Father and Son by S.E. Law

1

Sarah

Isit cross legged on my bed and call my best friend, Lucy, through video chat. Her big, swollen belly is the first thing that appears on screen as she scrambles to balance her cell.

“Hang on just a second!” she calls out. “Nora, I need you to sit still for five minutes so Mommy can talk to Aunty Sarah. Nora!”

Lucy’s daughter is only one so we both know that’s not going to happen.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got her,” I hear Lucy’s husband, Brandon, say.

“Thanks, babe.”

Suddenly, Lucy’s pretty features fill the screen, her expression apologetic.

“I’m so sorry about that. I just gave Nora a bath and now she’s decided that running around the house naked is the best way to dry off.”

I laugh. “Don’t worry about it.”

My friend makes a face. “But as I’m sure you heard, Brandon took her into the playroom, so I’m free to chat now. What’s up?”

I shoot her a sniffly smile. “No, it’s okay. If you’re busy, this can wait. It’s not crazy or anything.”

Lucy grows concerned. “Your eyes are red and puffy, girlfriend! OMG, we have to chat. Have you been crying?”

I swallow heavily. “It’s been a long day, that’s all.”

My buddy’s expression is sympathetic.

“Talk to me, Sarah. What’s going on?”

I take a deep breath. “Well, you know how my dad got really into investing last year?”

Lucy nods. “Yes. He tried to get us into it too, remember?”

I nod. “Well, I’m glad we didn’t because my dad found this company called SilverForever and figured it was a good investment because silver is safe, right? At the very least, you always have a bar of silver in a bank somewhere. At least I think it’s a bar. Or would it be an ingot or something?”

Lucy looks just as mystified as me, her forehead wrinkling.

“Your guess is as good as mine. But I get it. Everything is crazy right now, but silver might be more stable. I mean, I’m not an economist or anything, but from what I’ve heard on the news, metals are a conservative investment.”

I nod, sniffling again. “That’s what my parents thought. But then, the company they invested in turned out to be scamming people, and they didn’t have any of the silver they promised! The company went under and is now being investigated by the SEC, the FBI, and god knows who else. But still, my parents are out their life savings.”

Lucy gasps, her eyes going round. “What? Will they get anything back after the investigation?”

I shake my head and sniffle. “I doubt it, to be honest. Rules and regulations exist to protect big institutional investors, but you know small fry like my parents. There’s no one to protect them, so I don’t think they’re going to see a cent.”

My friend frowns, her chin trembling a bit with indignation.

“That’s bullshit!”

“I know, right? My dad put their entire life savings into this company too. I told him not to put all his eggs in one basket, but he insisted he was going to triple their money in a year. Instead, he lost it all.”

Lucy shakes her head, her brown curls bobbing. “They’ll be okay because your parents still work, right? I’m sure they can survive until they figure something out.”

Now it’s my turn to look forlorn. “But that’s the problem. My mom quit her job a few months ago when it looked like the silver market was roaring, and Dad followed suit a few weeks later. They don’t have any income or savings, nor do they have anything to fall back on. Literally, everything went down the drain at once.”

My friend is sympathetic. “Oh no, Sarah, I’m so sorry.”

But I shake my head again. “It gets worse. Apparently, my parents have been struggling financially for a while now, and didn’t think to tell me. They wanted to wait until their stock went up so they wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore. So in fact, they’ve already missed a bunch of mortgage payments, and the house is going into foreclosure. It’s my childhood home!”

I start crying harder as I say the words out loud. It still doesn’t seem real, even though my dad showed me the paperwork from the bank just a couple hours ago. It was threatening, with big red letters demanding action, and I burst into tears when I saw it. After all, my parents and my younger sister, Colleen, still live in that house. What will they do if they lose the roof over their heads? Plus, Colleen is still in high school, and she’d be devastated to have to switch schools before she graduates.

Lucy is sympathetic.

“Oh my God, foreclosure is scary. What are you going to do, honey?”

I sniffle again. “I have no idea. I need to help them somehow! But how? You know I’m still in school, so I have no income. How in the world would I come up with money to pay their mortgage, much less all the arrears? My parents and Colleen will be homeless if I don’t do something,” I lament. “Do you think I should invite them to live with me?”

Lucy looks skeptical, pursing her pink lips.

“Your studio is barely big enough for just you, Sarah. You can’t have them move in because you’d be packed in like sardines. Hell, your sister might have to sleep in the bathtub! We need to come up with another plan. Something more realistic.”

Despite my tears, I smile at my best friend. “Thanks, Luce. I appreciate it.”

She smiles at me through the video screen.

“No, it’s fine, hon. I just wish I could give you a hug in person!”

That makes me laugh because her belly is so huge, I doubt she could reach all the way around me.

“Your stomach’s enormous, Luce. I doubt a hug is in the works even if we were talking in person.”

She grins.

“Ugh, I know, I’m huge. But back to the matter at hand. I have an idea, but I’m not sure if you’d be game …”

I fix her with a look.

“I’m desperate, Luce. Anything will do. What did you have in mind?”

She bites her lip, looking hesitant.

“Well, have you ever thought about escorting?” she asks.

I gasp and lean back. “What?”

Lucy holds up her hand to allay my fears.

“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s not that insane actually. You know that Brandon used to use escorts before he met me, right?”

I nod slowly.

“Yes, but it was just once or twice, right?”

Lucy shoots me a rueful look.

“That’s what my husband likes to claim, but let’s be honest. Brandon was single for a long time before I came along, and I think he used to indulge monthly, if not weekly. So there’s definitely a way to make some good money, especially since Brandon was paying a lot for these girls.”

I gasp.

“OMG, this is crazy.”

Lucy shakes her head.

“It’s not, actually. Lots of ladies do it, but they just don’t tell anyone, and why would they? There’s still a stigma around escorting. But you could do it just for a little while, Sarah. To help your family get back on their feet.”

I stare at her.

“This is soooo crazy.”

But Lucy shakes her head again.

“It’s not,” she says in a gentle tone. “Brandon used the same service for almost a decade, and he liked it. He was very satisfied and said it was super-upscale, catering only to men with a certain net worth. I remember it was called City Girls, and I can ask him for a contact number if you like.”

That shuts me up immediately.

“OMG, please don’t. I don’t want your husband to know that I’m even considering this.”

Lucy nods with understanding.

“Of course not, but I’m sure if you google City Girls, you’ll find something on line. Just check it out. No pressure. It can’t hurt to look, right?”

I glance down at my curvy body, contemplating it askance because my figure is not the kind of thing guys are looking for when they hire an escort. Generally, men want thin torsos with long legs and straight, blonde hair. Meanwhile, I have big boobs and a big butt, plus my hair is brown, curly, and usually a windswept mess.

Lucy must be insane. Maybe she’s not thinking straight because of the pregnancy hormones or the lack of sleep from having a toddler on hand. But she continues.

“I’m serious, Sarah,” my friend’s voice chimes. “Brandon says sometimes he paid four figures in cash for just one session with an escort.”

That makes my eyes widen. “Really? Four figures for just one night?”

My buddy nods. “Yep. Now, do you understand what I’m saying? It’s worth looking into if you really need cash, honey. I know this isn’t exactly anyone’s dream career, but lots of girls do it to get themselves out of a pinch.”

I shake my head, looking down at my hands.

“Yeah, but the thing is that I need a lot of money, and fast. You see, my parents didn’t even tell me about the foreclosure until just recently. So actually, the house is going to be taken from them in a matter of months, I think.”

Lucy nods, still looking thoughtful.

“Yeah, but maybe you could postpone it somehow. Maybe if you offered the bank a decent chunk of money, they’d give you more time to bargain? To at least put a pause on the foreclosure?”

I bite my lip. “I’m not sure how the process works, to be honest. But I do know the bank is asking for thirty-thousand dollars just to halt the proceedings. That’s a lot! I mean, how would I come up with thirty thousand out of the blue?”

My buddy brightens.

“It’s possible!” she says. “If Brandon was paying a thousand bucks for one night, then conceivably you could make thirty thousand in just one month. See? The math works.”

I stare at my friend.

“Yeah, but I never thought I’d be working on my back.”

Lucy giggles but then grows serious.

“No one ever does, Sarah. But give it a thought okay? I know this has been a shock for you, and no girl consciously wants to get into this line of business. But desperate times require desperate measures, and I’m just saying. It’s one option.”

I shake my head.

“No, I can’t. It’s just too insane.”

Lucy nods with sympathy.

“I totally get it. No pressure, girlfriend.”

Then, our conversation morphs into the latest gossip about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and we giggle like two girls at a sleepover. Soon, Brandon reappears, and Lucy’s called away to tend to their daughter, so we hang up.

“Stay strong, okay?” she says, blowing me a kiss. “I know you’ll find a way, Sar. You always land on your feet.”

I wave goodbye, although I’m not sure I’ll find my footing this time. After all, I can’t believe my parents are in this much trouble! What were Judy and Bill thinking? OMG.

To make things even worse, what I didn’t tell Lucy is that my parents expect me to fix everything for them because that’s what always happens. Judy and Bill always turn to their trustworthy, responsible older daughter to make sure that everything turns out okay.

But I’m not sure what I’m going to do this time. I have a little bit of savings, but nothing close to the money the bank wants. Plus, I have no real options. What can I do? Sell a kidney? Offer myself up for some medical trials? A shiver runs down my spine. I’m not sure I’d be willing to go in that direction either.

My mind wanders to the site Lucy mentioned earlier and I frown. I don’t want to do it, but at this point, there are no other feasible paths. Plus, it won’t hurt just to do some googling, right?

As a result, I grab my computer from the table next to my bed and search for City Girls. Their website pops up immediately, and it’s surprisingly classy-looking with a black background and elegant script. I confirm that I’m eighteen years old, and then the main page comes up. My eyes take everything in. There are a few headshots of beautiful women, and immediately I’m suspicious. These girls are model-pretty, and this has to be airbrushed, right?

But when I click on their biographies, they’re refreshingly down to Earth. One girl says she enjoys playing with her dogs, and hopes to open her own dog-walking business. Another says that she’s getting a degree in Early Childhood Education, and wants to become an elementary school teacher. The ladies seem normal, and I’m relieved.

My finger trembling, I select “Contact” and a number and an email address pop up. Below that are submission guidelines for girls who’d like to be considered by City Girls. OMG, am I really going to do this?

But then I grit my teeth. This is just the next step in my research, I decide. I’m not committing to anything. After all, maybe after seeing my pictures, the agency won’t want me. So I pop over to my email and open up a new message. After writing a short bio and attaching a semi-flattering headshot, as well as an old photo of me in a bikini, I hit send. There, I did it.

Then I slam my laptop lid shut and toss it to the side before shaking my head once more. This is crazy and there’s no way I’ll be hired. After all, the bikini pic reveals a bit of my tummy pooch, and my thighs are thick and creamy, not long and thin. My hair is slicked back from my head, and I have a big, goofy smile that reveals the dimple in my cheek.

But what choice do I have? I’ll do whatever it takes to save my family, including becoming a lady of the night if that’s what it takes.