- Scarlett's Treasures

Back in my apartment, I let myself drop to the couch face first, “Ouch!” I fumble under my hip and produce my phone. I just lay here in the silent space listening to the traffic outside. A clock is ticking somewhere, not in my apartment, but in a neighbor’s. That is how thin these walls are. There is a cat fight going on somewhere down the street, and a baby crying somewhere. “I hear you, kiddo. I feel the same way.”

I realize that I am still holding the card in my hand, so I turn it over and examine it. It is matte black, but the name Scarlett is written in the middle of the card with a phone number below, all in a glossy blood red color. It is sexy in kind of a dark way. I remember the woman telling me that if I ever needed extra cash that I should contact her. I debate on whether or not I should call the number. What if she’s a loan shark? I can’t afford to pay any kind of money back. I can’t do anything illegal either, like sell drugs or be a mule. I shiver at the latter. No way is anyone putting drugs into my body! Then I think it could be legit like an assistant job or running errands. “Seriously, Aria, you watch way too many crime shows.”

Before I can chicken out, I dial the number listed on the card. It rings twice before a woman’s voice answers, “Hello?”

I think I was hoping that nobody would answer, but they did and all I want to do is hang up. ‘Shit, my number probably popped up on the caller id!’ I think to myself.

“H-hello. Is this Scarlett?” I ask timidly.

“Yes, it is. Whom may I ask, is calling?” she inquires.

“It’s Aria. Aria from the diner.” I don’t know if that is enough for her to go off of, “From Friday night, or I should say early Saturday morning. You came in for coffee with another woman and gave me your card before you left.”

I hear her throaty laugh, “Yes, of course! I was hoping you would call.”

“You were?” I ask surprised.

“Yes. You are exactly what we like to look for.” She muses.

“I see. May I ask what it is that you do?”

“I own an auction house.” She states and then quickly continues without letting me say another word, “We have auctions every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Why don’t you stop in, say eight tomorrow night, and I can show you around and get you settled. Ill text the address to this phone number, okay?”

“Well…” I’m cut off once again.

“Can’t wait to see you! Bye, now.” The line goes dead.

That was the weirdest phone call I’ve ever had. I’m not sure if I even want to check this job out. My phone pings with an incoming text from the number I just called. Opening the text, I read the address that Scarlett sent. There isn’t a name, just an address, so I decide to g****e it. The address pops up as a business called Scarlett’s Treasures. The building looks pretty decent, and it has a five-star rating. I go in to read the reviews to see if I can get a better picture of what she sells. All I can tell is that the buyers seem to be extremely happy with their treasures and that they highly recommend Scarlett’s Treasures for all your unique and personal tastes.’

“Hmm, seems legit enough to me.” I shrug, “What’s the worst that will happen? I get there and decide it’s not for me? I don’t see a problem with checking it out.”

Making up my mind, I reply to Scarlett with a quick question.

Me: Is there a special dress code?

Scarlett: We will provide your attire for the evening. Just come in whatever you like.

Me: Okay. See you tomorrow at 8pm.

She doesn’t respond after my last text, but that’s okay, my question was answered. Now that it’s settled, I feel a little bit better. I should finish my laundry and then head to bed early, since I have houses to clean in the morning. I also need to run over to the bar and find out why I haven’t received my last check yet. Frank better not fuck me over. I need that money and I will get it one way or another!

Monday morning came and went with no mishaps while cleaning houses, thank God. I also didn’t have to face the Morrison’s because no one was home while I was there. They were my last house for today and relief washed over me as I locked up as I was leaving. Now, I’m headed somewhere that I don’t really want to go, but I have no choice.

Kat is behind the bar when I walk in, and she gives me a small smile. I liked Kat, but she was always calling in saying her kids were sick. A few of those times I caught her lying about it but never called her out on it. Usually she is very talkative and would start talking my ear off as soon as I walked in. It is a good sign that Frank is here if she is containing herself.

Just to confirm, I point toward the back, “Is Frank in his office?”

Nodding her head, “Yes, but I’m warning you now that he isn’t in a very good mood.” She smirks, “Apparently, one of his bartenders walked out on him, and he can’t find anybody to replace her.”

And there it is! I knew it was only a matter of time before she brought it up. I figured he would lie about what happened. Rolling my eyes, I head straight back to his office. I see that the door to his office is open a crack, so I just push it open all the way and walk in. He doesn’t even look up to see who came in uninvited. I wait until he does finally look up. He does a double take.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He leans back into his chair, “Do you plan on begging for your job back?”

I want to slap the smirk off his face, “Actually, no. I came because I have yet to receive my check in the mail.” I cross my arms over my chest, “you know, like you said you would.”

“Did I now? Well, I guess it slipped my mind. I’ll get one in the mail right away.” He sneers at me.

Now I’m pissed! I place my hands on his desk and lean in, “No. You will get your checkbook out right now and write me a fucking check for the hours that I worked!”

“How dare you talk to me like that in my own establishment?” His face is turning red with anger.

“How dare you think that you can get away with not paying for a week’s worth of work?” I continue before he can say anything, “How about I get the cops involved. Let them know about your little side hustle that you have going on back here?”

His eyes widen, “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Get the fuck out of my office!”

“Okay,” I pull my phone out of my back pocket, “I will just call them now and wait here until they come. You know, so you don’t try and get rid of the evidence from your illegal bookie side hustle.”

He jumps up, “Okay, okay! I have your check,” He reaches into his desk drawer and brings out an envelope, “it’s right here. I swear, I was going to mail it. I really did forget.”

Yanking the envelope from his hand, I open it to make sure he didn’t cheat me out of any money. I nod when I see that it’s the correct amount, and then turn to leave. Frank calls out to me before I make it out the door.

“Aria, you wouldn’t want to have your job back, would you?” His tone sounds hopeful.

Blinking in disbelief at the audacity this guy has, I chuckle, “I will have to think about it, but most likely not.” I walk out without another word. I hear him call out that I am to call him if I change my mind. As much as I need this job, it isn’t worth the headache. Not unless it’s my last option.

- Can't Do It

The bus drops me off a block away from Scarlett’s Treasures at seven-thirty, so I have plenty of time to walk to the auction house and calm my nerves. I don’t know why I am so nervous. I have started new jobs plenty of times in my life. This one should be no different. Maybe it is the unknown part of it. Scarlett wasn’t clear on the phone what the job details are, so I would think anybody would be nervous in my position.

The building comes into view. It looks a lot nicer than it did when I googled it. It looks like a really big warehouse except it’s made of brown stone. There doesn’t seem to be any windows in the front of the building, and there is no signage. There are quite a few cars in the parking lot, though, so that can be a good sign, I guess. I see one door at the front of the building, and there is a huge guy with a bald head standing by it, as though he is guarding it. When I walk up to the door, he literally puts his hand up to stop me. I look down at his hand that is pressed against my chest.

“Uh, excuse me. Can you please remove your hand?” I ask in the nicest way possible.

He doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that he is practically groping me. He even ignores my request. Raising his other hand, he brings a radio up to his mouth, “Miss Scarlett, there is a woman here by the name of…” he raises his brow at me in question.

“Aria Kramer.” I respond, rolling my eyes.

“Aria Kramer, who is trying to come inside.” He holds the radio closer to his ear, but when a woman’s voice comes over the speaker, “I’ll be there in a moment,” it is loud enough for anyone in a fifty-foot radius to hear. Baldy pulls it away from his ear quick, and I snicker. ‘Serves him right!’ I say to myself.

The door opens a few minutes later and Scarlett materializes from the darkness within. She smiles at me and gives me an unexpected hug. “I’m so happy that you made it tonight! Come with me, sweetie, and I will show you around.” She takes my hand and pulls me through the door and into the darkness beyond.

I mean it literally. Beyond the door it is pitch black until she opens another door. We step into a hallway with multiple doors. Black carpet covers the floor and helps make the purple walls pop. I’m thinking that these are strange colors for an auction house, but I guess I’m not the owner, so I shouldn’t judge. We don’t stop until we come to a wide doorway closed off by black curtains.

“This is where the auction block is, or stage as some people call it. This is where our treasures get auctioned off.” She pulls the curtain aside, giving a glimpse of what looks like a shiny black stage, with lights that are in the front, facing the back of the stage. I can hear talking on the other side of another curtain that is closing off the front of the stage. I am assuming that they are the buyers for tonight’s auction.

“Um, so where are the items that are getting auctioned off kept?” I look around, “Is that what I’ll be doing tonight? Bringing the items to the stage?”

Scarlett chuckles, “Oh dear, they are going to love you!” Taking hold of my hand once more, she pulls me back down the hallway, “We need to get you properly dressed before the auction starts. We don’t have much time.” I am pulled through one of the doors in the hallway and told to sit at the vanity. Scarlett tosses material at me, “This will be your attire for tonight.” She stands in front of me and places a hand on her hip, “Tell me Aria, are you a virgin?”

Scarlett asks me just as I start to hold up the material that she gave me, and I stare at her in shock. “W-what does that have to do with anything?”

The woman stares in amusement at me, “So we know what to start the bidding off at, silly girl.”

Confused, I ask another question, “What item are they bidding on and what does it have to do with whether or not I’m a virgin?”

“Aria,” there is an annoyed tone to her voice now, “They are bidding on you. You are the treasure that will be standing on the auction block.” Her eyes roll as she explains all this to me, “Bidding for a virgin always starts at five hundred thousand dollars, and you stay with them for a month. Bidding for non-virgins starts at twenty-five thousand. The house gets twenty percent, and the rest goes into your bank account. Treasures always leave with the buyers the night of the auction.”

My mouth is literally hanging open. I am trying to wrap my head around all of it as she’s explaining. When I don’t hear her talking anymore, I look at her, “So, you are telling me that I am supposed to walk out on that stage, and stand there in this,” I hold up two pieces of scrap material, “while men bid on who gets to take me home for a month?”

Scarlett nods her head.

“And we are expected to sleep with them?” I choke a bit on my own saliva trying to get the words out.

“Sweetie, for the amount that they are paying, you are expected to do whatever they want. We vet all buyers to make sure there are no sickos who will hurt any of you. You really have nothing to worry about.” She grins, “Except falling in love with them. It happens sometimes.”

I jump up out of my seat, “I’m sorry, Scarlett. I can’t sell my virginity!” I throw the material onto the vanity, “Selling myself would be so wrong on so many levels, and I’m not keen on letting a man that I don’t know do whatever he wants to me. Thanks for the opportunity, but no thanks.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that. And to think, I thought I was helping you out.” She gives me a sad smile, “You can let yourself out. Oh, and feel free to talk to the other girls behind the doors before you leave. They all have been here before and can tell you what it’s like.” She starts walking away when she raises her voice, “Text me when you change your mind, Aria. I’ll be waiting.”

I just stand here, dumbfounded. What the fuck just happened? Do women really sell themselves on an auction block? I can’t be here any longer. Just the thought of giving my virginity to a stranger gives me chills, and having to stay for a whole month? I guess if what Scarlett says is true, and the women come back for more, they wouldn’t have to work. That just sounds too much like prostitution. I cannot do it. I look back and forth between the stage door and the door to the outside. I don’t need long to decide, I turn and head toward the door that is going to take me home.

- Tomorrow Will Be Better

Patrick opened the diner back up on Tuesday since both he and Patty were over the sickness. Beth is still under the weather, but because the diner was closed for so long, both Patty and I agreed to work double shifts to help make up the time that we both lost. Things were starting to go back to normal, almost. I still need to find a third job with decent pay. I’m tired of depending on tips. I really wished the auction house were a real auction house and not just a glorified brothel. I’m not judging anyone by any means, I was just really counting on the extra money that Scarlett had mentioned.

When I check my phone on my break, there are multiple text messages from Frank, begging me to come back to the bar, and one new voicemail from a number that I do not recognize. I tap in my four-digit code and listen. I recognize Dr. Hildreth’s voice. Rolling my eyes, I am about to delete the message thinking he was going to try convincing me to let mom go, but I am wrong. He wants me to call him back to talk about transportation for my mother. Apparently, due to low funds, the hospital is being forced to close down. He goes on to say more, but I do not hear any of it because I hit the end call button.

The rest of my shift goes by in a blur. My mind replaying the doctor’s words over and over. What am I going to do with my mother? The only thing left to do is put her in a nursing home that the government will pay for, but I know that she would never want that. I remember that we used to joke about when she got old. I teased her about not wanting to change her Depends so I’d ship her to a home, and she made me promise to never put her in a home. How can I go back on that promise?

Bobby wraps up some leftovers for me and sends me home, saying he can close up by himself. He knows all about my struggles lately, and even though I don’t want people to pity me, it is nice to let people help out sometimes. I don’t know what I have done for life to make things so hard for me. I’ve always been a good daughter, student, friend, and worker. I treat people kindly for the most part, and I try to never complain. I do my best to get through the tough times, but there is always something waiting to knock me back down as soon as I make any progress.

I am not sure how I made it home safely, considering I didn’t pay any attention to my surroundings on my way back from the diner. Unlocking my apartment door, I flip the light switch, but nothing happens. Moving deeper into my apartment, I try another light switch, and nothing.

“Well, fuck!” Turns out this is my undoing. I slide down the wall and just start laughing. Not sure why I’m laughing, but I am. All too soon though, the laughter turns into crying.

After about thirty minutes of bawling like a baby, I drag myself back to my feet and go in search of candles. Not finding any, I look for a flashlight that actually has batteries in it. I do not want to waste the battery on my phone by using the flashlight app, so I continue to stumble through my apartment until I find a tiny LED flashlight. It’s about as long as my pointer finger but it will do the trick. The little thing gives off enough light for me to eat the food that Bobby sent home with me. It isn’t much, just two small chicken strips and a slice of day-old cherry pie, but I’m still grateful. Anything that I may have had in the fridge, which isn’t much, is probably no good now that the electricity is off. God only knows how long it’s been off.

Finally, after washing my face and brushing my teeth in a dark bathroom, I climb into my bed and snuggle under my comforter. “Tomorrow will be better, Aria.” I whisper into the dark, “If he brings you to it, he will bring you through it.” I chant, remembering the few sayings that my mom used to chant when times got tough after dad died, “He will never give you more than you can handle.” I repeat these words until I finally fall asleep, hoping that when the sun rises in the morning, things will be a little bit brighter.

What spark I once had in my eyes left years ago. I had to grow up fast, had to become a responsible adult in order to get the bills paid. I never once complained about it because I still had my mom encouraging me. Now, I have no one. I am alone, and I am growing tired. Tired of always working. Tired of always worrying. Tired of being mad at the life that I am forced to live. Just tired. If I’m not working, then I’m sleeping. I have no energy for anything else. I think I gave up caring the night I lost electricity. It's been a week since that night I broke down on my floor. Having to go into my rent money to pay for it, I got my electric back the next day, along with my job at the bar. I had no other choice. I am now a zombie moving around from job to job, and then going home to sleep, just to do it all again the next day.

It has been over a week since I have been able to stop in and see mom, but I’m determined to do it today. I have a little time between working the dayshift at the diner and the night shift at the bar. It isn’t much, but it’s something. Stepping off the elevator, I practically collide with Dr. Hildreth.

“I am so sorry, Steffen!”

“Oh, Aria. It’s quite alright. I should have been watching where I was going.”

“Oh no, I was the one preoccupied with things on my mind, and I’m kind of in a hurry. I don’t have much time between jobs, but I wanted to see her.”

He gives me a sympathetic smile, “I understand.” He clears his throat, “Did you ever get my voicemail that I left about the hospital closing?”

Shit! I forgot to call him back. I slap my forehead, “I completely forgot, but yes. Um, how much time do I have to find another facility?”

“Well, it won’t be closing for another two months, but Aria, I strongly suggest you consider our past conversations…”

Holding up my hand to stop him from saying what I know he is going to say, “I have told you about my feelings on the matter, Steffen. Please respect my decision.”

I can see that he is getting a little annoyed with my stubbornness, but I don’t really care. We are talking about my mother’s life! I really think that she will wake up at some point. I can feel it in my gut. I can tell that the doctor wants to say more, so I completely ignore him and head to my mom’s room. Being with my mother calms me. I can vent and I can be myself. I can tell her about my day or night, and in the end, I always feel at peace. When I begin my long rant, I don’t get very far into it when I notice another vase of flowers. It bothers me that I don’t know who is sending them to her, but at the same time, a smile appears on my face. Knowing that I am not the only one who is acknowledging that my mother is still here with us.

After my shift at the bar, I head home feeling a little better. It was a great tip night, and this time nobody stole my jar. There is a note taped to my door when I get home. I dread reading it because I already know what it’s going to say. Sure enough, as I open it, dread fills my veins. It’s a letter of eviction. I was already a month behind on rent, and when I had to dip into rent money to pay for my electric to get turned back on, I knew I would be late this month. Apparently, they’re not willing to work with me. The letter says that they are giving me two weeks to come up with two months of rent, to catch me up, or else I need to move ASAP.

“Well, when it rains, it pours.” I sigh and let myself into my apartment.

I throw my keys and the letter on the counter and go in search of a bottle of Tito’s that I know I have around here somewhere. After searching all my cupboards, I finally find the half bottle under the kitchen sink, way in the back. I don’t bother with a glass, as I bring the bottle up to my lips and chug, as I walk to the window seat in my living room.

Opening up the window, I let the cool night breeze hit my face as I gaze up at the starless night sky. You can never see the stars in the city, it’s a pity. I take another long drink from the bottle and look down at the street. Cars and trucks line both sides of the streets with only a few open spots here and there. My neighborhood is a poor one, so when my eyes fall on a sleek black BMW parked across the street, I frown. The expensive car is so out of place parked on this street, and I feel as though I have seen it before.

I don’t think too much on it. Taking another swig, I walk away from the window. I’m not much of a drinker; that together with me not eating much today, I’m starting to feel as though I shouldn’t have drunk so much.

I look at the bottle and giggle, “Oh shit!” There are maybe two swigs left. This is not going to be good come morning. I start giggling once more, finishing off the bottle.