Sugah & Spice (41 page)

             
“Ladies, I wanted to have you here tonight because I
have
a propo
si
tion for you. We all know I have an evil twin
sister
, and Mya has
really
crossed the line this time.
I have learned of
thin
gs that I thought to be true, are
n’t true at all.
” Clasping her hands together, Simone looked at Java. She hoped that she would listen and hear all that she had to say without getting more pissed or charging her. “
Java,
first off, I would like to apologize to you for hurting you. I didn’t know what was really happening
,
and I didn’t want to go against my sister. She told me that you hated me and that if I didn’t do as she said, you would send me away and I would never see her again.
So when she and Mr. X plotted to take Mark away from you, I tried t
o stop them. That was
wrong on
so many levels but they didn’t want to hear what I had to say. Tory even tried helping but that only backfired on him because of Mya’s lies. He was sent to live with Mr. X’s mother after that, before we all left. She is pure evil. She doesn’t care about anyone or thing other than herself.”

             
Java and Latte leaned up in their seats. They now had a name. Java fought back the tears burning the backs of her eyes. She couldn’t fall apart in front of Simone and now that she was talking, she wanted to hear more of what she had to say. Latte leaned over and touched her
hand
to comfort her, and that helped calm her.
Java thought about how Xavier told her that he wanted to wait to name their son so that he would have a strong, solid name. She now knew that that was a lie. That he just didn’t want her to know the name of her own child. Now she did. She felt overjoyed.

             
“Go on,” Latte said
after making sure Java was okay
.

             
“When we left the states the first time, Mya and Mr. X were acting like one big happy family. She even tried to make Mark call her mommy but h
e never did. It was as if he sens
ed that she wasn’t you, Java. After a few years, things quickly changed. They fussed and fought all the time. They didn’t spend any time with Mark and all he did was cry until I took him under my wing and took care of him. He grew up well, in the best schools and we became extremely close. He is still my best friend. Java, your son is amazing and he longs to have you in his life. I don’t know what his father has told him about you, but he misses having you in his life.”

             
“What do you mean he’s still your best friend? Is he here, in the city? How can this be? How could he be right under my nose all this time and I not know it? What kind of mother doesn’t know her child?” Tears flowed down Java’s cheeks, hitting the soft chenille pillow she held in her arms like an infant child.

             
I
t
hurt Simone to see Java in such pain.
When she couldn’t take it anymore, she walked out of the room leaving both women stunned. When she returned she wasn’t alone. Mark stood next to her, squeezing her hand. He was nervous, yet excited to finally meet his
mother. After learning from Simone who she was and what had happened to tear them apart, all the hate he once held for her washed away. He felt like a child again.

             
“Oh my God,” Latte said. She knew Mark, had known him for years because of constantly doing business with Xavier before she learned the truth about him, and how he nearly destroyed Java.
She just didn’t know that he was Java’s son.
Her heart was overwhelmed and overjoyed seeing a mother and child meet again after being away from each other so long.

             
Java stood to her feet. She looked from Latte to Simone
,
to the beautiful young man standing in front of her. He looked exactly like her father and resembled Coffee. He was perfect. He was her son. She knew that
if she
had s
een
him on the streets or in a crowded room
,
s
he would know he was hers. Mark walked closer to her releasing Simone’s hand. He was in awe of the lovely woman, whom he fell in love with in that moment. He opened his arms and Java ran inside them. He wrapped those arms around his mother for the first time, recalling the last time he felt her arms wrap around him. Mark knew that
it wasn’t normal to have
newborn
or infant
memories, but he did. He remembered how she sang to him while fee
ding him, how she looked down
on him and smiled. He remembered always opening his eyes and her always being there before his father took him away.

             
Tears fell that turned into snobs, which immediately transformed into loud cries. Mark and Java held each other never wanting to let go of each other again. He kissed his mother’s forehead over and over again. “I have waited so long for this moment, Mom. I cannot believe it’s you. It’s really you!” Mark picked Java up off the floor and twirled her around in the air. They broke out into laughter.

             
“Now I know it’s been a while, but put me down boy! I am your mother and I can still spank that ass,” Java playfully said embracing her son again. Mark only laughed but quickly did as he was told.
Simone watched the interaction between mother and child fe
eling
a
new sense of purpose. She didn’t
want to play any more games,
hurt any more people, or watch any more innocent people get hurt by the hands of her sister. It was time to put a stop to Mya once and for all. Just as she was about to say something, her phone buzzed. Reading the text message, she began to panic. Mya was on her way back. They had to leave and now.

             
“She is on her way back. You all have to go! Please, she is gonna be so upset with me. You have to go now!” Simone was hysterical. Mark walked over to her and held her in his arms. “Shh…everything is going to be okay. Trust me. You will not have to worry about Mya. She will get what’s coming to her soon enough. Calm down Baby before you make yourself sick.” He gave Simone a kiss on her lips and she melted in his arms. Java and Latte watched the scene that had just transpired all knowing. Simone and Mark were in love. Any other time Java would have been pissed that an older woman was after her son, but she
couldn’t be upset at the love and affection she had just witnessed
. If it hadn’t been for Simone she would have never found Mark. She was sure of it. The one place she hadn’t looked was right under her nose and he had been there for years.

             
“Okay, we have to get out of here. Mya will be here any minute. Mom, meet me tomorrow at this location,” Mark said giving Java a piece of paper he pulled from his pants pocket. “Simone, go wash your face we will straighten up the den. Guys, put those water bottles
in
your bags because they cannot be left here. Mya checks everything
, even the trash.” They did as
instructed and when Simone
re
joined them, they left the house. As they were driving down the street, Mya was turning unto it. She didn’t know that her life was about to change in an instan
ce
. All the pain she had caused others was about to be given back to her more than she could possibly imagine.

             
Mya walked into the house expecting to see Simone there to explain what happened earlier, but was shocked to see that the house was empty. A faint scent of perfume lingered in the air, and Mya knew that someone other than her sister had been in her home. Simone didn’t wear that particular scent, but she knew who did. Walking from room to room, Mya checked everything. She walked into the kitchen. Nothing was out of order. When she looked into the refrigerator, she saw that three bottles of water were missing. Simone loved water, but she hadn’t drink three in such a short time Mya concluded.

Something was wrong and when she found out what, whoever involved would have hell to pay. Suddenly Mya thought about her secret. She ran from the kitchen to her bedroom. Her worse fear gave true. Her medication was missing. “Damnit,” she screamed hitting her hands on the top of her dresser. She pulled her phone from her pocket and pressed 1. “Hey, we have a problem. I think she knows. What are we gonna do about it!” She paused listening to the other person on the line. “No, don’t tell me to calm down. Your ass isn’t on the line here. We have to hurry up and complete the plan. Okay…okay, I will, and please don’t bring anyone with you. This is something we have to do alone. We can’t trust anyone else.” Mya paused again before ending her call. She threw her phone on her bed in anger.
She wasn’t afraid to kill again even if it were her twin sister. Blood was thicker than water, but in that moment she didn’t give a fuck about that.

Chapter 32

             
Java couldn’t believe what had just happened. She was on cloud nine, completely overjoyed. She couldn’t wait to share her good news with Coffee. He would be delighted to know that his only nephew was right in the same city, possibly attending the same university he taught at.
That night she couldn’t sleep and the fact that Latte called her every hour on the hour to see if it were all real. It didn’t matter because Java knew that she wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway.
No
t with knowing that she had her son back and they would be meeting the very next day.
Besides, the butterflies in her stomach wouldn’t allow sleep to come. She was up all night thinking of all the things she wanted to know about her son, and tell him about her.

When the sun poked its head out from around the clouds, Java had already showered, cooked breakfast and was ready to share her good news with her brother. When she heard his car pull up, she ran to the front door holding it open for him as he wondered what was important
enough
that he needed to come to her house so early in the morning. He did have a job, he thought. Plus, with his and Sugah’s long night, he needed all the extra rest he could get.

             
“Well, don’t you look all radiate and well rested this morning,” Coffee said sarcastically walking passed his sister. “Umm, what smells so good? Did you cook breakfast for me? Now I know something is really up. C’mon, let me grab a plate first because I am famished.”

             
Java only smiled. Her jaws hurt from smiling so much, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop. “I made some of your favorite: hash browns with jalapenos and cheese, bacon fried crispy just the way you like it, fluffy scrambled eggs, chocolate chi
p pancakes, and freshly squeezed
orange juice, only the best for the best brother in the entire world,” Java said using her arms to show emphasis on her acknowledgment.

             
“Hold up, hold up, hold up, Sis, what is really going on? You haven’t cooked for me or anyone else in a long ass time. Did I do something to piss you off? What is this all about?
” Before Coffee’s words were complete, in walked Latte, grinning from ear-to-ear. “Did you tell him yet? What did he say?”

             
Java gave Latte a flustered look then turned her attention back to Coffee. She wasn’t stalling per see but she wasn’t quite ready to reveal her secret in fear that it would all be a dream and she would be woke up. Latte hunched her shoulders fixing her a hefty plate. She joined Coffee at the island, who was still waiting for Java to hand him the plate she held in her hand for him. “Uh, can you please hand me my plate and just tell me what the hell is going on. I have class in an hour
,
and because you chose to live outside of the city, in the boonies, I have to leave in the next thirty minutes to make it on time.”

             
Latte chomped on her food ignoring the evil looks she was getting from Java
. After Coffee received his plate
and was enjoying his food, she knew it was time. “Coff, I have some very important news to share with you. It is the best news we could have asked for.” Before Coffee could ask or say anything, Java simply blurted it out, “I found him! I found my son! Coff, he is right here in the city. He is so handsome and looks a bit like you and daddy. Coff, he is amazing. I cannot wait for you to meet him. His name is Mark.”

             
Coffee’s fork hit the plate, dropping eggs all over the corner-top, and nearly choking. He quickly grabbed his juice and drank some to clear his airway. Latte and Java waited for him to say something looking back and forth at each other. “You okay Coffee,” Latte asked just above a whisper. She was suddenly afraid of Coffee’s reaction. Did he know about Mark all along and didn’t tell Java or any of them? He did in fact date Simone at one point. If he did, Java would never forgive him and she wouldn’t blame her one bit. She would also disassociate herself from him. But Latte knew that Coffee wasn’t that scandalous. Cap, on the other hand was.