Lara always knew her childhood wasn't typical. Single mothers raise lots of kids so that wasn't what made it different. Neglect is a harsh word. Rather it was the general ambivalence or presumption of independence on the part of her mother. Lara never knew her father and as she got older she realized her mother did not know him either. More than likely Lara was the result of a one-night stand. Her mother never mentioned it or complained, she just went about her life as usual, only with a minor inconvenience that was Lara.
Her mother was in "sales". She began working for a small advertising firm in the Midwest and through a series of several job changes, promotions and opportunistic relationships landed a position with a large firm in an east coast city. The unplanned arrival did not stall her career nor dampen her ambition. It was just an inconvenience that needed to be tended to.
Childhood was a sequence of childcare centers, relocations and baby sitters. For two weeks every summer she was sent to the beach with her grandparents and a herd of cousins, aunts and uncles she never knew. By the time she was 10 years old she was a bona-fide latchkey child. Her typical day was off to school, home from school, homework, television, reading and then bed. But she never stayed long enough in a school or a city to make any friends. Her mother was not home for dinner, so Lara prepared her own. If her mother came home before her bedtime she tucked Lara in, otherwise she did not see her until morning. Every Friday when after school, there was an envelope on the kitchen table with Lara's allowance. It was cash. More cash than she ever needed, most of which she did not spend but stuffed into an old shoebox in her closet. Weekends were the same as weekdays. She spent most of her time in her room reading or doing homework or watching television. This was not a problem. In her ignorance she was content.
By the time Lara turned thirteen, she started to learn about sex from biology classes and the Internet. She also began having her periods and masturbating. It was also the year her mother received a big promotion and they relocated in mid-school year to Manhattan. They moved into an upscale high-rise apartment and Lara enrolled in a private school.
Her life did not appreciably change and as before, she did not make friends at school. The daily routine remained the same the difference being she now roamed through high-rise buildings to and from school rather than suburban neighborhoods.
Lara's mother was busier than ever and Lara was more aware of the men who routinely spent the night. They were never introduced to her. She would be in her room when her mother arrived with a male friend in tow. When she awoke for school her mother would be alone in the kitchen area to fix breakfast and see her out the door to school. The door to the bedroom was never open at this time.
As Lara's body changed her interest in sex increased, and her curiosity about her father also increased. It was a weekday morning and Lara had not heard her mother come in during the night. This was not uncommon so it did not raise a concern. As she went downstairs, she noticed that her mother's bedroom door was open and the bed was still made. Lara heard a noise from the kitchen area. It was her mother. She was puffing on a cigarette, had on the same dress as yesterday, only it was quite mussed, and drinking a large mug of black coffee. Her makeup was smeared and she had obviously been drinking and was quite chatty, which was extremely unusual. Lara saw this as an opportunity to ask a few questions about her father.
At first Lara was intentionally vague in her questioning. "Does she ever get letters from him? Talk to him? Visit him?" The answers were equally vague. "He never was a writer. He doesn't have the time. He spends a lot of time overseas". She was unconvincing. Because of her condition Lara sense her mother was vulnerable, so she asked her as directly as possible: "who is her father?" Her mother sucked a long drag on the cigarette and snuffed it out in the ashtray in front of her. Lara sensed the conflict within her. Her mother had never developed an effective method of communicating with her child and now she was put on the spot to answer a direct question.
She wanted to be truthful but was fearful of how Lara would accept the truth. Picking up the pack of cigarettes she tapped one out and placed it between her lips and flicked open the lighter. Before she placed the flame to the tip of the cigarette, she looked Lara straight in the eye and said; "Well, it is like this", the lighter flame held steady inches from the cigarette which bobbed in her lips as she spoke, "when you cut your finger on a band saw, you can not be sure which tooth nicked you".
Lara mulled over the response, not really understanding the implication. Without being able to think of anything to say, she arose pick up her books and left for school. When she returned in the afternoon, her mother was not home. It was late at night when she heard her return and it was the weekend before she actually saw her. At that moment we acknowledged each other but nothing else.
Lara's life and her relationship with her mother continued, unchanged, in its routine. The school year blended into summer and then summer morphed into another school year. The holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, came and went as usual, which means no difference from any other day. The new year then brought news for her mother. Her ambitions and long working hours paid her dividends. The agency decided to open an office Baltimore and offered her a VP of Sales position. To Lara Baltimore had less appeal than Manhattan, but it was not her choice. For the next two months, her mother spent extended time, weekends usually, in Baltimore setting up an office and making arrangements for another relocation. Then, in late March, one week after Lara's 18th birthday, they left the Manhattan apartment and made the drive to Baltimore. She did not miss the life she was leaving behind in New York but was not looking forward to her new life in Baltimore.
They settled in a very upscale area in the northern part of the city called Morrow Park. It was a Victorian era community with large, stately houses placed on massive lots surrounded by aging oak, elm and sycamore trees. They did not move to one of the large houses but rather a small, brick townhouse located on Carriage Lane. Years ago, the building had been a long livery stable that houses carriages and horses for the residents of Morrow Park. When the automobile rendered livery stables obsolete, a developer modernized the structures, upgraded the systems and converted them into an expensive enclave of 40 townhouse residences within the confines of Morrow Park. The typical resident were a well-to-do retired couples or a young, executives. BMWs and Jaguars occupied the parking spaces and there were no children her age.
Lara's universe is now bound on the west by Mill Road, on the north by the Reservoir Road, the south by Old Spring Road and the east by Carroll Street. The Community is bisected north and south by the appropriately named East-West Highway, a modern thoroughfare that carries heavy commuter traffic across the northern arc of the city. It is divided east and west by Morrow Avenue, an elegant boulevard that lends its name to the community.
At the center of the community is a strip commercial district with a few banks, library, public school, bookstore and a market. The market is described as an "Old World" or "European" market; lots of open stalls with produce, meat, cheese and fish sold by vendors.
Since it was so late in the school year, Lara enrolled in the public school. However, she did not score well on the standardized placement tests and was placed in the junior class rather than the senior. That was OK since she didn't intend to make any friends anyway and it gave her a chance to get familiar with the locale. She also had the opportunity to pass the market everyday on her way home. Everyday she parked her bike at the front of the market and prowled about the stalls inspecting the food and selecting what she wanted to prepare for dinner. Since, her mother rarely was home for meals she had taken it upon herself to set the menu and cook.
Her cooking skills improved and there was always a warm leftover for her mother when she returned home. Her mother asked about how the groceries were paid for. When Lara mentioned that she used her allowance, her mothers suggested starting a tab at the grocers and pay it weekly.
The next day, Lara approached the manager and asked about opening and account, "Run a tab" as he said. She pleaded her case. He asked her name, address and family details, paused, thought a bit and then said he would try it for a week. If she paid on time he would extend it another week. If she missed a week it was canceled. Agreed.
A week, a month went by. Her mother paid the tab promptly with an added tip for the convenience. Lara became a regular customer with a good credit record.
In late April, a sign appeared posted at the check out register that read in bold letters "HELP WANTED". As Lara was putting her groceries on the tab, she asked about the sign. Little did she know that such an innocent question would change forever her life, physically, emotionally, and sexually.
The manager explained the job and gave her the application form. The hours were 5 PM to 9 PM on weekdays and either 8 AM to 5 PM or noon to 9 PM on weekends. However, if she showed up and worked before 5 on weekdays, she would be paid for that time. When she returned the next day with the form completed he asked her when she could start work.
Her assignment was to work in the produce stall with Terri. She was 2 years older than Lara and had worked at the market since she was 15. She was very experienced as Lara was soon to learn.
She arrived at 4:30 on Thursday and was shown to a room in the back that had a locker to store things or a change clothes if needed. As she opened the door she saw a girl standing there naked from the waist up. She was stretching her arms into a T-shirt and proceeded to pull it over her head. When it was over her head but not over her breasts she said, "Hi! You must be the new girl". Before Lara could answer the girl finished pulling her T-shirt on and tucked the hem into her jeans. She did not show any sense of embarrassment about her partial nakedness.
"Yes" Lara answered, "This is my first day. Are you Terri?"
"That is me, the Queen of the Produce Stand". She ended her line with a low chuckle. That was a characteristic she used to indicate she was being friendly and not serious. She picked a bib apron from the rack and handed it to Lara. She then took one herself put it on and fitted it so that it was not obvious she was not wearing a bra. "I started working here at 15, a good time to start to learn about the real world." Terri chuckled.
"I am 18. My birthday is in March."
"So is mine. You and I have one thing in common. Are you a virgin?" she asked.
"Yes" Lara answered feeling her face blush slightly.
"Oh that is the difference," she laughed. "I wasn't when I started here!" Her chuckle hung in the air as she went out the door to the stall.
