Legacy: It's Never Black and White in Love and Business

by E. W. Brooks

  “Some kid from the neighborhood drove up on his bike and handed it to me. He said a man with a gold tooth handed it to him and paid him $20 bucks to bring it here.”

  “So, it had to be someone from the neighborhood or at least someone who could make it through security, right?”

  “Say no more, Boss. I’m on it,” Jackal responded before heading out.

  Marcellus rounded his desk and plopped down in his massive chair. Who in the world would play with him like this? If the guy had a gold tooth, he had to be someone from around the way. His mind wandered to his brother James first.

  James had always done well for himself, so he never bothered Marcellus. When he did, it was always about money. First it was the house. Then it was for a bigger SUV for the family. But, most recently he’d asked for half a million dollars for some kind of tech start-up, but the business plan was shaky, so he told his brother no. He hadn’t heard from him since.

  Let me call my dear brother James, Marcellus thought, this was not part of our deal.

  ***

  “Tesha just called me. She visited Edwina and Matthew as we discussed. In her own crazy way, she seemed happy for Edwina,” Clarke reported.

  “Too late to play the doting mother, she’s been replaced. Now I can enjoy a relationship with the young lady I’ve been supporting all these years.”

  “Lena, you can’t tell her that. She’s just found some stability. She’s been through too much for you to go there when you can begin with a clean slate from right here. Let her be happy.”

  “Fine, Clarke. I guess you’re right. Now, can you get Liza-Beth Rushing for me?”

  “Sure thing and I’ll have Paige Brown from Nashville draw up the initial design.”

  “This engagement party is gonna be off the chain.” Lena returned.

  “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. You better not hurt that girl, Lena. I mean it.”

  “I hear you, Mafietta.”

  “I know you hear me, but do you understand me. Lena?”

  “I got you.”

  “So, is it a deal?” Clarke asked.

  “Yep. It’s a deal,” Lena responded hanging up the phone and dialing Edwina.

  ***

  Tesha poured herself another glass of wine, as she tried to stop the torrent of tears that ran down her face. While she was furious at Edwina for leaving her the way she did, she couldn’t blame her. That boy was gonna make something out of her baby. She wasn’t gonna be anything like those hood booger bottom bitches on Maury that didn’t know their baby’s father.

  “Hello,” Tesha answered, trying to disguise her hurt.

  “Hello, Ms. Edwards. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you but I think we should be friends.” A male voice answered.

  “Who the hell is this and why do I need to know you?” Tesha snapped as her phone beeped.

  “Take a look at the text I just sent you,” responded the voice on the other end.

  “Hold on,” Tesha ordered, as she pulled the phone away from her ear to see the message. Her hands trembled as a million thoughts ran through her mind. Finally she pressed the button. There she found a picture of security guards searching her car with her in handcuffs.

  “Where the fuck did you get this?” Tesha screamed.

  “Calm down Lil’ Lady, I’m just trying to help,” the voice returned, “I’ll text you with directions in the morning.”

  “Why do I need directions? So what if have some bullshit picture of me getting caught with some herb?”

  “My dear Tesha, there is so much I want to teach you.”

  “Teach me? Nigga, what you talking bout?”

  “I’m gonna help you get your daughter back and who knows with that sexy body you keep hiding under all those tunic tops, I just might let you meet Zeus.”

  “Nigga, I don’t know you and I don’t want to meet Zeus!”

  “You wouldn’t want your daughter to be hurt would you?” The voice asked menacingly.

  “Look here mother fucker, you don’t play with my baby. That’s the wrong chord to strike with me.”

  “Calm down Momma Bear. I’m just looking out.”

  “I am a grown woman and have been for a long time. I don’t need nobody looking out for me.”

  “Shut up, Tesha. Everybody needs somebody. I know who you are, and believe it or not, you know me too. Meet me at Sports One tomorrow for lunch, and if you don’t want to talk to me, I won’t ever bother you again.”

  “If that means you’ll stop calling me with this bullshit, then you gotta deal,” Tesha returned with a smile in her voice.

  “I had you at hello,” the voice returned.

  “Whateva, Mr. No Name. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Tesha laughed as she ran to her closet. The gun was still there where Mandell left it so long ago, and so was that red freakum dress. Love or war, she was gonna be prepared either way.

  The Hustle

  James Brewer was a small man, but somehow he still commanded the attention of the room. It could have been his large manicured hands or maybe that huge gold medallion that hung from his neck. Either way, he turned heads. As a matter of fact, Tesha had a trained eye for thugs and OGs, so her radar picked him up first. He’d stayed true to his word and was wearing a black t-shirt with a gold chain.

  He stood up as soon as he noticed Tesha step into the restaurant. Time had worn her down, but she still looked great. Her red suit hugged her in all the right ways. This lady was classy. Her shoes even had red bottoms. James smiled as Tesha extended her hand to him.

  “Hello, Tesha, my name is James. It’s great to meet you,” James said with a smile accenting the gold in his mouth.

  “I’m not sure if I can say the same. How can I help you, James?” Tesha asked with a bit of an attitude.

  “I hear your daughter is marrying Matthew Marlowe.”

  “Why are you talking to me about my daughter? Are you some kinda pervert or something? Then, you had that damned pic of those guards going through my car. Why are you stalking us, mother fucker?”

  “Tesha, Tesha calm down. That’s not it at all. Have a seat. Let’s have a drink. You need to chill the fuck out.”

  Suddenly, Tesha felt relaxed. As crazy as it sounds, she loved to have a man use a little force and tell her what to do. She sat down on the bar seat next to the stranger.

  “Ok, asshole. I want to know what your game is.”

  “You cut straight to the chase, don’t you?” James smiled and Tesha’s heart melted.

  She felt something she hadn’t felt in years. She felt heavy, but soft manicured hands touch hers.

  “Look Lady, I can tell you’ve had a hard life, and I certainly don’t want to make it any more difficult. I’m not here to complicate things for you. I’m here to give you options.”

  “Oh, so you’re one of those kind?” Tesha said, as she looked this sexy man in the face.

  “What kind is that, Baby Girl?”

  “The kind that is so used to dating babies that they use words like ‘baby girl.’”

  James chuckled to himself as Tesha continued.

  “It must have been some time since you’ve had a real life grown woman,” she said before raising her hand to call the bartender.

  “Look, I don’t want to waste your time, so I’ll keep this brief. Your daughter is marrying my nephew.”

  Tesha looked at the chocolate drop sitting on the stool across from her, “Nigga, what do you take me for? Matthew and Marcellus are white.”

  “You can’t always judge a book by its cover. You’re fine as hell and don’t get me wrong, but you’re as black as a pan and your daughter looks like one of the Kardashians. Genetics can do some crazy shit, man.”

  “You got that right,” Tesha echoed thinking about her lily white daughter. “So, what are you saying? Are you saying that he Marlowes are black?”

  “I ain’t saying shit until I know I can trust you.” James continued. “I didn’t know how you would react, but I get the feeling that we’re on the same
page with this.

  “I don’t know that we’re even in the same book. I can’t shake the feeling that you’re wasting my time,” Tesha responded getting annoyed.

  “What would you say if I said Marcellus Marlowe is my brother?”

  “I would say stop lying, because that man is white as a sheet and your ass is dark as night. Oh, yeah, I’m the Easter Bunny’s sister, too,” Tesha shook her head and laughed.

  James smiled, “I could say the same thing about your daughter.”

  “Look here mutha fucka. Are you really brave enough to bring my daughter into this?”

  “Calm down, Ma. I’m just making a point. Marcellus and I had the same crackhead mother, except his father was white. We go to the orphanage together, but then some white couple takes him and his life changes forever.”

  “Oh, so they left your little black ass at the orphanage, huh?” Tesha asked.

  “Oh, now you got jokes?”

  “Nah, I’m just askin’. Excuse me for not being more sensitive. I just don’t get why you’re so caught up in the past. It looks like you’re doing alright for yourself now,” Tesha responded, trying to soften her response.

  “That was my hand, and I played it. I’m not complaining. Marcellus was good to me for a while, but then his ambitions left his black sheep of a brother out in the cold.”

  “What do you need him for? You’re not hurting. Your hands are manicured, your clothes are fresh and those shoes are hot to death. I can appreciate your story, but what does any of this have to do with me or my daughter.”

  “Don’t you want your piece of the pie?” James asked.

  “Hell, yeah. I love pie. What’s your angle?” Tesha said, leaning in to listen closer.

  “I think you and I should get married.”

  “What? Nigga, I don’t know you.”

  “You can get to know me while we get to know this paper,” James responded.

  “Where I’m from, a nigga get you a ring or something when he wanna get married,” Tesha said, actually warming up to the idea.

  “Tesha, believe it or not, I think we were made for each other.”

  She stood to her feet. “That remains to be seen.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow. I know I hit you with a lot, but we gotta move fast.”

  “I’m not wrapping my head around this. Why do we need to be married?”

  “Can you imagine what we can do if we work together. The underdogs can win this time,” James pleaded, “Please just have a seat. I’m gonna lay out the blueprint for you.”

  For the first time of the evening, Tesha felt relaxed. This dude had a plan and that was more than she had now that Edwina had written her off. Why not stick it to Marcellus and Lena? They could afford it and with the history of bad blood after Mandell turned up dead, it was time that Tesha got a little payback.

  “I’m listening,” Tesha sat back down onto the bar stool and threw her hand in the air. “Bartender, I need another drink.” Then she finally listened as James laid out their road to riches.

  “But, you’ve only been divorced for two weeks,” Tesha complained.

  “Well, I could still be married and just trying to shit you. At least I’m being honest.”

  “I hear you, man. Gotta admit this is a little twisted, but I’m in,” Tesha smiled.

  “They will never see this coming,” James laughed, “And, since we’re getting married and all, don’t you think you need to let me test out that cookie?”

  “Hell nah, Nigga. You gone wait on this punanny. You wanna marry me to fulfill some twisted desire, I don’t mind. But I tell you what, you’re gonna damned sure treat me right. Nothing is free, Boo. And, this is gonna cost you good behavior,” Tesha bent over and kissed her new fiancé passionately in the mouth.

  In less than 24 hours, she’d hit rock bottom and rose back to the top. Now, she was days away from her biggest take ever. She would walk away a married millionaire and that was fine with her.

  ***

  “Who the fuck is doing this shit?” Marcellus screamed, as he threw the picture onto his desk. “Jimmy, who the hell sent this?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure, Mr. Marlowe. It was in with the incoming mail.”

  “From now own, let the team know to not accept anything without a clear understanding of its origination point,” instructed the nervous politician.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Marlowe.”

  “Don’t take another fucking package without knowing where the hell it came from or who delivered it. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Sure thing Mr. Marlowe. I’m gonna head out and grab some lunch. Can I bring you anything back?”

  “No thank you. Lena made her world famous lasagna last night, and I think I’ll be eating leftovers. Thanks for asking, though.”

  Marcellus watched as Jimmy headed out of the doorway and walked to his car. As soon as he saw the young man sit down in his car, he picked up the phone on his desk.

  “Yeah, get me Lightfoot.”

  “Somebody’s trying to hold me over a barrel. Need you to look into it very discreetly, silently, in fact.”

  “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I’ll have Jimmy make the transfer in the morning. Just find out who’s fucking with me and shut it down.”

  Marcellus sat back in his chair, scratching his head.

  ***

  Jimmy had a call to make, too. He was on his phone before reaching the end of the street.

  “What’s up, Youngblood?” the voice asked.

  “Marcellus isn’t taking anymore unmarked packages. Everything has to be identified by the sender now, or it falls on me.”

  “Falls on you?”

  “Yeah, it’ll mean I’m fired.”

  “Don’t worry about that scary motherfucker. I have a plan, and we’re coming for that ass. I got you covered, though. No one will ever know we worked together.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “No problem,” the voice responded.

  Here’s The Story

  “UNO!” Edwina screamed.

  “Dang, not again,” Matthew complained.

  “Yep, I whipped that ass. Go on, Mrs. Butterworth. I’ll take blueberries in my pancakes this morning,” Edwina laughed.

  “I knew we should have played two-hand spades.”

  “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Quit your belly aching and feed me, Daddy,” Edwina smiled.

  Matthew made his walk of shame to the kitchen when the phone began to ring.

  “Hey Florence, get that,” he laughed as he lifted his head, stuck out his chest, and began to waddle like George Jefferson.

  “Shut up,” Edwina smiled as she threw a pillow down the hall at her fiancée. She leaned over to look at the Caller Id.

  A smile covered her face as she reached for the receiver.

  “Hey Lena, what’s up?”

  “Girl, are you ready yet? You know we go dress shopping for the engagement party today at noon and then there is an appointment with Liza Beth at three.”

  “Lena, I know. You told me yesterday and the day before.”

  “I know you have a lot on your plate with final exams and all. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t forget,” responded a nervous Lena.

  “We’re on it, Lena,” Matthew chimed in from the phone in the kitchen.

  “Don’t give me that Matthew. You are always late. Edwina and I have a schedule.”

  “Okay, Okay. Stop getting all riled up,” Matthew laughed.

  “Hush, Boy. Don’t you say another word, but you have that ass on the highway by eight,” Lena ordered.

  “Yes ma’am,” Matthew said smiling as he hung up the receiver.

  “You’ve really put a spell on them,” Matthew said, slapping Edwina on the behind.

  “I’m more concerned with how you feel about things. Do you think things are happening too fast?”

  “You are not pregnant and this is no shot gun wedding. I love you and you love me. It’s that simple for me,” Matthew responded. He was beginning to be afra
id that Edwina was getting cold feet.

  “Good,” Edwina said jumping into Matthew’s arms. “I don’t plan on letting your fine ass go, anyway.”

  He lowered his future wife to the floor and the familiar look of fear covered her face, only this time they weren’t at the swimming pool. Then as if on cue, Edwina began to speak.

  “It’s not you I’m worried about. I know I have all the right attributes to be a white woman, but what do I do when it rains and my hair frizzes or my roots give me away? I can’t keep telling people my mother is dead when she lives three hours away. It’ll take too much energy, and I’m not with it. We can put up a façade and live behind smoke and mirrors waiting on someone to find us out, or we can be honest and up front about who I am and where I really come from.”

  “Baby, that’s your problem. My father lives in the world of politics where everything is hidden behind the same facades and smoke and mirrors you are talking about right now. Very few people are who they say they are, and it’s usually never to hurt the people that voted for them. It’s to push the agendas that make sense, creating the alliances that produce the best results, and lying your ass off until you get caught. Then, you get a lawyer and lie about lying. That is just the crazy world I live in, and you have to be down for the ride.”

  “What if someone finds me out?”

  “We have people on our staff that make sure things don’t get out.”

  “You got killas working for you?” Edwina asked?

  “No, babe. They are fixers or conflict managers. They don’t hurt people. They usually give us a number, and we write them a check. No one gets hurt and the story goes away; so I think they pay people off.”

  “Matthew, you know money only buys time.”

  “Baby, time is all we need. People that play both sides of the fence like that are usually covered in dirt, so while they’re biding their time, we’re investigating their asses.”

  “So, you beat them at their own game?” she asked.

  “Exactly! Now, can we end this crash course in everything Marlowe, eat these hotcakes, and get on the road before Lena sends someone looking for us both?” Matthew joked.

  ***

  It was 7:30 in the morning and Tesha’s phone was ringing. Who in the hell is calling me this early in the morning? Tesha wondered.