Maggie rushed outside where Rock was waiting.
“They hired me,” she gushed, feeling relieved.
Rock smiled. “Good. It’s a good thing for you this worked out. I’m makin’ some other changes too. You’re moving in with Juju, for starters. The other thing is, instead of trolling the Avenue, I’m gonna set ya up with clients in the apartments we use for our hourly customers. I’ll tell them you’re a stripper, and that’ll bring them in. This way I can keep track of your tricks so ya can’t rip me off anymore.”
Maggie thought about what Rock just said, and her excitement mounted at moving in with Juju and Seth. It didn’t matter that they would be living on top of each other in the small, rundown, studio apartment. The only thing that really mattered was they would be together.
“Sure, Rock,” she said casually, trying to hide her excitement. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Damn fuckin’ straight you’ll do whatever I want,” Rock mumbled as he walked toward his car with Maggie following closely behind him.
During the drive back to Kensington, Rock explained that he would be “loaning” her money for new costumes, and she would have to pay it back.
“Armando will drop ya off and pick ya up for your shifts. Don’t even think of pulling any funny shit ’cause I’ll have people on the inside watching ya. No lying, no stealing, no bullshit, or you and your friends will pay the consequences. This is the last chance you’re gonna get,” he warned.
Maggie watched out the window of the car as the road raced by them. She remembered when she was a little girl, staring out the window, watching the scenery whiz by when her parents took Keith and her to New York for a day. Back then, the road was leading her on a magical journey to a big city filled with excitement. Now, as the trees became a green blur, her heart ached for the life she’d lost, and she wondered if she’d ever have that exhilarating feeling again.
When they got back to the house of whores, Maggie walked into the shared living area and began to gather her measly belongings, while Armando and Rock talked privately in the other room. Finally, the two men emerged. Armando told Maggie how everything was going to work.
“You’re gonna work the latest shift ya can at Doubles and as many of them as ya can get. When ya ain’t dancin’, you’ll be entertainin’ some high-end clients,” Armando said.
By high-end clients, Armando meant people who were willing to pay by the hour.
Maggie nodded. “Right. Can I go now?” She was chomping at the bit to get back to Juju’s and tell them her news.
Rocked pulled out his handgun and placed it against Maggie’s temple. “One more thing,” he added. “If ya try to run or contact anyone, remember that I’ll kill you, Seth, Juju, and your whole fuckin’ family. There ain’t nowhere ya can hide from me.”
The seriousness with which Rock made his threat made Maggie’s insides quiver. She knew Rock’s long reach and was certain he’d kill all of them if she dared to try to escape his clutches.
“Be back here at seven o’clock tonight. I got your first client lined up,” Armando chimed in.
Once outside, Maggie tore down the street toward Juju’s. When she got to the apartment, she burst through the door, bending over to catch her breath. Juju and Seth sat on the mattress, the small television blaring cartoons into the tiny space.
“What happened, Aggie?” Seth squealed, running to her.
“I just got the best news ever,” Maggie managed between breaths.
“What? What is it?” Seth asked, waiting in anticipation to hear the good news.
“We are all going to live together,” she revealed, a single tear gliding down her cheek.
Seth threw his arms around Maggie’s legs and hugged her tightly. Juju walked over, beaming, and put her arm over her friend’s shoulder.
“How the hell did you pull that off?” Juju asked, hoping it was for real.
Maggie winked at Juju. “Oh, it just worked itself out. We can talk about all that later.”
It only took a second for Juju to catch on that Maggie didn’t want to discuss it in front of Seth. She hoped her friend hadn’t made a bad deal or taken on more than she had bargained for. Later, when she learned the truth, she was surprised by Rock’s actions—pleasantly surprised, of course—but she felt there must be more to it than he’d let on to Maggie.
Later that day, before Maggie was to return to the house of whores to meet Armando, the three took a bus into South Philly for an early dinner. Maggie had wanted to try a particular place she’d overheard some of the other hookers talking about.
Thirty minutes later, Maggie, Juju, and Seth were standing outside the Melrose Diner on Snyder Avenue. The building looked as if it were made of glass and aluminum foil. There was a clock shaped like a coffee mug set in the middle of the restaurant sign.
Inside, there were red vinyl benches, Formica tables, and lots of chrome. The floor was black-and-white checkerboard tile. This wasn’t a restaurant made to recreate the past; it was a real part of old South Philly, and aside from a few upgrades, the place had remained the same for over fifty years.
The waitress, a woman clearly in her late sixties, moseyed over to the table and greeted them with a welcoming smile. “Well, now. Welcome to the Melrose Diner. Have you dined with us before?”
Maggie politely responded, “No ma’am. This is our first time. We heard wonderful things about this place.”
The waitress nodded and gave them all a hearty smile. “You heard right. Everybody who knows goes to Melrose,” she recited loyally. “That’s our motto here. Take a look at the menu, and I’ll be back to see how you’re doing in a couple of minutes.”
When she walked away, Seth leaned over to Maggie. “Can you read it to me, Aggie?”
“What do you mean? You can read it yourself,” Maggie responded in a happy voice.
Seth opened the menu and began looking through it. When the waitress came back to take their orders, Seth was last. “What can I get cha, hon?” she asked Seth.
He opened the menu and pointed to a picture of a Belgian waffle with home fries and bacon.
“Can I have everything in this picture?” Seth asked.
“You sure can. Good choice, little man.” She rushed off to put in their order.
Maggie and Juju exchanged concerned glances. Maggie leaned into Seth. “What’s going on? How come you pointed to the picture?”
Seth’s eyes instantly turned red as his tears began to spill over. “’Cause I can’t read,” he stated sadly and pressed his chin into his chest.
When Maggie put her arm around him and pulled him into her, Seth began to cry openly. “Thelma wouldn’t let me do any homework. She wouldn’t help me. Said I was a stupid idiot. I-I-I just don’t know how to do it,” he stuttered.
“Don’t your teachers notice?” Juju asked.
“They don’t care either. They say just as long as I’m being good and actin’ like a human bein’,” he said, repeating the words his teachers had impressed on him over the years, “then I can stay outta trouble.”
Maggie gently lifted Seth’s chin with her hand. “No one knows you like I do. You’re a smart boy, and when you grow up, you can be anything you want to be. You don’t have to be upset. I’m going to teach you how to read. Trust me.”
Seth put his arms around Maggie’s waist and held onto her while he sobbed, and his tension melted away. He hated being the stupid kid in class. He wanted to be like everyone else. He pulled away from Maggie and looked up at her. “When will you teach me?”
“We’ll start today,” Maggie promised.