The Black Wolf

Episode 2- How did we get here?

" Glory up girl!" Candy yells again.

I peeked my head from under my pillow to only be accosted by the glare of the bright lights. And Candy of course.

I see her shimmy into her very tight skinny jeans. Being tall, shapely, but still slim, Candy has always looked great in everything she wears. Her long legs lead to just enough hips and a very flat stomach. She didn't have much in the chest department, but she sure does fill out the back of those jeans.

"How are you slim but still got all that ass", I ask as I roll out of bed and make my way to bathroom to regain consciousness. First on the toilet and then in the shower.

" I don't know", she replies coyly. " Just blessed I guess", she says with an amused look on her caramel face. I can see her looking my way through her reflection in the mirror, as she flat irons her dark brown hair into a flawless right above the shoulders length bob.

" I swear you should have been a model cousin, " I say as I flush the toilet and turn on the shower.

" Now you know I would rather own the modeling agency, rather than prance down the runway like a designers puppet" she says with a real life sneer.

Candy can't stomach the thought of working for someone else. We both can't. Trust me we tried after graduating high school. And both hated it with a passion.

Especially since it went against all of our plans we had laid out for ourselves. Senior year as we were preparing to graduate. We were also mapping out our future business plans. We had decided that we wanted to expand Mama's salon by acquiring the empty space for lease next door.

We planned on making it into a very high end boutique. That the ladies at the salon wouldn't be able to resist perusing and purchasing from. We had a very solid idea. See Mama's clients ranged from all ages and backgrounds. So we would use our plug to acquire various items that could fulfill anyone's taste. Young or old. Man or Woman. We would cater to all. For a nice fee of course.

I think about all of our well laid out plans that did not get a chance to blossom into reality. Like I said before, you never know what cards life will deal you.

I let out a much needed sigh and relax as Iet the hot water from the shower bring me back to life. Last night I might have had one too many Wild Wolves myself. I might have even put a hundred dollars on the bar for the best twerker in the building.

But boy was I surprised when old Mr. Earl threw his cane to the side and preceeded to drop it like it was flaming hot. But Ms. Pearl, the towns kindergarten teacher', took the cake when she backed it up on him. So I had to pull another hundred out and declare two winners. Another wild night at The Wild Side Bar and Grill. Also avaliable as an event hall for any of the townspeople special occasions. Yep, you guessed it. For a nice fee though. Lol.

As I wet my naturally curly hair, it falls to the middle of my back. My thoughts drift back to that summer after graduation. As they often do. I think about spending time with Mama, and her telling me how proud she was of me and Candy. I would lay in bed with her as she read her favorite scriptures to me out of the worn Bible she kept by her beside. She would pray over us and thank God for every blessing he had bestowed upon us even though there was hurt along the way. She would even thank him for that. My mother was a true believer.

That's why she named me Glory. Middle name Hallelujah. I swear lol. I have always avoided telling people it. I would just say Glory H. Alexander. Or just say I didn't have one growing up. Now things have changed. And I proudly embrace it, for it is something my mother gave to me out of love.

I was so caught up in the excitement of graduating and starting our business. I didn't take notice of how Mama's prayers started to change.

"Dear God. Please hold my children as they grow into women. Please watch over them and lead them in the right direction. Lord, I ask that you heal them from things to come. May they always remember me and the things I have taught them. Thank you God. You have truly blessed me to live my purpose and for that I am grateful. Amen", as she held me and Candy tightly. As if it would be her last time seeing us.

And one night it was.

How could I not notice Mama losing weight? How gradually she was becoming more lethargic, compared to her usually energetic self. I know she said she had a couple of doctor appointments that month, but I never thought it was anything to be concerned about. Mama hid the fact from us that she had been diagnosed with cancer a few months before we graduated. I guess she didn't want to worry us. I guess she wanted us to be able to cherish those moments because she knew what was to come. Now those memories are bittersweet, just like those times Mama would talk about Aunty Tricey.

One day as we were helping her clean and close the salon, Mama begin to look very disoriented. She begin to sweat and cry out in pain. I had never really seen Mama cry. Only sometimes when she talked about Daddy.

We rushed to her side. Me immediately breaking down into tears and full panic. Candy, always being the more level headed one, maintained enough composure to call for an ambulance.

I was no help as I clung to my mother for dear life asking her what was wrong.

"Baby I should have told you sooner", she said through shallow breathes . I could tell it hurt her too breath. Moreso to talk. " Some months back the doctor told me I had a cancer and it was spreading so quickly, there was nothing we could do about it" she barely whispered.

I was mute as I listened to her. I didn't know what to say. Shock and grief enveloping me all at once. Now I live with the regrets of words left unspoken. Candy stood holding the phone, eyes wide, but stoic because that's her nature. But I could see a slight tremble of her shoulders as the tears begin to release themselves.

My last words to my mama were " Please Mama get up! Please don't leave us! I love you Mama! Please God no"

And to that my Mama replied " I love you my children. But it's time to go see your Father. I have missed him so much" she said barely audible , with her last gasp of air before she stopped breathing.

My mother died right there in her salon. The salon that had essentially saved our lives so many years ago. I laid my head on her chest hoping for any sign of her beautiful heart beating. But it never came. I held Mama and Candy held me as my heart died right along with my mother in front of me. That's the day I stopped believing in good things.

I have to lean against the shower wall to steady myself as uncontrollable sobs shake my whole core. I usually only cry like this in the shower because no one can hear my pain in here.

" Glory if you don't hurry up" Candy yells while knocking on the door. " You promised them people last night to fry your famous chicken tonight and you haven't even thawed it out. You also told them it would be karaoke tonight. You know Eddy probably there right now with his Michael Jackson thriller jacket ready to sing Billy Jean ok!"

The mental image alone is enough to bring me back from my hurt. My sobs are replaced by real hard laughter. My tears are of pure humor as I think of the show to come.

" You are more than right. I definitely can't miss that", I giggle while hurrying out the shower. Doing a little slip and slide in the process because my feet are still wet. Also because I'm just a clumsy person. Especially when I'm rushing.

It doesn't take much for me to get dressed though. I choose comfortable ripped jeans and my favorite hoodie from that one semester I aimlessly went to college after Mama died.

I didn't really know what to do with myself. I was really just a shell of a person. I'm so lucky to have Candy because she handled everything dealing with the funeral. I slept most of my days away in Mama's bed. No lights, no phone, no Mama. I barely ate and would only chew ice because it soothes my nerves.

Candy being my only visitor and basically my nurse trying to nurture me back to good health, emotionally and physical. But there's still a part of my mind, body, and soul that is buried 6ft in the ground with my Mother.

If I would have had my selfish way, I would have cremated her body so I could always have her still here next to me somehow. But my mother had made a will. In it she left detailed instructions on how she wanted to be laid to rest. From her hairstyle, make up, outfit, shoes, and even her casket. And of course she wanted to be buried next to her loving husband so they could spend eternity together.

Some people were surprised by her final wishes for her beloved salon. But not me and Candy. We understood exactly why she had arranged for it to be turned into a no tuition beauty school for single mothers and even fathers who were raising their children alone. She wanted to ensure that those people had a chance to be successful in this world of hardships and pain.

I spent a good year of my life in mourning. Candy had to get a job to support us. Although mother left us money, she also left instructions for us to use it to fulfill our dreams of creating our own business. Neither one of us had any idea what that would be though. I couldn't even function most days.Let alone fathom the idea of moving forward and and living my dreams without my Mama.

Candy being my support system understood this. Although I told her to do whatever she wanted with the money, she decided to not touch it. And did the thing she hated the most. She got a real job. With a real boss. Clocking in and out. She is the epitome of patience and compassion.

But even her patience with me ran out eventually. I think it was the day her boss made her stay late to supposedly help him work on organizing the office or something. Really it was his way of getting her alone so he could make a move on her. The horny bastard! But Mama always taught us to keep a can of pepper spray close and a knife in our purses. No lie lol. Remember we come from the hood and you better know how to protect yourself.

When Candy made it home I could see her adrenaline pumping. And by the look in her eye, I knew it would be my last day in bed doing nothing.

The next day I finally ventured out into world. We found jobs at the mall until we could think of something better. As I mentioned,I even tried college for a semester. But it wasn't for me. It did help to reignite the fire inside of me that had died. Me and Candy begin to toss around a few business ideas, but none of them excited us orcompared to our previous plans.

One day as if by fate, Candy received a letter. It read:

"Dear Ms. Candice Latimer , being the only surviving relative of the recently decreased Mr .Charles Latimer, you are the sole proprietor of his estate. This includes his house in Tree Howler and the land that it occupies. Please contact me if you are interested in accepting this offer. If so, we can plan a trip to Tree Howler, where you can decide on what you want to do with your newly acquired assets.

Best Regards,

Douglas Furr, Esq."

Apparently, Charles Latimer was a distant relative of Candy's father. Being that he a 100 years old man who never had any children of his own, he had begun searching for any living relatives he could pass his estate to. It is tradition in Tree Howler to pass everything down to the next generation in order to ensure that each family's legacy lives on.

Candy had no real knowledge of this man. She had received a Christmas card last year that was addressed to her father. He had written for him to please contact him. She did not respond back to him. She had no desire to tell a stranger that her father was rotting away in prison for the taking her mother's life.

After an initial minute of cratching our heads at this unexpected development, we picked our jaws up off the floor and discussed what we should do.

We decided to look this Tree Howler place up.Sure enough it was real. Charles Latimer was real as well. On the city's website it even listed him as a well respected and prominent resident. He had even been mayor for some years back in the day.

The website did mention that the town was settled by former slaves, whose search for true freedom had led them to the wilderness where Tree Howler now stands. But it didn't tell much more. The site definitely never mentioned any wolves. These were stories we would hear from time to time from our inebriated patrons who just felt like talking.

After validating that this seemed to be a legitimate offer, it took us all of 15 minutes to decide that we wouldn't just be visiting Tree Howler. We would stay and begin new lives there. No matter what lied ahead of us , we would not just survive ,but thrive like we had done all our lives.