The Glamorous Life (35 page)

“Get this fat midget off me,” he said, sweat dripping from his forehead. “Come on now. Get it away from round me.” He seemed to pleading to someone. Then he started muttering, and she couldn’t understand what he was saying. She backed away, terrified of him, but he didn’t even seem to know she was still in the room.

Finally the tranquilizer fully kicked in, and he wobbled to the bed. Bambi had never been so scared in her life. He passed out across the bed diagonally. She poked his back, but he wasn’t moving. His breathing sounded short and ragged.

Bambi quickly got back into her clothes, gathered up her things, grabbed her cell phone, and called Cook’em-up.

“He’s out cold,” she said. “I’ll leave the door open, and you can do whatever.”

“Did he drink all the stuff?”

“Like a fish,” she said, glancing once more at the naked man sprawled over the bed.

“Then you can lock the door behind you. You’ve done all that needed to be done. You can go ahead and leave. He won’t be waking up.”

As she realized what had just occurred, Bambi became angry. She felt double-crossed by Lynx’s right hand, whom he loved like a brother. Lynx had told her that if he ever died or had to go to prison that Cook’em-up would take care of her.

How could this man ever take care of me if he just set me up to commit murder? Damn, I had no idea that I was going to have to do Ronnie in myself. Cook’em-up lied about it being only a mild tranquilizer. I know this wasn’t a part of Lynx’s plan.

She knew Cook’em-up had never trusted her, and she realized that now that she had murdered someone, Cook’em-up felt like he finally could accept Bambi fully into Lynx’s life. With a murder under her belt, there was no way possible if the heat ever came that she’d be able to cross him up with the police. These were hard pills for her to swallow. For a minute she contemplated killing Cook’em-up herself. Now that she had actually killed, it wouldn’t take much for her to kill again.

“Why you worrying about me? You better be watching your step, Cook’em-up,” she said to herself as she locked the door behind her and hurried down the hallway to the elevator. She pushed the
down
button.

CHAPTER 38

The Truth Shall Set You Free

A
s Bambi put the baby down for a nap, she knew it wouldn’t be long before they found Ronnie’s body in North Carolina. Once they did the charges against Lynx would be dropped since Ronnie was the only witness. Soon Lynx would be able to return home. Having his passport stamped by Canadian officials would give him all the alibi he needed in case they wanted to try to pin Ronnie’s murder on him, too.

While she put the cover on the baby, Egypt and Tricia waited for her at the door.

Tricia took her into the living room and sat her down.

“I asked Egypt to be here for support while I tell you what I need to get off of my chest,” Tricia said nervously.

“What is it, Mommy? Please, I can’t take any more bad news right now.”

“Well, let me share with you my news then, first,” Egypt cut in. “You know I have been going to the prisons for years to see dudes. Well, I am getting married to my baby, Shawn.”

“You mean the dude that was in the fed with Lynx?” Bambi asked in shock.

Egypt nodded. “I know he got life, but he makes me happy. He stimulates my mind, and I love him like I’ve never loved a man. So please be happy for me.”

Bambi looked into Egypt’s eyes, which were shining with tears of happiness.

“I am happy for you, if you are happy. I will even be there with you when you get married,” Bambi said.

“Thank you so much! You are truly the best friend in the world,” Egypt said while she hugged her friend. “Ruby even said she’d come over to go with us.”

Bambi was happy for Egypt, but she dreaded hearing bad news from Tricia. She hoped she didn’t have some sickness or something from when she was drinking all the time. What if she’d gotten a disease from some man? Whatever it was, she’d better face up to it.

“Now, Mommy, give it to me. Tell me,” she demanded to know.

“It’s not that bad, actually. It could be good after the initial shock wears off,” Egypt assured her friend.

Tricia began to cry, and Bambi went over to the plastic-covered sofa and hugged her mother. Egypt moved over to be closer to Bambi and put her arms around Bambi to comfort her. Bambi told her mother in a soothing tone, “You know whatever it is, I’ll understand. We’ve been through hell and back, so what can be so heavy that I can’t handle?”

Tricia wiped her eyes with the tissue that Egypt handed her. “Look, baby, every decision that I have ever made concerning you has always been with your best interest at heart.”

“I know that, Mommy.”

“Since I’ve stopped drinking and been going to church, I’ve
been thinking a lot, wanting to get this off my chest, so I can be free and not have to carry any burdens around.”

“Okay, Mommy.” Bambi glanced at Egypt, who already seemed to know the big secret.

“Since you were small, you’ve always asked me why your middle name is Lloyd’dess. I’ve always told you it was after someone who was dear to me, right?”

“Yes, you said a close friend who lived far away but was always dear to your heart,” Bambi said.

“Well, that man’s name is Lloyd, and he is your father.”

“What?” Bambi said, shocked.

“Listen, let her finish,” Egypt interrupted, because she knew questions were being conjured up in Bambi’s head.

“His name is Lloyd ‘Slot Machine’ Pitman. We grew up in the same neighborhood. He was older than me, and I loved him so much. But he had a girlfriend at the time, and he loved her more than he could ever love me. He was known for robbing banks and for his money. I started seeing your father— well, Bob—to make him jealous.”

Tricia took a deep breath and continued. “Once Lloyd found out I was pregnant, there was no doubt he knew it was his, but he got locked up two days after I told him. He didn’t have any way to get me any money because his girlfriend had all the money, and he couldn’t tell her about me because then he’d put himself in the situation of her leaving with all of it. Being the hustler that he was, he didn’t want to see you without, so he told me to play on Bob and use Bob as my ticket out of the ghetto. I did that simply to make a better life for you.”

Bambi said, “So Bob isn’t my father.”

Bambi was confused, but happy knowing that she hadn’t been written off by her father. Although her mother had no reason to withhold such a heart-wrenching secret from her, she
was relieved because she was sure that anything that Lloyd could offer her was better than Bob ever had.

“No, he isn’t. I’m sorry, baby. It’s killed me over the years to withhold that information from you for so long. I see so much of Lloyd in you. Everyone says you take after me, but when I see your finesse and how you can look into the ugliest situation and find a hustle in it, I could never take the credit for it. That’s all Lloyd. Baby, all I can say to you is that I am sorry.”

“Ma, there ain’t no need to be! I know you did best—and what you did was out of love. I only wish you would have told me earlier while I was dying for Bob to love me. I would have been happier having a father in prison who loved me than a father out here who could give a damn.”

“I didn’t know how you would react.”

“Where is he now? Lloyd, I mean.”

“He just came home from jail a couple of months ago. He’s asking about you but agreed not to bother you if you are happy.”

“I want to see him.”

“It’s more,” Egypt said. Bambi turned to look at her friend. “I know I have always been the closest thing you’ve had to a sister, but you have a real sister. Her name is Yarni, and I met her. She’s just like us.”

“For real!” Bambi got excited.

“Yes! I met her for lunch. She’s a year older than you. Y’all have the same birthday. Y’all have the same taste. She has one of the same Prada bags you have; she’s fly like you. Y’all even walk alike.”

“For real! I can’t wait to meet her.”

“You will soon,” Egypt said.

“So, Ma, when did you see Lloyd?”

“Well …” Tricia looked like she was at a loss for words.

“Well, he was actually the one who gave me the other half of the money for my plastic surgery.”

“For real?” Bambi was shocked, but then a thought ran across her head. “Well, dag where he get money from if he’s been locked up all those years?”

“Bambi … baby, let me tell you. I told you yo daddy is a stone-cold hustler from the heart. He could take soda cans and turn them into millions. But seriously he’s just spending his money from the seventies, that’s all.”

“Dammmmnnnn … tell Daddy Warbucks I said ‘Don’t hide it, divide it.’ No, I’m just playing. I really can’t wait to see him,” Bambi said. It felt like her life was finally coming together. She had it all—the man, the baby, and now, finally, her daddy. This was her payday, as far as she was concerned.

Bambi turned to her mother and hugged her. As she felt her mother’s arms around her, she said, “I’m so happy. Thank you for telling me everything. Thank you so much.”

CHAPTER 39

At the End of the Day

A
fter the whole ordeal in North Carolina, Bambi had to rush to New York for a live taping of
Oh Drama!
to discuss party planning. She didn’t want to go, but she also didn’t want to upset her new publicist, who had been working so hard for her lately. With all Bambi’s personal drama, she had missed a couple of things the publicist had set up. No matter how she was feeling, she knew she had to put on her game face and pull it together, and she did.

Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that far back in the rain forest of Central America, BET would even be an option and Loot’chee would be watching. He damn near shit his pants when he heard her voice and saw her in the flesh still maintaining, looking like a million dollars, hands and ears blinging. And federal prison khaki brown wasn’t the color she was wearing, either.

“This bitch played the fuck out of me!” He shook his head and said, “I don’t believe this slick-ass, conniving
bitch
!” The
more he studied how relaxed and carefree Bambi looked, talking about her life as a party and event planner, the madder he got.

“I am really happy, and I love what I do,” she said with a wide smile.

“This no-good beeitch got me sitting down this ma’fucka living like Tarzan, getting ate up by vampire mosquitos and shit. While this bitch is living the damn glamorous life.” Loot’chee laughed a little because he couldn’t believe how she had played him.

“What would you say to up-and-coming party planners who desire to be at your level in the game?” the host of the show asked.

Bambi looked confidently into the camera and shot straight from the hip. “Never give up; always know that you can do anything you put your mind to. Just stay focused and don’t let the haters or any people who mean you no good stand in your way.”

At that moment Loot’chee felt like she was talking about him. He screamed at the television as if she could hear him, “
Bitch,
you wanna fuck wit me? You crossed me! Don’t nobody cross Loot’chee Meney and get away with it!” He guzzled down his Guinness Stout and slammed the bottle on the table. “You wanna play with me? Try Lotto. You would’ve had better chances winning! I promise you, you gone be dealt wit. Yo ass ain’t untouchable!”

He pulled out his gun and shot the television set, emptying the entire clip into the television.

“Damn that bitch made me waste my new hollow-point bullets on her scandalous ass! Now I gotta kill the bitch twice now. A no-good bitch!”