Once again, immense thanks to Phil Anderer for his extraordinary patience and skill in transforming my stream of consciousness into a narrative that's not only coherent but truly worth reading.
***
The knock at her bedroom door startled Alice awake.
"Alice?" Frank called out from the hallway, "Are you there?"
"YES! Sorry, yes!" Alice replied. "Be right out!"
Alice realized she had fallen asleep in her post orgasmic bliss and was a little disoriented. She pulled on her robe and went out to see Frank.
"Everything Okay with you dear?" Frank asked, concerned.
"Yes," Alice replied. "I accidently fell asleep."
Frank nodded but gave her a concerned look. She knew the look, she had seen some form of it from people in her life: teachers, care workers and guidance counsellors. Even strangers on the street who didn't try to hide it behind other questions. Only this time it wasn't warranted.
"As long as you are ok," Frank started but seemed to pause before completing his thought. He walked around unpacking the bag he had come home with and moved to the kitchen.
He watched her walk around and sit on the couch. She was always a little grumpy when she first woke up and the looks she was getting from Frank, were not helping.
"I managed to get you an appointment for tomorrow afternoon with Dr. Sarah," Frank announced from behind the kitchen wall.
"Great!" Alice snapped back more coldly than she had meant.
Frank peered around the corner and looked at her again.
"I don't do drugs Frank!" Alice bluntly told him, "Also, not an alcoholic."
"I didn't suggest that you...." Frank started before being cut off by Alice.
"I got myself off and fell asleep afterward!" Alice matter-of-factly told him. She couldn't stand Frank thinking she was a druggy or a drunk. She wasn't her mother. The truth was the only excuse she felt she could offer.
"Oh," Frank replied looking generally surprised. The surprise quickly faded and he was now smiling at her in a generally affectionate way.
Alice couldn't help smiling back.
"What?" she said, not understanding his sudden joy, but pleased to be believed. She buried her face in a couch pillow suddenly feeling embarrassed.
"I was just thinking what a wonderful sight that must have been," Frank explained. "Like Botticelli's Venus."
Alice had no idea what he was talking about but accepted the compliment all the same.
"I don't know about that Frank, but it sure was relaxing," she told him, once again finding her confidence.
"I'm sure, I am sure," Frank replied. "When I was young it was almost a second occupation of mine."
The combination of Frank's impish smile, his gentlemanly demeanor, and the subject matter all came together, making Alice laugh out loud.
"Bit of an expert are you, Frank?" she teased him.
"Still am, just not proficient as I used to be." He smiled back at her. "That is why I appreciated the helping hand last night."
Alice blushed a little, which was strange. Twenty-four hours ago, she was a whore, plain and simple. Literally a twenty-dollar whore. There was something about Frank that put everything on display for her. She felt like a woman again, not a commodity. She cared what he thought about her. She wanted to prove she was more.
She was sure some therapist would write this off as some sort of father figure complex, but she really didn't care. Frank was nice to her and not many people had done that in her life.
"Right!" said Frank with an air of action. "I got you something today."
Frank handed her a box with the picture of a high-end model phone on it. Opening the box she found inside, what was advertised on the box.
"Can't very well be my assistant if I can't get hold of you," Frank told her. "I don't really know all the details, but you can make as many calls as you want and as much data as you can use. The password is on a sticker on the back, but the gentleman suggested you use your finger or something."
Alice had never actually owned a phone. She had a 'pay as you go' phone once, but with no one to call and no one to call her, she didn't see the value in paying for it. She had ended up selling it for a hot meal.
"Frank! I don't know what to say," Alice exclaimed.
"Nothing, my dear," Frank smiled. "Benefits me as much as you."
The doorbell suddenly rang.
"That will be dinner," Frank said out loud.
Alice hopped off the couch and into action, but suddenly realised she had no idea what to do, if anything.
"No need to dress dear," Frank said, assuming that was her goal. "I had them send over something from the local chicken place."
Alice assumed Frank was referring to some sort of fried chicken and was a little surprised to see a whole chicken, roasted potatoes, green beans, and a salad being laid out on the table in plastic take away containers.
'Of course, Frank wouldn't do normal take away,' Alice thought.
They sat down for dinner and again Alice had to force herself to slow down. She was starting to believe this would not be her last meal with Frank.
"So, what did you want to be when you were a little girl?" Frank asked out of the blue.
The question shook Alice a little. In her head the immediate response was 'alive in the morning'. Alice's mum had loved her, but beyond that didn't have many redeeming features. She didn't know who dad was and wasn't sure her mother did either. Mum drank when she woke up and continued throughout the day. Alice was almost a teenager when she figured out mum's boyfriends were closely connected to their meager finances. A couple of them like to cuddle Alice a little too much and it made her feel very uncomfortable. Luckily, none had tried to take it further. Still, her general impression of men was they were rough and smelt bad.
As she got older, she realized the one thing she wanted was to be anywhere else. She had enjoyed school somewhat, she had teachers she liked and some friends. However, she was under strict instructions to never bring anyone home, so getting close to someone was hard. Same applied to potential boyfriends when she got older. This left Alice feeling very lonely. She discovered she could make a lot of the boys like her by showing them what was under her dress. She soon found out this was very fleeting and earned her a reputation around school. A reputation that far exceeded her transgressions. It was this that also led to a meeting with her school's guidance counsellor. Alice understood their conversation today better then she did at the time. Mr. Mathow was warning her against being promiscuous but chose words she didn't understand at the time. He was stern and told her to have more respect for herself, that she shouldn't let the boys take advantage of her. If she continued to tease the boys, they wouldn't treat her properly. Even with her limited understanding at the time, she felt humiliated, especially when Mr. Mathow used the word vagina with a funny look on his face.
It might have been this that made whoring easier when she was older. She had already been shamed for it, so what did it matter.
"Alice?" Frank snapped her back to the present.
"Sorry," Alice said, coming back. "Honestly, I never really thought about it. If anything, I wanted to be a princess. Princesses lived in nice places and wore nice things."
Alice thought for a moment and smiled a big smile at Frank with a tear in her eye.
"You have done that, Frank," Alice told him. "You have turned me into a princess."
"All I have done is..." But he stopped himself when he saw the look on her face. "My pleasure, completely my pleasure."
