Twila and Candy

By Charlotte Simmons

Chapter 6

I readied each of the girls’ rooms so that they would have their own space. I figured that Candy would be the first to ask to bunk with me, but I knew for sure that little Miss Prissy was going to hold on to her virtue to the last moment. I had to give the little shit some credit and I respected the fact that even at four, she had guts and was savvy enough to figure out what her mama was.

When I had things around the house ready the way I wanted them, I went to bed. Now that my plan had come to fruition and I was going to take possession of the two prettiest little black girls I’d ever seen, sleep came quickly and soundly.

I woke at six and after performing my morning ritual, I was sitting at the breakfast room table drinking a cup of coffee when the phone rang. When I picked up the cordless with a friendly hello, Tom said, “Hey Boss, it’s me.”

“Hey Tom, what’s up?”

“Can you get over and pick up the girls?”

“Yes, but not until noon.”

“No, I mean now.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Maude called me and said some guy walking his dog found Sandy this morning with a bullet in her brain. The girls are at her house with some lady from Social Services. My guess is she showed her boyfriend that check and he figured no crack whore needed that kind of money and relieved her of it.”

“Holy shit!” I replied shocked. “Yeah… yeah Tom, I’ll head over to Maude’s now. Thanks for the call.”

“No problem, Boss. Just make sure you have the kids’ ownership papers or else you ain’t gonna be taking them with you.”

I looked at my watch and it was eight thirty. I called my lawyer on his cell and told him what had happened and who I suspected may have violently relieved Sandy of the money. I asked him about the check. He told me he would call the bank and report it stolen and they’d put a hold on it and start an investigation.

He told me that with a check for that amount and the fact that the endorsee was murdered less than twenty-four hours after receiving the check, the police would be involved because that was a motive to kill her. He told me the police would definitely interrogate me and pursue the money trail. Whoever tries to cash that check will be in deep shit. He advised me to be honest about why I gave her the check and when I first heard about her demise. No matter what happened, I had iron-clad custody of the girls; if I had any trouble with Social Services, to call him immediately.

Armed with that knowledge and the notarized custody papers, I left for Maude’s. Twenty minutes later, I was knocking on her door. Maude answered the door and looked like she’d been crying. I entered and was greeted by the girls, who ran to me and I embraced them both. After settling the girls, Maude introduced me to Ms. Silvia Summers, the social worker from DSS. She was in her mid to late twenties and not a bad looking woman.

While the girls watched TV, the three of us sat at the kitchen table and talked. I asked Maude what happened and she said that when Sandy’s body was found, one of the cops that was at the scene recognized her from dealings with Fred Thomas, the club owner where Sandy worked. He knew her address was on file because she had been arrested for prostitution. They retrieved her address from police records and arrived at eight this morning. Maude continued the tale with, “When the cops arrived, Twila answered the door. They asked her if a grown-up was there and she said no, but their sitter lived downstairs. They brought the girls here and called Miss Summers here and she came over. Twila told me that you was gonna be their daddy from now on and that her mama signed some papers sayin’ so.”

“Miss Summers arrived right a’fore you gots here. She was gonna take the girls, but I tolds her that they had a new daddy and that you’d be a comin’ soon. That be all I knows.”

“What time did Sandy pick up the girls?” I asked Maude.

“I’s not sure, maybe ‘bout five dis mo’nin’.”

I turned to the Ms. Summers and said, “Maude’s correct, but let me fill in the blanks. Sandy signed over complete custody of the girls to me yesterday. We knew she had a drug problem and was somehow bound to this Fred character at the club where she worked. I’m a modeling agency executive and wanted to sign the girls to a contract to do catalog work.

“Sandy didn’t have the means or the desire to devote the time and energy necessary to give the girls a chance at a better life. She was too wrapped up in her drug habit and way of life and, I suspect, probably saw the girls as an albatross around her neck. I know that sounds callous to be talking about a dead woman, and I don’t know if that was the case, but that was my observation.

“All of my models to date are from stable homes and the girls’ parents, usually the mother, direct their daughter’s careers and manage their money. I decided that it would be a great idea to provide an opportunity for a couple of disadvantaged kids to move up in the world. So, I sent one of my scouts to the projects to look for a couple of fresh faces. That’s when he spotted Twila and her sister.

“I met with the girls and with Sandy at the club and she saw the girls as a means to make some serious cash, but she didn’t have the resources to manage the girls such as a car, or more importantly, her time and attention needed to foster a couple of child models.”

Here’s where I deviated from the truth. I continued with, “Sandy was crestfallen when she saw the girls’ earnings slipping through her fingers. I told her that we didn’t even know if they could perform in front of the camera or whether or not the proofs would warrant a contract. I gave her five hundred dollars for new clothes for the girls and we did a test shoot yesterday. Well, both girls proved to be naturals and ended up with a nearly complete portfolio after their first shoot.

“After we left the studio, I told her the girls would be a hit with the department store buyers. She asked me how she could get the girls a contract when she didn’t have the means or the time to manage them. She asked me if I would be willing to do it. I told her that I never considered anything like that and that for me to take over their management, I’d essentially need full custody of the girls.”

“But why,” Ms. Summers asked, “would you need custody of the girls for them to model?”

“As you might be aware, modeling, whether we’re talking about a child or an adult, is a very demanding job and a lot of hard work. Models are basically at the mercy of the client. They’re called on short notice for assignments and those assignments may be local or there may be travel involved. Whoever managed the girls would have to be available to get the girls to a shoot: whether it’s here locally, in the next town, or state and even sometimes out of the country.

“Sandy didn’t even have a car to drive the girls to a local studio and get them there on time for an assignment. If I took over the girls’ management, they’d need tutors because most of these shoots are during the day. As a result, they’d miss a lot of school. Kids also need medical and dental care. They’d need passports and visas if they traveled out of the country. Only someone who had legal custody of the girls could get them educated, their medical needs addressed and obtain passports and visas. I very well couldn’t try to locate where Sandy was at any particular time to obtain her signature on something that was spur of the moment. So, I’d need legal custody in order to address those issues.

“Knowing this, I was hesitant at taking her suggestion, but at the same time, I was committed to helping a couple of underprivileged kids make a new start. I must admit that I was also very impressed with the girls’ first shoot and wanted to sign them. Photogenic models that can consistently produce good shots are hard to find — especially in children. After all, I’m a business man. I somehow clicked with the girls and they took a shine to me.

“At this point, Sandy was still seeing the girls as a means of income. Remember now, I was going on gut instinct here and really couldn’t tell you for a fact what Sandy was thinking: it was just my personal opinion. Let’s step back for a moment and see if you can agree with my reasoning. You see the environment and conditions the girls are living in.”

I turned to Maude and said, “Maude, even though this is the projects, you keep a clean house and are an upright woman and I mean no offense.”

I turned again to Silvia and continued, “But as you know, Ms. Summers, if you walk out this door and out the front door, you’ll see school age kids selling dope. There are gangs, drugs and prostitution everywhere. Twila told me that the older boys have tried to fondle and molest her. Even at four, she knew that her mama was a whore and wants out of this environment. Isn’t that true, Maude?”

“Yes sir, it is. She be wantin’ to be a model ever since she could walk.”

“Ms. Summers,” I said, “I know from personal experience what life’s like here. I grew up in the projects too. All my friends were black and my mama, bless her soul, was a whore and a druggie too. She overdosed on the bathroom floor when I was sixteen.”

“Now I can see,” Ms Summers said, “why you wanted to help kids like Twila and Candice. I’m also beginning to see that you have some insight as to how people like Miss Cummings think. Go on.”

“Anyway, she asked me point blank ‘How much money can they make?’ I shrugged my shoulders and honestly said, ‘Who knows?’ She asked me to make an educated guess. I ran some rough figures for an above average model, to use as a mean, and figured that they could possible earn around 150k by the time they were sixteen.”

“That much?” the social worker asked. “Just for doing catalog work?”

“You need to remember, Ms. Summers, buyers for department stores speak to fashion houses and designers and fashion designers are where the real money’s at. If a buyer sees a face that is fresh, new and appealing, they tell a certain designer that so-in-so would look great in one of their ads. Suddenly, some unknown kid’s image is plastered on billboards and in magazines wearing designer jeans or a fall line of kid’s clothes. That’s how this business works. Beautiful black child models are as rare as a fifty dollar gold piece. The right kid, at the right time and place could hit the jackpot; but it can come at a price.

“If there isn’t someone looking after the child’s interests, a kid can get chewed up in this business. They’re taken advantage of, sometimes abused and treated like a commodity. Some have even had their earnings stolen from them by an unscrupulous parent or manager. That’s why they need to be managed and protected with their interests in mind.”

“Okay, Mr. Hayes,” she said, “tell me how the custody issue went down.”

“As I was saying, when she heard my estimation, she had neon dollar signs in her eyes. She asked me, ‘And the parents control the kids’ money as they see fit?’ I told her yes. I’ll be honest, Ms. Summers. The figure I gave her was just a percentage of what these girls can make. You have to admit they’re the most beautiful little black girls you’ve ever seen. Together, they could make half a mil easy. She then laid out her idea of how to get her hands on the girls’ earnings. She said straight up, ‘Since I’m the girls’ mother and if’n I was to be their manager, I would be getting that 150 grand, wouldn’t I?’ I said yes. She then said, ‘Well how’s about you give me the 150 G’s and I give you full custody of the girls, that way we both win.’ I replied, ‘yes, but I’d be giving you their money: what about them?’

“She replied, ‘You be rich; you could give em a life I could never give em. They’d live the good life and be on easy street.’ Well, coming from my background, wanting to give these beautiful girls a shot at a new life and seeing my mother in Sandy, I thought the girls would end up going from the frying pan to the fire.

“It’s true, I’m rich; I’m worth over a hundred million dollars and after hearing what she’d just said, the money didn’t matter anymore: just those little girls’ welfare. I agreed. I then called my lawyer and had him draw up the papers and get a cashier’s check made out to her for 150 thousand dollars. She signed those papers yesterday and I was supposed to take custody of the girls today at noon — that is until I got a call from Tom saying Maude had called him. That’s when I found out about Sandy’s death and came over here.”

“So, she essentially sold you her children for 150 thousand dollars,” Ms. Summers surmised. “Do you have the custody papers with you?”

“Yes, Ma’am, right here,” and I handed her the document.

She read it over carefully and completely. When she had finished, she handed it back to me and said, “Well, it’s certainly legal and in order. There’s no doubt that you are now their custodial parent. I have to tell you though, I’m rather sickened by the fact that those two little girls in the other room were sold like puppies by their mother.

“Now, it’s my turn to talk and I’m going to make sure, before I hand over these girls, that you are what you say you are. Now that their mother is dead and you are their sole parent and provider, do you still intend to let these girls embark on modeling careers? I trust what you’re saying, but I’ll still need a financial statement from your attorney to verify that you are as wealthy as you claim. If you are, there’s no doubt what standard of life these girls will live and that all their physical needs such as education, medical care and support will generously be provided for. But again, will they become models?”

“Yes Ma’am. This is Twila’s dream and I’m gonna give it to her and the way little Candy performed, she’ll be right there with her big sister.”

“What of their earnings? How will you handle that?”

“I’ll set up a trust fund for each of them and whatever money they make will be theirs when they reach twenty-one.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear. Now, the next step is to get the girls and their things together and take them to their new home. I want to inspect your house and make sure it meets department regulations.”

I put up my hand to interrupt and said, “There’s something else you should know. I’m sure the police will be interested and I want to be up front and open about things. Now mind you, I’m just a simple guy from the projects, but I think — and Maude, correct me if I’m wrong — it was my impression that her boss at the club had something on Sandy and had a strong controlling influence on her. It just seems a little strange to me that I gave her a check for 150 thousand dollars around six last night and she turns up dead a few hours later. When I found out about her demise, I called my lawyer and he reported the check stolen. The bank will put a hold on it and wait to see if anyone tries to cash it. I just thought you should know.”

Maude cut in with, “I wuz thinkin’ the same thing, Jimmy. That Fred Thomas is a real snake in the grass. And he was her pimp and supplier too. I be knowin’ that fo’ a fact!”

“I’ll make sure I inform the police,” Silvia said, “because I doubt they know about this check and 150 thousand dollars is a lot of motive. Let’s get the girls and their things. I want to inspect your home.”

With that, we went to the living room and I asked the girls if they had anything at their apartment that they wanted to take with them. They said they had a few things, so Silvia and I bade Maude goodbye and we headed upstairs to pack up the girls’ things. Candy only wanted the new clothes she’d gotten and a stuffed bunny she called Ninny. Twila snatched up the two modeling portfolios and her new clothes: that was it. They didn’t even look back as we left what was once their home.

I piled all the girls’ things in the back of the Escalade, buckled them in and Silvia followed me home. When we arrived at my driveway, I got out and told Silvia that I’d pull through first and then have to swipe the card for her to enter in behind me. Once we were both inside the gate, we drove up to the house.

The girls were going crazy when they saw their new home from the outside. When we entered, the girls took off to explore their new digs. I qualified things before I gave Silvia the tour by saying, “Before today, I was a single guy, so please excuse things if they’re not too ‘family oriented’. I plan on buying the girls new furniture for their rooms that they can pick out and we’ll just change things in the house as the need arises.”

“That’s fine, Mr. Hayes. I’m sure you’ll make it a place they can call home.”

With that, I proceeded to give her a tour of the house. When she saw the pool outside, I told her that I’d have to have a fence put up so they didn’t accidentally fall into the pool. She seemed satisfied with that remark. She paid the most attention to the bedrooms, inspecting mine and was impressed that each of the girls’ bedrooms had its own adjoining bathroom. I explained that I wasn’t even sure if they wanted their own bedrooms, thinking they may still want to share a room.

Silvia said, “It looks better on the report if they each have their own bedroom, but if they do want to be together, that’s fine too. I’m glad you’ll let them make that decision.”

“Well, this Daddy business is all new to me, but they’re close and Twila is like a mother hen with Candy. I just want them to be happy. Each of our lives is going to change, so we’ll kind of be learning together, won’t we?”

“Indeed you will.”

“Well, now that you’ve done your duty, can I interest you in a cup of coffee or something?”

“No thank you, but I would like to sit and talk for a few minutes.”

“Sure, let’s go back downstairs.”

I ended up putting on a pot of coffee and we settled down in the breakfast room with a cup to talk. Silvia didn’t waste any time getting to the point. “Mr. Hayes, As sordid as the story is that you told me, for now, I’ll take your word. It appears to me that your home will generously supply these girls with a clean and luxurious lifestyle and it more than meets departmental regulations. And for now, I’m going to honor your custody agreement and leave here today giving you full custody. But… and there’s always a “but”, isn’t there? But, I will monitor your case and re-evaluate things in six months: not because I don’t trust you, but because of the circumstances and events surrounding Miss Cummings’ murder and the means by which you obtained custody.

“I assume you’ll proceed with getting the girls started on their modeling, so I’ll be checking to see if their trust funds are in place and in order. I’ll also re—inspect your home to see if you make the changes you’ve promised. I will also be interviewing the girls to get their opinions on their new home life and what they think of you as their father. I will also be contacting the police and inform them of your giving Miss Cummings that check. Do you have any questions?”

“No Ma’am, but while you’re here, let me make a call.”

I pulled out my cell and called my attorney. I brought him up to speed on the morning’s events and told him to tell Ms. Summers what my net worth was and handed her the phone. When she heard the figure she looked at me and smiled. She thanked my lawyer after asking for a confirmation fax to her office and she disconnected the call.

“Well, Mr. Hayes, It appears these girls have nothing to worry about. I apologize for being so terse, but with the murder of the girls’ mother, her signing over custody for money and hearing your claim of being so wealthy… well, it was a little hard to believe. I apologize. I’ll still monitor your case and return in six months for a follow-up, but I now trust you’ll do right by those girls.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. I’m sure when you return you’ll find everything to your liking.”

“I’m sure I will. Well, I’ll leave you now and let you start learning how to be a father. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Silvia, I’m gonna need it,” I said with a chuckle.

She chuckled back and rose to leave. I walked her to the door and we said our polite goodbyes.