by Pinky Dior
“Thank you.” Maria held her baby girl in her arms. She took in all her beautiful features including her slanted eyes. She was surprised to see that they looked to be grayish-green in color. Her small pink lips had a mole on the top right corner. It resembled Maria’s; she had one near her lip on the same side. Her baby had thick neatly shaped eye brows and a round petite nose. She looked almost exactly like her Maria, but she was a little darker. She had a light complexion with a hint of caramel. Her head was full of curly black hair. Maria and Don brought a beautiful baby girl into the world.
“What are you going to name her?” Edella asked. Maria didn’t have to think twice. One name rolled off the tip of her tongue. “Mercedes,” she blurted out, with a big smile across her face. “Mercedes Carter.” Maria nodded her head up and down and smiled from ear to ear.
“Can you two excuse me for a moment?” Maria asked. Her aunt and the maid exited the room and patiently waited in the lobby. Maria grabbed the number that was on the table and placed a piece of her hair behind her ear. She picked up the hospital phone and dialed Don Carter’s number. She nervously placed the phone to her ear and waited for him to answer. Many different thoughts ran through her head. She didn’t know how he would take the news. He probably wouldn’t believe her when she told him. He would probably deny it and say Mercedes wasn’t his child.
Tears gathered in her eyes as the thoughts ran through her head. She didn’t want her daughter to grow up without a father. She wanted her to have a wealthy life, and she knew Mr. Carter could provide that. She bit on her bottom lip while waiting for him to pick up. Sadly, she only got through to his voicemail. She ended the call and looked through her room’s window. Her future would hinge on Don Carter’s response, when and if he found out about Mercedes.
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Don cruised down the streets of New York bumping LL Cool J’s “I Need Love”. He wore his blue New York fitted cap pulled low over his eyes. His car windows had limo tint, so no one could see inside. Although people knew when he hit the corner; everyone knew he was driving a gold Lexus with 22 inch chrome rims. He had just returned from replenishing his product with his brother Roy. The next order of business was to collect some paper that was owed to him. Things had been going smoothly for them since they got back from Cuba. Their money game stepped up tremendously.
Everyone in the Carter family was eating and had cake. Don’s cell phone was in his pocket and he could feel it vibrating. He reached into his pocket and realized that it was a weird number, but he recognized the Cuban area code. He thought it was Vicente calling from another number, but when he answered he got a pleasant surprise.
“Yo?” Don flipped up his phone and put it up to his ear.
“Don?”
“Who’s this?” The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t put a finger on it.
“Maria.”
When he heard her name, Don almost dropped the phone. He had been thinking of her since he left, but became very focused on making his money. He loved the connection between the two of them and wanted more.
“Oh my God, Maria-how have you been?” Don was happy to hear from her. He was wondering what took her so long to call him. He started thinking that she wasn’t interested in him and what they had was just a one night stand.
“I’ve been good. I mean, I’m happy.” Maria smiled. She looked down at her newborn baby girl that she held in her arms, “Umm… I have something to tell you.”
“Go on. I’m listening. We have a lot to catch up on.” Don couldn’t wait to pick up where they left off.
“I was pregnant with your child, and today I gave birth.” She informed him. The words were like music to his ears. Don couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had to look at his cell phone again to see if this was really happening and not a prank call.
“Are you there?” Maria asked.
“Yeah, my bad, I was just thinking.” Don shook his head and chuckled. “I’ll be down there soon.” He smiled from ear to ear at the news.
They exchanged words and she gave him the address to where she was staying. “Hold on,” he held the phone up to his ear and drove with one hand. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from between the seats and wrote the info on a piece of paper as he managed to drive. After all the important information was exchanged, he hung up the phone. This was going to change things for everyone.
“Who the hell was that?” Roy asked noticing a change in his brother’s demeanor.
“Call Ms. Price and let her know I will be going out of town for a couple of days. I need a ticket to Cuba, no make that two round trip tickets.” Don informed his brother.
“Yo, what the fuck Don, we’re not supposed to go to Cuba until next month to re-up. So why the change of plans bro?”
“That was Maria, Vicente’s daughter.” Don smiled, “Something came up that just can’t wait bro.”
“Aww man, what happened?” Roy laughed, he was eager to know.
“She just gave birth to my daughter.” Don couldn’t help smiling. His dimples were in full view, and he was elated. Roy was just as surprised as Don; he couldn’t get any words out.
“I have a daughter, a lovely baby girl. Mercedes Carter,” Don whispered to himself.
Denial
Don stood near the bed as he bent down and tickled his daughter’s stomach. She wore a pink onesie and had on a pink headband. Her curly hair was already starting to grow, enhancing her beauty. He loved the way her bright green eyes popped out at him. She was the prettiest baby he’d ever seen; she was a Carter baby.
Don loved his life, but he loved it even more when he was blessed with a beautiful baby girl. She and Maria were the missing links to absolute happiness. As he kept giggling and tickling Mercedes, a cute smile came across her face. Her gums were in full sight. She was only three months and fifteen days old. He loved making his daughter smile; it gave him great joy to be her father. Every time he had a long hard day of hustling, he would come home and Mercedes knew how to put a smile on his face and warm up his heart.
Don could hear his wife walking up the steps. Within seconds Maria emerged into their master bedroom. She was dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a wife beater. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail in the center of her head. She carried the baby’s bottle in her hand along with a pink pacifier. He looked up and lustfully stared at Maria. He had to admit that she looked amazing for a woman who just had a baby.
He knew other chicks who had babies and lost their perfect bodies. He shook the sexual thoughts out of his head as he picked Mercedes up and held her in his arms. He looked into her green eyes. With every passing day, he learned to love her more and was prouder to be her father.
“Is her bottle ready?” Don asked.
“Yeah, I have it right here.” Maria said sarcastically as she held up the bottle and waved it around. Don screwed up his nose as an awful stench crept into his nostrils. He turned Mercedes around, she was giggling and full of joy. He lowered his head next to the back of her diaper.
“Whew, I think she pooped.” Don said turning his lips up to his nose, “You need to change her.” He said in a kind but demanding tone.
“Why can’t you change her?”
Maria’s eye brows shot up in defiance. Suddenly Don was saved when his phone started ringing.
“Come on Ma, next time.” Don smiled, “My phone ringing, take her.” He handed Mercedes over to Maria. Maria’s piercing eyes stayed glued to him.
“You’re not off the hook.” Maria said. Don rushed over to his jacket and pulled out his phone.
“Hey beautiful, you ready for mami to change your stinky butt?” Maria smiled as her daughter giggled at her.
Maria laid her down on the bed and began changing her, but not without keeping an ear to what was going on with her husband. She turned her head and watched as Don answered the phone. He spoke in a low tone. His voice was agitated, demonstrating that the phone call made him angry. He left the bedroom and disappea
red into the hallway. Maria tried to eavesdrop, but his voice quickly faded away.
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It was a year later, January 15th, 1991. Carmen lie on the hospital bed as she held her new born baby in her arms and stared down into her beautiful hazel eyes. She had a caramel skin complexion with a head full of light brown hair. Carmen decided to call Don and tell him the news. Although she had a feeling that if he saw her daughter, he would deny her.
Carmen was adamant that Don was the father. However, after he stopped messing with her, she did have a dude on the side. She held the hospital phone in her hand and slowly dialed his number. She really didn’t want to go through with it, but she told herself she had to do it for her child. She named her daughter Hazel, after looking into her eyes for the first time. She finished dialing his number and held the phone up to her ear. It rung a few times before he picked up.
“Yo?” He answered.
“Hey Don, what’s up?” Carmen asked, trying to gauge the mood and strike up a conversation. She realized she had to ease into it because they hadn’t spoken in a year. That was also the last time had sex.
“What do you want?” He whispered in an agitated tone. He was seemingly annoyed and knew this call would bring about problems.
“I have something to tell you.” Carmen stammered for fear of his response.
“What is it?” He questioned, taking in a deep breath.
“I’m at the hospital and I just gave birth to your daughter.” Carmen smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown and tears. Don’s heart dropped and he couldn’t believe what she was saying to him.
“You know what Carmen? I don’t know what type of shit you’re on, but I stopped fucking with you for a grip, that isn’t my baby!” He denied.
“How could you say that?” Tears filled her eyes at his response. She almost thought he would be happy, but clearly she was mistaken.
“You know you’re the only dude that I fucked with.” Carmen shook her head as she couldn’t believe the words that came from his mouth.
“You know what, what hospital are you in?” He asked angrily. She gave him the information and room number.
Don hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket. He headed up the spiral staircase. When he entered the room, Maria was just finishing changing Mercedes’ diaper. She held Mercedes in her arm as she fed her milk from the bottle.
“Babe, I got to dip for a second.” Don said grabbing his jacket.
“Who was that on the phone?” Maria asked as she eyed Don suspiciously.
“It was my brother; I got to collect some dough from him.”
“What time you coming back?” Maria sleepily moaned, Don walked over and kissed her on the forehead.
“I don’t know, but I should be back in less than an hour.” Don said as he bent down and kissed Mercedes on the top of her curly hair.
“Alright, love you.” Maria said as she puckered out her lips for him to kiss her.
“Love you too baby.”
He could feel Maria’s eyes watching him as he grabbed his car keys and headed out the bedroom door. Once Don hopped in his Lexus, he quickly made his way to the hospital to see if what Carmen said was true.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up onto Lenox Street in front of the Harlem Hospital Medical Center. He parked the car and got out. He headed inside as the double doors slid open. He walked up to the receptionist and asked for Carmen Diaz. The nurse pointed down the hall and he quickly followed her directions. As he walked through the door, he looked as cool as ever. Carmen held her composure as she lay in the bed, but soon old feelings started to resurface.
She wished she could just wrap her arms around his neck, tongue him down and make love to him. She knew that since he went to Cuba, he had changed. She knew that things would be different after he called her another female’s name. “So what’s up?” he asked looking around the room, “Where’s the baby?”
“She’s in the bassinet sleeping.” Carmen pointed to where her baby was. She silently prayed that once he saw her, his feelings would change. Don walked over to the baby with his hands in his pocket. He looked over and stared into the baby’s hazel eyes, she was staring straight back into his.
He compared Carmen’s daughter to Mercedes and he didn’t see any similarities. Although his daughter Mercedes looked more like her mother, she shared a few resemblances of his. She was definitely a Carter. To him, Carmen’s baby looked straight Dominican and just like her. The baby didn’t share any of the Carter family traits. He turned around silently and coldly stared into her eyes.
“You ready to sign the birth certificate?” Carmen excitedly asked.
“She’s not mine.” Don nonchalantly answered. “And I don’t want you to ever call me again. I have a beautiful wife and a gorgeous daughter. I’m not going to let you come between us and break up my happy home.” He said. “Good luck finding the baby’s father.”
Don walked out and turned around to see tears forming in Carmen’s eyes. She was shaking her head in disbelief. Her blood boiled.
“Don’t call me ever again Carmen, have a good life.” With that he exited her room hoping to close a chapter in his life. He thought he had already done so one year ago.
Carmen sat in her bed and cried. She worried about the day she would have to explain to her daughter that her father denied her. It was a lesson everyone would learn severely.
The Princess has Arrived
Mercedes grew up to be drop dead gorgeous by the age of fifteen. She matured to be a beautiful girl with a voluptuous figure. Over the last couple of years, everything about her changed drastically. Mercedes had that perfect skin tone, which was the result of being mixed with African-American after her father Don and Cuban descent after her mother Maria. She stood 5’2” in height and full pink lips with a tiny beauty mark on her top lip. Her lips always glistened with pink lemonade MAC lip gloss.
Her long and thick jet black hair flowed down her back; she was petite, but thick in all the right areas. Her perfectly waxed eye brows brought out her beautiful green eyes. Mercedes always giggled when people confused her natural eye color for contacts. Basically, Mercedes Carter had it all.
Don Carter moved his family into a luxurious mansion in New York. He owned expensive paintings and exclusive custom made furniture. The Carter house could be on a TV show or used for a huge movie. Whatever his family wanted, he supplied. The ability to provide made Don Carter a happy man. His first born daughter was his reason for living.
Who’s that Girl
The month of September rolled around quickly. Just a month ago it was summer and the sun was beaming and everyone was outside. Now it was over and fall was settling in. Mercedes’ birthday was approaching next month and she’d been planning to celebrate for a while.
She couldn’t wait to party with her friends. Mercedes’ father was planning to send her to one of the highest class, most expensive private schools in Long Island. She didn’t want to go to a private school. She felt that she could do just as well at a public school. She also knew the boys in private school weren’t her type, but she wouldn’t dare tell her father that information.
Mercedes recalled walking into his office a few weeks ago with her mother by her side.
“Good morning Daddy.” Mercedes greeted her father. He lifted his head up from the newspaper and pushed it aside, giving his daughter his undivided attention.
“Good morning Baby Girl,” he smiled and responded. She was definitely a “Daddy’s Girl”. Mercedes moved closer towards his table.
“What’s up?” Her father asked, knowing the look in her eyes when she needed or wanted something.
“Daddy you know you how you want me to go to private school?” Mercedes asked. He nodded his head knowing what she was here for, Mercedes nervously bit down on her bottom lip as she continued to speak.
“And…I really want to go to a regular school Daddy. And plus it’s closer to the house instead of in Manhattan.” Mercedes exaggerated bec
ause Manhattan was also close to their home in Long Island.
“Daddy I don’t want to go to that private school, I want to stay close to home …where my heart is…where the Carter family heart is.”
Mercedes used her eyes as a way of manipulating her father to get what she wanted. She had him right where she wanted him. Don let out a deep sigh and folded his hands together and placed them on the desk, reclining in his chair.
“You know I want the best for you Mercedes right?” Don said considering what she said. He loved her and would do whatever she asked.
Mercedes nodded her head up and down excitedly. Deep down she knew that’s all her father ever wanted for her, nothing less.
“I’ll let you go to the school of your choice, but under one condition.” Don spoke in a demanding tone as he pointed his finger. Her eyes bulged with fear, hoping he didn’t ask her to do something that she was unprepared for.
“Under what condition Daddy?” she asked inquisitively, as she nervously tapped her foot on the ground.
“That Mr. Gates will pick you up and drop you off at school.” He wanted her to be as safe as possible within reason.
“Daddy, I can’t get on the train?” Mercedes asked.
“Listen I’m doing you a favor here, either you get dropped off by the driver, me or your mom. Your other choice is to go to the private school in Long Island.” Don smiled as he reclined in his office chair.
“What about a car for my birthday?” Mercedes was cheesing from ear to ear, as she knew she was pushing her luck.
“Don’t push it.” He father warned her, giving her the eye.
“Alright, alright, I guess I’ll take the ride from Mr. Gates.” Mercedes smirked, although she loved getting on the train. Even though they were always crowded, she couldn’t help but to like that mode of travel. There was always lots of eye candy on the train, it was the place to see and be seen.