“You did what? Boy quit playing and rush me the rest of my money,” Don Shepherd looked like a body builder on steroids as he towered over his son.
“You heard what I said. I paid for Angel’s freedom and that’s that.” Demetrius had towed the line and did everything he’d been told to do for most of his life. His father told him to quit baseball, even though he knew how much Demetrius loved the game... and he did it. He was told to join the family business, and without question, Demetrius suited up. But he wasn’t budging on this one.
“You spent my money on a hooker?” Don was close to exploding.
Demetrius didn’t care that his father was angry. He shrugged as he said, “It needed to be done.”
Mo stepped back, not wanting any part of this. He positioned himself close to the door.
Don turned away from his son as if he was walking away from the situation, but then he quickly pivoted and back handed Demetrius so hard that the boy almost broke his wrist trying to break his fall. Don stood over him, glaring down as he said, “When I send you to do something, you get it done.”
Mo put his hand on the door knob, opened it and tried to scoot out of the room, but Don wasn’t having it. Without even looking his way, Don said, “Close that door and sit yourself down.”
Mo did as he was told, while Demetrius wiped the blood from his lip. He then tried to stand back up, but Don put a foot on his chest. “I’m not through with you.”
“It’s over dad. I’m not giving the girl back. You can take the money out of my pay if it matters so much, I don’t care.” Demetrius had never challenged his father before, so he had no idea what Don Shepherd would do when he didn’t show up with all of his money. But the truth of the matter was, he really didn’t care what happened to him, just as long as he could save Angel from Frankie.
Don eyed Mo. “Where’s the girl?”
“Don’t tell him,” Demetrius screamed from his spot on the floor.
Mo screamed right back at him. “What else can I do, D, man? I told you this was a bad idea, but you wouldn’t listen... talking about your daddy owes you one.”
Don took his foot off of Demetrius’ chest. He reached down, took a handful of Demetrius’ shirt and pulled him to his feet. “I’m your daddy, boy. Without me you wouldn’t even have life... so how do I owe you?”
Demetrius dusted himself off and squared his shoulders as he stood and faced off with his father. Which was a little hard to do since Don was two feet taller than Demetrius’ 6’2 frame. “You weren’t the only one who gave me life... I had a mother.” Demetrius had the good sense to step back as he added, “and you took her away from me.”
Don swung around, turning his back to his son. He shook his head and sucked in air. Don made his way to the bay window and stared off as if looking into a distant past that he hadn’t allowed himself to think about for a very long time. He turned back to Demetrius as he said, “Your mama had been down for whatever I wanted or needed from the moment we hooked up. I loved her for that.”
The room went silent. Demetrius and Mo glanced at each other, not knowing whether they should run or hide. But then Don got the coldest look in his eyes that Demetrius had ever seen. He said, “Okay, you got your little hooker, so consider my debt paid-in-full.”
Demetrius and Mo headed for the door, but Don stopped them.
“Demetrius.” He turned, looked at his father. “Don’t you ever throw this in my face again. You got me?”
Demetrius nodded. “I got you.”
~~~~
Slamming his keys down on the counter as he entered his home, Demetrius punched the fridge, letting out his frustration. His dad had treated him like nothing more than hired help. He’d been loyal to Don Shepherd for ten years, doing his bidding. Whether it was number running or beating down the men who dared not pay back a loan, he’d been down with it. He’d never asked for special treatment simply because he was Don Shepherd’s son. The one time he took a liberty, his father disrespected him and treated him like he was nobody.
Demetrius had half a mind to move and start up his own operation in another city. But as he stood there trying to decide which city to move his operation to, Demetrius slowly came to the realization that his father’s arm was long and his connections were spread so wide that he’d never be able to set up shop without Don Shepherd getting wind of it. Slamming his fist on the counter, he practically growled throughout the house, “I hate him!”
Angel stepped into the kitchen with a worried look on her face. “Is everything alright?”
Demetrius glanced her way, he’d forgotten that he had brought her to his home.
Leaning against the fridge, Angel told him, “If you want me and DeMarcus to get our stuff and leave, it’s cool. I appreciate what you did for us. But I don’t want to be a burden to anybody.”
“Did I say you was a burden?”
“No, but you don’t look very happy.” Then as she noticed something she rushed to Demetrius ‘side and put her hand on his lip. “You’ve been bleeding. Let me get some ice.”
“I don’t need no ice.”
Ignoring him, Angel took a few ice cubes out of the freezer and wrapped them in the kitchen towel. She placed it on Demetrius’ lip, asking, “You got into another fight?”
“I wouldn’t call it a fight.”
“What would you call it then, because I can tell that you’ve been in a scuffle.”
Demetrius shrugged. “Just my father’s way of saying thanks for costing him five big ones.”
Angel’s hand flew to her mouth as she dropped the ice she was holding against Demetrius’ lip. She bent down to pick up the ice. Dumping the ice in the sink. she said, “I’m so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused. But I promise that I will find a way to pay you or your father ever cent that I owe.”
Demetrius didn’t know why he did it, but he put his arms around Angel’s waist and pulled her close against his body. “You can start paying me back right now.”
Shaking her head, Angel pushed away from him. “I’m not a whore, Demetrius. And I won’t let Frankie, you or anyone else treat me like one.” She turned away from him and went into the guest bedroom. She picked DeMarcus up off the bed and put his jacket on. The boy was still asleep so it took a little longer to get his things on. She then grabbed her purse and the two bags of clothes she’d brought to the house with her and started heading for the door.
“Hey, where are you going?” Demetrius caught her before she could get out of the door.
“We’re leaving,” Angel told him with fire in her eyes.
“How? Are you going to walk?”
“I’ll catch the bus.”
Demetrius didn’t understand this at all. He thought Angel didn’t have any place to stay, that’s why he told her to come to his house. Now she was ready to leave, like she had a house on the hills or something. “I thought you didn’t have a spot.”
“I don’t. Frankie’s sister had been letting me crash on her couch so I could save up enough money to get a place.”
“Well you can’t go back over there. Frankie’ll put you on the stroll for real this time.”
She smirked as she looked up at him. “It sounds like you want me to be a working girl up in here, so what’s the difference?”
Her words made him feel slimy. Like he was no better than Frankie or his father. He didn’t like that feeling. He’d never forced himself on a woman in all of his twenty-seven years and he wasn’t going to start now. “There isn’t a shortage of women out there. You don’t want to be with me, fine... I’m not sweatin’ it. You can work off your debt to me by keeping the house clean and making sure I got dinner ready when I come home.”
Looking around the room at all the fast food bags and soda bottles that had been left in the living room, Angel scrunched her nose and nodded. “This place could use a good cleaning.”
“What can I say, my housekeeper quit.” He grabbed her bags and headed back to the guest room with them as he slung them over his shoulder, “You can cook, can’t you?”
Grinning from ear-to-ear, Angel told him, “I can make homemade biscuits and the best fried chicken and collard greens you ever tasted.”
“Sounds good. Wish my mom had cooked like that... it was hamburger helper and stove top stuffing.”
“My mom didn’t work outside of the home, so she loved cooking from scratch and teaching me to do the same,” Angel said as she followed Demetrius back to her bedroom.
He put her bags back down as he said, “Yeah, that was the problem. My mother was always working; my dad made sure of it.”