Torn (8 page)

As Mo walked into the house, a sense of calm washed over her. She always felt at peace when she came home. Memories instantly filled her head as she admired the family portrait they'd taken over ten years ago. In it was her mother, father, four brothers and Mo. They were all dressed in white.

Mo was the youngest of the bunch. She loved being the youngest of five but sometimes being around a house full of men became nerve-wracking. Every last one of her brothers was overprotective. They never let her out of their sight. She had to sneak around if she wanted to have boyfriends. Mo was never able go anywhere on her own. One of her bothers always had to be with her.

Although they smothered her to death, Mo loved each and every one of her siblings dearly. There were her twin brothers, Kerry the investment banker and Curtis the construction worker. Then there was Calvin the moocher, and Cameron Junior the hustla. Out of all her brothers, she and Cam were the closest. They were only two years apart in age, whereas her other brothers were all five and ten years older then she was.

"Where yo' out-of-work son at?" Mo teased her father as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Downstairs in his room doing what he do best."

"What, sleeping?"

"You got it."

"Daddy, when are you gonna make Cal move out? I mean come on, the man is damn near forty."

"Now you know yo' brother got that bum leg. It ain't but so much he can do," Cameron replied as he fixed Mo a plate.

"Daddy please, Cal had club feet as a baby, ain't nothing wrong with him now. Yeah, he got a lil' limp in his walk but that ain't stoppin' him from gettin' a job. He just use that as an excuse. I bet his leg don't be hurtin' him when he on the boat every night."

"He can sit down there, plus he take his wheelchair with him when he go out. Now hush all that talk and eat this food." Her father placed her plate down in front of her.

"Wheelchair? Since when he need a wheelchair?" Mo questioned, dumbfounded. "I just seen Cal at Dreams running laps around the club. I swear he walked past me like twenty times.

I had to tell him to go sit his ass down somewhere."

"Maybe his leg wasn't hurtin' that night." He shrugged.

Mo knew the real reason why her father stuck up for Cal and let him live with him rent free. For some reason he and her mother felt guilty about him being born with club feet, even though it wasn't either of their fault. As a kid, Cal was the only other child besides Mo that was showered with a little more affection. He always got an extra piece of candy or got to stay up late, even though he talked back and fucked up in school. Mo couldn't stand it. She loved her brother dearly, but it was high time he took the titty out his mouth and moved out.

"Now I know you didn't come over here to talk down about yo' brother?"

"No, I didn't. I came to show you something."

"What?" Cameron asked, taking a seat across from his daughter.

"This." Mo flashed her ring.

"
Oh
... I see ... so Quan finally popped the question?"

"Yep. So what you think?"

"It's a very nice ring, Monsieur."

"And?"

"I just hope everything works out as you hope." Her father shook his head, getting up.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"Monsieur, you already know how I feel about the situation. I can't keep on talkin' to you. You gon' have to learn on yo' own."

It wasn't like she needed her father's approval to marry Quan, but Mo truly valued it, nonetheless. Cameron had never liked Quan. He thought that Quan was nothing but trouble, which he was. He was the one who put Cam Junior onto the streets, and in Cameron's mind, was the one who had brain-washed his daughter.

When Mo started dating Quan, Cameron thought she had lost her mind. His daughter was a straight A student with a 4.

grade average, and she was dating a thug. Mo had even been accepted to Columbia University, but instead of heading off to college like the rest of her friends, she had stayed home and attended Webster University to be near him. Cameron just knew his daughter had gone crazy. In his mind, Quan was nothing but a no-good thug who would eventually break his daughter's heart, and he was absolutely right.

For years, Mo would cry on her father's shoulder about Quan's latest lie or various indiscretions. Not only did he cheat on her and lie to her, but he was also locked up twice, and each time Mo stood right by his side. She put money on his books and drove up to see him every week. But what hurt Cameron the most was the fact that Mo used the money her mother left her to help Quan get further into the dope game.

After a while, Cameron got tired of hearing his daughter's whining and complaining. He told her on numerous occa-sions to leave Quan alone, but she wouldn't, so in his mind if she liked it, he loved it. He didn't have time to deal with Mo and her foolish relationship. Cameron had his own pain to deal with. Years had passed and he still hadn't got over his wife's death. Besides, Mo was too good to be with a man like Quan, but until she realized that, Cameron didn't want to have anything to do with that part of her life.

Now here his only daughter was about to marry a man that he despised more than anything and there was nothing he could do about it. Happy to see her father, and not wanting to argue, Mo decided to leave him alone because whether he hated it or loved it, she was marrying Quan anyway.

Focusing her attention on the food in front of her, she said a silent prayer. The food looked scrumptious. She couldn't wait to dig in, and once she did, every bite was heavenly. Her daddy knew how to throw down in the kitchen. Just as Mo was about to take another bite of food, she heard a motorized machine coming up the stairs.

"Daddy, what in the hell is that noise?!"

"That's your brother coming up the stairs in his wheelchair. I got him one of them lift things like they got in the mall to help him up the steps."

"Oh ... my ... God. How much did that cost?" Mo placed her fork down, completely flabbergasted.

"Just ... ten thousand."

"Ten thousand dollars?! You could've gave me that money!" she screeched.

"Is that all you do? Talk about money?" Cal asked with an attitude as he entered the kitchen.

"I know you ain't talkin'?!" Mo shot back.

"What you doing here anyway?"

"None of yo' business."

"Whateva, just hurry up and leave."

"I wish I would hurry up and leave. I can't stand yo' pigeon-toed ass. Why don't you grow up and get a job?"

"The day I get a job is the day you get a job."

"I have a job. In case you have forgotten, I am a model."

"A couple of JC Penney ads don't make you a model, honey."

"Oh go fall down a flight of steps why don't you?" Mo waved him off.

"I swear you are so uncouth. Somebody ought to put soap in yo' mouth."

"It won't be you."

"That's enough, you two!" Cameron warned, having heard enough. "Cal, don't you have physical therapy in a minute?"

"I sure do, so let me go." He rolled his eyes at Mo as he wheeled himself away.

"What kind of crazy bull--"

"You better watch yo' mouth, girl," Cameron warned again.

"Why is he in physical therapy?"

"Now I ain't gon' tell you no more, your brother needs help."

"He needs help alright. The help of a good psychiatrist!"

"Girl, hush." Her father chuckled.

Mo looked at her watch, and saw that if she didn't leave soon she would be late for her hair appointment.

"Daddy, it was good seeing you, but I gotta jet."

"Where you going so soon? You haven't even finished your breakfast," he asked, sad to see her go.

"I got a hair appointment at the shop."

"Okay, well, be safe and tell Mina I said hi."

"I will. Love you daddy." Mo kissed his cheek.

"I love you, too." Mina's Joint Salon and Spa was buzzing with people. It was a Friday afternoon and everybody was trying to get their wig fixed. The radio in the salon area was on 100.3 "
The Beat
" and the flat screen television in the waiting room was on the "
Style
" network. Women were underneath the dryers and some were in chairs being attended to by a stylist. It was sure to be a hectic day at the shop.

"So where you going tonight, Miss Thang?" Delicious asked as he smoothed Mo's hair over into a bun.

"I wanna go to the Loft tonight. You wanna go?" "Sure do."

"Where Mina at? I wonder do she wanna go."

"With Meesa. You ain't know she was in town?"

"Noooo." Mo spun her head around. "Mina ain't told me nothing."

"
Gurl
, she got in last night. You know this her first time coming back since the wedding."

"How long is she gonna be in town?"

"I think for a week."

"Cool, we can all go out together then."

"Here they come now."

Mina and Meesa strutted through the salon doors looking like the two divas they were. Both women were designer-labeled down to their feet. If you didn't know any better, you would have thought they were twins instead of long-lost sisters.

"Hey, bitch." Mo greeted her friend with a hug.

"What's good, hoe? I didn't know you was gonna be in today," Mina responded with a hug.

"Yeah, I made a last-minute hair appointment."

"Ahh, umm," Delicious coughed, clearing his throat.

"My bad, Meesa, this is Mo, my best friend, and Mo, as you know, this is my sister Meesa."

"Nice to meet you." Meesa smiled giving Mo a friendly hug.

"It's nice to meet you, too, girl. Love the shoes."

"Thank you. They're cute but they're killin' the hell outta my feet."

"Oh ... okay I see y'all wanna play games. Hi, I'm Delicious,
gurl
. Mina's other best friend." Delicious stuck out his hand for a handshake.

"Hi, Delicious," Meesa giggled. "I have heard so much about you from my sister."

"I hope nothing bad?"

"Well only that you like to impersonate Beyonce and Ciara."

"What I tell you about tellin' my business?" Delicious turned his attention to Mina and poked her in the forehead.

"Nigga, quit frontin', you know you can't wait to show her your routine."

"You know me so well." He laughed, placing his hand on his chest.

"Girl, guess who I just ran into while me and Meesa was out?" Mina continued, taking a seat.

"Who?" Mo questioned.

"Girl, Tori. Why is she working at Bakers in the Galleria?"

"What? Where is Tony?"

"Apparently locked up doing a ten to twenty-five year bid."

"You know what? You're right. I did hear about that big drug bust in Wellston. That's fucked up."

"Ain't it." Mina shook her head.

"She workin' at Bakers? That nigga was caked up. He ain't leave her no money?"

"Girl, the Feds got everything. That bitch ain't got a pot to piss in."

"That's why I am sooo happy Black got out of the life. If he got locked up, I don't know what I would do," Meesa jumped in.

"I feel you. I try tellin' my fiance the same thing. But anyway, on a lighter note, what y'all gettin' into tonight?" Mo asked them both.

"Nothing much," Mina answered.

"Now come on, Mina, you know we gotta reacquaint Meesa with the city."

"What you got in mind, lil' mama?"

"Well me and Delicious are going to the Loft tonight so y'all might as well come too."

"That does sound fun," Meesa said excitedly.

"Yeah it does. I'm in, what about you, Mee?"

"Hell yeah, I need to have as much fun as I can. Having two kids under the age of five ain't no joke."

"I know that's right, so it's set. We about to tear the Loft up!" It was going on midnight when the girls got to the club.

As they pulled up in Mo's truck they saw that all the ballas were out that night. Mo's anthem, "
Conceited
" by Remy Ma, was blaring through the speakers as they sauntered their way into the club.

Every last one of them, including Delicious, was dressed to kill. They got much attention as they entered the spot. Mina and Meesa wore similar dresses, except Mina's was made by Juicy and Meesa's was designed by her clothing company Miss A. Delicious didn't look too bad himself. He donned a fitted Lacoste polo shirt and jeans. For once he left his girlie wear at home.

Not to be outdone, Mo rocked the hell out a black mini-dress by Catherine Malandrino. Her long, silky, coffee-colored legs were in full effect for everyone to see, and the gold slide-in Manolo Blahnik heels complimented them even more.