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 It seemed a hundred thoughts raced through Shirley's head as she sped down the highway. She
looked over at Sean, her seven-year old son and kept reminding herself that his well-being was all that
mattered. It was for him that she had to find shelter, for him that she had to find a way to eat.
She had grabbed Sean and left their home just two hours earlier. She should have left ages before
then, but she couldn't bring herself to believe that Steve was evil. She couldn't believe that he would ever
hit their son, even though he took his anger out on her at least several times a month. But he was just a
seven-year old!
And Steve hit him.
At that moment, all that mattered was fleeing the situation. As soon as Steve sulked into the back
of the house, Shirley led her son to the car to make their escape. She didn't take time to pack anything, a
decision she was staring to regret. They had no clothes other that what they were wearing, no food, and no
money. Even worse, they had no destination. If her parents were still alive, she would have gone to them.
She had spent a good part of the last two hours wondering where she might go. She had few friends, as
Steve had rarely given her an opportunity to socialize without him. Even still, she suspected he would
check with those friends. And she didn't want to be found.
So, for the time being, it was just herself and her son.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, dear?"
"I'm hungry."
"I know, sweetie, mommy is, too."
A feeling of despair started to well up inside her. If she only had a credit card. but Steve didn't
let her have her own, and even if he did, she wouldn't put it past him to report it stolen before too long. But
she had to feed Kevin. She had to take care of her baby any way possible. She looked in the rearview
mirror at herself, and once again thought of the unthinkable option she had.
Shirley was pretty. Extremely pretty. That's what attracted Steve to her in the first place, though
she couldn't remember the last time he actually seemed to believe it. He never complimented her, never
made her feel like something special in his life. She had began to wonder if she was pretty at all.
Shirley noticed the signs for various hotels and motels as she sped down the highway. She looked
down at he fuel gauge - it was below a quarter of a tank. She needed gas, food, and a bed for her and her
son. Probably a hundred dollars altogether. Maybe seventy if she found a room cheap enough. She noticed
a sign for a truck stop another half-mile away. She looked again at herself in the mirror, at her eyes, at her
cheekbones, at her lips. She was pretty enough.
She had to be.
She steered the car towards the exit, and quickly saw the large illuminated sign for the all-night
stop. She pulled the car into the parking lot, away from the main mass of trucks.
"Are we going to eat, mom?"
"Yes, honey. In a few minutes."
Shirley reached for her purse, and fumbled a moment until she found her red lipstick. Now that
she was stopped, she could use the visor mirror, which was conveniently illuminated. She applied a coat of
red, then pulled out her brush and began stroking her hair. When she finished, she turned to Kevin.
"How does mommy look?"
"You look pretty!" he said smiling.
Shirley felt a pang of desperation mixed with a glint of hope. She nervously smiled back at her
beaming boy. She had put on her lipstick, brushed her hair as best she could. She was wearing a black skirt
and a red blouse. Perhaps not the ideal outfit, but she didn't have another choice. She looked down at the
blouse.. She was a full-breasted woman, but the shirt did not flatter her shape. She sighed, and began to
unbutton her blouse. After a couple buttons, an enticing cleavage appeared. Her bra was plainly visible,
however.
"Kevin?"
"Yes, mommy?"
"Mommy needs to take her shirt off. You need to look away." She hadn't always been modest
around her son, often wearing only bra and panties around the house when he was small. But he was getting
old enough to be inquisitive, and there had been a number of occasions where she caught Kevin staring her
breasts if she wore anything with a low neckline or that was form-fitting. The worst incident was when she
was undressing for the night, and saw Kevin staring at her through her cracked bedroom door just as she
was about to slide off her bra. He was given a stern lecture about respecting people's privacy.
Kevin turned his head, and Shirley unbuttoned the blouse, squirmed to free it from her body, then
reached behind her back to undo the clasps of her bra. She looked over at Kevin before she completely
bared her breasts to make sure he wasn't looking. He was.
"Kevin. what have I said about looking at mommy when she undresses?"
Kevin turned back around sheepishly.
Shirley then slid the bra off and put her blouse back on. She began buttoning at the bottom, but
stopped just below the full arc of her bosom. Her breasts, while no longer pressed together, still formed
nice cleavage. As a bonus, perhaps, she noticed her nipples poked slightly through. The blouse had become
sexy.
Oh God. she thought. Am I really going to go through with this? She looked out the window,
and saw a hotel across the street. Thirty-five dollars. She imagined the warm bed, the hot shower.
The glowing "Vacancy" sign convinced her. "Let's go in." she said to Kevin.
Mother and son got out of the car and entered the all-night diner. No one noticed them at first, but
as they walked to a table Shirley heard a couple of hushed cat-calls. Once she sat down, she could feel the
eyes on her breasts. She made sure to sit facing the men.
A waitress came over and asked for their drink orders. Kevin answered with "Coke," but Shirley
instructed the waitress to bring two waters instead. As the waitress left, Shirley made eye-contact with a
couple of men sitting at the counter. They looked away, but would clearly be looking back at her when her
eyes were focused elsewhere. She could hear their voices, but not their words. Two of the men seemed to
be friends, as they were sitting side-by-side and talking non-stop.
"Kevin?"
"Yeah?"
"Mommy needs to go talk to those men. I'll be right back. Don't get up."
Kevin nodded. Shirley rose from the table, and looked at the floor as she made her way to the
counter. The waitress brushed by her with the two waters. She looked back at Kevin, who had his back to
her. Then she approached the men.
They were already looking at her, at her breasts that is.
"Hiya, sweet thing!" one of them said playfully. Both men appeared to be in their late-forties,
perhaps older. They were both overweight, dressed in plaid, and wore caps. One blue, one red.
The one that addressed her seemed a little surprised that she sat in the stool next to him, rather
than ignoring his less-than-personable greeting.
"Gentlemen, I wonder if I might have a word with you."
"Sure honey!" the red-capped man answered.
She ignored his childish, glib face.
"My son and I, we've been traveling for a long time. And.. and, we are out of money, and, and."
"You lookin' for a handout, missy?" the other man said.
"Um."
"I got a buck I can give a sweet, pretty thing like yourself." The blue-capped man said cheerfully.
He began to reach for his wallet.
"Well, the thing is, I, I need more than that."
"Excuse me?"
"I need to get a hotel room, and gas, and I."
"Lady," the blue-capped man said, "I don't just put up any stranger for a night."
"I'm not asking for a handout." Shirley said.
"What?"
"I'm not asking for a handout!" she said, a bit more loudly than she intended.
The men sat silent with curious looks on their faces.
"I, I'm willing to perform a service for the money." She whispered the sentence as she looked at
the counter.
"What kind of service?" the red-capped man asked.
Shirley looked up, into his eyes.
"I think you know what kind of service I mean."
"Oohh!" the men replied, looking at each other wide-eyed.
"One hundred dollars." Shirley said.
The red capped man was still looking at his friend. "you were right, she is a whore." He said,
evidently commenting on her 'enhanced' state of dress. The word stung Shirley. But evidently her
adjustments to her wardrobe had the needed effect.
The men whispered between themselves. Shirley began to feel very awkward and exposed as she
sat, ignored, at the counter.
Finally, the blue-capped man broke the huddle. "Come here, babe."
Shirley stood up, and took a couple steps towards him. He motioned for her to stop. He was
checking her out. Shirley felt humiliated as his eyes went up and down her body. She glanced at the blue-
capped man, who now took full liberty staring at her open blouse, and at the revealed portions of her
breasts.
"How about a sample?" he asked. Shirley knew what he wanted. She nodded. The blue-capped
man looked around to see who might be watching. Shirley noticed another trucker watching intently, but
the rest of the customers and the waitress did not appear to know what was happening. The blue-capped
man, evidently satisfied with the overall lack of attention, slid his left hand into Shirley's blouse. It cupped
Shirley's right breast, then began caressing and stroking the nipple.
END OF CHAPTER I
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