Rayuga paced back and forth with her hands folded behind her back, for the first time in months, she actually missed her routine office job. She wondered what would happen tomorrow when Pep came back from Haiti, knowing what had happened last night at the club with Tash. Pep had confided in Rayuga that she wasn't ready to open up to Tash about her mother's situation and she wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to talk about it. Rayuga herself didn't know what was wrong with Pep's mother, she only knew that there was something wrong. Pep had told Tash that she would be going to Huntsman Bay for three days but told Rayuga the truth about actually going to Haiti.
Even though Rayuga didn't agree with what Pep was doing she had to allow her to handle things in her own way, Tash is young and naive and she loved Pep; she worshipped the ground she walked on. Their relationship was hot and cold but she never got in between them because she knew it wasn't none of her business especially when they always ended up back together in the end. Her grandmother had always said, "cockroach nuh business ina fowl fight" and in this case she was the cockroach.
"Can you please stop pacing, you're making me nervous." Melody sighed.
They were currently at Melody's house in her room, Rayuga had knocked on her door as early as the sun rose with bags under her eyes and wrinkled clothes.
"Honestly, I don't know if Tash is going to tell Pep but what I do know is that Pep won't do anything to you." Melody tried to reassure Yuga but her mind was already frazzled beyond repair.
"Have I never expressed to you that I am terrified of Pep?" Rayuga stopped her pacing to stare at Melody.
"You might have but it's not that serious. Why did you snap at her anyways?" Melody had wanted to ask for the longest while, Tash was the sweetest person she knew.
"She's so spoilt and entitled, it pisses me off." Rayuga sighed.
"Why does it piss you off?" Now Melody was curious.
"She's out here flaunting money, flirting with other girls, and not to mention how fucking ungrateful she is. She doesn't deserve Pep." Rayuga freed her hair from the ponytail, she felt a headache coming on.
"And who does?" Melody raised her eyebrow.
"Someone who actually sees that she's putting in work, you know? Someone who is humble and grateful, all Tash ever does is complain." Rayuga fussed.
"So, I guess she needs someone submissive who is comfortable with also being a punching bag?" Melody played with the string on her pajama shorts.
"What? No!" Rayuga started pacing again, "this has nothing to do with the fact that Pep is handsy." Rayuga pointed out.
"So you're admitting that she's handsy and that no one should even put themselves through that but yet still Tash is still around?" Melody couldn't understand Rayuga's point of view.
"She needs someone who she can talk to." Rayuga was blinded by her own thoughts, she missed every point that Melody tried to make.
"What? Rayuga Kimanie Whyte, I think you should leave that beehive alone." Melody hoped that Rayuga would understand.
Rayuga was about to start again but Melody cut her off, "I'm not going to sit and listen to you anymore. You're not making sense! Tasheka is the sweetest, most loving person I know! Pep is such a better person since she came around and even though I hate what happened to her in the past, I've tried to help her but Pep wouldn't see reasoning! I begged her to sneak away and go back to her aunt or save money for a plane ticket but guess who's still here?" Melody pointed her finger towards the tiled floors.
"She's sticking around for the money!" Rayuga argued.
"My God! Are you hearing yourself? Pep slapped the shit out of me when I tried to help Tash!! Who's the real fucking demon here? I don't get why you're against Tash so much when she hasn't done anything! Pep counts money in the club, Mr. Brown counts money in the club! Did you even ask her why she was counting the money? Or why she had so much money on her?" Melody was standing now.
"Because she's hype." Rayuga moved closer to her.
"Yuh fucking stupid? Or just plain dumb?" Melody hissed her teeth. "You are getting yourself into something that you might end up missing, fucking beaten to a pulp by Pep herself or fucking dead! Don't you see the kind of relationship they have? Do you think Pep will believe what you're saying? Tash can say any fucking thing and Pep will believe, she can say you said something that you didn't say and guess who's gone be a dead bitch? You!" Melody was getting upset.
"Take my foolish advice bruh, stay outa that shit, and hope that Tash doesn't use the power she has over Pep against you. They are persons you want to be on the same side as, not against. Stay out of it or end up in a cage, it's as simple as that. Now please, go home." Melody pulled the door to her bedroom and waited on Rayuga to walk out before following her to the front door.
Pep sat on the back porch staring out at the large land space, she built this house for her mother a long time ago, she wanted her parents to be comfortable but now her mother was dying and she didn't know what to do. She wondered what Tash was doing at the current moment, she got the message that the strippers were paid and that the bills were cleared off. Pep loved how efficient Tash was, she didn't have to worry about anything not being done properly. Her bodyguards reported that she had an altercation with the 'Asian girl'. They didn't know about what exactly because they weren't in hearing range. She was very curious about the altercation, she hoped Rayuga didn't spill the Haiti secret but she didn't want it to be anything that they couldn't forgive each other for. Pep didn't like Rayuga in the beginning but she had grown on her.
"Taidan?" She heard her father opened the mesh door.
"Yes, father?" Pep didn't look around, she knew he was going to sit in the chair beside her.
"How are you holding up?" He rested a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine. How about you?" Her voice was void of any emotions, she didn't love this man, he never had anything good to say.
"I just need to know if I'll be able to keep the house after she dies." He chuckled.
"Wow, mom's health is decreasing and the house is all you can think about? Your name is not on the land title so I guess you better start finding somewhere to rest your head." Pep shook her head.
"Look at all those whores you have and all that drugs you're pushing and you can't buy a house for your father?" Markland, Pep's father, was a hostile man; he was never a father figure.
"Markland, I don't know what you're talking about but I suggest you stop falsely accusing me." Pep finally turned to look at her father.
"Oh, come on! We're the only persons here, you can tell me." He jeered her on.
"There's nothing to tell," Pep gritted her teeth. "Now, if you excuse me I'm going to go check on my mother." Pep quickly rose and walked off.
"You can continue lying to her but you don't fool me one bit, everyone's talking about it. Only a matter of time before the FBI gets involved." He said.
"Ther-" Pep started.
"Your poor mother is going to die defending you. I guess it's better cancer takes her, at least she won't have to witness her precious - can do no wrong- daughter get busted by the FBI!" Markland laughed heartily while Pep stomped off slamming the mesh door behind her.
Her father always knew how to press her buttons, she was always suspicious of him; she didn't trust him. He would be the first person to sell her out but it really wouldn't benefit him because he wasn't entitled to anything and even if the FBI did catch up with her, they'd cease everything and she couldn't allow that to happen.
"AUUUUNNTTYYY!!" Mesha, her youngest niece, ran up to her.
"Hey, kiddo!" She braced herself for the impact, she knew she was going to latch onto her leg.
"Where's your mom?" Pep ruffled her hair while she laughed.
"She's on her way in, her tummy got so big!" Mesha giggled.
Her sister, Tamika, came through the door trying to balance the bags she had. Pep briskly walked over to help her not wanting her to do too much since she was pregnant.
"I'm pregnant not fucking handicapped." Tamika cursed while offloading the bags onto Pep.
Pep shook her head and walked off towards the kitchen with the bags. "I was just about to go visit mom." She said to her sister.
"Where's dad?" Tamika avoided her statement.
"He's by the back." Pep answered because she couldn't bother with the follow-up questions.
"I'm going to visit mom so I guess I'll see you later. Can I bring Mesha?" Pep grabbed her keys from the island and walked back towards her sister.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Tamika fanned her off while rushing towards the back porch.
Pep will never understand why she and her brother loved that man so much when he was the devil's incarnate. She pushed Mesha forward to let her know that they were going out. Excitedly, Mesha skipped her way to the car with a gloomy Pep following behind her.
They were in the car, driving out when Mesha asked "Aunty? Why my mom has no time for me?"
Pep glanced over at her big brown eyes and sighed, unfortunately, she didn't have an appropriate answer for that. "Maybe she's too busy kissing her Dad's ass to see you." Pep shrugged.
"Huh?" Mesha was confused, she didn't understand what her aunty meant.
"Why do you dress like a boy?" Mesha changed the subject.
"Why do you dress like a girl?" Pep raised her eyebrow.
"Because I'm a giiirl, silly!" Mesha laughed out.
"Because I'm a lesb- because I like dressing this way." Pep withdrew her statement, she really didn't know how to act around kids.
"Mom says it's because you're a dyke. What's a dyke?" Mesha's curious tone caught her off guard.
"Your mom is a whore, that's what the fuck she is!" Pep harshly whispered.
"What!?" Mesha jumped in her seat.
"Did you hear what I just said?" Pep asked the little girl in French.
Mesha shook her head no, "thank God." Pep sighed.
"Don't listen to your mom, okay? She's just mean." Pep reached over and patted her niece's leg.
"Why don't you live here anymore?" Mesha continued with her interrogation.
"Because I work for a company overseas and that requires me to be in the country." Pep focused on turning on the narrow road. She imagined how Tash would handle her little niece, Pep really wanted them to have kids.
"Can I come to work for the company too?" Mesha asked.
"No." Pep didn't falter with her answer.
"Why not?" Mesha raised her voice.
"Hey, hey! Calm yourself." She pushed Mesha's head with her fingers.
"I don't want to stay here. I'll come work and you don't have to take care of me." Mesha pleaded.
"Unfortunately, kiddo. That's not how it works." Pep sighed.
"But.. if I'm working then it must works." Mesha tried to reason.
"You're too smart for your own good." Pep laughed.
"Thanks, Aunty Taidan, my mom says I'm slow all the time." Mesha got sad.
"Don't believe that," Pep wished she could call her sister a cunt, "woman."
"I love you." Mesha showed her signature cutie pie smile.
"I know kiddo, I'm amazing." Pep reached over to pat her head.
They got to the hospital just in time for visiting hours. She left Mesha sitting behind the receptionist's desk because she couldn't come in and they offered to keep her for a while. Pep walked into the room closing the door behind her, she drew the chair in front of her mother's bed and watched her sleep. She really loved her mother, she meant the world to her. Pep didn't want to leave her but she wanted to make money and she couldn't do it in her home country. She had wanted to confess everything to her mother more than once and more than once she had wanted to leave St Amrys to come home to her mother. Pep always joked that she was waiting on Markland to die first but it seemed as if God had other plans, he always took the one you wanted to keep.
The tears slid from Pep's eyes as she held onto her mother's hand and squeezed it. She didn't want to lose her, she wanted to keep her around for much longer but cancer had spread quickly, and apparently there was nothing they could do because they picked up the symptoms too late. Pep's mom was always stronger than she needed to be, everything Pep did was for her. The money was so that she could retire comfortably, she loved the house- she was the one who designed it. They had dreams of living in this house since they were younger, her father and other siblings would laugh at them thinking they were living a fairytale but look where they were now. They were all dependent on Pep and the house she built for her mother.
This was too sad and depressing for Pep, she couldn't handle her emotions; she didn't know how to. Things changed since Tash came into her life but she was still working on being a more open and expressive person, Tash deserved that. There was something that held her back, something that kept her lips glued together whenever she tried to express herself but she was going to try for Tash. She didn't deserve her and everyone could see that but she didn't want to be without her so she didn't care what others thought. Pep was selfish and impulsive, as long as she benefitted she was alright but it turned out to be more than that when she really got to know Tash so yes, Tasheka more than deserved it. Opening up was the least Pep could do, the most was something totally different.