Alleviate

6| seis

I haven't forgotten the feeling of laughter. But at times I have forgotton how it feels to let out rushes of uncontainable happiness- Camilla Farias

The first thought that struck me today morning after waking up was to hide the wad of cash somewhere safe. A protective instinct kicked in. The only area I could think of was an old closet next to the bathroom that no one used. Somewhere at the back of my mind, the conversation between him and I kept replaying over and over. I wanted to tell Anika about the man I had encountered last night.

My wounds from last night still hurt, although it wasn't unbearable, it seemed manageable after washing my face and tending to the cuts.

The usual buzz of this place had resumed itself in the morning, after the events of the previous night. Girls walking in and out, getting ready for their day jobs, Delilah managing the bookings and rooms. I seemed to be the only one that hadn't taken to my duties.

Generally the girls are allowed to sleep till daylight, unless they have other jobs. Luckily for me, I had had a few hours of sleep.

"Camilla, you and Anika need to clean the last two rooms," Delilah said to me as I walked out of the room, pointing to the equipment closet.

"Yes ma'am," I answered.

I walked to the closet and picked up a mop with a bucket for myself and another broom with a cleaning cloth for Anika. I saw her walk towards me slowly, looking exhausted with her hair dishevelled.  Her eyes looked puffy and her mouth was swollen.

"Dear Lord, Anika, you look like a wreck, are you all right?"

"I feel even worse, I just vomited in the bathroom behind the bar," she replied, with a shaky voice.

I could trace a faint scent of bile, so I told Anika to wait near the closet for a minute with the equipment. I quickly went to the back of the brothel to the storage closet and got out a small bottle of water that was usually on the top shelf. Delilah expects us to pay for everything we consume, even water, but she wasn't anywhere in sight, so I decided to take my chances.

I went back to Anika and took the equipment from her. She was only a year younger to me, but she felt far younger than me. Seeing her collapse out of exhaustion, like a child does against her mother, made me gently take her to the bathroom at the back. No one would use this bathroom, as no water flowed through the pipes. I gave her the bottle. Silence enforced itself when I watched her leaning over the sink and use the water to clean her face and wash her mouth before she drank the water that was remaining.

I pulled her hair behind her ears. "Do you feel any better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"All right Anika, let's get to cleaning the two rooms. Come on."

The last room greeted us with a damp smell, and traces of last night on the sheets. I started by mopping the floor which took me less than 20 minutes to finish, while Anika dusted the place and removed the sheets. We worked in silence until Anika asked me quietly, "how was your night? Especially after your rebellious act, I hope it wasn't too bad."

"Very strange, he wasn't anything like his brother. He didn't do.. Anything."

"You mean nothing happened at all?"

"Yes, nothing at all," I said. When I saw the confused look on Anika's face I told her,"yes it puzzles me too."

She stopped dusting. "But then why did he even pick someone? Did the two of you just sit in silence?"

"No, I had a conversation with him." My own statement bewildered me as "conversations" with clients was unheard of. Anika looked completely shocked now, but then her face slowly transited into an expression to that of sadness. Her light blue eyes looked down at the floor.