"If you don't like it, just take the money and run. They're buying women too, so you'll just have to suck it up." That's what Mom would say, but she never taught me what to do in cases where that wasn't an option. "There are kids like you who try to run away. Can I call your mom?" The old man's tone was calm, but his thick fingers dug into my wrist, and his eyes weren't smiling at all— "This is your new dad." The fourth dad Mom introduced me to had tanned skin and sharp eyes. He said things like, "Be quiet, Mom's sleeping," while he ●ed me. But for Mom, he was an important person. When the man suggested I "sell myself to earn money for the family," she agreed, saying, "That's a good idea," and helped convince me. Mom was my only family, so I endured things I didn't like. I thought I could help her, that I'd be praised. I believed Mom loved me too. "Spare me the cops. You messed up, so you deal with it." Mom's cold voice and the man's laughter came through the phone. Looking down at the old man licking my feet, I bit my lip hard. Used by filthy adults, my heart and body were being corroded. A pathetic girl's story.
