Chapter 11

Rose Bay, Sydney, 8am.

The sound of a garbage truck rattled Sharon from her sleep and with eyes still half closed; she prepared some of her heroin. After an injection she went over to the fridge and had a drink of orange juice. She put the kettle on to prepare coffee and placed bread in the toaster. Sharon wasn�t a big eater, the heroin seemed to attack that side of her metabolism, yet over the years she�d learnt that she needed to eat, so had done so, whether hungry or not. There was never any worry about becoming overweight as her occupation kept her energy levels always at their optimum.

Being a prostitute was quite different to most other occupations so the lifestyle differed considerably. It was an experience you nearly had to go through to understand. Hollywood may glamorise it, but selling your body was a demanding and often, a cold hard routine.

Sharon was a realist sometimes and didn�t often kid herself when she wasn�t living in her own self-induced fantasies. She knew deep down that her lifestyle was killing her. Every day she injected more heroin into her fast collapsing veins and every client seemed to take a little bit of her soul and leave a bit of his. It was getting harder, not easier, to go out onto the streets every day. Her heart bled with sorrow and her ears searched for those saving words of hope that would pull her out of this mess. Yet, every day was the same.

She woke, she injected heroin, and she showered, and dressed. After dressing and putting on her makeup, she would go down to Joey�s for a coffee and spend time with some of the other girls. If she were feeling down, or hesitant, the others would help encourage her onto the street.

Once on the street the glances and propositions would start. Leering eyes, perverted men, business men away from their families cheating on their wives, young single hot blooded males of all sizes and colours each �turned on� and wanting a good time. It didn�t take long for Sharon to attract clients, due to her looks, so within half an hour she would be trekking back to her apartment with her latest "trick," as the girls called them.

If being a prostitute were only undressing, having sex, showering and showing a man out, it would be easy. But men wanted to talk. They had wives at home that did her job. No they wanted to talk, to stroke her, to try new things and ask all sorts of questions. They didn�t feel the need often to be clean, for in their eyes she was a slut. They groped, twisted pulled and played with her like she was some sort of gadget in a garage. They smoked; they drank, farted, burped, and said profanities they wouldn�t dare to at home.

A large proportion of them wanted oral sex. Something a lot of females out there in the community weren�t partial too. This was fine. Sharon didn�t mind pleasing her clients this way. The better she was in fact, the less time they spent having sex with her, and the less sore she was at the end of each night. But men seemed to have an infatuation with their dicks and it was their insistence that she bow to them and praise them that ate into her soul. Many excused their presence with her, by saying they only wanted her to go down on them. Still, it seemed important for them to make out that she was too dirty to do anything else.

Sure, Sharon was tough skinned. And when she had a rude client, she dismissed him as a jerk. He would be a jerk all of his life, but she only had to spend an hour with him. It was a good strategy and it protected her soul in most cases. From time to time one man�s rudeness would be obsessive and he�d manage to get through her defenses and take a nick out of her. She�d cope, she�d recover and then out of the blue there was another. Over the years, these jerks had nicked away quite a hole in her soul, and recovering each time was getting harder.

To a hardened women this may be fine. They dealt with it easy. But to Sharon, it was taking its toll. She knew she had to get out soon. She didn�t have much left to give her the will to smile these days.

Over the years, she had met some terrific guys. Some of the men really did care for her so much that they sent her mail, some of which had money in it. A number of these men would move on after a while and the mail would stop; yet, it pleased Sharon to know that at least, some guys cared. The notion out there that men aren�t emotional and don�t have feelings was garbage to Sharon.

Like a taxi driver or a hairdresser, Sharon seemed to hear a lot of other people�s problems. Probably because she posed no threat and her services were conducive to putting men at ease. Some of her clients really cared about their wives but couldn�t communicate with them. Their sex lives had fallen into a state of non- existence for any number of reasons and the guys would use her services to release their bodily needs while still deeply loving their wives.

It was interesting to see, from Sharon�s perspective as the �other woman,� that the men truly did love their wives and that she really wasn�t any threat to them. She sometimes wished, as she saw the anguish these guys were going through, that she could write to their wives and tell them the problem and the remedy as she saw it.

Yet sadly, Sharon�s job was a peculiar one that had to stay behind closed doors forever. It didn�t allow for much social life and she couldn�t introduce herself at a BBQ or dinner party as a prostitute. Not that she went to any dinner parties or BBQ�s anyway. Her life inside her bedroom, like that of other working girls, had to remain a secret. That made it harder, also, to break out of the job and the cycle, because it would be difficult to maintain a facade to a wide range of people.

Of course, the temptation to leave with a client was always there. But they were men who used prostitutes. They were tricks and nothing more. From time to time, a nice one would cross her path. But her job was to have men pay. When a man wasn�t paying, she wasn�t having sex. It was that simple. If she�d met some of these great guys outside of the Cross. Maybe on a ferry, or whilst sitting at a bus stop, that would be different.

But even then there was a problem. It takes a pretty understanding guy to accept his girlfriend sleeping with thirty other men a week. In fact, the type of man who could accept that were normally no-hopers who only wanted to be the man to bludge off her. And if per chance she did run across a man she could tell the truth to, and he understood her work, and still he was a wonderful guy, it was only a matter of time before the job wrecked the relationship.

After sleeping with eight guys in a night, the last thing a women wanted to do is make love to a boyfriend. No matter how sweet he was. It�s just impossible to turn off. If that man is so sweet and understanding and says sex isn�t important, it still is in jeopardy, as she would feel guilty for not making love. So whilst she was a prostitute, relationships with adorable men were an accepted impossibility.

Of course, she could lie to a man. She could say she works in a bar, or some job in hospitality. But what a way to start a relationship. With dishonesty. The wrong foundation to start with. Then the race would be on to get the relationship serious so she could leave the profession and get a job before the man was any wiser. And if she met a gentleman, and she lied, and she was happily in love with him and he with her, she�d have to quit the needle and that would make everything impossible to pull off. What sort of sweet guy would fall in love with a junkie anyway?

It intrigued Sharon that, although others profess to live in an honest world that thrives on the truth, that same world can�t handle the real truth. She had so often heard the saying that some things are better left unsaid and although she could see the reasoning behind it, it also didn�t allow her to talk about anything close to her.

She reasoned who wants to know that you have grown up with an alcoholic father, who sexually abused you at age 8 through to 13? Who would believe you anyway? Who wanted to know that you made your living by having sexual relations with hundreds of guys a year? Who wanted to know that you could support three families on welfare with the money you put up your arm every week? Sharon earns over $ 2000 a week and spends half of it on a drug that is killing her slowly, yet every day is providing a deterrent from pulling the pin on her life. Who wants to know that you haven�t any real concept of love, you have no goals, no direction in life, no ambition, no great desire to live, no answers for anyone and not the faintest idea how to alter the pattern of your life. Sharon had accepted that this was the road she had chosen and the end was inevitable...

Her mind reeled back to yesterday�s events. Recalling Joanne�s experience with her stepfather made her ill. The thought of her father touching her after all these years repulsed her. As she stood there thinking, she heard some footsteps coming into the kitchen.

*******

Peter woke with a start. It had been a long night. His dreams were so vivid, as though he was actually physically in them. He got up and sat on the edge of his bed. Slipping his feet into his slippers, he was careful to be quiet so as not to disturb his wife. He left the bedroom and went into his study. Once in the study he switched on the light and went to his desk.

Panic streamed through his body... His study wore the marks of his wife�s tidying up. Everything stacked neatly in its place. His heart raced. Had his wife seen anything? One of his tapes, the recording of Mike and Sharon, was out of its cover and in the tape recorder.

Nervously he switched the tape player on and pushed the play button...

*******

A fly was walking on Mike�s face. He swept it away, only for it to return and climb into his ear. Once again, with his eyes still closed, he brushed it away. It came back immediately and frustrated, he woke to see Loran tickling him with a feather.

"Feel like a little exercise." She said putting her lips to his mouth.

"I�m always ready for exercise. Don�t you know me by now?" He reached for her.

"Well good, she gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek and got out of bed. "I�ve got a job for you this morning."

"Hey" he moaned what abou..."

Loran cut him off, her finger pointing at him mischievously. "You�ve had enough of a good thing these last couple of nights. I can�t spoil you." Her silk nightie showed an outline of the body he admired so much. He sat up in the bed, hair uncombed with a smile on his face.

Looking across to where she had walked out onto the veranda he could see what looked like a five star buffet breakfast. There was bacon, toast, grilled tomato, and other things he couldn�t see clearly from the bed. The smell of bacon wafted in. In anticipation, he struggled to disentangle his foot from a sheet as Loran called to him to hurry up.

"Come on my strong one. Here�s a man�s breakfast for the man who made love to me last night."He looked so attractive in his silk boxer shorts. He was good looking, so compassionate and thoughtful.

"I was proud of you last night Mike. You were so nice to Dave. You�re different to all the guys I�ve ever known. You�re sweet and you do nice things."

Mike had just taken a seat, and was wiping the sleep from his eyes. He couldn�t believe her either. For two nights in a row, he had made love into the early hours of the morning. For two mornings she had been so considerate. Here, she had cooked a perfect breakfast, while telling him what a nice guy he was. He doubted he�d ever woken up like this in his whole life. Mike had never been one to beat around the bush. He was twenty-nine now and had long known what he liked in a woman. Loran fitted that picture in every way imaginable.

"Loran?"

"Yes." she answered, looking up to meet his gaze as she stooped to serve his breakfast.

"I love you."

Loran�s eyes just melted. Her mind was ringing out those three magic words as they kept playing in her ears. She had heard those words before, only to be let down. This time she knew they were for real. Mike loved her. She�d been attracted to him for years. Though, as she had spent the last two days with him, she had come to love him.

"Thank you for breakfast. I don�t know if I have ever been as happy as this before. Meeting and being with you, after such a long while, is just overwhelming. I�m just so happy to wake up to you each morning. Everything is almost perfect. However, something is just not right."

"What�s not right Mike?" Loran wasn�t worried at all. She knew Mike to be resourceful and honest. She knew he would fix whatever was bugging him. If something wasn�t right, she knew him to be a man of conviction who wouldn�t let it go on that way.

"Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

*******

"Morning" Joanne said rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Yeah, Morning Jo."

"You all right", Jo asked putting her arm round Sharon in concern.

"I was just a little sick, but yeah I�m OK now." Sharon said with a cough, clearing her throat." There�s some gear over there if you want some, a needle in the usual place, orange juice in the fridge as well as some food. Help yourself, I�m going to have a shower. See ya when I get out."

Tracy was up. She�d given Tony a kiss as she rose early this morning. She�d decided to get an early start on her job hunting. "Hi Jo," she said, seeing Joanne at the refrigerator.

"Hi Tracy. How�d you sleep?"

"I had this little boy annoy me half the night but I slept okay" she smiled.

"I�m going down to prepare a resume and buy some clothes for an interview. I want an early start, so I�ll be off."

"What about some breakfast?" Joanne asked.

"I don�t normally eat breakfast." Tracy said, patting her stomach.

"I understand. Well here�s a key to my apartment. I have a spare, hidden, that I�ll use today. "Here�s the address," she said, scribbling something on a piece of paper. Get a key cut today, so I can put the spare back where it belongs. I�ll see you this afternoon probably."

"Thank you so much for all of this." Tracy said

"That�s okay Tracy. It�s a pleasure. Oh, by the way, do you know Joey�s diner?"

"Yes." Tracy replied.

"If you ever need me I�ll be there. If not, I�m with a client. If you leave a message with Joey he�ll pass it on, or else you can wait and I�ll see you when I get back. We�ll talk later tonight or tomorrow about the clients. But tonight I�ll buzz the intercom to let you know to make yourself scarce, if I have a client with me."

"Alright. I�ll be off." She opened the door and went.

Tracy left the kitchen leaving Joanne to prepare some heroin for herself. Jo was merrily humming as she drew blood into the syringe. The heroin mixed with the blood and, as she finished injecting it into her arm, Tony appeared. Embarrassed, she went to hide the needle

"Don�t worry Jo," Tony said, "I�ve seen some of the older kids on the street doing it all the time."

"Sorry."

The shower started, then stopped. Shortly after, Sharon appeared naked in the doorway in the hall between the bathroom and the bedroom. She was about to say something to Jo when she noticed a wide-eyed Tony looking at her nakedness.

She apologized to Tony and beckoned for Jo to come into the bathroom. When Jo arrived she was laughing and said "Oops!" I forgot about Tony. That probably woke him up. I�m always walking around here naked, I suppose I�ll have to get used to him being here."

"Tell me about it" Jo replied. "He just caught me taking a hit."

"Did he? What�d he say?"

"He said don�t worry, he�d seen plenty of street kids doing it, but I don�t think that�s the point. You know it�s admirable that we took both of them off the street Sharon, but have you stopped to think what an example we could be, with our drugs, our jobs, and all? I mean, how could we expect to set a good example to them when both our lives are in a mess?" Joanne asked.

"I know we haven�t got answers. But I know they�re better here than out there. I mean, we almost looked like a little family here last night. Sure we have a long way to go. There would be better homes out there for them. But I don�t see those people queuing at my door offering to help. And until a better solution comes up and presents itself, I�m going to try and help in any small way that I can. Sure I admire your concern and I must admit you�re right. We can�t offer them much, but we can do our best, which is all anyone can ever do. It�s even more then most people would ever attempt concerning a street kid. I don�t know. I�m taking him to see that cop this morning. Maybe she�ll have the answers. Anyway." changing the subject, Sharon asked, "Can you iron me a dress, please?"

"What dress do you want?

"The blue one that goes down to my ankles, conservative looking. Can you see it in there?"

"Yeah" Jo said as she took it out of Sharon�s wardrobe and carried it into the loungeroom to iron.

Tony was eating some Cornflakes as she started to iron. He came into the loungeroom a little embarrassed and when Joanne saw his face, she tried to put him at ease.

"Sorry, Tony that you saw what you did, first with me and then Sharon naked. I suppose we aren�t used to having someone around, so it may take us a little time to adjust and act accordingly." Jo offered.

Tony said" It�s okay," with a smile written across his face.

"What�s so funny," Jo inquired.

"Oh." Tony said, wiping some milk from his face, " It�s just so funny how you are trying to keep me in cotton wool. I mean, you hardly have to apologize to me when I see one of you naked. I�m a bloke aren�t I?

"Okay okay." Jo said laughing, "I�ve heard enough you little rascal" Then she added as an afterthought "She �s got a great looking body hasn�t she?"

"Yep" Tony replied holding up a thumb

A time of silence followed as Joanne began to iron Sharon�s dress and Tony sat down watching her and eating his cereal. Outside, the birds that had made a home in the high tree by the window were chirping a melody. They darted from branch to branch in a game.

The clock on the stereo cabinet read 9.05 am as the shower stopped. A little while later Sharon entered the room with two towels wrapped around her. One around her body and one in her hair.

"Sorry Tony, It�ll take a while before it sinks in that I have to think about my actions to cater for you."

"Anytime Sharon," Tony offered with a grin lighting his face.

Sharon, surprised by his grin and reply, looked at Jo for any help in deciphering Tony�s response.

"What he means to say Sharon is that he�s a bloke and you�re a fantastic looking woman. If you want to walk around the house naked he�d enjoy that and would be far from offended." Jo explained.

"So, that�s what you meant hey! You�re full of cheek. It�s Okay. I suppose it will be good to have a male around the house to offer his perspective. You�d better go and have a shower Tony. We have to be leaving soon to go down to the police station to see about you going to school." Sharon said.

Tony put his bowl in the kitchen. He ran some water over it and then retired to the spare bedroom to get some clean clothes and a towel. He seemed quite happy and content in his actions and Sharon reasoned that he must have come from a family who set a fairly good example in being orderly and clean.

She reflected that she also had had a good example in her mother, who always put things in their right place. Yet, her own laziness seemed to override that example.

"Thank for ironing my dress, Jo."

"The pleasure was all mine" she replied, as she held the freshly ironed dress to her stomach and did a turn, pretending to be wearing it.

The blue went very well with Joanne�s colouring, even more so, than with Sharon's, yet the dress was the only conservative costume Sharon had. She knew the policewoman would probably already know that she was a working girl. But it was an important meeting. And she wanted to make an impression. Even if it was just dressing conservative. She went into the bedroom and her hand began to shake as she tried to do up the zipper.

"Jo, can you give me a hand?" she called out to the loungeroom, as her friend was putting the ironing board away in the closet.

"Sure, wait a sec" Jo said, closing the closet on the ironing board.

The shower sprang to life and as Jo walked past the hallway into Sharon�s room, she could hear Tony singing.

"What�s your problem?" she said as she walked into Sharon�s room.

"I can�t seem to get the zip up. My hands are shaking." Sharon said, in a quivering voice.

Joanne reached over and pulled the zip up then turned Sharon to herself. Sharon had tears in her eyes and Joanne reached for Sharon�s hands and took them in her own.

She looked at Sharon and asked, " What�s bringing this on? "

"Oh, I suppose I�m just nervous about going down the police station with Tony. I�m worried that they will take him away and put him in a home and he�ll just end up on the streets again."

Tony represented a glimmer of success and the ability for Sharon to try and climb out of the pit she was in. It was easy for Jo to recognize this as the crux of the matter. She had practically verbalized it when talking about Tony going to school.

"Sharon, as I was walking in here I passed the shower and heard Tony singing away merrily. I suppose it isn�t much Sharon but my gut feeling says it will be okay. You could have approached this in a differently. You don�t need to see the police. But you are doing the right thing. I don�t think that is going to come against you. And what option have the cops got. Send him back to where he comes from. You saw that woman. She doesn�t act like normal cops. You are doing the right thing. Just go with it. Everything will be fine.

"Yeah, I suppose that�s all I can do. Do you think they will let me take care of him?" Sharon asked.

"Let�s not worry about that. Let�s just get you looking okay. Then we�ll see what will happen.

As she was saying it Joanne stroked Sharon�s hair. After grabbing a brush, she sat Sharon down on a seat in front of the dresser. With long measured strokes combined with a blow dryer she started transforming her friend�s hair.

Sharon smiled in the mirror to Joanne and mouthed the words "I love you".

Joanne responded likewise. Tony knocked on the door. Gee you�re looking good."

"Come in," Sharon said.

Tony opened the door and came in.

"Gee you�re looking good."

"Your pretty fine looking yourself" he replied.

"Yeah, she scrubs up pretty well doesn�t she!" Joanne agreed.

"I�m almost ready, Tony. Can you do me a favour and put the kettle on? I may have a coffee before we leave."

"Okay," Tony said, as he turned on his heel towards the door.

"And Tony?"

Tony turned.

"I love you" Sharon said.

Tony smiled, acknowledging that he�d heard, but, feeling a little embarrassed, he shrugged his shoulders and left the room.

"That was sweet Shazza," Jo confided.

"Yeah, it�s true, and what�s more I think we�re growing on him."

After a few minutes, Joanne announced "There you are, all ready. You look pretty good, girl"

Sharon blushed behind her make up and turned to give Joanne a kiss. Just as she caught Joanne in an affectionate hug Tony walked in with the coffee. Both girls looked over at him as he entered. He had a confused look of embarrassment on his face. He put the coffee down on the dresser, to where Sharon motioned. Both girls simultaneously burst into laughter.

"Do you want us to strip off and have a big orgy? Joanne said, laughing. "I mean there really isn�t much more you could see this morning. We may as well get it all over with"

Tony, released from his embarrassment by Jo�s words took his shirt off and in a fit of laughter said "I�m keen" With that they all erupted in laughter.