Picking Up “Johns”

Bailey awoke and was happy to hear her alarm clock ringing loud She scrambled out of her bed in haste putting anything on she found She struggled to try and contain her joy as she tip-toed down each stair Then brushed her teeth and tried to comb her tangled, auburn hair Today was her birthday, now thirteen not a girl in the mirror she saw Instead, a young lady, she smiled (unaware) innocence would be her flaw Arriving at school, she strolled into class nonchalantly joining her friends She rested her round perky face in one palm while waiting for school to end When the final bell rang, the students dispersed at last the hour hit three Bailey skipped home and rushed to the box, her gift she longed to see As soon as her parents came through the door they sang her a birthday tune She gave them a hug and her mom cut the cake it'd be time to open it soon When the family finished, they sat on the couch as Bailey began to unwrap Her blue-golden eyes oversized with delight, a personal computer on her lap Now alone in her room, content with the night she joined in a chat online Thinking, oh what the hey, it’s just girls on this site her parents would think it’d be fine So she laid on her bed and began to type to one friend first, then a few Her sandal-tanned feet twirled around in the air as she looked to find someone new Soccerchick101 popped up and said, "Hi!" and Bailey replied with a, "Hey :D" They exchanged conversation and planned they would talk again the following day Bailey learned her new friend soccerchick101 (her real name being Adele) Lived in Hapeville, near her town of Atlanta the city she knew so well A couple months passed, and their friendship grew Adele and Bailey were sure Though they still never met face to face, they claimed "best friends" was what they were Adele never judged when Bailey was mad she was kind and open to share So Bailey continued to spill out her heart to the friend who always cared One day in the summer, the two girls agreed they'd make an effort to meet It'd been over five months, and their goal to do that now deemed possible to complete This weekend Adele planned to visit Atlanta with family to Piedmont Park A place not far from my house, Bailey thought she'd make it home before dark Today was the day, Bailey anxiously sat wanting the wait to end But then the phone rang, and she quickly picked up hoping that it was her friend Bailey greeted, "Hello?" and then heard a voice of a girl her age say, "Hey!" They chatted a bit and laughed 'til she said, "Okay, I'll be on my way!" She was home all alone but she thought to herself I’d only be gone for a bit If I stayed over time, then a little white lie would not be too hard to commit So she quickly got ready and put on some shoes, left and whisked out the front door Just a couple of blocks then she'd be at the park excited for what was in store When Bailey arrived, she spotted the girl: blonde, well-dressed, and tall The same in the photos Adele had sent but thinner if she could recall Adele waved to Bailey and ran for a hug from the end of the lone parking lot Hesitant, she asked, "Want to meet my family?" Bailey chirped, "Sure, why not?" A man grinning big, leaned on the Mercedes "My dad..." Adele softly said "You're Bailey, correct? We’ve heard about you." she nodded, her face turning red They talked a bit longer then soon it was time for Bailey to start heading out Bummed to leave, she said her goodbyes today was great, no doubt The dad asked, "Need a ride?" Bailey responded, "No thanks, I don't live far." But before she could leave, Adele opened the door and pushed her inside the car Shocked and in terror, she screamed out her lungs but a hand had muffled her cry With her eyes being covered, a gun to her head she thought she was going to die Suddenly Adele blurted, "I'm sorry!" and sobbed "SHUT UP!" a man yelled in return He slapped her hard, Bailey flinched at the sound a punishment, she would learn There were two other men in the car besides "dad" one held her painfully tight She squirmed in his lap, then he snickered with joy "It's okay baby girl, I don't bite." Cold and afraid, she questioned herself What did I ever do wrong? Then crossed her fingers, and desperately wished this nightmare wouldn’t be long Bailey awoke and was startled to hear the men getting out of the car While dragging her out, the door slit her leg leaving a permanent scar A man picked her up, and she pounded his back as they climbed the apartment stairs Once in the room, he threw Bailey down then pulled her up by the hair Now able to see, five men she saw were hungrily staring, amused They each took the pleasure of having a turn no matter how much she refused She was weak and disgusted, drowning in tears an encroachment she’d never forget Though it wasn’t her fault, she still blamed herself and inside she was full of regret Early next morning, “dad” woke her up stripping off all of her clothes Then made her stand in the tub, arms out as he sprayed her down with a hose He called it a “shower” to get her clean then gave her some things to wear: A provocative skirt with a very loose top her stomach, exposed and bare He pulled her aside and briefly explained, “I’m your pimp, now you work for me. You’d be stupid to think about running away. One shot, you’ll be dead. Guaranteed.” He continued with tips about picking up “Johns” the men buying sex with a price “There’s also a quota to meet when you’re done. A Benjamin will not suffice. I could care less how the money is earned. By the time you get home, it’s mine. See, baby girl? Just a few simple rules. Obey, and you should be fine.” Eventually Bailey found out where she was somewhere downtown in Savannah A city, roughly a four hour drive from her home that was up in Atlanta Every night she would long to be back in the arms of her mom and her dad once again Instead of the ones that were holding her now belonging to middle-aged men But that to her, was only a dream since then she had lost all hope She would often get high to ease the pain an addiction that helped her to cope Months had passed, everyday a routine and sometimes her pay was too low So she’d suffer a beating much worse than the first that Adele had received long ago One day she noticed her stomach felt strange weeks went by and it grew But soon the pimp had demanded abortion; something she couldn’t undo Knowing she’d taken the life of a child remorse had flooded her heart To remove all the guilt, she relied on her drugs but couldn’t stop falling apart She soon would lose track of the countless nights protection was never in use Though infected with AIDS, they forced her to lie to clients she had to seduce Her weight began dropping from the disease fragile and pale she became And every night since that day in the park she prayed this was all just a game Bailey awoke and was craving to hear police cars passing their street Looking out windows and searching for sounds was a habit she’d come to repeat She struggled to try and contain her grief as she faltered down each stair Then brushed her teeth and tried to comb her bleached and stringy hair Today was her birthday, now fourteen in the mirror, not a girl she could see But a hollow shell of what was left of the child who longed to be free