Take Money Mistress by Rukyyah Page A

Alexandria smiled. She and her mother walked into the living room. She hadn’t had a chance to put her son’s toys away, so she moved them aside. “Have a seat.”
    “Thank you.”
    “Are you thirsty? I made some homemade lemonade just like you often showed me.”
    “I’ll take a glass with ice,” Erica said with a smile.
    When Alexandria returned with two glasses of lemonade with crushed ice and a lemon wedge, Erica smiled at how good it looked. Alexandria grabbed two coasters from the center of the coffee table and set their drinks down.
    “I hope you like it.”
    After taking a sip, Erica said, “Oh yeah! That’s some good lemonade.”
    “Thanks, ma.”
    After they finished their drinks, Erica looked at Alexandria. Alexandria could sense her mother had something important on her mind.
    “Honey, you know I only want the best for you and your son, but you do know that this lifestyle is only temporary?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “This…” Erica pointed to nothing in particular. “Drug dealing doesn’t last always and when this comes to an end, what will you do for yourself and Timmy Jr.?”
    “Ma, we’ve been through this over and over. I’m okay here with Curtis. I love him and he loves me.”
    “God forbid, but what if he gets locked up, you have to move out, and provide for yourself? You gave up your place, you quit your job, so I just don’t know what to expect. I worry about this all the time.”
    “Don’t worry, ma. I got this.” Alexandria smiled to calm down her cheerless mother.
    “Alexandria, I want to tell you a story. And, I’m only telling you this because I love you and you are grown.”
    “What?”
    Erica stared at Alexandria sadly. “When I was about your age, I was involved with a drug dealer as well.”
    “Really, ma? Not your goodie goodie a… um, self.” She laughed at her almost slip.
    “Yes, me. One day after school when I was a junior in high school, my friends and I were at the mall and when we were leaving, he walked in dangling his Mercedes key chain. When I saw it, I figured he was showing off, but then I looked at him and it was obvious that he had money. A ton of money to be exact. He was the son of a drug lord in the Westside of Baltimore and his father was training him to take over. His father before him sold drugs too. So, his family didn’t know struggle like mine.”
    “So, what happened next?”
    “He pushed past my friend and my sister to get to me. I was so shocked that I didn’t tell him my name when he asked. He said, ‘You are a real pretty girl. What’s your name?’ I froze.”
    “Oh my God! That is so embarrassing.”
    “Who are you telling? He laughed at me and then asked me again. Finally, I told him my name was Erica. He told me that he never seen a girl like me with such pretty, light skin. I told him I was Creole, and he said he fell in love after that. He said I had an exotic look about me. Then, when he got to know me, we were crazy in love. Everywhere he went, I went. I thought I would marry him and have his kids. So, I moved out of my parents’ house to be with him all of the time.”
    “Wow, ma. I never knew this. So, what happened to him?”
    “Skip was his name. He had made so much money one night that he wanted to take his friends and mine out to the skating rink. We were skating, laughing, holding hands, and sharing kisses the entire time. I loved that man so much. Then, after the skating rink was just about empty, we left as well. On our way to his car, he looked into my eyes and told me, ‘I love you so much, Erica.’ I said, ‘you know I love you too,’ and the next thing I knew, I heard gun shots ring out and his chest was full of bloody gunshot holes. I cried so hard and I felt empty that someone would take away the only love that I had. They never found the killer and it took me about five years to let another man get next to me.”
    “Ma, that is crazy. Why have you never told me this before?”