Okay this is all Samcedes. Just so you can get a feel of how their feelings are for each other even though Sam has been in jail for about three years now. Enjoy!

Sam called Mercedes. "Am I going to see you, Saturday?" Sam said.

"Boo, I don't have a ride. Millie's motor went out in her car. She's driving my mother's Cressida, and you know how my mother is, since she got this new boyfriend. If she's not at work, she's out with her man."

"What, Gina got a man?"

"Yep."

"Where she get him from?" Sam was happy for Gina.

"She met him at a single's conference through the church."

"Is he a square?"

"I don't know because I haven't met him. She always goes out to meet him for coffee and donuts. She's still scoping him out. She says once she gets to know him, then she'll introduce me. All I know is his name is Larry."

"I am happy for Gina."

"Me too," Mercedes was quite serious.

"Baby Girl, I am going to call Puck or Tank, to tell him to get you the rental car. He's going to call you later." Sam changed the subject.

Puck got the rental car for Mercedes to go visit Sam. Mercedes woke up bright and early Saturday morning to get on the road. On the way, she got a flat tire on 95 South. She pulled over, opened up the trunk, only to find that there was no spare tire. Now ain't this some shit? She slammed the trunk and went to sit in the car. She called roadside assistance. They told her it would be at least three hours, before they could get there. She tried to call her mother, Tank, Puck and Sandra; none one of them were available. She called Drew, who asked, "Why didn't you call me earlier?" He arrived the same exact time the roadside assistance people showed up. They towed the car. Drew took her to the nearest rental car place where she got another car. After she had gotten everything straight with the rental car, it was too, late to get on the road to go see Sam. This was the first time in almost three years that she didn't go see Sam when she said she was. Awful was the feeling she felt, and she really had her heart set on seeing him.

What a day she thought, as she walked into the door. She kicked off her shoes. She looked at the caller ID. She saw some out-of-areas on the caller ID, and some numbers she didn't recognize. She checked her answering machine.

Beep. "Baby Girl, it's 12: 30 and you're not here yet. I spoke to Puck and he told me he got the rental. I guess you should be showing up any minute now."

Beep. "Yeah, Mercedes," Sam never calls me Mercedes. "If you needed a rental car for something other than coming to see me, you should've just said so, and it wouldn't been no thing. No love lost. No need to rush to get up here. Guess I see you whenever."

The next morning Mercedes was up bright and early to get on the highway to go visit Sam. She arrived at the prison at 8: 46. She knew they had to call for Sam before 9: 15 because of the count. The correctional officer sitting at the front registration desk looked Mercedes up and down from head to toe when she approached the desk. The masculine looking guard sat there on the telephone carrying on a personal conversation, not even acknowledging Mercedes other than the stank look she gave her when she walked in the door. Mercedes was patiently looking at her watch knowing that time is not on her side right now.

Excuse me miss, are you working or am I waiting on someone else to come and check me in? If so, would you call them please?"

"Would I have on this uniform if I wasn't working? I am going to check you in when I get off the phone." What do I do? Should I ask to see her supervisor or should I just chill, since I am trying to get in there? I really don't need any hold ups. Right then and there, the bell rung for count. Mercedes knew she had to wait now.

"Oopps, look at there. You've got to come back after 10: 30 when the count clears."

I can't believe this heifer. Mercedes left and came back around 10: 35 when the lobby was packed with tons of. When Mercedes reached the front of the line the same guard informs her, "Oh, your jeans are too tight. You can't go in. Let me make a suggestion to you. There's a Dollar General Store down the street, maybe you can go and purchase some jeans."

The nerve of this big dyke looking wench, she could have told me that before, when I was here the first time. I feel like smacking the hell out of her, but then I know that I really won't be able to get in there to see Sam. Be cool, Mercedes. And if you want to, you can show your ass, but wait until you come out from seeing Sam.

Mercedes left the prison and returned with some jeans that were on the clearance rack for $ 6.00, at the Dollar General Store, the only store in the town. She left her shirt and shoes on. She was then processed in. She went into the room with this other guard that looked like she was an Amazon.

"Face the wall, hold your hands straight like level with your shoulders." She began to pat Mercedes down. You are too into this. Is this the highlight of your job? "Take off your shoes. Lift up your feet." The things a girl's gotta do to be supportive of her man while he's in prison. I realize, though, that this is the way the system is set up, to discourage us from coming in here to see our loved ones. These people want us to just say, "Oh, I'm not going through all this to get into a prison to see him. I'll see him when he's released. So me giving into these people would be allowing them to win this political war.

Mercedes walked in the visiting room, and handed her visitor's pass to the correctional officer sitting at the entrance door. "Ma'am he's at table 33. He's already visiting with another visitor so you can just join them. Table 33 is outside. Walk through those double doors and you should see him."

"Thank you," Mercedes said. He's about the only person who works at this place who has some sense. I think it must be a thing with the female guards. Most of the women are mad because you coming in here dressed all fly, with the hairdo to match. You got your head all up in the air. They know you know that you looking good, so the only way they know they can mess with you, is by trying to use the little toy badge and imitation police uniform to try to make your day rough, when all they gotta simply do is, ask "where did you get those shoes, or who did your hair?" I'd surely tell them, alls they gotta do is ask. No, that's just too easy, they've gotta reveal that nasty disposition instead, and guess what? They still don't know where I got the shoes from either. Wonder who's in here seeing Sam? It's probably Sandra. Wonder why she didn't call to see if I wanted to ride with her? She knows my car was just torched. Mercedes looked around the visiting room to see who was visiting whom. I can't believe there are chicks in here with jeans way tighter than mines. Ooh, look at that chic over there with some stretch pants on, and they got the nerve to make a big issue about me coming in here with my jeans on.

Just then, Mercedes had the table in sight. The nerve! No he don't have some chic up here visiting him!

The girl sitting at the table with Sam was a bright light, pale complexion, with sandy brown hair. Her hair was gelled back into a neat ponytail with a scarf wrapped around it. She had a single red pimple on her face that stood out from afar due to her light skin tone. She was tall and slinky possessing no shape at all. Her eyes were dark brown with black eyeliner around them, along with the same liner for her lips, which possessed candy apple red lipstick. She had on some bell-bottom jeans with some Bass denim sneakers, blue and white Guess shirt with her neck, fingers and ears possessing an assortment of gold jewelry.

Mercedes was trying to keep her composure. After all I been through yesterday and today to get here, and I'm greeted with my man sitting at the table with somebody else. And on top of everything else I got on these cheap ass $ 6.00 jeans. Oh, hell NO!

"Oh, isn't this just cute!" Sam and Madam X both were in shock when Mercedes snuck up from behind. Sam always sat with his back to the police when he was in the visiting room. It was his way of being disrespectful to the correctional officers. "Surprise ! Surprise! Surprise!" Mercedes pounced upon them.

"Hey, baby" Sam got up to embrace her with a hug and a kiss. Mercedes turned her face away from Sam and he ended up kissing her on the cheek. She sat down.

"Oh, Flo, this is my wife, Mercedes . Mercedes, this is a friend of mine, Flo." Your friend, huh?

"Nice to meet you, Mercedes," Flo said.

"Can't say the feeling is mutual, honey." Mercedes looked Flo up and down.

"On that note, Sam I am about to go," Flo said as she stood up.

"Look , sweetie, you ain't going anywhere until I get an explanation about what the hell is going on here," Mercedes said in a firm tone.

"Baby Girl, calm down. Don't make a scene. I'll explain everything." Sam tried to get the situation under control.

"Yeah, I want it right now while your ho, excuse me, I meant while Flo is here."

"Baby, calm down, this is not what you think."

"How did I know you were going to say that?"

"Sit down, Flo, because you ain't going nowhere," Mercedes said as she pointed to the chair.

"Baby Girl, I know I went against the grain when I asked you to bring narcotics in here. I know the severity of me asking you to jeopardize your freedom. My man hooked me up with Flo. She's a mule. She goes to different prisons visiting dudes to take them the pack. That's her hustle. All those money orders I been sending you, I get them from doing my thing in here, not just from cigarettes."

"I am still trying to understand why, Sam? Your commissary stays stacked. You don't want for anything. I just don't understand why you'd resort to this?" Mercedes was truly at a loss.

"Well, Baby Girl, opportunity was there. There is a lot of money to be made in here."

"Every time opportunity knocks you can't open the door for it. Sam, what you have failed to realize is that you were a major player on the scene. Simply because you walk in the spotlight, believe me, there's a rat or a snake in the shadow , because all a dude needs is to get a whiff of what you doing and they'll drop a note or a kite on you. Then here comes the heat. They put you under investigation, then they control your destiny." Mercedes could feel her blood pressure increase knots.

"Baby Girl, calm down"

"Calm down? Let me enlighten you to this, Sam. I am out here ripping and running up and down the damn road to every place that I think will listen to me to help out with your appeal. Wouldn't it just be ironic if I get a break on your case and you mess around and get a drug charge in here? That's a street charge. All it takes is for them to do a shake down on the late night/ early morning shift. Even if you got somebody else holding it, who do you think is going to take the charge? Not even a "Flunkey Junkey" is that stupid. No, baby! Dudes are doing anything to get outta here. People are snitching like crazy."

Just then, Flo stood up. "My work is done here. I am about to go."

"Flo, I am not finished with you either, and it's to your best interest that you sit your bony butt down. Don't worry, I am going to get to you in a minute."

Sam couldn't say a word because he knew if Mercedes had never been right about anything else, she was right this time.

"Just think about this. Now suppose somebody got a whiff of this whole conspiracy going on, and set the whole thing up." She points to Flo as she continues. "Flo, they wait for you to come in here with the pack, and catch you in the process. Oh, I don't know if you can hold your own, but say they put the pressure on you. They want you to tell on the person who gave it to you." Flo interrupted,

"Oh, I can do mines if I catch a case. I'm not going to tell on nobody. It was my choice to do it, so I can handle the consequences."

"Flo, they all say that, that's until you're presented with all that time." Mercedes rolled her eyes in disgust. "Now, back to what I was saying. Then they connect the mule, you, Sam, and then everybody's locked up with a rack of time, all because you say opportunity knocked. How much money could you make in here? A few hundred dollars, Sam? You were never a $100 man when you were on the streets, so why come to jail and become a $100 man? You're in the penitentiary throwing bricks at the exit door. You must really like it here, huh? Are you trying to come home or what?"

"And you Flo, for the love of money, right? Is this all really worth it? Let me tell you this, if I ever catch you in here bringing my man some damn drugs, I will beat you down unmercifully, you hear me? You can sit there and pick your fingernails as if you don't hear me, but this is from the heart, baby. Now, you are dismissed. You are free to go now."

"Mercedes, listen to me, baby. Please don't be hard on me, I understand your feelings about this, but try to recognize my plight. I know that you like nice things. I know that things are tight due to the fact you are trying to further your education. I don't want you to have to go through the bullshit with those lame ass dudes just to be able to keep your head above water. I feel that the main reason you're so caught up in that lifestyle is because I introduced you to it. By all means, I want you to have the best of everything, and I will do whatever's in my power to make sure that you're O.K."

Mercedes touched Sam cheek and gazed into his eyes. "Sam, don't try to turn this around on me. Let me tell you it doesn't matter what I drive, what I wear, or how much money I got if I don't have you with me to share it with. It's meaningless. If I won a million dollars tomorrow and had to pay $ 999,999.00 to get you outta here, it would be done in a blink of an eye." Mercedes maintains her serious disposition. "Sam, I love you with all my heart, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I need you to choose. Now, is it going to be me or your little prison drug ring? That's my bottom line." Sam tried to respond but Mercedes cut him off. "Don't answer right away. Think long and hard over this whole ordeal."

Mercedes got up as if she was leaving. Sam jumped up, followed Mercedes over to the exit door, and grabbed her hand.

"No, baby, where you going, Baby Girl? I've made my decision. Mercedes, I quit," Sam said motioning his hands as if he was the umpire at a baseball game.

Of all times, he knew she was serious by the look in her eyes. "Mercedes, you're all I have, all I need and all I want. If it takes me to give up hustling, it's out the window."

"If you truly love me and are willing to sacrifice and prove it to me, then give me what Flo just brought you." Sam didn't hesitate. He quickly reached into the pocket of his jean jumpsuit and handed it to Mercedes. She took it out of his hand, balled it up in a paper towel, proceeded to the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. They went back to sit at the table. She developed tears in her eyes, as she absorbed the idea of Sam throwing the towel in on selling drugs. The streets had practically raised him, and he excluding drugs from his life for her was one of the ultimate tests of their love. It wasn't Jamal or Drew who'd passed the test. It was Sam. Time and time again, it was always Sam.