by Pinky Dior
Mercedes didn’t waste any time, she started dancing and laughing with her girls. As they danced together on top of the stage, the music was interrupted and Mercedes looked up.
“What the fuck?” Mercedes blurted out, she was mad that the DJ had stopped the music. She looked up and was staring at the DJ who was now making an announcement.
“Are ya’ll having a good time?” DJ Fat Scoop yelled. Her mother secured the well known New York DJ for her daughter’s Sweet Sixteen party- nothing but the best for Mercedes.
“YEAHHH!” everyone screamed in unison.
“Happy 16th birthday Mercedes Carter…I hope you’re out there enjoying yourself Mama. You look gorgeous tonight.” The DJ smiled as he placed the spot light on Mercedes. She started blushing as she looked around and everybody was staring at her and clapping.
“Now are ya’ll ready for an exclusive performance?” Everyone was wondering what he was talking about. “Well… ladies get ready to scream and fella’s get ready to sing along as we bring you the best of the best….DIPSET…DIPSET…DIPSET.” The DJ Announced. Everyone went bananas and screamed at the top of their lungs. Mercedes covered her mouth as The Diplomats were on stage. She didn’t think that her father would come through on her special request, but she was wrong.
The Diplomats came out on stage, Juelz Santana, Cam’ron, Jim Jones and the whole crew. Juelz Santana came out and called Mercedes up to the stage, “Happy Birthday Mercedes, from the Dipset family Ma.” Juelz gave her a hug.
“Now are ya’ll ready?”
“DIPSET…DIPSET…DIPSET!” everyone chanted.
“Dipset, we in the motherfucking building get your hands up!” Cam’ron yelled into the mic. “Killa…Juelz…you on your own man. Let’s go.” Cam started throwing his hands up. “Dipset, Dipset, Dipset, Dipset.” After The Diplomats were done performing, Mercedes and her crew kicked it with them in V.I.P. They were popping bottles, but Mercedes was way too young to drink. Mercedes decided to head back down the spiral staircase to the first level to search for her man, Chino. Her eyes scanned the hall as she searched for him and then Mercedes grabbed Candy off the floor and asked her if she had seen Chino. She told her no and kept dancing.
Mercedes was furious; he told her that he would be here but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. She folded her arms across her breasts beginning to pout. She watched everyone enjoy themselves and the two people she wanted to spend the day with had abandoned her-her father and her man. She was disappointed with the day and how it was turning out. Her mother noticed and approached her with concern on her face.
“What’s wrong baby?” Maria asked.
“It’s nothing Ma.” Mercedes lied.
“Alright, well go have some fun it’s your birthday.” Maria disappeared into the crowd as she sipped on her drink. Mercedes felt someone come up behind her and wrap their arms firmly around her waist.
“Hey Ma.” She turned around with an attitude, wondering who had their hands on her. It was Chino and she couldn’t be happier. Things were definitely looking up.
“Hey Baby.” Mercedes smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Happy Birthday Ma.” Chino kissed her on the lips, she looked around hoping her mom didn’t see that. “You look beautiful Ma.” He spun her around gazing at her beautiful body.
“Thank you so much.” Mercedes smiled as she looked him up and down. He rocked an all light pink tuxedo that had Mercedes emblazoned on the back. “You look good too baby, I love your outfit-it’s cute.” Mercedes said chuckling.
“Yeah, you know I had to come ten steps ahead of other niggas.” Chino informed her while looking around. The song “Move Your Body” by Nina Sky pumped through the speakers. The ladies made their way to the dance floor and grabbed their dancing partners.
“Oooh, this is my shit.” Mercedes cooed as she started bopping her head.
“Want to dance with me?” Chino asked. “Of course,” Mercedes answered.
He grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor and got behind her. Mercedes hips were now in full effect as she moved to the beat, “Move your body girl…Makes the fellas go…The way you ride it girl….Makes the fellas go.”
Mercedes sang the song and looked back at Chino who winked at her, as she bounced her shoulders and winked back. After the song was over the DJ made another announcement.
“Everybody clear the dance floor please…Mercedes your father saved the last song for you…only for you.” The DJ announced.
People started to clear the floor. He started playing the song by Beyonce Knowles, “Daddy.” Oh I wish my father was here right now, how could he not attend my birthday? He never missed any of my birthdays. Mercedes thought to herself.
She noticed a man walking from the crowd and into the middle of the floor. Tears welled up in her eyes when she realized it was her father. A wide smile appeared across her face. Her father looked as handsome as ever. He had a fresh shape-up and huge 2 carat glistening diamond earrings. He wore a white tuxedo vest by Armani Exchange with a light pink collared shirt underneath. He accented his crisp white Armani tux dress pants with some light pink alligator shoes.
“Can I have this dance?” he asked with a smile, as he extended out his hand.
“You sure can.” Mercedes smiled widely and grabbed her father’s hand as they danced together. The crowd was silent and watched from the sidelines as Mercedes danced with her father. The dance floor was illuminated in pink and white with the spotlight focusing on Mercedes and Don.
Maria stood close by watching as Mercedes happily danced with her father. Watching him with his daughter reignited her feelings for him and how much she loved him. It was that Carter unconditional love.
Mercedes had her arms wrapped around her father’s neck as he had his wrapped around her waist. She looked into his eyes with happiness, but questioned his absence earlier.
“Daddy, I thought you weren’t coming.”
“I can never miss one of your birthdays, no matter what.” He promised as he kissed his daughter on the forehead.
Mercedes felt secure and safe when she was in her father’s presence. The music softly pumped through the speakers. “I want my unborn son to be just like my Daddy, I want my husband to be just like my Daddy, there is no one else like you Daddy…And I thank you for loving me.”
Mercedes smiled as she silently mouthed, “Love you Daddy” as a tear crept down her face. He wiped it away and said, “I love you too Baby Girl.”
The Unordered Hit
Don walked up the spiral staircase and peeked into his daughter’s room. She was sound asleep as her head lay against the soft pillows. Don thought she slept like the innocent angel she was.
Don was so overprotective over her; he wouldn’t know what to do if anything ever happened to her. He crept into her bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. He inched closer and gently rubbed her silky hair. He smiled as he gazed at his beautiful daughter. It had been a while since they spent father and daughter time together.
Today he would take her out and show her a big surprise that he’d been waiting to show her.
“Wake up Mercedes.” Don gently pinched her cheeks.
“Ouch.” Mercedes eyes fluttered open as she noticed her father was sitting beside her smiling ear to ear. “Why you do that Daddy?” Mercedes asked as she rubbed her cheeks.
“Are you ready?” He asked.
“Am I ready to go where?” Mercedes had a baffled look on her face.
“Well since I’ve been out of town and busy lately, I want to take you out today-just me and you.” Don pointed to his daughter, lightly tapping her on her nose.
“What time?” Mercedes yawned, she was still sleepy.
“Whenever you get up and get dressed, but don’t keep me waiting all day. I know how ya’ll woman are, especially you and your Mama.” He cracked a smile as he stood up and walked away.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mercedes cocked her head to the side as her eye brows r
ose. Don turned around and stood in the door way.
“Ya’ll take forever to get ready, I mean hours. Ya’ll have to make sure ya’ll hair, make up and nails look so fucking perfect.” Don chuckled.
“Whatever Daddy, I’m about to get ready.” Mercedes swung her legs over her bed and got up and did a quick stretch.
She rushed to get herself together as soon as possible. She couldn’t wait to spend the day with the man who loved her the most. She didn’t want to keep him waiting.
She threw on a white Supergirl track jacket with a pink tank top underneath. She wore the white matching Adidas track pants and a fresh pair of Adidas pink and white Superstars.
When she reached downstairs, her mother was sitting at the kitchen table reading The New York Times. Every morning she would read the paper and have a cup of hazelnut coffee from Dunkin Doughnuts.
“Where are you two going?” Maria asked as she looked up and noticed her husband walking down the steps fully dressed to meet Mercedes.
“Daddy said he wanted to take me out today.” Mercedes smiled.
“Oh yeah, isn’t that sweet.” Her mother said as she sipped on her coffee.
“Yeah, I’m taking her out to a couple of places. I have a surprise to show her.” Don smiled and winked at his wife. She already knew what the surprise was, but she wasn’t going to spoil it for Mercedes.
“What is it Daddy?” Mercedes eagerly asked; she really wanted to know.
“You’ll see, I don’t want to spoil it for you.” Don placed his hand over his lips and grabbed the keys out of his pocket. They walked towards the door.
Mercedes followed her father as he got into his Silver Range Rover Sport HST. It was equipped with 24 inch chrome rims. Mercedes reclined in her seat as she enjoyed the ride. She noticed her father pulling over and then he parked the car. She sat up in her seat and looked out the window.
They were at an expensive upscale restaurant called Bella’s. It was an Italian restaurant located in the heart of Queens. Mercedes was last here on her 12th birthday, when she had an exquisite dinner with her father and mother.
As they arrived, the waitress immediately knew Mr. Carter and escorted them up the spiral staircase. It led to an upper-level of the restaurant, a more intimate area. Soft Italian music filled the restaurant and provided an ambiance of peace. The waitress handed them their menus and politely greeted them.
“Can I start you all of with anything to drink?” The waiter inquired.
“Yes, I’ll have an iced tea with extra ice and a lemon.” The waitress turned towards Mercedes and asked what she wanted. “I’ll just have a glass of water, thank you.” Mercedes smiled.
“This place is so beautiful.” Mercedes said. “I haven’t been here in so long.”
“Yeah I know, they changed it up a bit.” Mercedes scanned through her menu and had no idea what to order. Everything on it looked so delicious. She looked over it once more before coming to a conclusion.
The waitress came back to the table, “Are you all ready to order?” she asked.
“Yes.” Don replied. He looked at his menu and looked up and placed his order. “I’ll take the chicken parmesan with a side order of the Italian Famous soup.”
“Okay, and what will you be having?” she asked Mercedes.
“I’m going to try the Shrimp Fra Diavolo with lemon sauce please, thank you.” The waitress took their menus and told them the wait would be about a half an hour. Mercedes dug into the Italian bread.
“Mhmmm,” This is really delicious.” She licked her lips as her mouth watered for more. Don took a piece of the Italian bread and put it into his mouth.
“Yeah it is really good, but don’t eat too much. It will make your ass full and you won’t have room for your real meal.” The two of them chuckled.
“So, how’s school been going for you?” he asked.
“It’s been going pretty good, you know, I’m focused on keeping my grades up. Other than that, I’m the most popular girl in school.” Mercedes replied as she batted her thick eye lashes. Don burst into laughter.
“Girl you’re a mess,” her father chuckled. “I mean, look at you Mercedes. Your mother blessed me with one of the most gorgeous daughters in the world.” Don knew he always made his daughter feel on top of the world when he told her that. “Just like your beautiful Mama.” Don smiled as he chewed.
“Thank you,” she shrugged her shoulders. The steam rose up from their food and tickled Mercedes’ nose. She licked her lips; she couldn’t wait until her food cooled off because it looked awesome. The shrimp were covered with perfectly sliced onions, fresh basil, Italian leaves, and lemon juice topped it off. As they waited a few minutes to eat their food, they watched as an Italian female singer sang a beautiful song on the stage that was a few feet away. They clapped their hands in amazement as she walked off stage.
“She has a real beautiful voice.” Don nodded his head in agreement and Mercedes turned around and begin eating her food.
“So who’s the new boy in your life?” he keenly asked. Mercedes almost choked on one of her shrimp when her father asked her that question out of the blue.
“Hmm?” Mercedes asked as she drunk some of her water to help gulp down the shrimp caught in her throat. He repeated the question again, knowing that she heard what he said the first time.
“I mean…I have a new male friend, Chino.” Mercedes hid the fact that he was her boyfriend. She knew that her father would disapprove, “He’s a real cool guy. He’s respectful and intelligent, a real sweet heart.”
“Really, that’s how they all are at first.” Don informed her as he finished his food and wiped the sides of his mouth with the napkin.
“What do you mean Daddy?”
“I mean, I just want the best for you. I know how these silly New York nigga’s get down. I just want you to go to school and finish college. Then get a nice job, and after that find a nice man like a lawyer or something. You don’t need to settle for anything less.”
Mercedes smiled and pretended to listen intently; she actually was, but she wasn’t really hearing him.
“Daddy, I’m ready to go.” Mercedes said as she finished her food and took one last bite of the Italian bread.
“Alright Baby Girl, let’s roll.” Don pulled out a crisp stack of money and peeled off two hundred dollar bills and tossed them onto the table. The bill only came up to one hundred and some change. He always left the waitress a nice tip. Mercedes got up and followed her father outside the restaurant and they got back into the Range.
Don then took her to one of the most expensive high class stores in the city, Fifth Avenue. Mercedes left carrying a lot of bags on both side of her arms. They were filled with Gucci, Prada, Versace and plenty of other brands. Today her father went all out splurging on her. He practically purchased everything that she wanted.
When they were done shopping, they loaded the trunk with their shopping bags and got into the car. Once Mercedes got situated in her seat, she saw her father reach behind the seat. He pulled out a bag and took out three gold boxes. He then placed them carefully on her lap.
“What’s this Daddy?” Mercedes asked while picking up one of the boxes.
“Open it and see.” Don informed her. Mercedes opened the smallest box; it contained a custom made diamond charm bracelet with a diamond heart on the end with the initials MC on it. The second box was a matching necklace with a diamond locket; it had the initials DC on it. When Mercedes opened it, she saw a picture of her and her father. A wide smile appeared on her face when she reminiscing on the day her and her father took professional pictures.
The final box contained a forty-two inch Diamond Cuban XL chain. Mercedes lifted up the chain with tears in her eyes as she gazed at the beautifully customized piece. It had the Carter family picture including Mercedes, her mother, and her father embedded into the plated pendant. The bottom read Carter Family in diamonds.
“Oh my God, thank you Daddy.” Mercedes hugged him. “This
is so beautiful…I’m definitely cherishing this and carrying this to the grave with me.”
“You’re welcome Baby Girl; I would give you the whole world if I could.” He sincerely said. He had already given Mercedes everything that she wanted, needed, and even things that she didn’t want or need. Mercedes was happy with what she thought was surprise. However, she didn’t know that she was in for a bigger surprise- something that she would least expect.
Mercedes noticed that they were in Long Island. She looked out the window and saw beautiful houses everywhere. Don told her to cover her eyes. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t ask questions.
“No peeking,” he warned her. He pulled over and tied a blue bandana over her eyes. Mercedes chuckled at her dad’s behavior.
He parked the car and walked over to her side to help her get out of the car. He held her hand and guided her. Mercedes walked up a few steps and heard her father unlock a door. She was getting impatient, yearning to know where she was.
Don took the bandana off and said, “You can open your eyes now.” He watched Mercedes open her eyes and her heart skipped a beat. Don stood inside with a huge gracious smile on his face. Tears welled up in her eyes and a tear eventually crept down her cheek.
“Daddy, this can’t be…” Mercedes looked at him shaking her head ‘no’ in disbelief. She had an astonished look on her face.
“Yes, this is for you Baby Girl.” He cut her off, as Mercedes ran over to him and gave him the tightest hug she could muster. She hugged him for several seconds before pulling away. It was a beautiful two-story luxury condo. It had four bed rooms with three and a half bathrooms. When they walked into the condo, they were welcomed with a huge open foyer. A beautiful pink chandelier dangled overhead. The oversized living room had shiny wall to wall marble floors and an immaculate marble fire place. There were huge crystal clear windows that provided beautiful views of sunrises and sunsets. Every room had huge windows which gave you different views of the city.