Free White Lines by Tracy Brown Page B

of Charlie’s main chick. Kelly was taller than Jada, and her face seemed unaccustomed to smiling. She was dark skinned and heavyset, and she didn’t waste a lot of time before she cut to the chase.
    “I hear you need to make some money,” she said.
    Jada nodded, and shifted nervously. “I do need to make money. But I’m not sure about doing what Charlie suggested. I don’t know if I can sell my body to strange men.”
    Kelly nodded. In her mind she was relieved that Charlie was finally willing to set Jada out on the track. He always broke the young ones in before he cut them loose. Usually Kelly managed to keep her jealousy under wraps. But with Jada, for the first time she felt threatened. Jada was prettier than most of the girls Charlie normally attracted. And Charlie had kept her around as his own companion for far longer than he usually kept the girls. Kelly had begun to wonder if he was feeling for Jada,and she was relieved when he called and told her that he was ready to put her to work. Kelly tried to keep her voice sincere as she began. “I met Charlie when I was nineteen and broke. My stepfather was fucking me and my sister, and I wasn’t going back to that. When Charlie found me I was homeless, sleeping in the project stairwells, because I had no place else to go. I was out running them streets, and I was living dangerously. Charlie helped me out, and I’ll never forget that.”
    Jada nodded, feeling that she had her own reasons to be grateful to Mr. Charlie. Kelly continued.
    “I remember what it was like for me starting out on my own and not having nobody to lean on. Nobody cared if I ate, or where I slept, or how I survived. All I had was me, and I was scared to death. Thank God I found somebody to help me.” Kelly paused and looked at Jada. “You have somebody who’s willing to help you, too. Charlie has a big heart. He doesn’t judge people. And he sees something special in you. We wanna try to help set you up on dates with good men. Men with cash and class and none of that other bullshit. You’re gonna be safe, and you’ll make a lot of money. And it’ll be your money. You won’t have to ask nobody else for shit. You’ll have your own.” Kelly promised Jada that she wouldn’t send her any dirty, disgusting men. “You have a very pretty face, and your body is close to perfect. I’ll have no problems getting the good dates for you.”
    Jada relaxed and felt better about the prospect of working for Kelly. Kelly seemed so nice. Almost like a mother figure. Jada liked her, because she was being so comforting, and she seemed as if she genuinely wanted to help her. But mostly Jada liked her because Kelly had devised a plan to keep her high. And her plan was beginning to sound like it wasn’t such a bad one after all.

8
ROCK BOTTOM
    It wasn’t long before Kelly got Jada started. She took her first “date” in the fall of 1993, when she was only nineteen years old. Kelly brought Jada to a spot out in Harlem. It was something like a boardinghouse, with three separate rooms and one common bathroom. Jada was understandably nervous, and even had second thoughts about the whole thing. What if the men smelled bad or looked disgusting? What if they wanted her to do something that she didn’t want to do? Kelly calmed her fears, telling Jada that she would only send her the cleanest and most decent-looking men. Jada was still not fully persuaded, until Kelly held out her hand, and in it sat two crack vials. Jada reached for them eagerly, but Kelly closed her hand in time to stop Jada from taking them.
    “You get
one
now, and one after the night is over. The first one will relax you enough for you to do what you need to do. The second one I’ll hold for you until it’s all over. That way you can get high after you’re finished, and you won’t have to think about it when all is said and done.” Kelly gave her a half smile.
    Jada nodded, thinking that this was a perfect plan. She took the one