Fancy

Prologue

 My mother and I have never had a perfect relationship with one and other but I had always assumed she loved me, what mother doesn't? One downside to her was that she was constantly bringing man after man home and would kick them out as soon as she got into his pocket. Always saying that no matter what she would protect me, that was a lie. There had been countless times the men she brought home wanted me not her, but it had never gone this far. I begged not to go with the creep but my mother didn't care, she needed what he had and would do anything to get it. Money. She packed my things and sent me on my way with the man, I screamed, I cried and begged, not for my own soul but for that of the baby I was to leave, the one that would starve from the impact of our mothers willful negligence.

The monster flopped over my writhing figure and under the dingy, white sheets of his twin-size bed, I quietly got up, the evidence of his sin dripping down my thigh. Tip-toeing shakily towards the bathroom, I cleaned myself up using the sink and whatever towel was present. Slipping on my clothes and shoes I was able to grab my things and make my escape unnoticed. Where was I to go? I couldn't go home because my wench of a mother would send me right back to the man, I had no money so a hotel was out of the question. This part of New York was awfully dangerous at night and it was well after midnight, so I decided to hit up one of the "All-Nighter Bars" to see if anyone was rich enough take pity on me or if it was just scangy old drunks. 

I walked up to the bar and stood there for a minute or two, reflecting on my life thus far and what I had done in any of my lives prior to the one I'm living to deserve this bullshit. I was only fifteen at the time so obviously I couldn't order anything so when a man sauntered up to me asking to buy me a drink I almost yelled at him but I stopped myself, remembering something my Mama had said when I was a little girl. "Be nice to the gentlemen Fancy, and they'll be nice to you" I finally knew what she meant so instead of calling him a perv and telling him to fuck off I instead politely declined, saying that "I didn't drink" and "that he could buy me a soda pop instead". He accepted my request and he talked at me as I chugged the sweet liquid as lady-like one can guzzle a carbonated drink without belching as I hadn't had anything to drink since yesterday afternoon. I soon learned that he was a newly divorced lawyer after his wife cheated on him, I have not met many lawyers but all the ones I have were rich. So I played this man like a violin, he may have been a lawyer but he was stupid enough to fall for the façade I oh-so talentedly pulled and just like that I had a place to sleep that night.

~4 months later~ 

The next morning the lawyer man admitted he couldn't stay but thanked me and gave me two hundred fifty dollars for my services. This money was enough to get me off my ass, so I rented a hotel, got a job at a diner down the street and soon enough I had an apartment in a not too awful part of the city.  I went home for Dally, my baby brother but my knocking and ringing of the bell was left unanswered. Worried sick of something happening to my precious baby I went to the neighbors and they had informed me that my mother had committed suicide and Dally had been taken by Child Protective Services and was probably put into the foster system. My voice broke thanking the old woman for the information and she pulled me into a hug telling me he would be alright and that I would see him again some day. I pulled away from her, bid her goodbye and called a taxi and asked it to take me to my apartment.