I am Talia

Tainted

   Talia woke up naked in a strange man's bed in a strange man's home next to a strange man. The scenario wasn't uncommon. He was still asleep, so she turned over to study him. He was much like the others, plain face, slimy voice and unwashed hair along with breath that smelled like fried onions. In short he was disgusting, and so was she. She knew she should feel some sort of revolt at her situation, but the money seemed to make her feelings unimportant. As it always did.

   Talia got up and went to the bathroom , it was filthy, dirty mirror, dirty toilet with the seat up, counter covered with all sorts of cheap fragrances and hair products, and a floor that stuck to the bare soles of her feet. Leaning over the sink, she turned on the water and waited until it was warm before splashing it on her face, this of course making her ruined makeup even worse. She started to dry her face with a towel on the edge of the tub, then saw a suspicious stain and wiped her face on her hands instead. Going back into the adjoining bedroom, where the man bearing a name she couldn't remember still slept. Gathering her clothes off the floor, she pulled them on and went to her bag on the floor. From it, Talia pulled out a hoodie and a makeup wipe. She put the garment on and cleaned her face until she was boring again. Then she slipped into her sneakers and swung her bag strap over her  shoulder. As she walked towards the front door, she swiped the little piece of paper with her number on it off a dresser and stuffed it in her pocket. Guys always seemed to pay more when they thought you were interested. 

   Talia walked down the sidewalk to the bus stop, putting on sunglasses from her bag and checking her phone. No messages. No missed calls. No notifications. Just the cheesy wallpaper of a happy turtle meant to make you smile. She didn't. It was almost Ten AM, the bus would come soon. When she reached the stop she plopped down on the bench and lit a cigarette. There were a few other people waiting, but they didn't pay her any mind.  She sat there and smoked until the bus rolled up, belching out exauhst fumes almost as bad as the cigarette she flicked away. Waiting after the other people in front of her to board, she wordlessly forked over some cash to the driver, then filed down to an empty seat and plopped down. The bus only made a few more pickups, nameless faces that didn't bother to look at her. Except for one woman she'd seen on the street the night before, who went to sit beside her then snidely said "Whore" and instead sat beside a mother with a bratty toddler screaming in her lap. Talia just shrugged and moved to where her back was against the window and her feet were in the seat.

   When she arrived at her stop, she stood and not so subtly clubbed the rude woman from before over the head with her bag, before making her way to the front of the bus and stepping out. After that, Talia walked the rest of the way home, ignoring the looks of random druggies and hustlers on the streets and in the alleyways. Climbing the stairs to her apartment, she took out her key and unlocked the door, giving it a good shove as it was an old door and needed extra work. While her residence was sparsely furnished, no television or dining table, just a couch and a couple of barstools, it was meticulously cleaned. She didn't bring clients to her home. Dumping her bag and phone on the couch, she went to the bathroom and stripped down again. Pausing to look at her appearance in the mirror, she was met with the image of what people would call a slut. A body that was heavily sexualized and defiled by many men's hands, lips stained from lipstick, and a painfully small waist from lacking motivation to eat. Growing up through highschool, people had always talked about how lucky she was. Slim wrists and neck, big tits and a thick ass, small nose and small feet, large eyes, long lashes and silky hair. The perfect girl they had said. She didn't consider her body beautiful, it was just a tool, to be used by others, like she was. Looking the way she did made the job easier though. Talia turned on the hot water until it steamed, then stepped inside. She took a rag and soap, then scrubbed. Wiped away all the filth and body fluids. No matter how hard she scrubbed though, she was still tainted, by herself and by others.

   After her shower, she tied up her short, wet auburn hair without brushing it, then changed into a t shirt and sweats. Taking one last glance in the mirror, she went to her bedroom which contained a bed and a dresser. Flopping on the bed, she wrapped herself up in the blankets, feeling the deep set cold from her skinny limbs fade.  Talia was still tired of course, you don't get much rest when you're up all night fucking a stranger. So even as the rays of the sun continued to pierce her thin curtains, she slipped into sleep, her mind focused on one thought. Tomorrow is another day.