Sasha tucked a big bundle of cash in an envelope, then a smaller one in another envelope. She placed both inside her purse, put on a pair of joggers and a hoodie, then made her way downstairs. In the three weeks she’d lived with Darnell, she’d learned his schedule. On weekdays like this, he stayed out until 8pm. At the garage, she unlocked one of his cars, got in and turned the ignition on. She had two hours.
She drove until she neared a familiar street, then she stopped and alighted. She carried her purse past a corner that led to a diner. It was front meant to hide what the place truly was. She took a seat on one of the tables and waited for someone to approach her.
A waiter in his 20s spotted her and walked over with a note and a pen in his hand. “Hi, I’m Chu. What can I get you?” he said, smiling welcomely.
He was a new face. She knew what to do. “I want to see the chef,” she said.
“Wrong order?” Chu asked.
“No. I want to personally thank him for a good meal.” She tapped her purse.
“Alright. Follow me.”
Sasha followed Chu through a narrow space that led to the kitchen and then past it to another room where some men in aprons mixed powders.
“Yo, Biggy! Come get your compliment,” Chu yelled.
A bald, fair-skinned, six-foot-nine, muscular man emerged from a corner and made his way to Sasha. “I was starting to think I’d have to pay you a visit,” his deep bellowed.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy…”
“I don’t care, Shortcakes. Where’s the money? And you better have my late fee or I’m not taking it to Lucious.”
“Yes, of course.” Sasha dipped her hand in her purse and thrusted the envelopes forward. “Twenty thousand for two months, plus an extra four for you.”
“Nice,” Biggy said as he looked inside the envelopes.
“My next visit will be the last. I’ll be bringing the rest of the money. Bring a bag,” Sasha said.
“Four million?” Biggy asked.
“Yeah.”
Biggy bent his neck sideway. “What have you gotten your hands into, Shortcake?” He smirked lifted an eyebrow.
“See you later, Biggy,” Sasha said as she turned around to leave.
Outside, she got back into the car and exhaled. A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and in a few weeks, she’d be even lighter. Five years of been tied to this place was coming to an end.
The first time she met Lucious was a few months after her father’s death. He’d paid them a visit to let them know that her father had borrowed some money from him to fuel his gambling addiction. He wanted his money back. Sasha and Tatiana had paid a percentage of their salaries for the past five years, but the interest had only extended.
Tatiana couldn’t make the payment for the past two months, and without her job, neither could Sasha, so she’d done the only thing she could think of.
She turned the ignition on and the car revved to life. As she drove off, she said a little prayer in her heart that Darnell wouldn’t notice the money she had taken from his account.
*
Darnell needed to confront Sasha about her withdrawal after he was notified by the bank on suspicion of fraud. He found her at the gym, where she was running on a treadmill. A pair of headphones covered her ears, so he pointed to his ears when she looked at him. She stopped the machine and pulled her headphones down to her neck.
“What’s up?” she asked, dabbing off sweat from her forehead with a towel.
“Did you make a withdrawal of 25k two days ago?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied in between breaths. “Is that a problem?”
“What was the money for?”
“Clothes, shoes…stuff,” she replied. Her eyes darted around like she was trying to avoid looking at his.
His eyes narrowed. “And you needed cash for that?
“I wanted some cash for a change. It won’t happen again if it’s a problem.” She bit her lower lip.
“Okay.” His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
He had no reason to trust her, he thought as he left. If she was doing something behind his back, he had to find out. He had to get someone to watch her.
*
Grandfather was in his bedroom when Sasha and Darnell arrived at his home. An oxygen tank at his bedside was connected to the mask over his face. His doctor checked his vitals and wrote something in a note before exiting the room, leaving Darnell and Sasha alone with him.
“How long?” Darnell asked.
He and Sasha were standing near the edge of Grandfather’s bed.
“Two weeks,” Grandfather said, raising two fingers. Hot air filled his transparent mask as he mouthed the words.
It was almost unreal seeing what an illness could make of a man like Grandfather. Darnell still had vivid memories of how his younger self feared him. From the age of ten, he’d started hiding his toys whenever Grandfather visited, because he got angry at his childishness.
At fifteen, Grandfather had scolded him for crying about his dead dog. “I didn’t realize your mother had a daughter,” he said. “If you wish to be a girl, then be prepared for your brother to take your place as your father’s heir. Because, I’ll make sure that happens.”
Grandfather was a patriarch and a competitor who took down anyone who was a threat to him. He wasn’t the same man lying in bed now, barely able to form a full word and needing help to get out of bed. Though, it was like him to have survived pulmonary disease for three years ago. But even a man as powerful as him couldn’t cheat death.
“Did you sign off your shares yet?”
Sasha’s eyes widened in shock. She looked at Grandfather, and then at Darnell? How could that be his concern at that moment? How could he be so cruel?”
Grandfather laughed and it turned into a cough. He lifted his mask to speak. “What’s the point if you’re going to get it after I’m gone? Have some patience, my boy. Besides, God might just decide to extend my life again.”
“I just wanted to make sure that it’s still mine. You told me if I didn’t do what you asked, you’d give it to my brother.”
So, this is what it’s all about, Sasha thought. Darnell had faked a marriage for his dying Grandfather over an inheritance. He was worse than she thought, and she couldn’t wait to get away from him for good.
“You don’t have to worry about it,” Grandfather said. He started coughing again.
Sashe moved closer to the bed. “Can I get you anything, Grandfather?”
“No,” Grandfather said nonchalantly and put his mask back on.
“We should go,” Darnell said to Sasha. He needed to get her out of there before she offered to do anything else and saw a side of Grandfather she didn’t deserve to see.
In the car ride back home, Sasha throat burned to let out the words she couldn’t hold back. She glanced at Darnell—who was looking ahead—over and over, trying to find the right way to say them, but couldn’t bring herself to.
“What?” he asked without looking in her direction.
“I know it’s none of my business but…I think your grandfather deserved better than your main concern at his deathbed being shares,” she said. “He’s dying. You thought it was the right time to ask him about your inheritance? How could you be so…cold?” She frowned and looked out the window.
Darnell’s eyes remained on the road. If only she knew that he was exactly the kind of man Grandfather had raised him to be. That if he’d showed a bit of emotion, Grandfather would have been irritated. Death was a natural part of life that a man should face with courage, not cowardice. That was his belief. Even when his father died, Grandfather didn’t cry. Neither did he.
She had no idea, so it was easy for her to judge. He didn’t care to explain himself to her either. In a few weeks, she’d be out of his life and he’d be back to his.
He made the driver stop at King Hotel. When the car came to a halt, he looked at Sasha, and, before alighting, said, “Like you said, it’s none of your business.”
