Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Valentina entered the holy church with a kind smile spread across her face. Going to church made her heart feel light and free of burden. Valentina made her way to the benches at the back of the church and plopped herself on the wooden seat.
From afar, Ezekiel caught sight of her and waved, glad to know that she came despite her friend and Mylene's feuding. Valentina watched as Mylene stepped up to the stage and Zeke played with some keys on the piano before the celebration of God began.
Her eyes trailed Señor Cruz, Mylene's father, and watched him as he spoke to Mylene. Mylene's bright face fell as her father spoke to her and she became frantic. Mylene was then sent to the back of the choir, with a desperate expression displayed upon her facial features.
A figure towered over Valentina from behind and it began to speak. A masculine voice was evident as the person spoke and Valentina turned to face him. "I heard some good things about the lead singer of this choir, she's supposed to be the next Ms. Disco Queen according to a colleague." He told a quiet Valentina.
Val nodded, then it dawned upon her. It was the Grammy-winning record producer, Jackie. He was the drug addict producer Star was ranting about to Mylene. He was the one that was, supposedly, going to make Mylene a star. Valentina panicked, she had a sudden urge to help Mylene.
"Actually, the pastor moved her to the back. She doesn't seem like she's going to be singing lead today..." Val mentioned, hoping that he wouldn't focus his attention on the new lead vocalist.
Jackie nodded and huffed. The two sat in silence as they watched the cringe-worthy performance to celebrate their God, and Valentina hoped that Jackie wouldn't find Mylene displeasing because of it. "She's actually really great." Valentina noted the moment she noticed Jackie getting up to leave.
"Sure, whatever." Jackie shrugged and began to walk away, out of the building.
Valentina began to run after him, but Señor Cruz stopped him. "¿Cuál es tu nombre?" He asked Jackie.
Pressing his sunglasses closer to his face, he answered: "Jackie."
"Jackie, the lord has a message for you! Paciencia y fe! Praise him, praise god!" Señor Cruz exclaimed and skipped away to the front of the church once again.
Mr. Cruz continued to shout indecipherable things into the microphone as the crowd went wild, throwing themselves on the ground and thanking god for the blessings in their life. Jackie restarted his trek out of the church, when the new lead singer began to sing— stopping him in his tracks.
She was completely off pitch and flat. Jackie scrunched up his face. Valentina sighed and shot Mylene a worried look from afar. Mylene got the message and pretended to faint so that the attention could divert to her on stage. She began to hold a note as the choir carried her to the front of the stage.
Jackie, once again, stopped in his tracks at the door as he was finally exiting the vast church. He looked back at Mylene and recognized her presence. She stomped her foot to begin a beat and began to sing in Spanish, emotionally. She pulled off her robe, revealing a risqué disco dress.
Mylene changed her Spanish church song into an original English disco song. She danced around the stage as she sang about praising god, hyping up the crowd. When she finished the crowd was silent. Jackie seemed quite impressed as he was the only one clapping after she finished singing.
"What'd I tell you?" Valentina felt herself shout over the silent, astonished crowd.
* * *
When Valentina finally arrived home on that breezy Sunday, she found her mother sitting quietly on the couch. "Hey, mama." Val greeted her strangely stiff mother.
When Val rounded the corner, she found a gunman pointing a unreasonably large gun at her mother. Valentina gasped, backing away until her back hit the cold wall. "What the hell you want?! Money?! I'll give it to you!" Val shouted.
The man simply chuckled and cocked his head at Valentina. "Baby girl, you should know that your mama is worth a hell of a lot more than money these days." The man smiled cheekily.
Makayla scoffed, continuing to remain in her statue-like state. "Leave her outta this!" Makayla hissed.
The man smirked when he realized what was going on. "Oh, so... she don't know?" The man asked Makayla.
Makayla gulped and slowly nodded, knowing that it was far too late to hide anything from her daughter anymore. "Your mama here, is a drug lord. She sure made a lot of bankrolled a couple decades ago, and is trying to make that same money now— even if that means crossing a few boundaries with Fat Annie." The man explained to a shaky Valentina.
The memories of every business related event her mother had to attend to rushed into Val's mind. All of the broken puzzle pieces of memories in her mind came together to form one wholesome picture that all made sense. She realized things that she had overlooked and pieced together answers she had been looking for for so long.
"I— I—" Val stammered.
Makayla sucked in a cool breath through her teeth. "Sorry, baby. It's the only thing I know how to do, and I'm good at it, too. I was just trying to build my family over here, but that seems to get a bit complicated when you got some heavy competition like Fat Annie working over here." Makayla rolled her eyes in annoyance. She knew she would be able to become the biggest drug lord in New York, and maybe eventually the country, but she seemed to be having a little difficulty of overcoming the challenges of gaining respect from Fat Annie and her people. They simply loved challenging Makayla's dominance.
Val froze in place as her mind buffered to catch up with reality. Makayla ran her hand under her thigh and into the cushions of the couch as the gunman was eyeing Valentina. She felt a cool metal hit her skin, and instantly knew that it was the gun she had hid.
Swiftly, she whipped it out and efficiently shot the man in the leg. Her gun had a meticulous silencer to keep the sound of the gun from booming and the curiosity of her neighbors at bay. The man groaned and grabbed his leg, instinctively. Makayla confidently stood up and wandered over to the man, pressing the barrel of the gun to his head. Valentina only stared in shock at the visual.
"You will leave this apartment complex right now, and will never tell anyone where I am living— or else you, and the rest of your family members will be dead within the next hour of you allowing that information slip past your lips. I'm sure Jelani, Colandrea and Reggie wouldn't appreciate it if they were dead." Makayla growled, naming off his wife and two children.
"How do you know—" The man began.
"Do you want to know how I will send someone to go kill them all as you ask me your question? Or do you want to leave and I'll leave you alone for the rest of your days?" Makayla inquired. The man gulped and hobbled out of the apartment, holding his gun close to his body.
"Sorry you had to see that, Valentina." Makayla neared her daughter and squeezed her.
"I didn't want to be like those people in the street, mama, but I guess we just like them: criminals." Valentina shook her head disappointedly at her mother.
Makayla crossed her arms and raised her long brow. "We are those people in the street. And there's only one way to survive living on these streets: fight your way to the top. It's the survival of the fittest around her, and I'd like to think that I'm fit."
