Back to slavery

Chapter 4

It has been over a month, and I am still seeing the Chairman and a few other top paying men. Since I have been the highest paid girl, I now get my own room, the best of clothing and first pick of food. Things were going well until one morning I woke up feeling sick.

Pin-Mei came into my room. “What’s wrong, you are late. You should have been down 5 mins ago. Hurry before master finds you still in bed.’

But it was too late. The master was already making his way into my room.

“Get up you lazy girl, you think that just because you have your own stuff, that you can just lay around all day,”

I try to tell him that I am sick but before I can say anything, he grabs me by my hair and pulls me up. The sudden movement makes my stomach roll and I throw up everywhere.

“What the-‘

He hands back me and tells me to clean this mess up. He then gets Dr. and the Mistress.

After Dr. checks me, I hear him whispering to the lady and shaking his head. After he leaves, she turns to me.

“You stupid girl, how could you do this to us? What were you thinking? Do you think that you could keep the Chairman by doing something so reckless? ‘

I got up and shook my head, backing up to the wall. What was she talking about, what I had done? She starts to advance on me, but before she can get any close, the master stops her. “She did not know, how could she? look at her. She does not know what is going on”

She turns to him and says’ Do you know how much it is going to cost to get rid of that thing, and if we let her keep it, it will ruin us. We need to get rid of her and cut out losses it’s not worth it. We’ll sell her to one of the lower houses.”

“Yes milady”

With that, she turns and leaves the room.

The master turns towards me and sadly shakes his head. “Well, it looks like you are in some trouble, you are going to have a baby, so we have to get rid of you.

He grabs my arm and shakes me. “You must never tell who the father is and you must never tell the father or they will kill you. Now, when you get to the new house, they will take the baby and give it to someone who can take care of it. You must forget that you ever had a baby and do what they say or they will kill you. Do you understand me? ‘

I shook my head, yes. I was scared out of my wits. What is going to happen to me now? I don’t know anything about having a baby.

The next day, my few things were packed, and I headed to my new home. The lady who took me in is much older and tired looking. “Hum you’ll do, my name is Pi and you will do everything that I tell you to do. If not, I would much sooner kill you than have you. Do you understand?

“Yes”

The next few days were horrible. I was with a different man every day, and none was as kind as the Chairman had been. Every night I would cry myself to sleep. What kind of life was this? I would pray to God that he would just end my life now.

After my first month was over, I was numb, I felt like a robot. That week I woke up to excoriating pain. I screamed out. What was going on this time? The old lady came in, took one look at me and said, “Be quiet. You are losing the baby. There is nothing you can do.’

I just thought to myself, well maybe it was better this way, and what kind of life would a baby have in this world? A Dr came and helped deliver the still born. Three days later, Pi came in looking at me with disgust. “You will get back to work; you have to repay all the money I spent on you.’

Every morning I would wake up and pray to God or whatever higher being was out there and that they would have mercy on me and take my life. After I lost the baby, I thought I was going to die right along with it. That would have been much better than the beating and the constant men that came to me night after night.

After a while, I just gave up hope that I would ever see the end of this.

“Get up, come quick.”

I hurried up to see what the matter was. Usually I was able to seep in on some day.

Rubbing my eyes, I asked what was going on.

Shushing me, Pi grabs me by my arm and drags me downstairs.

When we got to the bottom of the stairs there was a man bigger than I had ever seen before, he had hair as light as the sun and eyes and blue as the ocean.

I am speechless.

I did not hear a word that Pi was telling me, for I was dumbstruck at this God-like man.

Slapping me, she said” Did you get that, this is Mr. Smith, he is here from America, you are to show him around. Be nice.”

Nodding my head, I went back upstairs to change into my only nice dress that I had.

When I come back downstairs, he stands, and we head out.

“Hi, do you know English?”

“Yes, I was taught at my last home.”

“Good, good, how do you like where you’re at?”

Blushing, I lowered my eyes and told him the lie that we are supposed to tell men” I love it, they take wonderful care of me”. I cannot look him in the eyes.

He tilts my head up with his finger and says, “Whatever you do, don’t lie to me anymore, I will always know when you do. Is that understood?”

Shakily I shook my head, yes.

“Good, now I will ask you again how you do you like living where you are at?”

“Please ‘, I begged of him, "I can’t say, or they will hurt me.”

“It’s OK, what if I told you that I could take you away from all this? Some place where they won’t treat you like this would you like to go?”

Stunned, I didn’t say anything but wanted to run back to the house.

“Don’t worry, just think about this, I think you would do great in America.

We spent the rest of the day walking around seeing the sights. It was one of my nicer days.

I lay awake that night thinking back on what he said.

Could he really take me to a place where I won’t have to be scared anymore? Could I just get up and leave? What if they come after me and make me come back, they would surely kill me? That night I fell into a dreamless sleep.