Page 21 of Lesson on Depravity

The default tone is what I leave for strange numbers. I fight the naughty hands around my waist and reach over to get the device. It vibrates harshly on my palm, and I read the number; it’s an area code close to this neighborhood, yet it’s telling me that the city is not near here.

Daddy peeks at the screen, eyebrows knotting towards the middle as he tries to take it away from me. I dodge with practiced twists and flawlessly avoided his hand, but I receive a well-deserved chide from his baritone voice.

I bat my lashes at him, pecking his lips for forgiveness before handling the call.

Someone on the other end introduces themselves as the representative of Intergrade, and they would like to hire me for the job position that I have always wanted. Immediately red flags wave aggressively in my head because I didn’t even put in my resume yet and I clearly remember that I need to write a cover letter for them to even consider me.

I haven’t done any of that yet, and here they are, telling me that I can start the job tomorrow. They will send information through my email later this afternoon, and they want me to be at work by nine in the morning.

I ask them what’s going on and they confirmed that they have sufficient information provided by a sponsor named Jessabelle. I didn’t recognize the last name, so it must be that “aunt’s” husband’s last name.

The woman on the line assures me that it’s not a scam, and I can look through every piece of information with a fine-tooth comb, and I intend to look up the number and email address when the email comes.

This is too good to be true, and that Jessabelle woman doesn’t gain anything from doing this to me.

I don’t have anything to do today, and I want to find out what kind of a sick joke this is. When I hang up the phone, I turn to Daddy with a heavy heart and confused thoughts.

I explain to him what had just happened, and he doesn’t take it too lightly, but he doesn’t outright tell me what he’s thinking. The darker specs in his eyes are deceptively reined in, and his face does not betray his thoughts as he lingers his touch on my face.

“Alright,” he begins, and I hold my breath; his words are slow and deliberately cool. “We will go check it out.”

I choke on the air entering my lungs, and I never expected him to take the initiative on something that is highly doubtful. It could just be a joke being played, and this is just one big scheme of whatever that Jessabelle woman had planned because her money had allowed her to do every exciting activity.

Now she’s searching for entertainment by playing with my mind and my feelings. I don’t like having my emotions being tugged, especially about the sensitive topic of family and the future that I dream of having.

“Now?” I stutter.

Disbelief clashes with impassiveness. He and I stare at each other through the silence. My hand is limp, and he takes my phone from my fingers. The sudden lightness on my palm throws my hand down on my lap.

“Did you have something else in mind, baby?”

I wasn’t going to entertain that thought, but now he wants to get to the bottom of it. I somewhat want answers to why that woman’s sudden presence in my life makes my days more complicated.

I don’t need this trouble because my life is going fine; I have Daddy with me, and I’m working towards my goal of leaving this neighborhood by getting the position at Intergrade. I want to do all of that with my own power, and I don’t want help from anyone.

Daddy had done so much for me, and I can’t trouble him any further. This is my life, and I want control over it.

“I was thinking of going by myself.”

His attention to me is attentive but undemanding. He wants to come with me, but he is a busy man, and I don’t want to take up his time. This all could turn out to be a hoax, and nothing will happen to me in the heart of the city during broad daylight.

This is essentially a mess with me in the middle, and I’d hate to drag Daddy into a joke. Also, he’s not exactly an upstanding citizen that pays taxes. If the FBI isn’t after him for his criminal organization of gun business, then the IRS is after him for not paying taxes like every single human being that is alive on this planet.

In his own territory, he can make a lot of things go away, and the police don’t want to mess with him. In the heart of the city, it’s a different story with a different set of departments run by the government.

I’m just a girl looking for a job, and I haven’t done anything illegal, and I can feign ignorance to anything the police throw at me because I really don’t know what Daddy does other than selling guns.

“I want you to have your phone on and with you at all times.” His rule isn’t overbearing, so I agree with a nod.

“Also,” he adds within the next breath. “Call me every thirty minutes.”

I don’t question the frequency of the calls, but I do think that every hour should be sufficient to make sure he knows that I’m alright.

“Okay.” I nod again.

I want to be able to return home by nighttime, so it’s best if I leave now. I want to resolve this as quickly as possible without much trouble along the way. Daddy stands from his kneeling position and lay a quick kiss to my temple. The comfort of his arms around me soothes the nasty thumps in my heart.

“I’ll be quick,” I assure him with a smile, and he walks me out of the house.

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