Trife Life To Lavish (A King Production Presents...) (3 page)

To embrace what the future holds, you have to first
be able to let go of what keeps you holding on to
the past. But many could attest, that simple request
is much easier said than done.

"Ma, Daddy's dead... You killed Daddy! Noo-o-o! Daddy can't be dead!" Nichelle yelled out,
fighting the demons in her sleep.

"Nichelle, wake up! Wake up, Nichelle!" her
mother said, trying to shake her daughter out of
her nightmare.

Nichelle swung her arms wildly, causing her
mother to grab her sweat-drenched body tightly to
help her escape the dark place she'd succumbed
to. "You killed my Daddy!" she continued to scream
out, not able to free herself from the dream that would engulf her mind every few months.

"That's enough, Nichelle! Now wake up!" her
mother barked, pushing her down on the bed as
she covered her mouth.

"Why did you have to kill Daddy," Nichelle
mumbled as she finally found her way back from the
horror she was clinging on to. Tears were fighting
there way down her cheeks, and all her mother
could do was hug her daughter, knowing the
wounds of the past were still fresh and unhealed.

It had been ten years since Teresa took her
daughter and left her deadly secret behind in North
Carolina, but unfortunately, it wasn't as easy for
Genevieve to bury. Teresa had done everything,
from changing their names, to Nichelle and Sheila,
to moving to another state, to trying to reprogram
her daughter to forget about that dreadful day,
but when it seemed that all had been forgotten,
Genevieve would have one of her episodes and
bring the skeletons of the past to the present. As
soon as she thought she had long buried Teresa
and Genevieve, Nichelle would resurrect them.

"Baby, you have to let go and stop having
these nightmares. If somebody ever heard you,
they would start asking questions, and I don't even
want to think about what that might lead to."

"I'm sorry, Ma."

"You have to quit being sorry and just stop!
It's been ten years, and you keep rehashing that shit like it happened yesterday."

"What do you expect? It ain't every day that
a seven-year-old witnesses her mother killing her
father."

"Oh Lord, here we go again! I can't do this
no more, Nichelle. We have been through this
so many damn times I feel like you have me on
repeat. Now, please let it go. You've had more than
enough time to get over it...I have."

"I hear you."

"I hope so, because all I need is for you to go
ruining some shit."

"Ain't nobody ruining nothing. I've held
this secret for all this time, and ain't nothing gon'
change. I mean, besides Carmelo and Tierra, you all
the family I have. I don't want to lose you too."

Sheila looked down and shook her head in
frustration before standing up. "Get some sleep,
baby. You have school in the morning," she said,
turning off the light in Nichelle's bedroom.

After she closed the door, Sheila went to
her own bedroom and sat down trying to unload
the anger and guilt she had towards her daughter.
She was angry that Nichelle wouldn't let go of the
past, but at the same time she felt guilty that her
daughter had to carry the burden of her sins for all
these years. She had no idea if or when Nichelle
would be able to let go.

"I need five hundred dollars, not tomorrow,
not next week, but right now!" Tierra snapped, as
she put on her Baby Phat denim jumper.

"What?"

"I didn't stutter. I need them coins. You been
promising me the money for two weeks, and I'm
still standing here with my hand out trying to make
it rain. So you need to come off that money, like
now." Tierra stood staring at Radric with her arms
crossed and lips poked out.

"Baby girl, I didn't promise you shit," Radric
said, coolly as he sat down on the bed, going through
his text messages while smoking a Newport.

"Oh, you don't remember when I was on my
knees sucking your dick, and between you oohing
and aahing, you told me you'd give me that money
so I could get caught up on some bills?"

"That shit don't count."

"Why not?"

"`Cause I was under duress. Shit, my dick was
in your mouth. I didn't have no choice but to agree
wit' whatever you said. You had me in a vulnerable
predicament," Radric slightly smiled.

"Let's see how much you gon' be smiling
when I call yo' girl and tell her you at the Ramada
wit' me."

"Call her! Fuck, you can use my phone! I'll
speak to her myself."

"Motherfucker, you ain't shit!"

"Damn right! And just like you know it, so
do she."

Tierra grabbed her purse, pissed that she
gave that nigga some pussy, again, when he hadn't
hit her off with any money. But in reality, she
would've fucked Radric regardless. She had been
dealing with him off and on for over a year. Yeah,
he had a girl, but so did just about every other nigga
in these streets. But Tierra actually dug Radric. He
was sexy as shit, and could fuck like no other. It
just so happened that she was really hurting for
the paper, and at the moment, had no time for
free fucking. If Tierra had known Radric would
be playing these types of games, she would've hit
one of the low-level dudes around the way, who
would've been throwing their dough to get down
with a hood legend like Tierra, with no questions
asked.

"Fuck you, Radric! I ain't got time for this shit
tonight."

"Tierra, baby, where you going?"

"Don't `baby' me. You got me over here
begging you for chump change. Fuck that! I got
moves to make."

"I thought you was riding wit' me to LaGuardia
to pick my man up from the airport?"

Tierra crossed her arms in front of her chest
and stared at Radric like he was smoking crack.
"Nigga, I ain't going nowhere wit' you. Dude, I got
bills to pay."

"Shut the fuck up wit' that silly shit. You know
I got you. Here, take yo' five bills so we can go,"
he said, pulling out a wad of cash from his back
pocket and peeling off five Benjamin Franklin's.

"Why you play so fuckin' much?" Tierra
moaned, relieved but exasperated for having to
go through all these changes to get money she
desperately needed.

"`Cause I like seeing you get all worked up."

"Well, since I gave you your entertainment
for the evening, you can pay me for that too,"
Tierra hissed, grabbing three more bills off the top
of Radric's stash before he had a chance to put it
back in his pocket.

He started to frown up, but before he could
say anything, Tierra cut him off. "Let's just call us
even now."

"Whatever! Let's go," Radric said, grabbing
his car keys as they headed out.

On their drive to LaGuardia, Tierra sat back in
Radric's Range Rover, thinking about how fucked
up the last few weeks had been for her. She was
living in an apartment she couldn't afford, and scrambling to make this month's rent. She had
gotten the final cut-off notices for her electric and
cable bills. She hadn't paid her car note in two
months, and knew the repo man would be showing
up at any minute trying to take her shit. That's
why she had it stashed at one of her girlfriend's
crib. Tierra couldn't understand how her life had
taken such a drastic turn for the worse so quickly.
It seemed like yesterday that money was flowing
in every direction for the chocolate-brown beauty.
And now, at the ripe age of twenty-one, the well
seemed to be drying up.

"Yo, there my man go right there," Radric
belted out, breaking Tierra out of her somber
thoughts. He pulled his truck over at the American
Airlines terminal, and Tierra instantly zoomed in
on the tall, slender cat. As he walked closer to
the truck, she had never seen a man with such
a rich, smooth auburn complexion. It looked like
you could glide your finger across his face and, it
would feel like silk.

Radric jumped out the car and gave the dude a
hug, showing mad love. "Man, it's good to see you."

"Likewise. Now, let me get in before one of
these knuckleheads come over here telling us to
fuckin' move."

Radric popped the trunk, and his friend
threw his bags inside before getting in the backseat.
"Renaldo, this is Tierra."

"Hey, nice to meet you," Tierra grinned.

"Nice to meet you too. But nigga, you need
to stop playing. Only my mother calls me Renaldo.
You can call me Renny."

"Got you."

"You gon' always be Renaldo to me," Radric
joked.

"Whatever, so what we doing tonight?"

"What you wanna do?"

"It's on you, but I damn sure want something
good to eat."

"Yo, I know this new spot where the food is
on point. We can go there. You rolling wit' me?"
Radric turned and asked Tierra.

"I don't know. There were a few things I
needed to handle."

"It can wait. Call one of your girls up. She
can come with us."

"You so damn bossy!"

"You know it!"

"I'll call Nichelle... nah scratch that, she got
school in the morning."

"School? You `bout to have my man on some
jailbait shit," Radric teased.

"Nichelle got a man. Ain't nobody tryn'a hook
her up wit' your people. I'll call Simone. She might
wanna come." Tierra flipped open her cell phone
and called her friend. Simone was always down for a
free meal, especially one with a cutie like Renny.

The phone just rang, until finally she picked
up. "Hello," Simone answered with an attitude.

"What's up? Everything a'ight?"

"My baby daddy trippin' and shit, but I'll be
straight. What's up?"

"Nothing. I'm going out to dinner with Radric
and his friend. Do you wanna roll with us?"

"Girl, yes! I need a good meal, and I know
Radric ass gon' take us to a fly joint."

"Cool. So we'll pick you up in about an hour."

"Nah, I'll meet you there, `cause I have to
find a babysitter."

"Make sure you come, Simone."

"I got you. Trust me, I want that meal and a
few drinks too. Text me the location."

"I'm on it," Tierra said, flipping her phone shut.

"So, is your girl coming or what?" Radric
inquired.

"Yeah, she's gonna meet us there."

"There was no need to bring a friend for me.
I'm good," Renny said, leaning back in the seat.

"I know you ain't hard up, nigga. I just wanted
someone to entertain Tierra so she wouldn't be all
up in our shit."

"Fuck you! I ain't got no problem going home!
You can drop me off now."

"Yo' ole feisty ass always gotta get extra,"
Radric said, playfully tapping Tierra on the head.

"Whateva, nigga! Being feisty is the only flow you respect, and that's real talk," Tierra smacked,
as she gave Radric the side-eye and glanced back
at Renny.

Tierra did hope Simone would find a
babysitter and meet them for dinner. Renny was
too cute to pass up, and being that he was Radric's
friend, he was off limits to her. She couldn't help
but think that it would be a damn shame to let all
that fineness go to waste.