sleep for a few days, but she had to ask some questions first.
She pulled the chair over next to the bed. “Jessica, how old are you?”
“16.” Jessica opened her eyes, giving Sara a cautious, wide-eyed look.
“Did you run away from home?”
“Yes.”
“Would you go back if you could?”
“No way,” Jessica whispered.
Sara nodded, just to show it was OK. Home life was as bad as Manny then. Worse probably. She switched subjects. “If you tried to get a job, is there anyone who could watch Zoey for you?”
“Oh yeah, my best friend Amanda. She has a baby too. She works Ceasar's.”
“For Manny?”
Jessica nodded.
“Does Manny have a lot of girls?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how many, but he’s got a house that 7 or so sleep at.”
“Do you sleep there?”
“Sometimes, if I don’t have anywhere else to sleep. But I don’t like to because a couple of the girls are dangerous. One night while I was still pregnant I woke up being choked by a girl who didn’t like me.”
“Do any of the rest of Manny’s girls want to get away from him?”
“Amanda does, and Julie does. And yeah, there’s more. Julie actually tried to go home and Manny found her at the bus station. He beat her up and cut her face.”
Jessica’s lip quivered and she scooted closer to baby Zoey.
Sara nodded. “Where can I find Manny right now?”
Jessica looked at the clock. “He’s probably making rounds. He could be anywhere. But he’ll be at his house tonight.” Jessica gave her the address. “What are you going to do? Are you going to mention me?” she asked in a small voice.
“I’m not going to mention you, don’t worry. I’m just going to convince him that he’d be better off in another line of work.”
Jessica looked doubtful. She nodded, then smoothed baby Zoey’s hair and laid her head down on the pillow.
Sara got up. “Jessica, I have a ton of things to do. I’m going to leave you a key, but you can’t go out of the room OK? First thing, I’m going to go and get you some food, and then I have to go back to my own hotel for a little bit, and tomorrow or the next day I’m going to come and see you and we can talk a bit about your new life. For now, you stay right here and don’t go anywhere.”
Jessica nodded. “I’m just going to sleep, Brook. Thank you so much.”
“One more thing Jessica,” Sara opened her purse and got out two bills. Here’s $200. I’m giving it to you in case you don’t hear from me again for a few days. I’m planning on coming soon, but just in case. If you need to, order some food, but don’t leave the room, OK?”
Jessica’s eyes went wide again. She watched the two hundreds move from Sara’s hand to the dresser and nodded slowly.
Sara thought leaving the key and leaving money were unavoidable. She would take care of Manny tonight or tomorrow night, no matter what. He was too dangerous to leave any longer than that. But you never knew what else could happen in two days. She didn’t want to leave Jessica and the baby without any options. Plus, if Jessica took the money and took off, Sara would know that she wasn’t ready to be helped. And then all she could do would be get rid of Manny and pray to whatever God would still listen that Jessica found help at some point. She didn’t think Jessica would take off though. She didn’t have any needle marks and she wasn’t high and she wasn’t jonesing, that was obvious. She cared enough about the baby to stay away from drugs, as hard as that probably was in her current circumstances. To Sara, all signs pointed to a person who was ready and willing to do whatever it took to get off the streets and in charge of her own life. Becoming a mother oftentimes did that to girls. It turned them into women.
Sara left the room. She went to the store in the lobby and filled three bags with enough junk food to make Jessica very happy and possibly very sick if she ate it all at once. She returned to the room and slipped the
She pulled the chair over next to the bed. “Jessica, how old are you?”
“16.” Jessica opened her eyes, giving Sara a cautious, wide-eyed look.
“Did you run away from home?”
“Yes.”
“Would you go back if you could?”
“No way,” Jessica whispered.
Sara nodded, just to show it was OK. Home life was as bad as Manny then. Worse probably. She switched subjects. “If you tried to get a job, is there anyone who could watch Zoey for you?”
“Oh yeah, my best friend Amanda. She has a baby too. She works Ceasar's.”
“For Manny?”
Jessica nodded.
“Does Manny have a lot of girls?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how many, but he’s got a house that 7 or so sleep at.”
“Do you sleep there?”
“Sometimes, if I don’t have anywhere else to sleep. But I don’t like to because a couple of the girls are dangerous. One night while I was still pregnant I woke up being choked by a girl who didn’t like me.”
“Do any of the rest of Manny’s girls want to get away from him?”
“Amanda does, and Julie does. And yeah, there’s more. Julie actually tried to go home and Manny found her at the bus station. He beat her up and cut her face.”
Jessica’s lip quivered and she scooted closer to baby Zoey.
Sara nodded. “Where can I find Manny right now?”
Jessica looked at the clock. “He’s probably making rounds. He could be anywhere. But he’ll be at his house tonight.” Jessica gave her the address. “What are you going to do? Are you going to mention me?” she asked in a small voice.
“I’m not going to mention you, don’t worry. I’m just going to convince him that he’d be better off in another line of work.”
Jessica looked doubtful. She nodded, then smoothed baby Zoey’s hair and laid her head down on the pillow.
Sara got up. “Jessica, I have a ton of things to do. I’m going to leave you a key, but you can’t go out of the room OK? First thing, I’m going to go and get you some food, and then I have to go back to my own hotel for a little bit, and tomorrow or the next day I’m going to come and see you and we can talk a bit about your new life. For now, you stay right here and don’t go anywhere.”
Jessica nodded. “I’m just going to sleep, Brook. Thank you so much.”
“One more thing Jessica,” Sara opened her purse and got out two bills. Here’s $200. I’m giving it to you in case you don’t hear from me again for a few days. I’m planning on coming soon, but just in case. If you need to, order some food, but don’t leave the room, OK?”
Jessica’s eyes went wide again. She watched the two hundreds move from Sara’s hand to the dresser and nodded slowly.
Sara thought leaving the key and leaving money were unavoidable. She would take care of Manny tonight or tomorrow night, no matter what. He was too dangerous to leave any longer than that. But you never knew what else could happen in two days. She didn’t want to leave Jessica and the baby without any options. Plus, if Jessica took the money and took off, Sara would know that she wasn’t ready to be helped. And then all she could do would be get rid of Manny and pray to whatever God would still listen that Jessica found help at some point. She didn’t think Jessica would take off though. She didn’t have any needle marks and she wasn’t high and she wasn’t jonesing, that was obvious. She cared enough about the baby to stay away from drugs, as hard as that probably was in her current circumstances. To Sara, all signs pointed to a person who was ready and willing to do whatever it took to get off the streets and in charge of her own life. Becoming a mother oftentimes did that to girls. It turned them into women.
Sara left the room. She went to the store in the lobby and filled three bags with enough junk food to make Jessica very happy and possibly very sick if she ate it all at once. She returned to the room and slipped the
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