in Summer’s direction before shifting her glare to Carmelo.

  He already knew what was going to go down so he didn’t bother opening his mouth. He waited and looked on as Summer quickly hugged Dream and disappeared. Dream stepped forward with one hand planted on her left hip and the other resting on the counter top.

  “Carmelo, you have nerve. You really have nerve. You dip out in the middle of the night to go God knows where and not return till damn near two days later. I didn’t hear a word from you. Nothing, not even a fucking text message. Your mother had no idea where you were, your brother didn’t, shit, not even Sum. Then you pop up today, saw that I wasn’t home and didn’t think to call me still. I swear to you, when I saw your car in that driveway I had the right mind to send a brick flying through the window. You’re fucked up, Carmelo,” Dream barked.

  “I know, baby. I’m sorry. Shit was real hectic, Dream.”

  “Carmelo, I don’t want to hear that. It’s not fair to me. I put up with the late nights, the secrecy and all that because I know it comes with the territory, but to have me worried sick about you for two damn days is just not right. I would never do that to you. You could have had consideration and called me, Melo. I would have settled for a short as text even if it just said ‘I’m good.’ This was selfish.” Dream had been fighting back her tears from the moment she walked into the kitchen, but at that moment, she let them flow.

  It was no secret that one of her biggest fears was losing Carmelo. He knew that, so for him to know that, disregard it, and stay gone without calling her for nearly two days hurt her in ways that he would not even begin to imagine.

  “Come here, Dream,” Melo said as he stood up and took a few steps in her direction.

  She didn’t budge so he reached out and pulled her closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her and ran his hands up and down her back.

  “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere, Dream. I keep telling you that you don’t have to worry about me,” he said.

  “And I keep telling you that I’m going to worry regardless. I can’t do this with you anymore, Carmelo. I really can’t.”

  “What you mean, you can’t do this?”

  “I’m sick and tired of staying up to the wee hours of the morning because I don’t know if you are okay. I get it, you be busy. I’m past asking you to leave this life alone. I’ve accepted that it’s a part of it. All I ask is for some damn courtesy. You’re not going to give me that, so I know for my own damn sanity, I need to step.” Dream pulled away from his embrace and spun on her heels, leaving Melo stuck and alone with his own thoughts.

  Dream ascended the steps and dreaded telling Melo she was done more with each step she took. It was what she had to do. She knew that she wanted to be with him and wouldn’t be gone for long. She always knew that she had to do something that said that she meant business so that he would start considering her feelings.

  “Dream,” she heard a soft voice call out her name as she hit the top step.

  She turned around and watched as Summer came up the stairs two at a time.

  “Can we talk?” Summer asked.

  “Sure, come with me to the bedroom,” Dream said.

  Together the girls walked to the master bedroom that Dream shared with Carmelo. Summer took a seat on the bed while Dream headed straight to the closet to pack her an overnight bag.

  “Don’t leave him Dream,” Summer blatantly stated.

  “I don’t think you understand, Sum,” Dream said, while stuffing clothes into her duffel bag.

  “I do, though. Since I was able to understand the type of stuff my uncle was involved in, I worry. So I know. You just got to understand that beside me and my nana, my uncle never had someone who cared about his well-being. He never had a woman that he loved and loved him equally that he had to check in with or to let know that he was okay. This is new to him. I know that he will get it together. You just gotta give him a little time. You know Uncle Melo love you and we know you love him, so put down that nice duffel bag. By the way, where is it from? Uncle Melo need to get me one. It’s cute.”

  Dream stepped out of the closet and fell into a fit of laughter. Summer joined her. It amazed Dream how truly outspoken Summer was and how it all made sense. Sixteen year old Summer helped her realize that she had to ride it out with Melo. He wasn’t used to everything Dream brought to the table and she believed that soon he would get in the groove of it.

  “You’re right, Summer. How did you get so smart? Not from Caiden and Carmelo, I know that for sure. Maybe your nana, huh?” Dream joked.

  “Definitely nana. The guys need some help from time to time,” Summer said.

  Dream walked over to her and hugged her tightly.

  “Thank you. I love you kiddo,” Dream stated.

  “Love you more, big kiddo,” Summer said while smiling up at Dream.

  “Oh, and this bag is from Tom Ford, brand new, too. It’s all yours though, baby girl.”

  Dream emptied the contents of the duffel onto her bed and handed the bag to Summer.

  “This is hot. Thanks, Dreamy,” Summer squealed.

  “You welcome, princess. Now let me go ta
lk to your uncle.”

  “I’m going to make plans for the weekend so I can put my new duffel to use.”

  Dream laughed at Summer as she made her way out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She found Carmelo still in the kitchen, sitting at the table sulking. She sat across from him and grabbed his hands. After explaining to him how she felt and how she hoped that one day he would see it from her view, they came to a consensus. Carmelo agreed that it was something he had to get used to but made a vow to Dream that he would take the initiative. He wanted what they were building to continue to move in the right direction and to do that he knew he had to start being a bit more considerate. With the shit he was involved in, sometimes it was hard for him to remember to send a text or to take a break to make a quick phone call, but he promised to try and that’s all that mattered to Dream.

  “I love you, Carmelo,” Dream said.

  “I love you, too, Dream,” he said before leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Your little hotline been ringing off the hook all day, Sum. Who you ignoring? Better not be no little niggas calling your phone,” Melo said.

  “Babe, relax. Why you clocking her phone?” Dream said in Summer’s defense.

  Like many afternoons on the weekend, the three of them lounged around the house, eating a ton of food that Dream cooked and watching movies. Summer had been spending way more time with them than usual. Neither of them paid any attention to it, but Summer had her own reasons.

  “Thank you, Dream. But Uncle Melo, if you must know, it’s just Alexandria. She calls me non-stop. It’s super irky.”

  The mention of her name put both Melo and Dream in a bad mood. They tried their hardest to save face for the sake of Summer though.

  “She’s just trying to get to know you,” she said, even though she couldn’t understand how a mother could dip on her child and come back sixteen years later as if nothing happened and no time had passed. It wasn’t her business though, so she rarely spoke out about it.

  “I guess, Dream, but I don’t have time to talk to her all day, every day. I gotta be checking up on you and Uncle Melo, making sure ya’ll got it together,” Summer said in between laughing.

  Dream and Carmelo couldn’t do anything but shake their heads and laugh with her. The movie was finally over and Summer had plans other than spending her entire Saturday in the house.

  “Dream, we still going shopping today?” Summer asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. Let me run up and change, and we out.”

  “Oh, so ya’ll just going to leave me home alone?” Carmelo asked.

  “Uncle Melo, I’m sure you will find something to keep you busy until we get home,” Summer said.

  “Exactly.” Dream leaned over and kissed Carmelo before heading up to their bedroom to get changed.

  <><><><>

  As much as Summer enjoyed spending time with her uncle, it was the times where it was just her and Dream that she was beginning to really enjoy. The girls days out she and Dream had together gave Summer the feel of what she had been missing out on her entire life with Alexandria. When she was younger, her nana had worked almost all the time, leaving Summer with just her dad and Carmelo. Although she knew love and had a woman figure in her life, it wasn’t the same.

  “Let’s see. How much we setting Uncle Melo back this trip, Dream?” Summer asked jokingly as the two of them walked side by side through the mall.

  “Summer Love, this mall trip is on me. You have been so helpful with getting my shop ready for the grand opening, it’s only right. You can have whatever your little heart desires. But our next trip for sure is on your uncle,” Dream laughed, bumping her shoulder playfully against Summer’s.

  “Thanks, Dreamy. Speaking of which, I cannot wait for the grand opening. You really did your thing on that boutique. I’m real proud of you, girl. I hope I get into FIT so I can get on your level after graduation,” Summer beamed.

  “I appreciate that babe, and you are going to get into FIT. Not only will you get to my level, you will surpass it. I’ll make sure of that.”

  The two woman made their way around the mall, going in and out of every store that they thought would have something they wanted.

  “Oh, boy,” Summer huffed as they walked out of the Victoria’s Secret store.

  “What happened?” Dream asked before looking up and seeing who had caused the sudden change in Summer’s mood.

  “Hey, Sum Sum. Hey, you,” Chrissy said with a sinister smile on her face.

  “It’s Summer, hoe. Don’t call me a nickname like we cool,” Summer spat.

  “Summer, let’s go,” Dream said, trying to avoid the encounter turning into something major.

  “Yep, better listen to your fake ass mother, little girl,” Christina said.

  “Wait, what? Hold up, bitch. First and foremost, do not say anything to Summer. Especially not when she with me. Secondly, ain’t shit fake about me. I’m not Summer’s mother and I don’t pretend to be. But what we do have is something you only wish you and Summer had, just like you wish you had with Carmelo what I have with him. It’s sad that a sixteen-year-old had the ability to knock you all the way off your square. You’re fucking pathetic, Christina,” Dream barked.

  “You can have Carmelo for now. The both of you is going to be in for a rude awakening real soon. When that time comes, we’ll see who was knocked off their square,” Chrissy replied.

  Summer looked on and could tell Dream was about to go off. She decided that it was in neither of their characters to be in the middle of a mall making a scene, so she intercepted the altercation.

  “Dream,” Summer said while grabbing her arm, “she’s not even worth it. Let’s finish up here. We have more important things handle rather than this rat.”

  Without responding, Dream shot Christina a look of death before walking away with Summer in tow.

  “I can’t stand that lady,” Summer complained.

  “I see why. I know one thing. I’m not going to keep dealing with her shit. Next time she even think to speak in my direction, I’m decking that bitch on sight.”

  Summer looked over to Dream, shocked that those words left her lips. Ms. Sophisticated Dream had a side to her that Sum never seen before, but she liked it.

  “Look at you, talking about decking somebody,” Summer joked.

  “Girl, I may not talk like I went to the school of hard knocks, but I bust a few bitches down in my time, and that hoe asking for it. I shouldn’t even be speaking like this to you, but she got me hot,” Dream stated.

  “It’s all good. I know. Let’s just forget about her and get some food. I’m starving.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” The two of them found their way to the food court. After browsing through the various food options, they decided on Chinese.

  “So, Dream, you really love Uncle Melo, huh?” Summer asked as she gathered a few noodles onto her fork.

  “I do, Summer. Why do you ask?”

  “I just gotta make sure that no matter what, you’ll be there for him. He loves you and I don’t want to see him hurt,” Summer responded.

  For a minute, Dream sat there and digested what Summer was saying. It wasn’t normal for her to sit around and have a discussion about her love life with a sixteen year old, but then again, Summer was far from the average teenager.

  “Summer, you don’t have to worry about that. Just like I told your uncle, I’m here with him for as long as he allows me to be. It won’t be perfect. I can honestly tell you that much, but I’m willing to do my part to make it work as long as he’s willing to do his,” Dream said honestly.

  Summer nodded then whispered, “What about me?”

  The question through Dream for a loop. She knew where her question originated from but she wanted to be sure she and Summer were on the same page.

  “What do you mean?” Dream asked.

  “If you and Uncle Melo didn’t work out, would you still keep in touch with me?
Let me come to your shop?”

  “Of course, Summer. The bond you and I have been working on and building has nothing to do with Carmelo and me. The only way I wouldn’t continue to see you if things went left between us is if he didn’t allow it. I honestly don’t see that happening, so the same applies for you. I’m here for as long as you allow me to be.”

  “I know that you and Uncle Melo have basically been living together, but how would you feel if I wanted to move into Uncle Melo’s place with ya’ll?” Summer knew that Dream wasn’t the person she needed a response from about that, but she was still interested in hearing what Dream’s answer would be.

  “Girl, when can I help you pack? I would love to have you in the house with us. I don’t have any sisters and my cousins live out of town. I wouldn’t mind having a girl around to kick back with and talk girl stuff. PG girl stuff, you’re still a minor,” Dream said while letting out a chuckle.

  Summer joined her in laughter and knew that in that moment, their spots in each other’s lives moving forward was solidified. They continued to kick it about various things, the most important being Dream’s boutique’s grand opening and Summer’s junior prom. Twenty minutes after they were both already done eating, they decided to call it a day and head home.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It wasn’t until late at night when Carmelo crept in the house. Even though he thought he didn’t have anything to do and planned on chilling in the house while the girls went shopping, he ended up going out to handle business with Trip. What started as something that was supposed to take an hour ended up being all night and he was tired as hell. He slowly walked up the stairs and headed to his room. To his surprise, Dream was still up watching TV.

  “Hi baby,” she said in a low tone.

  “What’s up, ma? What you doing up?” he asked as he walked over to her side of the bed and kissed her.