Free Calling Maggie May by Anonymous Page B

And we all have to pay Anne’s and the driver’s salaries. And Ada says they take that in a monthly sum, instead of per date.
    That still seems kind of unfair to me, but Ada says they only charge you if you’re working. If you didn’t take any dates the month before, you don’t have to pay in. So at least I’m not going to wind up owing money now that I’ve decided to back off.
    Still, it sucks that I’ll never get to see any real money from this, even though I did the work. Now I just have this stupid phone.
    Oh, that reminds me. I was going to turn in my phone when we went today, since I’m not going to work for them anymore, but I was so shocked by the envelope that I forgot all about it. So now I’ve got this phone. Do I go back tomorrow and deliver it then? I really don’t want to go back. Is it wrong to keep it? I mean, I did pay for it.
    I guess I’ll just hang on to it for now.

Tues, Dec 9
    Things are getting back to normal. That is to say, boring, but that’s okay. I’m trying really hard to catch up as much as possible in all my classes, and that’s draining all my energy for the moment. I’ve pretty much stopped all my activities for now, because I just can’t with all the schoolwork. I expected Mom to give me a huge hassle about that, but she seemed to agree. School comes first, she said.
    I’ve even quit swimming, which sucks, because I really do love that. But there isn’t any point in showing up when I can’t swim competitively right now. My head’s just not in it. But I don’t know, maybe I should start hanging out at the local YMCA or something, just to get in the water from time to time. Could be fun.
    There is one other thing that is bothering me a bit. More than it should, maybe. It’s this damn phone. I still have it, and I feel it weighing on me. The phone doesn’t know that I’ve quit, and neither does Miss Irma. And neither does Anne, I guess. Which means my name is still in the appointment book, and I could get a call for a new date at any moment. Ada says all I have to do is say no. It’s no big deal. People say no all the time, for all kinds of reasons—they’re busy, or on their period, or have a cold or whatever.
    And anyway, the phone hasn’t rung. I haven’t gotten apeep out of it since my date. I wonder if that means the guy complained about me, so now Miss Irma doesn’t even want me anymore.
    I have no idea why that should bother me, of all things. I should be thrilled, if that’s the case. But I guess even whores have pride.
    I wish it didn’t weigh on me, though. That one of these days the phone is going to buzz and it’s going to be a text from Miss Irma setting me up on a date and it’s going to make the whole rotten experience come flooding back. I kind of just want to pitch the phone into the ocean and never think about it again, but I have a feeling Irma wouldn’t be too pleased about that. And I don’t think I want to make an enemy of her.

Thurs, Dec 11
    I got a text today—on the pink phone. But it wasn’t Irma texting, and it wasn’t Anne.
    It was Ada.
    That made the whole thing very different from what I was expecting. What I was worrying about. All it said was, I need a favor. Call me.
    I called her right back, of course.
    â€œI need your help,” Ada said as soon as she picked up the phone. She sounded anxious.
    â€œWhat is it?” I said. “What’s the matter?”
    Ada took a deep breath. “I know you’re out of the business,” she began, “and I really didn’t want to have to do this. . . . Believe me, I’m the last person who wants to drag you back in. But I’m in a jam.”
    â€œI’ll do it,” I blurted out.
    â€œWhat?” said Ada. “But I haven’t even told you what it is yet.”
    â€œI know,” I told her. “But if