Chapter 33
thirty-three
Two years later
“Kai Baby,” Kamilla started, as she closed the door to the Camero with her hip.
In one arm, she balanced cleaning supplies and the other, items to keep her toddler entertained while she cleaned this massive mansion.
Since having him, she’d made a point to secure a babysitter or Fredo so she could clean and be professional.
Today was a one-off – Fredo and Nate were unable.
Dania was out of town for her baby brother’s graduation, leaving Kamilla to look at her tiny human and beg him to behave.
Kairo looked up at his mother, giving her his very short attention.
“Mommy needs you to stay in your playpen until she finishes okay? Can you do that for me?”
Kairo looked up at her, holding an innocent smile. “Okay! Got cookies?”
Kamilla laughed and held her hand out. “Yes, I have cookies.”
She walked up the short driveway of the massive ranch house.
Like every cleaning job she’d taken since moving here, she never asked who the owners were.
She made the schedule, cleaned it from top to bottom, left, and collected her money.
Today was no different. Kairo was set up in his pen, an iPad playing his favorite show, snacks on a deck and occupied.
Well, he should’ve been occupied but Kamilla learned over the last months that when you were a boy mom, they were occupied for a moment.
Kairo, unlike his god cousin, Malayna, was active.
He kept everyone on their toes and constantly running behind him.
Kamilla was finished with the kitchen and headed to the living room when a clash of what she knew to be expensive crystal was meeting the wooden floor.
Like a bolt of lightning shot through her, she ran toward the sound of the noise as well as another human.
The thing was, when she accepted this booking, no one was supposed to be here.
Running into someone was supposed to be unlikely.
“Oh shit, my bad,” a baritone hit her ears.
Kamilla ignored him until she reached her crying son and scooped him up in her arms. With her eyes clenched, she cringed as she asked over Kairo’s crying, “How much was that?”
The man looked at the mess then at the young child in her arms, then the terror on her face. Her stomach twisted knowing that this was going to paint a negative image of how she handled business.
“I don’t know, it came with the house and I thought the shit was ugly. I just didn’t have the heart to do what the young bull did,” he spoke, moving closer. “Relax, you good.”
Kamilla slowly opened her eyes, finding the tall man in a safe zone of her space. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, if anything, got to make sure this little guy is good. What’s up, man, why you crying?” he posed, gently touching Kairo’s tiny hand. “You good, man?”
Kairo buried his face into Kamilla’s hair that was well past her shoulders now.
“He shy. I get it, I’m shy too.” He extended his hand to Kamilla. “Haddon Gallalucci.”
Kamilla accepted the handshake and offered a half nod. “I know who you are.”
“Oh, ‘cause of big bro?” Haddon posed, releasing her hand.
Kamilla shook her head. “Partly, but I have a habit of knowing who the people behind the board are.”
Haddon tilted his head, studying her. “You KP’s daughter?”
“Kamilla.” She tucked her bottom lip. “Yeah, you familiar?”
“Man, listen, everyone loves Jesipi the Don. And don’t get me wrong, the man was a genius but AyeZee KP, he was ahead of his time,” Haddon gushed. “I’ve studied every song but can’t get my hands on none of his stuff to sample either.”
“Yeah…I can’t come off of that,” Kamilla shared.
“I feel you. It’s a gold mine, protect that.”
“I should clean that up and get out your way,” Kamilla offered.
“Hold on. Listen, not trying impose, but you got your pops ear?” Haddon asked.
Her mind flashed to Cairo and that summer where he fueled the dormant need in her. “I’ve been told I had a golden ear once upon of time.”
“You and little man want to listen to what I’m trying to tweak?” Haddon motioned to the doorway he appeared from. He caught the weary glint in her eyes. “Don’t trip, I’ll bring my laptop up.”
Since that fateful day, Kamilla hadn’t been in a room alone with man if she could help it.
Nate and Fredo were the only men she felt safe with.
They’d done a wonderful job of ensuring she was protected, especially Fredo.
To the point he was dictating what the hospital staff did while she was in labor.
She watched Haddon take off in the direction he appeared from.
While he was gone, she grabbed the broom, balancing the son that clung to her like koala bear and swept up the glass from the floor.
She only paused to readjust him. The fright of escaping from his playpen and running into the end table moved up his nap time.
“Aight, listen to this,” Haddon spoke, trading the laptop for the broom.
Kamilla hit the space bar and listened to the beat he was building.
A hip hop track with a very decent Ganton Hills sound.
The horns added on top the bass wasn’t enough to make her frown her mouth and bob her head.
Hitting the space bar, she watched as he dumped the glass in the trash bag and wait for her feedback.
“What you think, Golden Ear?”
“It’s good,” she buzzed, swaying Kairo into his nap. “But the horns are over powering the kick. You should bring the horns in first then build the drums so it blends and balances.”
Haddon came back to the back of the couch where Kamilla placed the laptop.
She watched him hit keys, rearrange the arrangements like Cairo used to once she offered her feedback.
The experience alone made her hold on to the gift he left her to cling to.
Once Haddon made the changes, he hit the space bar and looked at her.
He wanted a reaction, one she wouldn’t give him.
All Kamilla offered him was a snap of the fingers.
“That’s it?” he questioned, a smile growing over his face.
“That’s it,” she confirmed, moving away.
Kairo, who’d been trained to fall asleep to his father and grandfather’s music was knocked out. Kamilla laid him down in his playpen, turned the iPad off and went back to cleaning the kitchen. Haddon was still standing in the living room.
“Why are you cleaning houses and not using that gift?” he inquired.
Kamilla continued wiping down the counter, answering him, “Because I have a kid. Using my gift or chasing a dream is expensive and I can’t afford to steal the moon.”
Haddon slightly nodded his head. That was a particular phrase only heard in two places. He chalked it up to her reciting her father’s lyrics. “So if I were to tell you El Jefe had an internship, paid, and childcare and I could get you into the last round, what you’d say to that?”
“I’d ask what’s the gimmick? Clearly there’s other people who’ve worked harder than me for their spot, cutting the line seems unfair.”
“A few things. I’m from 50th and Husten, ain’t a gimmick in my blood. Two, favor ain’t fair and you shouldn’t question the favor you got. Three, the cost is that you never clean another house that’s not yours again because it’s distracting you from where you should be,” Haddon shared.
Kamilla pushed her hair out of her face and huffed. “I don’t think a paid internship is going to cover taking care of him. Thanks but-”
“You intern under me for a year, this time next year, you’re moved to my artist and production team.
From there, you advance into an office with a view, enough money in your account that you don’t worry about how you’re feeding your son.
The position is literally yours. I’ve been trying to pick someone and none of them have what you have,” Haddon tapped his ear.
Kamilla tossed the idea back and forth in her head. “You said y’all have childcare?”
“Free to interns and employees, you can thank Day for that. My brother can’t stop having kids,” Haddon said with a chuckle.
“No bullshit?”
“None at all. I don’t play that shit, Kamilla.
I don’t shit where I eat. I don’t sell dreams. I don’t have malicious intent.
You got magic and you should be being fuckin’ magical, not scrubbing toilets,” he stated.
“Tell you what, I know you want to finish the job you were booked for so I’m going let you do that. I’ll get my answer when you’re done.”
Haddon left Kamilla to finish her work, sensing she wasn’t the type to leave a job unfinished or a commitment abandoned.
Kamilla finished the living spaces and then moved to the spacious bedrooms and entertainment rooms. In the office, Haddon’s awards for producer of the year, Grammys from Lucci’s albums and magazine interviews were placed on the walls.
The blue carpet under her feet telling her and anyone else that stepped foot into this space that Haddon survived the streets of Husten alongside his brother.
She was sure he had his own story to tell.
As she dusted them, tears pricked her eyes.
“I need you to steal the muhfuckin’ moon,” Cairo’s voice sounded off as if she was in a tunnel.
Kamilla quickly swiped them away and huffed.
If Cairo was home, he’d be on her about not returning to school after having their son.
The trauma of that summer overshadowed the beauty of it and Kamilla stopped dreaming while being present for everyone else’s dreams to flourish.
Dania was in her salon doing hair. Nate was shooting music videos and content for artists.
She was so proud of them – so happy. Her cleaning business had taken off as a small business and could really maintain without her but Haddon was right.
She was using this as a distraction. An excuse not to swim.
“Fuck,” she blew lowly. She shook her head at herself and finished her clean. When she came back to the foyer, Haddon had Kairo placed on the cleaned counter, joking with him as he fed him a chopped banana. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear him.”
Haddon looked over his shoulder and shrugged. “Figured you had a lot to think about. Plus, young bull is a silent assassin. Ten minutes after you left, he was creeping into the studio. He must have his granddaddy’s gift too.”
“His dad’s too,” Kamilla muttered before speaking up. “He keeps me running behind him. Thanks.”
“Nah, don’t thank me. I got hella nieces and nephews, at this point, I’m a pro,” Haddon stated. “So you’ll be at HQ by ten on Tuesday? The childcare center opens at nine. You might need that hour. I don’t sense you two have been apart more than a few hours.”
“We haven’t.”
Haddon laughed. “Yeah, I can tell. Don’t worry about that trash, I’ll handle it. That’s for you.”
Kamilla’s eyes trailed to the stack of the cash on the other end of the counter. “That’s too much.”
“Nah, it’s your worth plus tax. It’s also enough to make sure you don’t back out and go back to cleaning houses while you steal your moon.”
“I can’t take that.”
“You can. Not just because you’re the OG’s daughter, but you know how we move – we take care of our own,” he spoke, wiping Kairo’s face off and tossing the paper bowl. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Kamilla.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank me by proving me right, aight?”
“Okay.”
After Haddon helped load the Camaro, he chuckled to himself putting the dots together but leaving her business with her.
Kamilla left the massive house and drove straight to the local thrift store, picked up some new clothes for Kairo and a few suits and business attire for herself.
The beauty about living in the valley and the net worth of people who lived here, she could always find something of quality at the thrift store.
Most of the furniture in her house was courtesy of this place and everything else was Fredo.
There wasn’t a point for her to have a baby shower – one, she didn’t know anyone outside the people she migrated with – and Fredo bought everything. Even paid the hospital bill.
When Tuesday came and she dropped Kairo off at the childcare center, she stood at the window. A bitter laugh left her body.
“I’m crying and he ran away from me like I don’t exist,” she muttered to herself but another voice answered.
“All of my kids are here and do the same thing to me, too. You must be, Kamilla.”
Kamilla turned to her left, finding Daysha Gallalucci. Truly, the photos of this woman were all understated. A beauty with a spirit that radiated around her. Kamilla froze in awe before pinching herself.
“Y-yeah,” she stammered. “That’s me.”
Daysha smiled warmly at her. “I’ve heard good things about you. You ready to get to work?”
Kamilla pulled in a deep breath and pushed it out. “Too late for me to run now.”
“Indeed. Haddon has given his stamp of approval, also called the teachers and told them to take care of his nephew. You’re locked in now. Come on, I want you to meet the team. Welcome to El Jefe Records.”