From Ratchet to Riches

by Patrice Balark

  Mecca wasn’t sure exactly what Ms. Williams said but whatever it was pissed Madea off. Wondering if she’ll continue or not, Mecca waited and listened some more.

  “Wat chu doing!” Danielle snuck behind Mecca and asked, softly pinching her sides.

  Ready to turn around and come to blows with her little sister for damn-near giving her a heart attack, Mecca smacked her lips quietly before focusing back on Madea.

  “She talking to Ms. Williams about yo momma and….”

  “Bitch, that ain’t my momma….” Danielle cut her off and stated before she too found her a spot to eavesdrop from.

  “Anyway, like I was saying, she ain’t really saying much we don’t already know….”

  As quick as those words left Mecca’s mouth, the sooner she was eating her own words.

  “And them men…. They all stupid for fooling around with her. She still won’t admit who Mecca daddy is and Danielle’s people used to come by here every other day trying to be a part of that child’s life and Melissa wouldn’t allow them. She act like she wasn’t fifteen with two kids. I told ha ass she needed all the help she could get. Chilllleee, she pushed them folks away so much, they stopped coming around. Yana’s daddy a damn crackhead and don’t get me started on Coby’s dad.”

  Madea was spilling all the tea, freshly brewed tea because that was the first they’ve ever heard of their fathers. Of course, they knew they existed, but the buck pretty much stopped there.

  “I just pray to Jehovah every single day that my babies be ok when they take me away…..”

  The sound of the front door closing brought Mecca back to present day. She had to do a double take when she noticed Dame walking in with shopping bags.

  ‘‘Dang, what you got?” Yana’s young interest immediately peeked.

  Instead of answering her, Dame began to pull out new clothes and shoes from what looked like damn- near every store in the mall. Just like Yana, Mecca needed to know what the fuck was going on too. The shit was folded nicely in bags, so she knew the nigga ain’t steal them.

  “Damn baby, wh-e—where you get this from?” Melissa’s slurred words asked.

  “Don’t worry about it.” He quickly dismissed her.

  Unfazed, Melissa sunk back into the coach but popped right back up as if she forgot something.

  “You got some more of that stuff you gave me earlier?” she probed.

  Mecca’s eyes traveled back and forth between her mother and Dame as she wondered what was going on.

  “Turns out the shit I gave you this morning was a hit. I sold most of it and gave you what I didn’t. That shit was way too pure for me to fuck with.” Dame replied.

  Pure. Pure. Pure.

  Mecca allowed the word pure to marinate in her head when all of a sudden, it hit her. Without warning, she took off running to the kitchen. After slipping on some trash on the floor, she regained her composure and went inside the pantry. Once in there, she went over to the corner where she got on all fours and placed her hand inside a hole in the wall. After feeling around for a few seconds, her thoughts were confirmed. Dame had stolen and sold all of Capone’s drugs and from the price tag on his new clothes, the shit was worth a lot of money.

  12

  Danielle’s head spun in the direction of the kitchen as Mecca flew by her like Sonic the Hedgehog. She heard her sister in there rambling through things briefly before returning back in the living room with the look of death on her face.

  “What’s wrong?” Danielle asked as she stormed past her.

  “WHERE THE FUCK IS MY SHIT?” Mecca asked through clenched teeth while she approached Dame.

  “Girl… you better gone.” Dame warned, placing his index finger up inches away from the bridge of Mecca’s nose.

  Mecca and Dame’s relationship was nonexistent. He walked around like she didn’t exist, and she walked around like he wasn’t there. Whenever Mecca and Melissa had words, Dame would stay out of it verses Melissa and anyone else in the house. Dani wasn’t sure if she was missing a few pieces to the puzzle, but she knew for a fact that something was about to hit the fan right then and there.

  “You betta get your fuckn child.” Dame spoke again, this time focusing his attention on Melissa who hadn’t budged from the couch.

  “Or what? These niggas around here might be scared of you, but I’m not.” Mecca stood tall and firm in Dame’s face and snapped.

  “Debbie from down the street….. what the fuck is going on?” Danielle walked up and stood on the side of her sister and questioned.

  Danielle could tell by the look in Dame’s eyes that he was about to snap. She could also tell by Mecca’s stance, she was ready to fight. Neither one of the outcomes were going to be good and it was too late to diffuse things. Just as Danielle was going to give it another shot at calming her sister down, Mecca swung on Dame, connecting with his right eye. Mecca’s punch must have packed more power than Dame expected because he went tumbling into the couch, eventually tripping over it and landing on the floor. Danielle watched Mecca climb on top of Dame, where she repeatedly punched him. Danielle’s eyes grew the size of golf balls as she watched Dame cock back and punch her sister in the face. Watching her sister take the hit like a champ, Danielle rushed over to them, where she too began punching him in the face. Dame struggled to get a good swing in as the sisters went to work on him.

  Completely blanking out, the next thing Dani remembered was seeing Yana running over to them with a butcher knife in hand.

  “Get the fuck off my sisters!” Yana cried and yelled before taking the knife and stabbing Dame in the right leg.

  Dani quickly yanked the knife from her nine-year old sister and used it to stab him in the other leg. Dame yelled out in pain as the knife plunged deep into him. Blood poured from both legs but that didn’t stop them from kicking his ass. Dame cried out for Melissa’s help, but she was comatose on the couch. Whatever it is she had taken took her soul and she was useless as usual.

  They must have been causing hella noise because before she knew it, Nip, their upstairs neighbor, was in their living room, breaking the fight up.

  “YOU A STUPID FAT FUCK!” Mecca yelled as Nip held her back.

  Tired, confused, and out of breath, Danielle still managed to cough up enough spit to sling across the room at Dame, who was still laid out on the floor.

  “Aye bro, you might want to see a doctor. Want me to call an ambulance?” Nip’s raspy voice asked over the commotion.

  Dame looked down at both legs before shaking his head no and attempting to stand to his feet. Unsuccessful, he grabbed onto the arm of the couch and pulled himself up to the best of his ability.

  “Mecca, take your sisters down to Kay’s crib until buddy ass leave.” Nip stated.

  “Fuck him, this my house.” An angry Mecca replied before lodging at Dame again.

  This time, she was able to break loose from Nip and kick Dame in the chest, sending him back flying to the ground.

  “I’m going to get my sister and cousins to fuck you little bitches up.” Dame threatened.

  “Yeah aight. Send them bitches off if you want to.” Danielle smirked, looking at the damaged they had done to a grown man.

  “You think we worried about some lil hoes…” Yana yelled aloud from her spot by the door.

  Both Danielle and Mecca shot her a look that made her rephrase her statement.

  “I mean… you think we worried about some H-O-E-S.” She repeated, this time spelling out the curse word.

  Not having the time to currently chastise her, Dani dismissed Yana and focused her attention back on Dame who was still fussing.

  “Mecca, please take them down to Kay’s house. I don’t want to have to call the police.” Nip warned.

  Hearing the word “police” made Danielle feel uneasy. No matter what went on in the hood, rule number one was to never call twelve, regardless of what went down.

  “Come on Mecca, let’s go.” Danielle said, grabbing Yana with one hand while she t
ugged at Mecca’s shirt with the other one.

  She knew Mecca didn’t want to leave, but it was in the best interest for all of them that they did. Once everything cooled down, they would return, and hopefully, Dame would be gone.

  “I can’t believe that bitch slept through all that.” Mecca laughed as they walked down the street to her friend’s house.

  “What I can’t believe is how you spazzed out like that. What happened?” Dani quizzed.

  Even after the fight and all the other bullshit, Danielle still had no idea what had happened for all of that to transpire. She was just as clueless now as she was when it all started.

  “Remember them drugs Capone gave me to hold?” Mecca asked.

  “Yessssss.” Dani replied, eager for her to continue.

  “Well yo step daddy stole his shit. Sold half to Melissa and fucked off the rest.” Mecca explained.

  Danielle’s mouth hit the floor, but she had one question for her big sister.

  “Why the fuck would you hide drugs in a house full of crackheads?”

  Danielle’s question caused Mecca to laugh. Even Yana joined in on the joke but that was a serious question.

  “I have no idea. That was dumb on my part, but I swear to God, I thought I found a good spot.” Mecca explained.

  “Now I gotta think of something to tell this man when he come looking for his shit.” She continued as they approached Kay’s porch.

  “Well, you need to think of something quick. Ain’t that him right there?”

  13

  Seeing Capone’s chocolate face made Mecca’s stomach turn. She still only knew so much about Capone, not enough to know how he would react about his shit being gone. The drugs had to be worth a lot based off of the pricey clothing and shoes Dame had. Not only that, the drugs must have been A1 because their mother slept through an entire fight right under her nose. Different thoughts and scenarios played in her head as she tried to figure out what exactly to say.

  “What up shorty? You good?” Capone asked, eyeing Mecca suspiciously.

  “Look, Imma be real with you. I called myself hiding your drugs, but my momma’s bitch ass boyfriend found them, gave some to her, and sold the rest.” She blurted out frantically, figuring being truthful was the best thing to do.

  Capone stared into her eyes while Mecca tried her hardest to avoid eye contact. She felt like his dark brown eyes was piercing through her soul as she wondered what was on his mind. Was he the type of nigga who would flip out and slap a bitch because she had enough of fighting grown men for the day?

  “How you holding up?” he questioned, completely ignoring her quick rant.

  “Huh?” she replied, caught off guard.

  “Your family? Y’all good?” he asked again.

  It had completely slipped Mecca’s mind that the last time she had seen Capone, he was in the ER with her and Coby.

  “Oh, we good. Making funeral arrangements.” She lied, looking over at Danielle who stood a few feet away from them.

  “But y’all said we couldn’t afford a funeral.” Yana appeared out of nowhere and blurted out.

  Mecca looked down at her youngest sister before making eye contact with Danielle who only shook her head. Yana needed to chill out and stay in a child’s place but that was nobody’s fault but Melissa.

  “AYE MECCA!” Capone called out to her, slapping his hands together, grasping everyone’s attention.

  The sound of him calling her name made her panties moist. Not wanting anyone to notice how thrown off he had her, Mecca directed her attention back to him.

  “What’s going on with the funeral?” he asked, this time stepping closer to her.

  “Ain’t no funeral. We can’t afford it.” She answered honestly.

  “Listen, we gon’ send yo little brother home in style. Don’t worry about shit. Imma slide through here tomorrow and we gon’ go handle some business.” Capone replied before walking off towards his truck.

  “But what about yo drugs?” Mecca called out.

  “Fuck them drugs but what I need to know is, did homie do this to your eye?” he turned around, stepped in, and asked.

  Mecca felt Capone’s hand lift her chin high in the air as he examined her face. She knew that Dame connected at least one time during their scuffle, but she was unaware of the fact he left a mark. Shaking her head up and down, she confessed to Capone.

  “DEAD OR ALIVE?”

  “Huh?” Mecca smirked, titling her head to the side.

  She had heard Capone loud and clear, but she wasn’t sure exactly what he meant.

  “You want that nigga dead or alive?” Capone asked again with the same power from the first time he said it.

  Unsure of how to answer the question, she hunched her shoulders instead. She never had control over someone’s life, yet, she felt like she was making an executive decision right then and there.

  “I mean…. I don’t know.” She shyly replied.

  “Shorty listen, in these streets, ain’t no thinking. Thinking equal lacking and lacking can get you killed. If the opportunity presents itself, you gotta know your next move. Now Imma ask you again, do you want that nigga dead or alive?”

  “DEAD!” Danielle slid in and yelled, surprising both Mecca and Capone.

  Mecca stared at her sister and for the first time noticed the dim look in her eyes. Mecca’s eyes traveled down from her sister’s eyes to her stomach, which she was holding. It was at that very moment that Mecca knew who fathered her sister’s unborn child.

  Mecca and her siblings stayed the night at Kay’s house. Kay and Darrius’ parents were always so welcoming. Besides having to come up with a lie about her blacked eye, the night was perfect. Sleeping at Kay’s was totally different from sleeping at her own crib. She felt the need to always sleep with one eye open when she was there. And Danielle confirmed last night as to why she was so paranoid.

  Hearing the gruesome details as to how Dame molested her made Mecca sick to the stomach. So many questions plagued her mind that she began to blame herself. The signs were there, if she only paid a little more attention. Mecca knew coming clean was a hard thing for Danielle to do, but she just wished she had sooner.

  Danielle also shared the news about Yana but assured Mecca that nothing had ever happened. Mad wasn’t the adjective to describe how she felt. The rage within her was something new. Something she never even knew was in her.

  “Listen to me y’all. Stay down here until I get back.” Mecca said, standing in the middle of Kay’s room.

  “Where you going?” Danielle asked before stuffing a spoon full of ice cream in her mouth.

  “With Capone…. DAMN!” Mecca smacked her lips before fixing her ponytail in Kay’s vanity mirror.

  “You look cute best friend. I just need to know where this nigga taking you.” Kay spoke.

  “Y’all act like it’s a date.” Mecca rolled her eyes.

  “No bitch, YOU acting like it’s a date. Fixing that dry ass ponytail and whatnot.” Danielle joked.

  Just when Mecca was fixing her lips to respond, a car horn sounded near Kay’s window at the same time her phone rang.

  “Hello…. OK….. That was Jay. Capone had him call me to tell you that he outside.” Kay confirmed.

  Fixing her tank top one last time, Mecca headed out the door. Stepping onto the hot porch, she paused and sucked in the fresh air before scanning the street for Capone’s car.

  Honk. Honk. Honk.

  Her eyes and ears landed on an all-black Jeep Cherokee.

  “I could have sworn this nigga was in a red one yesterday,” she mumbled to herself as she headed down the stairs.

  Once she hit the curb, she heard him hit the locks. Never being around a nigga like Capone, she tried her best to play it cool.

  “What up kid?” Capone spoke over the music before turning it down.

  “Hey.” She spoke back softly, looking ahead out the window.

  “You hungry?” he looked over at her and asked.

&nb
sp; “Nah, I’m good.” She smiled slightly, glancing over at him.

  “Aight bet. Now let’s handle this business.”

  Capone turned the music back up and hit 290, heading to the Southside. The drive to wherever they were headed was an awkwardly quiet one. Many times, Mecca wanted to spark a conversation and say something, but she never went through with it. Capone was so mysterious and that was so intriguing.

  Exiting the expressway at 95th and Dan Ryan, Capone made a sharp right and drove a few miles before pulling into a shopping center parking lot.

  “I’ll be right back.” He assured her before parking and walking into a MetroPCS.

  Mecca sat patiently and listened to whatever played next on the radio until he came out.

  “Here.” Capone said, tossing her a bag.

  Mecca eyed him suspiciously before going inside the small plastic bag.

  “What’s this?” she pumped, holding up an Apple iPhone box.

  “It’s yours. Don’t trip about the bill. You good for about six months.” He smiled before pulling back into traffic.

  “Oh nah… Capone I can’t accept this.” She replied, placing the phone along with the accessories back in the store bag.

  “You ain’t got no option.” He glanced over at her and stated before focusing his attention back on the road.