Mr. and Mrs. Swing

Chapter 5 - I Wanna Cater 2 U

Anthony's Italian Restaurant New York City, New York

October 4, 1992

"Mary, thank you so much for having lunch with me. I heard the album is coming along, I'm so excited for you girl!", I exclaimed to Mary from across the table.

Since the night of KCi's party, me and Mary have been hanging tight and we have so much in common. Minus us dating two men from the same R&B group. Mary also had a hard childhood and finds it hard to trust people so crazy enough we bonded over that.

Mary sipped her water and smiled at me, "Girl THANK YOU! Andre said my tour is gonna be off the chain thanks to you! And you've held me down with booking the studio I like over in Yonkers, I really appreciate that boo", Mary said.

"It's no problem", I replied, "The guy who owns it actually went to Howard with me and Puff so he shows love to our artists", I said taking a bite of my salad.

I noticed throughout lunch Mary had on her dark sunglasses the whole time.

I ordered a glass of wine and decided to open Pandora's box, "So Mary J, how are things between you and KCi?", I asked gently.

Mary took a while before she replied, she kept looking over her shoulder then finally she spoke. "Drew, keep this off the record. Please", she said.

I nodded my head and she kept going. "It's not going good. Sometimes it's fun and passionate, then we both start drinking and partying and it turns into a disaster. He talks to me like I'm shit. He's disrespectful. Mean. Rude. You name it. I want to leave but I love him and I know he loves me. It's so hard", Mary said as I saw tears roll down her face.

I grabbed her hand, "Mary I would never tell a soul. Just be careful. This industry... it can bring out the worst in people. You add money, drugs, and demons and it's a recipe for disaster", I said carefully. 

Mary took off her glasses and stared at me, her eyes were red like she had been crying.

"I wish I was like you Drew. You're so strong and put together. I know you would never allow this from Devante", Mary said as she picked at her food.

I gave her a small smile, "Never say never girl. This is the first boyfriend I've ever had and I really love him. Trust me, I understand the want to make it work. But you have to want yourself even more. And you're going to be a legend Mary, mark my words! This won't stop you! If anything it'll make you legendary! Stronger!".

Mary looked at me with a sad expression on her face, "You might be right. But I love K-Ci. I don't know if I want any of this success without him".

I grabbed my friend's hand and held it for a second, "Mary, you're my girl. And I love you. I'm so happy we met and have started to work together. I'll talk to K-Ci but unfortunately, I also know how he can get when he's drinking. I want you to always choose you, Mary. Always. God gave you such an amazing talent. Use your pain to inspire other women. Next week when we go to the studio, I want you to put all this pain and confusion into your music", I said gently.

Mary nodded her head and smiled, "You're right. You are 100% right. I can't believe you never wanted to work in music, you have a gift for understanding even the most complex and troubled people. All while keeping your cool".

"I guess having a fucked up childhood can be helpful sometimes", I said laughing.

Teaneck, New Jersey - 7:00 PM

I just left the grocery store and drove my new Mercedes through the tree-lined streets of Teaneck, New Jersey. Devante has been working so hard on the next album, Diary of a Mad Band, that I felt like he deserved a surprise. I told the guys to keep him at the studio until at least 9 so I could cook dinner and get everything ready.