by Pinky Dior
“I got this, Candy, because you’re still shaken up, I see.”
They both laughed as Candy playfully nudged her in the shoulder. Mercedes finished cleaning up the milk and shattered pieces of glass. She held them in her hands and walked over to the trash, disposed of the towels, and grabbed the carton of milk out of the fridge.
“What you doing up so late anyway?” Mercedes asked, as she grabbed two cups from the cabinet and sat down at the kitchen table.
Candy sighed. “I just couldn’t sleep. I kept having bad dreams. I decided to stay up, and I just came downstairs to get something to drink,” Candy informed her as Mercedes poured her a glass of milk and carefully slid it across the table.
“What kind of bad dreams?” Mercedes inquired, because she, too, was having bad dreams.
“I-I don’t know, like ever since, you know, the other day, I’ve been having bad dreams of someone killing me. I-I don’t know, I don’t even want to think about it.” Candy shook her head as she changed the subject. “What you doing up so late?”
“Well, I was having a bad dream too, that’s all.” Mercedes got up and grabbed a bucket of chocolate chip cookies from the cabinet. “You want one?” Mercedes asked, opening up the cookie jar.
Candy nodded her head, grabbed the cookie, and took a small bite out of it. She found it odd that both of them were having bad dreams about someone coming after them and trying to kill them. Then she thought about it again and told herself that it was just a dream. Mercedes sipped on her glass of milk and enjoyed it with her chocolate chip cookies.
“Mercedes, can I ask you a question?” Candy asked.
“Sure, Candy, what is it?” Mercedes wondered.
“Do you enjoy these things that you’re doing?” Candy asked, trying not to offend Mercedes. She tried to ask it in a less offensive way. “I mean, I’ve known you since elementary school. I’ve never seen you like this before… not until your father died.”
Mercedes cut her eyes at her, not wanting to talk about it. However, she needed to get some of it off her chest. “I know, Candy. I didn’t choose this life,” Mercedes whispered. “It was given to me.” Mercedes rubbed the side of her face. “Honestly, Candy, ever since my father died, I grew cold. I grew colder than a motherfucker!” Mercedes barked. “My father was a good father and a good husband to my mother,” she said through clenched teeth, as her eyes got watery. “They took my father away from me and he is a part of me, so when they killed him, they killed a part of me too. No one, not even my mother, will understand that.” Candy listened as Mercedes’s words captivated her attention. “I do it for my father; I kill for my father. Not only do I do it for him, but anyone who crosses my path or does anything to someone that I love, hands down, there’s no questions asked…if I want you dead, then you will be dead.” Mercedes sent a cold chill down Candy’s spine as if she was talking directly to her and about her. Mercedes wiped away her tears, as Candy scooted her chair next to her and rubbed her back.
“It will be okay, Mercedes. If you ever need me, I’m here.”
“Thank you.” Mercedes sniffled as she grabbed some tissues off the kitchen table and wiped away her tears.
“That’s what best friends are here for, right?” Candy smiled, playfully shaking Mercedes’s shoulders. “Right?”
“Right!” They both chuckled.
There was an awkward silence between the two. Mercedes got up, grabbed a couple of home decorating magazines from the living room, and returned to the table. She continued munching on her cookies slowly as she gulped down the last bit of her milk.
“What are you looking for?”
“Just looking for some furniture. It’s for my mom’s new house.”
“She’s moving?” Candy asked.
“Well, not just yet, but the other day I saw a house for sale that she would love and I got it.” Mercedes smiled. “Since her birthday is in a few days, I might as well do something nice. My mother doesn’t deserve to live in a shelter, so I bought her a house.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet, Mercedes! But why is she living in a shelter if y’all have money?”
“I don’t know,” Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. “I know she’s helping my aunt out, but I guess she doesn’t want to draw too much attention to herself,” Mercedes assumed.
“Oh, okay,” Candy smirked. “Is the house nice?” she asked, changing the conversation.
“Girl, is it nice? Let me show you.” Mercedes got up, pulled a few pictures out of the drawer, and laid them out on the table. Candy’s mouth dropped as she eyed the pictures.
“This is a nice-ass house! I mean, it isn’t big or anything, but it’s a little something for your mother to grow old in.” They both chuckled.
“Yeah. You can help me pick out some furniture,” Mercedes insisted, as she pushed one of the magazines over in Candy’s direction.
“Sure, why not?” Candy smiled, grabbed the magazine, and started flipping through the pages. “Oh, girl, these curtains are nice, but damn, they are expensive!”
As the girls looked through home decorations and furniture, it also brought up old memories as they sat on the couch, talking, laughing, and having a good old time as they used to. After the girls talked, they crawled into their own beds and fell asleep.
***
It was her mother’s thirty-sixth birthday, so Mercedes decided that she wanted to do something special and surprise her. She had her mother’s house already set up for her mother to move into. She and the girls had set everything up and helped decorate the house. Mercedes picked her mom up in her Benz from the shelter that she was staying at in Brooklyn. She felt bad when she saw her Aunt Brenda walking into the shelter with her two kids, struggling and carrying grocery bags. Mercedes had been looking for a condo for her Aunt Brenda and she had found one, right after she had bought her mother’s house. All she needed to do was have some furniture picked out and delivered to their new home.
They cruised through the city of New York as music filled the car. Mercedes missed hanging out with her mother and she felt that today was the perfect day to do so. Mercedes thought she could take her mother out and make her feel beautiful again. Since her mother hadn’t been doing much lately, because of the burns on her face, it was hard to convince her mother to go out. They went to the hair salon and got their hair done, and then went to Michelle’s nail salon to get their nails done. It was like a mother-daughter bonding day, and they caught up on a lot of things. Before going to her destination, Mercedes picked up some food from the Chinese restaurant down in Manhattan. Afterwards, she drove to her mother’s new house, anticipating seeing the look on her mother’s face. Mercedes was happy that the deal on the house had closed in enough time to surprise her mother.
“All right, Mama, close your eyes,” Mercedes said as she pulled up in front of the house and parked close to the curb, but not close enough to scratch her rims.
“Close my eyes for what?” she asked eagerly as she looked over at Mercedes. “What’chu up to?” Maria questioned.
“Ma, just close your eyes you’ll see in a minute.” Mercedes stepped out of her Benz. She walked over to the passenger side door and opened it for her mother.
“Come on.” Mercedes helped her mother get out of the car. She closed her eyes and placed her hand over her face, covering her eyes. As she guided her mother down the path, she slowed down and stopped so her mother could get a beautiful view of the house.
“All right, open up your eyes.”
Mercedes smiled as she watched her mother remove her hands from over her eyes and her jaw immediately dropped. She placed her hands over her mouth and her eyes glittered with joy. They stood in front of a brand new, white, nice-sized one-level house, with French doors.
“Oh my goodness, baby!” Maria shook her head in disbelief. “Is this—”
“Yes, Mami, I bought it for you.” She smiled.
“This is a beautiful house, Mercedes,” Maria said with joy. “Thank you, baby.”
Maria smiled. She knew that she couldn’t blame her daughter for not wanting her to stay in the shelter. If Don were still alive, he wouldn’t approve of it—well, if he was alive, she wouldn’t be in that kind of situation in the first place.
Mercedes walked up several granite stairs and took the key out of her purse. She placed it in the door, opening it up. Mercedes walked in, sat on the couch, and watched as her mother examined her new house. Although it only had two bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, it was still a beautiful home; perfect for her. When they walked in, there was already furniture and everything set up. The house had high ceilings, hardwood floors, a fireplace in the living room, and a granite kitchen. Mercedes had gone out the other day and ordered her mother’s furniture from a magazine and had paid someone to decorate the house.
Her mother returned to the living room, wearing a grateful smile on her face. “Mercedes, I love what you did to the place,” she thanked her. “Wonder where you get your taste from?” Maria looked at her and cracked a smile, as she sat down on the couch next to her daughter.
“You know, I’ve learned from the best: you and a little bit of Daddy’s taste. You know he likes to throw the little hood edge to it.” They both giggled.
“Yeah, your father had exquisite taste on everything; from his cars, to his clothes, to his jewelry. Your father was always on point, no matter what.” Maria smiled as she reminisced on when she had first met Don.
“Yeah,” Mercedes smiled as she thought about her father.
“Your father was a smart one, though; he never went to jail. But I guess his consequence of the game was death.” Maria shook her head, trying to fight the tears back.
“Mom, how did you meet Daddy? You never told me.” Mercedes knew everything, but she wanted to hear it from her mother’s mouth.
“Well… I knew this day would come that you would be asking me that question.” Maria cracked a half smile. “I met your father when he came to visit Cuba. He came out there to meet my father to do business with him. The first day I met Don Carter, I fell in love with him. I fell in love with his New York accent, his swagger, and his gangsta persona.” Maria chuckled as she talked about her husband. “Your father was everything that a woman could ever want. I just wish that we could have all been a happy family.” A single teardrop fell from the corner of her eye.
“We are a family, Ma, what do you mean?”
“Well, I haven’t been honest with myself since you were born. I left Cuba the day after you were born and we moved to New York with your father. But I didn’t tell my father where I was going. Only my Aunt Maleese knew. I ran away, because if my father found out I was pregnant, he would go crazy. If my father found out that I was messing with your father, he would have killed him—not only him, but you and me. That’s why I ran away. I lived with Maleese when I found out I was pregnant.” Maria sniffled as she held back her tears. “I feel like it’s entirely my fault.” She tried to hold the tears back, but she burst out crying.
“Nah, Ma, it’s okay, it’s not your fault.” Mercedes rubbed her mother’s back as she consoled her. “You have a sister named Alana, right?” Mercedes asked, changing the subject.
“Yes. How do you know that?” her mother asked her, eager to know. She wiped the tears from her eyes, with a piece of tissue she grabbed from her purse.
“When I was locked up, I met her,” Mercedes replied. “She asked me what my mother’s name was, and when I told her, she was completely shocked. And when she told me that my mother is her sister, I damn well didn’t believe her until she started telling me the whole story.”
“So she told you everything?”
“Yes, pretty much. She knew everything that was going on.”
“I knew if I had stayed in Cuba, I wouldn’t be alive right now. Neither would you. My father is such a fucking lunatic!” Maria bellowed as she shook her head in disgust. “I knew I couldn’t have told him so I just ran away, thinking he wouldn’t care, but boy, was I wrong.” Maria shook her head.
“Well, don’t worry, Ma, everything’s going to be alright. All of this has been put to an end.”
Mercedes’s mother chuckled with a serious look on her face. “Baby girl, it has just begun,” Maria warned her daughter, as she got up off the couch and headed into the kitchen.
Mercedes wanted to ask her mother what that meant, but she just shook it off and turned on the TV. She didn’t block out what her mother said; she kept it with her every step of the way.
Chapter Nine
Felix
Candy’s heels clicked as she descended the staircase. Mercedes sat on the leather couch with her eyes glued to the Vibe magazine she was reading, keeping her eyes fixed on the words and pictures. She lifted her head up when she heard Candy walking down the stairs, dressed to impress. Wearing a black mini-dress short enough that if she bent over, her ass would be all out. She rocked it with some killer diva heels. Her caramel skin complexion glowed. She had cocoa butter lotion applied all over her skin. Her gold-colored hair was tamed into a cute bun that sat on top of her head, and her baby hairs were gelled down to her forehead.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come out tonight with us?” Candy asked as she stood at a distance, looking at Mercedes. She had told Mercedes over a thousand times that she should come out and party with her and the girls, but she always declined. “It’s going to be fun,” she cooed as she walked over and stood in front of Mercedes.
“Nah, I’m good,” Mercedes said bluntly. “I’m just chilling.”
“All right, but you’re going to miss all the fun.”
“It’s all good.” Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. “How y’all getting there?”
“Well, Shateeya got some nigga to come pick us up.”
“Oh, all right, have fun,” Mercedes said. She stuck her head back into the magazine. Candy waved her hand at Mercedes as she exited the house.
“Where’s Mercedes?” Hazel asked as she looked out the window. “She ain’t coming?” Hazel asked as Candy got into the car.
“Nah,” Candy said bluntly, as she closed the door behind her.
When the girls made it to the club, the line was so long that it circled around the block. The girls were so pissed. They figured they might as well turn around and go back home, because they would be waiting in that line for hours.
“There’s no fucking way I’m standing in that line.” Shateeya pursed her lips together and stared out the window.
“Well, how about you get on your knees and suck one of them bouncers off?” Chamari joked.
“Fuck you!” Shateeya retorted. She didn’t find anything funny.
While the girls were busy arguing, Candy noticed a guy who stood in the VIP line staring at her, and he motioned for her to come over. Candy seductively walked over to him. She licked her lips and said, “Wassup, Papi?” Candy smiled, instantly flirting.
“What up with you, gorgeous?” The guy smiled back.
“Just here to have a good time.”
“I can show you that.” He winked at her.
“Are you sure?” Candy stared at him, giving him a seductive eye, as she ran her tongue across her small, plump, shimmery lips.
“I’ll show you a good time. Let’s go, ma,” he said, as he made his way up to the front of line.
“I’m sorry, but I got my girls with me,” she informed him, hoping that he wouldn’t mind if they tagged along, just until they got inside the club.
“Bring them too.” He waved his hand.
Candy smiled as she turned around and summoned her girls to come on. The dude stood by Candy’s side, as the girls made their way into the club, dancing to the music. Candy danced as she followed the dude over to the bar. They all sat down as he ordered them both a drink. The girls were off in their own world, mingling.
“So wassup, ma? I didn’t get your name.”
“My name is Candy,” she introduced herself. “I’m sweet like candy,” she said, as she bit on the bottom of her lip. She noticed that he was staring directly at her plump lips.
“Mmm, I want to taste,” he said, licking his lips as well.
“Maybe later,” Candy chuckled, trying to sound cute. “So what’s your name?”
“Felix.”
“Felix?” Candy laughed. “What kind of name is that?”
“A name. What kind of name is Candy?” he shot back jokingly. They both burst into laughter, pulling each other’s strings.
“I’m just fucking with you, Papi.” Candy smiled. “But my real name is Candice. They call me Candy for short.”
“That’s cool. I was just fucking with you, ma. I like that name.” He winked at her.
Candy sipped on her glass of Henny mixed with Red Bull. She gulped it all the way down, feeling a burning sensation in her chest.
“Damn, slow down, girl!” Felix laughed as he watched her guzzle the rest of the Henny down.
Candy just smiled at him and shook her head. Her song came on, Robin Thicke featuring Nicki Minaj’s “Shake It For Daddy”. Candy grabbed Felix’s hand and led him to the dance floor. With liquor in her system, Candy was out on the dance floor grinding with Felix as if they were fucking. She bent over and grinded her hips, as she pushed her ass up against his hard dick, which was bulging from his pants. She continuously danced. Candy turned around and threw her arms around his neck, smiling from ear to ear. She moved in and kissed him on the lips.
“So when are you going to show me a good time?” Candy whispered into his ear. She cocked her head to the side, waiting for his response.
“Whenever you ready, ma,” he said.
“I was born ready,” she said seductively, staring him in the eyes with so much intensity that he felt the heat between them too.