by Pinky Dior
“Just make her believe that I’m dead,” Romeo said. When I get out, whenever I do, Mercedes Carter will wish she never fucked with me. I don’t let things go so easily.
Chapter Nineteen
Sweet Escape
Mercedes needed to get away, especially with everything that had been going on the last couple of weeks. Mercedes wondered how many other girls her age were doing what she was doing and living how she was living. Mercedes had endured so much within the last several teenage years. She thought there was no one who could relate.
Mercedes packed up several of her things and decided to go to Jamaica, where she was supposed to go before she got locked up. She knew she wasn’t supposed to leave the state, but she had her lawyer pull a few strings. She informed the girls that she was going away for a couple of days to get some alone time. They wanted to go with her, but she told them that next time they could come.
As Mercedes was walking out of her mother’s house, she noticed a detective’s car pulling up behind her Benz. She rolled her eyes and walked over to her car. She popped the trunk and started loading her luggage inside. The detective got out, flashing his badge.
“Hi, Mercedes Carter…Detective Hanks, remember?”
Mercedes closed the trunk and turned around, facing him. “What do you want now?” Mercedes inhaled deeply.
“I just wanted to apologize for how my partner acted in the hospital. We are still trying to find leads in our investigation, but we can’t do so much with a dead man. He can’t testify.”
I thought he wasn’t dead. Who knows? I don’t care, Mercedes thought.Mercedes was smiling inside. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, well, everything is clear on your end, the case is dismissed. Take care,” the detective said before walking off and getting back into his car.
Mercedes stared at him as he pulled off. She felt like something was weird; the way he calmly came to talk to her about the news didn’t sit right with her. She shrugged her shoulders and got in her car. She didn’t have anything else to worry about. Romeo was dead, along with the others.
Mercedes entered the John F. Kennedy International airport and rolled her Louis Vuitton luggage across the shiny floors. As she approached the metal detectors, she was informed that she had to take off her shoes and her jewelry. Mercedes cocked her head back as she arched her eyebrows.
“Why do I have to take off my shoes?” Mercedes asked.
“Because it’s the policy, ma’am. Now can you please take off your shoes?”
Mercedes huffed and threw her hands up in the air. She bent down, took off her shoes, and slammed them down on the table. She walked through the metal detectors, passing through without a problem. Mercedes rolled her eyes at the security guy and snatched her shoes from him as she carried on with her luggage. Mercedes took off her oversized shades as she scanned her ticket and looked for her section. They were already boarding. She quickly rushed over to the sign that read 1-B, Kingston, Jamaica. After giving the attendant her ticket, she boarded the plane and sat first class. They catered to all her needs and wants.
Mercedes felt good. It was the first time she had flown since she was a baby, but she was too young to even remember that. She was a little bit nervous, but the glass of Moscato she had in her hand eased the feeling. She looked out the window, as the plane got ready to take off. Within minutes, the plane lifted up in the air and took off into the sky. Mercedes closed her eyes as she felt a funny feeling in her stomach. Sipping on the glass of Moscato, Mercedes reached into her bag and pulled out a book, Dynasty Part 2 by the author Dutch, to keep herself occupied. . With her eyes locked on the words, Mercedes forgot she was even on a plane. After four hours, Mercedes didn’t even notice the plane landing. She was so into the book, she couldn’t put it down and she was almost halfway done. Mercedes didn’t notice that the airplane was landing. They were entering the Montego Bay Airport.
“Excuse me, Miss, you’re here.” The flight attendant smiled, interrupting her from her reading.
Mercedes’s eyes left the page as she looked up and smiled. “Sorry.” Mercedes closed the book as she got up. “This is a good book, and I couldn’t stop reading it,” Mercedes told the attendant.
“Who’s that by, Dutch?” the attendant asked, as she peeked at the book.
“Yeah, Dutch, his books are dope.” Mercedes smiled.
“Hell yeah, girl! I might have to cop that.” The attendant smiled. “Have a nice stay.”
“I will.”
Mercedes placed the book in her bag and exited the plane. She went over to the belt where her luggage was waiting for her. She grabbed it and headed outside as she placed on her oversized shades, blocking her eyes to protect them. Mercedes emerged from the airport and stopped in her tracks, looking around, smiling from ear to ear, as she took in the view of Jamaica.
***
Mercedes pulled up to the luxurious resort, located on the northern coast of Jamaica. She stepped out of the cab, feeling like royalty, as the cab driver, who was dressed up in a white collared shirt and a red vest, opened the door for her and greeted her with a smile.
“Welcome to Kingston, Jamaica.”
Mercedes smiled and thanked him, looking around.
“Straight ahead after you check in, someone will take your luggage up to your room.” The man couldn’t help but to stare at her.
“Okay, thank you.” Mercedes smiled.
The cab driver walked around to the trunk and grabbed her luggage. Mercedes handed him some money, and he got back into the cab and drove off. She stood in front of the resort she was going to be staying at, getting a good view of it and its surroundings. Mercedes grabbed her luggage and strolled into the hotel, feeling as if she was welcome. Everybody greeted her with smiles and warm handshakes. She made her way up to the front desk, and a beautiful light-skinned woman stood in front of her.
“Welcome to Royal Plantation Spa and Golf Resort,” the woman behind the desk smiled and greeted Mercedes. “Do you have reservations?”
“Yes, I’m reserved for one.”
“What’s your name?”
“Mercedes…Mercedes Carter.” She smiled, as she watched the woman typing in her name quickly.
Within minutes, the woman handed her the key to her room and she was on her way. Mercedes was checked into a Governor General's one-bedroom oceanfront plantation suite. The porter grabbed her bags and she followed him down the corridors of the resort, heading straight to her room. She thanked the guy and tipped him, and he carried off down the hall to help another guest. Mercedes slid her card in the door and the door opened up as a little green light flashed.
Mercedes entered the room and dropped her bags on the floor. The door closed by itself. A fresh, warm linen aroma filled the entire room and welcomed her. The elegantly decorated suite sat on top of the West Wing, which overlooked the resort’s idyllic West Beach. Mercedes entered the enormous living room, eyeing the beautifully, decorated room, with its fine mahogany furniture. There were smooth, solid wood floors, which led out to a large balcony. Mercedes stepped out onto the balcony briefly, which had its own dining table. Emerging from the balcony, Mercedes walked around and entered the spacious master bedroom. It had a mahogany four-poster, king-sized bed, decorated with fluffy white pillows and a white duvet that was nice and thick. Sheer curtains elegantly surrounded the bed. Mercedes walked into the bathroom, which had a nice deep Jacuzzi tub. Emerging from the bathroom, she stopped in her tracks. She loved the way they had decorated the room, catering to her and fitting her needs.
Mercedes fell back onto the comfortable bed and smoothed down the duvet with her hands. This is what paradise feels like, Mercedes thought.
***
The next day, Mercedes woke up and stretched her arms, yawning. The sunlight lightened up the room. Mercedes looked around and grabbed the breakfast menu from the table. She didn’t feel like going downstairs to eat. She thought she’d just order something and have it brought up to her. Mer
cedes scanned the menu and decided to get some scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, and a biscuit with a side of orange juice. Mercedes picked up the phone as she dialed 0 for customer service.
“Good morning, yes, can I have a number one? Yes, well done, please. Thank you.” Mercedes clicked placed the phone back on the hook. Mercedes turned on the TV and her stomach growled in hunger. She rubbed her belly as she patiently waited for her breakfast to arrive. Thirty minutes flew by and there was still no food. Mercedes got impatient and picked up the phone, but suddenly there was a knock on the door,
“Room service,” a young woman’s voice called from behind the door.
“Finally,” Mercedes mumbled as she hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed. She threw her legs across the bed. She was in her bra and panties, so Mercedes grabbed the plush cotton robe they accommodated her with and quickly put it on, pulling her arms through the sleeves. She walked over to the door and opened it, and there stood the room service lady, dressed up elegantly, holding her food.
“Where would you like it?” she asked.
“How about you put it on the balcony?” The lady nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s a perfect place,” Mercedes said, as she followed behind the woman and walked out to the balcony.
The lady carefully placed the tray on the table. “Enjoy.” The lady bowed her head and stepped back into the room.
Mercedes thanked her, gave her a tip, and then watched her walk out the door. Mercedes sat down and pulled her chair closer to the table. She licked her lips as she eyed the food, watching the steam rise up from the scrambled eggs. Mercedes immediately grabbed her fork and dug into her food. Mercedes savored the taste in her mouth, breathing in fresh air. She sat on the spacious balcony overlooking the idyllic West Beach. The beautiful, clear blue waters looked so clear, you could see through it from a distance.
Demolishing her food within minutes, Mercedes got up, grabbed the tray, headed back into her room, and placed it on the table. She hopped in the shower and afterwards, she put on an alluring pink Victoria’s Secret monokini that revealed her back and sides. Mercedes ran her fingers through her curly hair and she fluffed it out, giving her that bouffant look. She applied a cute, light pink MAC lip glass lightly over her lips, and then rubbed them together, making sure they were perfect. She slipped on to her flip-flops and grabbed a towel from the bathroom. Before leaving the room, Mercedes grabbed her cell phone and the key to the room.
She exited out the back of the resort, headed to the beach, placing on her oversized Chanel designer shades. Her feet touched the sand as she walked down closer to the water, looking for a perfect spot to lie down. There were several white chairs with blue shields over them to block the sun. Mercedes placed her towel on a chair as she lay under the shade. She assured herself that she didn’t need a tan; she was just fine with her skin complexion. Mercedes picked up her phone and called Hazel to see what the girls were up to.
“What up, Hazel?”
“What up, Mercedes?” You could hear that Hazel was excited to hear her voice.
“Shit, watching the beautiful view of the idyllic West Beach.”
“The who, the what?” Hazel asked, joking around.
Mercedes busted out into laughter. “It’s a beach, Hazel, and the water is really pretty.”
“Yeah, well, you left us hanging, and next time you going, you have to let us come along with you.”
“Yeah, next time. Maybe we can all plan a little trip soon.”
“That would be cool.”
“How are the girls?” Mercedes asked.
“They are doing a’ight, you know, still arguing like usual. Shateeya and Chamari still going at it.”
Mercedes pursed her lips together as she shook her head. “One day, Shateeya will learn what she’s doing is wrong and will regret it. Anyways, I’ll hit you up. I’ll be back in town in three more days.”
“All right, have fun, mama,” Hazel said.
“I will.” Mercedes smiled as she hung up the phone and reclined her head against the chair. Immediately, her phone started ringing and she rolled her eyes and answered it. “Hello?”
“Hey, Mercedes, it’s Ms. Alberto…Karen.”
“Oh, hey, Karen.”
“I was just calling you to inform you that they have dropped the case against you. You are officially being considered a victim in this case.”
Mercedes smiled. “Yeah, I know, one of the detectives stopped by my house to inform me.”
“Oh, okay, that was nice of him…I guess.” They chuckled. “All right, well, have a nice day.”
“I will. You too.” Mercedes hung up the phone.
After getting off the phone, Mercedes stared out into the distance and started feeling sleepy. She felt her body drifting off slowly. She didn’t feel like going upstairs yet, so she decided she would take a little nap as she enjoyed the beautiful weather. It was nice and quiet, and no one bothered anyone else. She closed her eyes, reminiscing about her childhood, when she was a little girl.
***
Mercedes remembered like it was yesterday. It was her fifth birthday. Her father had thrown her a big princess party. Pink and white balloons filled the foyer and they were sitting at the top of the ceiling. Her father had arranged for all of her friends at school to attend her birthday party. She had all her female friends dress up like princesses and the boys had to dress up like princes.
Mercedes stood out from all of them. She had a big puffy pink dress with ruffles at the bottom, and she wore shiny pink ballerina shoes that sparkled with pink glitter. Her mother had brushed her long hair back and pulled it up in a neat bun, as her baby hairs laid down on her forehead. Her tiny ears revealed the fourteen-carat diamond earrings her mother had bought for her. She also had a diamond necklace that hugged her tiny neck, with a heart pendant encrusted in diamonds.
Maria covered her mouth as she smiled at her beautiful daughter. She watched Mercedes from a distance, as she danced with her father. Don had to kneel down as he danced with his daughter, who was about 3’2”.
Mercedes hugged her father as they danced. After the song was over, her friends gathered around and watched while Mercedes opened up her presents. All the girls and boys were jealous, because she had so many presents. She’d gotten stuff that the other kids’ parents couldn’t even afford. Mercedes got a lot of designer clothes, diamond jewelry, shoes, and she got a pink Barbie doll car she wanted. She hugged and thanked her mother and father for the presents.
After the party was over, Mercedes sat on her canopy bed, Indian style. Her puffy pink dress covered her tiny legs. She played with the new Barbie and Ken doll that she had gotten as presents from her best friend, Candy.
“Knock, knock,” her father sang.
“Who’s there?” Mercedes smiled and looked over at the door.
“Prince Charming,” he joked as he walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. “You like your presents?”
“Yes, thank you, Daddy.”
“You’re welcome, baby girl.”
Mercedes looked up and stared at her father. “Daddy, when I grow up, I want to be a princess,” Mercedes spoke in a cute squeaky voice as she smiled from ear to ear, showing off her missing tooth. Her tooth had fallen out the other day, and her father had left her a crisp twenty-dollar bill under her pillow while she was asleep.
“You are already a princess, honey.” He smiled as he tapped her nose lightly with his index finger.
Mercedes chuckled. “I want to grow up and be just like Mommy. She’s a princess and I want a prince like you to save me.”
Don cleared his throat as he looked over and saw Maria standing in the doorway. “No, you don’t need a Prince Charming. Right now you just need to focus on finishing school and getting a good education,” he informed her. “Then when you get older, you can be a princess living in a big mansion if you like, but you have to work hard to get what you want.”
“Daddy, what do you do?” Mercedes blinked her eyes and batted h
er long eyelashes at him.
“I’m a hustler.” He smiled, telling her the truth.
“What’s a hustler, Daddy?” Mercedes cooed in her squeaky voice.
“Let’s just say a hustler sells something to get money. My sister Brenda is a hustler. She hustles on 125th every morning selling urban books. That’s a hustler,” he tried to explain to her, without giving himself up.
“So you sell books?”
Don chuckled as he pinched her cheeks. “No, baby, I don’t sell books. All that matters is that you’re taken care of.” He lifted up her chin as he looked into her green eyes. “Mercedes, I want the best for you when you grow up. I want to provide you with everything you could ever want and dream of, and I hustle because of you and your beautiful mother.” He smiled and they both turned their heads as Maria walked into the room, interrupting their conversation.
“It’s getting late, young lady, and you need to go to sleep for school in the morning.”
“But Mommy…”
“But Mommy nothing, Mercedes. Come on; let me help you with your dress.”
“Good night, baby girl.” Don walked over and kissed Mercedes on the forehead and his wife on the lips.
“Good night, Daddy,” Mercedes sang. Her mother pulled her dress over her shoulders, and Mercedes watched her mother grab her pajamas from her dresser. Mercedes slipped into her pajamas, got under her princess covers, and reclined her head against the pillow.
Maria rubbed her hair as she smiled. “Good night, baby.”
“Good night, Mami.”
***
It was Mercedes’s second day in Jamaica and she decided that she was going to get all of the relaxation she could while she was there. Back home, in New York City, she knew it would be impossible. With everything going on, Mercedes felt thatevery day was something new and someone was getting murdered or she was killing someone.
Mercedes closed her eyes, as she lay on her stomach naked, with a towel wrapped around her waistline. An older Jamaican woman was giving her a nice massage, working her hands into her back. She could feel the tension in her back, and several knots that could be caused from stress.