BABY GIGOLO.

Gigolos and Jails

Franco, Antoinette's husband, after having thrown himself into his work, was glad that she did not bother him too much. He had lost interest in her and did not even find her sexually attractive. Whatever needs he had, and it was minimal, he satisfied in other ways. She was always out, and her excuses — or reasons were that she was doing much needed shopping for her, and the house; not that the house needed it. That was taken care of by the cook who also served as house manager and had a budget for whatever she needed.

Franco spent a lot of time with his sick son who was receiving home care at his ex-wife's house. Whereas in the past they had nothing to say to each other, their son's illness brought them closer together and gave them something to talk about. Franco had, in the meantime, gotten used to the idea of grooming his daughter to take over the reins of his company one day. She was a bright precocious little girl, and showed all the signs of one day becoming a formidable woman.

Franco was in a business meeting when he received the call that his second wife was in hospital due to an allergic reaction from the strawberries she had unintendedly eaten. He rushed to the hospital, and after enquiries were made, he was allowed to see her. Antoinette was sedated and although he couldn't talk to her, she seemed stable and recovering. When he got home, he saw the car on the sidewalk and thought it a little odd, but he ascribed it to the possibility that everything must have happened so fast that she did not have time to park the car properly.

But something did not add up, and that nagging feeling grew strong to the point where he was convinced that he was right . He considered his wife's behavior of the past few months, and the fact that she was actually happy and glowing; facts that did not matter at the time. He decided to investigate, if only to put his mind at ease, and asked one of his most trusted and discreet men with the task, and answer directly to him, no matter how insignificant it may seem. It did not take them long to uncover the bag of lies.

When he received a copy of the intake form of the rural hospital,and the statement from the landlord that there were two people who hired the chalet, he was convinced that his wife was having an affair. Cole's name came up, and they started looking for him. They went around to the coffee shop, but the owner told them that he had resigned with immediate effect and left. When they asked his mother about his whereabouts, she told them that he had packed his bags and left. She was so used to it that she did not ask questions and expected him home in a week or two.

Cole had felt the noose around his neck, and when he felt the cold shivers running down his spine, he knew it was time to run. He had saved enough money to last him for some time, and his idea was to hide in the city of Johannesburg. If necessary, he was prepared to pawn or sell some presents in order to survive. He was to lay low for a while, and live off the grid, until the dust had settled. Johannesburg was a big city, and one could easily get lost in it, and that's exactly what he was going to do. It was a two hour flight to his destination, and although he paid cash, he still had to produce his ID card.

During their investigation, they interviewed family members and friends and came across Mike.

"Are you Cole's friend?"

"Yes, what's it to you?" Mike asked belligerently.

When the long black car stopped in front of his house, he had, at first, eyed it with fear, followed by suspicion, followed by surprise, and finally with greed. The two men that had emerged from the vehicle were dressed in black suits, and the whole package smelled like money. They were certainly not Tommy's boys.

That crew were as poor as church mice, and their suits were bought at the local store. When Mike heard that it was about Cole, his ears pricked up like a dogs'. He sensed something was in the wind, and wondered how much the information was worth.
"What do you know about his whereabouts?" one of them asked.

"I know a lot about Cole's whereabouts. What do you wanna know?"

"Do you know if he saw a lady?"

"Cole saw a lot of ladies,"  Mike responded noncommittally.

They realized that they were dealing with a shrewd customer, and one of them took five hundred dollars from his inside coat pocket and waved it under Mike's nose.

"Does any particular lady come to mind? Does it jog your memory?"

For some people, that money would have been enough, but not for Mike. He pretended not to notice it, and stood his ground.

"My memory is jogged alright, but it depends…"

The man took another five hundred dollars from his coat pocket and handed it to Mike.

Mike took it, pocketed it safely and said, "The last lady I saw him with was with a tight-ass redhead. She was older than him, and it looked like she was married, and rich. She had a pale skin and a freckled face. I saw them from a distance. They did not see me. I was on my way to go and say hello, but they got into a fancy car and drove off before I could do that. I know he was boning her. Is it your wife, mister?" Mike asked with a mocking look in his eyes.

The man ignored the question and asked instead, "Do you know where we can find him?"

"He cleared out. He could be in Johannesburg. That's where I would go when the heat is up, and I want to lay low. Other than that, there's nothing more I can tell you."

Without another word they got into their car and drove off.

"You little f*cker. That comes from blowing me off. You should have been nicer to me."

Mike took the wad of money from his pocket and kissed it. His first thought was to head straight to the bar. On second thought, he took a one hundred dollar bill, and stacked the rest in his safe place. Only then, he headed for the bar. While he was drinking, two girls came sidling up to him and said, "Hello big boy. In the mood for company?" Mike grinned and bought them beers. Later that night he left with both of them.

When the men arrived at the airport, they checked the airlines' passenger lists, and found Cole's name amongst them. They alerted their confederates on the other side, sent them a pic and told them to track him asap. The men combed the city, and in less than a week they had him.

Rich people are powerful people and have lots of influence that only money can buy. When they informed Franco that they had located Cole, he told them to take him to the nearest police station, and have him booked for attempted murder. Franco briefed his lawyer, who took a statement from Antoinette as to what to say should anyone ask. Antoinette played along, because she was threatened by her husband that should she not cooperate, he would kick her to the curb without a penny to call her own.

She complied, but with tears in her eyes, and a heart heavy with grief. It seems as if Cole was going to spend a long time in jail for having loved her, and she was powerless to do anything to stop it. Her own livelihood was hanging by a thin thread, and there was no safety net to catch her.

When Cole was roughly grabbed on the streets of Johannesburg, he knew that his time was up. He did not resist or put up a fight. He had suspicion of who gave him up, but he felt bad for Antoinette, because he was painfully aware that she must be suffering, and all because of him.

The heavy door of his cell slammed shut behind him, and the key turned gratingly in the hole. It was dark, and he looked at his surroundings; at the dirty floor, the carvings on the wall, and he inhaled the stale smell of damp and urine. With an air of resignation he lay down on the bed, and with his slender and beautifully tapered fingers locked behind his head, crossed his legs and stared at the ceiling. This would be his home for a very long time.

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The End.

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