“A pirate ship,” Carlita said.
“For real?” Mercedes’ eyes widened. “We’re going to be part owners of a pirate ship?”
“I don’t think it’s a real pirate ship, but a replica.” Carlita told her daughter about the meeting and that the pirate ship was on its way to Savannah. “We would be more of a money partner than a working partner since we have our hands full with this place, not to mention we’ll be even busier once Ravello opens.”
“I wouldn’t mind volunteering to work on board the ship.” Mercedes warmed to the idea. “Think about it…I could get a killer pirate costume, a sword and come up with some cool pirate lore.”
“I’m sure Pete would love the extra help.” Carlita motioned toward her desk. “The agreement is on my desk. I tried to read it, but gave up.”
“I can take a look at it for you, Ma. We should have Tony and maybe an attorney to look at it, too.” Mercedes grabbed the folder and flipped it open. “How much are they looking for you to invest?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see a dollar figure.”
Mercedes tucked the folder under her arm. “It’s only a coupla pages. I’ll see if I can make heads or tails of it.”
She would look at the papers just as soon as she plotted out the death of her new character, Sam Slimey, a slow, painful and torturous death, for sure.
Carlita could hear Mercedes pounding away on her keyboard when she went to bed a couple of hours later and was relieved her daughter hadn’t followed through on her threat to confront their new tenant.
The next morning, she woke early and tiptoed into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Mercedes emerged from her room and followed her mother into the kitchen.
“What are you doing up so early?”
“I have a surprise.” Mercedes covered her mouth to stifle her yawn. “What time is it?”
“Early.” Carlita squinted her eyes. “Six-thirty.”
“Oh! We gotta get ready. Quick!”
“At six-thirty in the morning?”
“Yes. You go throw some clothes on. I’ll take Rambo out for a quick walk and then I’ll meet you downstairs at six-fifty.” Before Carlita could reply, Mercedes ran into the bathroom. She emerged, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, in record time.
Carlita stared at her daughter in disbelief. “I can’t remember the last time you were up this early.” She pressed a hand to her daughter’s forehead. “Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m fine.” Mercedes swatted her mother’s hand away. “I have a special surprise for you. We’re gonna miss it if you don’t hurry up and get dressed.”
“If you say so.” Carlita hurried to the bathroom to dress while Mercedes herded Rambo out of the apartment. She threw on some jeans and a blouse, ran a comb through her hair and after a quick brush of her teeth, met her daughter in the first floor hall.
“Let’s go.” Mercedes flung the door open, motioning to her mother.
“Where are we going?”
“To the corner.” Mercedes and her mother stopped when they reached the end of the block.
“What are we doing?”
“Waiting for the trolley.”
Carlita shook her head. “The trolley doesn’t stop here. The only stop around here is in front of the Parrot House.”
“Not anymore,” Mercedes singsonged and pointed at a trolley sign Carlita had never seen before.
Moments later, a trolley rumbled down the street and came to a stop in front of the sign.
The driver leaned forward. “You gotta BOP?”
“We sure do.” Mercedes grabbed her mother’s hand and pulled her onto the trolley. When she reached the top of the stairs, she pulled a card from her front pocket and handed it to the woman.
“Give it a swipe.” The driver pointed to a nearby scanning machine.
“Cool.” Mercedes swiped the card and handed it to her mother. “This is yours.”
Carlita stared at the card. “What is it?”
“It’s a BOP,” Mercedes said.
“You got one, too?” The driver asked.
“No. This is a surprise for my Ma. Do you mind if I ride along this one time?”
“Sure. Why not?” The driver pushed the door shut. “Today’s our first day, so it’s kind of a trial run. Have a seat.”
They were the only ones on board, and Carlita and Mercedes sat in the front two seats, directly behind the driver.
Before Carlita could ask Mercedes what was going on, the driver began to speak. “Walton Square and the east side will be my regular route. You can find a schedule online. The trolley will run from seven until nine in the morning for BOP holders and local residents. After that, the regular tourist trolley will run from nine a.m. until six p.m.”
The driver explained the new trolley system ran from five in the evening until seven-thirty for the locals who needed a ride home after work.
“Walton Square is now on the new trolley route,” Carlita guessed.
“Yep, and I bought you a BOP for the whole year,” Mercedes beamed. “You can use it on any trolley at any time. BOP stands for business owner’s pass.”
The City of Savannah had spent the last year discussing adding a trolley route early in the morning and then later in the evening for both residents and business owners. The goal was to keep cars off the busy downtown streets.
“You won’t take my Segway and you don’t like to drive downtown,” Mercedes said. “This will be the perfect way for you to get around without having to walk everywhere.”
“That’s so thoughtful, Mercedes. Thank you.”
The trolley made a second stop, but no one got on.
“I guess the locals are gonna need some time to buy the passes and get the schedule down,”
