After the all-nighter episode with Drew, Mercedes knew that he could not be trusted. Mercedes ran to Ukrop's in Drew's car, when she opened the trunk to put her bags in it,
"Oh my God!" she got the shock of her life.
She stood in the parking lot in astonishment as she stood there looking at the explicit photos that she saw scattered across the trunk of the car. She guessed they were taken while she was locked up. Some of the explicit photos were of stripper broads, and some were of Rochelle. Rochelle was planning a shock of her own. She called Mercedes at the beauty parlor and told her that she was pregnant with Drew's baby, although she really wasn't. Plus, she played the dirty drawers trick. She went and purchased a duplicate pair of Drew's boxers, washed them to make them look worn. And when she saw Mercedes's truck parked in the mall, she hung the boxers on her side view mirror with a note, "are these your man's boxers?"
Mercedes would not be outdone. No, No, No, I won't get mad, I'll just get even. She pulled out her address book, and addressed a bunch of envelopes to all the guys she knew that was in jail. She made copies of the photos she found in Drew's trunk, extra copies of the one of Rochelle with her legs wide open, and mailed them off. She sent the extras along with a chain letter so they could pass it on to their homeboys locked up with them. Mercedes also acquired Drew's code to his cellphone voice mail. It was easy for Mercedes to figure out the code. Men would like to think they are so smart, but they really don't apply themselves. Men codes are usually their kid's birthdays, their address, mother's address, last four digits of their social security, 6969, 1234, 9999, or something to that effect. She'd listen to his messages secretly. Never would she speak on anything she heard, nor would she erase any of the messages. She'd leave them new and would only use the information to her advantage, like if a female left a message about a time they were supposed to meet. Mercedes would simply have something planned for Drew and herself to do around that same time.
When Mercedes arrived home from her friend Cara's baby shower, Drew was lying across the bed with a nonchalant look on his face. Immediately, she knew that there was something wrong. She drew the conclusion that Drew was a little frustrated because the past week, she'd been taking so much time planning the shower, that she hadn't spent much quality time with him. She jumped on the bed and gave him a seductive kiss. He kissed her back, but she could tell by his body language that something was wrong.
"What's wrong, baby?" Mercedes asked, in a whiney tone.
"I need to tell you something, but I just can't." She could see the hurtful expression on his face, and was trying to read the look. It was a look she'd never seen before.
"Baby, all the things we've been through, it's nothing that you can't share with me. You know that."
She was as comforting as she knew how to be. What could it be? Drew just shook his head, as his eyes got tearful.
"Oooohhhh, baby, it's going to be all right. I can't help you if you don't let me know what's bothering you," Mercedes said putting her arm around Drew to console him. "Is it someone else? Did you get somebody pregnant? Is it something I did? Do you want me to move out? Did somebody pass away and die? Do you want to break up?" Drew shook his head in disgust,
"No Mercedes, I love you so much. Everyday I'm around you I realize just how lucky I am to have you in my corner. I never want to live life without you."
"Then, what is it?"
She was anxious to know just what had him so distraught. He kept hesitating to tell her and he wouldn't speak a word. There was a lump in this throat and now he was sweating. Tears started rolling down Mercedes's face as she sat on the edge of the bed beside Drew. She had her arms around him, hugging him tight to show him security.
Drew had never been so afraid in his life. What was he to do? Drew took a deep breath, and pulled himself together. The look she saw on his face was enough to confirm that Drew was carrying something heavy around. He couldn't look Mercedes in the eyes as he told her.
"I can't tell you." He continued slowly. "If I tell you, you are going to leave me!"
"No, I am not. I am not going anywhere," she assured him. "But stop the act and tell me right now!" He gazed into Mercedes's eyes then looked a way, in shame.
"Mercedes, I fucked up," dropping his head rubbing his temples . "I let this girl suck my dick and I got gonorrhea."
"What? You got what?" Mercedes yelled. "Oooh, hell nah! Oooh, hell No!"
She picked up her shoe and clucked him upside the head. She started picking up anything in sight to fight him, but Drew wasn't fighting back. He tried to restrain her, grabbed her and took her into his arms. Mercedes burst out in tears, screamed, and struggled to get away. She couldn't stand the touch of him. He only held her tighter and wouldn't let her go.
"Let me go! You dirty dick motherfucker." She screamed at the top of her lungs.
"No, I won't let you go," he tried to comfort her.
"Get off of me, I can't stand you touching me. You touching me makes me feel so filthy."
"Mercedes, I love you so much. Can't we work through this?"
"Hell No!" She pushed him away. "You, you love me? Stop Lying!"
"Mercedes, I do love you!"
"How could you possibly love me when you broke your promise to me? You fucked somebody else, and told me a lie that it was some chic sucking your dick. You don't even have enough respect for this relationship or even love yourself enough to wear a damn rubber. You could have given me my death warrant. Is this what you do to the people you love?"
"Baby, I apologize," he said in a soft apologetic tone. Mercedes never said anything. "Baby, I promise. I'll never do anything like this again. I swear on everything I love."
Mercedes finally got herself together. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible. Drew went into the kitchen to get her a cold bottle of water. Then he went to the front door as well as the back door. He removed both of the keys from the dead bolt locks and hid them in the living room. Drew was fully aware that if Mercedes left the house that night, his chances to keep her would be about as good as a snowball in hell. By the time he returned, she was dressed and looking for her keys. He'd hid her car keys as well as the spare set.
"Where are my keys?" She growled through her pain.
"I don't know where they are," Drew responded in an unconcerned tone.
"Drew, give me my keys." She stood there holding her hands out.
"I don't have your keys. I wasn't driving your truck. As a matter of fact, didn't you use your keys to open the door?" Drew said as he sat on the couch with his arms extended out on the top of the sofa. He knew she couldn't go anywhere.
"Drew, unlock the door so I can leave." He blocked her out as if he didn't hear her. She stood there with her arms folded. "Drew, I am not playing. Give me my damn keys." She raised her voice, as frustration sat in, but he still didn't respond. "Why can't you just let me leave? I don't want to be around you. If somebody didn't want to be bothered with me, I wouldn't want that person anywhere near me. Why can't you just let me go?"
"Because this is where you live and no respectable woman would be out in the streets this time of night."
Drew expressed this in a relaxed, calm voice. Upset, but not surprised, she went to the bathroom window, but the bars stopped her dead in her tracks, as did the bars on the bedroom window, the kitchen, and all the rooms in the house. Drew just had the cast iron bars installed only a month before. Mercedes realized that she was doomed. She drew the conclusion that she would try to get some rest tonight, but tomorrow morning she was outta there. Drew got into the bed with her. She told him in a shaky voice,
"I really suggest that you carry yourself in the other room because I don't trust myself laying here beside you. I may have an instant replay of what you just dropped on me and kill you in your sleep. Now, please carry your dirty dick ass in the other room."
Though Drew knew Mercedes wouldn't dare hurt him, he slept in the other room. He was compliant because he felt at least they were still under the same roof. The next morning Mercedes awoke to Drew sitting in the chaise chair watching her. She arose from the bed and didn't utter a word to him. To the bathroom she went to pee, washed her face and brushed her teeth.
On her way down the hall, she grabbed the cordless phone, and called her doctor's office. She explained to the receptionist that she had an emergency and needed to see the doctor pronto. They asked her what the problem was, and she simply told them her stomach was hurting. The receptionist told her to come in at noon. She jumped in the shower, got dressed, and headed out. Drew had gotten dressed to accompany her, but she told him she didn't want him to go.
When she reached the doctor's office, she had to wait an hour and a half before they called her name. She noticed that they had hired a new receptionist. She could tell the girl was ghetto. She had super big hair with three colors and five different hairstyles in it. Skeptical thoughts set in her mind, I hope this ghetto chic doesn't try to look in my chart and find out why I'm here. As she waited, she tried her hardest not to cry. She kept leaving out of the waiting room, going into the restroom to get herself together.
"Mercedesse Jones," the jolly nurse called. Mercedes came out of the restroom. "How are you doing?" Mercedes ignored her. She wanted to ask, "why?" Once they reached the room, the nurse asked, "why are you here today?"
"To see the doctor," Mercedes simply said.
"Yes, I am aware of that, but I need to know what to put down on this chart." Mercedes felt so embarrassed. She wasn't telling the nurse anything. "I am here to see the doctor, not you. I will talk to the doctor, when he comes in." The nurse frowned her face up and said,
"The doctor will be in shortly," and slammed the door on her way out.
When the doctor walked in, he saw Mercedes crying. He gave her a tissue, pulled the stool over and sat on it in front of Mercedes. He comforted Mercedes for a minute or so and asked her
"Why are you crying?" She opened her mouth to tell him, but words didn't come out. Only she sobbed more. She finally got herself together so she could speak.
"I am ashamed to say," and looked up at the doctor as she took a deep breath. "It hurts every time I even think about it." The doctor looked at her in a caring way. He grabbed her hand.
"Just take your time. Whatever it is, I assure you that you are not the first and you won't be the last that I've seen with the same problem. I truly can relate. It's written all over your face that you are hurt, but from my personal standpoint, broken hearts can mend with time. Now, I can't treat your medical problem unless you tell me."
She was quiet for a few seconds until she got up the nerve to speak. She closed her eyes and covered her face as she began whimpering.
"My boyfriend informed me that he'd contracted gonorrhea from God only knows where." She paused as she wiped her eyes. She looked up as she inhaled then exhaled. "And, I am afraid that he might have given me AIDS or herpes, or something I cannot get rid of."
"I know you are hurt, and you have every right to be upset. Let me assure you, that you are not overreacting. I diagnose people every day for this same matter. I see some of the same people four and five times a year being treated for STD's. I only wish that some of them took it as serious as you are."
He gave her the examination, and asked if she would like to be tested for HIV?
"Test for anything and everything you can pick up." Mercedes said. The doctor smiled at Mercedes and said,
"Listen, Mercedes, I am going to send you over to the lab to have blood work done."
Mercedes nodded her head. The doctor reached into the pocket of his white lab coat to pull out his prescription pad. As he wrote on his pad he informed Mercedes,
"Your results won't be back for two days, and we'll call you. In the mean-time, it is best to get you started on some antibiotics just in case." He tore off the prescriptions and handed them to her. As she reached to take the paper from him, he asked. "You're not allergic to penicillin are you?" She shook her head, "no."
Drew called her all day long. She hung up the first few times.
"Baby, please don't hang up. Just give me ten seconds. I am fully aware that you are probably going to leave me. Whatever your decision is I am going to respect it, but at the same time, I need to talk to you. I am not going to try to talk you out of your mindset, but whenever you are finished running around, I am going to be at the crib waiting on you."
Mercedes also had a hair appointment at three-thirty. She almost cancelled the appointment, but after all the drama from the night before, her hair was in a frenzy. Maybe the change in atmosphere may make her feel a little better. As soon as she arrived, she noticed her stylist pick up the phone and call somebody. She started getting agitated. Did she not see me walk through the door and now she gonna get on the phone? I am going to count to sixty, and if she ain't off the phone by then, I'm going to tell her to just reschedule me, because see, I am not in the mood for this. I can just keep my seventy dollars in my pocket.
Co-Co finally called her for her wash. Being a people person, Co-Co already knew something was wrong, she had talked to Drew a few times. Co-Co was like any other female trying to pry and be nosy on the sly, but Mercedes wasn't breaking. She didn't give away that anything was going wrong for her. Co-Co looked at Mercedes as she paged through the "Sister 2 Sister" magazine nonchalantly. Co-Co's look was saying: You are so... Fake, I know something had to happen between you and your man because he's been calling me all day sounding desperate. You sitting here playing the role as if you are so happy. Yeah, WHATEVER!
Mercedes didn't catch the look because she was really trying to focus on the book and not what she was dealing with. Just then, a big CareBear walks into the shop, asked for Mercedes Jones, and started singing a singing telegram.
"I just called to say I love you. I just called to say how much I care. I just called to say I love you and I mean it from the bottom of my heart."
All the stylist and customers thought it was so sweet what Mercedes's man had done for her. What a good man, they all commented. She wanted to come back with: If you only knew what I had to go through. If you could only walk in my shoes. You only see my truck, my custom-made jewels glistening and my tailored designer clothes. You hear about and see the pictures from my extravagant trips. But what does that mean? People on the outside never know what you have to go through to get it. People think that everything that glitters is gold. Whoever said that lied. And when I look at the big picture these are just the bribes to put up with the bullshit. So, is it even worth it?
After Co-Co tightened her hair, she still could not get a word out of her about what was going on, Mercedes went by the pharmacy to get her prescription filled. She arrived home. Drew had cooked lobster and steak, and met her at the door with sunflowers. She dropped them in trash as she walked pass the trash can. She wasn't buying it; not the singing telegram, dinner, flowers, none of it. She asked herself, Why am I even here? Damn is love this blind ?
Although she was hurt, as well as furious with Drew, she still loved him. She never knew this side of love. She was confused and distraught. How could someone that you love so much, give you so much pain?
Mercedes was shaken by the doorbell. She wondered who it could've been because no one hardly ever visited them. She could hear Drew's voice as he answered the door, but she couldn't make out the words. She tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't because of the racket Drew was making. She decided to get up and go see what is going on. As she was walking down the hall, Drew called out to her,
"Mercedes is that you?"
"Who else is it going to be?" she asked.
"Wait a minute before you come in here."
"Why? Do you have to hide the ho you have in there or something?" J
ust then, she walked in, she saw a four piece Louis Vuitton luggage set sitting in the living room.
"Oh my God!" She screamed, as she opened up and looked at each piece. When she got around to the duffle bag there were two plane tickets in it to St. Kitts . St. Kitts was on her must see list. When she looked at the ticket and saw Drew's name on it. She burst into laughter. Drew looked at her with a puzzled look.
"Now, this is a joke!" she continued to laugh. Drew smiled in on the laughter too.
"What's so funny, Sweetness?"
"Do you really think that I would dare go with you on a vacation after you've done one of the ultimate betrayals." She looked at the pictures of the resort they were staying at. "Oh, this place is beautiful. But tell me, Mr. Dirty Dick, why would you even plan such a romantic vacation in such an exotic place when your wiener is dripping with Gonorrhea? No sex is going to hop off." He smacked his lips as he looked at Mercedes.
"I know the sex is a dead issue, but I feel we need a vacation to work on the healing process of our relationship. Mercedes, I am desperate right now. I know that we are on shaky grounds. I'm aware I made a stupid mistake."
"A stupid mistake," She interrupted. "How about a mistake that could have and may still cause both of us our lives? How about I got to live in bondage for the next seven years to find out if I've got HIV or not. Yeah, so always remember, it's easy to just slide your peter up in something, but the consequences can be fatal for a few moments of pleasure." She shook her head in frustration, anger, hurt and confusion.
"Mercedes, please forgive me baby." He stood up with arms out, trying to explain. "I am so sorry."
"You're right ." She nodded her head. "You are sorry."
"Mercedes, whatever anger you feel you need to get off of your chest. I can take you lashing out on me, but please take a look at everything we've been through. We've really had some good times. Don't just throw it all out of the window for one foul up." Mercedes stood with her hands folded as he continued.
"Look, baby, I don't care about any sex on this vacation. I just want to be around you. Listen, this vacation is the least I could do for all the pain and shame I've caused you. At least take the vacation, and if after the vacation you want no parts of me, I'll just let you go your own way. I won't try to stop you or change your mind," He said humbly. "Now,the flight leaves at eight. Please, baby, please."
As bad as she wanted to decline the offer, this was a free trip. When would she get another opportunity like this? She was leaving Drew and Sam wasn't coming home anytime soon. She'd have to save for a while to make a trip like this happen. She started getting prepared.
When they arrived in St. Kitts she had no idea that there was any place on Earth that was as beautiful. The mannerisms of the people there was flattering. She enjoyed the way the people catered to them. They laid under a coconut tree in rented beach chairs, with Pina Coladas in tall glasses. Mercedes was reading a Sister 2 Sister magazine, and he was looking at a rim book. She looked up and stared at the peaceful green water with the waves washing upon the baby powder white sand. Drew noticed her in a daze . He said,
"What are you thinking bout?" She didn't answer right away.
"Drew, do you know how humiliating I felt laying on that table getting examined because my man gave me gonorrhea?"
"I can't begin to imagine. I do know how embarrassed I felt when I went to the doctor." He got up from his chair and sat facing her with his legs straddled on the edge of her chair. "Baby, I apologize I know nothing I can do will ever make it right again, but I hope everything I have planned will ease the pain."
He did have some phenomenal plans for her. He arranged for them both to get massages at the same time. Every night he'd out do himself. He presented her with a ring from the David Yurman collection. The second night, he had a picnic planned for them and presented her with some diamond earrings. The third night, he granted her a deed to a building. He told her that he'd been planning to help her open a business, so at least she could have her own income coming in until she figured out exactly what she was going to do about school. He felt that this business would be a task to keep her mind off the fact that she would never be able to practice law due to her felony conviction. Also, in Drew's mind, this would be considered as another one of the perks for taking the gun charge for him. The next night, he gave her a note that promised that when they returned home he'd give her $ 20,000 towards her start-up fees for her business. The final night he gave her a voucher to go to New York for the next week. Along with the voucher were gift certificates for Tiffany's, Sak's Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylors and Bendells. He'd also arranged for Cara to go with her. He provided them both spa packages at the Ritz Meridian, tickets for a Broadway play and a helicopter ride over all five Boroughs.
When Mercedes and Drew returned from their trip, Mercedes began to think of what she could possibly convert that building into. She considered making it into a restaurant for her mother, but her mother's catering business was going quite well with just doing the elite parties for city officials and prominent businesses in town. She weighed the options of opening a beauty salon verses a nail salon. Then she decided she didn't want the headache of dealing with all of the females, but at the same time she knew that there was money to be made in a salon. She then came up with the perfect ideal thing.
"A tanning salon"!
She mapped the whole thing out from start to finish. Mercedes's first concern was that, it had to be a tranquil environment. She had the walls painted with palm trees to give it a beach look and feel. She purchased neon color lamp palm trees. Each room was individually painted as well. She started out with four tanning beds. She had a Jacuzzi installed in the back. She sold beach towels, tanning lotions and supplies. She named it Sunshine's. She brought a massage table, hired a massage therapist, and turned one of the back rooms into a massage parlor. She also sold top of the line massage oils and bathing suits for all size women. She recruited a Swedish woman to work there who specialized in facials and body waxing. This drew all origins of women to her salon.
Drew was set up with a new Columbian heroine connection. He was generous with any monies she needed to enhance the salon. Drew was impressed with what Mercedes had done with the building and money that he'd given her.
Gina was proud of Mercedes, but very disappointed that Mercedes had not attempted to check into anything pertaining to school. The truth of the matter was, that Mercedes was so disillusioned about not finishing college that she blocked any thoughts about college totally out of her mind. Mercedes took photos of every room in the salon and sent them to Sam. Sam was exhilarated about Mercedes's accomplishment; at the same time, his constant pressure for Mercedes to finish school never let up.
My Dearest Mercedes,
Just wanted to drop you a few lines to let you know that I love you to life. The reason why I haven't called is because we are on lock down, Richmond and Tidewater got to fighting, so the whole joint is on lock down. Thanks for the photos. I am very impressed with your salon. It looks to be a very classy place. However, I am still wondering what the hell is going on with your school situation. I can't understand why you won't finish. I know you are sick of me bitching about this. But, if you were going to drop out of college, you should have done it in the first semester, not in your last year. Come on, baby, you've come too far to give up now. We'll talk more on this later. This topic of discussion is not closed fully, just for now. They just turned the lights off, so I'll write again tomorrow.
Unconditional Love,
Sam
With Drew's new Columbian supplier, he was able to step it up to the next level, a level that the Richmond's hustlers hadn't seen in a few years. He was large. He was Virginia's and North Carolina's major supplier. Riding high on his success, Drew got very arrogant. One of his childhood friends owed him some money and when he went to pick it up, it was $ 5,000.00 short. Drew, put the guy in his car, took him up on Midlothian Turnpike, right at Cloverleaf Mall's intersection, and stripped him down of everything, but his tiger striped briefs. Drew created a sign and made him put it around his neck: "I am a man who does not pay my debts off." Drew made him walk up and down the mall's intersection. The whole experience was humiliating to this guy because people were riding pass, honking the horn, waving, pointing and laughing.
Flamboyant became Drew's first name. He now stepped out from the background and wanted to be seen. Whenever he brought a new vehicle, he rode all around town with cases of toilet paper in his car. When he pulled up on the scene, and people would be in awe over the automobile, he'd just reach behind him in the backseat and throw a roll of toilet paper out of the window, so they could wipe their mouth from drooling or shitting on themselves. He'd go to the clubs and put locks on the bars, so if you didn't know him or somebody in his crew, you were not going to be served a drink. He talked down on the small time nickel and dime hustlers. Big money had turned Drew into a monster.
Mercedes realized that Drew was turning into a person that she didn't even know. He became preoccupied with a whole lot of other things. He still came home every night and they still ate dinner together, if he wasn't out of town. But, it was clear to Mercedes that Drew was going to slow up or blow up, and he was 1,000 miles and running. He wasn't slowing up because he was in too deep, and loving every minute of it. For the first time, Drew didn't have anything mapped out, a goal, an aspiration, and not even a getaway plan. He was living each day as if there was no tomorrow.
Sam had made Mercedes fully aware a long time ago, that there was only three ways out of this drug kingpin game. The most common two ways death or prison, or the third way, which had only about a 2% survival rate, just walking away and becoming legit. Mercedes knew the third way was out of the question for Drew at this point. Mercedes knew that she had to get out, or get caught up in his madness when the curtain fell on Drew. But, she had to prepare before she could close this chapter of her life. The first step she took, was she cut back on her spending habits. Every time Drew gave her any money for herself, she would simply save half of it. She began looking for her own place.
She desperately wanted a house. Because she had lived in a house with Drew for the past two years, it would be hard for her to move into an apartment. She knew that when you buy a house, they dig into all your business and she really didn't have any credit. Cash was how she paid for everything she'd bought. She talked to Gina about signing to get her a house and she agreed, but Mercedes decided against it because she really wanted to dig herself out of this mess without her mother's help. Then came the process of getting her criminal record expunged. She vowed to herself that she'd write the governor one letter a week until he granted the motion to reinstate her rights. She didn't care how long it took. Almost missing the cut off date for registration, she enrolled back into school to get her undergraduate degree, which after two semesters, she acquired. She submitted her resume and interviewed with a lot of companies in the Richmond area. The whole interviewing process was very tricky because she was a convicted felon. She never let on to her criminal background due to the fact that she knew the white-collar world would have no understanding of it. Hell, they wouldn't dare give her a chance to prove herself. Thankfully, her tanning salon was profiting. That, however, wasn't enough for Mercedes. She wanted a career.
After going to a midnight madness sale at Hect's, Mercedes arrived home. She noticed that all the streetlights were out in her neighborhood. She had a bad feeling. She pulled her truck in the driveway and she struggled carrying in all of her bags of groceries from Ukrops as well as all the bags she acquired from Hecht's . When she approached the door, as soon as she put her key in and turned the knob, a man, dressed in black, jumped out of the bushes on the side of the porch. He kicked the door in and pushed her into the house. Another guy appeared and he was also dressed in all black with a ski mask on. They pinned her down on the floor with her mouth covered. They tied her hands and feet up, put masking tape on her mouth and put a bandana over her eyes. She was scared, but she never cried. The third guy brought her bags in the house, pulled her truck into the garage while the other two began to ransack the house. Of course, Drew didn't keep any drugs there or any real money, but they found $ 65,000 of Drew's money as well as her stash that she'd been saving, $ 19,000. That wasn't enough. They took Mercedes out through the garage door, put her in the backseat of her truck, and one guy rode in the back with her while one guy drove. The third guy rode in another car behind them. She knew the chances of her living were slim to none. She remembered on an episode she'd seen on either 20/ 20 or Nightline, that if a kidnapper moves you to another spot, that the odds of your being killed were very high. She wouldn't even know who killed her because they had their heads covered, and now she was blind folded. They took her to an old, raggedy house near where Belle Meade used to be. The house had a stale smell to it. She could tell that they had been smoking weed. Though she didn't smoke weed at all, she knew the scent. Whenever somebody who smoked came around, she could always pick up the scent.
It was natural for Mercedes to be very observant. Sam instilled in her that you always had put your other senses to work when one of the others was disabled. She knew that they were near a railroad track because she heard the train. Mercedes timed the trains by the way the T.V. shows came on. She drew the conclusion that she was somewhere near a track that was used frequently. They put her in a room with a T.V. with cable. She was blindfolded, but she still could listen to the T.V. As the dude threw her in the room, she noticed his scent of Issey Miyake cologne. She thought to herself, this isn't a bum wearing this $ 100 cologne. She also could tell that the house didn't have central air. There were individual units, as well as ceiling fans in the house.
"Helllllooo. Excuse me. Please, please allow me to use the rest room. I promise I won't try anything crazy," Mercedes said in a humbling tone.
"Go take her to the bathroom, but take off that broad's shoes before you untie her," she overheard one of the kidnappers instruct another. Mercedes could feel the cheap carpet on the floor. They removed the blindfold so she could use the restroom. She noticed the bathroom had a lot of mildew on the tub and around the sink. The dude who was in constant patrol over her, tried to persuade her to eat, but she wouldn't. He spoke out to Mercedes,
"It's nothing personal against you, and you will be outta here as soon as your man comes through with the dough."
Ransom! Ain't this some shit? These dudes done put a price over my head! She was confident that Drew was going to come up with whatever amount they asked for. Right then another guy came into the room and hooked the speakerphone up into a plug in the room. She heard a dial tone, which was followed by a bunch of numbers. The guy was using a Wal-Mart calling card. She heard the automated operator say, "Thank you for using Wal-Mart, prepaid calling card." After a series of numbers she observed the phone ringing. She heard Drew's voice,"yo", and she felt a sense of security. A flashback of when he'd given her gonorrhea came about. He'd promised never to forsake her again.
"Yo," we got your girl man. We need $ 250,000 for her return,"
One of the captors said, Drew hung up the phone on them, thinking about what Robert Deniro told Al Pacino in Heat, Never let yourself get attached to something that you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner. He'd violated that rule. He felt indebted to her. He owed Mercedes his life. He felt no matter what he ever gave her, it wasn't enough to repay her for sacrificing and giving up everything she ever wanted to take the gun charge for him. She never asked him for anything, but in all actuality, he felt obligated to her. Now, that he was a certified big hat, he didn't really want a relationship with Mercedes anymore. He knew that at any given time she was the only person who could hurt him, so, he'd never have the gall to leave Mercedes. He selfishly thought to himself that if he did not pay the dudes, it would kill two birds with one stone. Maybe they would kill Mercedes and he'd be free of that eternal debt he felt he owed her.
See, Drew could never walk the same streets and deal with Mercedes being with the next man. Mercedes was indeed the ideal woman. He could deal with her being dead better. At least no other man could experience the way she made him feel, like a king. He wouldn't have to report to anybody. He could be rid of Mercedes and live his life openly as the whore that he longed to be. Plus he'd be able to keep the $ 250,000 for himself, which was chump change to him anyway. On that note, his phone rang again, and he recognized it as the voice of the kidnapper that called before. He simply told them
"It's cheaper for you to keep her," and hung up the phone.
Mercedes couldn't believe her ears. After all the bullshit she'd put up with from him. She realized at that moment, that everyone plays a fool some times, and there are no exceptions to the rule. Love don't love nobody! Mercedes couldn't even sob. She could only remember something her pastor said one Sunday in church... "When you are in danger, call on Psalm 91." She couldn't remember the whole thing. The only parts that came to her mind was: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in Him will I trust... Surely. He will deliver me from the snare of the fowler, and from the nuisance of pestilence ... Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror of night: nor for the arrow that filleth the day;... A thousand shall fall at thy right side and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh to thee... Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked... Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refugee, even the most high habitation." She kept repeating it over and over again. She went into round-the-clock-prayer. She asked God to enter into the kidnapper's heart and minister to them not to hurt or kill her.
After coming out of prayer, she claimed her victory and put it in God's hands. Then she was not scared. She knew that she'd be delivered from this madness. She realized that it was only one man in her world that wasn't going to leave her or forsake her. That was God, not Drew. She felt a sense of calmness within herself as well as in the house she was being held captive. She overheard the kidnappers say,
"Man, we gonna have to kill her." The other said,
"Let me hit her first, she got a fat ass."
"Look, we ain't in this for murder or rape. We're in this for money!"
The leader of the kidnappers screamed. The kidnappers entered back into the room. They asked her if it was anybody else she could call to get the ransom from. She hesitated about calling her mother because her mother had endured so much with Mercedes already. Then she didn't want to put her mother in jeopardy either. She her Uncle. He'd surely know what to do. The kidnappers allowed her to explain the situation to him, while one listened on the other phone and the other held her at gunpoint. They lowered the ransom to $ 100,000. Her uncle agreed. He and her mother paid the ransom, and the kidnappers let her go free. The kidnappers kept her truck and took it to the chop shop in New York. She didn't care because she knew that the insurance company would cover it anyway.
Once Mercedes was free, she knew from that moment on, that she could never deal with Drew again. She'd heard that while she was being held captive, Drew was having parties still balling out of control, along with his normal strip parties. She called Drew and told him,
"Since you left me for dead, just pretend I am dead. I want the $ 100,000 my uncle and mother put up to pay the ransom, and as far as I am concerned, never ever bother me again or there will be consequences, and may you die a long, slow painful death, you grimy motherfucker!"
"Oh, you're threatening me?" Drew raised his voice, but Mercedes wasn't intimidated.
"Just bring my mother and uncle's fucking money or else," she firmly said and hung up on him. He called back. His attitude reflected as if they had an argument and he could fix it.
"They will get their money . All you need is a $ 100,000? I'll bring the money when I come pick you up to come home. A'ight?"
She knew she could've gotten more money out of Drew, but she didn't want anything else from him. She thought to herself. It's bad when I don't even want this nigga money. She cried just thinking about him. Although Mercedes loved Drew, she realized two things. She loved herself more and it's a very thin line between love and hate. How you could love someone so much and as soon as they cross over that line, the same amount of love you had for them can turn to hate in an instant. She cried for six days. She remembered reading somewhere that it takes thirty days to make or break a habit. If she could make it through twenty four more days, she'd be O.K.
Mercedes remembered all the turmoil she'd accepted from Drew. It was in lieu of the money. Money is an addiction in itself. She contemplated: a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do .
On that note, she picked up the phone called her girlfriend Jewel, who was a drug abuse counselor, and asked Jewel about kicking a habit. She gathered some books on dependency habits. Her habit may not have been chemical, but she sure had two dependencies, that she needed to be rid of, Drew and the love of money.
Mercedes moved in with Gina until she could find an apartment. When she checked into renting an apartment, she realized that it was more economical to buy a house, condo or townhouse rather than renting an apartment. The rent on apartments that she liked averaged out to be more than a mortgage payment would be.
Delayed gratification were two words she hated to think bout. Although she wanted instant results, she realized she'd have to save and sacrifice to purchase a house. She reasoned with herself that it really didn't make sense to have a $ 50,000 vehicle and no driveway of her own to sit it in. She decided that she would accept the fact that if she couldn't have instant gratification with her own place right then, she'd get a job and save towards her goal.
Mercedes received a letter from Sam.
Dearest Mercedes,
I am going to keep this short and sweet. The streets are talking about what that bitch ass shit Drew did by not paying that little funky ass $ 250,000 ransom. The whole six and a half years I've been down, not one time have I put locks on you or hated on any man concerning you. But straight up, a pipe can't take but so much steam and it busts.
The bottom line is this, remember back a few years ago when you gave me the ultimatum, either hustling or you? Now it's either him or me? I can't sit and watch him play craps with your life. I'm going to always love you regardless because I've got unconditional love and that's the love that don't wear off, but I can't allow you to be in my life if you continue to deal with him.
So you make the decision and let me know.
Unconditional Love,
Sam.
She began to cry as she thought about the price she may have to pay if Sam didn't want to be with her anymore. Then she thought about the cost of all the things she'd been faced with. What's the price for someone giving you gonorrhea? What's the price to fix a broken heart? What's the price doing a day in jail? How much does it cost for you to give your life? What's the price of breaking your mother's heart? How many chances do you really have at love? I can't lose Sam in spite of my stupid choices. What am I going to do? While she was sitting there thinking, Jay Z's song was playing.. There were only a few words of the song she could make out, but those words were her inspiration, her stimulation, her encouragement and what gave her the will to move forward..." order to survive, you gotta live with regrets."
Mercedes pulled herself together. She grabbed her cordless phone. She called Jewel and read the letter to her.
"Listen, Jewel, I need you to do me a favor. Just play along, O.K.?"
Mercedes said, and Jewel agreed. Mercedes had Jewel to call the prison where Sam was, to speak to the chaplain. She spoke in her professional proper voice.
"Hello, my name is Jewel Rogers and I am a nurse here at Charter Westbrook, and one of our patients is asking to speak to her husband. We feel that this may help her. It's an emergency."
"What's the nature of the emergency of the patient?" The chaplain asked.
"Sir, that's confidential. I can't disclose that."
"Yes, Ma'm I understand." The chaplain said in a concerned tone. "Who's the inmate?"
"Ahhh" Jewel hesitated as if she was flipping through pages. "Samuel Evans"
"Your patient is what relation to him?"
"His wife."
"Is there a number I can reach you at?" The chaplain asked.
Jewel gave him Mercedes's number, and when the Chaplin called back, he had Sam right there. Mercedes answered the phone,
"Nurses station" and played the whole charade out to the fullest.
When Sam got on the phone, she dropped the act and told him that it was an emergency and to call when he reached his pod. When he called, she explained that Drew was a done deal and she would never speak to him again. She kept her word, and vowed to herself to never let Drew anywhere near her.