Chapter 4

Amber tossed and turned all night. Her mind held a myriad of thoughts; why was her life so complicated, why did she have the worst deal out of life?

She remembered her time in the foster care system. She had been a lonely kid always. She was chubby and shy, two unattractive traits in an unwanted child. She had found it difficult to make friends; none of the other kids wanted to hang out with the ‘fat girl’. She had faced rejection after rejection by couples who wanted to adopt. All they needed to do was take one good look at her chubby cheeks and body and they would shake their head in amusement. She wasnt athletic or sporty; she panted and heaved deeply after any strenous exercise, which further alienated kids from her because who wanted to be friends with the ‘lazy, fat girl’?

It was not until she had collapsed from a routine sports activity that the problem with her heart was discovered. Series of tests were carried out and it was determined that she would require a major surgical operation to survive. At that point, Amber became indifferent, she reckoned that she would simply become the ‘fat,lazy, sick girl’. She was ready for the anomaly to take her life, after all, there wasn't much she had to live for. The government however, tried their best to keep her alive until her seventeenth birthday when she was deemed strong enough to undergo such a delicate surgery.

Coincidentally, it was at the same time she met the Bryce’s. Eleanor and Harry Bryce were a god sent and they proved it. They weren’t scared or fazed by the seemingly bleak situation. They decided to adopt her because Eleanor couldn’t have children of her own. It was the first time a ray of light shone in Amber’s world and she felt forever grateful to the gentle and unassuming couple who finally gave her a taste of family life.

Even though Hilary, Mr Bryce’s daughter from a previous marriage proved to be mean and nasty to her, Amber felt more at home with them than she ever had in foster care. She had finally began to find a semblance of normal life and a renewed hope to live. She was particulary excited at how the universe had smiled on her - the healthcare system could finally treat her for a fraction of the true cost. Or so she thought. Now, today, she was discovering that what she thought was the biggest miracle of her life, was actually, the biggest debt for the Bryce’s.

But she owed them so much, so she knew she would do whatever it took to help them. She stared at the rumpled piece of paper where Eleanor Bryce had written out a phone number. It was the last known contact number for her birth mother. Amber stared at the numbers and took a quick decision. She dialed the number and let it ring, once, twice, thrice - no response. So she got up and decided to go downstairs to talk to her foster mom, perhaps, she hadn’t gotten the number correctly. Walking down the stairs, she overhead an argument between Eleanor and her husband, Harry.

“Honey, you shouldn’t have mentioned this to her…” Harry burst out.

“...but darling…” Eleanor objected

“No buts, Eleanor! We agreed never to speak of this to her!”

Amber paused midstep in curiosity. Obviously, her foster parents were talking about her. But what was it she shouldn’t know?

“We agreed never to to speak of this to Amber! We agreed to shield her from that kind of life, Eleanor! What kind of parents would we be if we took the easy way out, throwing her to the dogs, the first chance we got?”

Eleanor sobbed quietly, “Harry, we need the money…I need to commence treatment, Harry! You said it yourself the bank wouldnt give you any more loans! Where are we to get the kind of money I need for chemotherapy?”

Harry was silent for a second, and then “ I can’t imagine her working there, Eleanor. I just can’t imagine our little Amber amongst those low-lifes.”

Eleanor pleaded, “I hate it as much as you do…but we have no other option. Please, Harry!”

At this point, Amber could take it no longer and she bursts into the room with questions in her eyes, “Mom? Dad? What ‘s going on?”

Harry jumps in shock, while Eleanor sighs in resignation. They knew they had no choice but to tell her the truth.

“When your mum came to us, she made us an offer…” Harry began.

Amber interjects impatiently, “Yes, yes, Mom already told me that…”

“I know she did sweetie”, continues Harry. “What she failed to mention was that…well, she wanted you to come and work for her.”

“Work for her? Really? She offered me a job? And you guys didnt tell me about it?”

“It wasn’t just any kind of job, Amber”, Eleanor siad quietly. “ She said she would give us $1000 dollars every month if you would come work…in her establishment.”

“Uh, okay…i don’t see what the problem was with that. Why didn’t you tell me this? I mean, I already work in a department store, so it couldn’t be because you didn’t want me to work. And I thought it was $10,000 she offered? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Eleanor and Harry exchange quick glances and then Harry looks away, his face reddened.

“$10,000 sweetie?” Eleanor asks in a saccharine voice. “Was that what I said dear?”

“Yeah, mom. That was it”, Amber responds. Once again, Eleanor and Harry exchange brief glances. Then Eleanor laughs dryly. “ Oh dear, I obviously made a mistake. It was $1000”, she chortles in a fake high voice.

“Okay. Still doesn’t explain why you never mentioned it. Dad? Mom?”

“...because she owns the Dusty Snag”, Harry interjects. “The establishment she wants you to work in, is the Dusty Snag…”

Amber continues to stare poker-faced. “Okay..I don’t get…”

“It’s a club that provides adult entertainment, Amber”, Eleanor enlightens.

Still no understanding from Amber.

Harry clears his throat. “ it’s…ahem…a strip club?”

“Oh!” Amber blushes a furious red in realization and understanding. A strip club?

“Whaaatt?! Whoa!” she exclaims. “As a dancer?”

“Yes, we had to assume so” Harry responded. “Which is why we both agreed to never mention it to you and…” he turned to his wife, “I’m disappointed she did. That’s not the kind of life we want for you, Amber. We didn’t spend so much to give you an education, just to have you end up working in a place as disreputable as that!”

Amber purses her lips in silent thought. A thousand dollars every month would go a long way to aid Eleanor’s treatment.

Besides, if she was being totally honest, she was very curious about her birth mother. A strip club? What sort of woman owned a strip club? Obviously, she could take care of herself, so why did she give her up for adoption? Yes, she was very curious about her biological mother, and this was a good opportunity to meet her.

“I’ll do it”, she says quietly.

“Whaatt?!” they both gasp - Eleanor in disbelief and Harry in horror.

Amber draws herself up to full height. “I’m nineteen years old now, Dad. I can take these decisions for myself. I’m not your little girl anymore. If I can do something, anything to help mom get better, then I will.”

Eleanor bursts into tears of relief afresh and Harry looks on forlornly. “Yes, I know you’re nineteen now and of legal age. But that place is not for the likes of you. You’ll be exposed to all sorts of riff-raff - not to mention the drugs and alcohol…” He buries his face in his palms. “I wish there was another way, a better way.”

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’m optimistic about this. Just think of the good it would do to get mom back on her feet.”

Harry sighed thinking deeply. He knew he had no option except he was willing to watch his wife die a slow, painful yet avoidable death. He knew he had very little choice and silently admired Amber for her grit and sacrifice. Nontheless, he was also worried that working there may inadvertently expose Amber to some shameful secrets he preferred best forgotten.