Ghetto Girls 6

by Anthony Whyte

  “And Eric, please don’t forget to speak to your ex-fiancée.”

  “Okay, I got you. Bye, Max.”

  “Take it easy, Eric.”

  He hung the call and stopped to pick up the Times. Eric and his bodyguard walked leisurely to the French café. Eric sat thumbing through the newspaper. In the local section, he found an article about his upcoming trial. He read it with a smirk on his face and started feeling pressured to call Sophia.

  Momentarily the pretty waitress in a miniskirt disrupted Eric’s thoughts. She smiled, working her hips rapidly toward his table. The bodyguard greeted her with a smile while she filled his cup with coffee, then she did the same for Eric. He nodded politely.

  “Where’s Mona?” Eric asked sounding disappointed.

  “She called in sick. I guess I’ll have to do today, Mr. Ascot.”

  “You’re not Mona, but you’ll do.”

  “Do you both know what y’all want?”

  “Yes,” Eric said.

  Having taken their orders, the waitress was off to another table. Eric picked up his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts. Again he stopped and stared at the name on his screen, deep in thought. He had to make the call to Sophia, but somehow did not feel like doing it. Eric sat wondering what to do. As his conflicted mind spun, he reminisced about his former lover.

  +

  “Sophia, I didn’t see you. I’m sorry. Uncle E home also?” Deedee asked.

  When she bumped into Sophia in the kitchen at the Long Island mansion. It had been a couple of days since the incident and Deedee was trying to make it through another day.

  “Yes. He’s upstairs, I think. He was about to make breakfast, but I guess I’ll have to do it.”

  “You’re not a bad cook, Sophia,” Deedee teased. “But I’m not really hungry.”

  “Okay, how about getting downtown to do some shopping, you know?” Sophia asked with a wink.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be working today?” Deedee was a little excited at the new suggestion.

  “No, I’m off today, honey. I have time,” Sophia smiled.

  “You’ll be needing money for shopping,” Eric said, announcing his presence. He had been standing, unnoticed. Deedee looked rested, he thought. “How much?”

  “Well, ten thousand dollars would be nice, wouldn’t you say, Dee?” Sophia smiled.

  Deedee turned and looked at both of them. They looked as if they were waiting for the punch line. Oh what the hell, I’ll play along, she decided. Deedee shook her head from side to side and snapped her fingers.

  “You know, I could handle that very well.” The words tumbled out. They were meant to be spontaneous, but the pause lasted longer than she intended. It was like a bad joke. She felt her timing was off. “So, who’s gonna do breakfast between y’all?” Deedee asked as she seized the moment to patch things up.

  “Ah, Eric had promised to do that earlier,” Sophia said with a smile.

  “Oh no, it ain’t going down like that,” Eric smiled. He widened his eyes as he turned to look at Sophia. “Sophia,” he said with a big grin, “You owe me.”

  “Alright, you got it,” Sophia sighed. “But this will be all the cooking I’m doing today,” she said with a wry smile.

  “Okay,” Deedee said. “Why don’t we all eat out?”

  “Hmm… Sounds good to me,” Eric said.

  “Sophia?” Both niece and uncle asked at the same time.

  “Sure, sure, double-team me,” Sophia said with a mock stern tone.

  “Alright, you guys go ahead. I’ll see you on the outside,” Deedee said.

  “Uh-huh, we’re not going for that,” her uncle said, smiling. “We know you’re gonna lock yourself in the room. Oh no. You’re coming right now.”

  “No, I won’t be long. I promise Uncle E. I’m just gonna get a coat. I promise.”

  “It’s pretty warm outside, honey,” Eric said.

  He reached out to hold her, but she resisted, twisting her arms free of his hands. She was about to walk away and Sophia called after her.

  “Dee, get your coat, girl,” Sophia said, walking toward Deedee. “Maybe I should get one while we’re downtown. Yeah! And I saw this nice Versace the other day. Mmm hmm.”

  Deedee smiled and ran upstairs. It was as if what Sophia said had ignited her. Sophia and Eric went outside.

  “Let her be,” Sophia whispered to Eric.

  It was quite warm. The humidity was slowly working its way up the scale. The sun’s brightness made the morning glow with life. Eric, with the press of a switch, disarmed the car alarm and unlocked the doors to the Range Rover. They got in and waited for Deedee, listening to the radio.

  “How much are we getting?” Sophia chuckled.

  “We?” Eric asked.

  “Eric, stop being such a cheapo.”

  “A cheapo?”

  “Yes. Need I repeat myself? Stop being a cheapo. Tell me how much we’re getting.”

  “Alright, alright. I’ll give you the figures after breakfast,” he said.

  “Game…” Sophia said, her voice trailing.

  They waited in the car, listening to the radio, teasing and laughing at each other. Deedee emerged from the front door. She locked it and turned on the alarm. As she walked toward the car, they both noticed that instead of her usual fitted jeans and ribbed blouse, she was wearing a pink, baggy, cotton warm-up suit and a maroon spring coat. They looked at each other.

  “Let her be, Eric,” Sophia said then she shouted out the window. “C’mon girl, hurry. I’m starved.”

  Deedee quickened her step. The flashes of her plain white tennis shoes with matching socks emphasized her pace. She slid through the open door and the vehicle seemed cramped and crowded to her. She lowered the window.

  “I’m ready,” she announced with a sigh of relief.

  “For food? Where?” Eric asked.

  “Let’s go to the pancake house on Lex,” Deedee suggested.

  “That sounds delicious,” Sophia said.

  “Done deal,” Eric said.

  The vehicle rolled toward Main Street. Eric made a right and hit the expressway heading into the city.

  “I brought these for the trip,” Deedee said handing out breakfast bars to Eric and Sophia.

  Sophia and Deedee closed their eyelids immediately after downing their breakfast bars. Forty-five minutes later they awoke to found themselves on Lexington Avenue. Eric was pulling easily into a parking spot. Sophia awoke, blinked and watched as Deedee alighted from the Range.

  She put her hands in her coat pockets. She completed her disguise by donning a white Colorado Rockies baseball cap worn backwards. While Deedee and Sophia were seated in the buzzing waffle house, Eric remained outside, conversing on his cell phone.

  “Good morning. You ladies ready to order?” A smiling waiter greeted. “Something to drink maybe?”

  “Well—”

  “I’ll have hot chocolate with whipped cream,” Deedee chirped.

  “And two regular coffees. Thanks,” Sophia added. “Let me go get that guy. ’Cause if we let him, he’ll talk right through breakfast. Music business is so demanding,” Sophia said as she left the table. She returned a few lonely minutes later with Eric.

  “Hey, don’t you like the hot chocolate? You’re looking sad, girl,” Eric said.

  He had been standing next to Deedee for a while, her unaware of his presence. She was buried too deep into her thoughts to have noticed.

  “No, it’s alright. I was just thinking.”

  Sophia had been, at times, like a mother to her. Now she treated her as a friend. The reason was clear. Deedee felt compelled to verbalize her feelings but knew she could not. She tried not to think too much about things.

  “Well, think of how you’re gonna be spending five thousand dollars, baby,” Sophia said and then winked.

  “Five thousand dollars?” Eric repeated incredulously. “Where you gonna get all that dough from?”

  “Well, how much then?”
Sophia asked with mock annoyance. “I thought you said…”

  “Okay,” Eric said.

  “We settled on…”

  Sophia pouted. Deedee stared. Eric fumbled for a number. Then, finally, he turned to Deedee.

  “Dee, what do you think? Five G’s, or not?”

  It made Deedee smile, just knowing she would have five thousand dollars to spend. Wow, she thought, I could shop for days, nonstop.

  “Ah, five sounds all right, but I was looking forward to the ten grand,” she joked.

  Her joke made her uncle smile. He was happy that Sophia had concocted this little scheme, and that it had brought a smile to his niece’s face. Deedee reflected. The humor was sick, but a five-thousand-dollar shopping spree sounded good. It probably would bring a smile to anyone’s face. But she knew not even ten thousand dollars would erase the bitter and ugly experience, and her memories of the cruelest people she’d ever met.

  “What are you having, Dee?” Eric asked attentively.

  The waiter and Sophia also looked concerned. What are they staring at, she wondered? Deedee kept the smirk on her face while speaking.

  “Oh, I’ll have two German pancakes, and eggs. Sunny-side up.”

  “Anything to drink?” The well-mannered waiter asked.

  “Yeah. We’ll all have apple juice,” Eric said.

  His cell phone rang, and he sprang out of his chair. He left the table and headed outside, away from the other patrons.

  “Yeah, Eric, this is Busta. How’re you?” the caller asked.

  “I’m fine. I need a major hit. We gotta talk.”

  “E, let’s meet at Geez at about seven. Eric, I’ve got these crazy nice girls you gotta hear. And as a matter of fact, they’re all dimes.”

  “That’s fine,” Eric said. “See you then.”

  He folded the black instrument and shoved it into a front pocket of his jeans. Eric headed back to his seat at the table.

  “Alright,” he announced. “It’s on.”

  “What did she want?” Sophia teased.

  “It wasn’t her,” Eric smiled. “It was Busta. Got to meet with him later. But first we’re gonna eat, and then spend some money.”

  The meal arrived and they all settled into breakfast. Deedee was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stomach the food, but German pancakes were her favorite. After one bite, she succumbed to the pleasures of the meal.

  After a hearty breakfast, Deedee and Sophia took Eric on a shopping extravaganza that cost him over ten thousand dollars. He also had to carry nearly all of the shopping bags. When the clothes became too much to carry, they returned to the parking lot and stowed the bags in the Range Rover.

  “Thank you, Uncle,” Deedee said, and planted a kiss on Eric’s sweating cheek.

  “You are more than welcome,” he said, returning the kiss.

  “And thanks, Sophia. I love your style.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart.” She opened her arms. Deedee lunged forward for the hug. “Movie, anyone?” Sophia asked as Eric started the engine.

  “How about later we have dinner and a movie?” Deedee said.

  “Ah…” Eric looked at his watch. “Why don’t both of you go ahead and I’ll catch up to you later?”

  “You tired of us already?” Sophia asked. A smug expression belied her feelings.

  “No, no,” Eric answered taking the bait. “I’ve got to meet with Busta.”

  “Uncle E, you know we’re not gonna make it to the movies if we wait around for you and your business,” Deedee said, sounding disappointed.

  “Alright, here’s my phone.” Eric gave Sophia the cell phone. “Let’s synchronize our watches. It’s 6:40 p.m. At exactly 8:30 p.m., I’ll call you, and we’ll catch the 9:00 p.m. movie.”

  “Okay. Sounds good to me,” Deedee said.

  “Yeah, because if you get into a meeting or on this phone,” Sophia said, pointing to the black instrument, “it’s all over.”

  They all laughed and Eric eased the car out of the parking lot. He headed uptown to Cozy Geez, a nighttime hangout for the famous and infamous.

  “Be careful, babes,” Sophia said. Eric kissed her soft, moist lips.

  “See you later, over dinner. You guys decide what movie y’all wanna see.”

  “Don’t forget to call us, Uncle E,” Deedee said as he gently clasped her hand in his.

  “I will, sugar. Eight-thirty, right?”

  “No shady deals,” Sophia laughed.

  “That’s right,” Deedee called.

  They watched Eric cross the street, dodging traffic. He walked by the dark-suited bouncers and through the brown wooden doors. There was no need for a search. Eric Ascot was familiar to most as one of the city’s hottest music producers.

  Things had been difficult after his brother’s death, but Dennis had left him with good connections. Eric had produced one of the year’s best rhythm-and-blues albums. This raised him from ordinary contender to being in the running for Music Producer of the Year.

  Eric strolled to a table for two in the rear. The waiter brought him his usual, straight Hennessy with a twist of lemon.

  “Good evening, sir,” the waiter said.

  That call and meeting with Busta had changed his life. Eric sat at his table in the French café and thought about Sophia. She had been a major part of his daily existence, and her presence was invaluable in the life of his niece.

  Sophia was there when Deedee was raped, and her assistance in his niece’s recovery couldn’t be overlooked. Yet, Sophia was privy to a lot of information that could send him to jail. She was no longer with him, but he wasn’t sure if the love he felt was gone. Eric was still debating himself over whether to call her when he heard a voice.

  “Do you want something else to drink?” the waitress in the miniskirt asked.

  She watched Eric for a beat. After staring at his plate of toast and jelly, he finally raised up his head. He looked her up and down like it was the first time he had seen her. She was very pretty, as pretty as Sophia.

  “Yes, a glass of apple juice, please,” he said with a smile.

  Eric’s eyes followed her shapely ass until it disappeared behind the counter. It had been a year since Sophia had broken off their engagement. He couldn’t blame her for that, but he felt sick thinking about how she had cooperated with the investigation against him. He felt Sophia should’ve stayed in his corner and the thought kept circling in his mind, when the waitress returned with the apple juice. He thought this young woman could be a college student.

  Sophia was working as a waitress and dancer in Busta’s nightclub when Eric first met her. She was supporting herself through college. Busta introduced Eric to her and he started dating her. When his brother was killed and Deedee came to live with him, Sophia became more than his girlfriend.

  He spent money on her tuition, and helped her through college. She forged a great relationship with his niece and was always with him when she wasn’t in classes. Then she went to law school and Eric made sure she had the best. The bond grew stronger between his niece and Sophia. Eric made it official by getting an engagement ring for Sophia. With his career on its way and his plans to marry Sophia settled, Eric focused and climbed to the top of his craft.

  “Will there be anything else?” The waitress asked and interrupted his ruminations.

  Eric glanced at her then at his bodyguard. Eric pulled out a hundred dollar bill and shoved it at her and said,

  “This should cover the damage. Thanks.”

  “Change…?” she asked.

  “No,” he said. “Just tell me this—are you in college?”

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “Good luck,” he said.

  “Thank you,” the waitress said, staring incredulously at Eric exiting the restaurant.

  He walked down the block with a smile on his face. Eric Ascot was faced with the possibility of going to prison based on evidence provided by Sophia. Busta was killed and several attempts had been made on his lif
e. Eric did not know who was behind it, but had realized he was being framed for crimes he had not committed.

  It had started with one phone call. He held the cell phone to his ear and was about to press send, but changed his mind. Eric Ascot returned the cell phone to his pocket and walked inside the building. The security took up position downstairs and waited by the elevator. Indecision seemed to cloud his mind. Eric again walked out of the building and dialed.

  “Hello,” he said, after the phone rang couple times.

  “Sophia, how you…?

  “Can we talk…?”

  8

  “You better hurry and get that hook right, before Uncle E gets here. You know, that’s gonna be the first thing he’ll be harping on, Coco.”

  “Your uncle is a beast, yo.”

  “Mmm hmm. He goes in. When he starts a project, he gets it done. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll have sump’n for him, yo. I’m a make him love it.”

  Coco and Deedee had finished eating omelets for breakfast. They sat at the long table after loading the dishwasher and smiled. The girls had prepared breakfast together and were enjoying hot chocolates with their chitchat. “Yeah, let me hear what you got,” Deedee smiled. “I’ll tell you if he’s going to love it.”

  “A’ight it gonna be somewhat like this…Huh…”

  “‘Huh…’?” Deedee repeated. You gotta come better than some ‘Huh,’” Deedee said, laughing.

  “Wait a minute, yo. I was just getting ready,” Coco said humming.

  Huh… Can you feel my pain…?

  Can you feel my pain I have no one to blame…?

  Can you feel me I ain’t scared I’m here to stay?

  I can still hear voices singing I have no one to blame.

  Can you feel my pain? I can feel your pain…”

  “Hmm… Sounds like poetry. It’s good I think he’ll like it. But do you think it’s a little too—too long?” Deedee mused.

  “I don’t know. It might be, yo. But I’m sure your uncle will fix whatever needs fixing.”

  The cell phone rang in her pocket, and Coco immediately took the call. She held the cell phone to her ear, closed her eyes and nervously listened to the voice on the line.