Sugah & Spice (22 page)

             
Sugah
ate breakfast, finished up some schoolwork, did some reading and decided to put her feelings to paper. By the time Sugah looked up from her journal, it was way passed noon. She got up, got dressed and went to meet Mark. Sugah admired her work. The words
that
poured from within her were serious, real, and relatable. She wanted them to be heard by many. “One day I am going to put my gift to good use,” she told herself. “There are people out there who feel the same way as I do. They need to know that they are not alone.”

             
Just as she was pulling up to campus so was Mark. He saw her and honked his horn. Sugah parked and waited on him to get into the car. “Hey there Sweetness,” Mark said leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek. Sugah found that unusual but didn’t think much more of it. They were friends
aft
er all. Friends did greet each other with hugs and kisses on the cheek. It wasn’t like he was making a pass at her. “What’s up, Mark, how ar
e you this afternoon?” Sugah wai
ted on his reply before she asked her next question. “I’m good. What about you?” He looked around her car in amazement. “I really love this car, girl. The red with the black is the shit
…I mean, looks good
.
I didn’t mean to curse.
What made you choose
it? It compliments you
r personality to perfection, Sugah.
Really it does,
”
Mark said.

             
“Thanks Mark. I think so too
, and please by all means, be yourself. If we are friends, then you can say anything in front of me cause trust and believe I will.” Mark laughed. “Okay, from now on I’ll be myself even if that means cursing. I think I’m gonna like this being friends thing with you Sugah.” Sugah smiled. She was warming up to Mark easily. “So, tell me about this whip,” Mark said.  Sugah nodded. 

“I
wanted something that reflects me and beyond. Red wasn’t always my color of choice but now I think I am infatuated with it. I love this car
, it’s everything that I am so why not have a car that defines who you are, right.  You said it best the other day Mark, which still has me in awe of your ability to see so much of a person’s life just by the kind of car they drive.
Have you always been able to do that?” Mark looked away from Sugah not wanting her to see the sadness on his face. “I wish that was the case but through years of experience in being around the wrong people, with bad intentions, I have learned a lot.” Sugah heard the sadness in Mark’s voice. She wanted to know more but didn’t press.

Enlightening the mood she changed the subject. “
So, where are we
headed
,” she wanted to know so that they could be on their way and she could get back
.
She did
not
want to
be late for her evening class. The days
were
longer in the summertime, which Sugah enjoyed. She didn’t like when it got dark at five. She was an outdoor person and wanted to spend every minute possible outside. Growing up, she and her mother were always outside doing something. Her mother said that it gave them a chance to bond.  She could enjoy and appreciate the beauty of nature. Now, Sugah found herself spending hours admiring the flowers, trees, the sky and everything else, for hours anytime the weather permitted.
“Penny for your thoughts, what’s that smile about,” Mark asked.

             
“
Oh nothing, I was just thinking about my mother. It is such a lovely day out and she and I would always do things together outside on days like this. I miss her.” Tell me about it, Mark thought. He missed his mother daily, but didn’t have the slightest clue as to who she was. He shook those thoughts away. Now was not the time or the place. “Ahem…
I was thinking that because the weather was so lovely that maybe we could just grab something and go to the park,” Mark said. Sugah’s mouth dropped. Was
he able to read or hear her thoughts? She smiled. “That is the exact same thing I was thinking. I love being outdoors and today is quite beautiful. So sandwiches,” she asked.

“Sounds great, my treat. Let’s go to Cord’s Deli,” Mark replied.
Sugah put the car in reverse and drove off. She didn’t see Coffee watching her, wondering why Mark was in the car with her. He didn’t like seeing Sugah with anyone else. He would have to do something about that
and soon
. It was time he followed his heart, even if it didn’t agree with his mind. Sugah was worth it and so
m
uch more
.
She wasn’t like all the rest. She was special,
independent, beautiful inside and out. He was afraid to give love another chance because of what happened with Simone. But the wall around his heart was slowly breaking.

             
Surprisingly that day, the park wasn’t as full as Sugah had anticipated. She and Mark
were
able to get a picnic table next to the huge fountain. The water
added the perfect soundtrack as they ate their sandwiches and got to know each other a little better. Sugah learned that Mark loved poetry, sports and music. His favorite band was Coldplay. She was also a huge fan of Coldplay. He was an only child, as was she. He grew up with his father and she grew up without hers. He didn’t go into details about his childhood but Sugah gathered that something was missing in his life. When she asked about his mother, he quickly changed the subject. There was something deep there. Mark also loved fashion
,
and hoped to open a medical practice in New York one day. He wanted to travel around the world
,
help children
and
find a cure for AIDS and other deadly diseases. Sugah found that commendable. Her level of respect soared
through the roof
toward Mark. He was special, someone she hoped to build a solid friendship with.

             
When it was time to leave the park, Sugah didn’t want to. She was really having a great time with Mark. He reminded her of Coffee in many ways but unique in his own right. Yes, she knew that they would be friends
for a long time.
Maybe she could introduce him to her mother while she was in town too, but she had to go.
“I hate to leave
but I should really get back to campus. My class s
tarts in about forty minutes. We must do this again. I really had a great time, Mark. You are truly an amazing individual, with wonderful goals. I loo
k toward to learning more about them
.”

Mark beamed. He was glad Sugah thought his goals for the future were something special. His father could care less. Every time he mentioned or tried telling his plans with him, he
di
d
n’t
seem interested. In fact, his father had told him several times that his plans were a waste
of time
and that if he really wanted to do something; he should work for him. Mark knew that what his father did for a living was shady
…illegal
. He didn’t want any part of his organization or associate himself with the people his father called business
partner
s. They didn’t care about anyone or thing other than money. Simone had once been one of those people. She turned on all the people who loved her except of twin sister Mya, who was just as vicious
, if not more
as her.

             
Mark hadn’t seen or heard from Mya in years. She was his friend before he became friends or fallen in love with Simone. She was beautiful but one of the most heartless people he had ever known. He wondered what made someone so miserable and later discovered that Mya had been abused and molested as a child. She allowed herself to become the target to protect Simone from their mother’s boyfriend. That was probably why she didn’t give a damn about any man. Mya was just that coldhearted. She could have easily given the devil himself a run for his money when it came to manipulating and deceiving people. “Mark, you okay,” Sugar asked seeing the expression on his face. He is reliving something evil, she could tell from the darkness she saw in his eyes.

             
“Come on, you don’
t want to be late.” Before she could say or ask anything else, Mark was walking away from her. Sugah caught up to him and walked next to him in silence. She didn’t want to push him by asking questions, so she decided to let him bring it up if he wanted her to know.
They rode back to campus in
an eerie
silence.

             
That evening
as Sugah listened to her lab teacher, she couldn’t stop thinking about Mark. He was aching for attention, acceptance and appreciation from his father. Sugah wondered how she would
handle that if she didn’t have those things from her mother. It would definitely make life more challenging. By the end of her class,
Sugah
knew that she had to help Mark and his father rebuild their relationsh
ip, but how? She didn’t know who Mark’s
father
was
or very much about him. Maybe that was a sign that she should just stay out of it. In her heart she knew that if she didn’t do something, Mark would slowly lose whatever bond there was still left with his dad. Sugah wished that she could have her father just one more day but he was dead
, or so she thought
. She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. The day he left, she was at school and when the police officer showed up at their house a few weeks later, with the news of his sudden death, Sugah was too young to understand. All she remembered was her mother falling into the arms of the officer, crying endlessly. She later learned by asking questions, that he had been murdered by a store clerk, after trying to rob a convenient store. The only money in the register, according to the police and her mother was ninety-seven dollars.

             
Her father was taken away from her forever, for a lousy ninety
-seven dollars. Years later, Sugah and her mother learned from the same store clerk that he wasn’t the one who killed their loved one that in fact the
police did. The clerk told the N
ews that the man who was murdered had tried to help him during a robbery and the police shot the wrong person, and tried covering it up when they couldn’t catch the real person behind the robbery
, but the real truth would come much later which would shake Sugah and many others lives
.
Sugah decided
after
that
d
ay that she would become a lawyer to help make the justice system better, to protect innocent people from dirty cops. Writing was her first love but she set it aside to focus all of her time and energy into reading and learning the laws. By the time she was sixteen, Sugah could go up against any lawyer and win enough question. Her ability to
absorb knowledge was incredible, and her photographic memory was even more useful.

             
As Sugah
left class walking back to her car, she saw two women standing across the street watching her. Sugah could tell that they were watching her but wasn’t sure why. The closer she got, the more she recognized one of the women. It was the same mystery woman from her class. As Sugah got into her car, she saw Coffee walk out of the building. He stopped when he saw the two women. When they saw him, they smiled. He turned and walked
in
the opposite direction. Sugah wondered what was up. As she drove pass the women they waved, with evil smirks on their faces. Before she completely passed them, one of them made a gesture with her hand. It was like a gun. She pointed the tip of her finger to her temple and pulled the trigger. When Sugah didn’t seem fazed by it, she blew the tip of her finger as if smoke was coming from the gun. Was she supposed to be afraid, Sugah thought? It was time she had a long talk with Espresso o
r
Java. They would know just what to do. Something deep inside Sugar told her that she was in for a real shock but she would be ready.
Trouble was lurking,
and
Sugah would discover a hidden family
secret that
would affect many of the closest people to her.
Their lives would never be the same again!

Chapter 17

             
Simone and Mya watched Sugah drive away. “That bitch seems like she got a lot of heart. We may have to recruit her ass. I think with her, the three of us can do great things and show Mr. X that we are not to be fucked with,” Mya said still looking in the direction of Sugah’s car.

“I told you. The first day I saw her and how she didn’t seem fazed by the way I was staring her down, really got my attention. But, I can tell that there is something going on between her and Khalil. That day in class, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. I think he may even be in love with her, Mya. I don’t want him back nor am I jealous. You know who I truly love and desire. I just hate seeing him look at another woman the way he used to look at me. I will admit that I messed that relationship up but the past must stay in the past, right. Isn’t that what you always say?”