The night was clear but rather windy. And on the narrow lonely road, an old man of about sixty years walked past the garbage heap across a shabby looking store and into a bar hidden in a secluded corner, behind the dense crowns of trees.
He seemed to have caught a cold because he was covered with so many layers of clothing, and walked too slowly with unsteady steps, dragging his feet along as if he had no purpose. Inside the bar was so warm and lively and the old man took the seat at the farthest end. He let his eyes roam around the dimly lit room and saw that a young teenage girl was singing a song into the late evening air.
Although no one seemed to be listening to the song but the girl was sure attracting attention. After all, she looked like a beautiful piece of art. Dressed in skimpy red dress, a black choker, and some cheap accessories to adorn her rich blonde hair, one could tell she is the ' Play doll' of the bar.
The old man scoffed silently noticing the almost see through fabrics, showing off her slightly curved figure, 'isn't she feeling cold?' He looked away, ordered a drink, and lit up his cigarettes lazily enjoying his evening. Perhaps he was about to sleep when he heard some loud chattering and laughter. He slowly looked in the direction and saw that the girl who was singing earlier was now sitting a few metres away from him. Not alone, but on someone's lap. The fat man was hugging her waist and rubbing his groin shamelessly on her butt.
"C,mon! follow me to my room tonight, and I will make sure to show you heaven", He licked her left ear seductively. When she did not respond, he gripped her waist tight and laughed mockingly, " Just name your price, and I will pay in full."
The Young girl clenched her fist in disgust but remained silent as the fat man continued to irritate her, fondling and touching every part of her body, including her private area. His friends sitting around them cheered as they enjoyed the scene.
Tears of shame welled up in her eyes, but before she could blink them back, Another man from the table dragged her up from the fat man's lap and sat her down on the chair before him. He then leaned forward and cupped her face, " What then about me?" Licking his lips, he eyed her hungrily, "Will you come with me? I can pay you more, you know."
The Young girl desperately wanted to run, but she couldn't do that. Her feet were stuck to the ground.
"Can't you talk? Or is your throat dry?" The man continued to mock her. Smirking, he took the glass cup filled
with beer from the table and forced the content down her throat. The Young girl choked on the drink and coughed so hard she cried.
Every one laughed as it was so much fun to them. Some one from the crowd even shouted, " Give her more, I'm paying." And the others cheered.
The old man seated at the farthest end just sighed as he turned his eyes away from them, it was none of his business. He could still hear her violent coughs and their mocking laughter, but he just stared ahead and sipped his drink in silence. And only when the owner of the club came over to safe the girl from further humiliation did he return his gaze back to them. Adjusting his seat to get a better view of the scene, he noticed the owner gave a subtle wink to the customers and immediately understood that it was a regular occurrence there.
As for the girl, she remained there standing and gripping her throat as she tried to catch her breathe. Her eyes were burning with unshed tears as she looked around. And the moment her gaze landed on the old man, the only one who didn't join in the fun and laugh at her, her breath hitched.
The old man who was now observing the bar owner noticed her intense stare, 'What the hell! Don't look at me that way. l am not the type of man that will fall for your pretty eyes.' Thinking that, he averted his gaze.
The environment became somewhat calmer when an older lady began to play the piano. And the young girl took her previous position and began to serve drinks, her red dress now looking so dishevelled and rumpled. The customers resumed their teasing, calling her dirty names and groping her butt whenever she passed by their table. Despite the degradation, she didn't oppose them. She diligently went about her work with a blank face, neither smiling nor frowning.
As she came closer, the old man noticed her light make up. Also, he noticed her steps were not in sync, probably because of the beer she was forced to swallow or because she was carrying more than she could handle.
Right at that moment, a tall man staggered out from nowhere and bumped into her, making the tray filled with drinks fall on the tiled floor. But instead of apologizing to her, the man yelled at her, " You, lowly birth, filthy whore, why don't you watch where you are going?"
The Young girl gulped nervously knowing that she would be punished for breaking the glass cups. Ignoring his question and shivering with fear, she bent down to collect the pieces when the man began to kick her. But was it her fault? Hell no! Those who were sitting nearby clearly saw what had happened but they didn't say a word, they believed she isn't worth their time.
The old man sipped the last dreg of his drink and put the glass cup on the table. ' It is too damn noisy,' He thought as he rose to his feet. He wanted to leave but they were on his way.
The Young girl was still on the floor, enduring all of the kicks. When she tried to sit up, the man stepped on her dress on purpose causing it to tear with a sound. The whole bar cheered loudly seeing her back bare. Trying to cover up, she stood up on to her feet to hide at a corner as she shivered.
But the men didn't give a fuck about that. Everyone was laughing, asking her to get naked. Some two to three persons threw money at her asking for entertainment. The owner came around, and when he saw broken glasses on the floor, he slapped her so hard. The impact was so strong that everyone stopped talking. There was a pin- drop silence. Five red finger marks were visible on her cheek, she was breathing heavily and shivering badly. And when she took a step backward, the old man who was behind her saw the traces of whip marks on her back
"Ow! I bet it hurts," Murmuring, he shook his head slightly and started to walk towards the exit when someone grabbed his hand. Startled, he turned around to see it was the young girl. She was trembling so bad, and the old man could feel it. He took off his coat and covered the girl earning a few gasp from the crowd before leaving the bar. Increasing his pace, he walked along the road quickly and only stopped when he heard foot steps. And of course, he knew who it was.
With a deep sigh, he spun around, rubbed his temple and asked, " Why are you following me?"
"Mister, take me with you." The Young girl begged
" What?" The old man was almost speechless, " What made you say that? Get lost! " He half yelled and without waiting for her response, he turned his face and resumed walking. " And don't follow me."
" Please, Sir," She refused to listen and followed him
"Don't make me regret giving you my coat," He scoffed in derision
" Please, Sir! Don't send me away, give me work. I'll do anything, I can do anything," She was so desperate looking for an escape
" I have no work for you, get lost." He told her bluntly. When she didn't say anything, he glanced behind his shoulder and tried to shoo her away, " Aren't those bastards giving you job, why did you come to me?"
"You are different. I've never seen someone like you," Her answers made him almost roll his eyes. ' What a sweet talker!' He scoffed as he slowed down his steps
" What can you do?" He asked
" Cleaning, washing cloth, and other menial chores," She quickly replied
The man raised his eyebrow at her, "Can you cook?"
" I can make coffee,"
The old man scoffed at her, " So you are telling me that I will only get to drink coffee if I hire you, "
"No, I can also cook rice, eggs, pasta....."
"Go home," The old man cut her off abruptly, and her countenance changed as soon as she heard the word ' home'. The old man noticed that
" Why?" He asked lazily, " Don't you have a home?"
Before the young girl could utter a word, he shut her up by saying, " Never mind, I don't need to know,"
To his surprise, she stared at him for a few seconds before bursting into tears
' Like seriously! She didn't cry when treated like trash, now why the f**k is she crying in front of him?' Oh! How much he wanted to scream at her, but he somehow controlled himself by taking a deep breathe.
"Fine! Fine! if you don't like that, then don't go. Why the fuck are you even crying like I hurt you?"
"I don't like it, it hurts," The girl spoke in whispers.
The old man understood she was in pain, " Who is at your home?" He was beginning to get curious
"Uncle,"
"And why did he let you do this..this ..dirty job?" Gosh! Slap him, why was he even asking about her?
"He needs money. Money to drink and womanize. He will hit me if I don't bring money to him," The young girl sob grew louder making the old man cringe. Now he understands how she got those whip scars on her back-- so so terrible!
"Leave the bar," He simply told her, " It won't last long anyway. Find a new job," Dipping his hand inside his inner pocket, he handed her some money and walked away.
This time around, he didn't hear any foot steps behind him. And he wasn't curious....No! No! No! He wasn't curious at all. He just felt so uncomfortable that he turned
In the middle of the street, under a dim yellow light, a small body sat there on the floor looking so done with life.
'Holy hell!' He sighed tiredly, ' I gave her enough cash, right? Then why didn't she return home?' A white hot anger flared through him but he again returned to the girl side
" Hey, why are you still here?"
Slowly, the girl looked up at him, " It is late, I'm scared to go back."
"Why?" He was confused
"Uncle is already home. He will torture me. If I don't go back before him, he will hit me and... and...." She stopped talking and buried her face between her knees
'And what?' The old man stared at her in silence, observing her. Her ragged sobs conveyed her pain and fear, ' was she sexually abused at her home too?" He wondered as he lit up another cigarette, thinking as he released the smoke in the air
"Look girl," He cleared his throat, " I'm not a good person. But I'm not a fan of those things either. If you choose to come with me, then there is no going back."
The Young girl eyes lit up and she nodded her head vigorously, " Please take me with you, I will help you with your work," She smiled and the old man blinked twice, the world seemed to stop
moving
'You fool,' He bit his lip, thinking, ' Why did you smile like you just saw heaven?'
He cleared his throat once, twice before saying, "Just follow me."
The Young girl jumped to her feet, picked up the money scattered around her and followed behind the man, her face shining with hope. The old man glanced at her and saw her hugging his coat tightly. ' I hope I don't regret this later.' Finishing his cigarette, he threw away its butt.
The Young girl caught his gaze and smiled at him before stretching her hand out
" What?" He questioned
" Your money,"
" You can keep it, " He grunted his words as he took a sharp bend walking ahead of the girl to a very small house. And as soon as they entered, he turned to her and asked
" What is your name?".
" Layla,"
He arched his eyebrow
"Layla Kings,"
"Kings?" The old man laughed shortly, "I didn't know you are a princess, welcome to my humble home, your majesty," He teased or wait! Did he just mock her?" But she said nothing. She averted her gaze from him and slowly looked around the room.
It was so stuffy and small. Dirty curtains with a small bed just enough for one person to curl on. Some clothes were lying around a corner and a small light bulb was hanging from the ceiling.
"Close the door," The old man voice brought her wandering gaze back to him, and she gasped in shock at what she saw.
T.B.C