The Offer by Amelia Rucker
The cold wind brushed violently against my pale face. Snow fell, for the scene was not a beautiful one indeed. I was trotting my way to my apartment when I heard a sniffle. I glanced around my surrounding, but everything was rough for me to see what or maybe who was around.
I kept walking, but the sniffle caught me off guard for the second time. It had to be the figment of my imagination, but what or who could be making such an awful sound? “Help,” a faint cry made out in the wind. This time, I knew it was real.
As soon as I approached the steps to my building, I saw a figure that was nearly covered in snow. I couldn’t just leave the poor thing out here to freeze to death. I walked to her and carried her in my arms. Once I climbed the stairs to Apartment 401, I took out my key and opened the door.
I gently placed her on the couch and searched for a blanket. New York City just wasn’t famous for the Empire State Building, but homeless people filled up the streets.
Once I came back with the blanket, I wrapped it around her. Her skin was pale white, but her hair was red and similar to WWE superstar, Lita. She seemed fragile, for there was hardly any meat on her bones. Her eyes were olive green, for there was a bit of a mysterious spark in both of them. “Hello,” I greeted.
She didn’t reply, for her body was still shivering. Her lips were almost red. I unwrapped the blanket and immediately got her out of wet clothes.
It was indeed a blizzard out there, and the way the roads were could take the ambulance forever just to get here. I rushed to grab another blanket and wrapped her tightly in both of them.
Who was she? I thought. “Hello,” I greeted again.
This time, her emerald eyes sparkled. She stared at me, for we were both strangers. Here I was. A thirty-four-year-old bachelor rescuing a young woman, whose life could have been claimed by the snow.
“Hi,” she shyly responded.
“What is your name?” I wondered, curiously.
“Sadie,” she answered.
“What were you doing out there? You could have frozen into the deep depths of the snow. By the way, I am John.”
“I mainly do my business around here. Every night, I sleep in a different bed with a different man. I have no family or friends. I have nowhere to go. Why did you bring me in here?” She asked.
A prostitute? Did I bring inside of my apartment a harlot? What was I thinking? I thought, shaking my head. This was the oddest thing I have done in my life.
“Were you staying in a shelter?” I inquired.
“No. All of the shelters were full. Families that had children took over the shelters. Is there anything you would like in return?” Sadie offered.
I glanced at her quickly. Was she offering me to have a one night stand? Was she offering me something that money couldn’t even buy? Was this offer even worth it? I sat there and thoughts raced inside of my head. The last time I was with another woman was six years ago. She was secretly dating my biggest rival, and from that day forward, I never looked at women again the same.
Here I was sitting on the couch with a prostitute. I did show sympathy for her, after bringing her inside of my place. She seemed like a young woman, who once had ambitions, but why was she now a harlot?
I sighed and turned to her. My brown eyes were meeting her olive-green eyes. Nothing escaped from our mouths.
“Better yet, I should be offering you something that doesn’t require physical touch. Every man that got inside of you was not in love with you. They used your body to get what they wanted. As I stripped you out of your clothes earlier, sex was the last thing on my mind.
I wanted to make sure you were warm. It is going to be a blizzard for the next few days, and you need to be warm before you head on your way. I can not offer you lust or eros, for platonic love doesn’t come with a price tag to it. Tonight, allow me to hold you while you slumber in my arms.
There will be no intercourse or sexual contact of any kind. When you place your head on my chest, feeling as if it is a pillow collecting all of your thoughts and tears. Will you allow me to do that?”
Sadie stared at me. She looked as if she was nervous, but a shy smile appeared on her face.
“Sure,” she consented.
I left her there on the couch and allowed myself to prepare for the night. I showered and got into comfortable clothes. I even made sure my bed was just right, for it was indeed a king-sized bed fit for a lonesome king indeed. I went back to the den and gathered Sadie in my arms. I carried her to the bedroom, where the bed was waiting for us both.
I unraveled the comforter and slide in with Sadie in my arms. I lied back with her, so her ears could hear the rhythm of my heartbeat. She closed her eyes, but mine remained open. I observed who was in my arms.
I didn’t see a harlot. I didn’t see a disgusting creature. I didn’t see anything else, but what I did see was a lost angel who founded a little bit of peace.
“Goodnight, Sadie,” I stated, kissing her forehead before I closed my eyes. The howling wind was indeed our lullaby.
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