Chapter 5: Escort Lessons
I sat in the living room of the mansion waiting on Lilly to meet with me. Harrison brought me in to be seated and I could tell he was a little surprised. Only a few weeks ago he was showing me around this same house while I was wearing a borrowed blue maid uniform. Now I was sitting in a navy blue low back Gucci sundress with matching sandals. How things change.
I sat waiting and looked all around me. The pictures of the women posing in various poses reminded me of going to a museum. Harrison once said they were Ms. Lilly’s family members. I wondered if I could have ever lived like this with different parents.
My mother was white and my father was black. I mostly looked like my mother. From her skin tone to her high cheekbones, people said she and I looked like twins. I got my long curly hair from her, the kind that took forever to straighten and once it was, hung freely about three inches from my backside. I always thought my hair was my strength like Samson. Most girls bought theirs. Mine was natural.
My mother had a hard life growing up. She went from foster home to foster home. She said no one ever loved her and when she had me I was the only one that did. We were close until she got on drugs and then the twins were born. After that her life went spinning out of control. For seven years I helped raise the twins, making sure they ate, had a roof over their head and their needs were met. I took odd jobs to help pay the bills and used my mom’s welfare check for the rest.
I still attended school and got a scholarship to Baylor. It was my time to get away and I hoped she would become the mother I always believed she could be. Leaving the twins was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Although my mother was not herself, I still loved her. She tried. She just did not know how to raise three girls. Our absent father only came back into the picture after the twins were old enough to go to school.
After my mom died our father took care of the twins. Let us just say he half took care of them. They were basically teenagers taking care of themselves by then. Although we were seven years apart I owed them everything. They love me unconditionally and they always make sure I am okay. I am hoping one day I can live something close to a normal life, but until then I gotta go with the flow.
I felt a vibration in my purse. I grabbed my phone and looked down to see Ashley calling.
Before I could say a word I heard, "where have you been?" My sister’s voice echoed through the phone. She sounded upset and irritated. Which honestly, fair enough.
"I told you I had to work Ash. That is why I let you and Olivia stay with Emily for the weekend."
"I am aware of that Cadence, but you did not call us last night and you always call."
I felt bad. I always checked on them during the day out of force of habit. They were my lifeline to the life I had outside of this strange new world and it was my responsibility to make sure they were taken care of. Thoughts of last night entered my mind and I closed my eyes quickly before they could show on my face.
"I am sorry Ash. The day just got away from me and I fell asleep. I was exhausted."
"Well don’t let it happen again Cad," I heard Olivia say in the background.
I decided not to comment on that. Who was the adult and who was the child around here? "Can you both please forgive me."
"We guess. When are you coming home Cad?" Ashley said sounding like a worried mother.
"Today."
"Good. Can you bring home some chocolate fudge brownie ice cream?"
"Sure Ash. Now behave and I will see you two later. I love you both."
"We love you too," both their voices came screaming through the phone at once. I smiled and we hung up.
The door to Lilly’s office swung open. An older man walked out with files in his hand and Lilly came out to greet me. He did not look like a client. His suit was wrinkled and his hair needed a cut. And then I caught myself judging him and stopped immediately. It was not long ago that I was the one who looked out of place in a room like this.
"Hello Cadence," she said, opening the door wider.
"Hello," I said as she closed the door behind us and I walked in.
"How was your night with Evan?" She asked.
"Why did you really choose him?" I asked, never taking my eyes off her as she walked back to her desk.
"I chose him because as long as I have known him he has never asked about a girl until last night. He has been a member for years and he has not once taken a girl for sex. He pays his dues and that is it. Women fawn over him but he just smiles and walks away."
"Knowing that, why was he with me?"
"I felt that the way he watched you all night said something. He was the one to see the beauty you possess inside and he told me he wanted to help you with your confidence. He gave me his rules, I agreed and he gave me his word that he would not take your virginity. Did he take..."
"No," I said, cutting her off. "He was a perfect gentleman. He gave me what I needed."
"I am glad Cadence. I hope you realize how beautiful you are inside and out."
"I am getting there."
"Good. That is what I want to hear."
Lilly grabbed some folders off her desk. "Here you go."
She handed me a red folder. I looked inside to see transcripts and an application for Tulane University. I scrolled through the papers slowly. Had she signed me up for classes?
"What is this?" I asked.
"This young lady is your admissions and acceptance paperwork for college. You only had one year left at Baylor and I was able to pull some strings to get you in. I want to see you succeed."
I did not know what to say. "Thank you."
"You are quite welcome. Talk to Marci and we will get your schedule sorted. You start in two weeks. I want to make sure this job does not interfere with school. All my girls have degrees and some have masters. They bring something to the table when they are out with the men."
"What do you mean shown off?"
"Cadence, it is not all about the sex. The definition of escort does not mean sex. It means to attend, conduct, guide, follow, shadow, companion. Sometimes you will be involved in activities that have nothing to do with the bedroom."
I stared at her. She was right. Despite the connotation the word carried, it meant something broader than what I had assumed.
"So I am starting school in a couple of weeks?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?" She asked with genuine concern.
"No. There is no problem."
"Good. Now it is time to get to business."
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