Grateful we have a roof over our head now and we sleep under a warm blanket.
I smile when I see Alisha lying facedown on her pillow on the bottom bunk bed. She looks so peaceful, as if she doesn’t have a care in the world, which is exactly how it should be.
Kneeling next to her, I pet her softly, and she turns her head closer to my hand. Her eyes are still closed as I whisper to her. “Sleep tight, sis. Tomorrow’s gonna be a good day.”
I peck her on the cheek and pet her until she sighs. Then I undress, put my jammies on, and climb up to the top bed.
“You’re home …” Her voice cracks in the night.
“Shhh … go to sleep,” I murmur as I lay down and wrap myself in my blanket.
“I missed you …”
I smile as I look up at the ceiling. “Missed you too.”
“Love you …” A snore cuts off her words, and I muffle a laugh.
This. This is why I do it. The reason I sell my body. Why I dance for men I don’t even know.
I do it for her … Family.
The only one I have left.
And I’ll fight till the end to keep her safe and hidden.
***
Morning
Yawning and completely wiped, I sit at the table as Alisha prepares a bowl of cereal for us. While I bob my head in fatigue, she puts the bowl in front of me, waking me up again.
“Enjoy!”
As I grab the spoon and she sits down, I notice her bowl doesn’t have any milk in it, but mine does.
“Milk?” I mutter, pointing at her breakfast.
“We’re out.” She shrugs. “But I like them just as much this way.” She picks up a spoonful and takes a crunchy bite with a big smile on her face.
I swallow, appreciating the gesture, and say, “I’ll get more today. Promise.”
“Nah, let me. You’ve done enough.”
I slowly chew on my food. “But you don’t have …” I narrow my eyes as she rummages in her pocket and takes out a small piece of paper, waving it in front of me. “Thief.”
“I didn’t steal it. I found it on the table.”
“Because it fell from my purse,” I say.
“Whatever. Finders keepers.”
Lunging, I try to snatch it away, but she jumps up quickly to avoid my grasp. “Give it back.”
“Nu-uh. Not until you tell me how you got this much money.”
I frown, sighing. “A job. Now, give it back.” I hold out my hand.
“What job? Picking up trash? Selling crack?”
“No … Really? Do you really want me to spell it out for you?”
“Yeah.” She folds her arms. “I want to know exactly what you’ve been up to. You’ve been disappearing lately, like too long and too much. I don’t trust it.”
“I come home with money. Isn’t that enough?”
She points at my bowl. “Eat.”
Reluctantly, I take another bite.
“And no, I don’t care about the money. I care about your safety.”
“I appreciate the sentiment,” I say, swallowing, “but without money, there’s no roof or food either, so we need this.”
She sighs and places her hands on the table. “There’s got to be another way.”
“There isn’t.”
She folds her arms. “So you’ll just keep selling your body? How long do you expect me to accept that?”
“For as long as needed.”
She glowers, and then she turns around, storms to her bed, and grabs a few papers. She stomps back and spreads them out in front of me. “Look. Here’s something else.” She points at an article. “He’s looking for a cashier.”
“A cashier?” I say with half a spoon full of cereal. “You expect me to become a cashier?”
She raises a brow. “Why not?”
I laugh. “You’re kidding, right? I mean have you seen me?” I gesture up and down my body. “I’m like a walking sex bomb. Nobody wants to hire me for a serious job.”
“You haven’t even tried.”
I point at her bowl now. “Eat.”
But she keeps glaring at me with this judgmental look, so I add, “Sit and eat your breakfast, young lady.”
After a few seconds, she says, “Young lady?” And then she bursts into laughter.
Her smile is so infectious that I can’t help but laugh with her.
“Oh God, that was horrible,” she muses.
“Yeah, I know, but I had to say something. You’re getting way too sassy here.”
“I’m not your little sister anymore, Lex. I’m a grown woman.”
“You’re still two years behind me,” I say pointing the spoon at her. “And since I’m the oldest, I get to make the calls.”