PART 11

[I feel like an 7-11, open 24/7. It feels like I'm nothing more than an animal for show and tell only I'm the piece of ass that guys use to say they did it with a black guy. That's all I'll ever be with 90% of these clients who ask me on a date.]

That's how Oliver felt as he went to sleep. He woke up the next morning and made himself a hot bath with a some blueberry incense before going on with his day. Taking the time to soak in the tub, he thought about his dates and the last time he had a true date that wasn't work related. Cody was fantastic! Single, established, no children out of wedlock and a complete gentleman, but it was still work. Reminiscing on his high school work, being involved on the debate team, the swim team, as well as other community projects...he had to question how the hell he wound up here. After busting his ass to get the best out of life, all he had was permanent reminders of his sexcapades in cyberspace and being slightly above the poverty line.  How tempting! After about an hour and his skin starting to wrinkle, Oliver figured it was probably time to get out of the tub and slip on a white tee and a pair of blue jeans.

"Good Morning"

"'Morning" Damon responded. "Breakfast? I'll buy."

"Sure, give me a minute to brush my hair. I also told Claudia I'd take her to lunch. You wanna come?"

"No thanks, y'all do your thing. I gotta go check on my house."

"How about we go check on your home after breakfast? I drive?"

"Okay...."

At breakfast, Oliver ordered bacon and eggs while Damon got hotcakes. Damon ordered a swiss mocha to drink with a cup of water while Oliver ordered an apple juice. While sipping on his coffee, Damon asked him how much his gym was because he wanted to join. "Dude you can just use my info. I can have you in as a guest. Save you the $25." He stated that he needed to start working out so he could get in better shape. "I'm about to start dancing again."  Damon could be described as fed up. He wasn't able to work a regular job and he knew he'd be dancing "under the table" rather than working for a club. He wanted to be independent and have control of his own earnings vs a strip club where he'd be giving away 30% of his earnings. Oliver sat there and listened to him and gave it much thought on his own.

"Once you start getting enough gigs, maybe you can bring me on with you. I'm trying to branch away from escorting."  Oliver was tired of the agency that he was working. In his own words "the owner doesn't give a shit, fuck, damn, or rats ass about his black employees." In the meantime, he thought about going the independent route. He didn't want to go through craigslist, as too many were coming up killed over this. He thought about asking his clients for additional leads. Logging into the agency website via his cell phone, he put one of his personal email addresses on his page as well as other contact information. He figured that Claudia would have some clout on how to advertise independently so that he could be in control of his own money. In his mind, this income should be tax free, especially when he was putting HIS body, HIS health, and HIS safety at risk.

After eating breakfast and checking on Damon's house, which was in fine condition. After Damon grabbed a couple of items from his home, the pair headed back to Oliver's place to let their food go down. They wound up going to lunch around 1:00 pm, meeting at a bar not far from Claudia's home. Claudia was already outside waiting, having arrived about 10 minutes before Oliver arrived.

Dressed comfortably, she sported a yellow and white sundress and a matching hat.

"It's too long girl, so damn long girl" (think "I've been doing you wrong girl for so damn long girl) Oliver sang as he asked her what was up. "Just applying for jobs. No interviews yet."

"Don't worry, you'll get in"

"What about you?"

For the first time, in a couple of years, Oliver felt somewhat serene. "I'm surviving. I've got a good chance at getting into Grad School in Fort. Lauderdale. I may even be able to get a paid internship while I'm studying."

CLAUDIA-"Fantastic! Where at?"

OLIVER-"The government building downtown. Interning at the Family and Juvenile court"

It was not guaranteed, however the possibility of an internship or an RA or GA job on the campus was more promise than the news he had been hearing for the past year. "Do you know what you wanna drink?"

"I'm going to try this blueberry mojito."

"I think I'll have one too" Oliver said. "What about you D?"

"Just gonna get me a beer. I'm going simple."

[As much as I drink, I really don't need to provide an explanation as to why I spend so much time in the gym. I'd be so bloated.]

Damon, attempting to make conversation, asked what the starting salary was for teachers was. Claudia stated for her field, it would be a little over $40,000 for a beginner. Being certified in English, she decided to look at high schools and junior high schools. She could teach anything from literature (which she had a passion for) or ELA.

OLIVER-"Think you'll still work at the other place?"

CLAUDIA-"Yeah, I'll probably put a couple hours in during the evenings. Teacher's don't make a whole lot."

OLIVER-"What about you?"

CLAUDIA-"I'd like to put in some hours with the non-profit. I've working with them off and on since college and they've been really good to me."

Damon, sat there quiet. He glanced at his watch hoping that the drinks get to their table soon so these two could stop. "I work for my uncle. I handle his clerical work for the construction business."

OLIVER-So none of us are making the money we wanted.

For a moment, Oliver had a flashback to his Junior year of college at a business function. He was admired by his professors, however he remembered a social science organization event that he had attended where his professor was giving him every sort of accolade possible to a state representative. That he was a fantastic student, he was a hard worker. "He's given up much of his free time and his promotion has bought so many majors to our department. He's very ambitious."

"What are you trying to study young man?"

"I'd like to get my MSW at some point sir. Do prison social work, help with the rehabilitation process of getting inmates back into the working world. Perhaps even develop a program that if completed successfully, could expunge them of their records"

"You've given this a lot of thought."

Back at the outdoor table at the bar while eating chips and salsa he admitted that he wished that he had majored in something like Biology or Chemistry.

"I know people who get in those fields and are miserable. I have a friend who is a nurse and she hates it."

That didn't mean much to Oliver at the time, he just knew he was unhappy where he was and he wondered if he had wasted his time. Granted it didn't come out of his parents pockets. Scholarships covered everything except the books. After finishing his third drink and checking out of the bar, he dropped Damon home and decided to call his mother to ask her if she felt that he that what he was doing was in vain.

"Did I do it all for nothing?"
The response from his mom was interesting She admitted to her disappointment when he first chose his major, however she knew deep that he was never going to be a chemist. That said, if she had been footing the bill, he’d be majoring in accounting or finance.
"Thanks....I think"
After ending that phone call, he looked at the status one of his college applications. [Still Pending. Figures]
Making his way to the mall, he caught up with Juanito. His wife had a late day at school while he had a day off. "I called in sick"
"Your luck? Your boss will be right there in the food court."
"I still gotta get an outfit for a business conference. I might even have a matching briefcase." He found a vest on sale in Belk and a dress shirt in Penney's. They took a break so that Juan could get a pretzel before going to Dillard’s.
"So navy pants, navy vest and a soft yellow dress shirt. Dapper"
"You already know, baby. You know Ima go in style."
 [No shit, this is the boy who goes to fucking McDonald’s wearing cologne. Uses bottled water to wash his face. Been shaving his legs since age 8.]

They left the mall and went to Ross before parting ways. Oliver headed to an indoor swimming pool while Juanito went home. 

At home, Juanito walked in with his dad preparing supper. Steaks and baked potatoes, with a garden salad on the side. He still had a few hours before he had to go pick his wife up from school. To kill the time, he watched old action movies. Once that was done, he took out his certification books and studied for a while. Like Oliver, he ate a healthy diet. Of course, being a diabetic, this wasn't exactly an option for him. In addition to studying to become a personal trainer, he was also in the process of becoming a certified spin instructor.  The diabetes comes from his mother's side and watching the pain his mother suffered made him very conscious of the choices he made in his childhood as well as his adulthood.

He strives to go to the gym at least 5 times per week and hoped to begin teaching some of the spin classes there within the next couple of months. As his dad went to put the steaks on the grill, he saw his son sitting there with no TV on and asked him what was on his mind.

"Nada, estudiando"

"You should be ready for that exam, no?"

"Si"

He eventually got up and headed out to pick up his wife. His father advised him not to take too long as the food would be close to ready by the time he returned. On his way to the university building, he stopped by a vitamin store and got one of those powders that one puts in water for the purpose of providing extra energy for a workout. He thought about his own life and what he was doing. While he had aspirations, he had a moment of a insecurity. His wife was on her way to being a registered nurse while he was working long hours at a advertising firm, not even making enough money to live on his own. Was Margo settling for less by marrying him?

When he arrived to the campus, Margo asked him "Where the hell have you been? I been sitting here about 45 minutes."

"Lo siento. Bad wreck on the way." 

After returning home and eating dinner, Margo dropped a bomb.

"Your friend?" she said. "You know the one who's housewarming went to?"

"Oliver? What about him?"

"Word is that he gives some of the best head?"

"Where you heard that shit at?"

"Well....In one of my labs, I have a classmate who claims to have gotten one from him."

"And it was from Oliver for sure?"

"Saw his profile and everything. Talk to ya boy."

"I'll talk to him on my own time, you keep quiet about it. You already know how homophobic my dad is."

It made sense why, he didn't want the man he saw Oliver with to meet him. He immediately interjected himself when he reached out to shake Cody's hand. "Oh damn. Well I'm gonna go take a shower."

Juan did go to take a shower, however not before texting Oliver. "What are you doing Tuesday night?"

"Nothin'"

"Wanna have a drink?"

"Sure, just tell me where."

SYNOPSIS

CHARACTERS

PART 12 TO FOLLOW

PART 9

[You know the saying "prayer changes things"?  Yeah, I say sometimes it's for the worst. I fell for that in the past, but no more. Come to think of it, it was me busting my ass all the time that got me through college. I believed that it would pay off, but in Miami, it didn't. I was talking with a friend of mine who was in college majoring in education. He worked nights as a bartender. He actually made more money as a bartender. He eventually quit teaching because the kids were so damn bad. I saw him recently at a bar. He told me that he couldn't be happier to be back in the bar tending world]

Laying in the middle of his bed, he ignored a text from Damon and put on a movie. Once his movie ended, he spent the rest of the night and early morning drinking and looking at pornography. Not in the mood to socialize the following day, he took a large amount of Melatonin and slept through the first half of the following day. It was approximately 2:00 PM when he woke up. He had a little over three hours to get ready for the seminar. He decided to skip the gym and find an outfit. After a moment self-pleasure, he took a shower and brushed his teeth. He slipped on a white t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts as he ironed his outfit for the evening. Deciding to answer his phone after not having any contact with anyone the night before, he spoke with Claudia.

CLAUDIA-What the hell happened to you?
OLIVER-I went home and crashed. Didn't get up until almost 2:00.
CLAUDIA-You feel okay? You  still going to the seminar?
OLIVER-Yes and yes. I'm laying out my outfit right now actually.
CLAUDIA-You got time to talk?
OLIVER-yeah, I'm gonna leave at 5:00
CLAUDIA-Good, I'm going to call in Aya and Ziggy
OLIVER-Okay
[phone ringing]
[Aya answers after 3 rings, Zinam answers after 4 rings]
CLAUDIA-Hey ladies
AYA-Hey
ZIGGY-Hello
CLAUDIA-I've got Oliver on the phone
AYA-Hey Oliver
OLIVER-Hey.
ZIGGY-How are you?
OLIVER-I'm okay, I never got to ask if the three of you had a good time at my housewarming.
AYA-I did, you got a nice place.
ZIGGY-Thanks for inviting us
CLAUDIA-Who was that other guy? Black guy.
ZIGGY-To bad he had a woman on his arms.
OLIVER-That was Juanito, we went to high school. He graduated a couple of years before me. He's taken. He's got a wife. Nice girl.
CLAUDIA-How about the other guy?
OLIVER-Cody?
CLAUDIA-Yes, what's the deal w/ him?
OLIVER-College bud.
ZIGGY-Okayyyyyy
AYA-Ladies, we need to look outside of the Miami metro for men. Looks like all the guys in are circle are gay or married .
CLAUDIA-Or both.
OLIVER-I like both.
ZIGGY-No hate, but I can't date a guy that likes what I like.
OLIVER-Double standard much? It seems with girls, it's far more acceptable.
AYA-I'd just be worried that he's thinking about another man when he's w/ me. I'd be worried that I was never enough.
OLIVER-We'll have to talk about that later.
AYA-So, y'all heard? Raja's having a sex therapist as a guest speaker?
OLIVER-What typically happens at these seminars?
AYA-She speaks, there's a cocktail hour, then she opens the floor for questions and discussion.
ZIGGY-Usually about a couple of hours. Well y'all I gotta go. I got anther call.
OLIVER-Later. I'm going to hang up to, finish getting ready.

Raja typically had a speaker, a cocktail hour, and a opening for Q&A. This time, she would have a guest speaker for the Q&A. She was in the process of getting ready for her even which would be in a couple of hours. She left her other novelty items in her hotel room as she planned on having her sale from her hotel room. This affair would be for women only. For this reason, women's invitations were different than the men's invite. The latter did not include any advertisements regarding the passion party that would take place following the seminar.
He arrived around 4:50 PM, wearing a button down and a black vest with a pair of black pants.  "You made it!" Raja said.
"I’m here."
"Glad you came. Well a few others are here, grab some wine and meet some of the guests."
He located Claudia along with a few others who worked in the profession of escorting and mingled for about an hour before the event began. They begin with a moment of having workers talk about previous encounters.

"I was actually supposed to go another conference this year, however it was cancelled due to safety issues" One young lady said. "The agency is in the middle of a lawsuit so I'm trying to find another agency"

[Yep, the story of my life. I'm trying to get out of the agency that I'm in right now. It's run by a racist who really doesn't value those of color]

"Yes, Raja said, we do have to look out for one another during these times. Racism is prevalent. You wouldn't think that it would be in a place like Miami, but when it comes to sex workers of color, people don't care"

[Sweethart, trying being black and in this profession.] Before Oliver could utter the words out loud, Zinam had beaten him to the punch as she whispered to Aya who was sitting next to her.

"I see you whispering Ziggy, what you got for us?"

"Black women are coming up dead or missing at an alarming rate right now and no one seems to care. I'm hesitant to talk about my profession due to arrest and also due to the way I'm viewed. Many of my clients when they get me they assume that I'm there to do nothing more than fulfill their fantasy of fucking a black woman. If I were to come up missing, I feel as if they'd say 'Oh she was a ho' 'She had it coming'. We just had a black female escort dead after vanishing a month ago. She was kidnapped by a former client who ended up burying her alive."

AYA-I rarely have sex with my client's. I'm more of a date and go home type now. That said, when I am intimate with a guy, I check his pockets first to make sure there are no weapons.

ZIGGY-If someone really wants to kill you, they can do so with their bare hands.

AYA-In the end, we need to begin becoming armed. I'm also taking a self defense class to reduce the risk of a partner or a client trying anything on me that puts me in danger.

RAJA-Not a bad idea. We do have to be careful out here. There are a lot of creeps and they know no color. Oliver....you haven't said much. This is a safe sex workshop.

OLIVER-Condoms. When it comes to sex, I always tell people not to do anything they aren't comfortable doing and if one is going to practice anal sex, wear a condom to avoid an infection. I'm an escort right now and there aren't a lot of black guys at this agency. I'm in the minority and being queer, I've been the victim of racist treatment. Some of my clients feel that I'll take anything and everything. I had one jackass who wanted to try a slave master type of thing, I took my shit and got out.

[If I had a nickel. That was a traumatic experience. I didn't sleep that night. I got to his house, he slammed the door as he escorted me in. He then grabbed me by the neck and threw me on the bed. He was quite aggressive when he really didn't need to be. Stripping was difficult, he kept a closet full of kinky shit like handcuffs, a stocking that he tried to stuff in my mouth and then wanted to fuck while I chocked. I kicked him in the face, I busted his fucking window and RAN. Like PSA, I'm not a fucking slave. I'm a person. Just because I'm a sex worker doesn't mean I don't have emotions. It's a job. My job is to please, however this is off limits.]

Oliver went to the meeting but there weren’t many queer guys there. It seemed to be a very female oriented event.  After he listened to Raja's friend speak, he stayed for a little while longer and had some refreshments prior to leaving. Raja's meeting came to an end before she had the ladies at her home for her passion where she sold everything from vibrators to massage oils, finishing the night with a little more than $500 extra dollars sales.  On his way home, Oliver picked up some take out-a chicken dinner and mashed potatoes. At home he turned on Pluto TV to catch a news story while he enjoyed a three piece with the mashed potatoes and fries. His phone begin to vibrate, when he sent a present message stating that he'd call them back in about an hour. He wanted to eat, take a shower, put on something to sleep in. "Umm yeah, I'll call him back in like an hour"

[After I've eaten, taken a shower, jacked off, and drank, might be an hour and a half]

He eventually called Damon back who asked him about the meeting.

DAMON-How was it?
OLIVER-It was okay, not a lot of fellas there.
DAMON-Did you get any vital information?
OLIVER-Very little. Nothing that wasn't already know.
DAMON-Have anything good to eat?
OLIVER-Finger foods. I had to stop and grab some grub on the way home.
DAMON-Definitely not as good as the food at your housewarming
OLIVER-No way [laughing]
DAMON-So what's on your agenda for tomorrow?
OLIVER-Work, then I'm meeting with a friend for a dinner meeting
DAMON-It's not your client is it?
OLIVER-Nah, it's a buddy who works in the same line of work.
DAMON-You and your friends.
OLIVER-I know.
DAMON-Well, I'm gonna head to bed. What you doing this weekend?
OLIVER-Got that date with that couple
DAMON-What the fuck is wrong with you? You going to some random man's house. They could be setting you up to kill you.
OLIVER-If it goes well, they'll pay my car not e for the next six months. That'll save me over $1200 for half a year. I feel like I just got a temporary raise.
DAMON-But like this?
OLIVER-Well when you got bills...……...
DAMON-I gotta go man.
OLIVER-Bye

Oliver didn't have much interest in doing anything else after he hung up the phone. It wasn't long before he fell asleep after lying on the sofa. He put on an episode of an independent news show and fell asleep shortly afterwards.

At work, he noticed Claudia's absence. He concluded that She was either taking her certification exam or she was drowning herself in her tears from failing it. With that in mind, he begin reviewing some paperwork and calling clients to confirm services requested for the upcoming month. After completing that task, he sat in a meeting with his coworkers regarding the last event at the mall.

"Great turnout" she said. "Our next one will be in October, we are going to do something for Halloween for the kids. I'd like to have face painting, refreshments, games for the kids to play, and more. The problem is, we are a bit low on funding for some of what I'd like, so we'll have to think of some alternatives. So the event will be somewhat modified. I'm giving you all a heads up, but I will be updating your guys over the next few weeks to let you know where we are."

"Keep the face painting and the costume party" one worker suggested.

WORKER 2-"How about a candy exchange"

OLIVER-"I don't know about that one. Kids with autism can be very territorial about what's theirs. They might not be ready for this one. If we were talking milder forms, maybe, but some on the farther end of the spectrum may think we are simply taking something away"

WORKER 3-I think the costume party idea would be cute. It's not something we typically do, as it's seldom that we have an event for Halloween.

They talked for about 30 minutes before the meeting adjourned. 

[A Halloween party? I haven't been to one of those things since I was in the 11th grade. I would have loved to have been more engaged but I have a date with a couple this Friday and I don't know if I'll make it out dead or alive. I've got two dates this week back to back and Wednesday and Thursday with clients booked and I have a meeting today with a guy who I met on the set of a porno. It better all be worth it]

He thought about it much of the day, after this week, he'd sleep it out. He had nothing going on next week and planned a date. The conversation with Damon the night before played in his head over and over. It was like a song on repeat only this time, he couldn't turn the song off, couldn't change the channel and couldn't drown it out of his head by playing anything else. As his day came to an end, he drove out to the beach where he'd be meeting his peer. Dante was his name. He could be described as 5'10 in height with a dark complexion. His hair could be described as jet black with a streak of blonde at the left side of the crown. Age, approximately 30 years old. He sported a Hawaiian button down with a pair of dark khaki shorts.

"Long time no see" he said as he reached his hand out to shake Oliver's. Oliver responded followed by a "bro" hug. "Let's grab some salsa from the cantina over there"
"Not a bad idea" Oliver said pointing out a table. "We can sit down"
"So what's up? You still in the adult entertainment industry?"
"How else am I gonna pay off this debt? I'm actually searching around for a consolidation loan"
"Just turn it into a small loan right?"
"When I got out of college man, I thought that I was gonna land a job at the place that I interned at. They were impressed with my work, but then the owner hired his best friends son. Come to find out that he promised him this job shortly after I begin interning for him."
"That's brutal"
"I don't know how I missed it, he was always so salty. I just thought he was a dick."
"But the porn?"
"Well that's a long story, but I can condense it. Playing around on Pornhub, a producer found me. Next thing I knew, I was in Cali. I thought I'd do one video, but one turned into two. Two turned into 10. Then like most, I begin escorting."
"Got a beau?"
"Nope"
"Me either. Though, I'm kind of liking one of my client's we've met one more than one occasion since the job. He's an accountant, about 6'6', mid 30s, no children."
"He sounds fantastic"
"He is. Now he's a white dude, but he's legit."
"So you like a little cream in your coffee"
"I love all colors of the rainbow. What about you"
"Dad being a preacher, kicked my ass out the house around the time he found out that I was dating a kat that I met eating lunch, we only reconciled about a year ago. It's basically the forbidden subject to talk about during family gatherings"
"How long were the two of you together?"
"Two years. Then shit hit the fan."
"You aren't praying hard enough to be out of your circumstances. You aren't trusting God enough"
"I'm digging the sarcasm"
"I heard the same shit growing up"
"Boo, I ditched prayer when I was 23 and I never looked back."
"I'll drink to that one. It will never be my mistake again"
"So you live in Florida now?"
"Yeah, had to get out of South Carolina."
"How the hell are you making the rent? I just had to ditch my apartment. I'm living in one of my aunt's rent houses now"
"I live with my cousin Laura. She's a teacher. We got a little house together. We make it work."
"I'm gonna order me a strawberry margarita"
"I think I'm going to have a beer"
[Another day, another drink. I'm already doomed to roast in hell when I die, so I might as well enjoy the life I have on the earth. At least, that's what I was told growing up. The fact that I dated girls, didn't mean a damn thing. The only thing she heard was "I like guys". She overheard me talking about a guy that I thought was cute and she basically asked me. I had no choice but to come clean. Didn't matter that I hadn't done anything at the point. I mean I lost my virginity when I was 19. All she heard was that I wasn't straight. Anywho…..drinking somewhat eases the pain of the shame I felt as a child. It briefly makes me forget about the delusion that God actually had my back. I've come to the realization that God is going to do what he wishes and not going to do what he doesn't wish.]
"So, any more pornographic films since?"
"Hell no. With the exception of a tickle fetish film or two. Mainly escorting. Trying to get a stripper license"
"Make some good ass money there"
"That's what I've been told. Gonna need the help for grad school"
"You trying to go back to school?"
"Yeah, I wanna get my MSW and a MPA"
"I'm working towards an MBA. I start next summer"
"That's great! Where?"
"I'll be in Tampa"
"Might be a good idea to do your studies outside of Miami. The party life will fuck you up"

After a couple of drinks, they check out of the cantina and exchanged contact info. "You'll have to pass by the house sometime man"

"All I need is the invite"
"You just got one."

He stopped for a lemonade en route to his house deciding to take a scenic route. He thought about Dante being accepted into graduate school, wishing that he had been more ready. He was happy for his friend, but he was dissatisfied with the circumstances of  his school status. Once he made it to his house, he took out some romaine lettuce, half a cucumber, some tortilla strips, along with some grilled chicken and made a salad with his dressing choice being a home made honey mustard vinaigrette that he made three days before. He turned on the TV and nearly lost his supper when he saw the news of a murder within a few blocks down the street from where he lived. "Oh my God!"

"So that's what was going on, early this morning" he said, remembering the abundance of police cars headed traveling on the side street earlier in the day. The victim was described as African-American, female, late 20s. Stabbed more than 50 times. He ate his food, then sent an email to Ziggy asking her when the next meeting was for her foundation stating that he would like to give his support because this is happening way too much. After hitting send, he took a long shower then put on a wife beater and a pair of shorts before going to sit on the porch.

Within 15 minutes, he had received a phone call from Aya regarding the news "I'm watching it right now. It's awful."

"Who? Why? What? How?"

"Me and some girls are going to have a march for her Thursday, I'd love it if you came"
"Count me in". Hanging up the phone, he resumed watching the story on the Twitter app. Police are saying that the stench of the blood would hit like a ton of bricks. This story left Oliver with Avery uneasy feeling the rest of the night. As he lay across the bed, he thought about what her final moments must have been, what she could have been doing in her final moments. She left behind two daughters aged 5 and 6.
Towards the middle of the night, he got up and  vomited. He didn’t sleep much that night and didn’t eat much doing the following day. He called his boss and said that he wasn’t feeling well. Afterwards, he drove out to the pharmacy for some pain killers and a bottle of water. Upon returning home, he took a pain killer and some Melatonin and slept for most of the day. Waking up in the evening, he got up to brush his teeth and call his mom. She asked him if he had seen the story on the news the night prior and he responded by saying that he had. "They are saying that it's her ex."

"Over what?!"
"We don't know, it's sickening. What kind of man kills a woman in front of her children"
"One trying to get out of child support or one who finds out about paternity fraud?"
[Not that I condone this, she asked a question and I answered]

He admitted that he was up half the night from the story. It broke his heart, imagining the woman's final hours, how her daughters are going to get through this. What's going to happen to them? It was a story that he had seen about one time too many and part of the reason that he wanted to get into social work to begin with. He only hoped that they had other family that could take them in.

"I just woke up actually. My sleeping pattern is a little out of wack right now."

"You need to see a doctor?"

"I might. I need to find a low cost one as my insurance is shit"

She ended the phone call to answer a phone call from her sister, while Oliver got up and went out to get some takeout. He prepared for his date the next day. The guy was an construction worker. 6'3', dark, about 215 lbs. He requested a restaurant date.

[I accepted this one as it was a no sex required date. I love a date where I get to know a person and a person likes to get to know me and not just get in my pants. People think that because I work in this industry that I'm about sex 24/7, unfortunately it's one I won't be able to shake.]

He had an idea as to what he'd wear. He took out a pair of white khaki's and a yellow polo shirt. For footwear he, got out a pair of brown boots that he received for his birthday. He planned to Nautica cologne and had high hopes for this date. 

[Dates like this are far and few between for me. Most of them only see us a quick piece of ass. Wanna hit it and quit. But of course, why would I expect differently. After all, some of these guys are in committed relationships and their significant others and/or spouses have no idea what they are doing when they were "working late", the oldest lie in the book by the way. Even if Thursday's date and Saturday's overnight stay doesn't go as smoothly as I like, I just ask that I make it through Saturday alive.]

TO BE CONTINUED WITH PART 10

SYNOPSIS

CHARACTERS

PART 7

TUESDAY EVENING September 18th 2018

Oliver has been in his mother’s old home for a couple of days at this point with the hope of being in his new space by Saturday night.

"I still need verification of your wages" his mother said. "I’m gonna try to get you some rental assistance"

"But ma, how would I report the other job?"

[Ummm, no thanks. I’m not falsifying a record or withholding to get help from the government. I really don’t want to fuck my chances up at a government job later on in life.]

He then excused himself from the living room to take a phone call from Aya.
OLIVER-Hello?
AYA-Oliver?
OLIVER-Yes it is
AYA-Hey this is Aya, remember me?
OLIVER-I do. Claudia introduced me to you. We conversed over cocktails.
AYA-What are you doing next Tuesday?
OLIVER-Don’t know yet. Nothing planned. Why?
AYA-there is a seminar that day that my friend is throwing. It’s a safe sex workshop POC.
OLIVER-where at?
AYA-Biscayne Bay Marriott
OLIVER-Does it cost me anything to get in?
AYA-No, the host hasn’t even sent out her invitations yet.
OLIVER-sure...send me the info. I’ll text you my email after we get off the phone.
AYA-great!  I’ll shoot the info. We get a lot of good info from them. Plus you’ll like the host.
OLIVER-thanks for the invite. I’ll talk with you later?
AYA-bye bye
"Who the hell was that?" His grandmother asked.
"I have an event next Tuesday." Oliver said as he was texting Aya his email address.
"Is this one of those sex parties. There’s no telling what this lifestyle has got you doing." She responded.

["Lifestyle?" Okay, admittedly my lifestyle isn’t the best, but that aside, I’m sure my grandmother talks plenty of shit about me to her social circle. I know her. I’m sure she’s not thrilled about her "gay ass grandson". In my culture, any non-straight orientation is a no-no. I regret not telling my dad before he passed, but knowing my mom, I’m sure he knew. Shit! Anytime I had friends over, they were suspect. I didn’t come out until Inwas 21 to mom so a little over three years ago.]

She then started speaking in Haitian Creole suggesting that he get tested.

"Got it covered" He said, understanding what she said.
He went to his room at opened up his notebook to check his messages when he received his invitatation to the seminar. He accepted the invite, put his earbuds on and turned on Netflix. He decided to leave a crack in his door in case his mom needed to come in as she had been know to pop in unexpectedly on numerous occasions.

Damon, on the other hand, had other plans. He worked a long shift at his job and after running errands, he decided that he wanted the quiet night. He kept the TV off and poured himself a cup of Grey Goose. He had just gotten the news that a fellow soldier he served with had been found dead in the shower. The result:self inflicted gun wound. At this point, he planned to do nothing more than drink himself to sleep and get up the next morning.  However, his night was spent having a series of flashbacks of the good times he had with his friend as well as the trauma of what he witnessed away. He found himself waking up in tears throughout the night to cry himself back to sleep, only to repeat the process over again.

WEDNESDAY MORNING 7:00 AM

Damon was exhausted. He barely slept any the following night and he couldn’t eat. He was rather numb, thinking about how he’d sit through the funeral.  He got up a fixed a cup of orange juice and then took a shower. After taking a shower he took a sleeping pill and went back to sleep. He slept most of the day to make up for not sleeping that night.

Claudia hadn’t slept much of the nights either, having been up until 3:30 AM studying for her certification exam that would be taken the following week. She slept four hours before heading to a  workshop that was being held by one of her prefoessors from college that retired two years earlier. The workshop was an all day affair, she ran slightly late arriving. The seminar let out for lunch at 11:30 am and resumed at 12:30. It was 4:00 pm before the workshop ended and she left with great test taking strategies and a bit more knowledge of what she would do to prepare. She decided that she would allow herself three more attempts and if she failed on the last attempt, she would switch fields. She minored in sociology so she's consider looking for jobs in government or continue in the non-profit area.

As she was driving off she called Oliver to see how work went.

OLIVER-It went smoothly, didn't run into any trouble today, how was the seminar?
CLAUDIA-Long. I hope I'm ready next week.
OLIVER-Have you paid for the exam yet?
CLAUDIA-Last night, I registered so I'll be taking it a couple of weeks. I've gotta go to Tallahassee.
OLIVER-Shit, good luck.
CLAUDIA-Thanks I'll need it.
OLIVER-Hey I'll be moving into my renthouse at the end of the week, I'm gonna have a little warming. You should come. Bring Aya with you. Take your mind off of things for a bit.
CLAUDIA-I could use that. Thanks.

Oliver went and checked on his house and then stopped by the store to price some items. He called Damon to request his assistance with serving drinks for his party. His mom and grandmother would handle the food aspect of the operation. Damon however wasn't available, so Oliver left a message.

He got home, his mother informed him that the move in would be delayed until Tuesday. "What happened?" he asked.

"Your aunt just had the house sprayed for pest control. It's an old house. Part of town isn't exactly nice, but we're gonna make this house a home for you."

"Okay...………, well I'll probably push my warming until a the end of next week. I'm going to go to my room, and hopefully obtain a scholarship that will help me pay for grad school"

[Good thing I hadn't sent out any official invites. I'll have to tell everyone in a mass text that I'll have it next Friday]

While looking for scholarships, Oliver had a series of flashbacks. One was an internship at the courthouse that he did one summer. He thought that this would be impressive on his resume. The boss of the department that he interned for was impressed with his work ethic and the letters of recommendation letters from his professors. However,  he recalled an incident at a gas station, where he encountered a woman who also had an MSW informed him that with his degree he would need to get a Master's degree. This would later be confirmed by a professor in the Nutrition department who visited him in the campus bookstore where he worked as a student employee. He looked for work some time before applying for a 4 month job for FEMA that would eventually be extended to a total of two years. He worked for two years, and then he was laid off. Needing money for rent, he answered an add for a modeling agency, the rest is history as how he got into the sex industry. That was the beginning.

[Prayer? Pray without ceasing? Umm yeah, that's worked reeeeeeeeal well so far. Thanks a lot mom. Look at where I'm at. I've got a day job making pennies, while my night job would have me excommunicated the community if they all knew. Job fairs, were a load a bullshit, most of them had nothing of substance. Like that bullshit that I just went to, not hiring, unpaid internships. Drop your resume and hope someone calls your ass.]

Damon eventually returned his phone call.

DAMON-Hey Ollie, what's up?
OLIVER-Well for one, my move in date has been delayed due to pests. Other than that....I'm in here looking for scholarships to help for graduate school. How about you?
DAMON-Going to a funeral this Saturday. I'll be riding out to Alabama Friday evening. Funeral is Saturday morning. 9:00 am.
OLIVER-Who passed if you don't mind me asking?
DAMON-A buddy in the army, committed suicide a couple of nights ago.
OLIVER-Oh My God, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?
DAMON-No, I'm not.  I really wanted him to get through his issues. He suffered with various mental disabilities before we were deployed and after our first deployment, it only got worse.
OLIVER-Sorry, my condolences, even though I've never met him.
DAMON-Thanks. Hey, yeah, I'll help you with your event next weekend.
OLIVER-Thank you, man you need to go get some shut eye.
DAMON-I've been sleeping most of the day. Hey is it okay if I invite some of our old friends?
OLIVER-You still in contact with them?
DAMON-a few of them
OLIVER-ummm sure.
DAMON-Good, well I'm gonna go. Later.
OLIVER-Later

After hanging up, Oliver recalled a time that he thought about the military. Getting to travel. See the world, however also remembered how he literally ran out of the center when he went to sign up.

While he was looking for scholarships, Aya was on a date with a man of  St. Lucian ancestry. He was a lawyer working for a corporate firm.  In conversation, he explains why he became a lawyer and that eventually he desired to open his own firm.

"I came up upper middle class. Both of my parents are University professors. Mom's a business professor while dad teaches finance.

AYA-I have a foundation for uplifting little black girls. Often we're overlooked when it comes to so many things, health care, domestic violence, sexual assault. I got a degree in Biology, I'd like to be a medical social worker. I'll start graduate school hopefully by the fall of 2019. I do this part time, I work at Walmart in the pharmacy"

"Pharmacy Tech?"

AYA-Right now just a clerk. Hourly wage is a joke.

"You know, I initially studied Biology, however after an experiment in a class where I blacked out, I said 'ummm this isn't for me' and I decided to major in economics and I eventually went to law school. Something about the law and the court room always fascinated me, but then when I saw that I could be an advocate for fathers, I stayed in the field. Make decent bank."

AYA-Kids?

"No, I don't have any kids. Can't afford that in Florida. Can barely afford my mortgage."

AYA-I'm trying to pay rent, which at these prices, I might as well buy a house.

"Tell me about it"

Their date lasted roughly two hours, including a meal and a conversation that continued while they consumed their entrees.

Continuing to see him after they left the restaurant, she invited him to her home where they had sex and he stayed the night. The following morning, while her client was still asleep, she called her friend Zinam.

ZINAM-Hello?
AYA-Hey girl, what's up?
ZINAM (ZIGGY)-Sleeping in. I worked a long night.
AYA-Wanna meet for brunch around 10:30?
ZINAM (ZIGGY)-How about lunch instead?
AYA-1:00?
ZINAM(ZIGGY)-That'll do.


"Who's that sweetheart?" her client asked.

"My girl, Ziggy" she responded. "Let's go back to bed".

They slept in for another hour where he took her out for coffee. After a kiss and receiving her payment up front, they parted, however not before exchanging information.

"This is my phone number, my Facebook page, and my twitter page. I'm on a Facebook sabbatical right now but you can reach me by Twitter"

With about two hours to kill before meeting Ziggy for lunch, she decided she'd kill some time in the mall.

Meanwhile, Raja was in the process of booking the room for her seminar. She had sent the invites, and got the products for her home based event. The seminar was for sex workers of color, however, in her own home, she sold sex toys at reduced rates from the passion parties she through where women got together to discuss desires and turn-ons. Once she managed to get her room booked, she headed out to work at her dad's convenient store, where she worked until 6:00 pm.

12:40, Aya arrived at to the deli. Zinam arrived five minutes afterwards. "Lunch is on me" Aya said.  Noticing a glow and an expression on Aya's face, Zinam waited until they fixed their plates at the salad bar to break the ice.

ZINAM-You had sex on the first date!
AYA-Girl, I know! I know! But this guy is different.
ZINAM-What's he do?
AYA-Lawyer
ZINAM-He paid you right?
AYA-Hell yeah! I got enough to pay my rent for the  next two months.
ZINAM-Do you think we are shallow only going after rich guys?
AYA-No, it's called looking out for one's best interest, plus grad school isn't gonna pay for itself.
ZINAM-Grad school? I need to graduate from rent to a mortgage.
AYA-I need some academic probation rent. These summa cum laude prices for gas are kicking my ass.
ZINAM-My last date gave me a $200 gas card, gets me free gas at Murphy Oil. At least three or four trips.
AYA-I need your date! You still going to Raja's workshop?
ZINAM-Yeah, I'll be there.
AYA-Me too. If her dad knew what she was up to...……
ZINAM-Being in an arranged marriage, it's a mystery as to how the hell she's been able to maintain that hustle.
AYA-That marriage will be for financial security only. Word is he spends a lot of time in the gay part of town.
ZINAM-He look like he'd have a load of sugar in his tank
AYA-OKAY...………
ZINAM-But where you heard that at?
AYA-I have my sources.
ZINAM-You and your grapevine. [laughing]
AYA-What can I say? I got it like that.
ZINAM-Back to your date.
AYA-Tall, dark, and handsome. His folks are from St. Lucia. He's in his mid 30s. He's a corporate lawyer. He majored in Economics and he went to law school afterwards. He's been a lawyer for about 8 years now, single, no children. Definitely the kind of guy I'd like to take home to mom.
ZINAM-Mom? How about dad?
AYA-Dad would like this one.
ZINAM-Would you date a guy younger than you?
AYA-Two years max. Even then, I want him to be taller than me.
ZINAM-Young guys can be great, but they don't have the funds for this dime.
AYA-Cheers.

After raising a toast they sipped on their lemonade, Zinam, wanting to know more about Raja's soon to be husband, asked for his name.

" 'Biju' I believe"-Aya responded.
Zinam finding a page on facebook. Looked through several pages until she saw one with a profile in MIami.

"This is him!" Zinam said. She didn't see much on his page, but the vibe that she got from his profile pics were that he was a class A narcissist. "All these shirtless pics tells me that he's in love with himself if no one else"

"Stop being nosey girl!" Aya exclaimed.
"He's got his shit on a public website, he wants people to see it"
"Hold on! Go back! Is that a man thong?!"
"A pink one at that! RED FLAG!"

Aya went back to eating her salad, which she pilled a bed a lettuce with grilled chicken, oranges, cucumbers and balsamic dressing, as she had to go to work at 4:00 pm and it was already going on 2:00 pm. She wanted to get home in time to take a shower.  Zinam, on the other had, worked while she ate. She loaded her salad with  sunflower seeds, raisins, feta, and Italian dressing. Being an ovo-vegetarian, she didn't utilize meat. Instead, she got her protein source from eggs. She thought about asking Raja about this guy, but decided she'd do it some other time when it was just the two of them at some point.

They finished lunch at approximately 2:30. "See you later, girl" Zinam said.

"Likewise" Aya responded

 Aya, managed to get home and get a shower in. She arrived to work at a quarter to four.

Zinam, having the rest of the day off, went and paid some bills.

At work, Aya found out that her coworker would be absent the following day so she'd be working the next day as well. "It'll be the two of us holding down the fort" her boss said.

"Okay" she said as she opened up her register and prepared to check out a man attempting to purchase a box of Mucinex.

"That'll be $19.50"

As her boss went to the back, Aya, saw her cousin, who was addicted to pain killers attempting to steal some Tylenol. "Tai, what's up?"

Tai being embarrassed tried to play it off. "You know you gotta pay for that, I can't get fired because of you. $4.75"

"Fine!" she said as she paid. "Now, I'll see you later" she responded as she stepped outside to put out some generic over the counter medicine on the shelf.

6:00 PM

As the evening came, Oliver decided that he'd head out for a drink. Going to the bar where Milek was employed, he planned to have dinner as his mom had no plans on cooking. Milek being surprised to see him.

"Didn't think you'd actually come." Milek said laughing.
"Man, I'm always interested in a new bar" Oliver said.
MILEK-"I'll fix you a blue Hawaii in just a bit"
OLIVER-"Now you're talking"
MILEK-If you order some food, our club is fantastic
OLIVER-I'll take that then
MILEK-chips or fries
OLIVER-chips, the jalapeno kind
MILEK-Good choice, I'll have that right out. So you're moving in next week?
OLIVER-Yep
MILEK-When's the warming?
OLIVER-that Saturday
MILEK-I've got my little girl this weekend so that works out perfectly.
OLIVER-Aww that's nice.
MILEK-Yeah man, I love her with all my soul. Here's a picture of her
OLIVER-She's beautiful, how often you get to see her?
MILEK-Not as often as I'd like
OLIVER-babymamadrama?
MILEK-more like baby mama MAMA drama. Her mother is a B.I.T.C.H. to the max. Well man, I'll talk with you later, I gotta get back to work.

"What you got boss?"
"Can I get a draft beer right now and an order of the spinach dip"
"Gotcha man"

After Oliver ate his dinner, he was informed by Milek that the food was on the house. "Just sign the receipt"

Happily complying, Oliver signed and shook Milek's hand. "I'll see you next week"

"Good night Ollie"

TO BE CONTINUED WITH PART 8
SYNOPSIS
CHARACTERS

PART 6

While Cody sported a pair of green swimming trunks, Oliver changed into a pair of board shorts. Once the pair were in their swimming attire, they got in the elevator on the 6th floor where there was an outdoor pool and jacuzzi. They stayed slightly longer than a half hour to allow for their food to digest. After having soaked up enough water, Cody asked "would you like to head back to the hotel room?" Complying, Oliver got out of the hot tub and grabbed a towel, squeezing water out of his shorts before sitting down at a table to enjoy the view from the pool. After drying off outside, the pair returned to the 9th floor of the hotel, back to the room to shower.

Both reaching for the door Cody asked, "So...….. we're both going in?"

[motherfucker, you know you'd love nothing more]

"Eh what the hell?" Oliver responded after a moment of silence

A shower was followed by a night of passion before falling asleep in Cody's arms.

The following morning, Oliver struggled to get out of bed. This woke Cody up who asked Oliver if he was okay. "Yea, gotta piss" [I have to piss and you need mouthwash, your morning breath is fire]
"Hey, how about we hit breakfast? Or would you rather brunch?"
"You're the client, what would you like?"

[I'm only getting $1000 for the night plus a free meal]

Oliver returned to bed where he lay for the next two hours. "I'm gonna hit hotel gym"

[and I'll be watching the Breakfast Club]

CODY-"How about coffee this morning"
OLIVER-"Sweet, then maybe brunch off the clock?"
CODY-"Okay, see you in a bit"

He gave Cody some time to head out, then he took a shower and put on a pair of boxer briefs. Oliver then grabbed his tablet and put on the latest episode.

[What a life, right? I’m in a hotel room getting screwed by a stranger. It’s a business deal. I’m not proud of it. At the time, I didn’t have any other recourse. My job had just ended and I’ve got loans. I’ve manage to pay a portion off. I’m not the first male whore and won’t be the last. I pray that it’s only temporary and doesn’t last much longer. I’d love an average dating life but in Greater Miami? Shit, one can’t make a living on conventional jobs alone.]

The episode of his show ended after about 10 minutes. While he was putting on his clothes, Cody was taking a blue pill after his workout. He made his way to the hotel room shortly afterward. He knocked.

"Who is it?"

"Cody"

Oliver opened the door, wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a Sean John collared shirt and a pair of white polo shoes. Cody, was drenched in sweat appearing that he’d pass out.

"You look like you got your ass WHIPPED! You might wanna take a shower, I have some extra shower gel you can borrow."

"Thanks" Cody said while breathing heavily.

He took a shower, brushed his hair and escorted Oliver to the lobby for coffee.

"Checkout isn’t until 3PM, wanna hang for a bit after brunch?"

[I probably shouldn’t have said that.]

"Sounds good"

While having coffee, they talked about education, the state of what was going on with immigration, and the like when Cody asked Oliver about Oliver’s major.

"Thought I’d have my MSW, but lately I’ve been thinking about an MPA. I’d like to do both"
He then gave Oliver a few phone numbers and names. "I’ll also put in a word for you. I can give a good reference."

"Thanks!"

Being in the business world, Cody sees clients of a variety of education and work backgrounds, he knew of some agencies that he might be able to get Oliver on with as an employee or for a paid internship. While he was on his date,  His mother, who had a key gathered the remaining of his items from his apartment with the exception of the furniture. The furniture would be put in storage until the new rent house was ready. She still had his old bed in his room at home. The move would be convenient as it was closer to where he grew up so she’d be able to visit her son easier and she was related to whom Oliver would be renting from. She also planned to apply for rental assistance without his knowledge. With that plan, she sent him a text asking him for the check stubs he’s received this far or a statement from his boss.

He wrote back that he was working and that he’d get it before the end of the day.

[I’m actually at brunch ordering a sandwich at a nearby cafe. It’s work but not the job she’s thinking.]

CODY-"Who’s that?"
OLIVER-"My mom, saying Good Morning"
CODY-"How was coming out to your mom"
OLIVER "Cringe worthy"

[And that’s putting it nicely.  If you’ve ever seen "For Colored Girls", you remember the exorcist scene where Whoopi Goldberg’s character oiled Tessa Thompson’s headband tried to shake that devil out of her. Yeah.. Definitely a bad experience.]

CODY-my mom pretty much figured it out, She found those TIGER magazines on my bed with hearts drawn on the guys pages. Other clues were my fascination with guys in swimsuits as a kid.
OLIVER-[scoffs], my mom about lost it then she told her mom and that was absolute hell. Let’s just say she tried to cast it out of me.
CODY-damn, but you know the truth is. Some are never going to fully accept you even if they don’t bully you. But you should always have the love of your family
OLIVER-It is what it is.

They ate while they converses. Afterwards, Oliver had to excuse himself to make a phone call. "I’m gonna run to the men’s room."

He called Claudia, who was on a lunch date with Aya.

CLAUDIA-Hey what’s up?
OLIVER-on a date, I snagged an accountant
CLAUDIA-then what the hell are you doing on the phone with me? How is he?
OLIVER-He’s awesome. Great conversationalist. He’s attractive. Dude’s tall as shit. He’s like 6’6’ He’s a total softie. He’s a gentlemen and he kisses pretty well.
CLAUDIA-Shit, why do they all have to be gay? Does he have any friends?
OLIVER-I can see.
CLAUDIA-While I have you on the phone, I gave Aya your phone number. Is that okay.
OLIVER-Umm sure, no problem. Hey, I don’t mean to cut you off, but gotta get back to my date.
CLAUDIA-no prob, I’ll see you Monday. Tell me all about it. Be sure to get a selfie with him.
OLIVER-I’ll see what I can do.
Oliver returned to his date and paid his bill while Claudia resumed her conversation with Aya.
AYA-So he got a corporate guy.
CLAUDIA-Yes. Why can’t I snag one of them.
AYA-Trust me, it’s good for getting my hair done but girl, you don’t want that. You’d never see him.
CLAUDIA-girl what you talking? Late night. office sex is the best!
AYA-Thoia Thoing
CLAUDIA-girl you crazy! Let’s not forget your dinner date from hell. You know the one you almost lost your life on.
AYA-that crazy bitch
CLAUDIA-you were tongue kissing her husband!
AYA-they were on their last leg anyway.
Claudia shook her head and chuckled. She paused for a moment then confided that she might take off next week to study for the certification exam. "I’m taking it in a couple of weeks".
AYA-look, you gotta do what’s best for you.

Oliver and Cody eventually got out of the pool. Had sex once more and check out of the hotel. They hugged outiside and he left Oliver with his contact information. Oliver gathered his luggage and drove to his apartment to find that it was empty"

"FUUUUCCK!!!!!"

That was it, now he really had nothing to return to there. He didn’t give a damn about the penalty at this point for breaking the lease. He went to the leasing office, paid his rent and said "I’m out of here."

He drove to his mom’s home in Miami Gardens where he was greeted by his mom and grandmother.

"How you doing?"

"Tired"

"I went by your place, Damon bought me. I had spare key. I got the rest of your stuff"

"Thank God!" Oliver said relived.

TO BE CONTINUED WITH PART 7

STORY SYNOPSIS
CHARACTERS

PART 5

FRIDAY EVENING: 4:15 PM
An hour after Oliver left work, he briefly passed by his apartment, washed some dishes and folded some clothes before heading out. He finished off the remainder of a bottle of sangria in his refrigerator before following the alcohol up with a two glasses of water. He sat on the sofa for about an hour before he headed out the door. He printed the directions off of Google reviewing them for about 10 minutes and drove off. He stopped at a nearby Publix and purchased a bottle of Arbor Mist and some small plastic cups before completing the trip. The drive was approximately 50 minutes with traffic. Oliver’s state of being could be described as a nervous, beginning to experience stomach cramps upon arriving to the apartment complex. When he got to the door, he shot Evandro a text before knocking. Evandro, who was still in his uniform was in the process of fixing a snack when he walked to the door.
"Ollie?"
"Yep" Oliver responded nervously. Holding the bag of wine.
"Come on in".
["Ollie"? The last person to call me that was Damon. And before him, it was my high school sweet hart. Of course, she’s now a single mom with four kids and not a baby daddy in site. I see you]

After a long embrace, Evandro asked him what was in the bag.

"Well sit down!" Evandro said, "Let’s have a drink"
"Sure thing, and FYI, whatever we don’t finish today, it’s yours to keep"
"Thanks man"
As Evandro put the crushed the ice up on the counter, Oliver sat at the table. "So man, nice place so far"
"Thanks, considering the circumstances, I’d call it a blessing" After pouring some of the blackberry Arbor Mist, Evandro began the conversation.

Finishing half a bottle of wine, they switched the conversation to general things, such as the TV system in the living room.

"We’ve nearly finished a bottle of wine" Evandro said "You might wanna hang here for a bit, let the alcohol simmer"
"Not a bad idea" Oliver responded.
They caught up with "The Resident", watching that last two episodes before Evandro walked him out.
"Get home safe", Evandro said as he watched Oliver get in his truck and exit the complex. Oliver had a smooth trip home, w/o encountering any traffic jams. He stopped by Subway and picked up a sandwich, eating in his vehicle before arriving at his apartment. He threw his empty bag in the dumpster before unlocking his door. Noticing a very unpleasant odor in the apartment, he looked around to see what had spoiled. He saw nothing in his refrigerator that would have gone bad. He concluded that it must have been his neighbor.
"Nasty fucking people" he said under his breath. He turned on the fans in addition to spraying air freshener in his home.
[So yeah, I have a client to see tomorrow for an overnight stay. I rarely bring client’s to my place and in the even that I do, I give them a 50% discount as this is awful. I have an overnight hotel stay. Shit like this is why, they don’t come. That and the fact that this is a dangerous job. My neighbor is what we call one of those hippie types. Doesn’t believe in using soap to shower, he has animals that he really isn’t supposed to have, and he doesn’t clean up after them. It’s like those folks, who bring their animals to restaurants and let them shit where people are sitting down trying to eat, and then when people call them on it, we have a new "discrimination" case.]
He left his home and stayed out for another hour or so, hoping to give the fans some time to eliminate the scent out of his apartment.
Coming back to the apartment, he noticed the temperature in his home had gone down, however the stench was as strong as ever, as he was walking in, a neighbor informed him that there were rats caught in some of the vents.
"I’m getting out of this lease, I’m packing my shit and I’m moving out!, I’ll stay with mom for a bit until I can find another place. I can’t do it anymore!"  He ranted.
[It’s almost worth just leaving the door open, not like I got shit worth taking]
He called Damon, in the heat of the moment to see if he could crash.

The plan was that Oliver would pack his clothes tonight as he’d be staying at a hotel Saturday anyway. From there, he’d move in with his mother. He packed his clothes for the night and locked the door behind him and headed to Damon’s place. Where he slept.
The following morning, the pair had breakfast at a local diner where Oliver disclosed more about the plan. He would stay the night as he did at Damon’s. From there, he’d pack his laptop. Going by his apartment he’d pack items such as his television and his other electronics. He’d meet his mother somewhere and have these items descreetly shifted. He would then put his furniture in storage.
"Well damn" Damon said. Oliver wasn’t going to be at his apartment much anyway this Saturday as he had an overnight appointment. Conversation was interrupted by the waitress

After Clara left to fetch their drinks, they resumed the conversation regarding his Oliver’s situation. "I’m going to pay to penalty man" Oliver said.
"I don’t blame you" Damon responded. "You’ve been having problems at that apartment for years. That son of a bitch needs to be burned down."
Oliver laughed while looking at his phone. "You crazy"
"I know"
Clara returned with their drinks. "OJ here and water here. I bought you some extra lemons for your water"
"Thanks!" Oliver exclaimed
"No problem, your food should be out in a little bit. Let me know if you need anything else"
Oliver knew the place was a dump. "My neighbor is nasty AF"
[That’s the problem with apartments. One unit has roaches, everyone one else does.]
"That’s why I got a house. Apartments are the worst. Shit like that is why you can’t eat everybody’s cooking and you can’t invite everybody to the potluck."
"And you can’t go to everybody else’s potluck either"
Oliver felt trapped. He would hold back rent payments but he’d have to pay that back. It was like a nightmare one couldn’t wake up from. The furniture was inexpensive so he didn’t mind leaving it a while longer. His complex was disgusting. Think "Infested!" On animal planet with the Ottawa, Canada apartment. After breakfast, he planned to obtain the remainder of his valuables.
"Yo, you mind if I stop at the gas station on the way back to the house?"
"Not at all, got a while before checking in to my hotel anyway"
"Hotel? Oh shit!"
They eventually finished breakfast. Cleaning their plates and getting the checks.
"The gentleman in the khaki shorts agreed to cover your bill." Clara said much to Oliver’s surprise.
"Well let me get my friends bill"
"Thanks……" Damon said
"No big, Mom said when someone blesses you you bless others and that’s what happened to me today"
"Well, I got the alcohol this evening. There’s this joint in Miami Beach that has all the good shit at low prices if we’re talking alcoholic pricing. The clerk Raja, let’s just say, I got the hookup."
"So you throwing the next party?"
At the store, he picked up a Pinot Grigio, a bottle of Blue Curaçao, and some Hypnotic.
"What else you want man?"
"Ummm I guess some pineapple juice for the curaçao. Make a good blue Hawaii"
At the register Raja noticed items "Somebody is about to get wasted."
"You already know, but I’m a smart guy, home only". They left and went Oliver’s apartment, to check on the status. He stood there momentarily and thought to himself He’d come back and pack up his items after his "date" with the client.
[My client is already paying an arm and a leg to have his way with me. At the least, I’ll put up the hotel fees. Some may do otherwise, but it’s a one night stay and I figure I’ll get it back.]
The pair went back home to drink, when Damon asked him if he ever tried weed?
"No way! If I were too, I wouldn’t smoke that shit in here in the states."
[Unless it’s in Colorado.]

As the afternoon passed, Oliver left to check into his hotel and put his things in his hotel room. He decided that he’d take a swim and then took a short nap before getting ready. The date would include a dinner, have a cocktail, followed by making out. After showering and douching, he put on a pair of brown khaki pants and a cream colored polo that he sported with a navy sports coat. He brushed his hair and then headed down to the hotel bar where he had a beer.He got a text from his client saying that he was on his way.
[Oh joy. Another date with a self-entitled corporate goon.]
He responded by informing the client that he was at the hotel bar and that he could locate him by his outfit. Cody is a man in his mid 30s, he’s an accountant at a firm downtown. Height wise, he’s about 6′6′ with a slender build.
[He’s probably married and I’d be willing to bet that they don’t have an open relationship. If you get my drift.]
He escorted Oliver to his car,
"Nice ride" Oliver said.
"Thanks"
They arrived at a fine dining establishment with a dinner reservation for 7:00pm. Oliver ordered Lobster while his client ordered duck.

They talked about the job market, ethical issues, etc while waiting on their meals and as they ate their meals. Cody surprisingly made for good conversation and wasn’t full of himself much to Oliver’s surprise.
[White guy, far left type of kat. Works in corporate American, but actually gives a damn. Yeah, he’s a keeper.]
Cody grew up in a rather liberal household southeast standards. He came out to his parents at 15, he had a long term relationship that last about three years. After that breakup, he has been happily single but likes to have fun. They returned to the hotel where they ended their night. Oliver suggested that they chill in the hot tub on the 5th floor initially. "Gotta get out of these clothes first" Cody said.
"Fair enough" Oliver said as they entered the elevator.

Upon entrance of the hotel room, he pointed Cody to the bathroom. "Alright I’ll see you in a bit".

TO BE CONTINUED WITH PART 6
STORY SYNOPSIS
CHARACTERS

PART 4

It’s a Tuesday Morning and Oliver has already called Ms. Cara to inform her that he’ll be in a bit late.

"I have a meeting" he said.

"The career fair?" she asked, "I heard you talking about it last week. Hope you see so good stuff.

"Thanks I’ll be in later and I’ll make up the hours over today and tomorrow"

He was dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a peach button down. He got a tie that he YouTubed to figure out the best way to tie and was at the fair 15 minutes before it began. The set up was nice with a map listing each company or agency listed. He had his resumes ready and was prepared for any potential interviews. Looking at his map he decided to work his way slowly to the exit. His first area of stopping was with the U.S. Dept of State. "Hello, Oliver". "Cynthia Levines" she said before proceeding to discuss what the duties of the Dept of State and mentioned that she was in the Atlanta Resident office. "We offer internships to students. Most do not pay, on the other hand, an internship here is a once in a lifetime experience. We are currently looking for clerks and IT managers. Are you in school?"

"I actually graduated 4 years ago. I worked for FEMA and did other disaster recovery projects"

Oliver explained that while the work was rewarding it had an expiration date. He handed her a resume and she gave him a business card and a card with the agencies website. Working his way to the other end of the fair he saw Primerica with a table, not interested. State Farm and Aflac were also there. He talked with two age agencies before running into Claudia.

"You made it!" She said wearing a navy blue pants suit and blue heels. "See anything good so far?"

"Just finished talking to the US Dept of State. Passed by IEM, gonna go by the social services table".

"Non profit agency here. Saw VOA. I signed up to take the exam to get certified to teach in a couple of weeks. Would like to start teaching this fall."

"Anyone hiring thus far?"

"A lot are not"

This wasn’t a shock. It was almost like clickbait you see on the internet with tragic titles for views and then once being clicked on, you wish you had skipped. "Sometimes they call them ‘customized hiring events’. They tell you shit like you need to come dressed to impress only to find out that you didn’t even need to get out of bed for it.” Oliver had gone through this routine one time too many. At this rate he’d be whoring himself until he was 50. He had a game plan He decided that he’d start graduate school in the spring, however he wasn’t sure where. The pair stayed at the fair for about two hours before leaving. Oliver decided to make a quick run to Subway before heading back to the office.

"Good afternoon" Ms. Cara said as Oliver walked in. "See anyone good?"

"Saw a few interesting things. Put my resume out there. Going to check out the U.S. Dept of State"

"That’s great!"

"I’m actually starting graduate school in the spring. I’d like to see if I can compete the studies online"

He then proceeded to input records until an excel sheet.
Claudia returns from lunch and they talked abbot about the job fair. "A few disaster recovery agencies" [of course, to clean up debris]. "I applied to a few places but there were a lot that were very job specific" Oliver complained as he begin to file papers.
He worked until closing time. Later at the gym as he was finishing a set of squats, he walked passed a young man when the young man stopped and turned around. "Oliver?!" pauses for a minute.

"Wudup?" "Man, remember me? Swim meets, we were always paired up against each other"

"Wait a second, Milek??"

"Yep"

"Where the hell have YOU been?"

"Long story"
He explained that after graduating high school that he had taken some time to travel. However he’s currently working as a server.

"I’m at this new bar that just opened downtown, you’ll have to come one day"

"I’m in the non-profit field right now"

"What’s your number man? You free tonight? I got a night off."

After they exchanged contact information, Oliver returned to his workout. "I’ll catch you later?"
"Sure thing man"

Later that night the two of them met at TGI Fridays.

"I love that chicken and shrimp pasta" Oliver said as he looked at the menu. Milek decided to begin the conversation that they left off at in the gym.

[like sucking off, jacking off, and risking my life]
Oliver continued the conversation after taking a sip of his lemonade

Milek chuckled for a moment before taking a sip of his beer.
They conversed for a long period covering everything from family to school to the news before eating. After they ate, they parted ways.

"Guess I’ll see you at the gym" Milek said as he got in his truck.

"I’m sure you will, it’s my second home".

["Pray", that’s what I was taught growing up. "God helps those who help themselves". "Pray without ceasing". Ummm yeah, we all see how well that went. I’d say more, but I’d be doing endless Hail Marys if I did.]

At home, Oliver went straight for the sofa when he received a phone call from a number that he didn’t recognize. He ignored the phone the first time, and said, "they’ll leave a message". He went to the kitchen to get a cup of water and when he came back, he noticed two more phone calls from the number. He deiced to listen to the voicemail. It was Evandro. The voicemail was somewhat lengthy, with explaining that he had gotten his number from his cousin and that something was put on his heart to call Oliver.
Oliver decided to call, immediately Evandro picked up the phone

After hanging up with Evandro, he decided to shoot a Facebook message to Carlos. "Thanks".

STORY SYNOPSIS
CHARACTERS

PART 5 TO FOLLOW

PART 3

WEDNESDAY MORNING

While Damon was online looking for odd jobs he noticed an add for dancers needed. He’s had a stripper license since he was 19 and used this as a means for extra money when not deployed. He sent this to Oliver in an email prior to calling him on his way to the pharmacy.
"Morning"
"Check out the email"
As he pulled out his iPad, he saw the email
"What the fuck is this?"
"Strippin….you already do way more,  plus a bachelorette party would get you a killing. I used to dance at a few of them when I was home"
"Got anything else?"
"Banquets, I know a lot of companies. I can send you a list of catering companies you could do work for. What you got going on right now?"
"Laying on the couch, going into the office"
[Really? That’s the best you got? What part of "I want out of this life do you not understand?]
While he wasn’t thrilled about it, he took some time to think about it and he realized that bachelorette parties are for the entertainment value and he did keep his body in shape. However, didn’t want his current situation to mirror that of "The Players Club".
Oliver got up from the couch to fix himself an omelette while continuing to talk. "Yo, I got you on speaker phone, doing some stuff in the kitchen"
"Man, remember when we were young and we would see vacationers out here, we vowed that one day it would be us taking trips with our families?"
"I do, and when I look at where I’m at, I think to myself "What the actual fuck?"
[We were lied to. In 2008, when we were in high school, we were told to go to college. That it was the ticket to a successful life. What they didn’t tell us is that the economy would tank. They didn’t go over any alternatives. They never went over the cost of living and the fact that people here are working three jobs. I should have seen this with my own parents. Dad worked for the state and then worked as a janitor in the evenings. Mom still works as a financial aid officer at a state college. The preparation sucked. What the fuck am I gonna use creative writing for? Why was that in school?]
He cut the conversation short to eat his breakfast and get a shower in before work. Afterwards, he ironed a pair of pants and a golf shirt and heaved to the office where the director informed him and Claudia:

"I have a project for the two of you. Our event is coming up at the mall. You two are going to be drawing outlines to these animal pieces on the construction poet right there. We’re expecting about 200 kids"

"No problem" Oliver said looking at the green construction paper in front of him
"It’ll be a breeze" Claudia assured him as she took a pair of scissors and the elephant trunk and demonstrated.
"So it’s like build a bear type of think but with other animals but they’re decorating their bags with them. That’s cute"
"Yeah, so are you gonna go to the career fair next week"
"The one at the convention center?"
"Yea, I heard there’s going to be several companies there."
[Resume-FEMA, fucking, and non-profit]
"I plan on it. Do you know if any government agencies are gonna be there? I couldn’t find a roster anywhere"
"Not sure"
They continued working while talking about goals and aspirations when he noticed an alert on her phone. Knowing the conference due to getting the same alert an hour earlier, he asked her how she knew about it? Somewhat embarrassed, she snapped "What are you doing looking at my phone?!"
"I merely glanced over!" he exclaimed before taking her aside and confessing to being involved in the worlds oldest profession "I hate it. One would think attractive people and pleasure but there’s no real live and frankly it feels like a modern version of slavery. I can’t get a decent date to save my life"
After a moment of silence, she admitted that she was a phone sex operator and that she worked in evenings. "I have a friend who also is in high class escorting"
"High class?"
"Let’s talk about it later? How about we meet for a drink after work? We need to get a bit more of this done."
Meanwhile, Damon was scouting on the web when his eye caught the attention of a webcam modeling website.
 He though about his current life and how he’d mange to file his taxes. He normally got a 1090 at the end of the year. He also though about the repercussions of this and the thought that the clientele could  be from his local area. He had a flashback to being deployed in Germany where he and some buds where in a night club, partying surrounded by beautiful women. "We are like royalty!"  He thought about a conversation he had with his peer about wanting to serve for eight years and then retire and start college. Little did he know that half way though that time frame that he’d suffer a back injury along w/ PTSD from witnessing the death of a friend at the hands of a grenade.
He applied for work with multiple agencies and thought about how he could sporadically work vs checking in daily. With webcam modeling he could set his own schedule. With that in mind he decided to text Oliver.

"Who was that?"
"My friend Damon"
"So about how long have you with with this company?"
"About six months. I’m trying to start grad school"
They chatted while filing paperwork. They talked about politics, racial issues, economic issues, and the like. Claudia made for good company. She graduated with two degrees. She majored in English Education and Journalism and worked as a teacher’s aide for a period. She was tired of the work with virtually no pay. She responded to an add. Currently she works for a phone sex. One has seen the commercials late at night. She’s one of them. Definitely more conventional than Oliver’s current job.
As he was getting ready to eat lunch, she Claudia asked him if he wanted to eat while they worked. "Sure" he said as he went to grab his lunch out of his bag.
"We work with several schools in their special ed departments"
"What do y’all do?"
"We will be finalizing contracts for events mainly. But we do outreach and after school programs on social etiquette and speech practices our goal is to  help those with autism be as integrated into society as possible" Noticing Oliver’s garden salad, she asked him "you health conscious?"
"Yep. Grew up like that. My parent’s rarely fried anything, but they didn’t ban them from the house. My mom was always big on vitamins and drinking plenty of water. I practice that today, to keep things under control. Being a diabetic, I have to watch it."
Shocked at the revelation she asked him when he was diagnosed. He was diagnosed at 6 years old.
"I’m trying to lose weight, but I find myself emotionally eating more than I should"
Trying to avoid saying anything that could be interpreted as offensive, he simply said that he had his days too, hence the reason he goes to the gym six days/week, doing a combination of cardio and weights. After they finished eating lunch, they cut more construction paper and bagged it. They filed folders away for about an hour when Oliver signed out."See you tomorrow?"
"You’ll see me in a couple of hours."
The sun was beaming as Oliver drove home. He rolled down his window and plugged his phone in to have some music playing. He checked the mail and saw the electric bill was in. "Shouldn’t be this much" he said "I’m never home"
He checked his email as well as his escorting profile receiving three request including one overnight stay. Booking these trips back to back, he thought about his weekly check at $8.75/hr at 25 hrs per week along w/ the money from the three client’s that he’d earn. He’d have enough to pay his final payment on his only student loan and to pay his car note.
He kicked off his shoes to give his feet some air and called his mom.

[I’m being nice. This place is a shithole, in fact the only reason my unit isn’t laden with roaches is because I frequently buy those foggers and then I have to open the damn windows and door risking my shit being stolen. Also, Bengal and Boric Acid along the cracks and corners have done wonders.]
He looked up and realized that it was time to meet Claudia. He traded in his work outfit for a pair or black cargo shorts, a zero-nineteen tank top from K-Mart, and a pair of flip-flops and headed out. He got in the truck, turned the air on and arrived to the bar 20 minutes later. Locating Claudia at a table in the bar area we walked in to meet her when the waiter took their drink order.

[She’s a pharmacy tech and she still needs to be a lady of the evening by night? I’m fucked-literally and figuratively]
She advised him to update his profile to include massages and casual dates at a lower rate. While they were talking, A woman walks up, dark skin, about 5′9, in her mid 20s. She spotted Claudia and walked in the sit next to her.
"Hey chick!"

"Hey!"

"Hello, I’m Aya, how are your doing?" she said as she reached out to shake Oliver’s hand

"Oliver, I’m good. How about you?"

"So this is the guy? He’s cute"

"He’s taken"
"Actually I’m very available"

After ordering a drink, she begin to explain to Oliver how she got into her current part time job.  "I started off escorting however a client of mine introduced me to a coworker of his that owned a matchmaking service. I showed up to a mixer I went out on one date. I never saw the guy again afterwards. That said, he did mention to me that he had utilized services where one would rent a dates for events. I eventually branched off and begin advertising on craigslist and the like."

"So do you still…….you  know?"

"Sporadically, but that’ll cost extra."

Later that night, he decided to update his profile w/ additional services offered. He decided to try out a couple of speed dating events himself. He might even snap a client or two.  Perhaps, he’d been looking in the wrong places, maybe it was time for more upscale social functions. His current evening work was not a glamorous job and frankly it was quite dangerous.
[Prostitution can be traced back as far as biblical times. Not a new profession and it’s a profession that’s always been available for the money. Sometimes, we use it to pay off a loan or some sort of debt. For others, it’s the love of sex. Some just like the temporary luxury that comes with being one’s bitch. Me? I’d like nothing more than to settle down. I know there’s a way. It may take a while to find it, but I refuse to have THIS be my stop.]
STORY SYNOPSIS
CHARACTERS
PART 4 TO FOLLOW