The Dark Journey - Chapter 10: Working Girl

[The Ravyn]

Colors swirling in the night
breeze blowing, gently swaying
lights moving left to right
right to left
red and white
they all combine
strange dance to the sound of
chatter and the bellow
of engines racing
tires squealing
one stops in front of me
the window comes down
small talk and money
we go for a ride
out and away from the bright lights
it isn't much, but hey
it's a living
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My recovery was a slow one. Jared brought me a bottle of antibiotics that he acquired someplace or other. When after a week my side became more inflamed with infection, he brought over a friend of his who was a resident at one of the hospitals. He told me that I really should be in a hospital where I would be well taken care of, but I was terrified that they would notify my parents.

He did some cursory examinations, then said something about risk of internal organ damage, or at the very least intestinal damage. Lucky for me the knife had been at a severe angle, from back to front and downward. Still, he had to 'open me up' and check. He gave me what he called a 'local' and proceeded to cut the wounds open further. It seemed like he worked on me a long time. There was some damage to the large intestine, but no other organs had been hurt. He stitched up the wounds and told me to keep taking the penicillin tablets. He stopped by once or twice a week for the next three weeks to check on me.

I told Jared that I owed him so much that I didn't think I could ever repay him. He just nodded and smiled his crooked smile and told me that it was ok. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but took it to mean that he didn't feel I owed him anything, that he was doing it out of kindness. Another serious mistake on my part.

He introduced me to snorting cocaine one evening during my convalescence. We both got very drunk and very stoned. The next day I felt horrible, but when he offered me a line that night, I accepted. This became a regular thing for us: drink wine, snort coke, smoke a little pot, get wasted and pass out. He didn't have a regular job, he was a dealer, selling coke and pot to a select few clients. I never knew who they were, I stayed in the bedroom when any buyers came over.

I started having sex with him when my side was well enough to accommodate that kind of activity. Sex, to me, was a necessary evil. I suppose that I wanted to show him how much I appreciated him taking care of me.

I was getting more and more nervous about being there, and one day I told Jared that I should really be moving on. I thanked him for everything he had done for me and said that I wish I could repay him somehow. That was the kicker. He told me that there was a way for me to repay my debt, which, he told me, was upwards of two thousand dollars in cocaine, antibiotics, bandages, food, booze and pot. I was stunned at first and sat speechless as he continued. He told me that he was having a few friends over that night for a party, and if I was to have sex with each of them, it would reduce my debt considerably.

I sat in stunned silence, not really believing what I was hearing. I asked him if there was another way to repay him, since I really didn't think I could do that. He just shook his head and smiled his crooked smile. I got up and started for the door, but he grabbed me by the arm, swung me around to him and told me not to even think about running out on him. He had quite an investment in me and was determined to get some returns on his investment. There would only be five or six guys coming over and he would knock $250.00 off of my bill if I performed well for them tonight.

I asked him how much he had knocked off for each time I had slept with him and he told me that those times didn't count as I had been more than willing and hadn't mentioned a price. I stood there staring at him in disbelief for a few moments, then nodded my head. I would do it, but just this once. Then I had to get moving up to Frisco. He grinned and said that when my debt was paid off, I could go anywhere I liked.

I got very drunk and very stoned that night as I embarked upon my new career.

[thief of dreams]