Chapter Three- Snow
I hung the cigarette loosely between my lips as I ran a stack of money through the machine. Dirty money mixed with legitimate money was how we kept from being discovered, drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves.
I sat at the edge of my desk in my office at the nightclub.
I had four more stacks of cash to check, then I was done for the day.
I looked at the time on the watch on my wrist, then drummed my fingers on the table.
I was stressed as a mothafucka, and wanted to snort a line, but I fought the urge.
The last time I did drugs was the night of Buddha’s wedding.
I’ve managed to stay away from the booga sugar since.
The ringing of my cellphone on my desk made me take a deep breath. I already know who it was.
After the fourth ring, I answered her call. “What’s up?”
“Have you been avoiding my phone calls?” Angel got straight to the point. I cursed in my head, rubbing my forehead, already frustrated by this call.
“Why would I avoid your calls, Angel?”
“I dunno, Vincent. I called you three times, and you never picked up. Are you coming to my doctor’s appointment?” Angel’s question made me feel like choking my own throat.
“Didn’t we talk about this? You know damn well that the best and right thing is not to move forward with this pregnancy.
What the fuck do you want me to say?” It really did hurt me to say this to Angel, but my family was just as important.
I knew the chances of causing a war between my family and Angel’s were inevitable.
As much as I wanted to be with Angel and, deep down, wanted this baby, I had to choose my family.
“I thought we decided that we didn’t care about what my father or your father would think? Don’t you love me anymore? You said that you did,” I listened to Angel as I put the phone on speaker and placed it on the desk. I began wrapping the cash I had just run through the machine with a rubber band.
“We’re digging a hole for ourselves here, Angel. You know it, and I know it. This baby is going to cause people to lose their lives when our fathers find out,” I explained, grabbing another stack of cash to run through the machine.
“So, that’s it. I risk everything for you, and you’re gonna end things when I'm carrying your child.” Angel’s tone changed as though she was beginning to get upset.
“Well, carry the baby, and when he or she is born, you have my blessing to allow Mervin to believe he’s the father.” I offered an ultimatum, which was the best I could do.
“Fottuto idiota (you fucking idiot)! I’m half-black, you’re half-black, and Mervin is as white as they come. It’s like playing Russian roulette; we’ll have absolutely no idea what the baby will look like,” Angel said that shit as if it was my fucking problem.
“I don’t see the problem. Look, it’s either you’re having this baby or not; either way, I can’t be involved. The sooner you get that through your head, the fucking better for everyone,” I pulled hard on the cigarette because I hated stressful situations.
“You know what, stronzo (asshole), I’m having my baby, and no, I’m not going to pretend it’s Mervin’s baby.
You lay down with me and had unprotected sex.
This is the consequence of your actions.
Let our fathers find out, I do not give a fuck.
You better put your best war gear on, mothafucka!
” I stared at the phone after Angel hung up once she was done with her rant.
I closed my eyes and exhaled loudly. I should have known this was going to be the outcome.
Angel was a very headstrong female. Shit, that’s how she got me.
We met at this club the same way I met Ciara.
Angel’s friend Candace was having a birthday party.
Candace’s father reached out to me, wanting to rent out my club for the night.
After I gave my price for a party of about fifty people, he agreed.
I wasn’t supposed to work that night, but at the last minute, the manager called to say his daughter was really sick and needed to go to the emergency room.
I had no choice but to fill in to oversee the party and make sure everything went smoothly.
I recognized Angel right away, and she knew me, too.
Before that night, Angel and I had never had reason to interact.
We knew there was bad blood between my father and her father because of Buddha.
We weren’t about to add fuel to the fire, at least I wasn’t.
I kept it cordial during her friend’s party.
I made sure everything ran smoothly. Checking in on them, trying to keep my eyes off Angel because she looked fine as hell.
She wore a pair of itty bitty shorts with her ass cheeks hanging out, a bra-like top, and a pair of heels.
Angel was 90’s fine with her smooth cocoa-brown skin; she reminded me of the actress Tatiana Ali.
Her nose was pierced with a small gold hoop, and she wore her make-up naturally, not overdone.
Angel’s ears were pierced eight times, four on either side.
I felt myself drawn to her, she had such a bubbly and feisty personality.
I was in my office when a knock came at my door. I was taken aback when I opened it and saw it was Angel. I asked her if everything was alright, thinking something was wrong.
“Yeah, I just wanted to come and thank you for being so hospitable. We really appreciate it.” Angel said, stepping inside as she sipped her champagne.
I watched as she casually looked around, her hips swaying as she walked.
Angel was on the slender side, barely 140 lbs.
I closed the door behind her since it seemed as though she had no intention of leaving just yet.
“That’s nessun problema (not a problem). Are you enjoying yourself?” I asked, as I stayed by the door. Angel stopped in front of my desk and stared down at the line of cocaine I was about to snort. I cursed in my head at what she saw.
“Not as much as you, I can see. You know that’ll kill you. You should try and kick that nasty habit,” she said, pointing at the fresh line of coke.
“I’m trying really hard to stop, trust me. Umm, was there something else you needed?” I asked when she sat at the edge of the desk and looked at me. She smiled at my question and lifted an eyebrow.
“Am I being a bother?” She asked before raising her champagne flute and taking a sip. She licked her lips in the most seductive manner as she kept staring at me. I looked away when a salacious thought ran through my mind.
“No, you’re no bother.”
“Good. Can I ask you a question?” I looked at her and frowned a bit.
“Umm, I guess so,” I answered with a shrug of my shoulders.
“What do you think will happen if my father found out I was fucking a Ricci?” I almost choked on my saliva when she asked that. I glared at her as though she were insane. I didn’t care how much of a fine shit she was. I wouldn’t touch Angel with a 10ft pole.
“I think that thought shouldn’t even enter your mind because you know there’s bad blood between both our families,” I tried to put a stop to whatever she had going on in her mind. Angel tilted her head back and laughed.
“Are you scared, Vincent, is it? Oh no, wait, I’ve heard your nickname is Snow. I can see why now,” she said, pointing to the cocaine.
“That’s not why I got my nickname,” I said, pointing to the grey hair in front of my hairline. I don’t even know why I was explaining anything to her; she needed to get the fuck out of my shit.
“Anyway fuck all that,” she waved her hand in a dismissive way. “Do you believe that my father has arranged for me to marry someone I don’t even wish to wed?”
“How the fuck will I know that?” I asked her in an annoyed tone because I didn’t want to know anything about her and her fucking family.
“Well, I’m telling you. God, you’re a fucking asshole,” my head snapped back at her insult. She sure was a piece of fucking work, sitting in my office and insulting me.
“Is there a point to this fucking conversation? If not, get the fuck out so I can go back to doing what I was about to,” I pointed at my coke behind her, just in case she needed clarification on what I meant.
The horror showed on my face as Angel casually brushed the line I was about to snort to the floor. I had never hit a female in my life, but that was about to change. I marched over to her and grabbed her upper arm.
“Do you know how much pure Colombian cocaine is worth? Get the fuck out of my office before I slap you for your father. I can tell you were never disciplined as a child,” I lifted her easily off the desk and shoved her toward the door.
Instead of being angry, Angel began laughing as though I’d told her a joke. I looked at her, realizing that Edwardo had a bat shit crazy daughter.
“Firstly, I do know how much it costs. Hello, my father sells that shit. Secondly, I told you that it’s a nasty habit and that you should try to stop.
I had a really good friend who OD’d and died from that nasty shit.
She purchased it from my father, too.” Angel said, walking back to where I was standing.
I sighed with frustration because I didn’t get why she just couldn’t leave.
“I don’t even love Mervin,” she said randomly. I made a face, wondering if she was on some sort of stronger drug than I was.
“Who the fuck is Mervin? Jesus, can you please get out of my office?” I was ready to hand her five hundred in cash right now if she would just leave.
“No, I am venting, and you need to listen!” Angel said, shouting right back at me. Sighing, I sat at the edge of my desk and decided to humor this fucking lunatic by giving her my undivided attention.