Juju was standing only five feet away when she heard Maggie tell a man sitting in his car that she wouldn’t get in. “I don’t get into cars. If you want something from me, we have to go back into the field behind these buildings,” Maggie stated, pointing off to her right.
Juju couldn’t hear what the man said; his words were jumbled. But she watched Maggie take a step backward as he sped off.
“What was that about?” Juju asked Maggie.
“Remind me to tell you later. I have to keep moving. It’s been a slow night, and at the rate I’m going, I’ll be out here until tomorrow morning trying to make my quota. My feet are killing me, and I’m just tired. Why do men like these stinking high heels? Why can’t they be turned on by slippers?” Maggie joked.
“I don’t know why. Because they’ve all been trained to like chicks in fuck-me pumps. Anyway, when are you comin’ over?” Juju asked.
Maggie rubbed her temple. “In the morning. That’s when I’m always over, Juju,” she said, jabbing Juju in the belly.
The next morning, as soon as Juju set a cup of coffee in front of Maggie, she asked, “So what is it you were going to tell me about the guy in the car last night? You looked scared out of your mind.”
“Ugh! That’s because I was scared out of my mind. I have this thing about getting into cars with men I don’t know. I get this intense fear that seizes my entire body. I read about stuff like this. I think I have post-traumatic stress disorder,” Maggie explained simply.
“Huh? Post what?” Juju asked, her face scrunched in confusion.
“Post-traumatic stress, it’s what happens to people when they have been through something really bad. I think it comes from John William forcing me into his van. So now, every time a john wants me to get into his car, I freak. I can almost always convince them to go into the field, but every once in a while, like that guy last night, they get pissed off,” Maggie rambled.
“Aren’t you afraid Armando will find out about this?” Juju asked, concerned for Maggie’s safety.
“Yeah, I am. But I’m more afraid to get into a car with a john than I am of being caught by Armando. It’s everything I can do not to run in the other direction. I can feel myself start to panic. I break into a cold sweat. It’s a horrible feeling, and it gives me the creeps. Don’t tell anyone; I don’t need it getting around,” Maggie stated, suddenly feeling vulnerable even talking to Juju about it.
Maggie was petrified to do anything wrong, worried that Armando would put her back in the box in the upstairs closet or something even worse. The thought of getting into a car with a stranger terrified her. She was afraid every time she walked off with a john that he was going to hurt her. She was frightened that the other girls would do something to get her in trouble. But the worse fear of all was her constant worry that Thelma would do something to harm Seth.
The months passed quickly, and before Maggie knew it, it was Thanksgiving. She tended to think about her family more during the holidays than at any other time of the year. On the morning before Thanksgiving, Maggie, Seth, and Juju were sitting on the curb in front of Seth’s elementary school. The girls still met him every morning; it had become a ritual. When Seth finished his doughnut, Maggie stood. “OK, Seth. You have to get into school now. I won’t see you tomorrow or Friday because it’s Thanksgiving, and you’re off from school,” she informed him.
Seth clung to her. “I hate it when I don’t get to see you, Aggie. Thelma said I ain’t good enough to have Tanksgiving dinner. I have to stay at home with her. I hate it there, and I hate Thelma,” he yelled, frustrated.
“I know you do, but this is just temporary. Before you know it, we’ll be living together again, and you won’t have put up with Thelma anymore,” Maggie said.
“Fine.” Seth pouted. “But I hope she doesn’t keep hitting me. I hate it when she hits me. It’s better when she just makes me stay outside. Even being cold doesn’t hurt as much as when she whacks me,” he whined.
Maggie fought her natural urge to walk to Rock’s house and beat the shit out of Thelma. Afraid Seth would see her anger and that would scare him more, she put on her sweetest smile. “Does Rock see Thelma hitting you?”
“Yeah, she puts out her hand, and he takes off his belt and gives it to her. Then she hits me with it. See?” Seth said, lifting the back of his shirt.
“Holy shit!” Maggie blurted, staring at the marks on his back.
She leaned into Seth, taking him into her arms. “I won’t ever leave you. I’m going to get you out of there. Do you believe me?” she asked, fighting back tears.
Seth nodded. Then with his head hung low, he walked into the elementary school, where he would spend a few painless hours before he would have to go home for the long, four-day weekend.