The Hustler's Daughter {DC Bookdiva Publications} (5 page)

Seeds of Love

Nine
months passed and Maria had not seen or heard from Don Carter. She sincerely
missed him and wished she could see him again. She was currently living in a
different Cuban city, Santiago de Cuba. Maria had been staying with her aunt
since she found out she was pregnant. She was too afraid to tell her father, so
she moved out. She knew Vicente was a man of his word; he wouldn’t hesitate to
kill her and Don.

Vicente
would be outraged if he knew her and Don had sex and created a baby. He always
reminded her of Rule #1- never get involved with his customers. She had always
obeyed his rules, until now. However, there was no turning back. She found out
that she was pregnant six weeks after Don left Cuba to return to New York. She
knew it was his child; she wasn’t sexually involved with anyone else.

One
day Maria woke up with heavy pains in her stomach. She rubbed her protruding
belly and bit her bottom lip. She rocked back and forth trying to bear the pain
of the rapidly increasing contractions. Maria screamed out in pain causing her
aunt Maleese and the maid Edella to rush up the stairs and into her bedroom.
They found her screaming in agony and tears excessively streaming down the side
of her cheeks.

Maria
threw the blanket from her body. Despite the pain she was in, she searched for
Don’s phone number. She found it in her night stand next to the bed.

“Oh
my God, let’s get her to a hospital!” Maleese insisted while watching her niece
struggle. Maria sat back down on the bed as the pains resurfaced.

“Maria,
calm down, you’re moving too much.” Edella said as she helped Maria to her
feet. Maleese ran over and grabbed Maria’s coat from the closet and placed it
around her shoulders. Maria could barely walk. Her legs felt like they were
made of rubber and she was extremely woozy. The three of them slowly walked
down the stairs, when Maria felt a warm sensation running down her leg. She
slowly put her head down and watched as the clear fluid oozed from her vagina
and down her leg. She was leaking onto the marble floored stairs. 

“My
water just broke!” Maria automatically assumed. They rushed her to the front
door where one of their drivers picked Maria up.  They were off to the hospital
in a flash.

Maria
was sweating profusely throughout the entire ride. Her mind was overwhelmed
with the thought that she was already having the baby. They arrived at the
hospital in enough time to get her on a stretcher.

Maria
passed out several times due to the pain before she officially made it into the
room where she would deliver her baby. When she was finally conscious, she
turned on the radio and listened to some Cuban music. The doctors told her that
she wasn’t ready to have her baby just yet; she was just having a little leak.
Maria lay in the hospital bed and stared up at the ceiling.  She was in deep
thought about what she would tell Don, when and if she finally spoke to him.

Several
minutes later, she had the urge to pee. She sat up in the bed and looked around
for a way to call for help. She found the call button on the side of the bed to
call for assistance. She seriously had to pee, and it had already begun to
trickle down her leg. Finally the nurse came to Maria’s aide.

“Are
you okay Maria?”

“Yes,
I’m fine.” Maria smiled as she tried to get up, “I just have to use the
bathroom.”

“Hold
on, let me help you.” The nurse moved in closer to Maria and pulled back the
sheets. Both of their jaws dropped as they stared at each other in amazement.

“You
already had your baby.” The nurse was astonished. She called for the doctors to
come cut the cord and assist with anything medically that she could not. 

“What?”
Maria started crying with tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. She couldn’t
believe that her baby was already here. It amazed her that she didn’t have to
push or endure hours of painful labor. Tears flooded her eyes as she gazed at
her beautiful baby. She had a new baby girl. The baby was wide awake and didn’t
cry at all. Once she was cleaned off, she was handed to Maria. Maria lovingly
gazed into her daughter’s eyes. 

“That
was the easiest birth I’ve ever seen.” The nurse chuckled.

“I
had no idea.” Maria shook her head side to side, “I thought I had to use the
bathroom or something.” They all laughed. Maleese and Edella rushed into the
room.

“Maria,
she’s so beautiful.” Her aunt smiled as she sat on the side of the bed.

“Thank
you.” Maria held her baby girl in her arms. She took in all her beautiful
features including her slanted eyes. She was surprised to see that they looked
to be grayish-green in color. Her small pink lips had a mole on the top right
corner. It resembled Maria’s; she had one near her lip on the same side. Her
baby had thick neatly shaped eye brows and a round petite nose. She looked
almost exactly like her Maria, but she was a little darker. She had a light
complexion with a hint of caramel. Her head was full of curly black hair. Maria
and Don brought a beautiful baby girl into the world.

“What
are you going to name her?” Edella asked. Maria didn’t have to think twice. One
name rolled off the tip of her tongue. “Mercedes,” she blurted out, with a big
smile across her face. “Mercedes Carter.” Maria nodded her head up and down and
smiled from ear to ear.

“Can
you two excuse me for a moment?” Maria asked. Her aunt and the maid exited the
room and patiently waited in the lobby. Maria grabbed the number that was on
the table and placed a piece of her hair behind her ear. She picked up the
hospital phone and dialed Don Carter’s number. She nervously placed the phone
to her ear and waited for him to answer. Many different thoughts ran through
her head. She didn’t know how he would take the news. He probably wouldn’t
believe her when she told him. He would probably deny it and say Mercedes
wasn’t his child.

Tears
gathered in her eyes as the thoughts ran through her head. She didn’t want her
daughter to grow up without a father. She wanted her to have a wealthy life,
and she knew Mr. Carter could provide that. She bit on her bottom lip while
waiting for him to pick up. Sadly, she only got through to his voicemail. She
ended the call and looked through her room’s window. Her future would hinge on
Don Carter’s response, when and if he found out about Mercedes. 

xxxxxxxxxx

Don
cruised down the streets of New York bumping LL Cool J’s “I Need Love”. He wore
his blue New York fitted cap pulled low over his eyes. His car windows had limo
tint, so no one could see inside. Although people knew when he hit the corner;
everyone knew he was driving a gold Lexus with 22 inch chrome rims. He had just
returned from replenishing his product with his brother Roy. The next order of
business was to collect some paper that was owed to him. Things had been going
smoothly for them since they got back from Cuba. Their money game stepped up
tremendously.

Everyone
in the Carter family was eating and had cake. Don’s cell phone was in his
pocket and he could feel it vibrating. He reached into his pocket and realized
that it was a weird number, but he recognized the Cuban area code. He thought
it was Vicente calling from another number, but when he answered he got a
pleasant surprise.

 “Yo?”
Don flipped up his phone and put it up to his ear.

“Don?”

“Who’s
this?” The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t put a finger on it.

“Maria.”

When
he heard her name, Don almost dropped the phone. He had been thinking of her
since he left, but became very focused on making his money. He loved the
connection between the two of them and wanted more.

“Oh
my God, Maria-how have you been?” Don was happy to hear from her. He was
wondering what took her so long to call him. He started thinking that she
wasn’t interested in him and what they had was just a one night stand.

“I’ve
been good. I mean, I’m happy.” Maria smiled. She looked down at her newborn
baby girl that she held in her arms, “Umm… I have something to tell you.”

“Go
on. I’m listening. We have a lot to catch up on.” Don couldn’t wait to pick up
where they left off.

“I
was pregnant with your child, and today I gave birth.” She informed him. The
words were like music to his ears. Don couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He
had to look at his cell phone again to see if this was really happening and not
a prank call.

“Are
you there?” Maria asked.

“Yeah,
my bad, I was just thinking.” Don shook his head and chuckled. “I’ll be down there
soon.” He smiled from ear to ear at the news.

 They
exchanged words and she gave him the address to where she was staying. “Hold
on,” he held the phone up to his ear and drove with one hand. He grabbed a
piece of paper and a pen from between the seats and wrote the info on a piece
of paper as he managed to drive. After all the important information was
exchanged, he hung up the phone. This was going to change things for everyone.

“Who
the hell was that?” Roy asked noticing a change in his brother’s demeanor.

“Call
Ms. Price and let her know I will be going out of town for a couple of days. I
need a ticket to Cuba, no make that two round trip tickets.” Don informed his
brother.

“Yo,
what the fuck Don, we’re not supposed to go to Cuba until next month to re-up.
So why the change of plans bro?”

“That
was Maria, Vicente’s daughter.” Don smiled, “Something came up that just can’t
wait bro.”

“Aww
man, what happened?” Roy laughed, he was eager to know.

“She
just gave birth to my daughter.” Don couldn’t help smiling. His dimples were in
full view, and he was elated. Roy was just as surprised as Don; he couldn’t get
any words out.

 “I
have a daughter, a lovely baby girl.  Mercedes Carter,” Don whispered to
himself.

Denial

Don
stood near the bed as he bent down and tickled his daughter’s stomach. She wore
a pink onesie and had on a pink headband. Her curly hair was already starting
to grow, enhancing her beauty. He loved the way her bright green eyes popped
out at him. She was the prettiest baby he’d ever seen; she was a Carter baby.

Don
loved his life, but he loved it even more when he was blessed with a beautiful
baby girl. She and Maria were the missing links to absolute happiness. As he
kept giggling and tickling Mercedes, a cute smile came across her face. Her
gums were in full sight. She was only three months and fifteen days old. He
loved making his daughter smile; it gave him great joy to be her father. Every
time he had a long hard day of hustling, he would come home and Mercedes knew
how to put a smile on his face and warm up his heart.

Don
could hear his wife walking up the steps. Within seconds Maria emerged into
their master bedroom. She was dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a wife
beater. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail in the center of her
head. She carried the baby’s bottle in her hand along with a pink pacifier. He
looked up and lustfully stared at Maria. He had to admit that she looked
amazing for a woman who just had a baby.

He
knew other chicks who had babies and lost their perfect bodies. He shook the
sexual thoughts out of his head as he picked Mercedes up and held her in his
arms.  He looked into her green eyes. With every passing day, he learned to
love her more and was prouder to be her father.

“Is
her bottle ready?” Don asked.

“Yeah,
I have it right here.” Maria said sarcastically as she held up the bottle and
waved it around. Don screwed up his nose as an awful stench crept into his
nostrils. He turned Mercedes around, she was giggling and full of joy. He
lowered his head next to the back of her diaper.

“Whew,
I think she pooped.” Don said turning his lips up to his nose, “You need to
change her.” He said in a kind but demanding tone.

“Why
can’t you change her?”

Maria’s
eye brows shot up in defiance. Suddenly Don was saved when his phone started
ringing.

“Come
on Ma, next time.” Don smiled, “My phone ringing, take her.” He handed Mercedes
over to Maria.  Maria’s piercing eyes stayed glued to him.

“You’re
not off the hook.” Maria said. Don rushed over to his jacket and pulled out his
phone.

 “Hey
beautiful, you ready for mami to change your stinky butt?” Maria smiled as her
daughter giggled at her.

Maria
laid her down on the bed and began changing her, but not without keeping an ear
to what was going on with her husband. She turned her head and watched as Don
answered the phone. He spoke in a low tone. His voice was agitated,
demonstrating that the phone call made him angry. He left the bedroom and
disappeared into the hallway. Maria tried to eavesdrop, but his voice quickly
faded away.

xxxxxxxxxx

 It
was a year later, January 15th, 1991. Carmen lie on the hospital bed as she
held her new born baby in her arms and stared down into her beautiful hazel
eyes. She had a caramel skin complexion with a head full of light brown hair.
Carmen decided to call Don and tell him the news. Although she had a feeling
that if he saw her daughter, he would deny her.

Carmen
was adamant that Don was the father. However, after he stopped messing with
her, she did have a dude on the side. She held the hospital phone in her hand
and slowly dialed his number. She really didn’t want to go through with it, but
she told herself she had to do it for her child.  She named her daughter Hazel,
after looking into her eyes for the first time. She finished dialing his number
and held the phone up to her ear. It rung a few times before he picked up.

“Yo?”
He answered.

“Hey
Don, what’s up?” Carmen asked, trying to gauge the mood and strike up a
conversation. She realized she had to ease into it because they hadn’t spoken
in a year. That was also the last time had sex.

“What
do you want?” He whispered in an agitated tone. He was seemingly annoyed and
knew this call would bring about problems.

“I
have something to tell you.” Carmen stammered for fear of his response.

“What
is it?” He questioned, taking in a deep breath.

“I’m
at the hospital and I just gave birth to your daughter.” Carmen smiled, but it
quickly turned into a frown and tears. Don’s heart dropped and he couldn’t
believe what she was saying to him.

“You
know what Carmen? I don’t know what type of shit you’re on, but I stopped
fucking with you for a grip, that isn’t my baby!” He denied.

“How
could you say that?” Tears filled her eyes at his response. She almost thought
he would be happy, but clearly she was mistaken.

 “You
know you’re the only dude that I fucked with.” Carmen shook her head as she
couldn’t believe the words that came from his mouth.

“You
know what, what hospital are you in?” He asked angrily. She gave him the
information and room number.

Don
hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket. He headed up the spiral
staircase. When he entered the room, Maria was just finishing changing
Mercedes’ diaper.  She held Mercedes in her arm as she fed her milk from the
bottle.

“Babe,
I got to dip for a second.” Don said grabbing his jacket.

“Who
was that on the phone?” Maria asked as she eyed Don suspiciously.

“It
was my brother; I got to collect some dough from him.”

“What
time you coming back?” Maria sleepily moaned, Don walked over and kissed her on
the forehead.

“I
don’t know, but I should be back in less than an hour.” Don said as he bent
down and kissed Mercedes on the top of her curly hair.

“Alright,
love you.” Maria said as she puckered out her lips for him to kiss her.

“Love
you too baby.”

He
could feel Maria’s eyes watching him as he grabbed his car keys and headed out
the bedroom door. Once Don hopped in his Lexus, he quickly made his way to the
hospital to see if what Carmen said was true.

Fifteen
minutes later, he pulled up onto Lenox Street in front of the Harlem Hospital
Medical Center. He parked the car and got out. He headed inside as the double
doors slid open. He walked up to the receptionist and asked for Carmen Diaz.
The nurse pointed down the hall and he quickly followed her directions. As he
walked through the door, he looked as cool as ever. Carmen held her composure
as she lay in the bed, but soon old feelings started to resurface.

She
wished she could just wrap her arms around his neck, tongue him down and make
love to him. She knew that since he went to Cuba, he had changed. She knew that
things would be different after he called her another female’s name. “So what’s
up?” he asked looking around the room, “Where’s the baby?”

“She’s
in the bassinet sleeping.” Carmen pointed to where her baby was. She silently
prayed that once he saw her, his feelings would change. Don walked over to the
baby with his hands in his pocket. He looked over and stared into the baby’s
hazel eyes, she was staring straight back into his.

He
compared Carmen’s daughter to Mercedes and he didn’t see any similarities.
Although his daughter Mercedes looked more like her mother, she shared a few
resemblances of his. She was definitely a Carter. To him, Carmen’s baby looked
straight Dominican and just like her. The baby didn’t share any of the Carter
family traits. He turned around silently and coldly stared into her eyes.

“You
ready to sign the birth certificate?” Carmen excitedly asked.

“She’s
not mine.” Don nonchalantly answered. “And I don’t want you to ever call me
again. I have a beautiful wife and a gorgeous daughter. I’m not going to let
you come between us and break up my happy home.” He said. “Good luck finding
the baby’s father.”

Don
walked out and turned around to see tears forming in Carmen’s eyes. She was
shaking her head in disbelief. Her blood boiled.

 “Don’t
call me ever again Carmen, have a good life.” With that he exited her room
hoping to close a chapter in his life. He thought he had already done so one
year ago.

Carmen
sat in her bed and cried. She worried about the day she would have to explain
to her daughter that her father denied her. It was a lesson everyone would
learn severely.