Bad Apple - the Baddest Chick(51)
“I’m good, Ms. Thomas. Is Mesha around?”
“Oh dear, she didn’t get home from work yet. You wanna come in?”
“Nah, Ms. Thomas, that’s OK. How you been, though?” Apple asked with concern.
Before Ms. Thomas could answer, she let out a terrible cough. She leaned beside the doorway and clutched her cane tighter as the heavy coughing continued. For a moment, she looked out of breath, like she was ready to collapse at Apple’s feet, but she got herself together and continued on with her talk.
“I’m so sorry about that, Apple. This poor ol’ body is trying to wear out on me,” she said, a little winded, attempting to smile.
“You OK?” Apple asked.
“I’ve been better.”
*****
Ms. Thomas was a frail-looking woman. Despite her high spirits, her health was declining fast. She’d been diagnosed with cancer a few months earlier, and it was spreading fast throughout her body. Uninsured, and with little income coming in, her hospital bills were piling up every month.
Mesha was stressed over her grandmother’s health, and the sales job she had at the mall barely covered the bills. She was soon forced into a corner when they received an eviction notice on their door. On top of that, her grandmother’s long hospital stay in the late spring put them in so much debt, she felt she needed to look to other resources. The first thing she did was go to her boyfriend, but he didn’t have any savings. He had worked as a paralegal for the City of New York, but right before he completed his probationary period he was let go. Not enough money in the budget for all the new hires. With the horrible economy, he’d been out of work for months.
She soon turned to Supreme for the money to stop the eviction from happening, since being homeless with a sick grandmother wasn’t an option for her. Supreme lent her the money, and then shortly after, her debt, like everyone else’s, began spiraling out of control.
Mesha was ready to f-uck Supreme to cancel her debt when she couldn’t afford to pay it back, but Apple quickly put a stop to that, and the threats followed right after. Mesha was shocked that her once best friend could turn on her like they were strangers, and they got into a small confrontation a week back.
*****
Apple had said to her, “Yo, it’s just business, Mesha. It ain’t personal.”
“Business? You gonna do me like that, Apple? I thought we were friends.”
“We good, but we’ll be even better if you pay me my money that you owe.”
“After all these years, the shit we did together, and you know my grandmother is sick? Apple, where the f-uck I’m gonna get almost two thousand dollars from? Shit, I only borrowed nine hundred.”
“Look, Mesha, like I said, it ain’t personal, it’s just business—”
Mesha shouted, “It is f*ckin’ personal! How can you just do me like this after all the shit I f*ckin’ done for you? Are you f*ckin serious?” She wiped the tears that streamed down her face. “You used to stay at my house when your f*cked-up moms used to run you out.”
“Look, Mesha, I don’t wanna have to f-uck you up. I know we go way back. That’s why I gave you some time, but you got a week.”
“A week?”
“Yeah.”
“And then what?” Mesha asked with attitude.
“Then it becomes personal wit’ you and me.” Apple turned to walk away.
Mesha stood there fuming. Then she shouted, “Fuck you, bitch! Get the f-uck away from my crib! How dare you! What? You Supreme’s ho now? Huh, bitch? You his dumb f*ckin’ bitch?”
Apple ignored the insults and kept it moving. She could still hear Mesha cursing her out when she trotted down the pissy stairway.
*****
A week later, now Apple was back at Mesha’s door, talking to her sickly grandmother like things between her and Mesha were good. Apple remembered the many days she’d spent at Mesha’s crib when staying at her own place became too hectic to deal with. But she quickly blocked out that memory and focused on getting her money.
“Ms. Thomas, you take care of yourself. I’ll catch Mesha some other time,” Apple said with a smile.
“You too, Apple. Take care, and please come by more often. I haven’t seen you around,” Ms. Thomas said, unaware of the beef between her granddaughter and Apple.
“I’ll try.” Apple smiled.
When Ms. Thomas closed her door, Apple didn’t leave right away. Instead, she lingered near the stairway, being shadowed in the corner. Looking at the time on her watch, she knew Mesha would be on her way home from work soon. Determined to confront her about her debt once more, she waited for a moment.
When Apple heard the sound of the elevator reaching the floor, she figured it was Mesha and was ready to face her like a raging bull. She stayed poised near the elevator. The second Mesha stepped out of it, she would be on her like stink on shit.
The solid doors slowly slid behind the walls, giving access to the iron lift. The minute Apple saw Mesha step out, holding onto her purse, fumbling with her house keys, looking exhausted after a long day at work, she jumped on her, pushing her back into the elevator with force.
“Where the f-uck is my money?”
Caught off guard, a look of shock registered across Mesha’s pretty light-skin face. Apple moved in on her with the speed of lightning. Before Mesha could defend herself, the nickel-plated .22 in Apple’s hand came across her face with a vicious blow, dropping her back and stunning her. The contents of her purse spilled out onto the floor when Apple knocked her to the ground with the second strike.