Caught In The Act
1177 Words
“So, you’re the little urchin who has been stealing from me,” he said.
“I ain’t stealing from you.” She replied. Sally pulled her feet off the floor as she tried to
tuck them under her.
“You steal from my clients and that makes them unhappy. When they are not happy, they don’t come back here to spend their money with me. So yes, you are stealing from me.”
“Are you going to take me to jail?” Sally asked. She glanced at the door and wondered if she might be able to jump out of her chair quickly enough to get away from the large man.
“No.” He said. He leaned closer and put his hands on the arms of the chair. Sally’s escape was blocked. “What’s your name?”
“Spade," she said. She had picked the name herself when she was younger. She liked the shape on the card.
“That’s a terrible name for a girl,” he said.
Sally’s face turned white. She had been binding her breasts for as long as she had them. She always pretended to be a boy. Jack was one of the few who knew she was a young woman, but he had warned her that there would come a day when she would no longer be able to pass for a boy. Jack explained to her in great detail what men did with young women.
“How did you know I’m a girl?” She asked cautiously.
The man shrugged his large shoulders and said, “Because you feel like a girl.” Sally’s eyes went wide. “How old are you, twelve, thirteen?” He asked.
“I’m fifteen.” She said, and she took off her cap to let the tangled mess of hair fall around her shoulders.
“Ah.” He said. He took her arms and hoisted Sally up to her feet. “Come with me. You are working off your debt.”
“No, no, no!” She screamed. “I don’t want to do this.” She tried to push away from him, but he continued to pull her along. Sally pleaded. “Please, I won’t come back here. I promise. Just don’t make me do anyfin’ for those men.” She cried. Real tears started to
stream down her face, leaving dirty streaks in their path.
The man stopped pulling her and looked Sally in the eye. “I’m not,” he started. “I wouldn’t force anyone to,” he continued. “Girls come here begging to work for me.” He
sounded offended. “I need a new scullery maid.” He said. “No one will touch you here.”
Sally stopped struggling. “Oh.” She said, “I’ve never cleaned nuffin.” She said,
“Well, that’s obvious,” he said, giving the girl and her dirty clothing once over. “My name is Robert Deacon. Some of the girls and patrons call me Diablo.”
“Sally Spade.” She said, “But everyone calls me Spade,” Sally said, grinning.
“Collecting strays again, Robert?” A woman with dark blue, almost violet eyes and blue-black hair said. She was stunning with porcelain skin. She looked like she had never smiled a day in her life.
“Oh, come now, Pearl. If I didn’t collect strays, you wouldn’t be here.” Robert said to the woman.
“Miss Sally, this is Pearl,” Robert said, gesturing to the woman behind him. “If I am not here, you will take directions from Pearl. Understood?”
Sally nodded and extended a small hand to Pearl. “Ello, Miss Pearl.”
Pearl looked at the dirty hand and the filthy creature attached to it. “I don’t think so,” Pearl said. Sally wrinkled her nose.
“Pearl, why don’t you take Miss Sally upstairs to bathe? Get her something clean to wear and something to eat.” He said, looking at the girl over again. “It looks like it has been a while since she had a hot meal,” Robert said.
“Robert, I have work to do,” Pearl snapped.
“Pearl, please do as I asked.” He said sternly.
Pearl grabbed Sally by the elbow and took the girl upstairs. A short time later, Sally was scrubbed, fed, and given new clothes to wear. Pearl didn’t have the patience to comb all the tangles out of Sally’s hair, so she decided to cut a good portion of it off. Sally’s new locks hung just under her chin. When Sally complained, Pearl snapped “It’s hair, it will grow back.”
Pearl led Sally to Robert’s office. She gave the girl a push and slammed the door.
“Ah, much better.” He said, looking at Sally, who looked more like an innocent child than a vulgar little pickpocket. Sally mumbled under her breath. “What was that Sally?” he asked. He grinned as Pearl rolled her eyes.
“That witch” Sally yelled, pointing a finger at Pearl, “cut my hair off!”
“This witch says you should be thrown out on your ass,” Pearl shouted back.
Sally screamed and lunged at Pearl. Robert quickly ran to catch Sally around the waist. “I’m gonna rip your hair out w***e and see how you like it.”
“Robert, control your little beast before I take it outside and shoot it,” Pearl screamed. Sally flailed in Robert’s arms, struggling to get free.
“Pearl, she’s just a child,” Robert said.
“I’m not a child,” Sally screamed.
“You see, she’s a rabid dog,” Pearl said.
“Have some compassion, Pearl. You’ve been in her situation. You know what happens to girls on the streets.”
Pearl’s face changed. All the anger was replaced by deep pain. She watched the girl struggle in Robert’s arms. She was small; Sally didn’t stand a chance against a full-grown man.
“Fine,” Pearl said. “If she bites me, I bite her back.” She left the room, slamming the door behind her again.
Sally stopped struggling. Robert placed her feet back on the ground and let go of her. Sally looked at Robert; the stern expression on his face kept her quiet.
“You will be respectful in my house. You will not threaten anyone or attack anyone. Do you understand me?” Robert said. His tone was serious.
Sally nodded, her eyes were large and wide. She wrinkled her brow again. “What game are you playin, sir? Why are you keeping me here?”
“No games.” He said, still sounding stern. “You’ve stolen from several of my clients. I’ve watched you for the past few weeks. You owe me, and you will do honest work to pay me back.”
“If you knew what I was doing, why didn’t you stop me sooner?” She asked.
- Writer
