Page 10 of Wifey
My father had two banks he used. A Black-owned one he did his personal banking and a regular one where he handled all of the business affairs. He left me with quite a bit of money in both before I spent the majority of it on lawyer’s fees and keeping the shops afloat.
I hate to think I have Cameron to thank for keeping my head above water.
If it weren’t for his money, the shops would’ve been closed. People would’ve been out of jobs, and in this pandemic, getting another one would’ve been super tough. A lot of employees have been there for years and have families. I couldn’t do that to them. Cameron literally saved my business and I thank him for that.
Those days are over. I can go into the bank and request a loan for the shops and no one will know the difference. My credit is great, the shops aren’t bleeding money, and furthermore, my dad had a great reputation with this bank.
I put on my best outfit and made sure I didn’t come in wearing street clothes. It might work for rappers and strippers, but that look won’t work for me. I need to convince these white folks that giving me a lot of money is good business.
I rather be indebted to a bank than to Cameron.
After my business at the bank, I’m going to drop the Beemer off at Cameron’s home. I still haven’t opened the gifts and I don’t plan to. I’m sure he’s bought many other women who loved the designer wear without question. I’m not them. I refuse to entertain any gifts that were bought with drug money.
“Taylor!” The loan officer, Josh, greets me. He fits his name. He’s a tall, medium-build White man with dark hair and glasses. He looks like the type who browses Reddit during the day and is probably a frequent poster on the Am I The Asshole? threads. I bet he can tell you which Van Halen was the best one as he plays on his PS5 during the night.
“Hi Josh!” My White voice is bubbly and sweet. I make sure I’m smiling a lot. I need this money in a big way. “How’s the wife and kids?”
“Oh, Becky is doing wonderful.” Of course his wife’s name is Becky, because why not? “How are you doing? Hey, I’m so sorry to hear about your father. He was a great man. A great man with great values.”
And that is the number one reason why I have to get this loan. I know my Daddy’s reputation in the community is still intact. I don’t want to be the reason why it’s ruined. “I’m doing well, thank you for asking.” I follow Josh to his office and he closes the door behind me. “I’m requesting a loan. A pretty big and sizable one.” I began and hope the worry isn’t coming through my voice. “I need one point five million dollars.”
Josh’s eyes widen. I’m sure he’s heard of smaller loan requests and had no issues honoring them. My request is above and beyond just a few thousand dollars. “Why so much, Taylor? Are you renovating the shops?”
“Yes.” It’s a lie I’d rehearsed throughout the morning. No one would doubt I need the money for the shops. I don’t want to reveal thewhyI need the money. All I know is that I don’t want to be indebted to Cameron at all. “I just need the money to renovate them. Fix up some things and repair the structures.”
Josh nods like he understands the need. “Are the shops okay? I was just there this morning, getting the Obama coffee.” He points to the cup. “I voted for him twice.”
I don’t care, Josh.“Yeah, he’s a great man.”
“Um,” Josh turns on his computer and starts to type something in it. “I’ll see what I can do, Taylor, but that’s a pretty big loan. I know your credit is great and the shops are doing great, but it might hard to get that loan. Do you know for certain you need that much money? Not five hundred thousand, maybe? Or even seven fifty?”
I know I need that dollar amount. It’ll pay Cameron back with interest. “I’m certain. I’m going to add a patio, and buy some extra property and turn that into a bistro slash kitchen.”
Josh smiles upon hearing that idea. “That’s brilliant! And it’ll be super popular around here, too! The hipsters love kitchens!”
Josh doesn’t realize he’s referring to himself. He has the beard to match. “Yeah, I think so.” I grin. “So, what all do you need from me? I brought in all of my paperwork.”
“I’ll take all of that,” Josh says and I hand it over to him, “I’ll make some copies and then I’ll hand it back to you in a minute.”
“Thanks, Josh.” I smile before he leaves. I know the odds are against me but I really need this loan. I don’t know who else I would be able to turn to other than loan sharks and that’s a route I really don’t want to pursue. I need to be free of any underhanded crap, no matter who it is.
Josh returns a few minutes later. “It’ll take the officers some time to process and give you an answer. Give us a couple of days. Would that work for you?”
I can buy some time for a couple of days. It’s not ideal but I have no choice. “Sure.” I stand up and shake Josh’s hand. “Thank you.”
~~~~~~~
I never thought I would be here again.
As I pull up to the palatial estate, I’m reminded of the last time I was here. It was the night our parents met. It was the night I found out Cameron was a drug dealer. I thought it was bad, but it was only a precursor to what laid ahead in the coming months – he was really a drug lord.
I remembered the horrible fight and how he just let me go. I was stunned and shocked at the revelation, but relieved he didn’t attempt to stop me. I knew he wasn’t going to give up his lifestyle and I couldn’t expect he would.
Now I’m parked in front of his home about to return a very expensive gift and hope I’ll get that loan approved so he’ll have his money back. I don’t want any of that hanging over my head at all.
Just when I was about to call Cameron, the gates suddenly opened. Two tall and muscular men in business suits casually walk out and head towards my car. One stands at my door while the other stands on the passenger side. They’re not menacing, but I’m not entirely sure they want to invite me in for a cup of tea.
The one at my door is a Black man who looks like he parlays as a WWE wrestler. “Ms. Gray,” he speaks through the window, “you’ve been requested inside the property.”
