Chapter 1: New Friends

Carlethia James stretched sleepily across the backseat of the car. They had driven in from Mandeville and had just arrived at the university campus in Kingston. She was quite happy going to the university in her own parish, Manchester, but her parents insisted that going to a university outside of her home town would be good for building her character and give her good exposure to the hustle and bustle of the capital city --if ever she wanted to move there for work, that is, if she needed to.

Indeed, she was a sheltered child, something her parents made sure was the case, so now their sudden concern about her getting more exposure to different people and things, though commendable, was a bit confusing. She only had two friends, and they were her friends from prep school days till now. Her parents were quite okay with that, until four months ago when her bestie out of her two friends got pregnant. Carlethia stifled a yawn. She wondered what her parents were up to.

Mrs. James, Carlethia's mom, slightly leaned over the front seat and gave her daughter a worried look. "Carli, hun, are you feeling any better?"

Carlethia looked up at her mother. She only called her Carli when she was feeling guilty. Carli sighed. "Mommy, I am ok."

Her father looked over at his daughter and wife and shook his head. He loved these two women but their recent clashes were getting to him.

"Sharon, I'm sure our daughter is quite fine, no need to start an interrogation." He said while carefully parking the family car.

"Carlos," Sharon turned around to face forward. "I am only just asking, nothing more."

He shot her a 'yeah right' look and she swiveled around to look through her passenger side window. 

Carlethia sat up and threw off the sweater she had wrapped around her torso. She did feel a bit chilly, maybe she was coming down with something. All of that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was in a place where she didn't want to be.

Sharon swiftly got out of the parked vehicle and motioned her husband to open the trunk. Walking around the back she gave her daughter 'the eye' and a quick head movement signalling she wanted her to come out of the car and help her. Reluctantly, Carli opened the car door and closed it carefully. Her father wouldn't take kindly to her slamming the door of a car he spent years working towards purchasing.

She took the lighter bag from her mother's hand and headed off in the direction of the dorm. She said nothing to her mother, which got her a deadly stare to her retreating back.

Carlos gently closed his door. "Shar," his name of endearment for her. "I told you this was not a good idea. You know she had her heart set on going to college closer to home."

Sharon angrily tugged the bag behind her. "What did you want me to do? Stay there and let her get pregnant like Simone?" Carlos walked behind her his footsteps light. He used to be an athlete, he did the 200 and 400 metres in his time at high school and when he was at CAST now called UTECH he was a track star. That was where he met Sharon, she was studying Business Administration while he was doing courses in Engineering. He was a country boy, she was from the hills of St. Andrew.  He loved a challenge, but there were some days his wife made him wonder if he had made the right decision.

He chuckled to himself watching his wife struggle to haul the bag behind her, though it had wheels attached, there were a lot of clothes and other stuff in there, as if Carli was packing the whole house with her.

Quickly, he came up behind her and took the bag from her. "Allow me," he said, a mocking look on his face. Sharon greeted him with a fiery gaze, recognizing that he was silently laughing at her, she turned her head and picked up her walking pace, a pace which he easily matched. Realising she was now laboring to out walk him, he reached out and gently grabbed her arm.

"Babes!" 

She looked up, feeling a twinge of guilt because of the look in his eyes, she sighed. "I'm sorry," she said, then bowed her head slowly. "Am I wrong to protect my daughter?" 

Carlos let go of the bag and reached up and touched his wife's face with both hands. "Honey, Carli is not Simone. And Simone is fine. Her parents are helping her through everything. I doubt Simone wanted this situation either, but it is what it is. Sharon we know our daughter, and we know what we taught her. We have to trust that is enough. She is nineteen, we have to trust her."

"You know that Carli and Matthew were dating and he is the reason she doesn't want to come here." Sharon said, looking up at her husband.

Carlos laughed. "Hun, if they want to see each other they will. So I think her being here is no issue. It's because you applied on her behalf and made the arrangements for her application to be accepted. You didn't even tell me! How did you think I felt about it? You could have let me know what you were thinking."

"You would have stopped me!" She moved away from his grasp. "I will not apologize for steering my child in the right way. Both of you will thank me one of these days."

Carlos felt his frustration level rise a little. Trying not to sound too agitated he lowered his voice. "Shar, I am not saying this isn't a great university, all I am saying, you should have spoken to us first, spoken to me."

Sharon begrudgingly saw his point. "Probably... I suppose I could have said something to you."

Carlos smiled. "Come here." He beckoned to her. Sharon went into his loving embrace. 

"I'm sorry."

"Mhm." He stroked her hair slowly.

Amusedly, he watched as passersby looked at the two of them. He wondered if they were thinking why these two middle aged folks were embracing on the campus or if they envied them a little.

***

Carlethia found her dorm easily. She and her mom had visited the Hall on the day they went to admissions to pick up her package. She went into her room and placed the bag on the bed closest to the door. There were wooden windows that opened to a nice enough view of some plants and a tree. She was on the ground floor thankfully, she hated walking up and down stairs. She observed there were no bags or anything looking like personal items so she figured she was the first person there.

She began unpacking her bag, trying not to think of her last heated conversation with her mother. Ahh! Too late...

"Mommy, I don't get you. From I was growing up Simone and Nichelee were the only two girls you allowed me to have as friends. I couldn't go anywhere if they weren't going and I had to make sure you spoke to their parents to make sure they were. Why this behaviour now?! Why can't Simone come over here. And what is wrong with Nichie (Nichelee) coming over?"

"Those girls are a bad influence on you." Sharon was folding laundry, her back was to her and she spoke to Carli in that position. That was just like her, whenever Carli confronted her on something, she wouldn't sit down and talk to her. No. Sharon would continue doing whatever she did and never spared a thought at how that made her daughter feel.

"Mommy, how so?" Carli folded her arms across her chest.

Sharon looked up and saw her daughter's reflection in her bedroom mirror. Slowly she stood up and turned around to face her.

"Your bestie is pregnant and either doesn't know who the father is or won't say. And Nichelee's parents are getting divorced." She said coldly.

"Now we're hearing her father is a woman beater!" Sharon lowered her voice to an icy whisper.

Carli could feel the anger rising in her. With a sound of disgust she stormed out of her parents' bedroom, went into her room and slammed the door. 

Immediately afterwards she heard her mother shout. "How many times have I told you not to slam the door! If that door ever falls off that is it. Mi nah buy nuh door fi yuh room!"

***

"Hey!" 

Carli heard a sharp voice and fingers snap, which thankfully pulled her from her musings. She looked up. 

"Hey, that was going to be my bed!" 

A tall, graceful young woman with long relaxed hair looked in on her. She was standing at the doorway her bags in her hands. She had dark skin with no blemishes. She was slender but filled out quite well in the pair of jeans she wore. Her large breasts teased in a low neck pink T-shirt. Carli, realising that she wasn't wearing a bra, was disgusted. Why was she walking around like that? Things that had no business poking out in public were proudly on display.

The girl, noticing that Carli's eyes furtively glanced at her chest more than once, smiled broadly, and said, "I don't go that way hun. I like boys."

Carli blinked. "What?"

"I said I like boys, not girls."

Carli resumed unpacking her bag. "Don't worry, you're not my type."

Just then another young woman burst through the doorway, brushing past the buxom beauty who was still standing at the door, raking her gaze over Carli.

The second woman placed her bag to the far end of the room on the bed closest to the window. She smiled broadly at the two now looking at her.

"Hi. I'm Shauna. What's your name?"

"Carli. Carlethia James, but call me Carli." She smiled at the girl briefly then went back to placing her clothes on the bed.

Big breasts entered the room and placed her bags on the bed closest to the back wall. "Marsha."

Shauna reached out her hand to Marsha who looked up and extended her own hand and shook Shauna's. Carli turned, reached over and shook Shauna's hand, but turned away from Marsha's outstretched hand to her. Noticing the snub, Shauna averted her eyes quickly and turned to unpacking her bags. 

Marsha's eyes sent invisible darts into Carli's back.

The ladies looked up to see Carli's parents coming in with the much larger bag. "Ladies." Carlos said in greeting. He looked at his daughter. "Carli these are your roommates?"

Carli rolled her eyes. "Yes daddy."

Carli's mother looked at her expecting to be introduced.

"Oh mom, dad, this is Shauna." Shauna waved enthusiastically at Carli's parents. Carli continued. "And that," her voiced dripped with a sarcasm, only her mom could pick up. "Is Marsha." 

Carli's mom scanned Marsha from head to toe but said nothing. One look at Marsha was enough for Carli to know her mom's stare made her uncomfortable. Sharon pursed her lips, then only said. "Hello dears, nice to meet you." 

Carlos cleared his throat. "Where do you want me to leave your bag kiddo?" 

Carli reached for the handle and took it from him. "Here is fine daddy, thank you." She smiled at him. He always knew when to lighten the mood.

Her mom moved close to give her hug. Carli stiffly reciprocated. Sharon whispered in her daughter's ear. "I will call you tonight and we'll talk more okay. I know it may not have seemed like this was a good idea but give it a try, for me." Stepping back, she released her daughter from the hug and looked into her eyes. Though Carli was a foot taller than her, she was the one with the formidable stare down tactics. Carli bowed her head and looked away. "Yes, mother."

Sharon smoothed down her daughter's freshly permed tresses. They opted for Wave Nouveau. Though Carlos had preferred his daughter kept her hair natural, Sharon insisted it was better to have it processed since the hairdresser Carli would normally go to was not in Kingston, plus she felt like giving Carli the responsibility of taking care of her own hair would be good for her. Sharon's sister, who lived in Kingston, had recommended her own stylist and Sharon was impressed with the knowledge and professionalism the young woman displayed. 

They had gone into town the weekend before, gotten Carli's hair done and even had her's washed and pressed as well. Then they spent the day at Sandra's house and caught up on the local gossip. Sandra, who was always the more outgoing one, had snagged a lawyer for herself and was content in the business she had built from the ground up. 

Sharon was more organized, more reserved but had done very well for herself. Her husband was the general manager of a water treatment facility in Clarendon and she was head of the accounting department of a chain of supermarkets in Mandeville. She was just fine. She only wanted what was best for her daughter. She was the only one she had.

Sharon smiled at her baby. "The look fits you, I'm glad she used the larger rods at the top." 

Carli smiled. Though she was skeptical at first and didn't like the scalp burns, she did like the look. The stylist herself had offered half off the first time she went to shampoo it, which would be tomorrow.

She followed her parents to the door. She hugged and kissed her dad on the cheek and hugged her mom.

"No kiss?"

Carli leaned over and kissed her mom on the cheek. 

Sharon smiled. "Okay, will call you later."

Carlos held on to his wife's hand and pulled her away from the doorway. Carli watched them for awhile, looking at how her parents interacted with each other, she knew they loved each other. She wondered if she would ever find a love like that.

When she turned around, Marsha looked at her with a sardonic smile on her lips. "Rich kid, uh?" She plopped on her bed, her breasts jiggled a little. "Welcome princess, we are your humble subjects." She mockingly bowed.

Shauna hissed her teeth. "Carli nuh pay har nuh mine, a suh she stay."

Marsha made a vulgar laugh. "Yes mistress virgin, nuh man never touch you yet, missis gwaan like yuh nice! Miss perfect! Look mi nah nuh time fi none a unnu suh ere wah. Mi a guh see wah gwan cross the hall, yere! Am out!" Though she hadn't finished unpacking Marsha stepped out the door.

Carli shook her head. "What is her problem?"

Shauna started hanging up a few items on her corner of the wall. 

"She just has a bad attitude, from high school days mi kno har!"

"Oh zeen!" Carli replied. She took out a few clothes hangers and started placing some dresses on them. There was enough closet space but she decided to utilise the nails she saw on the wall behind her bed.

"So why did you behave as if you didn't know her?" Carli asked puzzled.

Shauna chuckled. "It's a game I guess. Marsha plays along with it, we're actually good friends but she acts like a bitch sometimes, so I have to call her out on it." She went back to unpacking.

Carli shook her head. Strange people.

Carli never had a beef with another female before, she always tried to cultivate a kind of comraderie with everyone back in high school. This was a new and unpleasant experience. All she knew was that if she could avoid that girl, she would make sure to do all in her power to make that possible.