Treasure Lost in Harlem

Treasure Lost in Harlem

By: Sasha Robinson

Grape Lifesavers. We have a lot in common. Nobody really likes grape lifesavers, yet they were an acquired taste to those who adored them. If someone asked for a lifesaver and you only had two left, green or grape, the person would most likely choose green. I was often overlooked, always the black sheep or the last resort. Grape was my nickname in high school. They called me that because my skin was so dark in the sunlight, I looked purple.

I remember the first time I got my nickname grape. July fourth in Harlem was like the Olympics to us kids. Even though a lot of us were only going to be within two blocks of our houses, we had to look like we were headed to upper Manhattan.  My mother was pressing my hair out for the Fourth of July and despite the relentless heat from the golden comb that was now blackened heavily from years of usage, my edges would not lay down. She reached into the grease jar and scooped up a copious amount of Blue Magic hair grease and dabbed it onto my coarse black hair. She then picked the comb back up and began to press, which invoked a tiny but mighty explosion of pops that sounded louder than 15 Roman candles upside my head.

“Ahhh!” I screamed while wriggling in pain.  

“Girl, that don’t hurt!” she replied pulling the golden comb through the rest of my strands, “Beauty cost, and it cost big.”

If that was the case call me cheap. I would gladly endure every bully in the book and keep my bobos and barrettes. I was so glad that she was finished I jumped up before she could sound off that she was done. I ran immediately to my room and put on my dark jean shorts with yellow and orange flowers embroidered on the back pockets, matching orange tank top and my new all white Nike Air maxes. After swiping on enough deodorant to cover the scent of a dead body 7 days post mortem, I ran to the door.

“Alright mama! I’m going downstairs!” I called over my shoulder with my whole body nearly out of the door.  

“Um wait a minute!” my mother called out as she walked towards me at the door. She reached in the pocket of her pink terry cloth robe and pulled out a small golden necklace with the name Treasure spelled out in cursive writing, my November birthstone Topaz was on the bottom of the last letter.

“I know how important it is for you to look your best.”

“Oh mama! I love it!” I exclaimed jumping up and down.

“Let me put it on you.” I turned around as she undid the clasp and carefully placed the beautiful necklace on my neck. I turned around and admired myself in the mirror before giving my mother the biggest hug I had given her since Christmas.

“Now you be careful out there. Remember to stay…”

“On Lennox and don’t go past 123^rd. I know.”

I trotted outside onto the busy sidewalk and was quickly approached by my friend Naturi. She was my closest and only friend even though our first-time meeting was a cafeteria brawl that in these days could’ve have easily gone viral and made me a small fortune. She had a less than status quo look as well. She was heavy set for her age. Top and bottom heavy. Her skin was fair with brown freckles accenting her chubby cheeks, but her smile was to die for even with the small gap in between her front teeth. What she didn’t make up for in looks she made up for in combat skills. Anyone who dared to call her a ho because all the neighborhood boys ogled her mature goodies would catch 2 to the body and 1 to the chest. The strength from those blows was enough to make sure they watched their walk in the future. Long story short, she was green, and I was grape. While folks didn’t fancy either one of us, we complimented each other by being in a class all our own. Today we nearly matched except she opted for tight capri pants and strappy sandals. She tilted her sunglasses when she saw me walking down the steps.

“Look at my best fraaan!” she said loudly. “I see you.”

“Eoowww...” I responded in my New York accent.

“I see you went all out with the press tonight!”

“You know how my mama do.” I responded flipping my hair in the wind.

“Well let’s get going. The party already started.”

“What party?”

“On 125^th.”

I looked at her questionable. “You never said anything about a party on 125^th you said we were gonna post up out here.”

“I know I didn’t, but Rodge wants me to come, and who knows you may find somebody too.”

I cringed at how bad the whooping was gonna be if my mama found out I had deliberately gone against her wishes and went past my limit, especially to a party with grown men, in Harlem, on July fourth. But like most kids I threw caution to the wind and agreed.

The heat from the cars passing by and the air began to curl my freshly pressed hair as we walked and the deodorant I slathered on was beginning to cook at 175. We came to a tall brick building and walked up 15 flights of stairs before coming to a long hallway where party goers were mingling in the hallway, with red cups in their hands. Marijuana danced in the air with every step we took. Rodge jumped out of a nearby crowd and grabbed Naturi playfully before kissing her passionately on the lips. I looked in awe. I wished I had someone to give me that kind of attention. But I wouldn’t dare date someone 19.  My mama would kill me and him both. Once they finished, he looked over at me.

“So, you finally got to come off the porch young’in?” he asked still gripping Naturi’s big hips.

“Yeah, I’m out here.” I replied fanning thick smoke from a passerby out of my face.

“Well ya’ll come on in and grab something to drink. You look hot.”

Naturi grab Rodge’s hand and turned to grab mine as we made our way through the swarm of people in the hall. Once inside Rodge showed us to a seat in the crowded living room and headed to the kitchen.

“Girl, I don’t like this.” I said in her ear.

“Girl, lighten up. You need to learn how to have some fun.”

At that moment the school class clown Pico danced up to where we sat.

“Look at you Naturi with your fine ass, when you gone let me hit that?” he asked jokingly.

“Your bat aint big enough to hit this Pico.”

I rolled my eyes. I hated Pico with a passion. He forever had a joke about me, and the last thing I wanted was for him to come around killing my vibe. He turned his attention to me.

“What up?” he asked.

I turned my head the other way and pretended not to notice him.

“I see you got your hair done, but all that grease in this blue light got you looking so black you damn near look purple. I’ma call you grape.” He declared followed by the most annoying chuckle.

“Pico get your skinny ass outta here. You just mad cause she don’t want you. And I don’t either.”

“Man whatever.” He said walking away.

My night had officially been ruined. Nobody had ever called me a name like that. My mama always told me my skin was the most beautiful thing about me. But in that moment, I felt ugly.

Naturi tilted her head down and pulled my chin up.

“Hey, don’t let him ruin our night.”

I fought back an overflow of tears. Thankfully the humidity level in the room made the few that escaped look like mere sweat droplets.

“I’m not. I just need some alone time. Do you know where the bathroom is?”

“Yeah, its’s past the kitchen and around the corner.”

I tried my best to make myself compact to comfortably maneuver through dancing strangers to the restroom. Luckily it was available, and I walked in closing the door behind me. I sat on the yellow tub and held my head low and let out all the pain of that moment. I was so caught up in my pain that I didn’t notice the door open slowly as Rodge stood there watching me. I inhaled and exhaled deeply trying to regain my composure to go back out when the sight of my surprise spectator startled me to the core.

“What’s wrong baby girl?” he asked me.

I needed to talk about what I was feeling but in a bathroom at a loud party with my best friend’s boyfriend was hardly the place.

“Oh nothing.” I said grabbing some tissue.

I patted my eyes and tried to get to the door, but Rodge scooted in front of it blocking my way.

“Naturi told me what happened.”

“She did?”

“Uh-huh. And I think you should know that you are beautiful. Your skin is what makes you that way. It’s like my granddaddy used to say the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice.” He laughed revealing his gold grill.

I nervously laughed as I reached through his arm for the doorknob, but he reached behind him and locked the door slowly. My heart began to beat out of my chest. The look on his face changed from cool to dark. I could see his chest rising and falling as he stepped closer to me.

“You know I like Naturi, but you are the one I really wanted to talk to.” He grabbed me closer to him.

I struggled to get away from him, but he had a death grip on me that I couldn’t break if my life depended on it.

“This can be our secret Treasure.” He spoke.

That night changed my life forever.

20 years later

“Rodge?” I asked tapping him on his shoulder.

He turned around with the same golden grill and smiled at me. His eyes examined every inch of my body and I felt like meat to a Lion.

“Mmm-mm, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you Fontaine.”

“The pleasure’s all mine.”

I seductively sat down on the bar stool next to him and flipped my 34-inch jet black straight hair so my new 30DD breast could be on full display.

His mouth watered as I crossed my chocolate legs and exposed my thick thighs.

“Are you hungry?” I asked seductively.

His eyes stay fixated on my curves. “For what?” he asked.

I snapped my fingers. “What’s good to eat here?”

He jumped from his perverted gaze and placed  his attention on my face for the first time since hello.

“Well, this place has the best chicken in Harlem.”

“Chicken? You bought someone as bad as me on a date to eat chicken?”

He laughed. “Well, what do you want?”

A smile spread across my ruby lips as I leaned in and caressed his inner thigh. “You.”

He went from a suave gentleman to a giddy schoolboy. I loved to make men look like idiots.

“What do you say we get out of here. I know a place up the street from here that we can get into what you really called me for.”

His eyes bugged as if he had just won 10 million on a scratch off. He fumbled in his pockets for his keys.

“My uh—My car is right out front. Did you drive?”

I got up and straightened out my sheer black dress. “I got an Uber.”

“Oh ok.”

Once we got in the car, he turned up the radio and burned rubber down the street towards the undisclosed location.

He slowly placed his hand on my thigh. I nearly vomited in my mouth. His hands felt the same as they had 20 years ago, callused and rough. Every once in awhile I would be making love to someone and notice their hands felt to rough and I would throw them out of my house immediately.

“So, where’s this spot at?” he asked looking from the road to me.

“Pull over right here.” I motioned toward a tall brick building on the left.

He obeyed and parked and turned off the engine.

“I remember having some good times in this place.” He chuckled, “You know somebody in here?”

I tried to keep calm in order to not blow my cover.

“I knew someone. Her name was Treasure.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

“Aww yeah? Who was that?” he said exhaling smoke from his thick, purple lips.

My blood began to boil. I couldn’t take it anymore. I reached into my purse and pulled out a 380 pistol and held it to his head.

The lit cigarette fell from his mouth. The heat from the cherry and the shock of his life ending made him scream like a 10-year-old on a rollercoaster.

“Shut your ass up!” I yelled as I violently grabbed his genitals with my free hand. He groaned as he gritted his teeth in discomfort.

“I knew a girl named treasure that got raped at a party July 4^th, 2002.”

“Man look I don’t know who put you up to this, but all the work is at my house! I only got 50 dollars on me!”

I scoffed. “That’s why you met me at a chicken spot!?  Cheap ass.”

“What you want?”

“I’m Treasure! And you ruined me. Naturi committed suicide after I told her what you did to me. And she died hating me! She was the only person in the world I considered a friend, and you took her and my virginity!”

I forced the gun further into his right temple.

“Man, you young hos aint have no business in the streets anyway! That aint got nothing to do with me.”

“Young hos?!”

I pulled the trigger and silenced the argument. Blood painted the windows of the car and the only person in the world at that moment was me. The night was eerily quiet for July in Harlem. But my vindication was loud in my heart. I put the gun back into my black Birkin and exited the vehicle.

Murder made my mouth dry. I reached into the side pocket of my purse and pulled out a grape Lifesaver.

Revenge was sweet on my tongue as I sashayed off into the moonlight.