Short Story: Cleopatra (Pyramids) by Melanie “CoCo” McCoy (@cocofullofgrace) Inspired by @Frank_Ocean
To the Eves, Delilahs, the Jezebels, the Ruths, the Cleopatras and to the Queens. I would also like to make note of the Adams, Samsons and any other poor soul that was captured under Cleopatra’s spell.
Samson once told a woman named Delilah where he got his strength, which if is he was a bit wiser he would have known that he should have done such a thing. Adam taking a bite out of a fruit that basically brought sin into the world and who cares what the fruit was. All that I know is that we were all screwed after Eve gave him the fruit. Then I put all my trust in a woman that wasn’t necessarily evil or angelic. She was the perfect concoction of homemade sin and lilies. She smelled like the spices from Cairo. She looked like royalty as well. Most days we would argue, but once she shed those crocodile tears the arguments were over and all was forgotten. I always think about how rich, brown and yet golden her skin was. She had royal eyes like Lola Falana.
One late night, I walked out of our apartment to take a quick smoke of some herb. She was indoors sound asleep. All that I could think about was that we had rent that was due in less than twenty-four hours. I looked a the pitched black night sky and from afar I could see the twinkling of a single star. I went back inside to apartment 612. There was Cleopatra just lying there in all of her sleepy valor and naked glory. She was a wild sleeper, but after about two hours she would lie still. Her body was sprawled out like a damsel. At times I couldn’t help to stare at the tattoo that was on the left side of her rib cage. There was a name- “Billy.” Billy was the name of the man before me. Cleopatra used to be a teenage runaway who ran straight into the arms of Billy- a white man who had more money than what he knew what to do with. He sold drugs, stolen car parts, and girls. Cleo was one of them. She lived with Billy since she was sixteen and turned trick the following year. There was a search for Cleopatra, and she made national news. After awhile, everyone surrounding her family ruled her off as dead. Her mother knew better than that. Cleo had issues, and she knew that one day Cleo was going to runaway because she was far too adventurous. Eventually, her parents grew to accept her disappearance, but they were hurt. She was their only daughter; their only little girl.
I met Cleo when she was twenty years old. We had many conversations at this bar. I had an idea of what sort of profession that she was in. Three months went by and I knew that she was different.
A brisk evening she looked like she was running from something or someone. She was running with her head turned towards whatever was behind her and she ran right into the arms of me. She was holding herself, because without her hands cupping her breasts they would have been exposed. She wasn’t running very fast so whoever was following her would have caught her. I looked at my clothing and gave her the shirt off of my back. I didn’t know it at the time, but the man that was chasing her was Billy.
“Let me go. Just- LET ME GO,” Cleo said as she turned towards him.
“It might be sick, but I still love you in my own way. I didn’t know that was a trap back there,” he said to her.
“I need to be safe. This man, I love him. He will take care of me,” she said then turning towards me.
“You barely know him,” he said.
“And I once barely knew you, but now that I do. I want no parts,” she said to him with a single tear crossing the side of her cheek.
“Fine, Cleo. Remember when you need something. You’ll always come back to me,” he said throwing his hands up and walking the other direction.
Now, she’s twenty-three and doing extremely well. She had to get her GED and from there she started taking online classes. When we get our money growing greener and when the fruit that we bare ripens, I’ll ask for her hand in marriage. Again she still lies here sleeping heavily. She has a tattoo of a serpent on her wrist. I always wondered what it meant to her.
I placed my cold hands on her body. I watched as her back slowly arched, like a cheetah in heat. The cool touch of my finger tips made Cleopatra rise in all of her royalty. The Queen is about to speak
“Come here,” the queen says as I take off my shirt and enter our bodily quarters ”How much is the rent?”
“Cleo I got it,” I say to her.
“King do you really? I know when you don’t have something. You bite on the left corner of your bottom lip. You don’t even look at me directly in my eyes. King how much?” she asked slyly.
“Cleo, it’s taken care of. That’s why I work two jobs so that we will always be taken care of. I’m a man,” I say getting a little irritating by what she speaks.
“King,” she smiles. “I know that you are a man. Your mine. I know this, but this time we don’t have it. The rent is double since we missed it the last time,” she said.
“Cleo, baby, don’t do it. I know what you are thinking but no. I’m putting my foot down. We aren’t going backwards,” I said to her.
“I know and we won’t,” she says giving me a small kiss to the neck. “Kiss me.”
I inched towards her body that night and I kissed her. She stripped me of my undershirt and got down on her knees and she took off my shoes. She removed my watch- I forgot about the time. She treated me like a King. This is how it happened every time isn’t it- Adam, Samson, King Solomon and King David. The women got the best of all of us. I room smelled like frankincense and myrrh. I could feel my body going into a high. She smiled at me and walked into the bathroom with inviting eyes. I followed behind her. She filled the bathtub with warm water and with that stuff that she only uses once in a while.
“Get in baby,” she said as she continued to strip me down.
I got in with no problem.
She sat on the edge and washed me from head to toe and eventually she got up.
“I want to make love. Can we before…” I said as my eyes started to slowly close.
I could feel her touching me. Eventually I got out, and I carried her to bed. We made love that night like animals in the African jungles. She took that imaginary crown above my head that sat on the top of my head. The way that she whispered my name and called me “King” over and over again. I could tell I lost my strength. This is how it happened Samson? This is how it happened Delilah? This is how it happened David?
She’s a gem and I couldn’t let her preciousness go. I fell asleep that night. I can only guess what happened next. She put on her panties, a pair of shorts and then her six inch heel.s She let her wild Delilah hair lie down. She wore my gold chain. She called it “Pharaoh”, because that was my middle name. My first name is Mark though. Are you catching the drift here- like Mark Antony?
I woke up to a note on the night stand.
“I’m working at the Pyramid tonight,” the note said. “I’ll be back.”
I punched a hole into the wall, because she definitely punched a whole in the walls of my heart.
I had to find Cleopatra, because if I didn’t I knew that she was going to do something that could possibly make me kill her. That night still haunts me to this day. I went to the Pyramid and I walked in and low and behold there was someone swinging on someone’s pole. I knew about this place.
I walked to the back and someone asked if I was Pharaoh and I nodded. They gave me twelve hundred dollars.
“What the hell is this?” I said with a choking sensation. I wanted to vomit.
“It’s from a girl named Cleopatra,” they said. “She left a note with it.”
I opened the note that they handed to me.
“Hey King, you were hurting for cash. There was once a we behind that statement, but what I did tonight came with a cost. I couldn’t stand thinking about us being on the streets. You can do so much better than me. I love you, I just don’t think that you would be in love with what I have done. Take this money, because there is more to come. There will be some in your account later. Don’t hate me baby, don’t. I had to take that snake bite for us- I took it for the team. I’m with Billy, because again everything comes with a price- even my love.”
So to any other man out there if you lay down with Cleopatra just realize that you can’t keep her, because she was never anyone’s to keep.
