Saved By Her Guitar

Morgan stood outside her father’s penthouse suite. Two expensive black doors, double doors, stood in her way. He was living it up in New York obviously. She looked at her luggage. It screamed, “Not temporary!”
“What the-
One of the doors swung open. “Morgan?”
“Dad.”
He hugged her. “Get in here!”
He grabbed her luggage and motioned her inside.
“Thanks for getting my car brought over.”
“I know how much you put into it; how much you love it.”
“Indeed.”
They sat at the island in the kitchen.
“Hungry?”
“I stopped before I came over.”
He nodded is head and there was an awkward silence.
“You giving your mother trouble.”
“That sounded like a statement.”
“It was. She’s by herself. Why couldn’t you behave for her? Be an example for your sister. You know she wants to be just like you.”
“One: You must really not want me here to say something like that. Two: Her definition of misbehaving is slamming a door. It was my first time getting arrested. She should be glad. Three: I keep my ‘misbehaving’ away from Melly.”
“I do want you here… and the whole Melanie thing? You do keep it away but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know.”
“Dad, what do you want from me? I’m here, aren’t I?”
“But you don’t want to be. I want you to be happy here. I’m glad you’re here. I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad but I hope you don’t plan on giving me sh-
“Hey! This is exactly what I’m talking about. I’ll have none of that here. You’ll go to school and come home. I’ll give you your freedom but try to do it under forty miles an hour. You know what? Don’t try, do it!”
“You’re right. She was by herself but now you have me all to yourself and what I did in Miami won’t compare to what I’m gonna do here in New York, New York. That way, you’ll know what she was going through a couple time worse.”
“Morgan, I assure you-
“Shelton?”
Morgan looked toward the living room where the voice came from. She got up.
“No! You stay.”
“Yes, master,” she said sitting back down.
He went into the living room.
“What’re you doing here? I said I’d call you.”
“I know but I’m too excited to wait,” the female voice whined anxiously.
“I don’t know why. Morgan’s unpredictable. You should be scared not excited; intimidated not anxious.”
“I concur.”
He turned to see Morgan leaning in the doorway.
“I thought I told you to stay in the kitchen.”
“And I did but I was too excited to wait,” she said mocking the woman.
She smiled at the discomfort on her father’s face.
“Who is she, dad?”
She looked over the lady: 5’7, long brown hair, brown eyes, make-up, party dress and fantastic orthodontia.
“I’m Michelle. Oh, he described you perfectly.”
“Did he, really?”
“I can hardly tell you’re half white if it weren’t for the blue eyes.”
“So black people can’t have blue eyes?”
“Well, it’s just-
“You haven’t been alone, have you, dad?”
“Baby-
“You’ll pay for this. That’s a promise.”
She snatched his keys out of a bowl on the table by the door and left. When she got near her car in the parking garage, she saw three boys standing in front of it.
“Like what you see?”
“Very much,” the smallest said. “So much that I’ll take it off your hands.”
“B-Rabbit is not for sale.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to buy it.”
“In that case, he’s not for stealing.”
“But I think it can be arranged.”
“I just got here.”
“Welcome to New York. We saw the luggage and the plates.”
Morgan knew what she had to do. She had to get in the car then she could take control of the situation.
She took a step forward.
“Don’t be stupid!”
“Can’t help it. I love this car; made a promise to him.”
Morgan looked around the parking garage. Empty.
She shrugged, “Oh, well.”
She ran toward them straight on then angled toward the front of the car and slide across the hood. She yanked the passenger door open and reached into the glove compartment. They barreled down on her until she pulled out the gun.
“So you’re scared of a ’22, huh?”
“You won’t-
“The fact that I have it kinda means I will. Care to find out?”
“Enough.”
The boys’ eyes looked at someone behind her but she didn’t turn.
“Get lost. Find something else.”
The boys filed out immediately. The voice walked around in front of her. It was a boy or a man; he didn’t look like a high schooler but not old either. His black hair favored Chad Michael Murray’s very much except for a couple of strands that fell in his face right into his absorbent clear green eyes.
She noted that he was well tanned and muscled. He had a black tribal tattoo on his left forearm that she categorized as Vin Diesel-ish.
“Sorry about that,” he said which a mischievous smirk. “I’m Dillan.”
“And I’m annoyed. If you’re smart you’ll tell them to stay away from my car.”
“You’re very proud of your work.”
“Yes, I am.”
“May I have a look under the hood?”
“No you may not.”
“Why?”
“I don’t believe that’s any of your business.”
“What do you think? I’m a cop?”
“Well, now that you mention it.”
He laughed. “I liked you. Very fast paced.”
“For good reason. I didn’t build him like this for nothing.”
“Please? You’ve peaked my interest. Your secrets safe with me.”
“You sound like a cop diggin’ for info.”
“I’m not a cop. I’m a driver…a creator. I work in a chop shop. I’m always looking for inspiration.”
“The more you talk the more you sound like a cop. Look, I just got her. There’s no way I’m in trouble already. I have nothing to hide.”
She tucked the gun away and lifted the hood.
He whistled. “That’s an Audi A7 engine.”
Her eyes glazed over, “I know. You can’t possibly imagine what I went through to get it. It was not easy. But I was patient and boy did it pay off.”
“I’ll bet.”
“When I pull up to these cats I just know they’re thinkin’ “She’s driving a VW.’ But by second shift they are eating my dust and I feel…invincible.”
He nodded his understanding.
“Racers are always lookin’ for me cause they wanna do the whole pink slip thing. They all think they’re the exception. I don’t race. Not because I’m scared to lose but because I get no satisfaction from it. I get satisfaction from knowing that I’m the only ‘racer’ I know of who hasn’t had their car towed or who hasn’t been caught in their. I love making cops look stupid. No offense.”
“None taken.”
“And I respect B-Rabbit too much to put that kinda pressure on him. I’m sure he’d come through for me but why put him in an avoidable situation. Besides, we both love the cops. He purrs more for the cops than anyone else.”
“You love this car.”
“Because he loves me.”
“I’ve never heard a girl talk about a car like this. Usually it’s a boy.”
She chuckled.
“I got a Lancer that I feel almost the same way about. Mine is a girl of course and she’s a trooper.”
“What kinda-
Her phone rang.
“Yeah,” she answered, irritated. “I’m still in the garage, calm down.” She rolled her eyes. “Yes, sir. I’ll be right up, Shelton.” She hung up before he could respond.
“I gotta go.” She let the hood down. “It’s been a real slice,” she said saluting.
“Take my card. Call me.”
“Doubtful. But here,” she snatched the card and pulled a pen out of nowhere and wrote down her cell. “I’m outtie.”
She locked the gun away in the car and headed toward the elevator. When she got near the penthouse, her phone rang.
“Amanda-
“Don’t ‘Amanda’ me! When were you going to tell me you moved to New York?”
“When I got back to Miami in about a week.”
“Your mom says you’re not coming back.”
“Yeah, well, my mom says a lot of things.”
One of the doors flung open. Morgan walked passed Michelle.
“What happened? Why are you in New York?”
“She freaked because I got arrested-
“Arrested?”
“She thinks the old man can do better but he’s trying to lay down the law and I’m not trying to hear it.”
“Off the phone, Morgan.”
“How rude, dad. I’m having a very relevant best friend conversation riht now.”
He snatched the phone. “Amanda, she’ll call you back.”
“Okay.”
“Amanda, if you hang up you’re betraying me!”
“Then I guess you’re betrayed.”
She sighed, “Dammit.”
“Hey.”
“My phone, please.”
“I’m confiscating this.”
Her eyes grew wide, “Not the iphone,” she wheezed, panicked.
“You can have it back when we’re done talking.”
They sat down in the living room, including Michelle.
“How do you expect me to take this exchange seriously with Brooklyn Barbie sitting here?”
“You can’t disrespect Michelle.”
“I was here first and I don’t think you’re respecting me, Ma or Mel by having her here. And you had the nerve to go out and find somebody whose name started with an ‘M’. How’s that for irony?”
“Enough, Morgan. She lives here, too.”
“Please don’t say she’s playing the mother figure because that didn’t work for my real momma.”
“No, Morgan. But I won’t have you disrespecting her. This is her home as well as yours.”
“How old are you?”
“Don’t answer that!” Shelton said quickly.
Michelle closed her mouth.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s not going anywhere.”
“Which means eventually I am. I’m beat. Where do I sleep?”
He pointed to a bedroom down the hall, “Your things are in there.”
She saluted them with her index and middle finger and headed down the hall.