Chapter 3

• Sacha’s POV
• “Sacha, the cops are here!” Remy called from the living room.
• I was in the bathroom, trying to piece myself together from the awful encounter I had with that brute of a man.
• “Coming!” I responded. I took one more glance in the mirror before joining Remy and two police officers, both male, in my living room.
• “You’re Sacha Rish?” the first one asked.
• “Yes sir,” I answered.
• “You’re the one who phoned us about a sexual assault?”
• “Actually, my friend phoned you but it happened to me,” I clarified.
• “Uh huh. We’ll need you to come to the station to make an official police report on the incident ma’am.”
• “But....”
• “Sach, just go. I’ll stay here for when Judy gets home from school,” Remy offered.
• “Thank you so much,” I responded and gave her a quick hug.
• I took my cellphone and purse and followed the two officers to their police cruiser on the pavement.
• Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the police station where I was ushered inside and up to a desk to give a report.
• ______________
• “Miss. Rish, I’ll cut right to the chase. We’ve questioned Mr. Goldstein on the incident and he denied ever touching you. As a matter of fact, he said you were the one who assaulted him with a telephone when he didn’t give you the job.”
• “And you believed him?!” I raised my voice because I was baffled by what the officer just stated.
• “Is that true ma’am? Did you hit him over the head with a telephone?” he asked.
• “Yes I did... but that’s because he...”
• “Ma’am, sexual assault is a serious accusation. And it’s not okay for you to go around making up such a story because you wasn’t qualified enough for a job position.”
• “Excuse me?” My temper was rising.
• “You heard me.”
• “How much did he pay you?” I asked.
• “Excuse me?”
• “You heard me,” I repeated his previous words. “It’s obvious you’re in his pocket because you’re speaking like you were there. He assaulted me. What was I supposed to do, sit there and enjoy it? I had to protect myself and that I did.”
• “Is there any proof he assaulted you? Any marks, bruises, scratches?”
• “No!”
• “Without proof, there’s no case. I cannot take your words for it.”
• “You know what, thank you for your time, officer. I hope the same thing doesn’t happen to your daughter or someone you're very close to.” I got up and walked out of the police station.
• ___________________
• “What did the popos say?” Remy asked as I walked through the door.
• “I really don’t wanna talk about it Remy. It’s like a bad energy is out to consume me. I can’t think, I can’t keep anything down in my stomach, I can’t catch a damn break!”
• Remy joined me on the chair where I was lying like I couldn’t carry on any longer.
• “Hon, it’s gonna be okay. You’ll find a way. You’ll move pass this. Okay?”
• I nodded yes but really I didn’t have a clue on what to do next.
• Judy arrived several minutes later. At that time, I had taken a shower and Remy had left. I made a snack for Judy as I usually does and assisted her with her homework assignment.
• A knock came on the door. I went to open, thinking it was Remy again.
• “You little BRAT! WHERE’S MY MONEY?” Wayne, my landlord, shouted.
• “Wayne, I promise I’ll have your money in full this weekend.”
• “No way. NO WAY. I’ve put up with your crap long enough. You’d either have my money by tomorrow or you’re out of here!”
• “Okay. Tomorrow,” I responded and quickly shut the door after him. I turned to Judy, who was looking on with tears in her eyes now.
• “He’s really angry.” Her voice carried fear.
• “ You don’t have to worry about him.”
• “What’s going to happen to us, I don’t want to go back to the foster home, Sacha.”
• “And that’s never going to happen again. I promise you we’ll be fine.”
• _________________
• That night Judy didn’t sleep well. The next morning, I got her ready for school and I went searching for another job around the city. I had to try at least but I got turned down at every attempt I made.
• At my apartment, I sat, exhausted and defeated. Judy came home early and we decided to go to a nearby park for some fresh air and an afternoon walk.
• I watched as Judy made friends with two other kids, around her age and together, they ran through the trees and played on the slides.
• I missed the young me, and Judy reminded me so much of myself. I used to come to the park with mom for walks and ice-cream cones. It was one of our favorite things to do. Judy hardly remembers her and dad but I couldn’t forget.
• Tears filled my eyes and it dropped when it got too heavy.
• Judy ran up to me.
• “Sis, you’re crying.”
• “No. Something got into my eyes.”
• “Yeah. Tears got into them.” Her arms circled my neck and her new friends joined in.
• At 6:00 P. M. after Judy had her last ice-cream cone, we left the park and headed home and found our belongings on the pavement. The locks on the door had been changed so we couldn’t get in.
• With anger, I went to seek Wayne but he had locked his office and wasn’t answering my calls.
• Other tenants saw what was happening and began recording the situation. Judy was crying bitterly and I was yelling out Wayne’s name.
• The sky got dark and the rain poured down. Judy and I scurried to take our things out of the rain. I took out my phone and called Remy.
• Remy came. She came within a time span of ten minutes, since we lived in the same neighborhood, and help us carried our things to her car. She then drove us to her place.
• “You can have the couch and Judy and I will share the bed,” she said once we were settled.
• “Thank you so much, Remy. I really appreciate this.”
• “Girl, it’s not a problem.”
• Remy’s place was small, suited only for herself. Her couch was uncomfortable but I had no position to complain about it.
• _________________
• “Sacha, have you ever thought about becoming a stripper?” Remy asked me the next morning when Judy left and we were alone.
• “What? Hell no!”
• “Don’t be so modest, girl. Plenty of girls out there are stripping and making a good living.”
• “I don’t care about their living. I’m not exposing my body to a group of people I don’t know.”
• “Sometimes, you speak like you’re still a virgin.”
• I turned away from her instantly and she noticed.
• “Wait! Wait a minute! Sacha! Are you still a virgin?”
• “Psshh! Girl, are you crazy? Of course no. I lost my virginity since I was a teen. I did some things.”
• “Yeah Right! Your ass is still a virgin. Look me in my eyes and tell me you’re not.”
• I couldn’t. I couldn’t look someone in their eyes and lie to them. That was my 'telling'.
• “Okay, forget the stripping. I’m a part-time stripper and it ain’t even all that fun but on Friday, we’re hitting the club, and we’re gonna find you a man to pop that Cherry.”
• I heaved a very loud sigh. My best friend was just too much.