Money-Makin' Mamas (15 page)

Karrine looked over at Honey. He had the widest smile on his face. He knew he was a ho, so therefore, he couldn't be offended by anything I'd said.

“I'm so sorry. I should have known better,” Karrine said to me.

She stood and reached out to embrace me. I held her tightly in my arms. The shit felt good. I loved all three of my daughters, and even though I had my favorite, it wasn't by much. Karrine not having the same father as Simone and Chyna didn't cause me to love her any less. It was she who had this thing with me. I was glad that we were putting all of this bullshit behind us.

I let Karrine go and looked into her big, round eyes. “Your father was gay. Ray had done me so bad that I started fucking with somebody else. I was vulnerable when I met yo' father, and I was desperate to be with anybody other than Ray. I ignored the signs, and when I went to his apartment one day, I saw him getting fucked in the ass by another man. I was already pregnant with you, but I went back to Ray and told him that you were his child. When you were born, he found out that you weren't his. I paid dearly for lying to him. I begged him to never tell you the truth because I was embarrassed to have a child by a gay man. I never wanted you to know him, and when he died from AIDS, I thought that ended it. My hope is that today it does end, and that we never have to talk about this shit again.”

Karrine released a deep sigh and sat back on the sofa. She kept expressing how sorry she was, but I'd already forgiven her. Sometimes, my kids got the hell out of line, but it was my duty to put their asses back in check. I saw this as a celebration moment, so I told Honey to pour all of us a glass of Henny so we could toast. We stood in a circle and lifted our glasses in the air.

“Here's to the future. With our heads on straight, may we all make millions and not kill each other before we reach billions.”

Karrine and Honey laughed. Afterward, she gave him a kiss, but it was too long for me. I pulled her away from him. “You know I don't play that shit. All I said was kiss him good-bye, not get his dick hard so you can come back and suck it later. Go to the car and cool yo' hot ass off. I'll be there in a minute.”

Karrine thought I was playing, but I wasn't. I told her again to wait for me in the car. After she left, I stayed to have a quick chat with Honey.

“I need some money for our Vegas trip,” I said to him. “We're leaving next week and you know it's going down, don't you?”

“I'm sure it is,” he said, opening his drawer and pulling out a checkbook. “Be safe and bring Karrine back to me in good condition.”

“Nigga, you'd better leave her alone. Just so you know, I'm dead serious about hurting you if you hurt her. Do you think I'm playing?”

“No, I know you're not. But we got this bond thing goin' on that's kind of tight. I'll just say this: if she don't pursue me, I'll back off.”

“And I'll say this: find another piece of pussy to tear into because your playtime with Karrine is over. Don't fuck this up over no pussy, Honey. I know you're much better than that. Also, I don't take checks from nobody. Deposit the money into my account. It needs to be there within the next thirty minutes because I got some extra shit that I need to take care of before I go.”

Honey closed the checkbook and rubbed his chin. “Anything else, Mama?” he said sarcastically. “Please tell me if I can do anything else for you before you go.”

Yeah, his tone was shitty, but every now and then I had to wake him the fuck up too. I was the bitch in charge of the whole empire he was running. With the snap of my finger, I could have him removed from the throne and shut this shit down. Only Honey and I knew how involved I was in the business. The only reason I didn't let the girls know was because I wanted them to learn how to make a living for themselves and not rely on my money.

I picked up the glass with Henny in it and tossed it in Honey's face. He squeezed his eyes then jumped up from his chair. He wiped his hand down his face, but before he could speak up, I brought him back to reality.

“One: check your tone because I don't play that sarcastic bullshit.” I slapped the shit out of Honey, causing his head to jerk to the side. “Two: that was for punching Simone in her stomach. Nigga, don't you ever do that again. We will always play by my rules, not yours. Now, give Mama a hug so I can go.” I held out my arms, but he just stood there staring at me.

“Just so you know,” he said. “One day you gon' push me over the edge. When that day comes, I do feel sorry for you.”

“Yeah, that's what all my kids say. And just so you know, when Taffy Renee Douglas goes up, she ain't coming down. So never feel sorry for me. The only people you need to feel sorry for are your sisters and yourself for being blessed with a wonderful mama like me.”

Honey let out a cackling laugh as he walked me to the door. That bastard never did give me my hug, but fifteen minutes later, I checked my account and the money was all there. I knew he was good for something other than sticking his dick where it didn't belong.

* * *

A little over a week later, we were ready to jet to Vegas. Bags were packed and me and my lovely girls rushed to the front door to leave. Our Louis Vuitton luggage was filled to capacity with clothes, shoes, and accessories, but it looked like Vegas would be on hold, especially when I saw two police cars pull in our driveway. My heart raced, and I dropped my luggage on the floor. The girls stood behind me with their arms folded and attitudes washed across their faces. I wondered what in the fuck had they gotten themselves into now. This shit was ridiculous. I heard Simone whisper, “Reno,” to her sisters, and my foot was on the verge of swinging into somebody's ass.

We had waited for weeks to get the fuck out of Chicago and have some for real fun in Vegas. My gut told me that there would be a quick change in plans, especially when one of the officers stepped forward.

“How can I help you?” I asked the familiar-looking officer who had come to our townhouse before.

“Taffy,” one of the officers said, “we need to speak to your daughters about an incident that happened at a club the other night. May we come in?”

I backed away from the door. So did Chyna, Simone, and Karrine. The one thing I had taught them about the police was to be respectful, answer questions as truthfully as you can, and never let them see you sweat.

By looking at the girls, I could tell they were prepared. We all stood in the foyer, awaiting the officer's questions. I didn't know what the hell had happened, but I was surely tuned in.

“A few witnesses said that Reno and Jarred were injured by some young ladies named Chyna and Simone. The club owner is not happy about the thousands of dollars' worth of damages, and he's looking for reimbursement. Would either of you ladies like to tell me what happened?”

Chyna spoke up first. “What happened was, from a distance, I could see Reno with his hands around my sister's neck, chokin' her. Her eyes were rollin' to the back of her head and it looked like she couldn't breathe. I knew that I couldn't handle Reno and his friend by myself, so I picked up a few bottles from the table and went upside their heads. It was all done in self-defense. If the owner turns over the tapes so you can see them, you'll see that everything I just told you was the truth.”

“Which one of you is Simone?”

Simone raised her hand. “Me, I'm Simone.”

“Why did Reno, allegedly, have his hands around your neck, choking you?”

“Because he's been tryin' to get at me for quite some time and I wasn't havin' it. He'd been lyin' to people, tellin' them that he had sex with me and that's untrue. I confronted him earlier that night, and he came over to my table later and we got into it. He put his hands on me first. Thank God my sister was there to stop him from killin' me. What we did was in self-defense. Period.”

The officer took notes and sighed when Simone continued to tell him what a jerk Reno had been to her. Chyna mentioned an incident on the dance floor and she stressed how Simone was trying her best to stay away from Reno.

“Okay, ladies, here's the deal,” the officer said. “I'm going back to the club to look at the tapes. If your stories don't jibe with what I see, I'll be back with an arrest warrant. And you all may want to think about how much money you want to give the club owner for his troubles. His place got severely damaged from people rushing to get out of there. He's considering lawsuits. I'm sure there's a way to resolve this matter without going to court.”

I quickly spoke up. “If you don't mind me saying, Officer, I have two problems that I need to discuss with you before you leave. First of all, we're on our way to Vegas. I'm not going to reschedule my trip. Second of all, I don't understand how a bottle upside a nigga's head can cause a club to get damaged. The owner should have insurance if anything happens to his club, and we're not going to offer one dime to him for renovations. You can let him know that I said so. If he has a problem with that, then we will see him in court.”

“I'll pass the word on to him, but as for going to Vegas right now, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Like it or not, your daughters are in the middle of an ongoing investigation. If this thing goes to court, it may look like your daughters attempted to flee.”

My blood was starting to boil, but I tried to remain calm while the officers were there. They stayed for a while, running police checks on all of us and continuously talking more about the incident at the club. After that, they hit us with those famous fucking words I hated to hear: “We'll be in touch. Soon.”

As soon as the officers left, I locked the door and turned to my slick-ass daughters who couldn't keep their asses out of trouble for nothing in the world. I put my hand on my hip and let out a deep breath from being frustrated. “Now that I may have to reschedule our trip to Vegas, which one of you bitches gon' pay me back for it?”

They all looked at each other, but didn't say one damn word.

“Yeah, that's what I thought. By the end of the day, I need five thousand dollars for my goddamn troubles. I'm not going to reschedule my trip, but y'all assess gon' stay right here. Before I go, I need to talk to this muthafucka Reno. I don't believe shit y'all say these days, and if he tells me that y'all started that shit at the club, somebody gon' be packing up their shit and getting the fuck out of here. I just can't keep doing this with y'all. This is the last straw! Now, where does his ass live? Better yet, go get in the fucking car. Take me to this fool so y'all can tell me how this shit went down face to face with that nigga.”

“Simone is the only one who knows where he lives,” Karrine said. “I don't know, and I'm not goin' anywhere because I didn't have anything to do with it.”

“Shut the hell up. You don't have options. When I tell you to do something, just do it! Now, go get your happy-go-lucky ass in the car, or you'll find yourself laid out on the goddamn floor with my foot stuck far up in you.”

Karrine ol' smart-mouth ass pouted then stormed out the door. So did Simone. Chyna told me that she had to use the bathroom and would join us in the car in a few minutes.

With thick wrinkles lining my forehead, I followed Simone to her car. Karrine got in the back seat and I got in the front. A few minutes later, Chyna locked the front door and joined us. Simone pulled out of the driveway, and we all sat in silence as she drove down the street.

Trying to calm my nerves, I lit a joint and blew much smoke in the air on purpose. Simone covered her mouth and coughed. She looked over at me.

“You know there ain't no smokin' in my car, right?”

I nodded. “And you know you'd better shut the fuck up talking to me and keep on driving, don't you? Bitch, in case you forgot, I paid for this damn car. I will smoke, fuck, shit, do whatever I want to do in here, whether you like it or not.”

Simone pursed her lips while looking straight ahead. She clamped her mouth shut. Chyna, however, scooted close to the front seat and reached for my joint. “Gimmie a hit of that, Mama. Please. I need something to calm my nerves.”

I jerked my head to the side then snapped my fingers in the shape of a Z. “No. So sit yo' tail back and stop breathing down my neck. I don't share anything with troublemakers. All you need to be doing back there right now is praying.”

Chyna winced and sat back. “Okay then. Lord, please help my mama to stop trippin' and bein' upset over dumb stuff that we ain't have no control over. Hopefully she'll see that we ain't lyin' to her and then she won't have to miss her Vegas trip. Thank you. Amen.”

Chyna stared out the window after delivering her so-called prayer. I guessed she thought this shit was funny. We'd all soon see who would have the last laugh. I looked at Simone as she slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a white man on a bike.

“Daang,” she shouted out the window. “Move out the way, fool!”

He shouted, “Fuck you,” to her and she lost it.

“Fuck you too, you slimy, ugly bastard!”

“Girl, go run that slick-talkin' muthafucka over,” Chyna said. “Run his ass over, check his pockets, and keep it movin'.”

Simone was about to do it. I grabbed the steering wheel, turning it in another direction. Simone slammed on the brakes again, but the car still hit the curb.

“Are you bitches crazy?” I shouted. “Y'all must be on some medication that my ass don't know about. I can't believe you about to do some dumb shit like that.”

“I sure was,” Simone said. “His ass don't know me to talk no shit like that. I was gon' run him clean over and rock-a-bye that bitch.”

I put my joint out then reached over to put Simone's car in park. Maybe we needed to have a little talk about some things, because my daughters were clueless as fuck.

“Larry, Curly, and Moe, listen up. If y'all think there are no consequences for running over a white man on a bike, in broad daylight, then y'all are bigger fools than I thought. The police will hunt you down and make sure you get ten life sentences for doing some bullshit like that to a white man, so learn to think before you act. If that muthafucka was black, the result may not be the same. Either way, stop doing stupid shit that can turn yo' life around in an instant. I'm not gon' always be here to rescue y'all from this bullshit, so get a clue and act like I taught y'all better than this. I'm in this car because I want you to take me to this nigga Reno. I'm not here to do anything else, and if you want to play the knockout game with bikers, do it on your time, not mine.”

Nobody said a word, not even Karrine's big-mouth self who always had something smart to say. Simone drove off and I cranked up the volume on the radio, listening to Trinidad James. I then looked at my watch, wondering if I could still make it to the airport. “How much longer do we have before we get to Reno's place?”

“About ten minutes. He don't stay too far from here.”

“Tell me a few things about this fool, just so I know who the fuck I'm dealing with.”

Simone shrugged her shoulders. “All I know is he's a drug dealer, he got a lot of hoes, and he's a punk.”

“That's all you know about a man who you let get the cookies?”

She got real defensive and started rolling her neck around. “Excuse me, but I've never had sex with Reno. He's been lyin' to people, tellin' them that we got up, but it ain't true.”

“Well, Reno ain't the only one who is lying. So are you, and if the dick wasn't good, it just wasn't good. Ain't no need for you to disown it, after you done gave it up.”

Chyna and Karrine laughed. “I know, right?” Karrine said. “Simone know she done fucked that man, so stop lyin' about it.”

Simone kept with her lie. “If I had given him the goodies, I would say so. I didn't, so get over it.”

“Look,” I said, “get your panties out of a bunch and stop with the attitude. I'm the only one entitled to have one right now, so chill. I will say this, though. Ain't no man gon' be acting a fool like y'all said he was at the club if he ain't sniffed, ate, sucked, or dipped into the pussy. Niggas don't get down like that, so you can keep lyin' all you want to, Simone. The only person you're playin' is yourself.”

“Tuh, I know that's right,” Karrine said.

“Whatever,” Simone replied then rolled her eyes. She had nothing else to say and neither did I.

We pulled into a parking spot at Reno's apartment complex a little after noon. A few kids were outside playing on a playground that had four swings, but three of them were broken. Trash was piled high in Dumpsters and the areas where there was supposed to be grass there was mud instead. I surely didn't want to sink my red bottom shoes into no mud, so I was careful to stay on the concrete path that led straight to Reno's door.

“Is this where that nigga brought you to, to have sex?” Karrine asked Simone. “I know damn well you can do better than this.”

Simone didn't bother to reply. I was wondering the same thing myself. This nigga was a cheap-ass drug dealer to be living like this. Simone needed her ass kicked for fucking with a fool who didn't even know how to spend his money. She knocked on the door and we waited for an answer.

“Who is it?” a man yelled.

“It's me. Simone. I need to talk to you.”

Reno opened the door then cocked his head back when he saw all of us standing outside. He wasn't a bad-looking nigga. Kind of reminded me of the rapper Drake, but with darker skin. At least she had good taste in men. That was all I could give her credit for.

“What's this? A family reunion?” he said with sarcasm in his voice.

“If that's what you want to call it,” Simone said, “fine. Can we come in?”

Reno opened the door. The first thing we saw was a skinny bitch on the couch, eating some barbecue-flavored potato chips. I knew a crackhead when I saw one. She damn sure fit the bill.

“Bitch, you gon' need to make a move,” Reno said, pointing to the door. “Holla at me later, all right?”

Whoever the woman was, instead of checking his ass for calling her a bitch, she looked us over and pursed her lips. She then reached for her purse on the coffee table with cigarette burns on it.

The apartment had a funky, dirty sock smell to it. There wasn't no telling what else I smelled. Whatever it was, it assaulted my nose and made it sting. And the more I looked around, the more I concluded that this nigga was trifling. The whole apartment was fucked up, roaches climbed the walls, dishes were piled high in the sink, and the hand-me-down furniture hadn't enhanced the apartment one bit.

After the woman left, Reno locked the door. I could see the white bandage on the back of his head. Had a vision of what Simone and Chyna had done to him. Without a shirt on, he stood by the door with his hands in his pockets.

“So, what brings all you fine, troublemakin' bitches in my hood today?”

Strike one. The girls folded their arms, but I stepped forward. “Let me make myself clear, before we get off on the wrong foot. There ain't no bitches in this apartment right now, unless yo' mama is back there in one of those nasty-ass rooms, waiting to school yo' ass on how to be a real man and clean up after yo' fucking self. I came here to find out what happened at the club the other night. If my daughters were in the wrong, I want to know about it.”