If you're going to get in trouble anyway, you might as well do something that's worth getting in trouble for.
This is the latest chapter of my experience being a young, broken-hearted, naive, 'me' on the loose... getting caught up in a never ending snowball of trouble in Dominican Republic, spiraling out of control to the point where all of a sudden murder was on the table and special forces lurked around, waiting to hear this very tale, under oath....
Last time we ended here:
It seemed like the safe bet, the lucky number to call on, the horse without a loss... call me a fortune teller because I had a premonition that Em was about to hit the bottle... hard.
Although I have changed drastically in my life since these days I'm recalling, at the time, it took only the slightest mention of rum to prepare me for the inevitability of debauchery. Our friend, my alter ego, Kat (find out more about her here), was always at the ready, looming in the darkness of my subconscious for the moment instigation struck...
Did I think tear-drenched cheeks, scruffy bed-headed, black-bagged-eyes, Em was playing me?
No.
Well, if I am being honest, (which is what this whole damn story is about) I don't think I even thought about it. I saw pain (real or not) and didn't want/care/think to question it. Having gone through everything I had so far, I was happy to find a heroine and hold her in high esteem. In my mind, finally someone was on my side.
Here the two of us were, standing on a street corner, sun blazing down on us, the only passers by were locals likely wondering why this white, blond chick was on the ground dry heaving sobs interlaced with untranslatable words that would be better identified as alien.
I recognized something in Em's eye that I often see in the mirror when my friend Kat comes knocking. It was a switch. I believe everybody has one inside. Think about it as a light switch on a wall, all you have to do is flick it to turn the room from dark to light, light to dark right? It's the same in our minds and Em was reaching in, and flicking hers as we spoke.
Her eyes glazed over, the tears came to a halt and her warped, tangled mess of a body that was silly-putty on the ground sprang back to life as she used her arms to wipe her face.
We didn't need to say anything. I felt like I was in her mind.
Sometimes whenever I was feeling really low and I would end up in a break down, much like dear Em's here, I would suddenly "come to", stop feeling sorry for myself and decide to do a whole list of other things to feel bad about in the morning, just to remove the inkling of thoughts from whatever I was battling.
Em was exhibiting the same strategy. She gave me this look - it was a melting pot of grief, embarrassment, anger, relief, determination all stretching their own ways through her tired face.
"Well, come on then. Let's go!"
The next thing I knew, I was trailing behind her, slightly unsure but at the same time completely aware of all that was to come. We walked into a small vendor on the corner, passed through the back door and before my mind could even try to protest, the bottle of rum was open and after Em had taken a huge gulp herself, and was now in my hands with Em staring at me encouragingly.
I tilted my head back and down the rum went.
Here I was, only one hour ago trying to get out of this mess and now I was knowingly summoning Kat to action (which never ended up going so well.)
Here's how this works: when the alcohol comes into any of my senses, Kat starts pricking her head up, revving her engine, engorging herself with all of my willpower as she gets ready to take over control.
Accepting the liquid into my body is like walking up to a door with a key. You know that very key opens the door. You know the door will open once you put the key in and turn it and so, with your key you are able to open the door.
The same goes for Kat. I know she'll come out when the alcohol (her key) comes in but sometimes, I am just putting the key in the door without thinking about whether I wanted to go inside or not... This was one of those times.
Swigging back the bottle, we passed the paper bag back and forth as we stumbled like giggling idiots through the slums of the neighbourhood, trying to avoid the main streets so the 'gang' wouldn't run into us and ruin all our rebel-rousing.
I was overwhelmingly ecstatic to embrace this freedom from fear and fulfill this connection as before I was empty, alone and miserable.
It was only about ten minutes before I distinctly remember getting hit like a bag of bricks, kicking Kat into pilot.
That day was hotter than hell and we hadn't had any water that day. Whatever I had taken... that red pill and rum were not meant to go together, that I am 100% certain of now with the hindsight life so graciously granted me (it could have ended much worse for me!).
The whole world was spinning into oblivion, Em and I were holding onto each other as we laughed about over our very impromptu escape (remember, Em's baby was back at the apartment with the slime bags.)
Even though Kat was in the front seat, I heard my own thoughts come out...
"Em... Em slow down... that bottle is lucid dreaming material. We're going to get ourselves all caught up in a walking dream. What are we going to do about the baby?"
She just looked up into my eyes with a newly washed over makeover of 'DGAF'...
"They won't leave him, he'll be fine... let's run away just for tonight! Here, have some more rum!"
Channeling Jack Sparrow himself, I pulled myself together and created some tiny spaces in my stomach for the rum to fit into.
I don't know about any of you, but when I know I am going to get in trouble for something, I make sure there's something to get in trouble for.
"Em... the rum esta finito-mass." (A drunken combination of all the languages I know.)
Sticking her tongue out and swishing her face up, she looked at me and rolled back onto her back, into the sand.
"I don't speak Frennnnch, try again so I can hear youuu!"
All her words were slurred, a good indication of the amount of trouble we were going to be in but at this point, I was so drunk I didn't care.
Seeing Em flinging herself into the sand jolted my attention to the fact that we had somehow landed ourselves on the beach without even realizing it. The crystal clear blue waves were smashing into land, quickening in speed as the water drew nearer.
"Let's go to Hammy's!"
Em screamed and with the burst from her lungs, she threw her arms up in the air and started running forwards (towards the water.)
"Nooo it... that way Em!"
Making a sentence was proving incredibly difficult as my head felt like a slushy.
Actually, what way was Hammy's? Where were we? Everything was too dizzy.
My stomach was having a meltdown... I was starving and finding our way to put food in our systems was do or die right now. The food in the area was to be honest with you, terrible but there was this one place, Hammy's that wasn't so bad and we definitely needed to find it to get some of our wits back about us before we ended up in an even worse mess when he inevitably had to go home.
We were really recognizable on the island which didn't help our cause. Since we were living in the localized area, there weren't very many other people we could be mistaken for so hiding was really quite futile.
Hand over hand, we crawled our way along the shore, towards the flashing lights. The water kept coming up and splashing me, sobering me up with each embrace until... I put my hand into something wet and swishy!
Flicking it off back into the water, I started panicking when I realized it was a squid!
My body rejects squid... I am allergic to its squishiness and so my arm started hiving up quite quickly afterwards. I paid it no mind and we continued our slow and unsure way into town. When we finally (by some miracle) got to the restaurant (thanks to everyone who pointed us along the way!), we could barely hold ourselves up at the table so of course, Em ordered us two drinks each to start with two more coming in 'five minutes'.
Flinging her chair back as she tempted faint reclining it in the state she was in, she pulled out a huge wad of money from her bra and asked me if I could go upstairs to the cashier and trade it in since her dollars were USD. I looked up and it seemed too high and treacherous for me but I also didn't have any money on me so I got up and started pulling myself together.
It took me far too long to make my way up the winding iron above the restaurant but by the time I got up there, I looked down and saw Em's table being ambushed by a group of guys in mostly black. It looked like a gang or something.
I was too far away and too drunk to be able to tell much about what was going on so I got the money and made my way back down to Em.
The guys at the table were I guess flirting trying to get us to come out with them later but as Em told them, later was now and they were welcome to sit down with us and join the party.
Feeling like free drinks would be a welcomed treat, I nodded my head and pulled the chairs out from the side to allow them to sit with us.
"So you two ladies try'na get into trouble or some'thin'?"
One of the guys asked. He was a dark haired guy with a black hoodie on despite how hot it was out.
"You don't get hot?"
I rolled over his question, judging him all of a sudden based on the fact that he clearly couldn't tell temperature.
Being that Kat was at play, this came out in a sultry, slow and tempting tone, only alluring the man whom I was trying to tease.
"Oh honey, I can make things hot."
He curled his lip up into this cheeky grin and reached over and grabbed me.
"Hey buddy! Don't get too friendly! You haven't even bought us a shot yet!"
Em swooped in and pushed the guy away playfully to which he put his hand up, signaled the server and ordered (disregarding everyone else at the table) 2 shots of rum for Em and I.
"I'm not drinking this unless you drink with us..."
Came the words of instigator Kat.
"I think you're going to want to take those while you can!"
He winked at me but I felt a little tinge of nervousness. He nudged his head to the left of me, at something behind my back as he shook his phone at me as if to show me something.
I whipped around in my chair.
Complete with a stroller and everything.
Our search party had found us.
Just in time for my throat to close up and the hives to spread all over my body. Ceasing up, and my lungs constricting, I started to feel flushed out by heat, then came everyone's voices and hands on me as my eyes closed and darkness overtook my memory.
When I woke up, I was sleeping on a white couch in a white apartment that smelled muggy and filthy.
I recognized the surroundings but as I blinked and tried to place myself, a scruffy, wet, horrible smelling tongue ran itself over my lips .
Oh no!
If you're following along, you know how Kyle and James are going to react, especially since they are so paranoid about us being out while the special forces are looking for information concerning that crime we talked about!
If you've yet to read the series, here is the introduction, Welcome to DR, Part 1
My Confusion and Panic in Part 3
My favourite, The Reveal (of the Terrifying Secret) Part 4.
An Intro to Kat Part 4.5
The More You Know Part 5
Kat Gone Wild Part 6
Kyle's Prisoner, Part 7
Adam's Drunken Incrimination Party, Part 8
Jailbreak, Part 9
Em's Perspective Part 10
If you're hanging by a thread and want to know the moment the next part is published, let me know in the comments and I will keep you updated! As I am sure you can guess, this little instance is moving us very quickly towards how this all ends.
The end is near.
Is it a good ending or is it bad? I'll let you decide.
I hope you stick around to read what happens next. I'm baring my secrets to the world and it feels so... naked! I swore I would deny this stuff for my whole life. I hope my mum never gets her hands on this! If you're asking yourself how the hell I got here, check out the links to the first chapters to catch up!
From January 2014- June 2017 I have been what you would call a vagabond, a nomad, even a gypsy by definition of the words. I had what they all have in common: no fixed home...and no fixed income but the wildest stories.
Until next time,
XO,
😘
