Swipe Right - The Chronicles of an Unpaid Prostitute

Swipe Right - Chapter Six

"Hi Mom!"

"Hi Sweetheart, how's it going?"

"Good, just at work. How about with you?"

"Oh it's going, but you caught me at a bad time, love. I have an appointment downtown in an hour."

"What's your appointment for?"

"Just about the hall for Mimi's party. You know how terrible I am at keeping secrets, I don't know how I'm going to keep my mouth shut for the next couple of months."

I laughed. "You'll be alright."

"You're still coming home next weekend right?"

"Yep, booked my ticket a few days ago."

"Perfect. Okay honey, I'll call you later."

I hung up with a sigh. Since I was seven, it had been the three of us; me, Mom and Mimi. My dad decided having a wife wasn't for him and although it wasn't the worst divorce in the world, that same courtesy extended to his daughter. He'd moved away and his idea of keeping in touch was calling twice a year to check in. He certainly didn't deserve any medals but he was mine. In his absence, my childhood was female strong, bracketed by fierce, independent women. Women that I looked up to in every way and adored with all of me. They instilled in me liberation, resilience and sass. Which reminded me, I had an appointment to get my lady bits waxed.

Eyes closed, spread-eagled, a chipper blonde halo between my thighs. That was my current position. "What were you thinking, darling? American, French, Brazilian?"

"Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?" I asked in return, completely confused.

"No, how much did you want to take off?"

Oh. Just like my heart I wanted it empty. "Take it all."

Climbing the stairs to my apartment, I stopped and took a deep breath. Jeans were not a good idea. "Hey girl, what's going on?" Jamie asked, stepping into the hall.

"I need to ice my vagina."

"Oh, that sounds like fun. I'd love to help but I'm going to go grocery shopping. Need anything?"

"Ice."

"Noted."

Peeling the horrendous denim from my legs, I fell onto my bed, naked from the waist down and relished in the heaven. Lazily, I reached down and grabbed for my phone. Opening up the only app that was receiving any attention on my phone recently - it was annoyingly addictive. "Yuck," swipe left. "Yucky," swipe left. "Even yuckier," swipe left. "Oh, hellooo there," swipe right, good sir. Should I feel guilty? I didn't. But I did have a date tomorrow with someone else and I was looking at other men, albeit gorgeous, cute men. And I wasn't tied down to Mr.Fun2BeWith, I didn't even know his real name. I looked up to the ceiling and pondered, searching my conscience for any niggle of guilt. Nope, nothing. I was single damn it, I deserved my time to mingle. Alright, pep talk over.

A chat window opened and there he was, Mr. Fun2BeWith. "Hey gorgeous. Making sure we're still on for tomorrow."

I smiled, biting my lip like a little school girl. "Yes, definitely."

"Great. So I was thinking we could go for a walk down by the water and grab something to eat while we're down there." It sounded good, relaxing, no expectations, no awkward moments staring at each other across a table over food we were desperately trying not to spill on ourselves.

"That sounds like a plan."

"Good. I'll text you the address where to park."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."