Shake & Fingerpop

At the last minute....Gerald Glenn Felton changed the date with Serena from Bottom of the C. to the tony rooftop bar and restaraunt called Mulberry Street...I had always wanted to go there...But never dealt with anyone who had the money to take me...Mickey Lolo could have and would have taken me if I had asked..but I didn't want to go with him...Not now..We were on opposite sides of the law.. 

So ironically...my first and only time at  tony Mulberry Street was during an undercover sting operation...
I was situated at the bar with Sgt, Ho, pretending to be his date....Wow...This was the stuff made of fantasies..I thought....

Serena sat at a table by herself waiting...

She had to fend off several guys that wanted to buy her drinks and sit with her...

Against his wishes...Tyriq sat in a car with three shotgun toting plain clothes officers...listening to everything that was going on...The car was a brand new Mercedes Benz that we had borrowed with tinted windows like the playas drove..So as not to tip Felton off... Tyriq couldn't be in the bar because Felton knew him by sight..

My old partner Jimmy Barlow was on the roof across the street with two plain clothes officers staring at the area with a powerful telescope...

At around a quarter of ten...Jimmy got on his walkie talkie..

"Showtime people...our road runner is getting out of his car..He just had the valet park it..He's coming in." he said.

"Hear that Tyriq?" I said in my small mike...

"I heard it...Let's do it." he said.

My glock was in my purse...

II-

It was a beautiful night...Gerald Glenn Felton was dressed immaculately...He was a dashing and handsome man...I had to give him credit...He had a nice light smelling cologne on..Nice tight hair cut...and a small box in his hand...He sat down with Serena and asked for the waiter to order his best champaigne...

"I'm so glad you agreed to meet with me Serena..." he said.

"I shouldn't have...After the way you treated me...You put a gun to my head..and then you pushed me into that cop..." she said.

"Hey listen...I would have never have hurt you....Never...That was just a bluff...You see I made a way to escape, didn't I?"

''So you say." she said. "So what'cha call me up here for?"she said... Serena was good...

"Look baby...That cops and robbers junk is over for me...For ten years I been crackin safe's ,stealing jewelry, breaking into rich people's homes stealing money and other valuables.. I'm good at what I do...I deal with high end fences...I've earned millions of dollars...But....I want to give all of that up baby.." he said.

''Are you serious Gerald?" she said.

"Yes...Look..I've got an associates degree in Business...I got a little dough squared away as you can see...I can go to college..any college I want..Get my Bachelors degree, My masters...Work a straight job...I can still make a life for us baby..For us...I won't have to duck no cops...not anymore...I have never been arrested..I have not one conviction...They can't prove I did anything...They just suspect...Did you hear about that one million dollar jewelry heist a month ago?  That was me...I left no prints , no nothing...I fenced the merch in Bermuda...Got an offshore account there..They can't touch me boo...But I'm quittin, I'm quittin while I'm still ahead for you baby." he said.

"Why you quittin for me?" asked Serena..

He opened the box...

Serena and my eyes lit up....

"Oh MY GOD.....Where did you get that?" she asked...

"I stole it...but the person won't need it....Will you marry me Serena?  I never met nobody like you..Never...You're different.." he said.

"Oh Myyy." said Serena....

Just then...Odessa Belle, the administrative assistant who we arrested a few days ago showed up..She must have made bail...

"Gerald...Gerald is that you???I don't believe it...I've been locked up for two days...I been callin you and callin you and you never returned my calls and now you're here with this heifer...Oh I don't believe you." she shouted..

"BEAT IT ODESSA... I'M TRYIN TO GET ENGAGED HERE! GO AWAY!!!" he shouted...

"I don't believe you...All these years I been risking my job, givin you information amongst other things and you're going to do me like that....and with HER??? OH MY GODDDDD!!" she screamed...

"We had a few good times...okay? But I don't love you Odessa...I love Serena..." he said.

''Ohhh so it's like that huh?  Wait a minute...Wait a minute...Wait a minute...I seen you before...The other day, when I got knocked....Gerald ,she's a cop...." she said.

"A cop??? What?" he said...."Noooooooo..."


"YES!" said Serena who had her glock aimed at his head...By now,I had my glock aimed at him and so did Sgt. Ho...

Tyriq ,Jimmy and the rest of the plains clothes officers were on the rooftop now... Serena tossed the handcuffs to Tyriq...

"I believe this is your collar Detective." she said...

Tyriq proudly put the cuffs on Gerald Glenn Felton......

"Well Road Runner, I hope you got a good lawyer...Because it looks like the Coyote has finally caught up with you ." he said.

He looked at Serena...

"Damn....I finally fall in love and it's with a cop...go figure...I'll be damned...I don't believe this...I'm being arrested."

Sgt Ho put the cuffs on Odessa...

''Back to the pokey you go little lady...We'll add obstruction of justice to the charges." he said and he ,Jimmy and all of the plains clothes officers led them both out of the restaurant..

"Well...I guess I'd better be going." I said...

Tyriq looked at me and smiled...

"Top, If it wasn't for you...I might not have caught this guy.....I'm so glad you're my partner." he said.

I smiled...

''I'm glad you're mine too Rico."

He picked up the ring that Gerald had proposed to Serena with...he must have dropped it in all the commotion....

He looked at Serena...

"Detective...I know you can't keep this...but consider it symbolic...I don't ever want to be without you baby...Will you marry me?" he said.

We were both shocked...

"Carlotta girl...Can you believe this...I've been proposed to twice in one night..." she said.

"Hey girl...don't complain...Some people never get proposed to." I said.

She looked at Tyriq...

"This is crazy...I hardly know you...I've  just met you ,but I've never been this mesmerized by any man I've ever met before...I'm gonna roll the dice....and say okay....yeah...I'll marry you...I got this feeling about you." she said.

"I got a feeling about you too baby!..Damn if I can explain it. I don't even want to understand it." he said.

"Crazy aint it? I can't explain it either...This is not how I imagined I'd meet my future husband.." she said.

''What can you do? You play the cards that life deals you.." he said. 

"You are such a poet...I can't believe this...I think I'm crying." she said...tears streaming down her face...

Tyriq looked taken aback...

''She's alright Rico..it's a woman thing..." I said. "I think you made her happy." I said.

"Really?" he said...

''Wow!" was all I could say...I couldn't believe I was witnessing this.

"When we gonna do this?" he asked.

"Slow down playa...Let's uh go on a date, a couple of dates for that matter...Let's really get to know each other.. How about that??...Then ,you know..in time ,We can get married.."

"That will work. I know a couple of places I'd like to take you." said Tyriq and he pulled out a hankerchief and wiped her tears....

"This is some kind of night." I said ,nearly moved to tears myself...

Serena walked over to me....she hugged me...

''Carlotta girlfriend, you kinda like made this happen...When we do get married..I want you to be my maid of honor..." she said. 

''Who me?"I said.

"Couldn't think of a better one." said Tyriq...

''Aye Caramba..I think I'm gonna faint." I said.

We all laughed out loud...



EPILOUGE:

"And that's the story." said Carlotta....

"That's it huh?That was a great story." I said...

"Isn't that strange? " said Carlotta..

"What happened to the Road Runner?" I asked..

"Gerald Glenn Felton got 15-30 years...He's still in State Prison... Odessa Belle got three years and she was released after one year...She left Philly...for parts unknown...and Tyriq and Serena got married on Christmas Day ,2010....She was uh three months pregnant with the twins..." said Carlotta...

"It was a small ceremony..Duke was his best man and I was Serena's maid of honor...Boss lady, Angie and Jimmy were there..So was Sgt Ho and Lt. Eddie Cantrell..."

''So that was your only time ever at Mulberry Street?" I asked.

"No..You took me and Carm there for Christmas remember? So I've been there twice!."she said.

"Well, get your finest party dress girl...We are goin tonight. Let's shake and fingerpop!" I said.

Carlotta's eyes lit up...

''For real??"she said.

"Yeah..If you had of told me you liked it so much ,I could have taken you back sooner." I said.

She began kissing me...

''Ouuu,I love you so much.You're the best husband in the world.." she said.

"Come on...if we keep this up..we'll wind up in bed and not going." I laughed...

''Okay...Because I really want to go." she said and then winked at me..

I started chasing after her...and she ran  up the stairs and down the hallway screaming and laughing.