Childhood Sweethearts

by Jacob Spears

  “Señorita China, it bothers me to see you in such a way. Please tell me what bothers you. I wish to help.”

  “It’s Smooth,” she said.

  “What about Smooth?” Jefe came to the edge of his seat.

  “I love him so much, but we want different things and it’s pulling us in different directions,” China told him, as her eyes began to fill with tears.

  Jefe was uncomfortable with China’s emotional display, but he tried not to show it. He rose to his feet.

  “What is it he wants?” Jefe asked.

  China composed herself before speaking.

  “He would like to take what money we’ve already made and go legit.”

  “What is wrong with that?” Jefe asked.

  “It’s not what I want.”

  “And what is it you want?”

  “I’m not sure yet, but it doesn’t make sense to me to give up the money we’re already making just to try and make it back in a different way.”

  Jefe knew all too well what the young woman was experiencing. It was the same thing he went through with his wife. As a young teenager, Jefe fled his country in search of a better life in the United States. Because of his immigrant status, he was only able to find under-the-table work, which paid him very little. Jefe later found himself in New York because of an old childhood friend. His friend, Ricky, had promised him a good paying job. What made the job great to Jefe was that he wasn’t required to do a lot of work. His job was simple. He was required to drop off packages and pick up large amounts of money. Jefe quickly realized that he was selling drugs and someone else was making the profit. Jefe saved enough money to purchase his first kilo of cocaine from Ricky. In no time, Jefe had more clients than he could supply. It was obvious his friend was unable to keep him supplied, so Ricky introduced Jefe to his supplier.

  Jefe married his childhood girl who he sent for after he’d made a small fortune. Maria became pregnant almost immediately. After their first child was born, Maria started her campaign to get Jefe to stop selling drugs, but the allure was too strong.

  “What you are experiencing is nothing new. Many people in our trade fight these feelings every day. That is because they are not honest with themselves.”

  China paid close attention as Jefe spoke.

  “If you be honest with yourself, Señorita China, you will admit that the money is good, but it is not what makes you a part of this trade.”

  China smiled.

  “You and I are a lot alike, young lady,” Jefe said, as he returned her smile.

  “My advice to you is to get out now. With every dollar you make, it gets harder to walk away. I’ve made so much money that I’m trapped forever.”

  “You don’t seem to mind though,” China said.

  “I’ve been doing this practically my whole life. I don’t know anything else. You have enough money to do whatever you wish and you are certainly young enough.”

  Jefe’s worker came in to inform him that he’d completed his task.

  “Are you alert enough to make the trip back?”

  “Yes,” China said, as she rose to her feet, knowing that was Jefe’s way of bringing their meeting to a close.

  China walked out after shaking Jefe’s hand.

  Chapter 11

  In the weeks following China’s visit to Jefe, she and Smooth had been working hard to get their relationship back on track. The topic of her selling drugs was a touchy one, so they stayed away from it.

  “You coming in?” Smooth asked China before turning off the ignition.

  “Yeah, why not?” she replied, as she opened the door.

  Smooth grabbed the bag from the trunk, before taking China’s hand and heading into the back.

  Once in the safety deposit box room, Smooth released China’s hand in order to fish the key from his pocket. Once opened, Smooth began removing the jewelry from the box and placing it on the counter next to him. After emptying the box, he knelt down, lowered the box to the ground, and began filling it with the contents from the small duffle bag.

  “How much is that?” China asked.

  “One point five,” Smooth looked up at her smiling.

  “Look at us, baby. We’re putting up millions at 16!”

  “You sure you don’t want to do what I’m doing?” he asked.

  “Maybe some other time.”

  “There’s no point in having that kind of money just lying around the house,” Smooth tried again.

  “I hear you, baby,” was all she said.

  Smooth locked the safety deposit box that now held the majority of his money, picked up the bag containing the jewels, and walked out of the bank with China next to him.

  Back in the car, the two young lovers listened to Rick Ross, as his music flowed through the speakers.

  “What do you feel like doing?” Smooth asked.

  “I would like to do some shopping,” China smiled.

  “Why did I even ask?” Smooth shook his head.

  “Baby, I need to get a pair of shoes to match my new outfit I just got for you.”

  “You got a new outfit for ...” Smooth stopped in mid-sentence as his phone rang.

  He answered the phone smiling after seeing that it was Miranda calling.

  “I see that you’ve forgotten about me,” Miranda teased.

  “Nah, I haven’t. I’ve just been real busy,” Smooth was still smiling. China noticed it and made a mental note to find out whom it was he was talking to.

  “When will you have time for an old friend?”

  “China and I are about to do a little shopping. I’ll be free once we’re though.”

  “Give me a call then. I’ll be waiting.” With that, Miranda hung up.

  Smooth placed his phone in the cup holder avoiding China’s stare.

  Not wanting to start an argument, China placed the phone to the back of her mind. Something was bothering her about the phone call.

  Smooth noticed the subtle change in China and decided to question her about it.

  “What’s wrong, baby?”

  China only shook her head.

  Smooth removed his phone from the cup holder and held it out to China.

  China pushed it away. Seeing that she wouldn’t take it out of his hand, Smooth tossed it onto her lap.

  “Baby, stop it, please. I don’t care who you were talking to,” China lied. She placed the phone back in the cup holder.

  Smooth decided to let it go.

  He entered the parking lot of the mall looking for a parking spot near the door leading to the food court. Even though he hadn’t said anything to her, Smooth decided he’d grab something to eat while China shopped.

  * * *

  Monica sat in the living room watching reruns of Martin on the large plasma television. She never tried of the show, and no matter how many times she watched an episode it always made her laugh.

  Monica watched as the comedian jumped up and down thinking he’d just won the lotto.

  Monica though about what she’d do if she ever won the lottery. Looking around the room, she admitted that her house would look a lot like the one she lived in now with her best friend and Smooth. For the first time, it made her wonder from where they had gotten the money to live as they were.

  She got up and began looking around.

  Monica stopped just as she was nearing Smooth and China’s bedroom. Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought about what she’d say if she were caught in the room. Before going further, she went to her phone and placed a call.

  “What’s up, girl?” China answered after seeing Miranda’s face appears on her screen.

  “Nothing. I’m bored,” she lied. “Where are you? What time are you coming home?”

  “We’re at the mall right now. We’ll be there as soon as we leave here. You want me to get you something?” China asked.

  “Yeah, surprise me!” Monica replied, buying more time to search.

  Monica pushed open the bedroom door with confidence,
knowing that she had time to look around. She closed the door behind her, making sure to keep the dog out.

  Monica opened drawer after drawer, unsure of what she was looking for, but feeling certain she’d know what it was once she found it. Not seeing anything of interest, she moved over to the bed. Monica had trouble lifting the mattress, but was able to just enough to get a look under it. There was nothing there. Before moving to the closet, she looked under the bed. Again, there was nothing. Monica got to her feet and then walked over to the large walk-in closet. Inside, she hit the light switch and looked around. She knew her friend shopped a lot and had nice taste, but what she saw in front of her was enough to open a small high-end boutique. There were several dozen-shoeboxes stacked neatly in the far corner and a dozen more on the top shelf. Monica was amazed at the number of designer clothes that hung from the hangers many of which still held their price tags. She moved along the clothing, randomly checking some of the pockets, looking around the closet. Monica was sure that her girl was up to something.

  She checked the shoeboxes in the corner, and then pulled over the small stepladder to check the boxes on the shelf. The first box she picked up was far heavier than any of the boxes she’d picked up in the corner. Monica steadied herself on the ladder, and she then pulled the box from the shelf. Holding it close to her, she pulled off the top. The shock of what she was seeing caused her to drop the box, spilling its contents. She jumped off the ladder; and with trembling hands, she hurried to put the money back inside the box. When the last of it was placed back inside neatly, she stepped back up on the ladder to put the money back. Before stepping back down, Monica checked two more boxes and saw the same thing.

  Just as Monica was about to turn off the light, she heard a noise at the bedroom door. She remained quiet weighing her options, and then ran over to the bed and slid under it. The noise at the door continued. This time she heard the distinctive whining of China’s dog. He was scratching at the door trying to get in.

  Monica hurried over to the door, opening it slowly, so that the dog wouldn’t run in. In the hallway now, she shooed the dog away from her. With her heart pounding in her chest, she heard the unmistakable sound of jingling keys. She ran to her room, just as China came through the door with Smooth behind her carrying a handful of bags.

  * * *

  When Smooth was in the shower, China used the opportunity to go through his phone. She scrolled the call log until she found what she was looking for. She stored the number in her phone, and then placed Smooth’s phone back on the nightstand just as it was.

  Watching Smooth in the shower from where she sat on the bed, China placed two phone calls, the first was to the number she’d gotten off of Smooth’s phone. Before placing the call, she restricted her number.

  A female’s voice came on the voicemail.

  China then placed another call to her private investigator. After giving him Miranda’s phone number name, which she’d gotten from the voicemail, she told him exactly what she wanted, which was everything he could find out about Miranda.

  With that finished, China went into the kitchen to fix herself something to eat.

  Ten minutes later, Smooth emerged from the bedroom with the dog leash in his hand. Seeing the leash, Zorro first ran over to Smooth, bouncing up and down, and then over to the front door where he waited.

  “You coming?” he asked China, holding up the leash.

  “No” was her quick response.

  That’s what Smooth was hoping to hear. He headed out the door before she could change her mind.

  Smooth opened the door and headed down the hall, where he caught the elevator just as his neighbor, an old white man, was stepping off. The old man stayed clear of the young black man with the pit bull. Smooth wondered if it was the dog or him that the man was trying to get away from.

  He decided it didn’t matter, as he stepped on the elevator and pressed the button to Miranda’s floor.

  Smooth stepped off the elevator and was glad he put the leash on Zorro’s collar. The dog had spotted a cat just as they entered the hallway and tried to give chase. He whined at the strain of the collar around his neck.

  Smooth knocked on Miranda’s door and knelt down to pat Zorro as he waited.

  Hearing her unlock the door, he rose to his feet.

  “Hey,” she said, greeting him with a smile when she opened the door.

  “What’s up?” Smooth replied, as he walked in.

  “Who’s this?” Miranda asked, kneeling down and pulling Zorro towards her and giving the dog a hug.

  After a few minutes of watching her play with the dog, Smooth walked Zorro to the balcony where he left the dog and closed the door.

  “Can I get a hug or do I have to be a dog?” Smooth asked with arms open.

  “If I was giving all dogs a hug, you’d definitely get one. But I’m only hugging pit bulls today,” she shot back.

  Smooth smiled and shook his head.

  “So what do you have planned for us?” he asked.

  “You said you wanted to learn real estate, so I figured we’d get started.”

  “That’s why you wanted me to come up here?”

  “Yes. Why do you think I invited you up here?” Miranda inquired, standing there with her hands on her hips and smiling.

  Smooth looked at the zipper on her jeans and returned her smile.

  “You can get that off your mind. It’s not going to happen. She walked over to the bar stools and took a seat, inviting Smooth to sit across from her.

  He did.

  “Smooth, before we start, let me just say this to you. I l know you can do this. You’re mature for your age and you’re smart. I know that by some of the choices you’ve made. You’re just the kind of person that would make a good realtor. I don’t want to waste my time or your time. If you want this, I’ll give it to you.”

  Smooth raised an eyebrow.

  “Stop, boy. I’m for real.”

  “Yeah, I want it, Miranda.”

  “Good. Now let’s get to it.”

  * * *

  China knocked on Monica’s door and waited for her to open it.

  “Can we talk?” she asked Monica.

  “Yeah, yeah, what’s up?” Monica stepped aside so that her friend could enter. She knew what China wanted to tell her.

  “It’s Smooth,” China said, as she climbed onto the bed.

  “What about him?”

  “I don’t know. I think he wants to break up with me.”

  “Really?” Monica said matter-of-factly.

  “What? You don’t believe me?”

  “Uhhh, no.”

  “For real, Mo Mo. I even think he’s cheating on me.”

  “Smooth? We’re talking about Smooth, right?” Monica asked.

  “Duh! I’m serious.”

  “Why would you think that? That nigga is crazy about you. Trust me, I know.”

  China wanted to ask Monica what the last words she said were supposed to mean, but she allowed it to go without comment. Monica caught the look China gave her though.

  “Don’t look at me like that, girl. Don’t nobody want Smooth funky behind. I’m just saying I know he’s crazy about you because I’ve been around you two since day one and I know how he feels about you.”

  “Okay, now. Don’t play, girl. Because I’ll cut your ass up about my baby,” China laughed.

  “But for real, why do you think he’s cheating on you?”

  “He’s been acting a little strange lately. Like today, when we got back in, he took a shower and said he was going to walk Zorro.

  “Noooo ... a shower before he walked the dog. Girl, I think that nigga got a wife and twins on the side,” Monica exclaimed and fell to the bed laughing.

  China pushed Monica off her. “You make me sick.” She got up and left the room with a smile on her face.

  She went to the kitchen to fix herself a sandwich and then she walked over to the couch. She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost th
ree hours since Smooth had left.

  Smooth opened the door and watched as Zorro ran over to the couch and jumped on China. She played with the dog, rubbing his tummy for a few minutes before ordering him off the couch.

  “Did you cook?” Smooth asked.

  “Does it look like I did?”

  Smooth ignored China’s response.

  “Why’d you take so long walking the dog?” she asked.

  “Because I didn’t want to be here hearing your slick-ass mouth.”

  He walked to the room.

  “My slick-ass mouth, nigga. You the one that thinks you’re slick. Don’t make me fuck you up, Smooth.”

  “Whatever, China. I’m not in the mood for this. I’m going to sleep.”

  “Maybe I’ll take Zorro for a three hour walk tomorrow.”

  “Do whatever you want,” Smooth said. “That’s your dog!”

  China wanted to throw something at Smooth as he walked towards their bedroom, but she restrained herself.

  China went back to the couch and stared blankly at the television. Smooth was cheating on her and she knew it, everything within her told her so. If Smooth had gone out to walk the dog like he claimed, why was Zorro still so full of energy? If he’d only gone to walk the dog, why wasn’t the dog the least bit thirsty? More importantly, if he’d only gone out to walk the dog, why did the dog come back smelling like another woman’s perfume? China promised to leave the topic alone until she knew for certain what Smooth was up to.

  * * *

  China received a call two weeks after hiring the investigator to find out whom the number belonged to that she had given him.

  “I’ll be back,” she said to Smooth and Monica.

  “Where are you going?” Monica asked.

  “I got to meet Mr. Jameson,” China said, as she picked up her handbag from the table and walked out without saying anything to Smooth.

  She was sure that he still loved her. Occasionally he’d send her a text message or do something special for her. Every now and then though he’d act as if she wasn’t even present. She knew that she wasn’t making things easier on either one of them. She kept an attitude. Even when she received his texts, she never replied. She knew that he was cheating on her and she was pissed at him for it.