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Reader's Name: Monae./Mo. Starring: Lil Meech.
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"Mo, has Meech paid this month's rent yet?"
The woman with melanated skin perked up her ears at the question. Her mother was sitting on a dark green desk chair, leaning her back against the seat behind a rectangular mahogany desk. She had a lit blunt between her fingers and the smoke was flowing out of the end. There was an ashtray on the desk, a few thick wads of cash that were bound together by red rubber bands. The woman turned her head to look at her mother, who was sitting in the middle of the spacious room. Their eyes met, and the woman's expression was dull and tight-lipped, reflecting her thoughts. The four walls surrounding them were painted emerald green and decorated with framed documents and R&B singers from back in the day.
The room was filled with the familiar scents of rich perfume and weed. Sometimes, the woman wished her mother would change, but those smells remained constant. Beneath their feet, the brown hardwood floors creaked as the soulful voices of The O'Jays' "Who Am I" played softly from a red vinyl record player. The woman was always a fan of old-school songs and kept her taste in music the same.
Monae was living in the apartment complex that her mother owned to lie low from her enemies for a while after a tenant told them where she was, If the tenant can't pay rent or didn't follow her rules then it would be a problem. Empress's bodyguard Marcel killed the unnamed tenant & her enemies before her business could collapse.
Her nickname in the streets was Empress, which meant she ruled the city of Miami she used to play in when she was a kid but when she had Monae, it was time to step up. she tried to change for the sake of her daughter. To only pay off the apartment complex to run this place.
Her mother didn't tolerate any excuses when it came to her money or the tenants in the apartment complex that she owned, being feared or as she liked to call it well-respected landlord. Monae often thought 'i should've stayed with my dad' yet it was too late when her dad couldn't do it due to him sleeping with another woman.
"He paid his rent last month Mom, it's never overdue like Rico's." Monae reassures, nonchalantaly shrugging. She was well aware of her mother's dislike of Meech like he wasn't supposed to be here when he moved in.
Empress hummed softly as she looked at her daughter, "If you say so, baby girl stay away from him. He's bad for you." She spoke firmly, her disapproval evident in her voice. "At least Rico won't be around tonight," she added, earning a tired sigh from Monae.
Empress sweetly kissed her forehead, she assuredly stated, "I'm serious this time, but thank you for the reminder." With a warm smile, "I love you." she expressed her love for her daughter.
In response, "love you too." she turned on her black converse with white laces, her dark brown box braids swaying in a ponytail. She sported a black tee shirt and shorts with pockets and two drawstrings. she couldn't help but wonder: why couldn't Empress trust her instead of trusting her word?
