Madam Veronica's Invoice

It was one of those nights again. 

I hated it here. 

“I’ve told you countless times Jolene. I don’t need it.” 

I stood by the door. Behind me was a bag of groceries I had bought on my way home. 

“Why are you doing this?” I asked. My voice was a bit shaky from the cold. 

It had poured this evening. I had no umbrella, all I had was a small white purse which I had placed over my head while I ran under the rain. 

Rainwater dripped from my hair onto the wooden floor, leaving a trail behind me. My blouse clung uncomfortably to my skin while my shoes squelched with every step. 

My fingers had gone numb from the cold, making the grocery bag feel twice as heavy. Even now, I couldn’t stop shivering.

Not once did she ask if I was cold. 

“This is not the life I want for you. I don’t want to be part of your madness.” Celine, my mother added. 

“I’m not doing this for you.” I said. I clenched my fist as I kissed my teeth. 

“You’re a prostitute Jolene, I don’t want to take part in any proceedings that come with that.” She walked towards the kitchen counter. 

“You never treated Molly this way, yet she’s the one who abandoned you. She stole my life, but somehow I’m still the daughter you refuse to love. You’re never going to cherish and want me, are you?” I asked. 

A hot lump formed in my throat. My chest was heavy. My breath turned erratic. I held my gaze firmly to stop the tears that threatened to stream down my face. 

“I’ve told you times without number never to mention the name of that traitor!” She said in a thunderous voice. 

A loud thud echoed inside our tiny apartment as she left a punch on the kitchen counter. 

Every fight somehow found its way back to Molly.

Even after two years, my mother couldn’t say her name without looking as though she’d swallowed broken glass.

She had raised us alone, identical twins, with no support from anyone, not even her family who had abandoned her because she had us outside wedlock. 

Everything changed the night I brought John Ferguson home, a wealthy man from Spain. He was the perfect man for me, he ticked all the boxes. He was kind, patient, impossibly handsome, and everything I thought I wanted in a husband.  

We were in love. Marriage plans were already in place. However, the night before our wedding, my twin sister, Molly took on my identity and eloped with John. 

Hours turned into days. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. 

We never heard from Molly and John again. With our hope, they disappeared. 

For a long time I had struggled with who to hate—John, for being oblivious to the fact that the woman he eloped with was an imposter or my very own twin sister that stole my identity. 

In the long run, I’ve come to despise both of them. They’re both losers. 

“Keep this.” I said. I walked towards her and placed the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter. “I am all you have now even if you don’t want me.”

I walked out on her, headed to my room. 

I could hear the whimpers that came from the kitchen as I walked away. 

I slammed the door behind me. I crawled to my bed, collapsed on it. My gaze was fixed on the ceiling that had cobwebs big enough to host a spider kingdom. 

“I need to get rid of that.” I muttered underneath my breath. 

I didn’t know when the tears I had held back streamed down my cheeks. 

It hurts so bad. My heart ached so much. 

My phone screen lit up which drew my attention. I weakly stretched my hands towards my phone. 

It was a text message from Madam Veronica. My boss. 

“I attached an invoice. You owe me 75% of tonight’s earnings. Don’t forget to pay up. Check your email for tomorrow’s schedule, you know how hot-headed Darius can be. Don’t make him wait.” 

I rolled my eyes at the text message. 

If I ever made a list of the people I hated most, Madam Veronica would comfortably sit at number three. 

I was desperate. 

The job market wasn’t favorable so I had no choice but to join an escort agency. I didn’t read the contract. I had no idea the agency cut from my pay was under the discretion of my boss. 75% off my pay was not livable. 

I had spent eight months attending to interviews that always ended with polite smiles and empty promises. Rent didn’t care about promises. Hospital bills didn’t either. By the time Madam Veronica offered me work, desperation had already made the decision for me.

I wasn’t the only one stuck in this trap. I remember Olivia swearing at the top of her lungs when a huge chunk of her earnings were taken off—over 80%. 

I was lucky in my misfortune. I could have had it worse. 

Amidst my thoughts, another text message came in. 

It was from the hospital. 

I had taken a pregnancy test two days ago after my night with Darius. 

We had unprotected sex for the first time. 

I needed to be sure, so I took the test without his knowledge. 

I was hesitant. 

I’ve had enough drama today. I wasn’t ready to figure out what that test result held, at least not tonight.