The Pursuit of the Unknown

PARTY THE TOWN RED!

HAZEL POV

“Rosa! Wait for me! I said I was sorry! I didn’t mean to lead you out that night. It’s just that I was scared and had no one to talk to apart from you. Please understand” Hazel said, guilt gnawing at her insides.

“You never cared to check if I arrived well after I found out that you were perfectly fine. I had to drop the study group for you Hazel! Why are you always causing problems for me?!” Risa retorted to her best friend, clearly having it to the limited wherever Hazel was concerned.

“I already said I was sorry! Okay, let me make it up to you? After school today, let’s go to the City N nightclub. It’ll be fun I promise!” Hazel pleaded with her.

“No! I can’t go to a nightclub Hazel! I have a ton of assignments I need to complete. Why do you always go out at night anyway Hazel? What’s going on with you?” Rosa said, having made an observation in Hazel’s behavior. Hazel sensed that Rosa was about to discover her well kept secret and immediately shouted at her,

“Why are you always in my business Rosa?! I thought you don’t care about me! Wit what right are you interfering in my life? Just because you and I are friends doesn’t mean you can judge me or tell me what I can or can’t do!”

“Whoa! Haze, I only asked a question because I care about you, that’s all. I am not poking my nose into your business – it was you that called me that night and I cant help but realize these days you are always out at night, and return tired and moody in the mornings. You sometimes skip class or come in the morning with your clothes rumpled and your hair reeking of dry shampoo. This isn’t you Haze, please tell me what’s going on.” Rosa gently replied to her friend. It broke Hazel’s heart to keep her friend in the dark about the shameful double life she was leading. She had no choice though, bills had to be paid and college tuition is not exactly a joke.

“So, you can lecture and degrade me at every chance you get, no! Leave me the hell alone” Hazel screamed, tears streaming down her face, ashamed to face her childhood friend and the disappointment she fears to see in her eyes.

“Okay, okay I’ll go the nightclub with you, but I need to finish that last chapter on Advanced Auditing then we can go and party the town red – happy now? Please stop crying, you know how ugly you look when you cry. Come on, wipe that phlegm away...”

“Rosa! I can’t believe how insensitive you are,” Hazel said chasing after her friend, laughing her heart out. “I’ll pick you up at 2300HRS. Don’t make me regret ever taking you there Rosa, you can be a headache sometimes.”

“Well, I aim to please senorita, bye. I’ll see you later.” Rosa said playfully before heading for class.

Just as Hazel was about to head to the library to catch up on her studies, she receives a call from a private number. Hesitantly, she picks it up, “Hello, who is this?”

“Where the hell are you?! Didn’t I tell you to be here by 1600?! What do you think I run here? A charity? If you are not here in 15 minutes, there will be hell to pay.” And with that, the man hung up, leaving Hazel rattled and scared for her life.  Quickly, she left and went to meet the man. ‘When will this end?’ she thought to herself.

Getting to the destination she was expected to be, she walks into the shabby looking building and was greeted by a horrible stench at the entrance. “Finally, the princess arrives! Get here, stupid girl! There is work for you to do – you come at my beck and call; I don’t care what you do during the day- this is the only job you should consider okay?! Your father owes me a lot of money!” the ugly man said, grabbing Hazel by her hair and pulling her into an unkempt room that was dimly lit. Ten minutes later, a man in his late forties walks in and looks at Hazel with lust-filled eyes.

“What a pretty little thing! I hope you just as good in bed little girl. Come on, satisfy me!” said the man, impatiently trying to pull Hazel close to him. As Hazel struggled, she remembered a trick her late father taught her, she quickly slipped tranquilizer in the man’s whisky glass and coaxed him to drink from it first.

“Don’t you want to have a drink first? To relax, in the meantime I’ll go get prepared for you.” She cooed, internally reeling in disgust. She crossed her fingers making a prayer that the man drink the whisky she spiked.  When she came back from her restroom, she found the man lying on the bed completely knocked out and she thanked her lucky stars that nothing happened. She took the money from the man’s pocket, 600 dollars in total and waited for fifteen more minutes before leaving the room to meet her pimp. “I am done, here is the money.” She said, handing over the money to Cisco.

“Good job, little slut! You may leave for now, but keep looking for customers, work the streets and make me money girl!” he says, spit flying out his mouth. At the time he said that, Hazel was already on her way out of there. She stood in the sunlight and appreciated that nothing happened to her. Her gratitude was short-lived though, she soon received another call, ‘What is it with that ugly man now?!’ “Yes Cisco,”

“One more thing, I hear you are headed to the club? You know what to do little girl.” With that, he hung up. Hazel ran before he could call her again and, on the way back, she remembered her study meeting with Rosa. She quickened her steps lest her friend finds out that she was not in school. After arriving, she felt uneasy so put an extra layer of perfume to mask the cigar scent she had on her from the man who just tried to r**e her.  She entered the school and headed for her dorm room where she found Rosa waiting for her by the door. “Oh! You arrived early! I wasn’t expecting you,” Hazel said with a smile.

“I arrived a few minutes ago, you coming from class?” Rosa asked her friend who at the time looked a little disheveled. Hazel noticed her quick eye and remembered how sharp her friend is. Trying to downplay everything she said lightheartedly,

“Oh yeah! I came from class had to make a home run, you know, nature called and girl! I had to take that call; it was quite urgent that I do.” Hazel said with a laugh and short while later, Rosa joined and they both shared a hearty laughter before getting into her room and studying for the next round of final exams they had for their final year. At this, Hazel looked at Rosa and quietly thanked God that she met Rosa at such a critical moment of her life – she had to work as an escort at nights to pay off the loan shark her deceased father got entangled with and left all the consequences for her to deal with. Although she loathed the very idea of having a man touch her, she had to do it for the sake of her sick mother and young siblings who were still struck by her father’s death.

The heavy load she carried, having to take care of her family while trying to pay the family debts and to top it all off, having to complete school – at times she wanted to end things and take her life. It was times as these, that she appreciated Rosa’s grounding presence in her life. She unconsciously reached out and touched Rosa on her head with tears in her eyes, ‘ Thank you for not leaving me when I needed you Rosa- everyone walked out on me and you stayed no matter what, thank you’. This alarmed Rosa who was neck deep in study material, “Hey, Haze, you good?”

“Yeah, I am fine, I am just thinking of how you have always been around me, annoying the hell out of me my whole life. That’s all” wiping away a tear.

“You sure that’s all? You looking a bit emotional over there,”

“You are crazy, I am not emotional stupid! Carry on studying dumbo!”

“Okay fine. You too keep studying! Over here touching my head and stuff – keep your hands to yourself, Miss emotional!” and at this. They both laughed out loud. A few hours later, they both prepared to end the Friday night at City N. As final year students at the local university, they wanted to celebrate their successful stay at the institution and so they wanted to end on a high note.

Pulling her best friend’s hand, Hazel said, “Come on bookworm, lets party the town red!” with that they entered the fanciest nightclub and danced - hard. “Rosa, I am coming, let me try to get us some drinks, okay? Don’t go anywhere,” she said heading to the bar.