Pitbulls In a Skirt 3 Page 5

  “Mommy…we were playing music.” Treasure protested.

  “Treasure, go in your room!” I said pointing to her door. “And Bria, call your mother.”

  Treasure stomped to her room and her friend went into the dining room to place the call. I followed Persia in the kitchen mad as fuck about her attitude.

  “You are getting too grown, girl. And I’m sick of it. This is my house and I can do what I want when I want and that goes for when I’m outside of here, too. But you are still my child, and although you act like a bitch sometimes, I still love you.”

  “You don’t love me.”

  “Persia, I do! I just don’t want you to feel like you need to give up your body just to get attention.” I said walking up to her.

  “Why not? You do?”

  “What?”

  “Ma, you fuck Slack in here and I hear you all the time begging him not to leave you. So you using your body, too. Talking about how you’ll suck his dick to sleep if he’d just stay.”

  “Persia, are you…I mean…are you still a virgin?” I asked ignoring her comment.

  “What?”

  “You heard me! Are you still a virgin?”

  “Yes, ma, dang!”

  “Okay…that’s good. Now,” I swallowed, “What is this I hear about you fucking with some of the dealers at my parties?”

  “Well what exactly did you hear?” She said in a sassy tone, putting her hand on her hips.

  “I’m hearing a lot of shit. Like the fact that you fucking with men ten to twenty years older than you. Specifically Zulo.”

  “Oh well,” she said rolling her eyes.

  “Are you?”

  “Ma, please.”

  “Persia, baby, I know you miss your daddy.” She turned away from me and from the reflection in the window, I saw tears well up in her eyes. “Look at me.” She did. “I know you miss him, but you have to watch what you’re doing to yourself. He would be so disappointed if he knew how you were acting.”

  “Why did he have to die? Why?” I poured me a cup of liquor and drank it all while she whined. “It seems like I lost everybody at the same time. All of my uncles, too.”

  “It happens. The game is what the game is.”

  “You don’t even seem like you care.” She said. “Lil C says Aunt Mercedes cries all the time over Uncle Cameron.”

  “Please…she gave the order to kill him.” I said with an attitude remembering our fight in the limo. “If anything, she crying over her husband fucking around on her. Not Cameron.”

  Persia’s mouth hung open and it took me a moment to replay back what I said.

  “Aunt Mercedes….killed Uncle Cameron?”

  “Noooo!! I mean, that’s what people said.”

  Oh my God! I thought. What have I done? I hope she’d never repeat what I said.

  “Persia, don’t ever repeat what I just said because it’s probably not true.”

  “Whatever, ma.” She said in a low voice. “None of that shit can bring daddy back anyway.”

  “You’re right. But I’m still here and I love you.” I smiled. “Now give me a hug.” We embraced and I held on to her closely. Although I was in and out of the streets these days, nothing meant more to me than trying my best to convince my daughters I loved them.

  When we separated, I grabbed a bottle vodka from the freezer and poured me a glass. As I was pouring, I noticed she was mad at me again and I didn’t know why. I was just about to ask her what her problem was now, when my phone rang.

  It was Mercedes and I started not to answer it. I still hadn’t gotten over the fight we had. So what she saw me fucking Slack in that video. I figured somebody must’ve gone into his house and stole our tape. He would never do that shit to me because we fuck and tape it all the time. Anyway, the tape she showed me wasn’t even the best one. When I told him about it he went off claiming he’d fuck up whoever violated and I believed him.

  “Hello.” I said dryly drinking my vodka while staring at Persia making a sandwich.

  “Carissa, we meeting at my apartment in Emerald later.”

  “And?”

  “And…are you coming?”

  “Why should I?”

  “Carissa, we had an argument and I hate myself for arguing with you, but I’m not about to kiss your ass either. So what do you want to do?”

  “I’ll be over.”

  “Good, meet me at my apartment instead of the community center. Please hurry up…Lil C giving me bullshit and before we meet I really need the advice of my friends. Okay?”

  I looked at my daughter and wondered what could be worse.

  “Okay.” I said dryly.

  “You aight, Carissa? I mean, you still not that mad at me are you?”

  “No, I’m fine. But look, I’m bringing Persia with me.”

  “No, ma! I got somewhere to go.” Persia screamed, dropping the knife she used to smear the mayo on her turkey sandwich.

  “Of course she can come.” She said. “You know my niece is welcome over here.”

  “Good. I’ll see you later.” I hung up the phone.

  Five minutes later Bria’s mother came to pick her up.

  “Go get your fur coat and come on, Persia!” I yelled. She stomped back to her room and I said, “Treasure, go ask Bria’s mother if you can stay over her house for a while.”

  Her face lit up with a smile. “Thank you, ma.”

  “Thank you nothing,” I said handing her a hundred bucks. “Give that to her if she says yes, ya’ll order some pizza or something.”

  “Okay!” she yelled running into her room to grab her coat.

  When the kids were out of my earshot I called Kenyetta. “You got some blow?”

  “Naw…I can’t find nobody to cop from. What we gonna do? Ask somebody in Emerald?”

  “Don’t be stupid! All we need is the girls finding out about our habit. I’ll think of something.”

  On The Highway

  Bria’s mother was able to keep Treasure so we left the Yacht to meet Mercedes. I was driving down New York Avenue trying to figure out what I could do to strengthen my relationship with my daughters, when we approached a light. Persia’s non-stop talking on the phone was irritating me.

  “Persia, give me your phone.” I demanded holding my hand out.

  “Why, ma?” She frowned.

  “Because you’re still on punishment for talking to me like you were crazy at the house.”

  “You mean on the boat.”

  “The phone!”

  “Uggh, you’re such a fucking hater!”

  “Do you want me to embarrass you?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Sugar, I’ma call you back. My fake ass mother tripping again.”

  She threw the phone at me and it fell in my lap. I tossed it in the back of my black BMW and waited for the light to turn green.

  “Ma, you almost broke my shit.”

  “Persia, shut the fuck up!”

  “Uggghh! I can’t stand you.” She said folding her arms into her chest.

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  In raising my kids I fucked up. Because Lavelle and me sold drugs for a living, we tried to give our kids anything they wanted in the world. We didn’t want them having run over shoes, fucked up clothes and things like that. As far as we were concerned, if money was a problem, it wouldn’t be a problem for our kids. But in the process of doing that, they didn’t understand the importance of earning and deserving. And in the case of Persia, she definitely didn’t understand the importance of respect.

  We were five more minutes into the drive and I didn’t even turn in her direction, the music was off and I was enjoying the peace and quiet. I was parked at a light wondering how the meeting would go tonight. That is until Persia yelled, “Oh my GAWD! Ma, is that you?”

  When I looked in the direction she was pointing in I saw a picture of me naked on a light post. I drove wildly away from the parked light almost hitting another car to get closer to the light pos
t. Once parked, I walked slowly up to the poster size picture. And there I was, naked and exposed from my face to my waist. The letters above my body read, “CALL CARISSA FOR A GOOD FUCK”. My number was listed on the picture. This explains the strange calls I’d been receiving all day.

  I snatched the picture off the light post and drove all around DC looking for more pictures. In the end, I removed twenty pictures. Who would do something like this to me? Who would do something like this to my boyfriend?

  After collecting all of the nude pictures I got back in my car as we traveled on the way to Emerald City. Looking over at my daughter, I saw the sly smile resting on her face. After I’d just finished scolding her about her behavior, I knew she thought this was too funny.

  “Don’t say anything to me, Persia I ain’t trying to hear your mouth.”

  “I won’t say a word.” She giggled.

  Mercedes Apartment

  Emerald City

  When Persia and I got there, I could hear Yvette talking to Mercedes. But the moment Kenyetta opened the door for me they stopped talking.

  “Is C here?” Persia asked Mercedes.

  “No. You have his room all to yourself.”

  “Thank you, Aunt Mercedes. Oh yeah…I had a dream about Uncle Cameron today.”

  My head throbbed wondering what she was about to say.

  “What was the dream about?” Mercedes asked.

  “Can’t really remember the whole thing but for some reason it came out that they actually found out who really killed him.”

  After she said that she threw her fur on the edge of the couch and stomped toward the back of the apartment.

  “What the fuck was that about?” Kenyetta asked.

  “I’m wondering the same thing.” Mercedes said.

  “That little bitch has been tripping all day. Don’t listen to nothing she says.” I said. Persia closed the bedroom door in C’s room. “She mad at me about some bullshit.”

  “I’m going through it with C, too. I mean, I’m starting to think by giving them everything they wanted, that we did them a disservice.” Mercedes said. “C got a fucked up sense of entitlement.”

  “She gonna have a fucked up something else if she keep acting like that.” I said. “Anyway, where C at?”

  “He just went to the store.”

  “Where are your girls?” I asked Mercedes trying to keep conversation going even though I was still mad. I mean, the least I could do was talk to her after Persia’s antics.

  “You know they at my mother’s on the weekend. That bitch do anything to get paid.” She laughed.

  “I heard that.” I said sitting down at the table without even speaking to Yvette.

  “Carissa, I got a few calls about some pictures posted of you around DC. You hear about that?” Yvette asked.

  I was not about to give them the satisfaction so I said, “No.”

  “Well people saying naked pictures are everywhere of you in DC.”

  “Fuck people.” I said.

  When Mercedes’ phone rang, she ran and answered it. “Hello.” She looked at us and then spoke in a low voice. “Derrick, please come home tonight.” Silence. “I’m in Emerald. Maybe I can make dinner for you or something.” Silence. “Oh…okay. I understand.”

  She hung up and walked over to us and Kenyetta got up from the table and walked to the kitchen. When she came back she had two beers in her hand and handed me one.

  “So you go into Mercedes’ fridge and get two beers without asking anybody else if they want something.” Yvette said.

  Kenyetta looked at me and we both laughed. “Look, I ain’t your maid Rosa. If you want a beer go get one yourself.”

  “You know what, I’m not even tripping off of neither one of you bitches no more.” Then she looked at Mercedes and said, “So what’s up Mercedes? What you want to rap to us about?”

  “It’s C. He been trying to get Dreyfus’ number to get a package.”

  “What the fuck?” Yvette said. “Did he have any luck?”

  “You know Dreyfus won’t be found unless he wants to be found and I ain’t telling him shit.”

  “How he gonna move it?” Kenyetta questioned. “He wouldn’t step on our toes in EC would he?”

  “Naw, Kit says he hangs with some white boys in this band. I think he’s moving it through them.”

  “C is tripping hard now.” Yvette said.

  “Tell me about it. He keep talking about he want to be put on in Emerald City, too. That he wanna work for us and shit like that, but you know I can’t do that. I can’t lose somebody else to this lifestyle, especially not my son.”

  “But Cameron was younger than him when he started,” I said. “So why not let him help out?”

  “Because he’s my son and I’m worried that’s why, Carissa.”

  “But you always said when he was ready you’d put him on. And if you ask me, I think he’s ready, Cedes.” Kenyetta said.

  “I know and I lied.” She said shaking her head. “I just can’t do it. I mean, if you had kids would you put them on, Kenyetta?”

  Kenyetta looked down and said, “Probably so.”

  “Would you, Carissa?” She asked. “I mean…can you honestly tell me you would give Persia a package and let her move it if she wanted to.”

  “I don’t know, she would have to be more mature. I mean, you saw her. She’s too young acting right now to do anything on this level. But Cameron had C counting money, measuring weight and everything. C so good at that shit that he can eyeball weight and tell you what it’s worth. Plus he almost eighteen, maybe it is time.”

  The moment I said that, Lil C came in wearing an expensive black leather coat. I couldn’t get over how handsome he was and it amazed me how much he looked like Cameron. He definitely had grown up over the years.

  He gave each of us a kiss on our faces and walked to the kitchen. Then he looked in the refrigerator and said, “You ain’t go grocery shopping yet?”

  “No, C.” Mercedes said in a defeated tone. “But my assistant will be here tomorrow. I’ll have her go.”

  “Damn, ma, you know I like to make a sandwich when I come home.”

  “I’m sorry, C. I thought you were going to the store.”

  “I was at the gym with Derrick.”

  “Oh…that’s where he was?” Mercedes said with a solemn voice.

  “Yeah…he didn’t call you?”

  “Oh…yeah. He called.”

  “Ma, if you want me to stay here, you gotta start doing shit a mother should,” he said. “I’m going to my room.”

  C was getting more and more bratty by the day and a part of me did not like him. I guess because he reminded me of my daughter so much.

  “Oh…your cousin Persia back there.” I told him. “She mad at me so she may have an attitude. You want me to tell her to come out here with us?”

  “Naw…she good. I ain’t gonna be back there too long anyway.” He said looking at Mercedes. “Ma, we still have to finish our conversation and I need you to hear me out.”

  “Later, C. We can have that conversation again later.”

  “The only way you can jump start your life is if you pull the trigger."

  - Lil C

  Lil C walked down the hall towards his room with a duffle full of money in one hand and candy in the other. He was eating a Twix, his favorite treat and was on the last bar. Although he didn’t mind Persia being in his room, he knew how nosey she could get having walked in on her several times going through his shit.

  This time before he opened his door, he put his ear against it trying to catch her in the act. Instead of hearing drawers close, he heard several clicks followed by brief silence. When he opened the door, he saw her playing with his gun by holding it to her head.

  “Fuck is up with you?!” He yelled running up to her, snatching the gun out of her hands. The candy dropped out of his hand and fell to the floor. “You in here tripping that hard?”

  “What’s wrong?” Carissa said run
ning into the room, Mercedes, Kenyetta and Yvette right behind her. “Everything okay?”

  C held the gun behind his back and said, “Yeah…you know how she be going through my shit sometimes. Everything cool though. Ain’t it, Persia?”

  “Uh…yeah…I was just going through his drawers.”

  “Persia, get your ass outta this boy’s room.” Carissa said. “Don’t make no sense how you don’t know how to respect other people’s shit.”

  “Naw…we cool.” C combated. “Let her chill in here with me, plus I ain’t seen her in a while.”

  Carissa rolled her eyes at Persia and said, “Look, don’t act like you don’t have no home training. Stay out of his shit, you hear me?”

  “Bye, ma.” She said, making it known she could care less about her idle threats.

  Carissa threw Persia’s fur coat on the chair in his room, rolled her eyes and closed the door.

  “Yo, what the fuck is wrong with you?” C asked, tucking his gun back under his bed.

  “I was just fucking with it. It’s empty anyway.”

  “But why were you holding it to your head?” He waited for her answer.

  Persia flopped on his bed and stared at the ceiling. “I wanted to see if I could feel how it would be if I was about to die. I be hearing all the time how people say that when they about to die, they life flash before them. I wanted my life to flash before me.”

  “Why?”

  “’Cause I wanna feel good about life again. Right now C, I feel like nothing I do makes a difference. I miss my father.”

  C being able to identify with her stared at the holes in his walls. He too went through a lot of mental anguish due to the loss of his father. Little did they both know, the bitches in the kitchen had everything to do with their deaths.

  “My mother don’t listen to me…the dudes I fuck with only wanna fuck me…and I hate school. I’m bored, rich and alone.” She sighed. “So I wanted to see if I could jump start my life some way. Can you understand that?”

  “The only way you can jump start your life is if you pull the trigger.” He said. “Matta fact, let me put some bullets in the gun and run that test again you were trying to do.” C went under his bed, loaded his weapon and pointed it at her.