Hope.
~
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A female officer pats me down before I am shuffled through a metal detector. Another officer hands me my wristlet and keys. I’ve been in enough jails to know not to bring a purse. Minimal is the best way to go.
I wait in line with the other family members and small kids until they lead us down a long hallway. The jail is different than the others I’ve visited. Mom is in a minimum-security jail this time. Therefore, I don’t have to sit with a glass wall between us, talking on a phone or through a small screen hole. I sit at a small table waiting for the inmates to come in.
After a several minutes, Mom comes in with a crowd of other lady inmates and heads over to me. Her black hair is hanging limply around her shoulders. Her blue-green eyes are bright and there’s a little color in her face. The main thing is that she’s sober.
“I’m surprised you came.”
I give her a small smile. “I didn’t think I was going to, but I’m here.”
“You look all fancy.” She eyes my jeans, sweater, and coat. All courtesy of Valo’s credit card.
“Yeah, I guess,” I pass off her observation.
“What’d you do? Find a pimp? Are you working for Rick now?”
I roll my eyes and shake my head. “No, I didn’t find a fucking pimp. I found a job.”
“A job?” She looks like I told her dinosaurs are roaming outside.
“Yes. I have a real job and I’m enrolled in school.”
“School? What the fuck happened to you?” Her eyes are even wider now.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to join the family business.” I wave my hand around the room. “I found a real man who cares about me and is helping me with my future.”
Now, Mom’s mouth drops. “A man? You found a man? One of those older fuckers from the strip joint?”
“No. He’s a nice guy and that’s all you need to know,” I bark at her and one of the officers cuts me a mean look. I instantly lower my voice. “Let it go, Mom.”
She leans in closer to me. “Does he know you’re nothing but a fucking stripper from Greenwood?”
“It’s none of your business, but yes, he does know and he doesn’t care.”
She laughs. “You have to be so damn stupid. Of course he cares about that. He’s using you. He’s making you his little pet.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You’re his pet project. He’s one of those fucking do-gooders. He’ll dress you up and educate you, and then he’ll send you the fuck away until a new piece of ass comes along. I bet he’s older than you. I bet he’s nice to everyone. I know those fucking types. Give it time and you’ll find your ass back at Greenwood with your fucking tail between your legs.”
My heart is pounding. Is that what he’s doing? I remember Valo telling me he has helped others out before, but he never went into their stories. Was it other girls? What happened to them?
“He’s not like that.” My voice betrays me.
“Jade, wake the fuck up. You’re trash. Just like me. We’re always going to be trash. It’s our DNA. The only thing you’re good for is lying on your back or stripping on a stage. This isn’t fucking Pretty Woman. Richard Gere isn’t coming in his limo to save the day. That’s fucking bullshit.” She sits back and stares me down with a coldness in her eyes.
“You’re wrong,” I try to use a firmer tone, but again, it doesn’t work.
“Am I? Right now you’re running every conversation you’ve ever had with that prick, trying to grasp the reality you think is there. It’s not. You’re not going be anything. You’re going to be just like me.”
My stomach drops and my heart stops.
Fuck.