Secrets of a Gigolo

9

Zachary rushed through the hospital up to the ICU on the fourth floor with Brianna on his heels. He asked the nurse’s desk for his sister’s room number. He found his mother and sister Ansley sitting on blue plastic chairs outside the room. “Is she ok?” He asked reaching his family. He could smell the booze on his mother a mile away. She smelled like cigarettes and cheap vodka.

“No, she’s not.” His mother snapped. “They beat the hell out of her, and it’s all your fault.”

“My fault?” Zachary repeated. “I didn’t beat her up.”

“You wouldn’t give her money, so they damn near killed her.” His mother Maria snarled at him. “You have more than enough, but you were selfish, and now she’s fighting for her life.”

“I’m selfish?” He couldn’t believe she was attacking him. “I didn’t make her shoot up with heroin. I didn’t make her take drugs and money from those guys. She made a baby that was addicted to crack, and she’s always too f****d up to even remember her child’s name. She’s the selfish one. She made her bed, and you expect me to enable her.”

Suddenly his mother slapped him hard across the face. “You shut up you no good bastard!” She shrieked at him. “You shut your f*****g mouth!” She was so angry she was vibrating. This was his mother. She’d always blamed him for everything. It didn’t matter what it was her girls were her babies and he was a cancer leaching off her all her life. She blamed him for his father leaving and every other man that ever left her. She blamed him for their lives being in the gutter, and she expected him to repay her by doing everything for everyone. It wasn’t fair. “You were supposed to protect her, and you didn’t.”

“You’ve had too much to drink.” He said trying to remain calm.

“Don’t you talk like that to me.” She reached up and grabbed him by the ear and dragged him into the room and over to the bed. “You look at her.” She snarled forcing him to look at Addie. She was beaten badly. Both eyes were swollen shut, and it looked like the hospital had been forced to cut around her eyes to drain the blood. Her nose was broken, and her lip was cracked. Her hair was a mess, and her arms had bruises on them. She was a god-awful mess. “This is your doing. You should have given her the money. If she dies, it’s on your head.”

“I’ll pay for the hospital.” He offered.

“Damn straight you will.” Maria hissed. “You get your lazy ass back out there, and you get that money. I don’t care if you have to f**k an army of women god knows you are useless when it came to anything else.”

“Where do you get off?” Brianna growled from the doorway. “You’re his mother how can you say that to your son?”

“Who’s this b***h?” Maria asked.

“This is Brianna; she’s a friend of mine.” He introduced her.

“Oh yeah? Are you paying his bills?”

“No.”

“Then mind your own damned business.” She then turned her eyes to Zachary. “What are you thinking? I’ve told you over and over again you shouldn’t be f*****g if she’s not paying. Why are you so stupid?” She slapped him in the head again.

Zachary looked away while his mother belittled him. He wished he could say this was just the booze talking but it wasn’t. His mother was a cold-hearted woman and she’d always been.

“You’re no prized pig yourself,” Brianna said coming into the room. “This man does everything in the world to see you’re taken care of and all you do is treat him like dirt and tell him he hasn’t done enough. Where do you get off? It’s not his job to make sure your screw up daughter doesn’t get herself killed. He didn’t put the needle in her arm. He didn’t make her steal from her drug dealer. Why should he pay for her mistakes? If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s yours you should have been a better mother.”

Maria waved a warning finger at Brianna. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t care either. But you don’t have a dog in this fight. He’s my son. I carried him for nine months and spent two days in labour to bring his useless ass into this world the least he can do is share the wealth. Children should take care of their parents and men should provide for their families, and he’s lousy at both.” She then turned to Zachary. “You should be taking care of business not gallivanting around with some b***h that can’t afford you. I assume she can’t afford you based on how she’s dressed. What are you a waitress? I bet she’s a waitress. I let filthy men all over me for years to feed and clothe your pathetic ass, and now it’s my turn to sit back and be cared for. Go out and use the only asset god gave you.”

“What kind of mother are you?” Brianna snarled. “What kind of mother pimps her children out? Why doesn’t your lazy ass get a job? I’m sure even you can manage the phrase ‘do you want fries with that?’”

“b***h I will knock you on your ass if you don’t butt the hell out.” Maria snarled.

“Try it.” Brianna challenged.

Suddenly Maria pulled out a spring-loaded switchblade. “I will f**k you up.”

“Mom.” Zachary barked. “Put the knife away. So, help me god I will call for security.” Maria snapped the blade back into the handle and tucked it away in her jacket pocket. Suddenly his mother sighed and then began to cry. “Mom, don’t cry.” It was unfair she knew he couldn’t handle when women cried.

“What am I supposed to do? I have one son in prison and a daughter fighting for her life. You and Ansley are all I have left, and you don’t want to help me. I thought I could turn to you when times get tough, but I was wrong. You don’t love us. I’m too old.” She sighed and then wiped her tears and looked over to the door where his fifteen-year-old sister stood. “All I have left is Ansley. I supposed I could introduce her to some guys.”

“No.” Zachary snapped. He was not going to let Ansley get passed around like a party favour.

“We need money, and you won’t do anything. I have no choice it’s time she starts pulling her weight.”

“Mother, do not put her out there. I will take care of everything I promise.”

“I don’t need your pity.”

“No, I’ll do it. I want to do it. I will find a way to fix all of this.” He didn’t want Ansley to have to go through what he had to.

Maria framed his face with her hands and pulled his head down, so his forehead touched hers. “You be a good boy, and you do what needs to be done.” She said looking into his eyes. She then stepped back. “Now don’t you have something you should be doing?”

Zachary stepped around his mother and left the room stopping briefly to look Ansley in the eyes. She might have been trouble, but she wasn’t a bad kid, and he wanted to protect her for as long as he could.

Zachary started down the hall and Brianna had to run to catch up. “Why do you let her talk to you like that?”

“She’s my mother.” He said pressing the elevator button. “She needs me. No one else is going to take care of her.”

“She’s a horrible human being. No mother should be demanding their child prostitute themselves for her benefit.”

The doors slid open, and he stepped into the elevator. “If I don’t do it, she’ll put Ansley on the corner. She’s fifteen. Do you know what this lifestyle can do to a child of fifteen?” Brianna stepped onto the elevator as he pressed the main floor button. “She’s not asking me to do anything I haven’t done before. Besides I come with a much higher price tag than Ansley does.” Brianna pressed the elevator stop button bringing the elevator to an abrupt stop. “What are you doing?”

Brianna took him by both arms and forced him to look at her. “You shouldn’t have to sell yourself. Not for any reason. You’re a good man, and you deserve to be treated better. These women you see, they’re using you. They don’t care about you. You’re just another thing to them. And your mother should be doing whatever it takes to protect you not calling you down and forcing you to demean yourself.”

Zachary looked away. He couldn’t look her in the eyes; he was ashamed that she’d witnessed the whole thing with his mother. “This is my reality. Nothing is going to change that. I’m tough as nails. And though people do what is necessary when times are rough.”

“There are other answers?”

Zachary pushed Brianna away. “No there’s not. This is what I am.” He yelled and hit the elevator button. “You can’t save me from my life.” He stepped off the elevator and stopped. Zachary turned around and took out his wallet. He removed forty dollars and put it in Brianna’s hand. “Here, take a taxi home. I have to go to work.”

“Zac please don’t do this.”

“Why not? Do you have a better idea? My mother was right I shouldn’t be with you. You can’t afford me.” He then stormed off leaving Brianna behind. He took out his cell phone as he headed for the doors. He punched in a number and waited for the other end to pick up. He was reaching for the door of his car when the line picked up. “Amelia baby, I need to see you. Meet me at the Grand Hotel… and bring that friend you were telling me about.”

He hung up and got in. Zachary started up the car and looking out the window he saw Brianna standing in the hospital entranceway watching him. He forced his eyes away and pulled out of the parking lot headed for the Grand Hotel.

When he arrived, he’d paid for the room and turned on his most seductive smile when he saw Amelia come into the lobby with one of her wealthy adventure seeking girlfriends. She was a nice-looking woman, and they were both giggling flirtatiously. If he did this right, he’d leave with a few grand and a new sugar mama. He put his arms around both women and turned on the charm as they headed up to the room.

He did what he had to, and when the sun came up, he found himself sitting on the foot of the bed with the two women passed out naked in the bed behind him. He sat there in his shorts staring at the wall with a wad of cash in his hand. He sat there the only one awake. He felt dirty. Hating himself, Zachary stood up and got dressed stuffing the money into his pocket. He just wanted to go home.