Chapter 1

“Hey, Doc, hate to bother you so early (it was just before 3 am), but I have another patient for you to look at. Do you think you could stop by my place?” I said over the phone.

“Dammit, John,” came the reply, “I told you the last time, you dumb-ass Marine, we are both going to get in trouble if you keep picking up homeless girls off the streets and taking them to your house.”

“I know, Jack,” I answered, “but I just couldn’t help it. She looked so helpless! Like she hadn’t eaten in a week, and when she said she would do anything ... ANYTHING ... for a few dollars to get something to eat ... well I couldn’t just leave her there.

“I made her take a shower and gave her some clean clothes before feeding her and putting her to bed. Now she is running a high fever and seems to be having a lot of trouble breathing,” I tried to explain. “I’m worried, Jack, I mean really worried. Can you come look at her?”

“Okay, John ... as usual your heart is in the right place ... even if your pea-sized Marine Corps brain seems to stop working when you see a young girl in trouble. I’ll be there in 10 minutes. In the meantime try putting cold, wet cloths on her head and body,” my best friend answered, before delivering his final words over the phone.

“But I’ve told you before, John, this won’t bring her back. It won’t bring either one of them back.”

Wincing at his words, I hung up the phone and started looking at my latest reclamation project.

She was tall for a woman ... probably 5’9” or 5’10” but I seriously doubted she weighed more than 100 pounds. Skinny didn’t even begin to describe her appearance. Skeletal? Perhaps not that bad yet, but it came a lot closer to the mark.

By now I was becoming something of an expert in the physical appearance of homeless girls. This was the result, not of days or weeks, nor even months of living on the streets, but rather years of never knowing where your next meal was going to come from ... or what you would have to do to “earn” that next meal.

I could still hear her words when she first met me just hours before, “Mister, I am so hungry. I’ll do anything ... ANYTHING you want for a few dollars.”

I told her that I wouldn’t give her any money, but I would get her a meal, then told her to get in my truck.

This was almost the moment of truth for many of these girls. Some would look around warily, trying to find a way to escape. Instinctively, most of the girls knew they should never surrender so completely. At that point, I would have to convince them I would not harm them, that they were safe with me.

Even then, most would sit as close as they could to the passenger door with one hand on the door latch.

But not ... what did she say her name was ... Candy? I pretty much knew that was a made up name.

Candy didn’t bat an eye when I told her to get in my truck, didn’t look around, and didn’t seem to care anymore. The look of a person who had nothing left to lose.

And instead of sitting close to the passenger door, she slid halfway across the seat and her hands immediately went to my belt buckle. “I’ll be good to you,” she said. “I’ll be the best you ever had.”

I gently removed her hands, eliciting a surprised look from her.

“Not yet,” I said, “There is plenty of time for that. Just get some rest.”

Without another word, she laid down across the seat with her head resting on my thigh.

Despite myself, my hand began softly stroking her dirty, matted hair. Before I had driven a mile she was fast asleep.

Thirty minutes later I pulled into my driveway and gently shook her awake.

When she climbed out of my truck, she started swaying and nearly fell. I had to pick her up and carry her inside. We stopped in what would be called a mud room in a house up north, but here in the Deep South it was just a glorified enclosed porch.

I sat her down in a chair and said I would be right back.

I returned a few minutes later with a long thick robe and told “Candy” to remove all her clothes and put on the robe.

She didn’t even wait until I left, but immediately tried to take off the tee shirt she was wearing.

“I think I need some help,” she said, apologetically, “I don’t think I can raise my hands that high.”

I helped her remove the tee shirt and couldn’t help but notice her breasts ... which were almost non-existent. The female breast is composed of mostly fatty tissue. And when you count your meals not in terms of how many meals a day you eat, but how many a week? Well, the fatty tissue is consumed by your body, in order to survive.

Not the first time I had seen this occurrence, nor I suspected, would it be the last.

I turned my back while she removed her shorts, then, after she was wearing the robe, I walked with her to one of my spare bedrooms, actually having to help support her as she was walking.

“The shower is in there,” I pointed. “Do you need help in adjusting the water?”

She shook her head “No.”

“There is plenty of soap, shampoo and hair conditioner, along with wash cloths and towels. There are plenty of women’s clothes in different sizes in the closet and the dresser (I pointed), has underwear in different sizes as well. On the sink will be four or five toothbrushes, and several different brands of toothpaste also.

“After you shower and get dressed, come to the kitchen and I will have hot food. Any questions?”

She shook her head “No.”

In the kitchen, I started prepping some items and thinking.

“This is what? The 11^th or 12^th girl I had taken off the street?”

As I looked back, I realized it was actually the 13^th.

“Unlucky 13, or maybe this will be lucky 13,” I thought.

Based on past experience, I knew the girls usually spent at least 30 minutes in the shower, then another 15 or 20 trying on clothes.

When I heard the water shut off I looked at the clock.

“Almost exactly 30 minutes,” I thought, so I started cooking.

I didn’t want anything especially fancy. Scrambled eggs with turkey bacon and turkey sausage (not too greasy), and plenty of pancakes.

I had been shocked the first couple of times with how much these girls could eat, but by now I was used to it.

Almost exactly 20 minutes later I heard her footsteps come into the kitchen. I turned around, and could barely suppress a gasp.

Even in her current emaciated state, you could see hints of how beautiful she must have been at one time.

The next thing I noticed was how tall she was, but also how incredibly skinny.

The third thing that most stood out about “Candy” was her hair color. Parts of her waist-length hair were red, parts were blonde, parts were neon green and parts were bright yellow.

The fourth thing that stood out was ... well, how she was standing. All of the other girls I had picked up and brought home usually would only look at the floor – at least at first.

Once they realized nothing bad was going to happen to them, then, and only then, would most of them actually look me in the face. And some never did.

“Candy” had an almost regal stature. She stared directly into my eyes, and I couldn’t help but notice her incredible green eyes. I mean I have met women with green eyes before, but these eyes seemed to peer into my soul. Her eyes had a depth to them that was, frankly, disconcerting. I almost felt like I could just fall into those eyes and never reach bottom.

My best guess as to her age was around 16 or 17.

I immediately felt a deep pang in my heart when I thought she was around the same age my daughter had been when ... well, I tried to suppress those thoughts.

“Come on in and sit down,” I said. “I have plenty of food and you need to eat while it is still hot.”

“Candy” didn’t just walk across the kitchen ... she glided. I knew she had to be hungry and weak, but she walked with a confidence I have very seldom seen in my life.

Only at the end did she stumble a little, and I began to suspect how weak she actually was, and how much effort she had just expended in trying to portray exactly the opposite impression.

Usually most of the girls would simply stare down at the food, but this girl spent equal amounts of time staring at the food, then staring at me with those disconcerting eyes.

I waited until she had eaten almost half of the huge pile of food before I said anything since she came into the kitchen.

“First of all, my name is John Anderson. You can just call me John. There are rules here, just like anywhere else in life,” I began, “but I don’t think you will find the rules too tough.”

As I said that, she concentrated all her attention onto me, and for a brief moment I almost forgot what I was going to say. That was how intense her gaze was.

“One – you are not a prisoner, and you can leave at any time,” I began. “While I would appreciate your at least telling me if you are leaving, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. The doors are locked, but every door in the house can be opened from inside without a key.

“Two – I am sure you found the $500 in the box on top of the dresser.”

Up until now, most of the girls had blushed when I asked that question, knowing that I knew they had searched the room for valuables but this girl didn’t, just simply nodded and kept eating.

“When you leave, that money is yours. You can do anything you want with it. You don’t ever have to repay it, and you don’t have to do anything ... ANYTHING ... to earn it.

“Three – there are all kinds of clothes in the closet, in almost every size I can find. You can take anything you want that fits you. There are also several backpacks, and again you can take any one you want. Just remember, the more clothes you take, the heavier the backpack will be.

“There are also a lot of shoes in the closet. Not designer shoes, but they are all comfortable, durable and will last a long time. Just take one or two pairs, please. Again, the more you take, the heavier load you will have to carry.

“Four – if you decide to stay, I expect you to pick up after yourself. I will show you how to operate the washer and dryer, but you will only be expected to take care of your own stuff. You are not here to clean up after me, or do anything ... ANYTHING ... in order to stay.

“Five – if you cook, then you clean up. I will either do my own cooking, or I will eat out, or I will bring food home for both of us such as pizza or Chinese takeout.

“Six – if you stay, you are expected to keep yourself clean as well. Daily showers are a must. I have feminine products in the vanity in your bathroom. If there is something that is not there that you need, you can either tell me, or write me a note.

“Seven – I would appreciate it if you would tell me your name – your real name – and where you are from. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I would appreciate it.

“Eight – There are only two rooms in this house that can be locked from the inside and no one – no one – can enter until the person in that room unlocks the door. That would be your bedroom ... and mine. No one, not me, not anyone, will enter your room without asking your permission.

“Nine – In a couple of days, if you decide to stay and after you are rested, we will go shopping. Not to the Gap, not to a designer clothes store, but to Walmart or Target and I will buy you a reasonable amount of clothes. Those clothes will be yours. They may not be the most fashionable, but they will be serviceable.

“Ten – you can search as much as you like, but there is no alcohol in this house. No beer, no liquor and most certainly, no drugs. If you get drunk, or high, you are out.

“Eleven – after a few weeks or a month or so, I will help you find an apartment and pay the first six months’ rent. I will also help you find a job, or if you want to, go back to school. If you choose to go back to school, I will pay your tuition for vocational school or college.

“Twelve – I will encourage you to contact your family and let them know you are safe, but you will never be forced to contact anyone. I know ... I know some girls come from a situation that makes it better for them never to go back home, or let anyone know where they are.

“Thirteen – If you are in trouble with the law, if there are warrants for your arrest, then I will pay a lawyer to take your case and do whatever I can to resolve whatever difficulties you have had with the law.

“Fourteen – I will answer any question you ask me truthfully. I will not lie to you about anything. Now or in the future. I expect the same from you.

“And while I say I will answer any question you ask me that also means I decide WHEN to answer that question. For instance, I might say the short answer is this, but there is a much longer and detailed answer that I, for whatever reason, can’t answer at the time you ask the question.

“Fifteen – if you take the $500 and leave – you cannot come back in a few days and expect to get more. You are not a prisoner, but this is a one-way house. If you leave, don’t expect to come back.

“Now, any questions?”

The young lady had finished eating ALL the food before I finished my list and was just watching me with those disconcerting green eyes.

“Just one,” she said. “Why?”

“The short answer is that once upon a time, someone ... someone I cared a great deal for ... didn’t have any help, didn’t have anywhere to go to get help,” I said.

“I said only one question, but can I ask another?” she inquired.

I nodded my head.

“You seem to be making it rather plain that ... that you don’t expect me to ... to sleep with you,” she said, haltingly.

Again, I nodded.

“Are you gay? Or do you think I’m not ... pretty enough ... for you?”

I laughed and shook my head.

“No, I’m not gay,” I answered. “I like women just fine, and I think you are very pretty, but I didn’t bring you here to be my bed partner, or a housekeeper, or anything like that. I brought you here to try to help you.