1957:

"Pregnant? PREGNANT!"

Mercedes closed her eyes, trying her best to disappear to one of the many locations she's dreamt of visiting before. Hawaii, London, Australia, anywhere but here. She braced herself. "My daughter is pregnant? With a white boy's baby? Do you have a death wish?

"Mama. I'm sorry. I love Sam. He loves me." Mercedes had no idea where this courage was coming from.

"HE DOESN'T LOVE YOU MERCEDES! HE GOT WHAT HE WANTED!"

Mercedes' mother was screaming as her little brother watched the whole thing.

"Mama, please. We're gonna get married. We're going to finish school and I'm going to be famous and he's going to be a writer"

"Married? Married? Because being black isn't bad enough around these parts now you're going to expect your school to let you finish with a belly and then you're going to go ahead and marry a white boy? Have you fallen and hit your head?" Mercedes' mother grabbed her head and sat on the couch. "You're moving in with your cousins in New York.

"MAMA! I can't! What about Sam?"

"Sam is no longer in your life. You hear me young lady? Forget that boy ever existed!"

Mercedes' eyes started to form tears and she was full of rage.

"HE'S NOT GONNA LEAVE ME LIKE DADDY LEFT YOU!"

Mercedes covered her mouth. She wanted to take it back but it was too late. Before she could even open her mouth to apologize her mother had gotten up and smacked her across the face.

"Go pack! Now!" were the last words her mother spoke to her that night

1972, 15 years later.

Sam Evans was 32 years old, trying to make it as a writer in NYC. He had published his first book a few months ago and he was still waiting for it to launch. A story about two teenagers who fall in love and are separated by circumstances beyond his control. He thought it would be perfect but no one was buying. He was living off his salary as a bus boy in Manhattan. It was exhausting work but he had the chance of meeting many famous people. He thought, one day he'd bump into the right person and slip them one of his many scripts. His most cherished possession? "Mercy me" It was the script his book was based on and it was his heart and soul. He sat on the bus for his long ride into the city. He looked out the window and then leaned back, closing his eyes.

"You're in love? IN LOVE? With some Negro girl?" Sam's father was invading Sam's space, chest to chest, eye to eye.

"Her name is Mercedes and I'm going to find her again and marry her" Sam said gritting his teeth and looking at his father right in the eyes.

"I don't give a shit what her name is boy! You're not dating no negro girl! You hear me?"

"John, stop that" Sam's mother put her hand on Sam's shoulder. "You should respect who your son loves. I didn't raise a racist"

Sam looked at his mom with pleading his eyes. This wasn't her fight. She didn't have to do this. The truth is, his mom fell in love with Mercedes the moment she walked in through her door. When his father had long shifts at the family bakery, Mercy came over and the three of them would listen to records, dance and laugh. It had been a long time since he had seen his mother so happy.

"Georgina, stay out of this! This is between me and the boy!"

"He's my son too!"

Sam's father grabbed his mother by the arm and flung her on to the couch.

"It's MY house!"

Sam was stronger than his father. He knew he could take him and after years of watching him abuse his mother, he couldn't take it anymore.

"you fucking bastard!" Sam pushed his father into the glass table in the living room. The table broke into pieces and his father fell to the floor, shocked.

"I turn 18 in a few months. I'm leaving this God forsaken house and I'm taking mama with me!" Sam yelled.

"You ungrateful little jerk" His father mumbled trying to get off the floor.

Sam ran up the stairs to his room and packed as much as he could. He grabbed the keys to his truck and ran down the stairs. His father was wiping the blood off of his face and his mother was standing at the door.

"Mama? Are you coming?"

Sam and his mother left that night. They lived off of everyone else's charity and good friends. Sam never stopped looking for Mercedes but after a few years, it felt like the earth had swallowed her whole.

Sam opened his eyes and rubbed them. He had fallen asleep on the bus and realized he was only a few stops away from his job. He sat up and kept looking out the window. The bus stopped and he noticed a pretty woman about his age arguing with a younger boy. Sam thought she looked like someone he knew but wasn't sure who. Suddenly the younger boy flipped the woman off and Sam was enraged. He stood up and got off the bus. The younger boy was walking away from the beautiful woman and Sam started following him.

"Hey! Kid! Didn't anyone teach you any manners? You don't treat a lady that way! Hey! I'm talking to you!

The boy turned around and his green eyes fell on Sam's. He was tall like him, and he was face to face with him.

"you're not my father" The boy yelled.

"Well, thank God for that!" Sam yelled back.

"Excuse me, what the hell do you think you're doing?" The pretty woman came up to the boy and stood behind him.

"Teaching this kid some manners…oh my God" Sam's heart stopped. "Mercy?"

Mercedes' jaw dropped and shivers ran down her spine. "Sam? Sam Evans?"

Sam couldn't believe it. He chuckled and took Mercedes into his arms.

"Mercedes Jones! You look….stunning!"

Mercedes smiled and pulled back "so do you!"

"You know this creep?" The boy asked.

"Okay, who the hell is this?" Sam asked getting visibly aggravated.

Mercedes gulped and took the boy's hand.

"This is Lucas. My son" Mercedes said softly.

Sam's face turned all shades of red.

"Your son?" Sam asked in complete shock.

He ran his fingers through his blonde locks and noticed the frustrated, dark skinned, green eyed boy doing the same through his dark locks.

Suddenly real life hit Sam Evans in the face and he looked straight at Mercedes.

"your son?"