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We walked inside and were led to some sort of basement by a big, burly man. As we climbed down the stairs, I could hear muffled noises that were gradually becoming louder as we drew closer. We got to a red door and two huge men stopped us.
“I'm here to see Slim Tee,” she said to them.
The men exchanged glances and asked, “Are you here with the merchandise?”
She nodded, and they looked at me as I held on to her hand. With a scoff, one of them opened the door and all that noise, muffled behind the closed door, now blasted my eardrums.
The place reeked of sweat, and the air was loud with cheers of gamblers. There was a cage where two people were fighting, and I watched the weaker one get knocked down. But the other guy didn't stop. He continued to drill punches into his opponent's face until he was no longer moving.
The crowd was cheering him on, chanting his name. I swallowed in fear, wondering what my mom was doing here.
We walked into an office, where we could see the fighting cage through the floor-to-ceiling glass window.
There was a very huge man sitting in his chair behind the table across the office. His bodyguards were equally as huge.
“Miranda,” he called my mom’s name with a cigar in his mouth.
“Slim Tee.” She halted before him.
I wondered why they referred to him as Slim Tee when he was the exact opposite. When the guards outside the red door had mentioned his name, I had thought that he would be a very lanky guy. I was wrong.
“Do you have my money?” she asked impatiently.
“Miranda…” He released a puff of smoke. “Always in a hurry.” Slim Tee got to his feet and went around the table. “I haven't even tested the merchandise yet.” He chuckled.
“I'm telling you, he's everything you want and more,” she said through gritted teeth as she led him away from me.
I watched them converse in private for a while, and it looked like she was trying to convince him to buy something that was selling. But she didn't have anything to sell.
“Look, he might be little, but trust me, he basically runs everything at home. He'll be useful… And look at him…isn’t he pretty? He can be useful for other things too…”
I wondered who it was that my mom was talking about.
Slim Tee frowned and glared at my mother. “He is pretty, but that’s of no use to me at all. Unfortunately for you, I’m not that kind of man. If anything, it’s unfortunate he’s so pretty. Such a face won’t survive here.”
Mom reared back under the intensity of his glare. It seemed her attempt at upselling did not work in her favor. She resorted to begging again.
“Please. I need the money.” Her voice shook. “He’s stronger than he looks…”
My eyes widened when Slim Tee laughed and nodded at one of his men, who immediately opened a briefcase and took out a bundle of cash.
He handed it over to his boss, and the latter counted it as my mom shook, fixing her impatient gaze on the money.
Money was good…but I didn't like what was happening because if he gave Mom the money, she was only going to spend it to get more of that white stuff.
“It's a thousand dollars.” He handed it over to her.
She stretched out to accept it with trembling fingers, but he pulled away.
“Remember, you're not to return.”
“Yes, yes. I understand,” she replied anxiously, without taking her eyes off the cash in his hand.
He handed it to her.
“Thank you, thank you.” She grabbed the money and started counting it herself.
“No, don't give her that! It's too much!” I ran toward them, but Slim Tee’s men held me down.
