Chapter 11

By Monday lunchtime, one of my friends started to piss me off with his questions about the Halloween party. Once the twins were within hearing distance, I made sure that I looked pissed off and checked that one of my friends had his mouth full of Coke. How can someone have Coke with lunch?

"So you have to know that I did there? Would you believe if I told you that I was a play-toy of one hot lesbian couple for the most of the night?"

He did not disappoint me. Some cola came out of his nose. I shrugged.

"I guess you don't."

Then I turned to the twins.

"Sorry, girls, but he insisted to know."

Then all the others around us lost it. The girls laughed, too but I could see that their eyes looked a bit worried. My friend cursed me and the others laughed a bit more.

I pointed at the twins as I continued,

"Seriously guys, before you get any silly ideas, let me ask a question. Does either of those beauties or their friends have a buzz haircut? As far as I know they do not have any suspicious tattoos either. If none of you has ever heard of the possibility of having a nice civilized party, I guess you heard it, now."

After that they started teasing me for becoming an old man. I was okay with that. After school the twins searched for me, punched me some, and then thanked me for taking the pressure off them. On the other hand that was a reminder that in order to keep things in control, there would be no possibility of same kind of moonlighting. Not here. Not in this kind of environment. Once more I wished them happy life together - far away from the hypocrites living here.

I tried to contact Marie just to check that she was okay and to maybe apologize for my behavior on that Sunday. Maybe, but no luck. Her mobile number was no longer in use, and when I called her home line I was told that she was not allowed to have any calls.

At school Marie avoided everybody and those two pudgy guardian angels followed her everywhere outside classes. But otherwise the life at school settled to something tolerable. The football team sucked badly because of those missing starters, and I was back to being a nobody. I could live with that, but after having a steady girlfriend for a year it sucked, badly. But despite of my temporary emotionally high weekends I really was not in a mood to start seriously dating again.

I was walking back to my car Friday afternoon when I overheard some heated discussion a bit further away. One girl and three guys. It did not look too good so I got silently closer.

" ... now I've missed the bus and I'll be late for work you idiots!"

She was really pissed. One of the guys just sneered.

"Oh, you'll get a ride. We just want same kind of agreement those three players had. A piece of your ass to us and you'll get your ride. One of us now and the others - and all of us after work."

"Never!"

"Oh, come on, we all know you are no virgin."

Then one of the guys grabbed her hand and the main jerk run his hand over her breasts. I lowered my backpack to the ground before speaking.

"I think she said 'no.'"

They turned around in a flash. The main jerk just did not get it.

"This is no business of yours. Get lost!"

I smiled to him.

"Or what? You three will beat the two of us up? I'm almost terrified."

Suddenly a sort of recognition hit those three jerks. While I watched their retreating backs, I thought that maybe I was not a total nobody, not quite yet. I turned to the girl who was one of the seniors.

"Hi, Sara, can I help you?"

"Nobody can help me, anymore. I'll be late for work because of those idiots, and that will be the end of it."

"Where do you need to be, and when?"

She gave me the address, and I looked at my watch. A close call.

"Come on, jump in my car. I think we can still make it."

I did not actually break any laws while driving her to work, but maybe I twisted some just a little. Luckily no one from the local police office was anywhere to be seen. Besides, a shortcut through an abandoned industrial area is not actually a road.

I drove her straight to the side door of a chain restaurant and she rushed inside. I guess there was a mumbled thanks. I sat still for a moment. Once I was there, I could just as well eat something. I had nothing special going on, and no real motivation to cook dinner tonight.

Heated discussions seemed to be the trend of the day. As soon as I was inside the almost empty restaurant I could hear her voice again. I got a deja-vu feeling, and picked up my phone.

" ... but I was here in time. And ready to work before my shift officially started."

"But we have agreed that you will be here ten minutes earlier."

Slimy voice. How can a male voice be that slimy? She snorted.

"And that is just because you could sneak a peek at the female workers changing clothes. I have told you that it is all you'll ever get from me."

"Think again, girl! Like I don't know that you have at least been giving head to those guys who drove you here. You can as well do that and some more for me."

"And if I don't want to? What then?"

"If you do more you may have some other work than cleaning the tables."

"I'll rather clean the tables for the rest of my life than do something with you!"

At least the girl got some guts.

"You are fired! I'll always get someone who knows how be grateful."

"Grateful! You steal all the tips, and you harass all the women, and we should be grateful!"

Then I heard a door slam. Maybe I would not be eating here, after all.

I did not have to wait for long outside that side door. She was sobbing when she came out and did not see me when she leaned against the wall.

"Sara, I think you should not be alone now."

She jerked like she had been slapped but she did not hesitate when I took her by the hand and led her to my car. Once we were sitting inside the car it was like a dam breaking.

She was living alone with her mother who was sick and out of a job. She needed a job at any cost, in order get the ends to meet, and to finish high school.

She let everything out, also the sexual services she had offered to Anton and his pals, in order to get something from them. Of course, the guys had bragged about that. Now she was out of job and I would soon be out of hankies.

I took her hand in mine and used my other hand to lift her chin and turn her to face me.

"Sara, it will be okay. Trust me. I'll go outside to make a call and then we'll have some dinner. My treat."

She looked at me with her disbelief evident on her face. I kept on smiling and went out to make call to my aunty. I was sure I could hear her rolling her eyes at the other end, but finally she agreed with me. Once back inside the car I turned to Sara.

"Sara, I'm sure there is solution to your problem - but you need to trust me for a while. Can you do that?"

After a while she nodded. I smiled to her and gave her one more hankie.

"Now, you may want to fix your makeup a bit before we go to have some dinner."

After some time to adjust she nodded and I looked at her,

"Remember, you promised to trust me. Let's go inside."

"But I cannot go in there!"

"Of course you can. You are not an employee any more, you are a client - and my date. Trust me, now, please."

She nodded and we went in. She was standing behind me when I asked a nice table for two. Once we walked in, I heard at least a couple of sharp intakes. I made sure to keep smiling, myself ... and to have my phone in my front pocket. We got our table and I made sure that I'd be facing the desk and the kitchen. Sara looked nervous but I kept on smiling. An equally nervous waitress came to ask for our orders and we quickly agreed to have two sodas and I convinced Sara to agree a tomato-mozzarella salad as a starter. The calm remained as long as our drinks and starters arrived. About half a minute later, it started.

"What a hell are you doing here! You were fired! Get a hell out of my restaurant, you filthy whore!"