The Hustler's Daughter {DC Bookdiva Publications} (17 page)

“Are
you okay?” Emilio looked over at her and admired her beauty. They both brushed
themselves off and began to walk to the car to go home.

“Yeah,
I’m fine.” Mercedes wiped her forehead of sweat.

“Let’s
go. Your boyfriend will be fine. We need you to sober up.” Emilio used that as
an excuse; he spotted her and just wanted to take her away from Chino.

“So
you’re not going to tell on me?” Mercedes asked as she looked over at Emilio.

“Nah,
whatever happens between us stays between us. As long as you sober up, there’s
nothing to be said right?” Emilio caressed under her chin with his fingers and
winked at her. Chills went down Mercedes spine and butterflies took over her
stomach.

She
loved Chino with all her heart, yet the attraction between her and Emilio was
undeniable. To avoid confronting her feelings, she looked out of her window
until she arrived at home. When they arrived at the house, Mercedes simply
thanked Emilio. She exited the car and they gazed at each other longer than
normal. The butterflies came again and she swallowed hard. She prayed that they
would go away. She slipped her keys quietly into the door and went upstairs to
bed. She was still tipsy and now battling her feelings for two men. Only one of
them would win.

xxxxxxxxxx

There
was no word from or about Chino as the following passed. Mercedes even reached
out to her friends to see if they had heard anything. No one had heard or seen
him since the club shooting. Mercedes phone calls went unanswered. Mercedes
texted him, but he still didn’t respond.

   Frustrated
and feeling ignored, she decided to go find him herself. She hopped in the
shower and threw on some clothes to make her way to see Chino.  While in the
bathroom, she felt queasy and began to throw up. It had been happening more
frequently during the last couple of weeks and she didn’t know why. One day
after school she went to buy a pregnancy test. She decided to take it, just to
be certain. She saw the results and wrapped it up in tissue and took it with
her to toss. Now wasn’t the time to deal with this issue, she wanted to see
Chino.

   Mercedes
put on a pink velour Juicy Couture track suit. She wore a white wife beater
underneath and her crisp white Air Force Ones. She threw on some big heart
bamboo earrings and a gold chain that her father had given her for her 15th
birthday. She threw her hair in a ponytail. She kept it simple, but she was
still looking good. Nevertheless, she felt horrible on the inside.

She
headed down the spiral staircase and saw her mother sitting at the kitchen
table. She was reading the newspaper and sipping on her coffee.

“Good
morning Ma.”

“Where
do you think you’re going?” Maria inquired as she looked up at her daughter.

“I’ve
been in the house all week Ma. I just wanted to get a little air.” Mercedes
explained.

“Yeah,
you really haven’t gone out since the club.” Maria responded, “What’s wrong, you
look a little pale?” She walked over to Mercedes and caressed the side of her
face.

“I’m
fine Ma.” Mercedes cracked a smile and moved her head slightly to the side
reacting to her mother’s touch.

“Are
you sure? Because you know that you can tell Mami anything.”

“Ma,
I’m fine!” Mercedes barked. She then realized her tone and smiled, “I’m fine
Ma.” She spoke in a lowered tone this time. 

Maria
shot her daughter a stern look. She didn’t like the tone that she took and said
so without words. Mercedes got herself together and Maria moved on.

“So
where are you headed?”

“Well,
Candy and I are headed into the city to do a little shopping.”

“You
know how your father and I don’t like you running around in the city without
Mr. Gates or Emilio.” She informed her, “Especially since you got shot.”

“I
know Ma, but we’re just going to do a little shopping. Nothing serious, I’ll be
home before six.” Mercedes gave her mother an innocent look. Maria shook her
head and looked back into the paper.

“Alright,
be safe. Make sure you’re back before six or else,” she warned her.

“Thank
you mommy, I love you.” Mercedes wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and
kissed her on the cheek. “See ya later.”

“Bye.”

 Mercedes
was already out the door and was on her way to the subway. She clutched her
purse as she endured the long train ride to Harlem. Although it felt good to be
alone, she was always cautious of her surroundings. When she reached her stop,
she hopped off the train and made her way down 125th Street.

As
she neared her destination, she noticed a few guys standing in front of the
project buildings near Chino’s house. She took precautionary measures and hid
her jewelry. She knew what type of environment that she was in. Avoiding them
was no easy feat; she realized she failed when one of them grabbed her arm and
pushed her up against a wall. He shoved a gun to her neck.

   “Bitch,
give me the chain or I’ll kill you.”

   Her
eyes widened with fear and she felt the barrel of the gun graze her cheek. He
ripped the chain off of her neck and smirked.

“Snitches
get stitches bitch!”

Just
as the thief thought he won, he was met with a brick to his face. Chino arrived
just in time and began beating him with the brick. He then started punching him
the stomach.

“Ayo,
let shorty go nigga!”

“Nigga…Argh…what
the fuck Chino?” The thief yelled trying to protect his face and body from more
injury.

   “Nigga!
What you mean what the fuck?” Chino pulled out his gun and pointed it directly
at the dude’s face.

   “You
fucking me up over some dumb bitch!” Red liquid left his mouth in clumps as he
spit it onto the ground.

   “First
off nigga, this shorty right here is my girl.” Chino’s nose flared up.

   “Come
here Ma.” Chino motioned for Mercedes to come over to him. She walked over and
held him close.

   “My
bad Chino. Dawg, you know I’m sorry. Yo I didn’t know. Shorty came through the
block shining nigga, so you know how niggas get down out here in Harlem.” The
dude was trying to explain himself, his lips started trembling and his legs
were shaky.

   “Next
time you fuck with anybody I fuck with…you going to end up in a body bag, real
shit!” Chino cocked his gun to let him know what time it was.

   “Now,
give my shorty back her chain nigga.” Chino placed his gun back in his
waistband and watched as Mercedes got her necklace back. The dude also
apologized for the disrespect.

   “And
I need whatever is in your pockets too son.” Chino said trying to add insult to
injury. He wanted to make sure this dude never fucked with anyone else.

   “What,
for what?” he raised his voice.

   “A
broken chain has to get fixed.” The thief reached into his pocket and pulled
off a few hundred dollar bills from the top of a thick pile.

   “Nah
nigga, I’ll take the whole stack.” Chino snatched the money from the dude’s
hand and walked away. He handed the money to Mercedes to put in her purse and
they both walked away.

   Everything
seemed normal, but it soon changed. A few minutes later they heard tires
screeching down the street. Mercedes and Chino looked back to see a black
Cadillac; the same one from a few weeks prior. It was barreling down the
street. Like the last time, the tinted windows rolled down and gunshots rang
out of the driver’s side window. 

   This
time, Mercedes eyes connected with the driver’s and the rest of their face was
covered with a mask.

   “Get
Down Mercedes!” Chino yelled as he ran to her to provide cover. He covered her
body and threw both of their bodies to the ground. Chino took out his gun and
started shooting at the car as it sped off. 

   “Let’s
go Ma.” Chino grabbed her hand and they rushed into his apartment building. The
elevator ride upstairs was silent and seemed like it took forever. They arrived
at his house to recover from the shooting incident. Mercedes walked into his
bedroom and removed her jacket. She sat on his bed still and was obviously
shook up. 

   “Why
did you come here Mercedes?” Chino bluntly asked.

   “Well…umm…Chino
I just wanted to apologize for the other day at the club and…” Chino
interrupted.

   “Yeah,
you should be-acting a damn fool up in there.” Chino shook his head as he took
off his Rolex and placed it on the dresser. Mercedes stood up and continued.

   “I’m
sorry Babe, but that day in school when I saw you and India-that really hurt
me. What was that all about?” Mercedes crossed her arms across her breasts and
awaited a response.

“Babe,
do you want to know the truth?”

   “Yes.”
Mercedes looked at him in his eyes. She hoped she didn’t hear what she feared
she would.

   “Well,
that day she came to me crying saying she wanted to talk to me. I told her that
we were done and I was officially with you and shit. She said she didn’t care
about that; she just wanted to talk to me. While we were in the hallway, she
told me that her grandmother passed away that morning and she didn’t know what
to do. Her grandmother was the only one who was always there for her. Her
mother was a fiend. She left her when she was just a baby. I felt sorry for
her, so I just hugged her and told her it would be alright. Mercedes, I would
never cheat on you Ma so you don’t got shit to worry about. I love you Ma.”

Mercedes
believed him, but she also remembered India said that she was having his baby.
She knew India was jealous of her and wanted to walk in her shoes, so she just
disregarded her statement.

   “I’m
sorry.” Chino cut her off.

   “Just
tell me that you love me too.” Chino lifted up her chin.

   “I
love you too Baby.” Mercedes moved in and slowly and sensually kissed him.

   “I
want to apologize to you too Ma. Since that day your pops and I butted heads, I
have been acting different. I didn’t want to come between a father and his
daughter.  I feel that’s something you just don’t do. I understood where your
pops came from, but he just doesn’t know how much I love you Ma. He’s just
judging me by what I do, but that’s why I fell back.” Chino sighed.

   “So
are you still falling back?” Mercedes walked over to where he was standing and
placed her arms around his neck. She cocked her head to one side and was
searching his eyes for an answer. There was only one that she would be
satisfied with.

   “Nah
Ma, I’m falling more in love with you. No one can ever keep us apart.” Chino
kissed her passionately as Mercedes pulled his shirt over his head. He began to
undress her as well. Mercedes pulled her hair from the ponytail and it regally
laid

 on
her shoulders. Chino gently pulled her bra straps and unsnapped her bra. She
giggled as she stepped out of her pants and he lustfully watched her hips and
breasts.

   Chino
gently threw Mercedes on the bed and hopped on top. He palmed her breasts and
put his tongue to work. Mercedes moaned as he skillfully licked and sucked on
her breasts. Her hands wandered up and down his body. Mercedes bit the bottom
of her lip as Chino found his way to her favorite spot, her pussy. Mercedes
grabbed his head and grinded her hips as he gently and slowly sucked her fat
pussy lips. Mercedes moaned like never before while Chino tasted her clit. He
knew that she was in ecstasy and he was making her feel better than ever.

   “You
ready for me Ma?” Chino asked while winking at her.

   “Oh
I’m more than ready Baby.” Mercedes propped herself up with a pillow while
keeping her legs spread wide. Chino climbed on top of her and slowly entered
her wetness. With every stroke she gripped his back harder. Her eyes began to
roll upwards in pleasure. His name rolled off of her tongue in sheer bliss. 

   “Chino…Papi.”
Mercedes moaned. “That feels so good, don’t stop.” Chino made passionate love
to her as they kissed exchanged freaky talk. They even cried together after the
session was complete.

   “Don’t
ever leave me Chino.” Mercedes said as she stared into his eyes. He looked to
her and placed his finger over her mouth, “I love you Ma, always and forever.”
He had never made a promise like that before. He was always afraid that he
would not be able to keep it.

   “Love
you too Chino.” A tear slipped down the side of her cheeks and she didn’t
bother wiping it away, “Forever.”

Tomorrow Isn’t Promised

Chino
and Mercedes were spending every night together since they reconciled. Mercedes
would sneak out of the house to be with him. She told her parents that she was
staying with Candy on most occasions. Don Carter still didn’t approve, but
Mercedes believed in the old saying ‘what you don’t know won’t hurt you.’

One
night, the loud ringing of the house phone startled Mercedes and awoke her from
her sleep. She covered her head with the pillow and hoped the phone would stop.
It continued ringing and she was extremely irritated. For some reason sleep had
become her best friend lately; she couldn’t get enough of it. She answered the
phone to receive the worst news she could imagine. 

“Hello,”
Mercedes mumbled into the phone.

“Mercedes,”
Candy sounded distraught.

“Hey,
whassup Candy?” Mercedes yawned.

“Umm,
I have some bad news to tell you.”

“What
is it?” Mercedes ears perked up and she listened closely. She pressed the phone
firmly to her ears.

“Umm…it’s
Chino…” Her heart started racing at the mention of his name. 

“What
Candy? What happened to him?” Mercedes panicked as she sat up in the bed. She
was wide awake now.

 “Chino’s…well…he’s
dead.” Candy hesitated to say. “He was murdered last night.”

Mercedes
couldn’t believe what Candy was saying. Tears exploded from her eyes and her
heart fell to the floor at the news.

“No…no…no!”
Mercedes dropped the phone on her lap. “Why? Lord no…no…this can’t be so!”
Mercedes yelled.

“Mercedes!
Mercedes!” she heard Candy yelling her name. She slowly picked the phone back
up with trembling hands.

She
cried uncontrollably and asked, “Candy, why did they have to take my Baby?”

“I
don’t know Cedes, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how you feel, but damn I can only
imagine.” Candy shook her head.

Mercedes
was inconsolable and didn’t know what to do. Candy told her to meet her at the
park in Manhattan on 116th St. Initially Mercedes didn’t want to go, but she
decided that she needed some fresh air and someone to talk to. Her mother was
at the salon getting her hair done and her father was working as usual. Don was
a busy man.

As
soon as they hung up with each other, Mercedes ran to her closet. She grabbed
the first thing she put her hands on. She put her hair up in a quick ponytail
and grabbed her Sidekick. She rushed down the stairs and was on her way.

The
park where she was to meet Candy was only a couple of blocks from Chino’s
house. She cried on the train ride for her lost love. When she got off the
train, her eyes were red and people were staring at her. She didn’t care, she
kept it moving.

   Mercedes
sat on the bench waiting for Candy to arrive. While she waited, she looked
around the park and watched a couple hold hands and kiss. It reminded her of
the good times with Chino. She cried even harder and didn’t bother to wipe away
her tears.

    Several
minutes later, Mercedes noticed Candy walking towards her with her arms
outstretched. She got up from the bench with her lips trembling and hugged
Candy. They rocked side to side and held each other.

   “It’ll
be okay Mercedes.” Candy pulled back from the embrace and they sat on the bench
together.

   “I
know…but damn Candy…that was my Baby…my man…my boo…my everything.” Mercedes
responded. She didn’t know how to explain, “Candy, I fucking love him and
didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.” Mercedes cried.

   “Damn,
I know Mercedes. I didn’t believe it when I found out.”

   “Who
told you?” Mercedes eagerly asked.

   “Well
one of his boys that I use to mess with Keith called me. He said that some
nigga was following him in a black Cadillac. Evidently it went down in a
bloodbath. They were both shooting at each other and I guess the last shot hit
Chino. His car flipped over and blew up…just some crazy shit.”

   “What,
oh my God!” Mercedes covered her mouth as the tears flooded her eyes. She
couldn’t believe what she heard.

   “Mercedes,
you are a very beautiful person. You’re smart and you’re a great friend. You’re
a real ass bitch and I love you Mercedes. And I know Chino loves you too. I
know he’s looking down at you right now Ma. You had his heart.” Candy nudged
her shoulder. “Its life Mercedes, shit happens.”

   “Yeah,
I know.” Mercedes sighed. “Thank you Candy.”

   “No
problem, just go home and try to get some sleep.” Candy said.

   “Aight,
see ya later Candy.” Mercedes responded as she and Candy parted ways.

 When
she got home, she immediately went to her room. She walked over to her closet
and grabbed one of Chino’s hoodies. He had given it to her one day when she was
cold and didn’t have a jacket. She smelled it and still had his favorite scent
of Armani cologne. Tears formed in her eyes as she sat on the floor clutching
his hoodie in her arms. Her cries were loud enough for anyone in the house to
hear. She cried so hard that she had the sudden urge to vomit. She found
herself rushing to the bathroom. She had been feeling funny for over a month,
but kept ignoring it.

After
vomiting her guts out, her face began to feel flushed and she was sweaty. She
attributed it to the sadness that she felt inside about Chino. Somehow she knew
it was more, but once again she ignored the signs.

Her
thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock on the door,

“Hey
Baby, are you alright?” Maria asked from the opposite side of the door. Before
Mercedes could respond, she was overcome with more nausea. Maria found her
daughter with her head in the toilet releasing yellow stomach acid.

“Oh
my God, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Maria panicked as she kneeled down to her
daughter’s side and rubbed her back. Mercedes wiped the side of her lip.

“Nothing,”
she mumbled as she got up and flushed the toilet.

“Baby
come on, I know when something is wrong with you. I am your mother. It better
not be that boy Chino because…”

   “Chino’s
dead.” Mercedes muttered through clenched jaws.

“Oh
my God!” Maria covered her mouth in shock, “What happened?”

“Someone
was following him and was shooting at him while he was driving. The car flipped
over and now he’s dead.” Mercedes had no more tears left; she was all cried
out. Her mother shed some tears for them both.

“I’m
sorry to hear that.” Maria said as she held her daughter close. Mercedes buried
her face in her chest and Maria rubbed her silky hair. “It’s okay to cry Baby.”

   “I
love him Ma, and someone took him away from me.” Mercedes pulled back from the
embrace and stared into her mother’s eyes.

   “I
know Baby, but sometimes life doesn’t go how we planned or wanted it to go. Things
happen for a reason. Everything isn’t always going to be good, we must also
prepare for the bad.” She kissed her daughter on the forehead.

   “Baby
you need some sleep. You’ve been crying and you’re burning up. You might have a
fever.” She touched Mercedes forehead and it was scorching hot. “I’ll bring you
some tea okay?”

   Mercedes
slightly smiled and nodded her head in approval. Her mother left the bathroom
and went downstairs to get the tea. Mercedes brushed her teeth and crawled back
into her bed. Before she did, she grabbed Chino’s hoodie and fell asleep with
it in her arms.

Mercedes
awoke hours later to the sound of knocking at her door. She didn’t respond
because she wanted to be left alone. However, she heard it open anyway. It was
her father. He hated to see his daughter hurting. Don walked in and sat on her
bed. He placed a cup of tea on the night stand and took a deep breath before
speaking.

“Hey
Baby Girl.”

“Hey,”
Mercedes said solemnly as she tried to hold back the tears.

“What’s
wrong?” he asked. “Your mother told me that I should come upstairs and talk to
you…is there something going on?” Don secretly panicked. His wife didn’t tell
him anything, she didn’t feel as if it was her place to do so.

“Nothing,”
Mercedes lied as she sucked in her lips and tried to hold back the tears. She
knew her father would get it out of her one way or another.

“Mercedes,
I know you and I know we haven’t been as close since Chino and I butted
heads-but I want to apologize.”

“It’s
a little too late for that.” Mercedes sniffed as the tears streamed down the
sides of her face and dropped onto her fluffy pillow.

“What
do you mean by that?” Don asked; he was baffled by her comment.

“Chino’s
dead.” Mercedes blurted out. More tears fell as the words came out of her mouth.
Don quickly moved in closer and embraced Mercedes. He held her head tightly
against his chest as she relentlessly sobbed. He laid his chin on her head and
rubbed her back.

“Shh
Baby, I didn’t know that.” Don said. Mercedes pulled back from his embrace with
her eyes as red as blood. She stared her father in the eyes.

“Did
you kill him Daddy?” Mercedes asked bluntly.

“Of
course not Baby Girl, why would I kill him?”

   “I
don’t know.” Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe because you hated him and
didn’t want me to ever talk to him again, I just figured I’d ask.”

   “Baby
Girl, listen to me. I would never hurt anyone that you love unless they put
their hands on you. I love you Mercedes, and I could tell you loved him with
all your heart…but” Mercedes cut him off.

   “But
what Daddy?”

   “But
I want you to be happy and I want you to finish school and go to college.”

   Mercedes
knew he was leaving out something, so she pushed for more answers.

“Daddy,
what was it about him that you didn’t like? She asked while wiping her eyes.

He
knew that his daughter loved Chino sincerely. He could see it in her eyes and
in her face. She was always glowing when she spoke of him. He wanted her to be
happy, but just not with Chino. When he saw Chino, he saw himself. Don and
Mercedes stared at each other.  They were searching for the truth and
concealing it simultaneously.

   “To
be honest Mercedes, you know what I do for a living. I live that life, that
fast life. Your mother is a beautiful woman and I love her. I didn’t want this
lifestyle for her. I wanted to provide a good life for you and her. The price
that comes along with it is usually too high.  I don’t want you to have to
worry about whether or not your husband is coming home at night because he’s a
hustler. Either the streets will get him or jail will. Either way, that’s no
way to live life.”

Don
was finally real with her about his feelings. That still wouldn’t stop her from
living her life.

“I
hear you Daddy, but he’s gone now. You don’t have to worry about that.”
Mercedes wanted him to understand how hurt she was that her dad was cruel to
the man she loved.

“I’m
just so sorry to hear that Mercedes, you just have to remain strong. You’re a
Carter.” Don winked at her.

“Yes
I am…Mercedes Carter” Mercedes smiled.

“I
love you Baby Girl.” Don reached for a hug and Mercedes smiled as she hugged
her father tightly. He got up to leave and turned to his daughter.

 “Remember,
no matter what The Carter family will never die!”

 Mercedes
processed the information that her father had given her. Although her man just
died, the conversation with her father was long overdue. It helped her to put a
few things into perspective. Mercedes pulled the covers back and lay her head
on the pillow. She fell asleep remembering the words her father said before
leaving her bedroom, ‘The Carter family will never die.’                                                      

xxxxxxxxxx

Chino’s
funeral was held in his home town of Harlem. Mercedes wore all black and hair
was simply parted down the middle. The funeral home was packed with people who
came to pay their respects. The funeral was closed casket, with a picture of
him on top. The parlor was filled with flowers from many who showed their love.
            Mercedes was accompanied by her mother and father. They wanted to
come as a show of support for their daughter. When Mercedes entered, she was
greeted by Chino’s mother Cassandra. Cassandra looked over with tears in her
eyes and Mercedes grabbed and held onto her hand. Tears streamed down her face
as the pastor begin to speak. She never would have thought this would happen to
him so soon. She had lost her husband and her son to the streets of Harlem.

After
the eulogy and remarks given by family and friends, Mercedes looked at
Cassandra for approval. It was her time to speak. Cassandra nodded and Mercedes
rose from her seat to approach the podium.

“Good
morning everyone. My name is Mercedes and I’m Chino’s girlfriend. I can’t say I
was his girlfriend, I still am. I still carry him in my heart and I will never
forget him. The first day I laid eyes on Chino it was love at first sight. His
eyes, his long hair and his beautiful personality instantly won me over.
Everything about him was pure and so beautiful. I don’t understand why someone
would want to take his life. He’s a good person and I love him and I just want
to say this to Chino.”