Creepin' 3: A New Orleans Love Story

by Chenell Parker

  “Hey Von, I’m um, I’m out here with my friend,” Rainey stuttered.

  “What friend? I don’t see nobody out here, but some dope dealers and hoes. Now, which one are you?” Lamar questioned with a skeptical look on his face.

  “What’s going on with you Rainey?” Von questioned.

  “Nothing, I just told you that I’m out here with a friend,” Rainey replied nervously.

  “But why though? You look suspect as hell standing out here this late at night,” Von replied.

  Rainey saw Chase walking over to them and she just prayed that he kept his mouth shut. Her prayers obviously weren’t answered because Chase started popping off the moment he walked up to them.

  “I hope y’all are planning to spend some money since y’all are running my customers off and shit. You don’t have to answer no questions for these niggas unless they’re paying you. Your time is money,” Chase said while looking at Rainey.

  To say she was embarrassed was putting it mildly. If Von and Lamar didn’t know what she was doing before, they definitely knew now. Chase was standing there with his arms folded like he was her protector, but he really didn’t know who he was up against. Lamar would put a bullet in his head and wouldn’t think twice about it.

  “It’s cool Chase, this is my Godfather and his friend,” Rainey replied while pointing to Von and Lamar.

  “I don’t give a fuck who they are. If these niggas ain’t paying they need to keep it moving,” Chase barked.

  Before Rainey knew it, Lamar pulled out his gun and had it up to Chase’s head. Chase looked like he’d seen a ghost, but he tried to be cool about the situation.

  “Now what was that you were just saying lil nigga? You want me and my boy to do what?” Lamar asked.

  “Lamar no!” Rainey screamed. “He didn’t mean any harm. He’s not from here.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about that nigga Rainey. Are things that bad for you that you out here selling pussy just to get by? You know you can call me for anything, so why didn’t you tell me that you needed help?” Von asked.

  “I’m not selling anything and I don’t need any help. I told you that I’m out here with my friend,” Rainey continued to lie.

  It broke Von’s heart to see what Rainey was up to, but she was grown. Obviously she didn’t want any help and he wasn’t going to force it on her. She couldn’t even look him in the eye which was a clear sign that she was lying. Von had always thought that Rainey struggled with her self-esteem, but this was a new low even for her. Mia and Tre told him about the video that Ro had made of her a while ago, but even that wasn’t as bad as what she was doing now.

  “Come over here and talk to me Rainey. You know that I’ll help you with whatever you need. Money is not an issue and you should know that by now,” Von offered.

  “I’m okay Von, I really am. I have to go, but I’ll call you and talk to you sometime tomorrow,” Rainey promised.

  Von only nodded his head sadly because he knew that was one phone call that would never come. He’d been in the streets long enough to know that Rainey wouldn’t stop until something happened to make her stop. He just prayed that whatever it was didn’t kill her in the process.

  “Let his punk ass go and let’s get out of here,” Von told Lamar.

  “You better recognize a real nigga when you see one. Go take a walk, ole fake ass pimp,” Lamar said as he pushed Chase away from him.

  He and Von stood there and watched as Chase and Rainey walked briskly to the run down motel across the street. When they disappeared around the side of the building, Von and Lamar hopped back in the car and sped off.

  “I can’t believe that shit,” Von fumed as he drove away.

  “Your Goddaughter is a hoe, believe it,” Lamar replied while scratching off the lottery tickets that he’d just purchased.

  “I need to go talk to Nicole. I’m sure she don’t know what’s going on with her. That shit gon’ break her heart,” Von said right as his phone started ringing.

  “She can’t do nothing about it either. Rainey is grown,” Lamar stated.

  He didn’t know who Von was talking to, but he was on the phone getting excited. He promised whoever it was that they were on their way to God’s knows where. Lamar was about to protest, but Von’s next words halted him from speaking.

  “Mia is in labor. They’re already at the hospital,” Von said excitedly as he pressed on the gas.

  Chapter 25

  On Christmas day at two seventeen in the morning, Mia gave birth to seven pound, five ounce Treasure Amore Harris. She and the baby were released from the hospital two days later and Von’s house was full of people when they got there. Mia’s parent and siblings were there along with Von’s brothers and some more of his family. Von held the baby most of the time and they almost had to pry her out of his hands to let anybody else get a chance. Mia’s sisters were so happy to have a little niece and they just kept staring at her. Her brothers were too busy playing Tre’s video games to really care one way or the other. Lamar held her for a few minutes before he got nervous and gave her right back. Treasure started squirming and he was scared that he was going to drop her. Knowing him he probably hadn’t held a baby since Mia was born, so she gave him a pass.

  “You would have a baby on Christmas day when her daddy’s birthday is on New Year’s,” Brandis said laughing at Mia.

  “I know right? That’s just more money for us to spend. We’ll be buying Christmas and birthday gifts on the same day,” Mia replied.

  Mia thought for sure that her doctor was going to be inducing her labor, but she was happy that he didn’t have to. When she got to the hospital on Christmas Eve she was already four centimeters. The contractions started coming fast, but she didn’t have to endure the pain long before she was given some medicine. Von was so excited when Treasure was born that Mia could have sworn that she saw tears in his eyes when he first saw her. Tre and Moonie were in the room when the baby was born, but Von came in soon after. He couldn’t stop looking at her then and nothing had changed since they got home.

  “Y’all better use that hand sanitizer before holding my baby or leave her alone,” Von warned his guests.

  “I’ m not even trying to go there with you Von. I keep telling you that she’s my grandbaby too,” Moonie fussed.

  “I don’t give a damn. If you don’t sanitize your hands you can’t hold her either,” Von repeated.

  Tre and Mia laughed as Von and Moonie went back and forth for a while. When Moonie got tired of arguing with him she pulled out her iPad and sat down next to Mia.

  “I want to show you something for the wedding,” Moonie said as she pulled up some pictures and showed them to Mia.

  “Really Moonie?” Mia questioned. “I just had a baby two days ago and you’re talking about the wedding already.”

  “Yes really,” Tre butted in. “It’s only five months away. Let Moonie do her thing.”

  “Thank you Tank,” Moonie said turning her attention back to Mia. “Now I know that you wanted your colors to be turquoise and off-white, but I think we need to add a third color to that. What do you think?”

  “Okay, what about yellow?” Mia asked.

  “No, I was thinking about a light coral or peach color. Look at the pictures that I found online,” Moonie replied.

  “Well why did you ask me if you already knew what you wanted to do?” Mia questioned.

  “It’s your wedding so I still have to get your opinion. Come see Tank,” Moonie yelled calling Tre over.

  “It’s straight,” Tre responded in a nonchalant tone.

  “Straight?” Moonie yelled giving him the side eye. “Nigga this is hot. These are the perfect colors for a spring wedding. You already know I have to make it pop, especially when my name is on it.”

  “Do your thing then. Just let me know how much and I got you,” Tre replied.

  Mia wanted an evening wedding outdoors at the same place that she and Brandis had their graduation party. The recep
tion was going to be right after, but the guests could stay outside or sit at the tables indoors. The lighting outside was perfect for their after dark celebration, but Tre was hoping that the weather held up.

  “Don’t go overboard Moonie. Just make it nice and simple,” Mia requested even though she knew better.

  “Okay, I got you,” Moonie smiled.

  Mia sat around as people filed in and out of the house throughout the day to see the baby. She was so happy when Von shut everything down and sent everybody home later that evening. She hadn’t been able to get any rest since she got home and she was worn out. Tanya was staying the night, so she helped Tre clean up while Mia prepared to take a shower.

  “Give her to me until you finish taking your shower Mimi,” Von requested.

  “She’s sleeping, so she should be okay until I get done.”

  “Give me her bottles and a few pampers,” he requested while picking up Treasure’s car seat with her in it.

  He’d completely ignored what Mia had just said, but she didn’t mind. She gave him what he’d asked for and watched as he took the baby back to his bedroom. Tre came in right before Mia went to take her shower. When she was done she yelled and told Von that he could bring the baby back, but he never did. She and Tre watched a movie until both of them fell asleep. Von never did bring Treasure back and they didn’t see her again until the following morning.

  ***

  About a week later Von pulled up to Nicole’s house and prepared to go talk to her about Rainey. He’d tried calling his Goddaughter several times, but she always sent him straight to voicemail. He hated to bring bad news to Nicole, but they had to find a way to get Rainey some much needed help.

  “Hey Grandpa,” Nicole said when she opened the door and gave her long time friend a hug.

  “That’s me,” Von smiled proudly.

  She stepped aside and let Von in while silently admiring his tall, muscular frame. Von still looked as good as he did when they were younger. He was actually who Nicole had the crush on, but he wasn’t feeling her like that. When his best friend Reynard asked her to be his girl, she accepted and made a life with him up until the day he died. She never had any hard feelings towards Von for not choosing her, and they remained friends throughout the years. Nicole was very grateful to Von because he stepped up and became the father that Rainey never really had. Even when Nicole got married, he was still very active in Rainey’s life.

  “When’s the last time you talked to Rainey?” Von asked her getting right down to the reason for his visit.

  “It’s been a few days. That’s why I called you to see if she had been over by you. You know the police called me about her car. It was set on fire, and she didn’t even call to tell me. That’s probably why her ass ain’t been home yet. I had to get the car towed from a motel in New Orleans East because they were threatening to fine me if I didn’t. The insurance company totaled it out since it was burned to a crisp. The only thing visible was the license plate. That’s how they were able to get in contact with me. I know she had some nigga driving her car a few weeks ago, and I can almost guarantee that he had something to do with it being burned,” Nicole rambled.

  “That’s probably the same nigga that me and Lamar saw her with the day before Christmas. Lamar had to check his punk ass for trying to jump stupid,” Von responded.

  “Well, who the hell is he?” Nicole asked.

  “From the looks of it he’s her supposed to be pimp,” Von answered.

  “Her pimp!” Nicole yelled.

  “I know it’s probably hard to believe, but I saw the shit with my own eyes. Rainey is out there prostituting. I told her if she needed money all she had to do was pick up the phone and call me. She claimed she was out there with a friend, but I knew that was some bullshit. She couldn’t even look me in my eyes when I tried to talk to her.”

  “Are you sure Von?” Nicole asked skeptically.

  “I’m positive. The nigga told us that we were running away customers and her time was worth money,” Von answered.

  “Rainey ain’t hurting for no money like that Von. My husband and I bust our asses to make sure that she’s well taken care of. She dropped out of school for whatever reason, and I let it go because she got her GED. I tried to encourage her to go to college, but she wanted to get a job working as a janitor instead. Now you’re telling me that she’s out here selling pussy,” Nicole said as she wiped a few tears from her eyes.

  “I know it hurts Nicole, but she’ll be back. Rainey is not used to living that kind of life. Something is going to run her ass right back home, and she’ll appreciate the life that you and your husband tried to provide for her. Lamar and I are going to go back out there to see if we see her again,” Von said as he stood up to leave.

  “Thanks, Von, I really appreciate you. Tell her to come home or at least call me to let me know that she’s okay. Tell her that she’s not in any trouble. I just want her to come back to me in one piece. I don’t want my baby to die out there in those streets Von,” Nicole said as she continued to cry.

  “I’ll talk to her for you Nicole. You be easy and call me if you need me for anything,” Von said right before he got into his car and sped away.

  Chapter 26

  “This is some bullshit!” Rainey yelled angrily as she and London sat in their cheap motel room. “

  They had just finished unpacking their things in their temporary new home, and she was not too pleased. Rainey was starting to get fed up with the way that she was living, and she was starting to regret the day that she ever met Chase. Ever since she started working with Chase they’d been at the motel in New Orleans East. Apparently the police got a tip about suspicious activity going on through there, and they’d been doing a bust every other day. They all assumed that it was Paige who tipped them off, but they didn’t have any proof. Carter wasn’t trying to take a chance on going to jail, so he made them pack up and move to another location. Rainey wouldn’t have had a problem with moving, but it was the location that he chose that bothered her.

  “Rainey you need to chill out. You’re starting to piss Carter off with all of that complaining,” London warned.

  “Fuck Carter!” Rainey spat angrily.

  “Stop talking so loud before he hears you,” London whispered.

  “These niggas got us at a motel on the Westbank Expressway. We’re from this area London. It’s only a matter of time before we run into somebody we know. The mall is up the street and The Court is not too far either. And this shit is even worse than the last one. It stinks and the toilet don’t even work,” Rainey complained.

  It had been over a month since she’d last seen Von and even longer since she’d seen her mother. She was scared to answer the phone when they called because she was embarrassed. She was sure that Von had told Nicole what she was up to and that was confirmed through her many voicemails. She was begging Rainey to come home and she swore that she wasn’t mad at her. Nicole said that Von had been looking for her too, but she couldn’t bring herself to call him either. She saw that Mia had her baby over a month ago on Christmas day and she was beautiful. She and Brandis posted pictures of her all day and Rainey looked at them all. Tre and Mia’s daughter was a cross between the two of them with a head full of beautiful silky hair. Von beamed with love and pride in every picture that she saw him in with his grandbaby. She also saw that Tre and Mia’s wedding was coming up soon because she had a countdown of the days, hours and minutes on her Facebook page.

  “I know it’s not the best conditions, but we just have to wait it out. Carter said that he’ll find something better for us soon,” London said interrupting Rainey’s thoughts.

  “That’s bullshit and you know it. Them nigga don’t care because they don’t have to sleep in here. They want us to fuck on the bed all day and sleep in it at night while they go sleep in a five star suite somewhere. And there’s no telling what kind of clients they’re going to find now that we’re in a different area. Backpage is a thing of th
e past now. We have to rely on them to get niggas from the club or the French Quarters,” Rainey continued to argue her point.

  Even though she knew all of that, she still did whatever Chase and Carter told her to do. She needed the money now more than ever. Still, she couldn’t see herself being a low-end prostitute for the rest of her young life. She came from a very good home and she really didn’t have that to do. Each day the desire to call her mother or Von to help her out became stronger and stronger. She knew the day was coming that she would make that call and it was coming soon. Rainey was about to finish talking, but Chase and Carter walked in with another one of their brothers, Cane. Carter looked at her and frowned before he started going in on her.

  “You got a problem with how we run shit around here Rainey?” Carter asked angrily.

  “No Carter, she’s okay,” London said speaking up for her friend.

  “Nah London, let her speak for herself. I’ve been standing outside the door listening to her bitch and complain since we got here. You always got some shit to say, but you be alright when a nigga put that money in your hands,” Carter continued.

  “Nigga I work for that money. It ain’t like you giving it to me just because,” Rainey yelled.

  “Rainey, shut up,” London begged.

  Carter walked over like he was about to hit her until his brothers pulled him in the opposite direction.