by Dawn Desiree
“What do you mean, set him up?” Sunshine asked.
“What I mean is, have somebody call him up like they met him at a club or something, and then set a date with him. Knowing Terrance, he’ll probably either take that person to a hotel, or back to his apartment. More than likely it will be his apartment.”
“Let’s just hope its not in his car,” Sunshine joked.
“In your dreams,” Rain joked back. “Once the person is up in there, they gonna get him twisted to the point where he is too smacked to know what’s going on, too smacked to move, and too smacked to notice when she boats outta there with all our bags. I was thinking Brianna could do it, since dudes can’t seem to resist her,” Rain said.
Cathy shook her head with pity at the suggestion of Brian playing the part.
“Stop hating, Mama. It sounds good, Rain, but I’m sorry, I can’t do it,” Brian said.
“Why not? I thought this would be right up your alley, Miss Drama Queen,” Rain said. “What happened to sticking those twelves up his ass?”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I can do it; it’s just that I can’t do it,” Brian repeated.
Rain was confused, along with everyone else. “What do you mean, you can do it, but you can’t do it? You’re not making any sense,” Rain said.
“I’m making perfect sense. I can’t do it because the bama already saw me while he was jacking me, remember? I was sleeping when it all went down, and I’m sure he didn’t overlook all this beauty of mine and just forget. He probably still saw me in his sleep, ya dig?” Brian said.
“She’s right,” Sunshine said. “I’m certain that Terrance saw her, but I know someone who could do it,” Sunshine added.
“And who is that?” Rain asked.
“Me. You should let me do it,” Sunshine said eagerly.
“Don’t be silly, Sunshine,” Cathy said. “You shouldn’t get involved in something like this.”
“Yeah, don’t be silly. He saw you, too, remember? We just went out with him last night, crazy,” Rain said.
“That’s my point,” Sunshine said. “While we was out with him last night, he was all up my behind like hemorrhoids.”
“Stop faking, Sunshine. My man wasn’t paying you no mind. He was too busy—” Rain had to stop herself before she got herself into some trouble by blurting out her business.
“Listen, Rain, I’m not trying to upset you or anything. All I’m saying is that I noticed Terrance checking me out last night, that’s all,” Sunshine said innocently.
“I wouldn’t put it past the conniving thief,” Brian said. “I mean, think about it, Rain. If he is so faithful, what would make you think that he would take the bait with me in the first place?” Brian asked.
“I never said that he was faithful. All I’m saying is that he wasn’t checking Sunshine out,” Rain said. “He wouldn’t disrespect me like that,” she added.
Rain was beginning to feel humihated, angry, and foolish, and that wasn’t good. She liked Sunshine and all, but she could get it just like any other bitch.
“Listen, Rain, I’m not trying to be funny. All I’m trying to say is that I got a tiny little vibe that he was feeling me, that’s all. You know how guys are,” Sunshine added.
“Rain can sit and fake if she wants to, but let the truth be told, Terrance is five cent short of a dime. We peep his shorts all the time,” Brian said. “Rain, get out your feelings, and Sunshine, let’s do the damn thang,” Brian said, getting frustrated with the sudden pity party.
Cathy couldn’t agree with him more. She was learning to like Brianna’s style. Over the summer, he had become a new woman. No more “hiding in the closet cause I’m afraid to come out” Brian. This brand new person was an “open this muthafuckin’ closet ’cause I’m coming out!” Brianna.
I always wanted a daughter, Cathy thought, and they say God works in mysterious ways, but damn!
“Sunshine, get your cell phone and let’s call Mr. Faithful to see what’s on his agenda for today,” Brian said.
Sunshine grabbed her purse, which sat on her nightstand, reached in, and pulled out her cell. She gave a sideways glance at Rain to make sure that she was cool with all this, but Rain wasn’t trippin’ anymore. She gave an I don’t give a fuck look back at Sunshine and called out his number.
“And make sure you put him on speaker phone so we can all hear,” Rain ordered.
Sunshine dialed the digits slowly, trying to figure out what she would say with each button she pushed. The room got quiet with anticipation; even Brianna couldn’t be heard for a change.
“Who dis?” Terrance asked, yawning from a fresh wakeup.
“Who dis? That’s how you talk to your future wifey?” Sunshine asked.
“If you was my wifey, I’d be waking up to some crucial head right now, or at least in some wet pussy. Who dis?” Terrance asked again.
“If you would have brought me home last night, I might be on my knees right now,” Sunshine said seductively.
Cathy wore an expression of bafflement as she listened to her baby girl talk dirty.
“I can come and get you right now. Where you at?” Terrance asked, excited. He was waking up now.
“How you gonna come and get me when you don’t even know who I am?” Sunshine asked.
“See, now you playing games and shit. I ain’t got time for this. It’s too early for me. Call me back when you’re serious,” Terrance said.
“I am serious, Terrance. I went through too much trouble trying to get your number not to be serious,” Sunshine said.
“What kind of trouble did you have to go through, baby doll? Tell me so that I can make it up to you.”
“Well, first I had to wait until my homegirl fell asleep, which eventually was off the late night, early morning. When she finally dozed off, I had to search high and low for her cell phone, which I finally found inside her pants pocket. Then I had to go searching through about a hundred different names until I came across the right one. And now here we are,” Sunshine said.
“Oh, you did all that for me?” Terrance asked.
“You better know it,” Sunshine said. “I saw you checking me out at the club last night. I would have asked you for your number personally, but you were too busy kicking it with Rain,” Sunshine said, subtly trying to reveal her identity.
“Who the hell is this?” Terrance said, getting a little paranoid.
“This is Sunshine, Terrance, but if you don’t want to be bothered right now, I can call you back some other time.”
Terrance was blown away. How could this be? He had busted off some serious rounds into Cee’s house last night, and there shouldn’t have been a living soul left in her house, including the sexy Sunshine. So, unless he was talking to a ghost, it had to be a crank call.
Whoever the caller was, she surely was making his dick rise with her sexy sound and bold conversation. He loved a female that could talk a good game and live up to it, and she sounded like she could live up to any position he put her in.
“Okay, since you like to play games, if this is Sunshine, what CD was I playing last night when I came to pick you and Rain up?” Terrance asked, using a trick he learned way back in the day.
“Oh, that’s too easy. You couldn’t come up with something better than that?” Sunshine mocked. “But I’ll answer your simple question, and I’ll even take it take it a step further. You were playing I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto by Tupac. You was blazing some crucial green that is still lingering on my clothes today. The back of your car looks like a junkyard, and you drive like an ex-con gone AWOL on a speed chase, dodging the police. Do you believe me now, or do you want more?” Sunshine asked.
“Nah, you got it, baby girl.” Terrance was surprised yet relieved at the same time. He didn’t want to hurt Sunshine. He almost had second thoughts about the whole thing the night before, but pride was a muthafucker.
“So where’s your sidekick Rain at?” Terrance asked.
Maybe she had been spared
as well, he thought. After all, the bullets were only intended for that fake-ass gangstress, Cee.
Cathy, Rain, and Brian were all practically breathing into the phone, anxious to hear what would be said next.
“I didn’t call you to discuss Rain. I called to see if we could get together today. I told you I saw you checking me out on the down low last night, and I would just like to spend some time with you, ’cause I’m feeling you too.”
Terrance understood only too well. She probably wanted to get a taste of his good wood. After seeing the size of it, how could she resist? Only one other problem, though.
“What about the homeboy you was bunned up with last night? He’s not going to come trying to hunt you down, is he?” Terrance asked.
“How are we going to enjoy ourselves if we keep worrying about Rain and homeboy?” Sunshine asked. “What they don’t know wont hurt them,” she added.
That let Terrance know right then and there that Rain was still alive. He was glad to know that. Terrance would find out later if he had managed to reach his target, but for now, he had some Sunshine to tend to.
“You sound good. What are you trying to do today? Lunch, a movie, or would you like to go get wet at that waterpark out in VA?” Terrance asked, getting excited. His dream was about to come true.
“Well, I don’t think we should be out in the open all like that. Somebody might see us together and run back to tell Rain. Neither one of us wants that to happen,” Sunshine said. “So I was thinking we could rent a DVD, order some carry-out, and chill out at your crib,” Sunshine said.
“Damn, now that’s what I’m talking about, a girl who knows her way to a man’s heart,” Terrance said. “Sunshine, I’m glad that you went through all this to get at me. Now I’m going to show you how I get down. I’m going to treat you like a woman is supposed to be treated. I couldn’t do that shit with Rain, ’cause she’s on a different level, but you, I can do some real shit with you,” Terrance confessed.
Sunshine felt the pain that shot through Rain’s eyes in her own heart. It was time to end this conversation before Terrance said something else stupid that would break Rain’s heart.
“I’m going to get ready, and I’ll call you when I’m finished so I can get your address,” Sunshine said.
“Bet!” Terrance said. The thought crossed his mind that it could be a setup, but then he was one hundred percent certain that Cee wouldn’t be foolish enough to involve an innocent girl in the mix, knowing what could happen to her. She wasn’t that ruthless. Nah, Sunshine was doing this from her own free will, ’cause she wanted to taste his flavor. And he had some tasty flavors for her ass.
Cathy was the first to speak at the end of the call. “First of all, Rain, you can dry them tears right on up, because a nigga is going to be a nigga every day. Terrance is not God’s gift to this world, so stop crying like he is. You can do way better than that, sweetie. You’ve got a lot more to think about than some ego-trippin’ Terrance, with his brain stuck to the head of his dick instead of the top of his head. ’Cause he’s about to get what’s coming to him, and you about to get what’s coming to you, which is a life consisting of education, dreams, and ambitions, and none of that shit starts with a nigga, okay? So get a grip.”
Rain wiped her tears away with Sunshine’s comforter and let get-back take the place of sorrow. Cathy’s pep talk had given her a second boost of energy.
“I just had to shed a couple of those wet ones to show y’all that I can be sensitive, but now the official Rain is back, and I’m ready to get this thing started. I was born for drama!” Rain yelled.
“And you better know it,” Brianna said, slapping hands with Rain.
Everybody was busy putting their plan into action, because everybody had something to gain from it. Some parts of the plan were secretive and unknown to others, while some parts were out in the open and dealt with as another one of life’s plans. Charge it to the game.
FOURTEEN
Terrance was busy cleaning his small apartment, emptying all the ashtrays filled with blunt roaches, dumping the overflowing trash can. He even took his empty Remy bottles and built a designer empire underneath his entertainment center. He went into his bedroom and finally changed the filthy blankets that held evidence of all the past week’s chicken-head cum stains all over it. He pulled out a fresh satin comforter set for Ms. Sunshine. He also took the time to clean the gruesome ring around his toilet that he thought was there for life and would never go away. With a touch of Ajax and some tough love, the toilet looked almost good enough to shit in.
As Terrance cleaned, he found all sorts of things inside his apartment he didn’t even know were there. He found a piece of Tamara’s hair weave behind his mattress, and an old condom underneath the couch. He even found a hundred- dollar bill inside his closet. This ordeal was turning out to be more beneficial than he could have imagined.
While Terrance was busy spring-cleaning for Sunshine, Sunshine was busy preparing herself for the swindle, with the help of Rain and Brian.
“If that lowlife nigga lays one single finger on you, you call me ASAP, and I’ll be in that muthafucka before you can even blink,” Brian said.
Rain looked at Brian and rolled her eyes. “Do you even brainstorm before you speak, Brianna? Or do you just like talking shit? ’Cause you let anything come out your mouth,” Rain said.
“Girl, I talk first and think later. You better know it,” Brian answered while giving his acrylic nails three snaps. Brian watched as Sunshine tried to squeeze herself into the mini dress that Rain had picked out for her.
“Damn, Sunshine! You gonna make Terrance give you back all our shit in giftwrap with that hootchie outfit on,” Brian said. “You make a species like me, myself, want to convert back and try some of that,” he said. Both Sunshine and Rain laughed hysterically at Brian’s gay sense of humor.
Cathy was downstairs in her bedroom, fully dressed and fully loaded. She was sure to put the silencer on her nine millimeter, so that after the girls had finished playing their little number on Tee, she would finish him off for good. Tee was dead wrong for shooting up that elderly couple. Cathy knew good and well who he really wanted to hit. When she put it all together, it became very clear to her that Terrance wanted her dead, and all over some petty shit. Too bad he had to take it there, and too bad he didn’t do it right when he had the chance.
Cathy couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened to her had Rain or Sunshine given him her real address. She might be the one posted up on the TV screen, dead or in critical condition. Now that she knew what Tee had intended for her, she would reverse that shit right back on his dumb ass. Cathy unleashed the safety clip and pulled back the barrel so that the weapon was ready to perform on its victim when the time was right. She gently placed the leather weapon into her Gucci purse until the right time came.
* * *
Sunshine pulled up into Terrance’s apartment complex, riding in Cathy’s burgundy Camry. Cathy only used the Camry for small rip and runs every now and then, so Terrance was surely not going to recognize it if he happened to notice it. Cathy, Rain, and Brian parked three buildings down, so that Terrance wouldn’t detect them even if he were to look out his front window.
Sunshine parked the car and called Terrance from her cell phone to let him know that she was downstairs.
“Come on up, sexy, I’m in apartment 203,” Terrance said.
Sunshine could hear his excitement through the phone.
When he hung up, Terrance ran to dim the lights and turn on a soft and mellow Earth, Wind & Fire CD. Moments later, when he heard Sunshine’s sweet taps at the door, it took all of his body control not to run and swing the door open. Terrance let out a small laugh. He couldn’t believe his own self, losing his cool over some female.
When Terrance opened the door, he was reminded of why he was at a loss for control. Sunshine was all of it, standing in his doorway looking like a sexy caramel Playboy bunny.
“I must be
fucking dreaming, ’cause you look unreal!” Terrance held the door open for Sunshine to come inside. “This has got to be a setup, ’cause shit like this don’t happen to me,” Terrance said, not caring if he sounded foolish.
“Boy, that must be that weed talking, because you are trippin’,” Sunshine teased.
Terrance didn’t want to admit to her that he had hit two blunts before she came. But, blunt or no blunt, shorty looked good, and that was for real!
Terrance reached for the Blockbuster bag with the rentals that Sunshine carried. “So what are we watching?” he asked while digging into the bag.
Sunshine walked over to the couch and made herself comfortable, trying not to act as nervous as she was.
“I rented two movies: Love & Basketball and Love Jones. You can pick the first one we watch,” Sunshine suggested.
“Damn! Sounds like somebody’s in love up in here already,” Terrance joked.
“Or somebody’s gonna be,” Sunshine said half-jokingly. “I’m starving. Can we order some Chinese food now, or do you want to hear my stomach sound louder than the movie?” Sunshine kidded.
Terrance took advantage of the situation and put his ear down to Sunshine’s stomach. “I don’t hear nothing,” he said playfully.
“Oh, you will if you don’t feed me soon,” Sunshine said.
Terrance then placed a soft kiss on Sunshine’s belly before he stood up to get the cordless phone. “What do you want to order?” he asked.
“I want a large chicken and broccoli,” Sunshine answered.
While Terrance was ordering the food, Sunshine asked if she could use his bathroom. Terrance pointed her in the direction. Sunshine picked up her purse and went into the bathroom. She locked herself in once she was inside.
She took her cell phone out of her purse and sent a quick text message to Cathy to let them know that the Chinese food was on the way. They would be on point now.
She placed the cell phone back into her purse, then flushed the toilet as if she had really used it. She shook her head in pity.
All this for some damn clothes, she thought.
