Beautiful

The beautiful chocolate complexion girl analyzed herself in the mirror with a sneer. The extremely short black dress that she wore hugged her curves as if it was her second skin. If it was up to her she wouldn’t have even given the piece of cloth a second glance if she saw it in the store, as it showed too much skin and it would have most likely surpassed her already small budget. In an attempt to improve her appearance she released her curls from the messy bun that it was in and brush it down. However, much to her displeasure, as she analyzed herself in mirror once more, this time with sweat ticking her forehead, she saw that there really wasn’t any improvement. Releasing a defeated sigh the sixteen years old decided to just take off the dress but was interrupted by the door.

 A squeal reached her ears as the dark figure of her mother entered and greeted her with broad smile.

 “Look at you,” she began, “You’re looking gorgeous as ever.”

 “You really think so,” the sixteen years old timidly asked as her hand subconsciously found the hem of the dress.

“Of course, when are you not looking beautiful?” her mother rhetorically asked as she placed her hands on her shoulders and took in her daughter’s features. Soon enough, a frown made its way to her face upon noticing that her daughter was constantly pulling down the dress.

 “What’s wrong, don’t you like it?”

At the question the sixteen years old immediately released the hem of the dress from her palms and turned to her mother with the most realistic fake smile she could muster.

 “Of course I do,” she lied. She knew that it was wrong and that it would be easier to tell the truth but she didn’t want to upset her mother any more than she had over the last few days and by the look of the dress it looked like it went way over their budget. So she chose to be grateful, grateful for the fact that her mother had tried to go out of her way to buy something special for her even though they didn’t have the kind of money to spend on things like these.

She couldn’t help but wonder why her mother bought a dress for her in the first place. She wanted to ask but thought against it when she saw that her mother’s face immediately brightened at her lie. Not to mention that her mother had always hated it when she questioned her motives.

“Great, now put those on and come,” her mother pointed to an old pair of black flip flops resting next to a chair in her daughter’s nearly empty room and left. The sixteen years old let out another sigh as she watched him mother’s retreating figure and as her turned to put on her shoes she didn’t dare look at herself in the mirror. Not when her mother had imprinted a beautiful girl in her mind. She didn’t want to spoil that image by looking at the real one.

 A small smile traced her lips as she exited her room after placing on her flip flops. She was stuck between excitement and confusion as she entered the passenger seat of the car that her mother barrowed from Mrs. Right, a generous old widow who lived across the street from them. In silence they her mother drove them to a location unknown to the sixteen years old.

“You know, despite me telling you that all those stories that you read are crap, there is actually one part of it that is actually true,” came her mother’s voice over the loud racket the engine is making.

With a smile the sixteen years old glanced her mother,

“Really and what is that if I may ask,” she’d always been into books they were always her safe place.

“The happy endings of course,” her mother exclaimed.

With pursed lips and a brow raised she turned to her mother, “Really did you receive a happy ending?”

“Your father gave me you didn’t he, and when you’re happy I’m happy, that’s why I’m going to help you find your happy ending” a broad smile made its way to the sixteen years old face at her mother’s words.

 No sooner had the car came to a halt than her mother turned to her with a smile and ran a hand through her hair. “Now listen to me, I want you to go in there and be on your best behaviour. Whatever happens I want you to do as you’re told okay?” the sixteen years old nodded at her mother’s words, “Now go and when they ask who you are tell them that I sent you.” her mother ushered her out of the car.

She never understood what her mother’s initiatives were at the time. That was why with shaky strides she nervously made her way over to the run down building that her mother told her to go into and with fear at the time, she did as she was told.

A lone tear licked Terra’s cheek as she thought back on that day and slowly she whipped it off with her thumb and stared at it.

‘I still had these’ she wondered for a moment then quickly whipped it off her skin and regains her composure. Taking another sip of her tequila the older version of the sixteen years old by almost two years glance the entrance of the club that she flirted her way into, for another one of her mother’s client. She would have hope that he wouldn’t make it because of a more urgent business but thought against it knowing that she would only be wasting her time. Placing her long relaxed hair, which her mother said suited her better than her natural 4B hair behind her ear, Terra watch as the entrance of the club opened and in came a man that looked twice her age. The man glanced around the club and when his eyes met hers he made his way over to her.

“Are you, Leona Parks” the man asked once he was close enough. Instead of nodding once she heard the fake name her mother made up for her, Terra took in the man’s features. He was tall, very tall unlike three quarters of the other guys, he had a rough stumble on his chin and unlike half the others he was black. He wasn’t ugly no, he had looks, but if it was up to her she wouldn’t even have even given him a second glance with the consideration that he was twice her age. But it wasn’t up to her, it was up to her mother and she had to. Not date him of course, but be his for the night.

“Yeah,” she answered as she blankly analyzed him.

“Wow, when the others said that you were gorgeous I didn’t know that they meant this much,” he commented. Terra resist the urge to roll her eyes at him as she got down from the stool that she was sitting on and instead smiled up at him with the most realistic fake smile she could muster.

“Thank you,”

“Come on lets go,” he said and lead her out of the club.