by Pinky Dior
“Right.” He smiled, staring at her beautiful face. He reached over and placed her hair behind her ear. Maria looked down, embarrassed to show that side of her face. “You are beautiful, Maria, and you shouldn’t hide any part of you.”
“Thanks once again.” She blushed. “I should be going now; I’m a little tired. I had such a great time.” Maria stood up, pulled out a piece of paper from her purse, and wrote down her number. “Give me a call some time.” She smiled as she slid her number across the table.
“I will. I will be glad to have some of your Cuban food in my stomach,” he joked, rubbing his stomach.
Maria smirked and turned, exiting the bar. She drove home and walked up the stairs, smiling from ear to ear. She fell on her bed and placed her hand over her heart as it started to beat fast. She thought Carlton seemed like a nice guy, and she was eagerly awaiting his call.
***
Mercedes held her bags on her shoulder as she stood in front of her mother’s house and lay on the doorbell. She sucked her teeth and tapped her foot on the doormat, growing impatient, waiting for her mother to open the door. She didn’t want to waste money paying for a hotel every night, so she decided to stay with her mother until she found herself a new place to live. She looked over her shoulder and turned back towards the door. She could hear her mother unlocking the door. When she opened up the door, Mercedes shot her mother an evil look.
“Girl, don’t be lying on my damn doorbell like that!” Maria barked. “I was fucking sleeping.” Mercedes ignored her ranting and entered the house. “Why are you here so late?” her mother wondered aloud, still standing on the threshold. “What you get into now?” Maria closed the door behind her and locked it.
“Nothing, Ma, I just need a place to stay for a while. You asking too many questions!” Mercedes rolled her eyes and shook her head. “If you ain’t going to let me crash here, just let me know and I will be out.”
“Just don’t disturb me.” Her mother waved her hands as she walked passed her.
Mercedes smelled beer on her breath. “You’ve been drinking?” Mercedes asked as her mother kept walking. “Oh, you don’t hear me?” she barked.
Maria stopped in her tracks, turned around, and said, “Last time I checked, I’m your mother, not the other way around. And I went out and had a drink, if you don’t mind.”
“Whatever,” Mercedes said dismissively, as she threw her bags on the floor. She decided to crash on the couch, and that’s exactly what she did. Watching TV with her head reclined on the headrest, she drifted off to sleep.
The following morning was Candy’s funeral…
Chapter Fourteen
Ridin’ out
The girls braced themselves before they went into the funeral home. Hazel tossed her lit cigarette on the ground as they entered Candy’s funeral service together. They walked down the red carpet that led up to Candy’s casket, all eyes were focused on them. Mercedes gulped down hard as she stood in front of the casket, staring down at Candy. She covered her mouth. She never thought she would be viewing her best friend’s body so soon. Mercedes touched Candy’s charm bracelet; they’d exchanged them when they were little girls. Mercedes took her own bracelet off and gently placed iton Candy’s chest. Mercedes looked down at Candy’s charm bracelet on her own wrist. She had worn it since the day Candy gave it to her before she died.
“Best friends forever.” Mercedes took one more last look at Candy. She wiped her tears away, turned around, and sat in the second row.
Mercedes peered over and saw a familiar woman in the front seat of the funeral home. It was Candy’s mother, Tonya. The girls walked over, sat next to Mercedes and they all held each other’s hands. After the service, the girls headed up front, viewing their friend’s body one last time. Chamari couldn’t take it; she rushed out of the funeral home and cried. The rest of the girls followed right on her heels.
“I’ll be back, you guys,” Mercedes said, as she walked over to Candy’s mother, Tonya.
“Hi, are you Tonya?” The woman looked up and dabbed her puffy red eyes with the Kleenex tissue. “I’m Candy’s best friend, Mercedes,” she informed her.
“Mercedes? Mercedes Carter, is that you?”
“Yes, that’s me.” Mercedes smiled. She didn’t think she would remember her.
“It’s good to see you, honey.” She opened up her arms and they embraced each other.
“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Mercedes rubbed her back.
“Thank you. I know y’all was best friends since elementary.” She pulled back as she stared into Mercedes’s eyes. “She was always talking about you.” They both chuckled.
“Yeah, Candy was a good person. She didn’t deserve to die.” Mercedes held back the tears.
“Yes. I’m going to miss my baby. I don’t even know why she didn’t want to stay home.” Tonya wiped away her tears and Mercedes felt bad. “Well, you take care, honey, and stay out of trouble. These streets of New York ain’t nothing to play with, honey, I’ll tell ya.” Tonya shook her head, wishing the streets hadn’t consumed her daughter.
“I will,” Mercedes said. “You take care too.” Mercedes gave her one last hug and slipped several thousand dollars in her pocket before she walked over to her girls. Tonya reached into her pocket and felt crisp bills. She smiled and walked off.
“So what’s next?” Hazel asked.
“I don’t know.” Mercedes shook her head. “But I know one thing for sure: whoever is behind her death is going to pay,” Mercedes said earnestly.
“Most definitely,” Hazel agreed, bobbing her head up and down viciously.
“How we gon’ find out who did it?” Chamari butted in.
“I think I know, but the whole thing just doesn’t make any sense. I believe that the night she got killed, whoever dropped her off that night was a part of it. That dude she was messing with had a black Expedition and the night of the murder, the people who were in my house hopped into the same kind of truck,” Mercedes said. She noticed as she stood in front of the funeral home that the same black Expedition she was talking about was parked on the corner.
“I think I spotted the killer,” Mercedes whispered to herself as she got in her car and waited for the truck to pull off. She followed behind the black Expedition and she took note of the address where they eventually pulled over. She drove off and continued down the street, taking notes.
***
After Candy’s funeral service, Mercedes dropped Chamari and Shateeya off, but not Hazel. She informed them that she would be back for them later. Shateeya was mad because she wanted to hang out with the girls, and she was also mad because Hazel was the only one who didn’t get dropped off. Hazel smirked as she waved at Shateeya, leaving her standing in the front of the brick apartment building she lived in.
Mercedes pulled up to her father’s mausoleum while Hazel stayed in the car. Mercedes popped her trunk, grabbed a shovel from the back, and slammed the lid down. She held the shovel in her hand as she walked over and quickly began to dig a hole in the ground. She pulled a duffle bag out, unzipped it, and saw that it was filled with guns. This is exactly what I need. Mercedes lifted the bag across her shoulders. She popped the trunk again as she carefully placed the duffle bag inside. Before closing the trunk, she grabbed an AK-47 for Hazel as a gift. She looked around, carefully walked to the driver’s side, and hopped in. She handed Hazel the gun. Hazel smiled, eyeing the gun up and down as if it was a sexy nigga.
“This shit is beautiful,” Hazel said excitedly, as she held the gun in her hand, examining it. “I always wanted one of these shits. My homeboy didn’t want me to get it because he was hating.”
“Yeah, that shit is beautiful,” Mercedes agreed. “That’s yours to keep.”
“Word?” Hazel smiled. “I know how to shoot these shits too.” Hazel lifted up her shoulders and aimed towards the window like a gangsta girl.
Mercedes chuckled, shaking her head from side to side. “All right, save that shit for
later.”
Hazel smiled and lowered the gun, placing it on her lap.
That night, Mercedes sat behind the wheel of a stolen car. Hazel sat in the passenger seat and the girls sat behind her. She had picked the rest of the girls back up and decided to ride out. Earlier at the funeral, she had written down the plate numbers of the black truck without the driver knowing that she was following him.
“Yo, where the fuck is this nigga at?” Hazel asked, getting impatient.
“There that nigga go right there!” Mercedes said in a low, menacing tone. She cocked her gun as she looked out the window. The black Expedition slowly pulled up and parked a few inches away from the curb.
“Chamari, get behind the wheel,” Mercedes demanded as she got out of the car and quickly changed positions with Chamari. Hazel jumped over into the backseat, almost kicking Shateeya in the face.
“My fault.” Hazel rolled down her window and got ready to stick her body out of the car.
“Are you sure it’s them?” Chamari asked.
“Man, I don’t give a fuck if it’s them or not!” Mercedes barked. “Anyone driving in a black Expedition is going to get it,” Mercedes said nonchalantly, not caring. “Creep up on them niggas real slow,” Mercedes demanded.
Chamari pulled out of the parking spot and slowly crept up on the black Expedition, with the headlights off. Everything felt as if it was going in slow motion. Mercedes slowly rolled down her window and pointed her gun out of it, aiming her gun at the Expedition. She pulled the trigger and held it down as she sprayed the car, filling it up with bullet holes. Hazel had her body out the sunroof window, with her elbows resting on top of the car. She clenched her teeth together as she roared and unloaded the entire clip into the truck. Mercedes pulled her gun back inside the car and rolled up her window.
“Let’s get the fuck outta here!” Mercedes bellowed as she banged on the back of Chamari’s headrest.
Hazel lowered her body down into the car and Chamari peeled off down the street. The car was sprayed with more than thirty-two bullets in less than two minutes. They’d left both men slumped over after the bullets pierced their bodies, leaving them for dead.
Romeo was sitting at his kitchen table counting his money, waiting for his nephew to return with the rest of it. While they were this mission in New York, he decided to have a little hustle on the side to make some money for the time being. He looked over to the right through the sheer curtains, watching them pull up in front of the house. He didn’t bother getting up, because he knew Felix had his own set of keys.
“What the fuck is this nigga doing?” Romeo slammed his money on the table as he got up to see what was taking his nephew so long to come in.
Within seconds, he heard what sounded like someone spraying shit up, a sound like a thunderous hurricane. Romeo ducked for cover as bullets shattered the glass windows of his rented apartment. He lay on the ground as he tried to catch his breath. If he would have been any closer to the window, his body would have been torn up from the bullets and he would look like fresh Swiss cheese. He pulled his gun out of his holster and crawling on his elbows, he made his way over to the front door. The sounds of the guns faded away and he could hear tires screeching away from the scene.
Quickly, Romeo got to his feet and opened the front door. He ran down the stairs and rushed to the car. He placed his hand over his mouth as he saw his nephew Felix’s body slumped over, with his head against the glass window. The window was decorated with his brains and blood.
“Nooo, Felix!” Romeo yelled as he opened up the driver’s side door and dragged his nephew out of the car. Felix was coughing up blood as he tried to gasp for air.
“Who did this to you?” Romeo stared into his eyes as they started to roll in the back of his head. He held his gun in his hand as he cradled his nephew. “Whoever…whoever it is that did this to you will fucking pay! Trust and believe that!” Romeo said coldly. He kissed Felix’s lips and crossed his hands over his shoulders. He looked up to the sky as he said a quick prayer.
Chapter Fifteen
Fall out
Maria sat directly across the table from Carlton. She made sure that she looked extra beautiful today; she had stood in the mirror for hours. She wore her hair up in a bun and her baby hairs smoothed down with gel. She wore a cream cashmere top that showed off her perfect breasts peeking out the top, with black pants and some brown boots. Lately she’d been comfortable with wearing her hair pulled away from her face when she and Carlton hung out. Maria was a beautiful woman, but she often felt as if she wasn’t beautiful enough. Carlton changed her mind about that.
Cuban music filled the kitchen. The table was beautifully decorated with two plates, fancy glasses filled with wine, and the silverware wrapped inside napkins. Maria sat across Carlton and eyed him as he ate his food. She hoped that he liked it, because it was one of her favorite Cuban dishes
“This food is delicious,” he said as he licked his lips, nodding his head up and down.
“Thank you.” Maria grabbed the napkin that rested in her lap as she wiped the side of her mouth.
“Where you learn how to cook like that?” he questioned.
“My mother taught me.” Maria cleared her throat, as she choked up over memories about her mother, wishing that she were still alive.
“That’s a way to a man’s heart.” Carlton rubbed his stomach, smiling. “But just having you in my life is just fine.”
“Aww, how sweet.” Maria blushed. They chatted for a while, and then Maria got up and excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Carlton followed behind her. He gently pulled her by the arm and backed her into the wall. Maria bit the bottom of her lip, as she looked up into his eyes. He was unbuttoning his shirt.
“What are you doing?” she asked nervously, as he started fondling her breasts through her sweater.
Carlton reached in and planted a kiss on her neck. “I want you,” he whispered seductively. He continued to kiss her neck.
Maria moaned, feeling her panties getting moist. “I-I don’t think we should do this,” Maria said as she pushed him away and looked up at him.
He sucked his teeth with a disappointed look on his face. “Why?” He stared into her eyes.
“Because I still love him,” Maria admitted, referring to her dead husband. They both turned their heads, as they heard the front door opening up.
Mercedes had used the spare keys her mother had given her to the house. She noticed her mother standing up with her back pressed against the wall. A dude stood in front of her, looking as if he was about to kiss her. Maria turned her head when she saw Mercedes enter and focus on the both of them.
“Hey, honey.” Maria walked over to Mercedes as she fixed her shirt.
“What the fuck is going on?” Mercedes asked, looking at the dude buttoning up his shirt. “Who the fuck is this nigga?” Mercedes flared up her nose, as she looked Carlton up and down with hatred in her eyes.
“Mercedes, he’s just a friend,” Maria said.
“Get out!” Mercedes looked at him as she spoke softly. He stood there and looked at Maria. “I said get the fuck out!” Mercedes barked as she pointed her finger to the door.
“I am getting the fuck up outta here…crazy bitch!” he mumbled as he walked past her.
Mercedes tried to hold her tongue, but she couldn’t. She quickly walked over to him, pushed him against the front door, and shoved a gun in his mouth. “What the fuck did you just call me?” She was enraged as she pushed the gun further down his throat, making him gag. “Oh! I didn’t fucking think so!” Mercedes had an urge to pull the trigger, but he hadn’t caused any serious harm.
Maria stood back, with her hands covering her mouth in complete shock as she witnessed what her daughter was doing. She reminded Maria of Don.
“Next time you call me a bitch, call me a bad one!” Mercedes removed the gun from his mouth. When she looked down, she noticed a wet spot in his pants. His legs trembled with fear, as he quick
ly opened the door and made a dash for his car. Mercedes slammed the door and turned her attention back to her mother, who was enraged and standing with her hands on her hips.
“Was that necessary?” Maria questioned.
“Yes, it was necessary.” Mercedes stared at her mother with a screwed-up face. “Who the fuck was that nigga? And what the fuck was he doing here all up in your face?”
“He’s just a friend, Mercedes. I met him at the bar,” Maria informed her. “Why does it mean so much to you?”
Mercedes looked at her mother with a hateful look as she shook her head. She couldn’t believe what her mother had just said. “Because you love Daddy. That’s your love!”
“He’s dead, Mercedes!”
“So that makes you want to go get another man that bad?”
“Did you wait when Chino died? No! You opened your legs for another man. Why the fuck can’t I?”
“Daddy was your husband; Chino wasn’t mines.” Mercedes gritted her teeth together. “You know what, Ma? I care, because you don’t know who that nigga is working for. He could be working for Vicente, for all you know!”
“He’s not working for my father.” Maria chuckled as if something was funny. She shook her head, walked away, and sat on the couch. “I can’t believe you shoved a gun in the man’s mouth! What did he do to you?”
Mercedes gulped down hard, not able to answer her mother’s question.
“You cannot act like that, Mercedes! You are not your father!” Maria assured her daughter. Mercedes took it offensively. “You’re just like your damn daddy though. When you grow up, you’re going to be just like him, gangsta and notorious. I cannot and will not bury you, Mercedes!” Maria shouted, shaking her head from side to side,
Mercedes didn’t have anything else to say. She just got up and walked out the front door. She needed some fresh air. Maria could see Carter in her, not in her looks, but she had his swag and mentality. She knew her daughter. Mercedes Carter would grow to be just like Don Carter, and she would follow in her father’s footsteps to run the streets of New York City.