Sugah & Spice (10 page)

Chapter 8

             
The next
few
day
s were a blur for Sugah. She didn’t have time to do anything but prepare for the summer semester of school. Everything she needed was finally complete. Her mother would be in town in a few days, so she didn’t send any mone
y. She would just give it to her
in person. The thought of the look on her mother’s face would be priceless, Sugah thought thinking about the amount of money she would place in her mother’s hands. Sugah had also opened another checking account and placed half the money into it. She also opened another saving account making sure she wasn’t able to touch the money until after she turned twenty-one.
Her life was now stress-free when it came to money, and for that she was grateful.

Sugah got dressed and headed toward campus. Her first class didn’t begin for a few hours but she wanted to get an early start. The new car she purchased was a blessing because now she didn’t have to walk or rely on public transportation. She didn’t have many friends and the few she did have, she hadn’t talked with since last semester. Summer was in full-swing and the weather was starting to get hot. The light breeze washed over Sugah
as she rode along with the top down. S
he took it as a sign that the first day of classes would be easy. After speaking with her mother the night before, she learned that she and Richard had been talking quite a bit over the phone
,
and he had also made a trip to see her. Sugah was happy to hear the excitement in her mother’s voice. It was as if the horrible things her mother once said to
her,
several weeks ago hadn’t happened. She was happy that her
mother was her usual self again, but still, something lingered in her mind. There was definitely something going on.
Charlotte Payne wasn’t quite her
old
self and Sugah would find out what was bothering her. She didn’t like when her mother was dealing with issues after all that she had been through.
They would talk when she arrived into town.

             
As Sugah found a
parking spot close to the building of her first class, she smiled. “Today is going to be a good day,” she spoke loudly and proudly as she checked her makeup
, let the top up
and got out of the car. Before she was in the building good, her cell phone rang. When she saw that it was Espresso, she smiled. “What up
bighead
,” she spoke into the phone
laughing
.

“Girl, how you know it’s me? My number wasn’t supposed to even show up, damn
!
And who in the hell you calling bighead
,
I bet if you didn’t have all that damn hair on your head, you would have a big ass head
too
,”
he said
laughing
.

“W
hatever,
i
f you don’t want your number to show up, you should probably use *67 becau
se I know that you are at work
too, now
t
o what do I owe this surprise, this beautiful summer day?”
Both of them laughed
again
.

             
“I knew that school started today
,
so I wanted to wish you good luck. I remember how those days were. Man,
I
do not miss that shit girl
. You got everything you need? How are you enjoying the
new whip
?” Sugah looked back at her car. She loved it. Never had she imagined riding in a BMW, less known, ow
ning one herself. The 650 black, sports
car with black and red leather interior, was to die for.
Choosing the red accent color surprised Sugah at first but she found it a great choice. It complicated her style and personality now more than ever, which Espresso agreed. Even the salesperson was impressed by her bold color scheme. Sugah
thanked Espresso countless number
s
of times for going with her to the dealership when she finally decided to buy a car for herself. In turn, she received a great deal and now she was the proud owner of something. Paying cash for the car gave extra incentive and more discounts, just as Espresso had assured her before arriving at the BMW dealership. The fact that a few of their clients worked at the establishment was also a major plus, Espresso said just before entering the building.
He also helped her invest her money, so that she wouldn’t have to worry about it in the future. Sugah was indeed grateful to have him in her life.

             
“Hello, you still there,” he asked bringing her back to reality. “Yes, I’m still here. I was just admi
ring my baby. I really love this
car,” Sugah said proudly. “I know you do
.
T
hat’s why I took you to
the BMW joint first. Only the best for the best, right.
And the black and red, whoa! Look out world, here she comes. Girl, you are going to have to fight the niggas off when you pull up in that
shit
. I hope you ready. You sure you don’t wanna go get something a little more conservation, like a minivan
!
”

A burst of laughter tickled Sugah’s ear. She couldn’t help but join in. Espresso always knew what to say to make her laugh or smile. He had a way about him that put everyone he came in contact with at ease. Sugah admired that quality in him. He would make some woman very happy and be a great parent
on
e day. “
Anyway, I just wanted to catch you before you started your day. I’ll check in on you later. Have a great day,
lil
Sis.”
Espresso
smiled as those words came out of his mouth. He was extremely proud of Sugah and was glad to have her in his life. She was a very bright young lady. She wasn’t like any other young girls he knew, who only wanted someone to take care of them. She had goals and wanted the best that life had to offer. That fact was gathered after she landed her first big assignment, securing her spot in the organization.

Espresso wished that
Sugah
were his biological sister but would take her just the way she was. After all, you don’t have to be related to be family. He gathered that time and time again with every new member who joined their organization. But Sugah was special, different. She was wise way beyond her years
,
and he was glad that he wasn’t the only one who saw her potential. Jav
a told him so the first time they
met her. And Java wasn’t an easy nut to crack. The fact that she showed interest in Sugah, said a lot.
Whenever he and Sugah were together, people assumed that they were brother and sister. They did have many things in common and slight features, although they differed in complexion.

             
Sugah couldn’t contain her excitement. She was also grateful to have Espresso in her life. He was like a big brother in more ways than one. Whenever he washed his car, he always washed hers. Whenever he wanted to talk about the new female or females in his life
at the moment
, he called her and they r
eally did act
like sister and brother to the people looking in on the outside. They just had that connection. “Thanks, bro. It means a lot to have you in my life. I will make sure to call you when I get a break. Maybe I’ll stop by the firm and bring you lunch.” Espresso beamed. “
Sounds good, talk to you later
.
”
he said.
“Peaches,” Sugah said. He laughed. “Plum”, he replied. They said in unison “Later Bum”. Espresso would never admit it to anyone, but he liked the corny lil phrase Sugah came up with for them.
He had always wanted to have a little sister, so having Sugah in his life was a plus.

As
Sugar
pulled out her schedule to see which way her class was,
she
saw a familiar face. It was a guy she ha
d in a few of her other classes
her past two semesters. He was cool and whenever she didn’t attend that class, he would allow her to use his notes and she would return the favor to him when he didn’t show up to class.
She waved at him.
“Mark, how have you been, Dude? I was wondering if you were attending summer school. What class do you have in this building,” Sugah asked. Mark was happy to see a friendly face. He wasn’t the most popular and best looking of guys
,
but he had potential Sugah gathered after being around him a few times. They had become study-buddies.
There was also something mysterious about him. Sugah couldn’t quite put her finger on it
,
but she made sure to pay close attention to him. Mark was very secretive. He never talked about family. She never saw him with many people but it seemed that a lot of people who him whenever they were together. At first Sugah tried to p
r
y but Mark quickly changed the subject. That only made her suspicions greater, which she planned on exploring.

“Sugah, I am so glad to see you, gir
l,” Mark said picking her up, swinging her around
.
A few people gave them strange looks but he obviously didn’t care. Sugah was a little taken aback. Mark had never shown any interest in
her
in that way, but he held her a bit longer than necessary before putting her down. “
I don’t know where the hell I’m going. I am looking for Statistics
,
”
he said.
To her surprise, so was she.

“Well, we better get to it. Looks like we are stuck with each other again this semester,” she said. Mark beamed
,
walking next to the prettiest girl he had ever seen in his life, thus far. She smelled delicious and looked amazing. T
he short denim shorts she wore
showed
enough
skin
,
but left
room
for
the imagina
tion, which he found intriguing
since most girls didn’t care. He could
have sworn that each summer
the shorts got shorter and tighter, exposing more Carmel toe that he cared to see.  Not Sugah, she was always classy and tastefully dressed to perfection.
The midriff shirt revealed perfect abs and a sexy inney, belly bottom. Mark found himself getting aroused watching Sugah’s body. Her legs looked perfect, tanned and firm. He had never asked, but now he wondered if she danced or played sports. He made a mental note to find out the answers to the questions lingering in his head. Her small waist gave way to round hips and a nice ass. Any man would love to stand behind it and watch it stop, drop and roll. Mark caught himself before he couldn’t walk anymore. He had fantasized about Sugah from the first moment he saw her
,
and they only got more and more visual each time he saw her. Days like today would make it harder for him to focus or sleep when he went home.
When she stopped in front of the open classroom door, she looked in his direction. “Here we are. Let’s
hurr
y up and get seats together,” Sugah said entering the classroom.

             
The class wasn’t nearly full but she knew that there would be late-bloomers, as always. Finally settling on seats in the middle of the class, not too high or low, she and Mark pulled out their textbook
and paper
. They were bright, determined students, with goals and didn’t want to waste any time when the professor began class. A few other students pulled out their books and wait
ed
patiently for the instructor to arrive, with great anticipation, Sugah saw scanning the classroom. There were about two-hundred
or more
seats
and the classroom were
beginning to fill up quickly. She was glad they arrived when they had and gotten good seating. Sugah looked down at her
new Chanel
watch. It was time for class to begin. The instructor was late and she hated having a late professor. That should have been a sign that something terrible was about to take place, but Sugah ignored the feeling. She opened up her book and began to read the first chapter. Usually she would have read the night before but she was preoccupied with a
wandering mind
and
thought
s
of Coffee. Just as she was almost finished with page five, Mark tapped her hand. “He’s here,” he whispered.