by Tracy Brown
* * *
Mercedes was in her bedroom with Sheldon, watching 106th and Park on BET. Sheldon was spending the weekend with them since Jada and Born were enjoying some much-needed alone time on a getaway to the Poconos. Mercedes was thrilled to have Sheldon over since she loved him like a brother. They watched TV as they spoke of their shared excitement over Christmas, which was fast approaching.
“I can’t wait to see what I get!” Mercedes’s face reflected her excitement. She already had everything a girl her age could ask for and more. Still, it was always a thrill to see what unexpected surprise her mother had in store for her each year.
Sheldon shrugged, as usual. “I don’t even care about Christmas,” he said, honestly.
Mercedes frowned. “You’re in a pissy mood,” she said, speaking freely since no adults were around. “What’s up with you?”
He looked at Mercedes, trying to decide if he should confide in her. She was his best friend, had always been. Still, he wondered for a moment if she would tell her mother, who would inevitably tell his.
“What?” Mercedes pressed. “Why are you being so weird?”
Sheldon looked at her and decided that he could trust her. Mercedes had never divulged his secrets before. “My mother,” he said. “She’s a crackhead.”
Mercedes gasped. “She is not!” she snapped. “Aunt Jada does not smoke crack!”
“Shhh!” Sheldon admonished her. “Your mother might hear.”
Mercedes waved him off. “She’s blasting her music in her room. She can’t hear.” She got up and shut her bedroom door, just to be on the safe side. “Who told you she smokes crack?”
Sheldon decided to prove it to Mercedes. He went to her desk and turned on the computer. Navigating to the newspaper articles about his mother as he’d done in class the other day, he stepped away and let her see for herself.
Mercedes read the articles in complete amazement. “Aunt Jada was in jail?” she asked, rhetorically.
Sheldon nodded. “I was born in jail,” he said, as if he knew all the facts from the few articles he’d read. “She’s a crackhead and she sold drugs.”
Mercedes couldn’t believe it. She sat for a few moments in stunned silence. Looking at Sheldon, she felt so sorry for him. Hurt was etched on his face as he sat staring at the floor, the disappointment he felt toward his mother obvious.
“My mother used to use cocaine, too,” Mercedes offered, hoping to make him feel better. “Not crack,” she clarified, because even at her young age, she’d been made to understand that of all things, crack was the absolute worst that one could do. “But she told me that she used to inhale it … in her nose, I think. But that was before I was born. And she doesn’t do it anymore.” Mercedes had never shared that with anyone before. She trusted Sheldon just as he trusted her. “Maybe that’s how it is with your mother,” she suggested. “Like … maybe she used to be a crackhead and now she’s just a regular person.”
Sheldon stared at Mercedes, processing what she’d just told him. “Your mother used to use cocaine, too?” He seemed amazed as Mercedes nodded her head, yes. He had always had a bit of a crush on his Aunt Sunny, so this came as a complete shock to him.
Mercedes thought about Sheldon’s mom and felt sorry for her. “My mom says that getting hooked on drugs is easy, but getting off them is hard. That’s why I will never use drugs.”
“Me either,” Sheldon agreed. He thought about what Mercedes had said. Maybe his mother had changed. “What about your father? Did your mother say that he used drugs, too?”
Mercedes shook her head. “No. My father was a businessman and that’s how he made all his money. He’s the reason we’re rich.”
Sheldon was staring at the floor again. “My father got shot. In the head. He was a drug dealer.”
Mercedes stared at him. “My father got shot, too. By DJ’s mom.”
Sheldon’s eyes widened in surprise. “No way!”
Mercedes nodded. “Yeah, for real. DJ’s mom killed herself after she killed my father. Mommy said that her heart was so broken that she almost died, too. But then she had me and I gave her a reason to live again.” Mercedes touched Sheldon’s hand, reassuringly. She was only a year older than him, but she behaved at times like she was far older. “See? That’s why we’re best friends. Our mothers both used drugs. Our fathers both got shot. But all that stuff is over now. Our mothers are not on drugs anymore and even though we don’t have fathers, we’re all right.”
Sheldon thought about it. Maybe Mercedes was right.
“Aunt Jada is not a crackhead. She just used to be one.” Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. “Just forget about it.”
Sheldon nodded and turned off the computer. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll try.”
* * *
Born sat beside Dominique Storms, DJ’s A&R at Def Jam. They were at The Hit Factory, and DJ was in the booth, laying down a new track. It sounded great and both Born and Dominique bobbed their heads to the beat as the producer, Stax, smiled broadly at the young rapper.
“He’s good!” Dominique said. “I mean, obviously that’s why I signed him, but this kid just keeps getting better and better. I think he’s gonna be in a lot of people’s ‘top five rappers alive’ once this album drops.”
Born smiled like a proud father, thrilled to hear her say that. “He’s hungry. He wants this, so he’s been writing like crazy, and the more he writes the better he gets.”
They watched as DJ went hard in the booth, spitting his rhymes like he was trying to get signed, when in fact this would be his second album.
“At Sony, he did all right,” Dominique said. “From a sales standpoint, I mean. But with us…” She smiled brightly at Born. “He’s going straight to number one. Mark my words.”
Born liked the confidence he heard in her voice. He wanted DJ’s every dream to come true.
After Dorian died, DJ’s uncles had started grooming him for the drug game. As his father’s heir apparent, they wanted him to inherit Dorian’s status. Born knew that if Dorian was alive, he would not have approved. Dorian wanted DJ to get an education and chase legitimate dreams. He would not have wanted him to be molded into the heartless, fearless hustler that he was becoming at the age of fifteen. DJ had rarely gone to school and was constantly on the road with his uncles, learning the game and soaking up all the wrong shit. Born had stepped in, since he felt a sense of responsibility toward the young man. He found out that DJ wanted to be a rapper, and Born started booking studio time for him. He helped DJ learn the industry, helped him meet other artists and cut demos. Born used his connection with Zion, who was well connected in the music business on the strength of his affiliation with Shootin’ Crooks, to further DJ’s career. Before long, Born had drilled it into DJ’s head that someday he could be the best rapper alive. He smiled now, watching the young man’s dreams come true.
Dominique watched him looking on proudly and she admired Born’s love for DJ. “You look like that boy’s daddy, smiling all wide like that,” she observed. “I work with a lot of artists and I’ve never seen any business manager take an interest in an artist the way that you do. It’s really good to see that he has someone in his corner who sincerely cares.”
Born nodded. He was so much more than just DJ’s business manager. “Me and his father were real close,” he explained. “When he passed away, DJ was a kid. I took him under my wing and I got love for him like he’s my own son.”
“It shows,” Dominique said. Having been raised by a fantastic father of her own, she admired Born’s obvious love for his protégé. “He’s blessed to have you.” Her gaze lingered on Born for several moments. She was intrigued by him. There was something distinctly attractive about him.
He caught her staring and she averted her gaze. He thought she was a very lovely woman. They had been working closely together ever since DJ signed to Def Jam months ago, and in the time they spent working on his career, Born couldn’t help noticing how sexy Dominique was. He loved Jad
a, but couldn’t help wondering if his life would be simpler with somebody like Dominique. “You don’t have any kids of your own?”
Dominique nodded. “No, I do. I have a teenaged daughter.”
Born frowned. “Teenaged? You don’t look much older than your teens yourself.”
Dominique smiled, having heard that often. She did have a naturally youthful look, but there was a bigger reason that it seemed unbelievable for her to have a child in high school. “I was a teen parent,” she admitted. “I had my daughter when I was in my last year of high school.” She winked. “But I still made it. Proof that where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Born admired her even more after hearing that. “Wow,” he said. “That’s impressive. Not too many people could reach your level of success without that kind of setback. So the fact that you climbed to the top with your daughter on your back…” He paused, nodded, and gave her a thumbs-up.
She thanked him.
“So, you’re single?” He told himself that he was just making conversation. But deep down, he knew that he was kind of feeling Dominique’s energy.
She sighed at that question. “Yes. Single in the sense that I’m not married. But I am seeing this guy. His name is Archie.” She looked at Born and noticed he looked a little disappointed. “But it’s not serious,” she added. “Not yet, anyway.”
Born nodded.
“How about you?” she asked. “Is there some lucky lady waiting for you at home?”
Born felt himself blushing. It was nice to know that Dominique considered any lady waiting at home for him to be “lucky.” “Yeah,” he admitted. “I just got engaged.”
Dominique smiled. “Congratulations, Born!”
He shrugged, not so sure anymore that marrying Jada was the right thing to do. Sheldon’s teacher had called her up to the school to tell her about the incident in computer class. The teacher and principal had outlined her son’s volatile behavior at school. Jada had told Born how ashamed and embarrassed she’d felt as they spoke of his rebellious behavior and implied that her crack use was to blame for his troubles. She had left the school in tears. Since then, Sheldon’s behavior, both at home and at school, was getting progressively worse and Jada was falling apart under the pressure of it all. “I love her, but she has some problems with her son that’s kind of putting a damper on things.”
Dominique nodded, understanding. “Kids can be really stressful,” she acknowledged. Her own daughter had given her more than her fair share of drama. “But if you love each other, you’ll work it out.”
She gathered her belongings and rose to leave. Dominique found herself attracted to Born, and knew that the longer she sat there with him, the more she would find to like about him. Wanting to maintain a professional relationship with him, she thought it best to leave. “Sounds like our young superstar has got this in the bag,” she observed, nodding toward DJ still going hard in the booth, then extended her hand to Born. He shook it, smiling. “Give me a call tomorrow and let me hear the end result. I’m gonna head home to my own little terror.”
“Okay,” Born said, reluctant to let her hand go. “It was nice talking to you.”
Dominique smiled, thinking his dimples were adorable. “You, too. You, too.”
13
WHITE CHRISTMAS
Sunny stepped into her bathroom, reached up to the top of the medicine cabinet and searched around with her hand until she touched the soft silk satchel that held her stash. She emptied out the contents and laid the white powder before her on a small tray, bringing it to her nose with a flair that came from years of experience. She snorted the line of cocaine and felt that familiar tingle throughout her body. She wiped the residue from her nose and then returned her stash to its hiding place.
Sunny splashed water on her face and it felt like a geyser in her enhanced state of mind. She wiped her face and opened the cabinet, retrieved her toothbrush, and shut it once more. There her reflection was again, only this time her eyes seemed more alive, practically dancing in her head. She smirked at her well-kept secret and brushed her teeth, ready to start the day.
It was Christmas Eve, and she was excited. She had turned her deluxe apartment into a winter wonderland with the help of Mercedes and Jenny G, and she was full of holiday spirit. She had bought dozens of gifts for Mercedes and seemed immune to the recession that was crippling the country’s economy. There was no recession in Sunny’s life. In fact, there was a surplus of fun and excitement in her life these days. Malcolm was making her feel better than ever.
As she thought of him, her phone rang and she saw his name on the caller ID. She smiled as she answered.
“Good morning, handsome,” she said, her voice singsongy.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he answered, and she swore she could hear him smiling through the phone. “What are your plans for the day?”
She thought about it. Mercedes was out of school for the holiday break and she had planned to give Jenny G the day off so that they could bond. “I’m not sure,” she answered. “Why? What did you have in mind?”
“Well, my daughter Chance is in town to spend the holiday with me. Her mother had her for Thanksgiving so I convinced her to let me have her for Christmas. I was hoping that you and Mercedes would join us for a day of ice skating in Rockefeller Center.”
Sunny hadn’t been expecting that. “Oh … wow,” she managed. She was very protective of Mercedes. Even when Sunny had dated a Knicks player for two years, she had never brought him around Mercedes, eager to keep her daughter from growing too attached to a man who might not be “the one.” She was glad she had done that, since the relationship had eventually fizzled. But she had to admit to herself that she was feeling things for Malcolm in just a few months that she had never felt for the man she’d spent two years with. “I don’t know…”
Malcolm sensed her reluctance, and tried to persuade her. “I understand your reservations,” he admitted. “We can just hang out and I won’t do any lovey-dovey stuff while the kids are looking.” He heard Sunny giggle at that. “For now, you can introduce me to Mercedes as your friend and we can have some wholesome fun with the kids. What do you say?”
Sunny gave it some thought. Malcolm had proven himself to be far different from the other men she’d dated. She figured it couldn’t hurt to let Mercedes meet her mommy’s “friend.” “Okay,” she agreed, reluctantly. “What time should we be ready?”
* * *
An hour later, her doorman announced that she had visitors. “Ms. Cruz, Malcolm and Chance Dean are here to see you.”
Sunny told him to send them up and she looked at Mercedes, who was adorable in a pair of bubblegum pink ski pants, a matching vest, and a winter-white turtleneck. She held her favorite mittens in her hands and jumped up and down excitedly.
Sunny and Mercedes had never been ice skating before and clearly the youngster was thrilled about this new adventure. She heard her doorbell ring and had to run to beat Mercedes to it. She laughed as her daughter rubbed her hands together in anticipation of making a new friend. She loved to see Mercedes so happy.
She opened the door and saw handsome Malcolm standing beside an adorable brown-skinned beauty with her hair in cornrows. Chance looked just as excited as Mercedes and the two of them hugged instantly.
Sunny and Malcolm burst out laughing at their daughters as they embraced like old friends.
“Wow,” Malcolm said. “I guess no introductions are necessary.”
“Hi, Chance,” Mercedes said. “It’s nice to meet you.” She looked up at her mother. “Can we go now?”
Sunny was smiling so hard that her face hurt. “Let’s go,” she said. She grabbed her Guess snorkel and they all headed to the glitz of Rockefeller Center.
In Malcolm’s car, on the way to the skating rink, Sunny listened as Mercedes and Chance compared notes in the backseat.
“What kind of music do you like?” Chance asked.
“All kinds,” Mercedes answered.
“Me, too!” Chance exclaimed. “What’s your favorite TV show?”
“That’s So Raven,” Mercedes answered.
“Mine, too!”
Sunny and Malcolm chuckled at the two birds of a feather in the backseat. She looked at him sidelong as Nat King Cole sang about chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Silently, Sunny admitted to herself that she was falling for Malcolm.
* * *
For the next few hours, Malcolm and Chance taught Sunny and Mercedes how to ice skate. There was a lot of falling down, hysterical laughter, getting back up and trying again. Eventually, Mercedes got the hang of it and she and Chance circled the rink hand in hand, their smiles rivaling the bright lights that lit up the rink.
Sunny and Malcolm found a place to sit together and sat huddled closely to stay warm. She sipped some hot chocolate as she watched their daughters enjoying themselves.
“Thanks for inviting us,” she said. “I’m having a ball.”
He smiled at her. “Are you really? I was afraid you’d be bored out of your mind. You’re used to stuff a lot more glamorous than this. I thought you might find this too … domestic.”
Sunny laughed. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to have this much fun.” She wasn’t even as high as she was hours ago, and her eyes were still dancing in her head from pure happiness. She was starting to wonder if her feelings for Malcolm were enough to make her leave her beloved white lines alone.
He looked around to see if the girls were looking. Satisfied that they were distracted by their fun, he leaned in and kissed Sunny, tasting the sweetness of the hot chocolate on her tongue. “I love you,” he said, staring into her eyes.
