The Cartel - Ashley Antoinette Snell [3]
Without saying a word, Polo took a sip out of the same cup, signaling his response to Carter’s proposition. He passed the cup to the next man, and he did the same. Real niggas did real things, and the cup got passed around the room, and all men drank from the same cup.
Mecca and Money peeked around the corner, listening in on their father’s meeting. Although they were only fourteen, they wanted so bad to be a part of The Cartel. They both noticed at an early age how much respect their father received from everyone in the streets. They would get special treatment in school from teachers and students. Some of their friends’ parents would go as far as giving them presents and hinting to them to mention it to their father. They loved how real their father was. He would talk to bums on the street as if they were the president of the U.S.A. He treated every man as his equal, as long as they respected him and his family. For lack of better words, Carter was a real nigga, and both of the twins admired him greatly and wanted to be just like him . . . but for different reasons.
Monroe loved the way his father stayed fresh at all times and was a great business and family man. He observed his father’s style and immediately idolized him. Carter never wore the same shirt twice and only wore the finest threads. Money also took note of and admired his father’s business savvy. Every move he made was a business move, a move that would benefit him in the future.
Mecca, on the other hand, admired his father’s street fame. He loved the way the street respected and feared his father. He would hear stories about his father being the man that made it snow, in a city that had never seen a winter season, or cutting off fingers if workers stole. In Mecca’s eyes, Scarface didn’t have shit on his father. While other kids were worried about candy and chasing skirts, Mecca was thinking about chasing money and being the next king of Miami.
As they eavesdropped on the conference, they watched as each man took a sip out of the cup.
“Mecca and Money, come in here.” Carter calmly grabbed the cup that had rotated back to him.
Since Carter’s back was toward them, when he called there name, it surprised them. It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head. They slowly walked into the room. The boys stood nervously next to him, knowing that they got caught spying on him and that their father was very strict when it came to handling business. They eased up when they saw a slight grin form on his face.
Carter passed Money the cup and looked around to make sure their mother wasn’t around. “Take a sip of that,” he said.
Money looked at the cup as if he was scared to take a sip.
Mecca noticed his brother’s uneasiness and grabbed the cup from him. He took a gigantic gulp of the liquor, and a burning sensation rushed down his throat. It took all of his willpower not to spit it out. His face twisted up as he put one hand on his chest, hoping that the burn would go away.
Polo noticed his expression and laughed loudly. “That’ll put some hair on ya chest, nephew!” he said in between laughs.
Carter joined him in laughter as he watched his other son take the cup and take a moderate sip. Money’s face didn’t change its expression. He took the gulp like a man.
Money handed the cup back to his father and stood there with his chest out, as if he was trying to prove that he was a man. Mecca followed suit.
“Why were you two eavesdropping on Poppa?” Carter playfully hit both of his sons in the chest.
Money shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “I don’t know.”
Mecca looked around the table, seeing nothing but hustlers and killers. He then looked at his father, who sat at the forefront of them, and a smile spread across his face. “Poppa, I want to be just like you. I wanna be a gangster,” Mecca said as he stepped in front of his brother.
One of the hustlers at the table chuckled as he looked at Mecca. “Li’l man got hustle in him. That’s a gangster in the