𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬: 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐊𝐇𝐈

00. | I N T R O D U C T I O N

C H A P T E R | 00
𝙳 𝙴 𝚂 𝚃 𝙸 𝙽 𝙸 𝙼 𝙴 𝙺 𝙷 𝙸

EVERYTHING was a blur for her as she stood outside the stainless steel door. It was the only thing that separated her from what waited inside underneath the white sheet and metal freezer that the coroner kept bodies in. She was still in complete and utter shock from what had been running all day on the news and mass printed in the newspapers. She didn't want her girls to see the media having a field day because of the death of their father and she didn't want the television to be the way that they found out either.

It was too soon to say anything to them; they were just too young and she was just too unprepared for a hit like this one. She still hadn't completely explained Carter's sentencing to them - - in words that an eleven, eight, and four year old could understand, anyhow. All they would really be able to decipher was that daddy wouldn't be coming home for a long time, only this time she knew that they'd never see him again - - not even in maximum security prison like they had planned.

"Mrs. Mekhi," she looked up from her black Valentino pumps and stared at the blurred face in front of her wearing clothes like a surgeon, "We're ready for you now," they told her that they needed time to clean up the body before she could identify it because of the wounds and the circumstances of Carter's death. Still, they warned her that things would be pretty raw because it had only been a few hours since the incident itself.

She took a deep breath, one inhale and another exhale and closed her eyes briefly telling herself that she could do this, that she had to do this. Everyone knew who Carter was from the constant media in their lives, even if they didn't know him personally but for legal reasons, she was told she had to come down and identify him. Carter's mother told her that she wouldn't be able to take doing such a thing; she couldn't see her son stretched out on a metal table dissected like a science experiment - - no, no, because she'd had enough heartache from when Carter's father passed away.

"We tried to do the best we could," said the doctor, "Cleaning him up and whatnot," he spoke calmly as she walked inside the room of dark gray, blue, and white hues - - it was depressing and cold just like she and Carter's marriage had been for years, excluding the short-lived and sporadic moments of happiness. "I must warn you Mrs. Mekhi it's very - -"

"It's fine," she whispered in the frigid air, almost being able to see her breath, "Show me please," she wanted to just get this over with, "Just show me."

"Yes ma'am," said the coroner as he moved to the table and placed his hands on the top of the white sheet that blocked her eyes from the sight of Carter's rigor mortis and semi-automatic wounds. He grabbed a good hold of the sheet and slowly lifted it off of Carter's face, peeling it down to his chest where the tattoos he had surfaced and his face that she once recognized and loved came into her view. Instantly, she felt weak and immobile.

"Oh God," she placed her hand over her mouth as she stared at the cold, lifeless piece of what was left of her once handsome, beau of the ball, husband; now, he just looked cold and gray, "Oh my God," her blurred vision was attributed to the tears in her eyes, not being able to take her eyes off of him.

"Is that him Mrs. Mekhi," he said needing it aloud for the records, "This is strictly for the court, I'm sorry that I have to ask you this," he knew it was obvious that it was her husband from her emotional reaction, "Is that your husba - -"

"Yes," she slowly cowered away from him and used the wall to support herself, "That's - - that's him - - that's - - that's Carter."

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