Checkmate: The Baddest Chick (6 page)

“She’s pregnant, Shaun—look at her!”

Shaun looked over at Apple, who was hunched over a bucket next to her bed and holding her stomach. The thought wasn’t farfetched to him, knowing how many tricks had been inside of her, and not knowing which one probably pulled off the condom, or if they even used one. Shaun had a strict rule inside his whorehouse and that was no raw-dogging it. He was furious that one of the tricks had played him. He would have charged a fortune to a trick if they wanted to go raw dog. When Apple got sick he thought she’d contracted some sort of virus that runs rampart around Mexico; like H1N1.

“Fuck me!” Shaun shouted.

Mary’s eyes showed concern for Apple, knowing that she was now carrying a life inside of her.

Shaun marched around the room, trying to come up with a plan. He glared at Apple and shouted, “She ain’t goin’ to no fuckin’ hospital. Y’all fuckin’ hear me? It ain’t happening. That bitch is gettin’ a fuckin’ abortion. I ain’t having no daycare up in here. This is my fuckin’ place of business.”

Mary cut her eyes at Shaun, but she didn’t say a word to him. She remained silent and watched Shaun storm out of the room, slamming the door behind him. She walked over to Apple and crouched next to her. She was now trying to console and comfort Apple.

“Just try and breathe easy, relax,” she told Apple calmly.

Mary understood Apple’s condition. She had been pregnant a few times over the years. Her last pregnancy ended in a miscarriage fifteen years earlier. But Mary gave birth to four children, and after giving birth, she never saw her babies again. She was distraught about her kids being snatched away from her by the men she worked for. But afterwards, the depression would fade, and it would be back to business for her. Mary understood that because of where she lived, and what she did, she wasn’t fit to raise a child anyway. So soon after, she came to terms with giving birth, kissing her newborn lovingly for one last time and then departing from them. It was the life she was used to.

“I’m not pregnant, Mary,” Apple said.

“I think you are. I know the signs. I’ve been there, Apple, too many times,” Mary stated, sadness in her tone.

Apple looked at Mary. She suddenly became confused why Mary became so caring for her all of a sudden. Mary wasn’t difficult or cruel to her, like the majority of the whores in the place, but she always made sure to keep her distance from Apple. Mary showed a different look in her eyes. She rubbed Apple’s back gently, and only soothing words came out of her mouth.

Apple continued to float her face over the bucket. She wiped her mouth and said to Mary, “He’s gonna come for me, you’ll see.”

“Who?”

“Chico. He’s gonna find me... kill Shaun, and take me away from here,” Apple said almost convincingly.

“Oh...sí...Chico...” Mary replied.

“Y’all have no idea who the fuck I am or what I’m capable of doing,” Apple exclaimed.

Mary stared at Apple. She noticed the fire and hopes that the young girl had in her eyes about freedom and revenge, believing that her Chico would find her soon. Mary once had that same fire so many years ago. She remembered when she thought her knight in shining armor would come rescue her. She had faith and believed that her life as a whore wouldn’t be forever. But as every year passed, gradually, that same fire and hope began to fade from her eyes and she began to accept the situation.

Mary sighed. “They always promise, they always say they come, rescue you from this place, but soon those promises become nothing but empty words, and echoed in your mind.”

“Chico is different,” Apple replied.

“Is he? I remember when I thought that way about someone. I was young, so naïve. He made me feel good, like a woman, even though he was a trick. I was the only girl he would come to see, and he would spend money on me. He taught me how to speak English. He used to tell me about his trips to America. And he promised that one day I would go with him. Promised that he would take me away from such a vile place and we would be together. I believed in him for two years, until one day he just stopped coming. I used to yearn for his visits, but he just disappeared from my life, but he left me with a child. My first. My son was taken away from me right after I gave birth to him. See, in this place, there is no room for children.”

Apple looked at Mary with an impassive stare. She didn’t want to hear anything Mary had to say to her. She believed in Chico. They loved each other, and Apple felt that even though she had been harsh with Chico before her capture, Chico wouldn’t forget about her. He had made a promise to always look out for her and take care of her, no matter where she was.

Apple’s stomach started churning again, and she quickly lowered her face into the bucket and begun puking once more. She couldn’t take being sick any longer and being held captive against her will. She was ready to go home.

A week after Apple’s pregnancy was confirmed. Shaun refused to take her to the local hospital and hired a quack Mexican doctor with a questionable medical background to perform an abortion on Apple. She was twelve weeks pregnant, and she was scared.

Mary was by Apple’s side as she was forced onto a cold, long table butt-naked. Her feet were placed into a pair of stirrups, and her legs were widely spread. Shaun stood a distance from the procedure with a scowl on his face. The room door was locked, and the atmosphere was tense at this illegal abortion.

The man performing the procedure on Apple was Dr. Skiff, a short, round forty-year-old American/Caucasian man from Houston, Texas. He came to Mexico to continue with his practice after his medical license was revoked after a slew of suits for malpractice and negligence. Mexico became his home, and Dr. Skiff became Shaun’s go-to guy when there were any medical or emergency problems with any of the girls.

“Doc, let’s just get this shit over wit’ already,” Shaun said. “Time is fuckin’ money.”

Dr. Skiff, clad in dark blue scrubs and wearing thick, rimmed glasses with a small light attached to them, nodded.

“I want that fuckin’ baby outta her!”

Dr. Skiff nodded and replied, “It takes time.”

“I’m paying you good money, Doc. Don’t fuck this shit up!”

The doctor positioned a tall stool between Apple’s spread legs. Apple lay there and was extremely nervous, until Shaun injected a good portion of dope into her system to help her relax.

Apple laid her head back, and soon became loopy from the heroin seeping into her system.

Dr. Skiff removed the tools he needed for the procedure from his leather handbag and placed them on a wooden table next to him—forceps; uterine curette; cervical dilator; syringe with spinal needle; and a pair of embryotomy scissors.

Dr. Skiff took a deep breath, put on a pair of latex gloves, and leaned forward between Apple’s spread legs and started with the method.

Mary stood next to Apple, holding her hand and watching. She had seen the practice done many times, so she was used to it. Many of the whores were quick to get an abortion done; sometimes Dr. Skiff was at the whorehouse five or six times a month.

Apple felt numbness below as she was poked and prod with the cold instruments digging inside of her, and the tools weren’t sterilized properly. There was blood everywhere. The doctor had to dilate Apple’s cervix just enough for a small tube to be inserted that would be able to remove the fetal tissue. Apple felt a little cramping, but the drug soon had her feeling far-off somewhere.

Dr. Skiff continued with the procedure, roughly removing the baby and breaking it apart. No one in the room cringed or showed any remorse.

Soon, the abortion was completed, and the still fetus was pulled from Apple’s wound and laid on the cold table. Apple was still loopy from the drugs and medication.

Dr. Skiff rose up from off the stool, removed his bloody latex gloves, looked over at Shaun and said, “She’s done. No more baby.”

Shaun nodded and tossed the doctor a lumpy envelope filled with cash. The doctor snatched it from the air, quickly opened it, and counted the hundreds and fifties. He was satisfied with his payment.

“She needs rest,” he told Shaun.

“She needs to start making me some money again.”

“She’ll be no good to you, if she doesn’t get a few days rest and begin healing.”

Dr. Skiff quickly gathered his tools, stuffed them into his leather handbag, and made his exit from the room.

Shaun looked over at Mary and said, “Make sure she is able to start working again in three days. I ain’t fuckin’ playin wit’ her. And that bitch better not get pregnant again. I can’t afford to have this doctor take away all my money ’cause y’all bitches are slippin’ wit’ these tricks.”

Shaun left the room, slamming the door behind him. Shaun thought about Apple and the pain she caused his family. She didn’t know it but she had an expiration date. He planned on selling her pussy to get his paper up and once he was done with her, he planned on beating her within a half inch of her life, putting her in a coffin and burying her alive where no one could ever find her body. Then he planned on going back to the states and murdering Denise and Kola. He vowed to wipe out the whole family.

Mary turned to Apple, who was sweating and delirious. She cleaned up the blood and put a wet rag against Apple’s forehead.

“You’ll be all right,” Mary said.

****

A few weeks after the abortion, everything seemed to be back to normal with Apple. She was taking antibiotics and turning tricks again, still hoping that Chico would find her and rescue her from her hell.

Apple was being fucked by a trick, as his hairy chest pressed against her.

“Oh my God! Your pussy is so good. Ooooh, it’s so good! So damn good!” the trick chanted, looking like he was in a trance.

Apple felt a sharp, sudden kick inside of her. She quickly pushed him off of her and clutched her stomach.

What the fuck!
she thought.

“Why you stop?” the man asked.

Apple wasn’t worried about his questions. The sharp kicking continued. She sat hunched over, holding her stomach. “Oh shit!”

“Mami, you OK?”

Apple didn’t realize that her small belly was still growing. The world around her was so fucked up and unpleasant, she didn’t have time to notice too many things. Her eyes grew wider as she thought about the possibility.

“Mami, you okay? What’s wrong?” the man said. “I need to finish.” He approached her, placing his hand on her shoulder gently.

Apple went berserk. She yanked away from his touch and screamed out, “Get away from me!”

The man jumped back.

Apple ran toward the wall and coiled up into the fetal position.

The man she was fucking became nervous. He grabbed for his pants and started to dress quickly. “You crazy!” he shouted.
“Locà.”

Apple remained in the corner looking paranoid.

Soon, Shaun came rushing into the room. He looked around, saw the trick getting dressed, and Apple in the corner looking shocked.

“What the fuck?”

“That whore is crazy,” the man said. “I want my money back!”

“You ain’t finish?”

“She just suddenly stopped.”

Shaun’s face turned into a scowl. He marched over to Apple, grabbed her by her hair, and began pulling her toward the mattress.

“Bitch, you gonna finish fuckin’ him!”

Apple screamed and kicked. “I’m still pregnant!”

Shaun suddenly stopped. He let go of Apple’s hair and looked down at her unpleasantly. “What the fuck did you say?”

Apple peered up at Shaun with watery eyes.

The trick said, “Forget the money. You people is crazy. Crazy!” He rushed for the door, leaving Apple alone in the room with Shaun.

Shaun stared at her slightly round belly in astonishment. “Impossible! I paid that muthafuckin’ doctor enough money to get rid of the fuckin’ baby. How the fuck you still pregnant?”

Apple remained silent.

Shaun looked like he was ready to strike her out of pure frustration. His fist was clenched and his eyes were narrowed in annoyance at Apple’s belly. He had the urge to kick the baby out of her himself.

Mary suddenly walked into the room and saw Shaun towering over Apple with a posture that said he was ready to hit her. She stared down at the naked Apple, holding her pregnant belly.

The two women locked eyes. Apple had tears streaming down her grief-stricken face.

Mary instantly understood the predicament. “She was carrying twins.”

“What?”

“Your doctor messed up. He didn’t know. He got rid of one, but not the other,”

Mary said.

“This stupid muthafucka!” Shaun screamed out. “What the fuck am I gonna do with this bitch now?”

But then Shaun gazed down at Apple with a different look. “Fuck it! Niggas will pay for anything nowadays . . . even for some pregnant pussy. You gonna still make your ends in this house, pregnant or not! I can even charge muthafuckas more for it.”

Apple didn’t respond. She stayed on the cold floor near Shaun’s feet thinking about what she’d have Chico do to him once he found her. Visions of cutting off each finger and toe were running through her mind.