dilemma5

I knew the three girls were prostitues working for Desmond, but he wasn't like that with me. He gave me free food, housing, money, clothes - everything, and all I had to do was mindless house work and keep him happy. No school, no nothing, I didn't need school anyway, it was a waist of time.
       One night, Desmond approached me and asked me if I would have sex with a friend of his, and I would be paid one thousand dollars for it, except I had to give Two-Hundred of it to Desmond for getting me the deal in the first place. I couldn't refuse that offer, eight hundred bucks, just for a night of meaningless sex. Desmond drove me to the hotel the next evening and told me to go up to room 326. So, I went. I did it. I talked a bit, then I left, with cold hard cash in my hands. It was great and so easy made. Desmond was outside waiting as promised, I gave him his two hundred, and we went home. Desmond got me to go shopping with one of the other girls, Trish. I got the skimpiest clothing, but trish was right, I looked good in them. Never once did I think I'd be using those clothes to work the streets, I don't even know how I fell into this trap. But, the inevetable came, after a few more of Desmond's "private jobs" and there I was, with Sarah and Trish, working the stroll. Desmond said he would always protect me, along with the other girls, and they even vouched that Desmond was a great protector of his girls.
       I remember him saying, "Don't worry Twylette, I'll keep you safe, plus, you're going to make some good money. And if you don't do it, then I'm afriad you'll have to find somewhere else to live."
      So, I started the stroll, and I really felt like I was earning an honest living, and I was happy. I mean, I had almost anything I wanted at my finger tips, not to mension an endless supply of drugs which I slowly slided into doing on a regular basis. I had done drugs before, at raves and parties and things like that, but not to this extent, and not this addicting and harsh. It didn't seem harsh at the time though. Drugs was my only other way to numb out the pain and memories... besides my slashing. I started it by smoking pot in the house on a daily basis, then, moved into LSD, cocaine, and finally, heroin. The heroin and cocaine were the most addicting, more the cocaine, for me. I didn't even have to pay for it, I was rich, always high, driving a great car, not to mension I was really well known by alot of wealthy men. I didn't have any complaints.
      One night, i got into a car with a big guy, a guy about the same size as Desmond (huge and muscular). It all went fine and everything was as usual. He walked me back out to his car, got in and drove me back to the stroll. The stroll was in sight and I could see penny standing there. he drove up by penny, I looked at her, went to get out of the car and he pressed the gas, taking me down the road with him past where I was supposed to be dropped off. Somthing got him spooked. He drove me to an alley, I was panicking, waiting, hoping for Desmond to appear as he always promised he would. The guy leaned over, pulling a knife out of his boot, and slashed it past my neck. He opened my door, and kicked me out onto the pavement and drove away. I remember hearing the car screech out of the alley onto the street. My neck was bleeding. where was Desmond? Who knows!!? I moved to the side of the alley under a little roof, putting pressure on my neck. Eventually, a bum saw me and called an ambulance. I went to the hospital and got cleaned up, thankfully it was nothing TOO serious. They asked questions at the hospital, but I wouldn't tell them anything, I didn't want Desmond to end up killing me. That was my wake up call. The hospital gave me cab fare and I went back to Desmond's, no-one was there, so I packed my things into my car, grbbed all the cash I could find, and left.
       I went to this womens shelter and stayed there for a couple days till they got me into this womans prostitution recovery program. The program had about 12 girls in it, it was a large warehouse with a classroom and a chaple and a banquet hall type place that they rented out for weddingd and such. They had their own housing for all the girls to stay in. They also got me on welfare and sent me to detox, then to a 12 step group. I attended the life skills program with them for a while till I couldn't take it anymore. I was slashing again, slashing my thighs and ankles, anywhere I could hide it from everyone. I was so ashamed of it, but I needed it. I met a girl ther named Lizza, she was also a slasher and a prostitute, but had been clean for almost a year from both, as well as clean from drugs for about 2 years. She was great, she was the only one I ever told everything to, she was so easy to talk to and understood everything I had been through. Lizza was 28 and was in prison for six years, till she got her parole and came to the program. She originally had an indefinite sentence, but later became eligable for statutory release, and she was appealed. Lizza was awesome, and I really liked being there with her, although I felt really out of place amongst everyone, becasue I was braught up in a welthy home, and the most of them weren't brought up in any home at all. My concellor's name was Brenda, she was great and was easy to talk to, however I couldnt tell her my story, I didn't want her to know the whole of it. Brenda had already been through the program herself and went on to college, then came back to work for the program as a councellor. I worked away at the program, and slowly became very depressed.