Chapter Four
Dana
Walking away from campus late in the afternoon, I sighed. I had thought things couldn’t get much worse than the day before when Charlie had been beaten up by his bookie. I was wrong. The moment we left the hospital together, Charlie had insisted on going home, promising that he would go right to bed and stay there. He promised to call me if he felt any symptoms of a concussion.
I had briefly argued with him, but not wanting to draw him into an argument, which wouldn’t be good for his health at the moment anyway, I had finally acquiesced. Charlie could be stubborn. It was often difficult to find the balance between wanting to mother and protect him and wishing that he would just grow the hell up already. It was frustrating. Maybe if I didn’t love him so much, I wouldn’t care, but that’s not who I was. I did love Charlie. Very much.
Just before microbiology class this morning, I’d received more bad news. A casual friend in my advanced anatomy and physiology class had told me that the school was going to close at the end of the semester. I didn’t believe it. My friend insisted it was true. Her dad was on the school board, and apparently, the news would be announced just after spring break.
I fought the urge to cry. Why was everything so difficult?
After my last class, I had gone to the Dean’s office. Not surprisingly, he’d confirmed the rumor. He checked my records on the computer and confirmed my full scholarship, shaking his head in commiseration as he did so.
“You have a solid GPA and we can help you transfer your credits to Texas U, but unfortunately, Dana, there are no more scholarships available until next year. You’re paid up through the end of this semester. If you do transfer, you’ll have to find a way to pay the tuition for your last two semesters on your own, unless you wait to finish later next year.”
My heart sank. No, I couldn’t wait that long. “How much is it?”
“Living off campus?”
I nodded and watched as he tapped on his keyboard.
“About fifteen grand a semester.”
I nearly crumpled right then and there. Thirty grand! I swallowed hard, proud of myself for containing the surge of panic that swept through me as I calmly listened to his comments. Only two semesters left to go and then I’d be able to take my nursing boards. Two more and I could start earning a decent living.
I left the Dean’s office, and only after his door closed behind me did I allow the surge of tears to fill my eyes. Where the hell could I come up with that kind of money?
Upset and needing time to think, I had foregone the bus and decided to walk home, wracking my brain for ideas. I might consider skipping the upcoming semester and work my ass off to save up enough to pay my own way, but fifteen thousand dollars apiece? Not as a waitress.
I was barely managing to pay the rent on my crappy studio apartment and living expenses as it was. Even if I worked full time, I doubted I could save that amount of money in a few months’ time. At the same time, I knew very well that the longer I took off school, the less chance I would have of going back.
My thoughts heavy, I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around me. It was the middle of the afternoon, the streets relatively quiet as I passed one business after another. Suddenly, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I gasped and quickly spun around, ready to chew out whoever it was, but froze.
Crap. It was Slim Pete, Charlie’s bookie. I had met him once. The guy gave me the creeps. He had some kind of thyroid problem that caused his eyes to bulge slightly. He was skinny, all flesh and bone, with greasy, shoulder-length black hair tucked behind his ears. He had an overlarge nose and a slash of a mouth filled with a surprisingly well cared for set of teeth.
“What do you want?” Just what I needed. I barely held back a grimace when he licked his lips and smiled.
“I thought of a way that we could work off Charlie’s debt.”
I frowned. I had never known the slimy bastard to care about anyone. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, let’s put it this way. We can make some arrangements, so to speak. Call them appointments, whatever… I can pay you fifteen-hundred each time.”
My frown deepened. “What the hell are you talking about, Pete?”
“Sleep with me.”
I stared in stunned dismay. “What?”
He grinned, nodding. “See, it’ll work out for everyone. You know I’ve always had the hots for you.”
His gaze passed over my face, lingered on my boobs, then focused on my groin. I barely resisted the urge to knee him in the balls or punch him in the nose. “Go to hell, Pete.”
“Seriously,” he said. “Every time you sleep with me, I’ll knock fifteen hundred off Charlie’s debt.”
“Like I said, go to hell.” I started to walk off.
“Think about it, Dana,” he said, following. “That’s just thirty-three times! It won’t kill you, and you’d be doing your brother a favor.”
I spun on him, furious. “I’m not going to prostitute myself to you or anyone else, Pete, you got that? And I wouldn’t sleep with you if you paid me a million dollars! Now fuck off!” I rarely cussed, but I was spitting mad. Of all the gall! How dare he!
“You only have five days come up with fifty grand. How are you planning to do that?”
“What about the payment plan?” I demanded.
He stared. “What? What payment plan?”
Shaking his head, he gave me the once over again. My heart sank lower.
“I didn’t offer him a payment plan. The only payment option on the table is the one I just gave you. Sexual favors in return for repayment of Charlie’s debt.”
“You’re full of shit, Pete,” I said. I wanted to kill him. At that very moment, I also wanted to kill Charlie for putting us both into this situation. I couldn’t even come up with enough money to pay for school tuition and—
“Think about it, Dana.” He grinned and hitched up his pants hanging down around his hips. “I’m not so bad. I know how to please a woman.” He offered a slight shrug. “Five days. After that, you’re not going to like what happens.”
“What do you mean?” I couldn’t hide the fear from my voice. “Please don’t hurt Charlie, Pete. We’ll figure it out somehow.”
“You know how many times I’ve heard that? I’ve got a reputation to keep, you know. I let one guy slide, I gotta let them all slide.” He shook his head. “I’m warning you, Dana, like I warned Charlie. If I don’t have that money in five days, he’ll lose a finger for every day after that. Or worse. And if you think I’m kidding, try me.”
The image elicited a surge of disgust, and my stomach clenched. I wish I had the guts to smash my fist into those stupid looking veneers, but I simply turned and walked away from him.
“Think about it, Dana!”
I walked fast, mouth breathing, my heart pounding so hard I felt the throbbing in my forehead. Dammit! Dammit!
A sob erupted from my throat, but I choked it back and blinked tears away as I quickly walked the rest of the way home. My mind was spinning, my stomach a tight knot, and my legs threatening to give way beneath me with every step.
After I got to my apartment and closed the door behind me, I broke down. The tears spilled over my eyelids, and I began to cry. Sliding downward with my back pressed against the door, I sat hunched, knees pulled up to my chest, despair filling every part of me.
It was an impossible situation, one that I had no idea how to get away from. Charlie refused to leave town and go stay with Uncle Greg, and neither one of us had the money to set him up in a place anywhere else. I didn’t want my brother hurt. I didn’t want to see my brother on the streets. If he ended up on the streets, I would lose him. For good.
I felt sorry for Charlie, but I was infuriated with him at the same time. Why? Why did he have to gamble? Why did he keep getting himself into trouble? Why couldn’t he just settle down, find a job, and be content with what he had?
I looked up and around my dingy apartment. This is not where I wanted to be at twenty-two years of age. This is not where I had seen myself, but I was working hard to get out of here, to do better. When I passed the boards and received my certification and license to practice as an R.N., I could finally get a good job somewhere, make better money, and get the hell out of this crap hole.
But no matter how hard I tried, it seemed as if I was forever being dragged backward. Two steps forward, one step back. I just couldn’t…
I knew that tears did no good. They wouldn’t bring my parents’ back, wouldn’t change any of that. Crying wasn’t going to help Charlie either. I tried to tell myself that I didn’t care, that I could turn my back on him and let him face the repercussions of his own actions.
But I couldn’t.
He was all I had left.