SHORT STORIES : Last Shards of Innocence

©2006 Andrew Thompson.  Excerpt from the novel Symbiosis

The old Mazda van began to labour as it reached the base of the hill.  Karl down-geared then knocked it back again.  Down to twenty miles an hour, the engine screamed all the way to the top.
 
"God this is a gutless piece of shit."

He hated driving to the Adler's farm, but that was the Saturday morning ritual.

Beside him, Josh was sitting in silence, a faraway smile on his face.  He had his hand out the window, watching it rise and fall with the mood of the wind.  Karl glanced at him every so often, trying to pick the right moment.

"You should find a better job."
"I like this one."
"Building stock yards for fifteen bucks a day?"

Josh shrugged.  "It keeps me fit, and Mrs A makes lunch.  That's worth a couple of bucks."

"You could make more though.  Remember Ted, the American bloke?  He's got a job for you in Rockhampton."

Josh gagged.  "That whacko from Gladstone?  He's a bloody pimp – No way."

"That's not all he does.  He manages a couple of teams who go to private clubs, parties, that sort of thing."
"Strippers?  Again, no thanks."
"You'd just be behind the bar."
"I'm thirteen."
"But you look eighteen, nineteen with a bit of a tidy up."

Josh resumed his vigil of the passing countryside.

"I can't believe we're talking about this.  Man, my life's fucked."

"You're looking at it wrong.  It's just harmless fun.  You'll serve a few drinks, smile a bit, and come home with a pocket full of cash."
"Half naked, right?  So what's in it for you?"
"I'd drive you to Rocky and pick you up, and we'll call it say, fifty-fifty."
"And I'll run all the risks. What happens if the cops bust me under-age?"
"Don't worry, you won't get busted.  Ted's untouchable."

Josh tried to reclaim his earlier sense of calm to no avail.  If nothing else, the mystery intrigued him.

"Tell Ted I'll think about it, but if he's planning on turning me into a hooker, he's in for a shock.  I'll do bar work, nothing else.  And if I do this, it's seventy-thirty."

Satisfied, Karl returned his attention to the road.  The entrance to the Adler's property came up on the left.  He followed the winding dirt road that ran along the crest of the ridge then veered off towards the house.  Josh grabbed his bag and jumped out, his hand on the open window.

"So why did Ted offer me the job?  I don't have bar experience."

Karl grinned.  "Good looks make money, and Ted likes the look of your goods."

Josh nodded thoughtfully. 

"If you want a cut then, you'd better stop handling the merchandise."

The Mazda's tyres spun as Karl roared off down the gravel drive. 

Josh smiled at his minor victory, made doubly special since Karl hadn't touched him in weeks.  He knew why too.  He no longer acted like a victim - He was proud again, and the predator now weaker than the prey.